Tag Archives: reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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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Review: Range of Ghosts

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was a thrilling adventure from beginning to end! It’s like Lord of the Rings meets the Arabian Nights–a rich fantasy realm inspired by cultures of the … Continue reading

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The Sekrit Truth about me and 5-star Reviews

As an author, it’s hard to know where to stand on reviewing the works of others.  I enjoy reading and never get to do enough of it (more about this later) and I tend to read a heck of a … Continue reading

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Knights of the Round Table, in the Fourteenth Century

Over the weekend, I was startled to find an image in the Wall Street Journal of the Winchester Round Table, a vast wooden tabletop currently on display, as the name would suggest, at Winchester Castle, UK.  The image accompanied a … Continue reading

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Review: The Drowning City, a flawed fantasy

The Drowning City by Amanda Downum My rating: 3 of 5 stars A promising work, that fell sadly flat. I’m always excited to see fantasy works with unusual settings and characters, so this is the first from my World Fantasy … Continue reading

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Review: Doc: A Novel (which blew me away)

Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell My rating: 5 of 5 stars While I’m not inherently interested in the subject matter (Doc Holliday), I thought very highly of Russell’s book The Sparrow. In fact, it is one of my … Continue reading

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