Book Reviews
Review: “Pandemic” by Scott Sigler
Podcast novelist (and self-proclaimed future dark overlord) Scott Sigler burst onto the horror scene a couple of years ago Infected. If you’ve read (or listened to) Sigler’s original novel, I need only say two words to make you shudder involuntarily — chicken scissors.
Review: “Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town” by Cory Doctorow
This is a book that will appeal mostly to geeks, both because it’s SF and because it dwells so enthusiastically on the topic of wireless connectivity and networks and all that. But above and beyond those trappings, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town is about family and society: fitting in, feeling left out, struggling for acceptance, struggling for independence.
Review: “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King
When I heard that Stephen King was writing a sequel to what I consider one of his best novels The Shining, I was both eager and hesitant to pick it up. Part of me was eager to see where King would take the characters from the world of the Overlook Hotel in the sequel and hesitant because of the track record of other authors with “long awaited” sequels.
Review: “Small Favor” by Jim Butcher
Small Favor is a great read and I think that the Dresden Files books are a great introduction to fantasy/sci-fi for someone who doesn’t normally read such genres. It’s a P.I. mystery with magic with strong characters, an over arching plots as well as smaller story arcs that finish up in single book… mostly.
Dual Review: “Twelve”, “Thirteen Years Later” by Jasper Kent
Before I start reviewing Twelve and Thirteen Years Later I have to go on a rant, a rant about books with serial killers. The success of The Silence of the Lambs has meant a huge number of books featuring serial killers. I find the popularity of serial killer characters unnerving and annoying. Unnerving, because this hero worship of insane killers, is well unnerving.
Review: “The Griffin’s Gauntlet” by Wesley Lowe
While the plot elements are not the most original in fantasy, this book has all the elements that people enjoy in fantasy novels. There are great fights, scary monsters, and unique and interesting characters. They all make for an enjoyable read. And Mr. Lowe builds up the momentum and suspense well, making the final fight between Sharon and Bain pretty damn exciting.
Review: The Neanderthal Parallax by Robert J. Sawyer
I find it very difficult to write about these books without gushing. As much as I’ve given you in the synopses, there is more that I left out. What I found in Sawyer’s “Neanderthal” reality is a world society that is fundamentally different from our own.
And, unlike much science fiction that is based on a “really cool” idea, Sawyer also manages to write complex characters that I grew to care about deeply. The books ripped my heart out at times, made me laugh at times, and kept me at the edge of my seat till the very end. Very little science fiction out there can do all that.
Review: “Darwin’s Paradox” by Nina Munteanu
Nina Munteanu weaves a good story that has some large concepts peppered through it. The story does have warts but they are easy enough to gloss over and dig into the main story. There are some nice twists and turns and rabbit holes to follow the tale down. I hope that future books have more about the world, the citizens who inhabit it, and the politics of city states.
