Showing posts with label Review+2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review+2018. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

No Work of Mine, by Elizabeth Bear

[Anthology]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Fantasy Adventure; The Eternal Sky) Bijou the Artificer hunts for whoever is making poor-quality animations and passing them off as her work. (7,907 words; Time: 26m)

Although there are several novels and at least one other short story in the series, there’s no need to read any of them to enjoy this story, and it’s unlikely that reading this story first will spoil the rest

The Staff in the Stone, by Garth Nix

[Anthology]
★★★★☆ Nice characters, fun plot

(Fantasy Thriller) The villagers find a wizard’s staff sticking out of an ancient stone obelisk, but only Colrean knows just how dangerous it is and what sort of dangers it may attract. (11,314 words; Time: 37m)

Recommended By: πŸ“™JStrahan+2 πŸ‘RHorton.r+2 πŸ‘RSR+1 (Q&A)


Sungrazer, by Liz Williams

[Anthology]
★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Modern Fantasy) Professor Fallow, retired astronomer and magician, tries to figure out why a ghost seems to be trying to contact him. (9,802 words; Time: 32m)

Recommended By: πŸ‘RHorton.r+2 (Q&A)


The Governor, by Tim Powers

[Anthology]
★★★★☆ Chilling, with Just the Right Twist

(Modern Fantasy Horror) When the old wizard dies in a car accident, his family gets together in his old house to try to find his talisman so they can have control over him before he reincarnates himself. (8,617 words; Time: 28m)

The Lovecraft book in the story is “The Outsiders and Others,” a 500-page collection of Lovecraft’s stories. It has been called “the beginning of serious specialist publishing of fantastic fiction in America.”

Loft the Sorcerer, by Eleanor Arnason

[Anthology]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Icelandic Folktale Horror) A poor young student at the bishop’s school decides to learn black magic to improve his fortunes. (10,487 words; Time: 34m)

Recommended By: πŸ‘RHorton.r+1 (Q&A)


Song of Fire, by Rachel Pollack

[Anthology]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Modern Fantasy Adventure; Jack Shade) In our world, only Travelers are aware of the supernatural world that exists all around us. Jack Shade is a sort of private investigator for Travelers, and in this story he takes a case for a Djinn, whose people are being starved to death. (14,158 words; Time: 47m)

This story makes reference to previous Jack Shade stories (there are lots of them), but there’s no real need to read any of them first. If you like this story and want to read more about Jack, all of the previous ones have been collected into “The Fissure King: A Novel in Five Stories

The Biography of a Bouncing Boy Terror: Chapter II: Jumping Jack in Love, by Ysabeau S. Wilce

[Anthology]
★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(High Fantasy; Republic of Califa) Jack uses his magical jumping boots to make him the most successful thief Califa has ever known. He’s a rich thief, but a lonely young man, and wonders if the boots can help him find love too. (7,194 words; Time: 23m)

Chapter One is available online for free.

The Friends of Masquelayne the Incomparable, by Matthew Hughes

[Anthology]
★★★★☆ A Different Kind of Magical Contest

(Dark Fantasy Adventure) Masquelayne knows he’s the best magician around, so when he loses a magical contest to an upstart, he’s determined to have his revenge. (10,204 words; Time: 34m)


Flint and Mirror, by John Crowley

[Anthology]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Historical Fantasy) Ten-year-old Hugh O’Neill leaves Ireland for England to get support to overthrow his usurping uncle, but the Sidhe have a parting gift for him. (11,495 words; Time: 38m)

Recommended By: πŸ“™JStrahan+2 πŸ‘RHorton.r+2 (Q&A)

The story begins around 1560, when Hugh O’Neill was ten years old. It will help to read a bit of Hugh’s history in our world before reading this story, although it’s not essential.

Community Service, by Megan Lindholm

[Anthology]
★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Modern Fantasy) Celtsie doesn’t want to see her ex-friend Farky, an addict who’s stolen from her in the past, but he’s got news about a mutual friend who may be in trouble. (12,029 words; Time: 40m)


The Return of the Pig, by K.J. Parker

[Anthology]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Alternate History Fantasy) A powerful magician has reservations about returning to the home town he hasn’t seen since he was a boy, but he’s definitely not expecting someone to be trying to kill him. (10,118 words; Time: 33m)


Friday, December 14, 2018

A Circle of Steel and Bone, by R.K. Duncan

[BCS]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Historical Fantasy) In 13th-Century Prussia, a commander of the Order of the Teutonic Knights hunts for a brutal murderer, who mutilates his victims and seems to target Christian knights. (7,626 words; Time: 25m)


A Martyr's Art, by J.P. Sullivan

[BCS]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Dark Fantasy Adventure) Martyrs can heal wounds and even reverse death, but only by taking injuries and diseases into their own bodies. Chalcedony’s master seems likely to get killed, and she can’t get out of her contract. (9,248 words; Time: 30m)


How Pleasant the Red Bloom, by Lucy Harlow

[Strange Horizons]
★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Fantasy Horror) In which we read the writings of a former innate in this cell and gradually get an idea of what really goes on in this prison. (1,519 words; Time: 05m)


Friday, December 7, 2018

Captain Midrise, by Jim Marino

[Apex]
★★★☆☆ Honorable Mention

(Superhero) The Golden Crusader must be getting old or something. He’s not so fast anymore, and he never flies higher than the sixth floor, but he keeps doing super deeds. Or trying to. (5,442 words; Time: 18m)


Girls Who Do Not Drown, by A.C. Buchanan

[Apex]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Fantasy Horror) Everyone knows the glashtyn carry girls to drown in the sea, but Alice is surprised when one approaches her, since no one knows she’s a girl. (2,872 words; Time: 09m)


On the Day You Spend Forever with Your Dog, by Adam R. Shannon

[Apex]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Time Travel) A sad tale of how, unable to bear losing your dog, you travel back in time to visit her again and again. (3,767 words; Time: 12m)


Under the Sea of Stars, by Seanan Mcguire

[Lightspeed]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Historical Fantasy Horror) In Victorian England, a wealthy woman finances a scientific expedition to find out what’s at the bottom of the Bolton Strid, a river whose depths seem to swallow everyone who ventures there. (5,511 words; Time: 18m)


Grandma Novak's Famous Nut Roll, by Shaenon K. Garrity

[Lightspeed]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Horror) The recipes sound tasty, but what is this “hunt” they’re being prepared for? (2,654 words; Time: 08m)


Mouths, by Lizz Huerta

[Lightspeed]
★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended

(Post-Apocalypse) When Fai falls and breaks her teeth, it’s not easy to find someone who can fix them, and the price is more than mere money. (3,564 words; Time: 11m)