Category Archives: book reviews

Review: Hereward the Wake, ‘Last of the English’

Posted on September 26, 2013 by

Hereward the Wake, ‘Last of the English’ by Charles Kingsley My rating: 5 of 5 stars A marvelous adventure story with a medieval setting about the legendary hero of England. I picked up the new Audible edition, read by the … Continue reading →

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Review: Sword of the Ronin

Posted on August 9, 2013 by

Sword of the Ronin by Travis Heermann My rating: 4 of 5 stars A rich, engaging, morally complex historical fantasy, deeply embedded in Japanese culture. This is the second novel in a series, but I must tell you up front … Continue reading →

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Fantastic Beginnings: taking it slow, with Carol Berg

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

I have recently started reading Transformation, the first of the Book of Rai-kirah, by Carol Berg. I met the author on a panel about torturing your characters and recognized each other as kindred spirits. She’s actually the first person both … Continue reading →

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Review: Songs for a Machine Age

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

Songs for a Machine Age by Heather McDougal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a delightful journey through an unusual fantasy world where machines and magic co-exist. While I didn’t find the heroine initially engaging, her talent … Continue reading →

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Review: The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead by Lorinda J. Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is full of marvelous science fiction elements, building not only a vision of a future academia on Earth, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Blood-Dimmed Tide

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth My rating: 4 of 5 stars I so enjoyed the author’s first novel, The Dead of Winter, that I jotted his name on a paper and stuck it to my bulletin board to keep … Continue reading →

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Review: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

Posted on October 24, 2012 by

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand My rating: 5 of 5 stars Anyone interested in survival of either body or spirit should read this book! This is the story of an Olympic … Continue reading →

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Review: Thieftaker

Posted on July 29, 2012 by

Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson My rating: 4 of 5 stars A tense, engaging read. There’s been recent interest in historical fantasies with American settings, and this was a nice addition to that elite group. Jackson creates an off-beat character with … Continue reading →

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The Insidious Creeper of Plot Inconsistency

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

It’s that time of year again–when the poison ivy starts to pop up in all kinds of places and I’m out there with a spray can of my own poison trying to take it down.  Every time, it reminds me … Continue reading →

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Review: The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham & the Making of a Masterpiece

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

The Man Who Loved China: Joseph Needham & the Making of a Masterpiece by Simon Winchester My rating: 5 of 5 stars A thoroughly entertaining background to the creation of one of the world’s great series on the history of … Continue reading →

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