I think I spoiled this one for myself, folks. We’ve reached peak Harley Quinn saturation. Reading a graphic novel origin story pales in comparison to the brilliant Harley Quinn animated series on HBO Max. Stepjan Šejić’s Harleen sets out to tell of the iconic harlequin’s origin story, but it ends up getting weighed down by…
Today, we return to the world of Detritus, where humankind fights for its freedom from the iron-fisted Superiority. Brandon Sanderson’s Top Gun-esque series blends sci-fi and fantasy, and this collection of three novellas co-written with Janci Patterson expands on the core series through the perspective of three side characters. I read this tome as one…
This post originally appeared on Tor.com. The Chicago skyline may as well be threaded into the double helix of my DNA. I’ve got the city’s iconic flag tattooed on my forearm. I still call its tallest skyscraper “the Sears Tower” because it feels right. On the first days of summer-esque weather, I bike along the Lake Shore Path…
Continue reading ➞ The Joy and Despair of Seeing Your City in an SFF Novel
Welcome…to the FUTURE. Hold up a minute, though, because we need to take a brief journey to the past. Namely, way back in 2022, when I reviewed Writers of the Future Volume 38. Back then, I reviewed the anthology by selecting three of my favorite stories within it. If you liked that format, great news:…
Continue reading ➞ Writers Of The Future Volume 39 – On The Up & Up
I recently took a break from SFF, sojourning into the world of crime-fiction master Elmore Leonard. The occasional crime novel tickles my fancy; in 2021 I reviewed both The Silence of the Lambs and The Silent Patient, and my reviews were anything but quiet. Leonard’s Out of Sight marks my latest crime novel, but does…
April rolls along, and it brings with it nice weather for this winter-addled Chicagoan. And lo, an added bonus! Brandon Sanderson’s second Kickstarter book—The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England—dropped on April 1. It’s the only non-Cosmere book of the bunch, fitting in well with his other projects like Skyward. Mild setup spoilers follow. …
Continue reading ➞ The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England – Not Quite
This post was originally published on Tor.com. Two questions for you today, lovely readers of Tor.com: How fast do you read? Why? I have a lot of friends who read. In some circles, I am the slowest reader, slotting 50-55 books per year while my comrades knock out 75-100. Insane! In other circles, I’m the…
Continue reading ➞ Nothing Makes Me Read Faster Than an Underwhelming Book
TJ Klune has catapulted into the spotlight over the past few years. He’s always been a prolific writer, though The House In The Cerulean Sea brought his name into bookish spheres like never before. Under The Whispering Door carried on his tradition of charming, heartwarming, delightfully gay fantasy. And now, he brings us In The…
Continue reading ➞ In The Lives Of Puppets – Strings Attached
Who Hunts The Whale, by Laura Kate Dale and Jane Aerith Magnet, comes from the Unbound crowdfunding platform. The novel offers a look inside a fictional AAA game development company through the lens of a wide-eyed new hire with big dreams. It fits the recent trend of novels set in this arena, alongside the likes…
This post was originally published on Tor.com. I’ve always thought cats are the perfect companion for the bookish. You never have to put down your book to take a cat for a walk. Instead, our feline friends will curl up on our laps while we dive into our latest fantasy obsessions, as though they’re tiny,…
