The Emerald Cavern by Mitchell Graham
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Despite the best efforts of his enemies in The Fifth Ring, Mathew appears to have landed on his feet, in the safest place
possible. Ensconced in Tenley Palace, under the fierce protection of King Gawl -- a giant of a man and the ruler of Sennia -- what
could possibly happen to Mathew, his beloved Lara, and the others? Nothing could be as horrifying as the ghoulish Orlocks or as
powerful as Karas Duren. And, Mathew has his incredible ring to fight anyone who threatens the fragile peace of the land.
The Fifth Ring by Mitchell Graham
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Mathew Lewin may have dreamed of a world beyond his own quiet village, but a magical ring and a ruthless tyrant were hardly the
reasons he imagined forcing him out. Now, with a power-mad king, repulsive and deadly Orlocks, and
war brewing, Mathew and his friends must run for their lives. Can they restore peace to the divided country? Will they survive long
enough to make a difference? And how will they learn the truth about the mysterious ring?
Last Sons by Alan Grant
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The premise features a Living Monolith character, the Alpha, who intends to destroy all inferior life forms
in the universe, just as soon as it has collected the last sons of those races that have already perished. The purpose of this
collection is to drain their emotional energies to use as a weapon. Thus do we find J'onn J'onzz,
the Martian Manhunter and last son of the red planet, teamed with Superman, the last son of Krypton, and the cosmic bounty
hunter Lobo, who is the last son of Czarnia.
Winter Knight by Charles Grant
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Ethan Proctor, ghost hunter and investigator supreme, is back -- fortunately for us and
unfortunately for those with something to hide. This time,
his unusual talents are needed across the Atlantic.
The drowsy village of Pludbury has been living with a chilling secret for
generations -- its own private, not so chivalrous phantasm, one who drives a vicious bargain.
Black Oak: The Hush of Dark Wings by Charles Grant
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
This book is another welcome dose
of Grant's flowing, creepy style. The feeling is simply that it is all over
too quickly; even before the gentle reader can get the nails chewed off one hand.
Black Oak #1: Genesis by Charles Grant
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Charles Grant owes Lisa one night's sleep. What kind of fool stays up past midnight when the
alarm is set for 5:30 am? The one who started this novel and knew by page 3 it had to be
finished before something as trivial as sleep came.
New Writings in the Fantastic edited by John Grant
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
As stated in the introduction, the book tries to show "the full scope
of what the literature of the fantastic can do" by assembling an impressive amount of brand new short stories (forty-one,
to be precise) by both well known authors and newcomers. According to the editor, the reader is bound to fall in love at first
sight with some stories and to hate other pieces because they are "uncomfortable, edgy, even outright offensive." Indeed.
Take No Prisoners by John Grant
reviewed by Adam Volk
Over the years, science fiction and fantasy have developed an undeserved reputation as the ugly stepsisters
of so-called "literary fiction". Neglected by critics, disdained by academics, and largely considered little
more than juvenile escapism by the majority of mainstream culture, the two genres have existed in a kind of
literary limbo, despite the fact that both science fiction and fantasy have produced novels with depth,
substance and ingenuity that rival even the greatest works of the western literary canon. And yet, every so
often there comes along an author who is able to bridge the gap between literary elitism and the world of
speculative fiction.
Kaspian Lost by Richard Grant
reviewed by David Soyka
The author couples the politics of two otherwise unlikely connected subjects -- school reform
and UFO abductions -- and grafts them onto a highly amusing coming-of-age fable (as if growing up isn't
weird enough without having to endure crackpot politicos and alien visitations).
Incompetence by Rob Grant
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Welcome to the United States of Europe, where incompetence is a way of life. According to Article 13199 of the Pan-European
Constitution, "No person shall be prejudiced from employment in any capacity, at any level, by reason of age, race, creed or
incompetence." In other words, knowing how to do a job is no longer a prerequisite for being hired... and not knowing how to do
it can't get you fired. In the horribly mismanaged and incredibly inconvenient world of Article 13199, everyone goes round in
circles, whether or not they're on a roundabout.
The Piaculum by Richard C. Gray
reviewed by Alisa McCune
Our story is set in a future, post-apocalyptic Earth. We follow the story of Cearl, a young man with a white-mark, who is a
Mone. The Mone are non-violent farmers, who value family and religion. They are poor farmers who eke out a living in a
desert-like landscape. The white-mark Cearl has is rare. It is similar to being an albino. He has pale skin compared to the dark
color of the other Mone.
Hound by George Green
reviewed by William Thompson
Told from the perspective of Cuchullain's charioteer, a Roman galley slave
washed up on the shores of Erin, the description of Conor's fractious court and the Hound of Ulster's exploits capture the mythic proportions
of its source material, and are related with intelligence and wit. Like the nonpareil exemplars they are, avatars of legend and a warrior
ethos, Maeve, Connaught and Cuchullain quarrel with themselves, the gods and fate, exhibiting the pettiness of humanity and powers of
deity in common measure.
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Betrayals by Sharon Green
reviewed by Robert Francis
Betrayals is the fourth book in The Blending, and solidly builds upon
the groundwork laid in the first three books. The story revolves around 5 people,
each gifted with control one of the five elements -- Air, Water, Fire, Earth, or Spirit.
The Blending by Sharon Green
reviewed by Robert Francis
The Blending series (so far 3 of possibly 5 volumes) tells a
tale of power, corruption, and talent of an unusual nature. The proper
Blending of Talents to control Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit can
provide almost unimaginable power. Finding that ideal combination to defend
against the Enemy is paramount, although many say the Enemy is long overdue.
Perhaps too long overdue...
Blue Limbo by Terence M. Green
reviewed by Rodger Turner
This novel is a near-future tech-noir thriller that follows Mitch Helwig, a Toronto cop, as he goes up against
a criminal gang who are out to kill him in revenge for a raid which destroyed their warehouse.
Not content to lick their wounds, they try to kidnap Mitch's father, kill his best friend
and threaten his daughter. In effect, they want to wreck his life. Not that it would be hard.
Shadow of Ashland by Terence M. Green
reviewed by Rodger Turner
Leo Nolan's mother is dying. She rambles on about her brother, Jack, coming back for a visit. But Jack
disappeared some 50 years ago. Leo wonders about what happened to him. His fascination
with Jack leads him to question his father and his family about the cause. He discovers Jack
left Canada for Detroit to build cars. Some letters kept by family members
surface, leading Leo on a journey to find out more. Eerily, the post office begins to deliver
letters from Jack with a postmark a half-century old.
Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days by Dan Greenburg
reviewed by Jonathan Fesmire
After facing the terrors of first book, Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffin return to Jolly Days Orphanage,
where the Onts come to retrieve them, and the headmistress, Hortense Jolly, is all too ready to betray
the children for the adoption money. Who knew that Cincinnati could be so dangerous?
The Onts by Dan Greenburg
reviewed by Jonathan Fesmire
Wally and Cheyenne Shufflemuffin are fraternal twins living at the Jolly Days Orphanage, a place that makes the Municipal
Orphanage of Annie seem like a day spa. Wally's feet stink and Cheyenne is constantly sneezing, so no one wants to
adopt them, until a pair of gaunt women, Dagmar and Hedy, come to the orphanage looking to adopt. Stinky feet and dripping
noses are just what they want in children.
Apprentice Fantastic edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis
reviewed by Rich Horton
The premise here is that each of the 13 stories are told about apprentices. As the stories are all
fantasies, and as the most traditional fantastic trade to emphasize teaching is sorcery, most of the stories feature sorcerer's
apprentices of one variety or another, though none of them is a retelling of the famous story.
My Favorite Science Fiction Story edited by Martin H. Greenberg
reviewed by Rich Horton
In this anthology, the editor uses a gimmick that Rich has seen before,
but one which still has legs. He has selected several prominent SF writers of the present
day, and asked them to choose one favorite SF story. Their choices form this anthology.
Lord of the Fantastic edited by Martin H. Greenberg
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Only if you are familiar with Zelazny's work and
the enormous impact of the man on SF, fantasy, and
literature in general, will it prepare you for the breadth of the
23 tales paying homage to the author and the man. But
try to find a person who has turned a page
of the genre without ever encountering his stunning body of work.
The UFO Files edited by Martin H. Greenberg
reviewed by David A. Truesdale
Initially approaching The UFO Files with arched eyebrow and a healthy dose of jaded skepticism, David
came away having enjoyed it. Make no mistake, however; no Pulitzer Prize winners here. Just well-worth-the-money
plane or train ride or lounging on the patio on a summer afternoon fare, with a handful of solid stories
and one true innovative gem.
Villains Victorious edited by Martin H. Greenberg & John Helfers
reviewed by Hank Luttrell
In this anthology, the bad guys and gals win. It includes stories by authors such as
Tanya Huff, Rosemary Edghill, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Gary A. Braunbeck & Lucy A. Snyder, Fiona Patton, Michelle West and Peter Crowther.
Black Cats & Broken Mirrors edited by Martin H. Greenberg & John Helfers
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Don't let James Brown fool you. Martin H. Greenberg is the hardest working
man in show business. Since his first anthology in 1974, he's followed up
with over two hundred more. Here, he teams up with newcomer John
Helfers for a look at superstitions, both modern and ancient.
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