The nitty-gritty: Disturbing and atmospheric, The Chrysalis combines traditional horror elements with solid character development and delivers a cautionary tale about addiction. The Chrysalis is being described by a lot of readers on Goodreads as “science fiction,” but I just don’t get that. To me, this was pretty clearly a horror story, and while it […]
The nitty-gritty: Scalzi expands on the fascinating world of Lock In with this sports-centric sequel that won’t disappoint his many fans, and will likely earn him some new ones. Four years ago I read my very first Scalzi book and loved it. Lock In takes place in a near-future world where a crippling disease has […]
The nitty-gritty: Violent, action-packed and filled with cool world-building details, this is an amped up, supernatural Pulp Fiction on steroids! I listened to the jangled murmur of traffic on the freeway—all day, all night—it was the constant rhythm of this city. Sirens punctuated by horns, the bone-vibrating thud of bass from car radios below me. […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful story of colonization, survival and communication. We’d learned a lot, including one more thing. The bamboo was very friendly. Fruit appeared right away near the house where we stayed. Then one of the trunks where we’d tied our hammocks grew a shoot. Each of the new leaves had stripes […]
This might be the first ever Did Not Finish review on this blog! Normally I wouldn’t post anything about a book I didn’t finish, but I’m changing up things for a couple of reasons. 1. I want to let the publisher know WHY I didn’t finish it. 2. Since I have a NetGalley copy, I […]
The nitty-gritty: An action-packed and thrilling story that’s got something for everyone: terrifying monsters, stolen children, evil scientists, and of course, a circus sideshow full of dangerous creatures. Welcome to the show! “Run?” asked Annie. “Run where? The trees close in on all sides. If it’s the woods I need to fear, my fate is […]
The nitty-gritty: As twisty and complex as Shakespeare, this story surprised me in every way possible. This is definitely one of 2017’s “must reads!” When Curtis Craddock asked me if I’d like a copy of his debut to read and review, I didn’t know much about it at the time. But I’m ecstatic that I […]
The nitty-gritty: Belcher is in high form with this epic adventure tale that spans generations, a story that puts its female characters front and center. Stand back, men! It’s always a pleasure to read a new R.S. Belcher story, and it’s even more exciting when that story is set in one of my favorite universes, […]
The nitty-gritty: Biting humor and politics collide in Scalzi’s latest, a fast-paced trip through space. Within two days, Kiva was within five million marks of going into the black for the trip. “I’m a fucking financial genius,” she said, to Captain Blinnikka, back on the Yes, Sir. “Or you’re war profiteering,” Blinnikka said. “I’m not […]
The nitty-gritty: A lushly written retelling of The Tempest, filled with emotion and complex characters. I gather flowers from the gardens and the fields, and put them on Miranda’s window-ledge when she is not there. I love you, the flowers say. Ariel, that Ariel, does frown at the flowers, but Master has said nothing to […]