A Mess of Reviewing Going On

review.pngHere’s a mess of reviews to tide you over – short, but sweet. Links are to the Amazon digital versions, if applicable.

Dig Up The Vote: Patrick Tomlinson’s short story is perfect election-day reading. It’s fun, just a little bit creepy, and not quite what you think you’re expecting. (Full disclosure: I did the eBook conversion for this short story.)

Tides From the New Worlds: This collection of Tobias Buckell’s short fiction is a treat. These twenty stories range from airships on foreign worlds to Carribean rituals on Earth. Buckell’s interests and stories are so varied that this collection both surprises and delights. Of special note is “Smooth Talking”, which is the first thing of Tobias’ that I ever read, and got a gasp of delight when I ran across it again!

You Might Be A Zombie and Other Bad News: Cracked has amazingly reinvented itself from a MAD magazine ripoff to a fascinating list of edgy stories and trivia. While I spotted a few … well, not errors, but “not quite rights” … this book of trivia and simply bizarre stuff is fascinating. Just remember to fact-check before you cite.

The Wise Man’s Fear: Patrick Rothfuss is a modern master of the fantasy tale. This huge volume is easy to read, but contains so many other stories within it that it’s like reading several other novels at once. Awesome story, and awesome storytelling.

Dead Waters: Anton Strout has completely hit his stride as an author, with a pitch-perfect Simon Canderous story. The characters are tightly written, the jokes natural and loose, and the bads … well, they’re bad. This book continues the excellence that was book three.

In Hero Years…I’m Dead: Mike Stackpole has written what might be considered the “other” Watchmen plotline. Here, heroes are not maligned (or as rare) as in the Watchmen series – but examines what happens as heroes grow older… and sometimes grow up. Full of action and sharp humor, this book is well worth the time and price.