Category Archives: Books

Arnold Steinhardt’s Violin Dreams

I run across a fair number of musical biographies, autobiographies, reminiscences, and the like, all the way from Berlioz as seen by his contemporaries to Ned Rorem’s somewhat scandalous diaries. The common thread, of course, is that they are about … Continue reading

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Tanith Lee’s  White as Snow

Naomi de Bruyn penned this review. Tanith Lee is one of the grand masters of the fantasy and horror genres; she has done for these genres what Andre Norton did for science fiction and fantasy. And oddly enough, both are as … Continue reading

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Robert Holdstock’s Ryhope Wood series

Trying to write an omnibus review of Robert Holdstock‘s Ryhope Wood cycle is a damnably difficult task. On a strictly practical note, two portions of the cycle (“The Bone Forest” and Merlin’s Wood) are fiendishly hard to find. “The Bone Forest” which … Continue reading

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Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair

Enter a world where things are very, very different.  Where in 1985, Britain is a virtual police state, engaged in border wars with the People’s Republic of Wales, and well into the 131st year of the Crimean War.  Where all … Continue reading

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Robert Holdstock’s Avilion

As we are inclined to do from time to time, we’re devoting our opening notes to the appreciation of a specific work. This time we’ve chosen Avilion, the latest in Robert Holdstock’s Ryhope Wood series — now twenty-five years in … Continue reading

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Terri Windling’s The Wood Wife

Some writers give us stories that are like keys to the door of our cage. They let us escape out of a world that is mostly mundane, often confusing and troubling, into worlds of light and beauty. Because of them, … Continue reading

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Roger Zelazny’s The Great Book of Amber

Rebecca Swain wrote this review. Roger Zelazny (1937-1995) was one of science fiction’s most renowned writers. He won several Hugo and Nebula awards, and numerous honors from other countries. He is considered one of the earliest writers to embrace the … Continue reading

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Charles de Lint’s The Dreaming Place

Marian McHugh wrote this review. A close friend of mine first introduced me to Charles de Lint. She showed me a short story and said I had to read it. I took the anthology, but wasn’t expecting too much — … Continue reading

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Leona Wisoker’s Secrets of the Sands

I should start with a disclaimer: Several years ago, fellow GMR staffer Leona Wisoker emailed me with a request to take a look at a chapter she was working on and give her a critique. I agreed, and my response … Continue reading

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Teya Rosenberg and associated editors’ Diana Wynne Jones: An Exciting and Exacting Wisdom

That fiction has power to alter reality is, at least in one sense, literally true. Fiction is a product of language, and human beings live largely in a social and linguistic world — above all, a world of narrative. It … Continue reading

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