Tag Archives: fantasy

Michael Cadnum’s Can’t Catch Me And Other Twice-Told Tales; Tim Powers’ A Soul in a Bottle

It seems that more and more, the books that cross my desk don’t fit into any sort of traditional category. I have to assume that’s deliberate, since there is a whole generation of young writers who are deliberately blurring the … Continue reading

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Jordan Mechner and A. B. Sina’s Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia presents us with another of the increasing number of spin-offs from gaming. It’s an intriguing story, sometimes filled with pathos, sometimes hair-raising, and always ambiguous. (And in case you were wondering, the plot of the graphic novel … Continue reading

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Steven Brust’s Vallista

Vallista is the fifteenth novel in the Taltos Cycle, recounting the adventures of Vlad Taltos, human (that is, “Easterner” to the Dragaerans), witch, and assassin. To set the stage, so to speak, the events in Vallista take place just before … Continue reading

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Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness

“Night is not something to endure until dawn. It is an element, like wind or fire. Darkness is its own kingdom; it moves to its own laws, and many living things dwell in it.” — Patricia A. McKillip, from Harpist … Continue reading

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Elizabeth Hand’s Black Light

Elizabeth Hand’s Black Light is a foray into the world of dark gods, misty legends, and deep secrets. Lit Moylan (her real name is Charlotte) is about to finish high school. She lives with her parents in Kamensic, New York, … Continue reading

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Peter S. Beagle’s Return

As you’ve no doubt heard many times here at GMR, there is something unique about the writing of Peter S. Beagle. There’s a “can’t quite put your finger on it” quality that is, perhaps, equal parts simple, uninflected narration, universes … Continue reading

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Peter S. Beagle’s Giant Bones

Peter S. Beagle does not do sequels. He says. He is also one of the two fantasy writers I know who quite blithely admits that his universe-building is more than a little haphazard, just enough to hang the story on. … Continue reading

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Ellen Kushner’s Tremontaine

Tremontaine is the latest foray into the world of Swordspoint, but it is not, as I had at first supposed, a collection of stories. It is, rather, an ongoing narrative with chapters by a group of writers, most of whom … Continue reading

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Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint

Every once in a while, being a reviewer offers a special perk, whether it’s a new book by a favorite author, a new find who stands head and shoulders above the crowd, or the chance to take another look at … Continue reading

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Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun

Science fiction, like any other genre, has its landmarks, those works that stand above their cohort and may, all else being equal, stand above most works from other genres as well (and I include so-called “mainstream” literature among genres). Gene … Continue reading

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