http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/ en Copyright 2008 Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.32 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Reynolds manages space opera that does not read like farce. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/house_of_suns_b.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/house_of_suns_b.shtml book review Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:00 +0000 We're not dealing with some damn metaphor or allegory. The things that happened, really happened. But what they mean, well, that's anyone's guess, and therein, I think, lies the novel's wonder. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/the_shadow_year.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/the_shadow_year.shtml Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000 Last Argument of Kings fulfills this expectation.]]> http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/last_argument_o.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/last_argument_o.shtml book review Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000 Kincaid displays a flexible, proportionate style and—like David Langford, who provides the introduction to this volume—he is erudite, demotic, and not afraid to put the boot in when necessary. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/what_it_is_we_d.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/what_it_is_we_d.shtml book review Mon, 05 May 2008 13:00:00 +0000 At this point the story starts to read like a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Vlad the Impaler, with additional dialog by H. P. Lovecraft, as the two men head out into the streets of London and proceed to kill everyone in sight. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/the_domino_men_.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/05/the_domino_men_.shtml book review Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 +0000 What should win? http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_arthur_c_cl.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_arthur_c_cl.shtml book review shortlist overview Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 No matter what your definition of science fiction, there is almost certainly at least one book on the 2008 Clarke shortlist that won't meet it. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_2008_arthur.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_2008_arthur.shtml book review shortlist overview Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000 Occasionally, the net is cast slightly too narrow, by which I mean that the gap between the galaxy-spanning presence of God and this tiny desert world seems simply too vast to match the two together; but in the novel's second half it's very easy not to care about such things as you sit back and simply allow yourself to be carried along for the ride. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/dark_space_by_m.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/dark_space_by_m.shtml book review Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 Wildwood Dancing and Cybele's Secret, the first two books in what promises to be a compelling historical fantasy series for young adults. ]]> http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/wildwood_dancin.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/wildwood_dancin.shtml Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 Any imaginative child (between the ages of say, 10 and 14, depending on the kid) should find stories here to enjoy. There is a wide variety of styles and sub-genres on display, and also plenty of recommendations for what to read next. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_starry_rift.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_starry_rift.shtml book review Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000 Bangkok Haunts is a fast read, but one that stays in the mind long afterward, plaguing the senses with the smell of curries, or the flashing lights of Soi Cowboy, or the startling sadness of silent Khmer guards. ]]> http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/bangkok_haunts_.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/bangkok_haunts_.shtml book review Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 The Sacred Book of the Werewolf demonstrates Pelevin's unease with Russia's increasingly authoritarian political system.]]> http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_sacred_book.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/the_sacred_book.shtml book review Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 It’s been a long time in real-world politics since the last Culture novel. As I followed the adventures of the princess, and her brothers, I wondered what new corrective the story would deliver, so as not to give comfort to the war-mongers of the twenty-first century. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/matter_by_iain_.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/matter_by_iain_.shtml book review Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000 Worshipping Small Gods are drawn from a relatively short period (2002—2005, plus one story from 1996), and while some of the stories are quite strong, others feel like the same story, or at least a very similar story, recycled and repackaged. Fortunately, however, the gems are worth rooting around for.]]> http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/worshipping_sma.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/worshipping_sma.shtml book review Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000 First the basics—we're dealing with a very grim secondary universe here. Magic is present, but relatively low key and rarely fun. There were literal dragons once, but they're all dead. In general most people have it bloody awful. http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/last_dragon_by_.shtml http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2008/04/last_dragon_by_.shtml book review Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:00:00 +0000