Review: The Rising by Heather Graham and Jon Land
Reviews / February 6, 2017

Heather Graham is such a prominent and prolific writer that these days it’s nearly impossible to walk into a bookstore or even the books section of your local grocery or department store without seeing her name on something. That said, even though Graham has been on my radar for a while, I must confess I’d been woefully unfamiliar with her work. Up until recently, I honestly thought she only wrote exclusively romances and contemporary mysteries, when in fact her novels actually run the full gamut of genres. So I was a little surprised when I got a pitch about The Rising, co-authored by her and Jon Land. As you can imagine, the tagline “Stranger Things meets X-Files and Independence Day” piqued my interest right away, for up until that moment I’d only been vaguely aware of this book, with absolutely no clue what it was about, let alone that it had any sci-fi or paranormal elements. Now that I’ve read it though, I want to add one more comparison to the list. Back in 2002 there was a miniseries on the Sci-Fi Channel called Taken, and without spoiling the plot too much, I have to say reading The Rising also…

Upcoming Releases: February 5 – 11, 2017
Upcoming Releases / February 4, 2017

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   FANTASY               URBAN FANTASY     SCIENCE FICTION             FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   With Blood Upon the Sand Beaulieu, Brad 2/7/2017 Magic of Blood and Sea Clark, Cassandra Rose 2/7/2017 Amberlough Donnelly, Lara Elena 2/7/2017 Dr. Potter’s Medicine Show Fischl, Eric Scott 2/7/2017 Norse Mythology Gaiman, Neil 2/7/2017 The Turn Harrison, Kim 2/7/2017 The Stars are Legion Hurley, Kameron 2/7/2017 All Our Wrong Todays Mastai, Elan 2/7/2017 A Perfect Machine Savory, Brett 2/7/2017 The People’s Police Spinrad, Norman 2/7/2017

Upcoming Releases: January 22 – 18, 2017
Upcoming Releases / January 21, 2017

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   FANTASY       SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR     FANTASY            SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   Department Zero Crilley, Paul 1/24/2017 A Conversation in Blood Paul S. Kemp 1/24/2017 Anno Dracula 1899 & Other Stories Kim Newman 1/24/2017 Dreadnought April Daniels 1/24/2017 Passing Strange Ellen Klages 1/24/2017 The Fifth Petal Brunonia Barry 1/24/2017 The Prometheus Man Reardon, Scott 1/24/2017 The Skill of Our Hands Steven Brust and Skyler White 1/24/2017 The Weight of the World Tom Toner 1/24/2017

Upcoming Releases: January 15 – 21, 2017
Upcoming Releases / January 14, 2017

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY        SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY     SCIENCE FICTION   FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION    

Review: The Librarians and the Lost Lamp by Greg Cox
Reviews / January 10, 2017

I have to confess, I have never watched the TV show The Librarians that this book is based on. Because of that it really wasn’t on my radar, mostly for fear that I would be at a disadvantage from not knowing anything about the show. But when I received a review copy of the book, I had to admit it still sounded like a fun quick read, so I figured it was worth a shot. I mean, come on. Combining libraries and magic? Who doesn’t want to give that a read? And I am happy to say, that based on my experience, I would say this book can definitely be read without prior knowledge of the series. The pace is quick, the characters entertaining, and I never felt like I was missing some crucial backstory or information. The premise of the series is something I think any avid reader of fantasy has to love. There that a secret group called The Librarians that serves to protect the world from all those dangerous magical things. What the Librarians are protecting people from are very familiar things we hear about in folklore, fairy tales and legends. In this particular story, the conflict…

Upcoming Releases: January 8 – 14, 2017
Upcoming Releases / January 7, 2017

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   FANTASY     URBAN FANTASY   SCIENCE FICTION HORROR     FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   Bookburners Gladstone, Max 1/10/2017 Chasing Shadows: Visions of Our Coming Transparent Future ed. David Brin & Stephen W. Potts 1/10/2017 Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day Seanan McGuire 1/10/2017 Little Heaven Cutter, Nick 1/10/2017 Octavia Butler’s Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation Damian Duffy & John Jennings 1/10/2017 RoseBlood A.G. Howard 1/10/2017 Sin du Jour: The First Course Matt Wallace 1/10/2017 The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden 1/10/2017 The Burning Page Cogman, Genevieve 1/10/2017 The Cold Eye Gilman, Laura Anne 1/10/2017 The El Sombra Trilogy Al Ewing 1/10/2017 The Last Harvest…

Review: Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn
Reviews / December 6, 2016

I do love when publishers decide to re-release older books in order to make them available to a new audience, and when I heard about Dragon and Thief, a book originally published in 2003, I thought I’d give it a try. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never read Timothy Zahn before, and this seemed like a great opportunity. Dragon and Thief is the first in the Dragonback series, and I’m assuming if this does well, Tor will continue to publish the series. My reaction in three words? Cute and charming. Although I have seen the “young adult” moniker floating around, I feel this book falls firmly in middle grade territory, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to kids ages ten and up. Which was slightly problematic for me, because this story felt very young. There is absolutely no swearing, very little violence, and the dialog felt a bit old-fashioned to me (Jack uses expressions like “I will be dipped in butter” a lot). These things aren’t bad, don’t get me wrong, I’m just saying perhaps I wasn’t the best audience. But despite that personal drawback, Dragon and Thief is full of cool ideas, interesting relationships, and best of all,…

Review: Extreme Makeover by Dan Wells
Reviews / November 30, 2016

“Never sell a cure when you can sell a treatment,” says one of the more unpleasant pharmaceutical executives at the center of Dan Wells’s new novel, Extreme Makeover. “A magical lotion that protects you from heart disease is great for you, but then what do we sell you in the next fiscal quarter?” This sort of cynical thinking is at the core of this very enjoyable novel, often operating in the classic social-satire mode of science fiction. A book about the destructive impact of short-sighted corporate greed is, of course, gunning for both a worthy and a slow-moving target, and if Extreme Makeover doesn’t say anything we don’t already know about the destructive power of unchecked capitalism, it provides an entertaining and clever scientific premise to justify its potshots. The story centers around the pharmaceutical and cosmetic company, NewYew, and its underachieving and underappreciated head scientist Lyle Fontanelle (who, if you doubt his nerd creds, wants to change his business cards to read “Chief Science Officer”). Fontanelle may be the perpetual office whipping-boy, and a socially-awkward older man who pathetically moons after his college-aged intern, but when it comes to science, he’s the real deal. He’s developed a new anti-aging skin cream that he believes…

Upcoming Releases: November 27- December 3, 2016
Upcoming Releases / November 26, 2016

re’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY                SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   FANTASY       SCIENCE FICTION   HORROR       FANTASY          SCIENCE FICTION           HORROR   Confluence   S.K. Dunstall   11/29/2016   Ace Gloriana: Or, The Unfulfill’d Queen   Moorcock, Michael  11/29/2016  Saga Press Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis  Anne Rice  11/29/2016  Knopf The Blockade  Jean Johnson  11/29/2016  Ace The Fate of the Tearling  Erika Johansen  11/29/2016  Harper    

Upcoming Releases: November 20 – 26, 2016
Upcoming Releases / November 19, 2016

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   FANTASY       URBAN FANTASY     SCIENCE FICTION       FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   Apes and Angels Bova, Ben 11/22/2016 Tor Books Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection Sanderson, Brandon 11/22/2016 Tor Books Fireborn Dalglish, David 11/22/2016 Orbit The Operator Kim Harrison 11/22/2016 Gallery Books The Vindication of Man Wright, John C. 11/22/2016 Tor Books