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Shades of Milk and Honey

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal Oh, let’s just call it Pride and Prejudice and Magic and be done with it. That’s what you wanted, right? A limply Austenish fantasy novel, set in a Regency-era England where ladies are expected to master magic, aka “glamour,” as one of their genteel accomplishments? A plot and characters as sheer and insubstantial as the folds of magical material used to spin their sensory illusions? No? Well, too late, it’s here. In an era obsessed with matrimony, Miss Jane Ellsworth and her younger sister Melody have a particular reason for desiring the security of marriage: their [...]

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Author: Tom Franklin It’s sad but true that nearly all the books I read don’t live up to their hype, so it’s such a pleasant surprise when one not only lives up to, but exceeds, expectations. In addition, it’s usually not a good sign when a novel says “BOOK CLUB READING GUIDE INCLUDED” on the cover, but even with all that against it, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter turned out to be the most enjoyable psychological mystery (if that’s a genre) I’ve read in some time. Larry Ott, aka “Scary Larry,” is a socially ostracized and underemployed mechanic in the small [...]

Demi-Monde, The: Winter (The Demi-Monde Saga)

Author: Rod Rees I’ve been reading a lot of book-1-in-a-forthcoming-series titles lately, and I have to tell you, it’s really wearing me down! It’s a big time investment figuring out the geography and rules of any made-up universe, not to mention the particular political and/or magical machinations that are driving the plot (especially if, after all that work, you cut bait and decide not to continue the series). The worst part, though, is always the ridiculous and self-indulgent fantasy lingo that authors love to throw around by the shovelful. And the most egregious offender I’ve ever seen in my life, [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:41-07:00February 13th, 2012|Tags: , , , , , , |
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