Category Archives: Books

Catherine Butler’s Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children’s Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones & Susan Cooper

“. . . there is no separate mythical or mental “place”: a myth exists only in the instances of its telling. However, it cannot be reduced to the sum of those tellings: it means beyond them.” — Catherine Butler in Four … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Comments Off on Catherine Butler’s Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children’s Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones & Susan Cooper

Theodore Krulik’s The Complete Amber Sourcebook

Roger Zelazny’s Amber series spans three decades, ten volumes, several short stories, a RPG, graphic novels and even a recent revival attempt (John Betancourt’s Dawn of Amber series). Packed into those original books and stories is a wealth of characters, settings, items … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Theodore Krulik’s The Complete Amber Sourcebook

Jess Nevins’ The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana

To the casual reader or observer, it sometimes may seem that the twentieth century was the time of real blossoming in terms of the Fantastic in literature: after all, that’s when science fiction really came into its own, and when … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Jess Nevins’ The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana

Red Clay Ramblers’ Old North State

Red Clay Ramblers have been going for more than 40 years, but somehow they have slipped under my radar in spite of releasing lots of records, touring internationally and taking part in many theatre productions. The title of this CD … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Red Clay Ramblers’ Old North State

Peter S. Beagle’s Tamsin 

Peter S. Beagle’s Tamsin first saw the light of day as a story idea for a Disney animated feature. Disney never followed through. Beagle did, finally, for which I think we can all be grateful. Thirteen year-old New Yorker Jenny Gluckstein lives … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Peter S. Beagle’s Tamsin 

Steven Brust’s Brokedown Palace 

The first question that occurs to me when I encounter a book by Steven Brust is “What is he up to now?” With Brust one can never be sure, except that it’s going to be fun. It might be a … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Steven Brust’s Brokedown Palace 

Charles de Lint’s Seven Wild Sisters

Sarah Meador penned this review. Seven Wild Sisters advertises itself as a modern fairy tale. Including the seven sisters, it certainly has all the trappings: an old woman who may be a witch, an enchanted forest, a stolen princess. But Sisters is not just … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Charles de Lint’s Seven Wild Sisters

Erin Hunter’s Warriors #1: Into the Wild

Wes Uhuru penned this review. Somewhere deep in the forest, four clans of wild cats have staked out their hunting grounds. Fiercely protective of their territory, each clan defends its space from the other three. Into this microcosmic world a … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged | Comments Off on Erin Hunter’s Warriors #1: Into the Wild

Charles de Lint’s A Circle of Cats

A Circle of Cats is intended to be the prequel to the de Lint/Vess collaboration Seven Wild Sisters. Since I’ve been thwarted in every attempt to procure a copy of Sisters, and haven’t had a chance to read the story sans Vess artwork … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Charles de Lint’s A Circle of Cats

Alex Bledsoe’s Dark Jenny

What do you get when you mix the legend of King Arthur with the detective fiction of Raymond Chandler? It seems you come up with Alex Bledsoe’s stories of Eddie LaCrosse, sometime mercenary soldier, sometime hardboiled detective. In Dark Jenny, … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Alex Bledsoe’s Dark Jenny