‘The Book of the New Sun’: First Two Novels

I love 'Viriconium'. I love the Dying Earth genre. But reading the initial two parts of 'The Book of the New Sun', 'The Shadow of the Torturer' and 'The Claw of the Reconciliator' by Gene Wolfe made me aware that I might like more the aura than the actual content. Robin Hobb is known for … Continue reading ‘The Book of the New Sun’: First Two Novels →

Speculative Fiction Authors I’ve Changed My Mind About

Over months, or maybe over years, I've been trying to listen. I've been trying to learn. I realized that sometimes, you need to look at somebody's set of works time-wise; because how they describe certain things can change too. Sometimes, having read other authors, you may appreciate that this one has made an actual effort … Continue reading Speculative Fiction Authors I’ve Changed My Mind About →

My Recent Bad YA Read

...was The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. I should have predicted that. I wasn't delighted with her first pirate novel, it was bland and predictable to me. It reminded me of how, before the Wattpad era, people were publishing their fanfiction on Blogger. And it was like a mediocre fanfiction. The Shadows Between Us … Continue reading My Recent Bad YA Read →

I’m Bored Again… This Time It’s Epic Fantasy by Sam Sykes

Seven Blades in Black. Or something. Because though I've read over 650 pages about it, I don't care. Akward names, awkward settings. It's steampunk, but you don't get the aura. If your steampunk is just about machines and guns, and if references trying to emulate the given epoch are so vague, than it's no steampunk. … Continue reading I’m Bored Again… This Time It’s Epic Fantasy by Sam Sykes →

“Kingdom of the Wicked” Is Boring

I like reading about Italy. I like reading about Italy when it's described from the perspective of people with Italian heritage. I like Sicily. I like works of art questioning the stereotypical image of violence and poverty on that island. So, Kerri Maniscalco is a Sicilian-American and she wrote a paranormal romance about Sicily. I … Continue reading “Kingdom of the Wicked” Is Boring →

The Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott and Its Complicated Legacy

This is the series I was enthusiastic about when I read the first book. This is also the series which has disappointed me by book five, the last which is available in my language (the last two volumes can be bought only on Amazon or so, sadly). And yet, I'd still tell you that in … Continue reading The Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott and Its Complicated Legacy →

Darkover Revisited: The City of Sorcery

What can you say about a book full of well-known and likeable characters, a book which is the last installment of a trilogy? You may try to sum it up somehow, to see how it fits into the previous ones. In The City of Sorcery, though, I can see only a good science fantasy novel … Continue reading Darkover Revisited: The City of Sorcery →

Darkover Revisited: Thendara House

My review of The Shattered Chain, the first book in The Saga of the Renunciates, was actually more like a sporking in two parts. This time, my reflections of Thendara House are going to be closer to a review. However, still BEWARE HEAVY SPOILERS, please. Have you ever had an impression that some fantasy/sci-fi books … Continue reading Darkover Revisited: Thendara House →

Darkover Revisited: The Shattered Chain, Part Two

Today, we'll delve into the second part of The Shattered Chain by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Twelve years have passed since the first time and now Magda Lorne, a Terran agent raised on Darkover, begins a journey in a disguise of a Renunciate, on Lady Rohana Ardais' orders: she thinks that Kyril, the Lady's son kidnapped … Continue reading Darkover Revisited: The Shattered Chain, Part Two →

Darkover Revisited: The Shattered Chain, Part One: Orientalism

The world of Darkover created by Marion Zimmer Bradley is an universe I'd always return to. When I was a teen, books about Darkover were like a symbol to me. A symbol meaning that I knew English well enough to read novels written in it, and that I could buy books from the US at … Continue reading Darkover Revisited: The Shattered Chain, Part One: Orientalism →