Category Archives: Books

Charles de Lint’s Spiritwalk

Spiritwalk is a loose sequel to Moonheart, a series of related tales, again centering around Tamson House and including many of the same characters. In fact, the House is even more important as a Place in this group of stories. It begins … Continue reading

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Ellen Kushner’s The Man With the Knives

Ellen Kushner, in the tradition of writers of fantastic literature everywhere, has built an amazingly detailed and appealing universe in her series of novels and stories about the nameless City that contains Riverside and the Hill and those who inhabit … Continue reading

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Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman’s The Fall of the Kings

Rachel Manija Brown is the author of this review. The Fall of the Kings, by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, may not be the best fantasy novel of the year; I haven’t read one that’s better, but China Miéville’s The … Continue reading

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Pamela Dean’s Juniper, Gentian & Rosemary

Rachael Rodgers contributed this review. In her novel, Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary, Pamela Dean offers a story inspired by a traditional ballad, a familiar and fascinating blend of lyrical writing spiced with literary references and a perceptive glimpse into everyday life touched … Continue reading

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Ellen Kushner’s The Privilege of the Sword

Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint has the distinction of being among the most intelligent and stylish fantasy novels I’ve ever read. As it happens, I have to go back to a very basic definition of “fantasy” to make that statement, since Kushner’s universe shares … Continue reading

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Charles Vess’ Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess

In the early ’80s I was an unpublished author (translation: wrote lots, didn’t sell much). I was also an enthusiastic supporter of the small press field, so much so that when my friend Charles Saunders talked about wanting to start … Continue reading

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Donald E. Morese and Kalman Matolcsy’s The Mythic Fantasy of Robert Holdstock: Critical Essays on the Fiction

The myth-infested landscape of Robert Holdstock’s Ryhope Wood would seem to be fertile ground, not only for walking legends and “mythagos”, but also for literary criticism. After all, in the sequence Holdstock tackles not the structures of mythic fiction – … Continue reading

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Roger Zelazny’s Isle of The Dead audiobook

If you started listening to audiobooks over the past ten or so years, considered yourself to be extremely lucky as you’re living in a true Golden Age where narration, production, and ease of use is extremely good. But long ago, … Continue reading

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Charles de Lint’s Newford Stories: Crow Girls

Now this is a really cool offering from one of my favorite authors! The Crow Girls, Maida and Zia, are apparently immortal beings who can shapeshift from being slightly built black haired girls dressed all in black to being crows. … Continue reading

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William Goldman’s The Princess Bride

Some forms of fantasy are pure escapism. Other forms use magic and myth to promote social consciousness. And then there’s The Princess Bride, a book that exists in a class all its own. William Goldman’s tale of True Love, Harsh Revenge … Continue reading

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