Writing a review of ‘Watchmen’ is hard work for any poor bastard assigned with the task. No matter what angle you choose to approach this seminal work with, no matter how you dissect it and not matter how many fancy words you use to shroud your intent, you only end up saying the same god-damn [...]
Posts filed in Speculative Fiction Reviews
Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
The Word is ‘Epic’
I am not in the habit of admitting fault. It feels like loosing, and I hate losing, so whenever I’m wrong about something (which I never am!), I tend to make up silly excuses till the rightful party gives up and walks away. Yes, I know; that’s a terribly childish way to [...]
Inside Straight by George R. R. Martin & Various
‘It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s — A Swarm of Wasps?’
I’m wary about reading superhero comics, but for some reason that phobia doesn’t apply to prose novels about the same subject. This may very well have something to do with Austin Grossman’s fantastically entertaining superhero spoof, “Soon I Will Be Invincible”, which nearly [...]
Half the Blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston
The best way to describe a Charlie Huston book is to compare it to a speeding bullet. “Already Dead” and “No Dominion”, the first two instalments in the ‘Joe Pitt’ series, were both a one-pump shot of pure adrenaline. The third tale about the blood drinking thug in New York is no different, which is [...]
Under My Roof by Nick Mamatas
I’m In Your Head, Reading Your Thoughts…
Once we put the gnome back on the lawn and achieved neighbourhood nuclear superiority, there were only two things left to do:
Tell the world, and declare independence.
And tell Mom.
– Nick Mamatas, “Under My Roof”, page 19.
Herbert Weinberg isn’t really a genius. Everyone thinks he is, but that’s just because [...]
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick
The Next Big Thing?
Another year, another “big hit” from the Gollancz . It all seems so familiar, doesn’t it? Two years ago they brought us such débuts as “The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch and “The Blade Itself” by Joe Abercrombie, and a whole host of other authors to boot. Last year [...]
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged.
- Heinrich Heine
Thus begins the second volume of The First Law, just like the first volume began with the Homer (the Greek poet, not the Simpsons character, dimwit!) quote, “the blade itself incites to deeds of violence”. I think we can all agree that [...]
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Believe it or not, but this is my first reread for what must closing on three years now. Back then I nearly didn’t do anything but crack open books that had proved their worth, but suddenly I discovered that there actually existed other (and more interesting!) books then the ones found in my local library. [...]
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
“Godly good gods, is “Altered Carbon” as kick-ass as it seems? I’m only asking since it seems so very unlikely that anything actually can kick this amount of ass and not make the world implode with its sheer awesomeness. Please gods, if you can take the time out of your day to get back to [...]
Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is widely known as the speculative genre’s high-brow alibi. Not even its most stubborn critics can find much to fault him with, and that’s why he’ll probably go down in history as one of his generations very finest authors. I’ve only read one book by him before (”The Wizard Knight”), but that’s of [...]
-
Meta
Posts