I always get nervous whenever a writer decides to tackle the
Arthurian legend. There are some truly classic works on
Arthur, and any modern writer is treading in the shadows of
giants. You just can't beat Thomas Malory Le Morte
D'Arthur or T.H. White Read more...
I confess to opening this book expecting some schlock,
Frankenstein ripoff. And while any story about man creating
life - albeit mechanical life in this case - owes some debt
to Shelley's classic, THE CLOCKWORK MAN is a
remarkably original tale. Filled with pathos, insight and
intrigue, I was surprised to Read more...
When it comes to urban fantasy - which is, I believe, the
term used for this sort of thing - there is the Dresden
Files, and then there is everything else. Butcher's
series is the mark by which all other entries into the genre
are judged... at least by Read more...
It would be oh so very easy to pan FINAL CRISIS. We could
start with the mere book's existence - what is the point of
a novelization of a comic book? It's like a text-only
version of Playboy. It misses most - if not all -
of the Read more...
FREEDOM™ is the sequel to Daemon, and if you haven't read
Deamon, stop reading this review. Go get
Daemon. Read it. Then go get the sequel. You
won't need me to convince you. If you feel like it, come
read my review at some Read more...
I always get nervous whenever a writer decides to tackle the
Arthurian legend. There are some truly classic works on
Arthur, and any modern writer is treading in the shadows of
giants. You just can't beat Thomas Malory Le Morte
D'Arthur or T.H. White Read more...
A Minnesota man is shot during a reenactment of a minor
skirmish of the Civil War in the woods of North Mississippi.
Was it an accident? Or was it murder? And was the cop
standing next to him the real target? Those questions send
the former lover of the victim Read more...
The chief challenge is writing a review of LEAR'S DAUGHTERS
is in deciding if it's a great book, or merely a really good
book. It's definitely worth reading - one of the best
science fiction books I've read in a while - I'm just
wavering on the Read more...
Charles Stross is an author to watch. I loved Saturn's
Children, and THE JENNIFER MORGUE shows another aspect
of Stross' amazing inventiveness. A truly fantastic book.
I have to say more than that, so I'll try and say THE
JENNIFER MORGUE is so good - which will Read more...
For the boomer generation, the late sixties hold a special
place in many hearts. It was a time of growth. A time of
experimentation. A time of protest. A time of
demonstrations. A time of revolution.
And for Chris Carver, it was a time that he has spent the
rest Read more...
PEACEKEEPER is a science-fiction war story, set long after
the war is ended. Following the use of a solar-system
wrecking weapon, the Terran Expansion League (TerraXL) and
the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds (CAW) have forged an
uneasy peace, largely forced upon them by the alien Minoans.
Now the Read more...
NEW TRICKS picks up about a year or so after the previous
book (reading of which is not required), with the guitarist
and magical practitioner Mason and his dog-shaped Ifrit
familiar Louie enjoying a laid-back life in San Francisco.
When a friend has her brain sucked out by Read more...
I've read more than a few books on the Templars in my day,
and consider myself fairly knowledgeable on them, and the
vast number of bizarre conspiracies that they have inspired.
And never, ever, have I read a book that suggests that the
Templars have ended up in a Read more...
Don't judge a book by its cover. Good advice, though I
never recall actually being told that in regards to books.
In the case of SATURN'S CHILDREN, it's rather difficult not
to judge the book by the cover, because the cover positively
screams b-grade SF porn Read more...
I hate books like this. Absolutely, positively, loathe
them. My fingers hurt from holding them open. Sleep
deprivation makes me grumpy, irritable and cranky. I hate
any book that is so good that the only thing that makes me
stop reading them in the wee hours of the night is Read more...
I always approach novelizations of movies (or movie
adaptations of
novels) with some nervousness - not a lot, but enough to
fall in the category of mild trepidation. They are rarely
good, and are generally somewhere between awful and rubbish.
In the case of GOTHAM KNIGHT, I was downright skeptical -
the Read more...
I suppose that in this wide world of publishing that there
is room for just about any genre, and mix of genres.
Romantic comedies, techno-thrillers, religious mysteries,
alternate histories and even mushing-mysteries I am fine
with. But I don't quite know how to deal with Zen satire Read more...
I had no idea what to expect coming into this book. The
dragon on the cover indicated fantasy, but playing poker?
What the heck? And by the author of Phule's Company?
Comedy? Farce? I wasn't sure when I cracked it open, with
some hesitation, I must admit. After Read more...
This isn't an easy to review to write. Not because I didn't
like it - quite the opposite really - but because to review
the book I have to describe it, and WHITECHAPEL GODS is so
bizarre and imaginative, I'm not sure how to describe it.
I'm not Read more...
GOBLIN WAR is the third book in the Jig the Goblin series,
which may (or may not be) a trilogy. And considering some
trilogies, this third book may or may not actually be the
final book of the trilogy. If there is a fourth book, I'll
gladly read it Read more...
Ed Pichon
Ed started reading Asimov when he was eight, and hasn't looked back
since. While not working his engineering day job, he typically has
his nose in three or four books. Ed's interests run to SF/fantasy,
with a dose of history and (real) science to keep things interesting.
When not reading, Ed spends his time playing games (computer, board,
strategy or role-playing), serving at his church, and working puzzles.
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