The nitty-gritty: The Book Eaters is a delicious, dark surprise, strange and compelling and utterly original. “A moment of perverse beauty: one child holding another, with Cai’s mouth on the baby’s ear. Almost a kiss, almost a cuddle. It was love and it was death and Devon thought that, for her, those things had become […]
The nitty-gritty: Evocative writing, authentic historical details and complex characters make Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest a must read. “Montgomery was like a chipped piece of pottery. She couldn’t imagine he’d ever been whole, and his eyes, when they glanced at her, were watery gray. Not green and lush and full of promise like Eduardo’s, but the […]
The nitty-gritty: A creepy and atmospheric retelling that pays homage to the original story while adding many unique elements, What Moves the Dead induces both laughter and dread, often in the same paragraph. “The mushroom’s gills were the deep-red color of severed muscle, the almost-violet shade that contrasts so dreadfully with the pale pink of […]
The nitty-gritty: Killer dinosaurs and Old West shootouts come together in this bloody and highly entertaining story. One of my favorite fantasy subgenres is “weird western,” and I can definitely say that Pteranodon Canyon fits the bill if you enjoy weird westerns as well. And what could be weirder than an alternate universe set in […]
The nitty-gritty: Even though the story didn’t feel as polished as his others books, Upgrade has some nail-biting action scenes and plenty of emotional moments. Blake Crouch’s Recursion and Dark Matter were both five star reads for me, and so I was expecting and hoping to love Upgrade just as much. Maybe it’s because it […]
The nitty-gritty: Eric LaRocca’s strange brand of horror is in full force in We Can Never Leave This Place, an emotional and at times upsetting glimpse into a young girl’s dangerous world. If there’s one thing you can count on with an Eric LaRocca book, it’s to expect the unexpected. We Can Never Leave This […]
The nitty-gritty: A dark fantasy world, compelling characters a lively plot combine in this beautifully written and executed series opener. I usually hesitate when it comes to long books, as I haven’t had a very good track record finishing them. Also, as a review blogger, I want to read and review as many books as […]
The nitty-gritty: Low-tech and futuristic space travel combine in surprising ways in this entertaining series opener. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed R.W.W. Greene’s Twenty-Five to Life, and so I jumped at the chance to read his latest book from Angry Robot. Mercury Rising is just as compelling but in a different way. Where Twenty-Five to […]
The nitty-gritty: Heartstopping action, hysterically funny dialog and unforgettable characters make A Sh*tload of Crazy Powers a fantastic entry into Jackson Ford’s addictive series. “You stupid little girl,” he says. “Look at me.” I do. He opens his mouth, but I get there first. “Enough with this little girl shit. I have a name. It’s […]
The nitty-gritty: Emily St. John Mandel explores the tenuous boundaries between the past, present and future in Sea of Tranquility, a thoughtful and emotional journey through time. “We knew it was coming.” Once again, Emily St. John Mandel has written a thought-provoking, luminous story about the future, the past, and all the moments in between. […]