Category: Four Stars

Cradle Wrap-Up: Blackflame, Skysworn, Ghostwater, and Underlord by Will Wight

July 26, 2019

The Cradle series by Will Wight is an utter delight. It’s no literary paragon, but by god it’s fun. Sometime you just want to see someone gradually become excessively powerful with some stellar anime-esque fight scenes. Look, you can’t tell me it’s not awesome to see a giant flaming turtle battle a sea serpent. You just can’t. … More Cradle Wrap-Up: Blackflame, Skysworn, Ghostwater, and Underlord by Will Wight

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

July 18, 2019

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm is an odd mix of heartwarming and bittersweet themes that boasts having won the 1977 Hugo, Locus, and Jupiter awards. Her prose is lovely, evoking the deep connection between humanity and the natural world and subtly juxtaposing it with the destruction of civilization as we know it. Wilhelm crafts a narrative surrounding the end of the world which is timeless and alien, dealing with concepts such as personhood and individuality. While I felt that certain portions of the narrative missed an opportunity for additional nuance and exploration, Wilhelm nevertheless brings us a thoughtful novel that will retain relevance for years to come. … More Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

Unsouled and Soulsmith by Will Wight

July 17, 2019

After having read the first two books in Will Wight’s Cradle series, it felt unfair to review them separately. While the first book, Unsouled, was interesting and provided a solid foundation for the series… it fell a little flat for me – particularly when compared to the second book, Soulsmith. I enjoyed Unsouled, but I didn’t understand the hype surrounding the series until I’d read beyond it. Soulsmith was a romp and a half that left me hankering to start Blackflame, even at the expense of some of those ARCs I’ve got piling up! … More Unsouled and Soulsmith by Will Wight

Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe

May 22, 2019

Where to begin? Velocity Weapon is both flawed and delightful. Seriously, I had so much fun with it! Is it perfectly written? No. Did I love the heck out of it? ABSOLUTELY. While some of the execution and pacing is a bit rocky at times, two characters in particular kept me coming back for more. Sanda is a sergeant in the military, who has been stranded in an escape pod for hundreds of years – the last human left in the system. She’s picked up and rescued by The Light of Berossus (affectionately called Bero), a sentient AI ship with a dark past and a quirky personality. … More Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe

The Unicorn Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman

April 9, 2019

If you’re coming in to this anthology expecting it to be filled with glitter and happiness, I have some bad news: that’s definitely not what you’ll be getting. However, if you’re hoping instead for a much more adult look at what the unicorn has historically symbolized, you will be in for a real treat. Beagle and Weismann have put together an anthology that showcases every aspect of the unicorn, all the way from adorable friendship and coming of age right on over to joy of mastering and destroying innocence. … More The Unicorn Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman