The Light Fantastic, Pratchett’s second Discworld novel, cleaves closely to the model of The Colour of Magic in many ways but with notable improvements in most respects other than the amount of dragons. The one big difference is the plot, of which there was virtually none in TCoM. Nobody is award anything prizes for The […]
You can praise books for the deftness of their prose, for the cleverness of their plot, the acuity of their observations. Their wit. Their ability to steal you away. Sometimes though, you need to talk about the sheer power of spirit and mood. And without saying Knights of Dark Renown has nothing for those first […]
Welcome to the next installment in my Retro Reviews! This time, we’re looking at a book written by a woman considered by some to be the mother of dark fantasy, and maybe the first American woman to publish sci-fi under her own name – although it’s not the name given here. You see, Francis Stevens […]
Something that fascinates me when you get these big iconic works of art in a creative scene is which ones inspire whole new schools and which ones stand alone. For my money, The Colour of Magic is in the latter category. When was the last time you read a book that reminded you of The […]
There is a spectrum within Urban Fantasy and once I got with the idea it leaned to one pole instead of my more preferred pole, and leaned with it, I very much enjoyed Drake. It’s got an intriguing cast of characters, a twisty plot, and great individual scenes. We’ll get back to that. I first […]
(some spoilers, particularly in second time reader) A confession. I have long believed that the City Watch series peaked with Night Watch and that the books after it are, in a way, superfluous. Which means this book. No matter how much a book might be appreciated, it’s hard for it to be fully appreciated when […]
(Some spoilers) I write reviews for many reasons, but one is to practice writing. In particular, I practice how to write when the mind isn’t feeling co-operative. Therefore, when it comes to a review where I’m really not sure what I want to say, I have zero shame in including that in the review. Which […]
Once upon a time I discovered there was a multiple World Fantasy Award winner from the 80s/90s who I’d never heard of and from that day, I resolved to try Patricia McKillip’s books. Now I have and let me tell you, it was a good resolution. Lynn Dove Cooper, who guided me to this book […]
(Minor spoilers) In recent years, the retelling has become big. It is one of the things that I am innately grumpy about, much as I might try to mask it behind “none of this matters all that much, ignorance is an option, and you should pursue your happiness”. Why? I do like my old myths […]
(Some fairly large spoilers) In 1976, a journalist decided to take his mind off a cancer diagnosis he believed to be terminal by writing a book about a siege, the ebb and flow mirroring his own struggles. That book became Legend, and Legend became book one one of the Drenai Saga, and the Drenai Saga […]
