STEAMPUNK!: AN ANTHOLOGY OF FANTASTICALLY RICH AND STRANGE STORIES by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant was a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories didn’t seem to have more than a passing acquaintance with steampunk, or seemed to be too estranged from the genre to work for me. Others seemed to be the […]

UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS by John Joseph Adams

For those in the know, Under the Moons of Mars was the original title of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first John Carter novel, which was subsequently retitled A Princess of Mars. With that one story, of dead Mars and the most beautiful woman in two worlds – a princess that just can’t seem to stay out […]

BEHEMOTH by Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld created a fascinating world out of the ashes of what was World War I (The Great War) in the real world. He peopled his Leviathan trilogy with real heroes and heroines young readers (and the young at heart) could get behind and root for, and he seasoned it with the wonderful spice of […]

NETHERWORLD #1: PLEASURE MODEL by Christopher Rowley and Justin Norman

Greg Manchess’s cover art for Pleasure Model made me order the novel from Amazon. I haven’t seen any of Tor’s new Heavy Metal Pulp novels on the shelves yet, but I am now looking for them. I’ve picked up the other two novels in this opening trilogy. The concept of the finished book is an […]

BARNABY GRIMES: CURSE OF THE NIGHT WOLF by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell have been an awesome team in the YA fantasy field for a few years now. Their bestselling Edge Chronicles have ran ten books long. The last book in the series has come out only lately. I would be hard pressed to figure out who is more creative of the two. […]

NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST: FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX by R. L. LaFevers and Kelly Murphy

If you’ve got a young reader who likes fantasy animals and Indiana Jones movies, R. L. LaFevers has got a series that reader is going to fall in love with. Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, debuts with Flight of the Phoenix and continues for at least two more books. Nate loses his parents, who were never there […]

LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld’s new steampunk/alternate history trilogy that begins with Leviathan is absolutely brilliant. I started turning pages and became entranced at once in this entertaining and captivating world. I cringe when I think about how long it’s going to be till the next book (at this point, I don’t know). As a history major, I’m […]

THE CHILL by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi

Jason Starr is a good crime writer who is capable of sinking completely into the noir mindset. I’ve enjoyed his books while at the same time being appalled by them. There just aren’t any dark places that Starr is afraid to go. And he drags his readers right along with him through the worst of […]

THE SIXTY-EIGHT ROOMS by Marianne Malone and Greg Call (illustrator)

The Sixty-Eight Rooms is a fantastic book for middle grade readers who like their stories fantastic and fun. A healthy imagination is a definite bonus when it comes to this novel by Marianne Malone. Greg Call provides nifty illustrations throughout the book that will appeal to reluctant readers. The action he captures in his drawings […]

INCOGNITO by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

Ed Brubaker continues to blow me away with his comic book writing. I first took notice of him during a four-issue series he did for Vertigo called Scene of the Crime. I loved the noir style he infused the story with. Then I caught up with some of his work on Gotham Central, about the […]