Window Wall , Book 4 of the Glass Thorns series, by Melanie Rawn | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

One of the best series I've read over the last couple of years is this one -- see my review of the first book Glass Thorns. Will this next slice about the magical theater company sustain the very high standard Rawn has set so far?

For nearly two years, Cade has been rejecting his Elsewhens, the Fae gift that grants him prescient glimpses of possible futures, by simply refusing to experience them. But the strain is driving a wedge between him and his theater troupe, Touchstone, and making him erratic on stage and off. It takes his best friend Mieka to force Cade into accepting the visions again, but when he does, he witnesses a terrible attack, though he cannot see who is responsible. Cade knows the future he sees can be changed, and when he finally discovers the truth behind the attack, he takes the knowledge to the only man in the Kingdom who can prevent it: his deadly enemy.

Once more, Rawn provides an engrossing, grown-up adventure. I love the fact that Cade and Mieka are now no longer the young, driven newbies desperate to prove themselves. Although being established stars provides its own challenges... Rawn gets right inside the skins of her two spiky, complicated characters and if you are looking for a simple escapist tale where everything is cut and dried, then this isn't it.

Read more at  Window Wall , Book 4 of the Glass Thorns series, by Melanie Rawn | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

The Future Falls – Book 3 of The Enchantment Emporium, by Tanya Huff | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

My TBR pile has reached ridiculous proportions -- and I'm trying to get on top of it. Really. But there are a handful of books that immediately jump the queue as soon as I can get my hands on them -- and this quirky, unusual series is one of them. I knew I was reading something special several pages into the first book, The Enchantment Emporium -- see my review here. And as far as I'm concerned, it just keeps getting better. I love the Gale family and their twisty machinations...

When Charlotte Gale's aunt warns their magical family of an approaching asteroid, they scramble to keep humanity from going the way of the dinosaurs. Although between Charlie's complicated relationship with sorcerer Jack, her cousin Allie's hormones, the Courts having way too much fun at the end of days, and Jack's sudden desire to sacrifice himself for the good of the many, Charlie's fairly certain that the asteroid is the least of her problems. This could have so easily been an adrenaline junkie's dream with constant action-packed pages of chases... scary magical confrontations ending in blood and gore -- and it would have still been an engrossing read. But the cool, ironic tone of the blurb nicely echoes the emotional tenor of the books.


Read more at The Future Falls – Book 3 of The Enchantment Emporium, by Tanya Huff | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Conan of the Isles, by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter | Sword & Sorcery | SFReader.com Book Review

Conan of the Isles, by by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, was first published in 1968 and is the last book (book 12) of the "original" Conan  series. 

Conan has been ruling Aquilonia for some twenty years, and has consolidated his power and neutered his enemies. Aquilonia has flourished under his rule and Conan finds himself tired of the life of a king and nostalgic for his old days of adventuring. His wife Zenobia is dead, having passed in childbirth, and his oldest son, Conn, is now twenty years of age. 

When Aquilonia comes under attack from mysterious "red shadows", sorcerous apparitions that appear to be kidnapping his subject, Conan receives a vision from the mage Epemitreus who tells him he must abdicate his throne and head west, past the horizon, to an unknown land where descendants of Atlantic still ply elder sorceries. The hunger of the god the Atlanteans worships is growing and could eventually threaten to engulf the world. So Conan passes his crown to his son and begins his last recorded adventure.

Read more at Conan of the Isles, by L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter | Sword & Sorcery | SFReader.com Book Review

Are We Alone, by William J. O'Neal | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

Are We Alone by William J. O'Neal is a post-apocalyptic novel with a dash of science fiction thrown in.  O'Neal keeps things highly realistic and focuses on the micro picture and more likely to outline how the
character's dinner is being cooked over why the nukes were dropped onto the United States and have destroyed nearly all life. The story centers around three men and three women that have made it into a fallout
shelter only moments before bombs covered the world and create a radioactive nightmare.


The first third of the book and the first two years of narrative follow these six people as they bravely preserve through the hardships and tedium of living within a small fallout shelter with limited resources. Soon the convenient ratio of males to females fosters romance and all the couple marry.

Read more at Are We Alone, by William J. O'Neal | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

Project Alamanc - SFReader Movie Review

Project Almanac (2015) Rated PG-13
Starring Sofia Black D'Elia, Jonny Weston, Allen Evangelista, Sam Lerner, Virginia Gardner

Directed by Dean Israelite

Reviewed by Dave Felts

Rating: (2.5/5)

What would happen if five teenager managed to build a time machine? Nothing very original apparently. 

A high school nerd, David Raskin (Jonny Weston) dreams of going to MIT. He and his nerdy friend friends Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista) are up to all sorts of nerdish hi-jinks, dutifully recorded by David's sister Christina (Virginia Gardner). 

David's father is dead (one or both parents being dead is practically a requirement in any sort of Young Adult offering) and while poking through some of his father's old project stuff in the attic (Dad was apparently a nerd as well) David and Christina discover an old video camera. 

Despite being in the attic for the last 8 years, the battery still holds a charge, so they fire it up to discover footage from David's 8th (or was it 9th) birthday party, the last time David ever saw his father. But wait! What's that in the mirror? Why it's David, present-day, seventeen year-old David, evidently an attendee to his own years-ago birthday. He also has an expression of near panic, which doesn't bode well....

Read more at Project Alamanc - SFReader Discussion Forums

Impulse, by Dave Bara | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

This is a debut novel and I always try to read new authors. I know how difficult it is to break onto the shelves. Also, it fits right in with my resolution to read authors I've never read before this year. This is a military sci-fi novel, so a little outside of my usual reading preferences. (I'm mostly into fantasy, although I do delve into sci-fi and mystery occasionally.)

The premise: Peter Cochrane has just graduated and expects to take on his role as an officer in the military on the spaceship Starbound, but receives the shocking news that someone has attacked the ship Impulse, killing his friend and one-time girlfriend. He's been reassigned to the Impulse, which after repairs is headed back to the system to find out exactly what happened and if it's a sign of the re-emergence of the old Imperial enemy. But Peter will have to deal with the vengeful captain of the Impulse while trying to discover the truth--is it Imperials . . . or is the enemy much closer to home?

I enjoyed the book. The military aspects feel genuine, although pushing a little bit into the "Star Trek" realm with some of the action. Peter steps outside the bounds for a few scenes and the punishment he receives is perhaps a little light considering what would have happened in a real military setting, although at least he did receive some type of punishment for disobeying orders, etc.

The science fiction elements--the lightships, the weapons and technology, even the political setting and history--are all believable, with limitations that are reasonable while still allowing for that feeling of future realism. It's not as smoothly thought out (or perhaps not as smoothly explained) as something like Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet setting, but all of the SF elements are there and they aren't stretching your suspension of disbelief. It's easy to settle yourself into this universe and to follow along with the action.

Read more at Impulse, by Dave Bara | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

Mad Max: Fury Road - SFReader Movie Review

I saw Max Max: Fury Road this past weekend. I wanted to like it. I have fond memories of my friends and I watching (and re-watching) The Road Warrior on VHS way back in the day. It was one of our go-to movies. When I heard they were going to make another, I was pretty stoked. Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron... nice. 

But, like Thomas Wolfe says, You can't go home again....

Did you know that the base of Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid is Physiological Needs? Wiki's definition is:

...the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are thought to be the most important; they should be met first. Air, water, and food are metabolic requirements for survival in all animals, including humans. 

OK, I hear you. This is supposed to be a movie review, so why am I talking about Maslow?

Bear with me. 

Read more at Mad Max: Fury Road - SFReader Movie Review

The Winter Family, by Clifford Jackman | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

I know I just tossed out a 5 star review last month, but I had no other choice here. This book is a round house punch of awesome. It came out of nowhere and tackled me into the dirt. At first I worried that it might not be Speculative Fiction, because it has a strong western feel and is certainly in the camp of Historical Fiction however, due to its brutality, I think  am in well within my rights to label it horror. In fact if there are authors reading this review that would like to learn more about writing ruthless villains, they should pick up this book for that reason alone.

As mentioned, this book takes place in America's past and moved from the end of the civil war to just past the Wild West era. The thread follows a group of men that find that during the chaos of these unsure times they have the power to make their own rules and let's just say those rules rarely help anyone other than themselves. These are not men whose path anyone would wish to cross. If you did meet them, chances are you would not survive long enough for it to occur a second time.

Jackman grabs the idea of anti-heroes and takes it up about twenty notches.  The Winter family is the group of villains most fiction authors would be trying to get you to hate so you felt no mercy when the 'good guys' gunned them down.  This is set against a backdrop of corruption, betrayals, and severe drinking. Hedonism meets a violent Id and the walls go crashing down.

The Winter Family, by Clifford Jackman | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

Grave Peril, by Jim Butcher | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

This is the third book in the Harry Dresden urban fantasy series and I still have a hard time seeing why this is so popular.  I'm much more of an epic fantasy reader, so maybe that's it.  In any case . . .

The premise is that the world of ghosts is in turmoil and Harry Dresden has been forced to investigate it because it's weakened the barrier between our world and theirs, making it easier for them to pass through and harass us all.  With he help of his friends, Harry discovers that many of the hauntings seem to be attached to him and a case of demonic summoning he helped resolve months ago.  Meanwhile, the vampires in the area seem to be manipulating Harry into a precarious position, with the ultimate intent of taking him out.  Not to mention that his fairy godmother is attempting to collect Harry's soul after he broke their previous bargain.  Can Harry solve the problems with the ghosts while keeping his soul as well as his head?

I liked the intent behind this story--the ghosts being riled up, crossing over and causing problems, with Harry at first just attempting to deal with them one by one, but then realizing there was a root problem he needed to solve or it was never going to end.  I was focused on this main plot and Harry's attempt to figure out exactly what was going on, further intrigued by the fact that someone appeared to be torturing some of Harry's friends and some of the ghosts with an interesting kind of spiritual barbed wire magic.  I would have been happy if the entire book had focused on just these aspects of the ghostly turmoil.

Read more at Grave Peril, by Jim Butcher | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Angel Board, by Kristopher Rufty | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

Angel Board, by Kristopher Rufty is a horror novel set in the southern United States. It takes place in modern times and focuses around David, a man who had recently attempted suicide.

After his failed attempt at taking his own life, David's mother gives him an Angel Board for Christmas. This board, much like the traditional Ouija board, is used to contact one's guardian angel. David quickly discovers that the board works only too well. He not only contacts his angel, but also finds out that she loves him deeply. In his weakened emotional state, she convinces him to start the process that would allow her to enter into his world.

However, her love is confused and her jealousy quickly leads to one murder after another, as his angel not only kills anyone she feels is mean to David, but the people that love him as well. Soon a race begins as David's former girlfriend tries to discover what is happening to the man she still loves and attempts to find people that can help her save him.

Read more at Angel Board, by Kristopher Rufty | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

Avengers: Age of Ultron - SFReader Movie Review

I've really enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies over the past few years; seeing them with my teenage son and/or daughter makes them even more of a pleasure. Avengers: Age of Ultron is no exception. It has everything viewers have come to expect from an MCU movies and a summer blockbuster: large cast of characters, humor, danger, big fight scenes, villains, heroes... it's all there.

In reading some other reviews, I've seen come complaints that the combined universe is it's own worst enemy, in that it saps apprehension in that we already know, with a certainly, that none of the major characters is going to die. Thor: Ragnorak is already planned, as is Avengers: Infinity War and Captain America: Civil War. So we know without a doubt that these guys are safe an Ultron fails. 

But I think that approach comes from the perspective of someone who isn't a comic book fan. In comic books, no one ever dies. And even if they do, it was really just a clone, or a doppelganger, or a different body from another dimension. Comic book fans know that death is hardly the end-all for any characters.

Read more at Avengers: Age of Ultron - Movie Review