Tag Archives: fantasy

Practical Magic

Based on the Alice Hoffman novel of the same name, Practical Magic stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens, sisters who also happen to be witches. Sally is sweet, sensible, and longs for a normal life. Gillian is … Continue reading

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Charles de Lint’s What the Mouse Found and Other Stories

Ah — two of my favorite things, paired in one slim volume. (Sorry, I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “slim volume” somewhere.) Fairy tales and Charles de Lint. The postman dropped the package through the door this afternoon. Just a bit … Continue reading

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Steven Brust and Emma Bull’s Freedom & Necessity

Let’s face it, much modern fantasy is duller than dirt these days. That’s not a reflection on the technical level of the work (which, in many cases, is higher than it has ever been) but rather a sad commentary on … Continue reading

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Jack of All Trades — The DVD Set

In the soul of every history geek, there is a hidden volume wherein are listed the names of History Geek Guilty Pleasures. Don’t try to deny it, fellow history geeks; you know it’s true. Mel Brooks’ History of the World … Continue reading

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Patricia McKillip’s  Something Rich and Strange 

McKillip uses the sea in many of her books, but in Something Rich and Strange the sea is not only the setting and a metaphor for mystery and magic and change — the sea is the subject. The book begins with protagonists … Continue reading

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Tanya Huff’s The Wild Ways

“For want of a nail, a shoe was lost. . . .” — William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard III. Remember that — it’s going to be important. The Wild Ways is the second of Tanya Huff’s stories of … Continue reading

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Charles de Lint’s The Little Country

Under the earth I go, On the oak-leaf I stand, I ride on the filly that never was foaled, And I carry the dead in my hand. Scots Traditional, collected by Hamish Henderson Charles de Lint dedicates The Little Country … 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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