The nitty-gritty: A story about gun-toting animals, with an unexpected combination of violence and wit, and some emotional moments as well. “That’s an ugly hat,” Barley started. Bonsoir’s eyes went wide with mock fury. “This is the greatest hat anyone has ever worn,” he said, pointing at his beret. “This hat was a gift from the Emperor […]
The nitty-gritty: A magical tale steeped in Chinese folklore and history, with memorable characters, exciting action, humor and one very special eyeball spirit named Mr. Yanqiu. “This wood came from a peach tree that grew at Mount Longhu,” I said, “in the shadow of the Hanging Coffins. My husband cut the wood himself. He was […]
The nitty-gritty: A disturbing and violent glimpse into a notorious historical figure, a dash of the supernatural, and a compelling story. For fans of shock horror, this is a must read. I’m always cautious when someone asks me to read a book from a small publisher I’ve never heard of, but when Lesley Conner asked […]
The nitty-gritty: An Alice in Wonderland re-telling that didn’t quite hit the mark, but a wonderful look at the effect of Victorian society on a handful of memorable characters. So Mama waggled her fingers in the air, Go, go, and settled her crown of hair, the color of browning roses, upon the bolster of the […]
The nitty-gritty: A clever story of alternate history that answers the question, “What led Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein?” Mary was kneeling on the other side of Oliver’s body, her face still spattered with cemetery dirt. We were a sight, the pair of us, Mary with her muddy dress and wild hair, me with the […]
The nitty-gritty: And we’re off! The story starts to take shape, we get to know the characters better. You can read my review of Badge, Book, and Candle (Bookburners #1) here. The walls of the room were hair and plaster. No. Splinters and sinew. No. The policeman didn’t know what the walls were. And, within […]
The nitty-gritty: A great start to an exciting new venture in storytelling, all wrapped up in a compact urban fantasy package. She’d met people on this very train who told her with overwhelming conviction that they were the product of genetic experimentation by the United States government using alien DNA, and they’d built a prototype […]
The nitty-gritty: An action-packed techno-thriller—a bit of a departure for Wendig—that still manages to entertain, despite some over-the-top story elements. If there’s one thing you can count on from Chuck Wendig, it’s that he’s not afraid to try out new genres. I didn’t know much about Zer0es going into it, and I wasn’t sure what […]
The nitty-gritty: A well-written start to a new series, an intriguing take on the demons vs. angels theme, with characters that I grew to love. Mom made me say it over and over: Keep it hidden, keep it safe. If anyone truly knew everything, it would freak them out in a large way. It freaks […]
The nitty-gritty: A stylish, horrifying and wryly humorous reading experience like no other. The weather that day was warm in the sunlight, cold in the shade. It had been a terrible summer in Manhattan, humid and wet; now the autumn was dry but feverish, with skies that seemed somehow the wrong color, lurid, like old […]