Editorial reviews

Never mind the cardboard characters, preachy dialogue, and over-the-top plot: Hollywood screenwriter Marlow’s debut is a real page-turner.

If the politics or science were anything to take seriously, readers might have cause for alarm. As it is, the action is all that counts in this slick formula effort, which reads like a novelized screenplay

There is probably enough decent material here to fill a movie, definitely not enough to float a 400 page novel. There’s too much nostalgia and not enough substance.

In the end, Incarnation was a wonderful, amazing read.

The Healer, while on the surface a mystery, is a subtly written travelogue of a city in dire straits, but the core of the novel is Tapani’s determination to find his wife, a woman he thought he knew but didn’t, not thoroughly.

Well up to the high standards established by this intriguing series.

Like many middle books in YA trilogies, Behemoth suffers from the “sagging middle” problem – there are fewer exciting twists and turns in its plot.

Ian Tregillis absolutely thrills with this book and simply proves that he’s one of the best and definitely the most under-rated newbie SF writer out there.

Readers who love a Russian component in their literature will be pleased with the undercurrent of Russianness. Those who have no care for or understanding of Russia and its history will be captivated by the strong story and compelling characters. It is a major win for Peter Higgins.

The Alteration is both an interesting take on alternate history and a broad indictment of the way religious dogmatism can impact people on the most personal, intimate level as well as on a society-wide scale.

While Grossman’s imagination is fertile, the narrative is overly discursive and rambling.

The Best of All Possible Worlds is an intelligent, slow-burning, love story with rewards along the way.

Things happen and while the main storyline goes where we kind of see pretty early it will go, the book is a real delight to read.

Tarnished Knight proves that Campbell can continue to produce entertaining, thought-provoking far future, space-based science fiction

Dearly is a great romance and a good read for sci-fi, dark fantasy, and steampunk fans.

It’s a brisk and thrilling tale that doesn’t get too bogged down in establishing the world that it’s set in.

Bennett evokes notes of H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King, but does so in a voice and style that I’ve come to recognize as distinctly his.

A no-frills, recommended read for mil-SF fans that know what they want and expect it from their reading material, but it also makes them think about the consequences of some of the actions undertaken here in a way that George Lucas hasn’t.

For readers who enjoy steampunk and paranormal (like I do), Schwarz is a fine addition!

This is a science fiction novel all readers of the genre should read and one that has the strengths to bridge the gap to non-SF readers.