The Flower Garden Of The Woman Who Could Conjure
Oh, indeed those long winter days were very dreary. But at last spring came, with warm sunshine. “Kay is dead and gone,” said little Gerda.
Archive for August 2010
Author Spotlight: Rachel Swirsky
If what I imagined wasn’t your Diana, then I hope she was interesting to ponder. The only thing I’m sure of is she wasn’t the real Diana.
Films of High Adventure: Willow
So, what works about this Tolkien wannabe that substitutes a Magic Baby for a One Ring and an Ice Man for a Cool Viggo?
The Extra and Copping Squid by Michael Shea
Whether exploring the horrors of the Lovecraftian universe or of the future, Shea doesn’t fail to deliver a sense of wonder along with a delightful shudder that fans of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction will be sure to appreciate
Where Shadows Meet Light
Princess Diana’s ghost emerges at night. There are other ghosts, presumably, but she doesn’t see them. She only sees the living.
Author Spotlight: Eilis O’Neal
I had this image of a girl who had the coloration of a calico cat, and I had a vague idea that her mother might or might not have actually been a cat, but I didn’t know anything else.
Feed: Book One of the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant
The “twin”-protagonists are entertaining company, their thoroughly extrapolated post-apocalyptic world is a terrific setting, the SF zombies are skillfully rationalized, the body count is high, and the plot delivers some unexpected twists. So, while Feed has arrived in time to ride the pop-culture zombie juggernaut, and offers plenty of undead mayhem for zombie fans, it will also please readers who don’t give a crap about zombies.
The Wizard’s Calico Daughter
The wizard’s calico daughter, Anya, was not a wizard. Oh, she could do magic; in fact, she often helped her father with his work. But she didn’t want to be a wizard, and her father didn’t want her to be one either.
I Think of Stories as Mosaics: Gary Kloster
Normally, it’s not easy for me to remember all the sources of a story. But because of the circumstances surrounding this one, I can remember a lot of the things that inspired it. A paperweight, a tattoo artist, and some googling.
The Bird of the River by Kage Baker
Kage Baker’s The Bird of the River is an elegant novel from the late Kage Baker that manages to simultaneously focus on the most intimate details of character while taking advantage of all the metaphysical freedom that the rules of fantasy allow. There’s swashbuckling, there’s monsters, there’s hints and allegations of a power beyond understanding, but at the heart of it all is heart, a very human growth and understanding that simultaneously makes the book accessible and marvelous.
