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Blue Remembered Earth – Alastair Reynolds

Blue Remembered Earth. Great title, isn’t it? The evocative image of leaving Earth behind, only to remember its color in the blackness of space. It’s an image that resonates on a visceral level. It...

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Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

He caught Handsome’s wrist just as he pulled his axe free, wrenched it up and with the other hand snatched the knife from his fancy belt and rammed it in his groin, dragging up the blade, ripping him...

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The Red Knight by Miles Cameron

Rumor has it Miles Cameron, author of The Red Knight, is a pseudonym for historical fiction author Christian Cameron. I’ve no idea if it’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Orbit’s new novel has a...

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Wheel of Epic Fantasy Turn, Turn, Turn. . .

  Wheel of epic fantasy turn, turn, turn Tell us the lesson that we should learn   And now on to the part of the blog where I present five novels that look. . . well. . . damn near identical. I’m sure...

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Duck and Covers: The Masterworks’ Masterpieces

I’m going to present these covers largely un-editorialized. Well, less that usual. The truth is these gorgeous covers are as simple as they are intricate. They seem to capture some of the power of...

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Duck and Covers: I Can’t Get Over How Awesome These Are

I posted the first four covers a few weeks ago in Gollancz’s new series of Fantasy Masterworks. Here are two more gorgeous additions. I absolutely applaud the art director on these. I wish I could find...

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The Daedalus Incident by Michael J. Martinez

If you’ll recall, I wrote a post about the demise of Night Shade Books in which I admitted to being sent two manuscripts by the publisher to give my feedback on. Michael Martinez’s The Daedalus...

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Napoleonic Bechdel Tests by Michael J. Martinez

There’s been a lot of intense debate in recent weeks about the treatment of women in the SF/F community, as well as the depiction of women in SF/F works. For the former, I can only express my dismay...

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How about five (more) mainstream novels for science fiction and fantasy readers?

Damien Walters of the Guardian did a list last week of genre novels that would/should appeal to mainstream readers. That’s cool, but such discussions always strike me as a little hat in hand to the...

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Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa (a quick review for a quick read)

I’ve read more young adult this year than ever before and by and large it’s been a tremendous decision. I continue to be impressed with the quality of character and story, demonstrating why the...

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Duck and Covers: Another gorgeous Donato Giancola, and others

I can almost provide this cover image without comment. The third in Elizabeth Bear’s brilliant Eternal Sky trilogy, Steles of the Sky continues the story of Re Temur and the Wizard Samarkar in their...

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A Review of the anthology Unfettered

Brought together by a ubiquitous desire to help two-time cancer survivor Shawn Speakman pay his onerous medical bills, Unfettered is a mishmash of stories from a host of the most well known authors in...

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It’s like a melody in my head by T.L. Costa

So, when it comes to voice in fiction, I feel I can only speak to my opinion of what voice is and how I use it in my writing. The answer, simply enough, is music. When I was little I remember sitting...

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Staffer’s Book Review 3.0 — Feedback Wanted

With my recent career change and relocation, I was considering a full re-brand of Staffer’s Book Review. I had a new name picked out, a new domain bought, and I began to rebuild the site. When push...

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A few things I’ve read of late, and (very briefly) Pacific Rim

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan If ever there’s been a book most closely described by a single word, it would be Altered Carbon and the word would be visceral. It’s a word with many connotations,...

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2014 Hugo Nominations, because it’s never too early

With the deadline for voting in the 2013 Hugo Awards looming (July 31), I thought it might be appropriate to start considering, at least, the things from the first half of 2013 that might be worth...

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Broken Promises Can Never Be Put Back Together

I announced on Twitter that if I got to 1,000 followers on Tuesday, I would read a self-published novel nominated by my followers. The time has come to pay the piper, so to speak. The overwhelming...

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Duck and Covers: Don’t you love it when artists find inspiration?

First up, #1 New York Time Bestseller Divergent from HarperCollins and Skulk from Strange Chemistry. Skulk attempts to capitalize on the catching quality that the fiery logo in the sky communicates on...

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The Writer as a Meme in SF&F Culture

I went to Balticon some weeks ago. It was not the best experience. The panels were weak. The turnout from professionals was not impressive. And the general tone was back-slapping cronyism that calls...

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A colloquial review of Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

If I was put on the spot right now, on this blog, with all of you listening, to name the most important science fiction and fantasy series of the last decade I couldn’t give you an answer. If you...

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