Category Archives: Books

William Schafer, Ed., Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 2

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking of “dark fantasy” as a sort of combination of urban fantasy and horror: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and less pleasant creatures confronting more or less normal people who may have the resources, or … Continue reading

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Joe R. Lansdale and John L. Lansdale’s Shadows West

Shadows West is proof positive that you in fact get too much of a good thing. A collection of three unproduced screenplays by Bubba Ho-Tep scribe Joe R. Lansdale and his brother, comics writer John L. Lansdale, the book is … Continue reading

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Elizabeth Bear’s Ad Eternum

The latest entry in Elizabeth Bear’s New Amsterdam cycle, Ad Eternum brings things full circle geographically and thematically. There are no zeppelins here, and the magic is almost entirely offstage (or theoretical and academic). Instead. Sebastien de Ulloa – now … Continue reading

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Lev Grossman’s The Magicians

It should be pointed out that The Magicians is not Lev Grossman’s first book. His previous novel, Codex, was a bestseller. Previous to and coincident with that, he has been the book critic for Time magazine. I mention this because … Continue reading

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Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall

As an American, my knowledge about Henry VIII of England comes from Shakespeare, plus what little American schools teach in history classes. He wanted to divorce his wife, the Pope said no, so he split with Rome and created the … Continue reading

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Ben Loory’s Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day

There are books which take the reader away to a magical place and books that evoke the magic that already exists within a reader. There are books that make one think and books that help one dream, books that inform … Continue reading

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Simon R. Green’s The Man With The Golden Torc

Meet Eddie Drood. As a field agent for the powerful, enigmatic Drood family, he helps take care of problems that might otherwise threaten humanity. Demon possession? Werewolf attack? Rogue mage? You name it, if it’s evil and/or weird, chances are … Continue reading

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Simon R. Green’s Ghost of a Smile

When you have a problem with ghosts, you call the Carnacki Institute. They’ll discreetly handle everything from poltergeists to Big Black Dogges, exorcising or just plain terrorizing phantoms until they go away. The newest A-Team for the Institute is also … Continue reading

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Justin Gustainis’ Sympathy For The Devil

The race is on for the United States Presidency. With a pack of Republican candidates all jockeying to be The One that makes the big push towards the White House, it’s shaping up to be one Hell of a race. … Continue reading

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Justin Gustainis’ Hard Spell

In Scranton, PA, when the supes get out of hand, you call the Occult Crimes Unit. If you’re unlucky enough to need the night shift, you’ll get Detective Sergeant Stan Markowski. He’ll stake blood-addled vampires, put down rabid werewolves, or … Continue reading

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