Book Reviews
Review: “‘Salem’s Lot: Illustrated Edition” by Stephen King
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the publication of Stephen King’s classic horror novel ‘Salem’s Lot, Doubleday is publishing a new edition of the book in hardcover that includes black-and-white illustrations, a new introduction, fifty pages of additional material deleted from the original manuscript, and two short stories related to events in the novel.
Review: “Troubled Waters” by Sharon Shinn
I plunged right into Troubled Waters and when I finished it, I started all over again and re-read it once more. I often re-read a book for reviews, but seldom back to back. Troubled Waters was just that good.
Sharon Shinn’s books are always very enjoyable, readable romantic fantasies. But I think that Troubled Waters marks a new development for her.
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 First Rule” by Robert Crais
I made a careless mistake, sitting on my sofa at around 1:30am… I picked The First Rule off the daunting TBR stack in my living room and began reading, fully intending to read just the first couple chapters, then get in bed.
Somewhere around 6:30am, with the morning sky already bright, and my eyes burning from lack of sleep, I forced myself to stay awake and finish the book. I absolutely refused to put the book down with so few pages left, and pushed my way through to the end.
Review: “Star Wars: Crosscurrent” by Paul S. Kemp
Crosscurrent is smartly written, with a timeline just jumpy enough to keep you intrigued, and a cast of characters that make you care what happens to them.
Review: “Freedom (TM)” by Daniel Suarez
At its core, “Freedom (TM)” is a techno-thriller with elements of cyberpunk thrown in for fun. Suarez keeps the story moving at a good clip, creating some nicely done action sequences that could translate well to the big-screen whenever the movie version of the novels is made. But he also balances that out with sections examining the implications of technology and an over reliance on it.
Review: “The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail” by Michael Spradlin
The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is one of those books I picked off the shelf at random. I love books about knights and castles, and one about teens in that time period sounds cool to me. And wow, the first book I read this summer turned out to be one of the best all year!
Review: “Magic Study” by Maria V. Snyder
Poison Study was the first book in a long time that I read in a single sitting. Magic Study is the second. It was everything I wanted from a sequel.
