Blog Archives
Edition 11: Book Review: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Reviewed by Damien Smith
I’m going to be old and grey by the time I make a dent in my ever-growing “To Read” pile, but occasionally I seek some distraction from my line up because I feel like reading something specific. At the start of the year I had a sudden yearning for some decent sword and sorcery, which had been missing from my line up since I finished rereading The Complete Conan (highly recommended, by the way, but not what this review is about). A friend mentioned a book Throne of the Crescent Something by someone I’d never heard of as a decent yarn, so I thanked them and then promptly forgot the name of both author and book.
Edition 11: Book Review: Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell
Reviewed by Mysti Parker
How do you beat the devil and live to tell about it?
Craig Russell explores this mythical question in Black Bottle Man. Though targeted to the teen/YA audience, this metaphorically rich fable is a pleasure for any word-a-holic to read.
Edition 12: Book Review: All is Fair by Emma Newman
Reviewed by Sophie Yorkston
If you find it hard to believe nothing touches our universe at the dark and murky edges, or that the old world allure of England is not solely maintained by the diligent people of our historical societies, the third instalment of the Split Worlds will appeal to those always questioning what more is out there.
Edition 12: Book Review: Under The Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig
Reviewed by Damien Smith
Those who are familiar with Chuck Wendig’s blog will know he likes to set some bizarre writing challenges from time to time. A little while back, the challenge was set to come up with a thoroughly bizarre something-punk genre, on the premise that the ‘something’ is what essentially runs that world. For example steampunk and dieselpunk worlds essentially run on steam and diesel respectively.
Edition 13: Book Review: Unidentified Funny Objects 2 edited by Alex Schvartsman
Reviewed by Damien Smith
For anyone carefully reading the heading up there it will come as no surprise that this is the second in a series of planned annual humorous speculative fiction anthologies. I would not normally review a subsequent anthology in a series; however, there is such a dearth of similar offerings around that I had to put it through its paces.
Edition 13: Cultural Review: EMP (Spec Fic) Museum
Reviewed by Sophie Yorkston
The EMP museum, Seattle
The EMP Museum’s strange architecture, located in the Seattle Centre parkland
When you walk around the huge chromatic and irregular surfaces of the EMP museum, you could be forgiven for thinking it some sort of blob of abstract sculpture to decorate the Seattle Centre parkland, in the centre of downtown Seattle. Designed by Frank Gehry, it has had its share of detractors and admirers, seeing in it the reflection of smashed guitars. Me, I just saw the shiny reflections and was excited by the prospect of the treasure trove inside.
Edition 13: Book Review: The Hazards of the Old Ones by Ren Garcia
Reviewed by Mysti Parker
When I began reading the second book of my friend Ren Garcia’s Elder League series, I expected a good story with all the sci-fi/steampunk fun of the first one, but I didn’t expect the depth of feeling this book contained. If I hadn’t already been hooked by the first book, I would definitely have been hooked with this one.
Edition 1: Book Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Reviewed by Mysti Parker
The circus arrives without warning.
From this memorable opening line, Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus”, is more than just a good book. It’s an experience.
SQ Mag 