The Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

I'd heard the buzz surrounding this book, so scooped it off the shelves as soon as I spotted it. Would it live up to all the excited hype?

Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is, until a twist of fate brings her before the Silver court. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly ability of her own. But will she survive in among her enemies?

I've tweaked the rather chatty blurb, because while the initial premise isn't particularly ground-breaking, what this book does have going for it are the constant twists and turns. Aveyard isn't afraid to take the plot and give it a thorough shaking every so often, so you suddenly find yourself in quite a different place from where you thought the narrative was going. Furthermore, she manages to accomplish the sudden twists with sufficient skill and smoothness that I didn't find it remotely annoying or jarring -- a trick that is harder to pull off than Aveyard makes it look.

Read more at The Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne M. Harris | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Just a little back story on this one. Yep, I was feeling a little down because of a few things that were happening in my life. I had been away from where I was living for a bit. I came home and had a moment to myself and was able to check my mail. I had a few books lined up to read for reviews. As I opened the packages I had received over the last week, the Gospel of Loki greeted my eyes. I know this may seem a little much, but I took this as a sign or perhaps a direction.

Let me back up a little, and at the risk of creating a bias in regards to my review, I would to state that Loki and I go way back. I have embraced Chaos with if not a religious fervor, at least as a guiding point from everything from friendship to personal goals. Along with Chaos, I officially adopted Loki as a Patron in roughly 1992. I have promoted him, written spells for him, based characters off him, included my long running character, Elcore, who is Loki's son.

Read more at The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne M. Harris | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Fishbowl, by Matthew Glass | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

This is a book rather difficult to pigeonhole. It is described by Amazon as contemporary, while one reviewer classified it as a lo-octane thriller, which would appeal to geeks. I think that pretty much nails it, except I think it has a wider appeal than the geeks among us. If you've ever seriously wondered where the internet is going to end up, then this book provides some interesting food for thought.

Gifted Ivy League student Andrei Koss hits upon an idea that promises to revolutionize social networking and move it on by a generation. Enlisting the help of his roommates, Ben Marks and Kevin Embley, he turns their dormitory into an operations base, where flashes of creative brilliance and all-night-coding sessions lead to the creation of Fishbowl. Within eight years they will turn a whim into a multi-billion-dollar empire; their creation will reach into every corner of the planet. But its immense power has many uses and everyone wants a piece of it...

Read more at Fishbowl, by Matthew Glass | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

In my continued quest to read books from authors I've never read before, I decided I should start on some of Brandon Sanderson's works. This is the first of his books and the first that I've read. And I can see why he's become popular.

Premise: The city of Elantris was the city of the gods--when random people were transformed into shining white near-immortals with the power to wield the magic called Dor, they were sent to the city to live out the life of gods. But something has gone wrong. Now, instead of becoming gods, those chosen are sent to the decaying city of Elantris and shunned and ridiculed, believed to be cursed.

Raoden, prince of Arelon, is struck from the curse and thrown into Elantris, where he discovers that the Elantrians are indeed cursed, their bodies dead, their pains never-ending. Sarene, princess of Teod, arrives in Kae outside the city of Elantris to marry Raoden, only to discover he has supposedly died. But she suspects something else has happened and she intends to find out what. Hrathen, high priest of Fjordell, arrives in Kae with one purpose: convert the entire country to his own religion . . . or see them destroyed. All three of them collide both inside and outside the walls of Elantris, each seeking to find what they have lost.

Read more at Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Ex Machina - SFReader Movie Review

Ex Machina (2015) Rated R
Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Corey Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Reviewed by Dave Felts
Rating: (4/5)

Movies about Artificial Intelligence have been around a while. I'm not sure what the first one was, but in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey introduced HAL. The first movie that made an impression with me was WarGames in 1983. Then you've got the Terminator franchise, A.I., I, Robot, The Matrix, Her, and a whole host of others.

Most of these films have an already developed A.I. as the adversary with humans struggling to resist extinction at the hands of the machine intelligence. The genesis of that intelligence, for the most part, has already taken place, and now we're dealing with the aftermath. I can't recall any movie that actually looks at deciding whether or not the machine intelligence is actually intelligent and free thinking.

An that's what Ex Machina does. We're introduced to a machine intelligence, but is it really A.I.?

Read more at Maggie - SFReader Movie Review

Maggie - SFReader Movie Review

Maggie (2015) Rated PG-13
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson

Directed by Henry Hobson

Reviewed by Dave Felts

Rating: (2.5/5)

In this version of a post-apocalyptic zombie world, a virus called the necroambulist virus, has broken out in a deadly pandemic causes people to slowly necrotize while at the same time rendering them violent and hungry. The incubation period is typically a few weeks, so once a person is infected, they have plenty of time to contemplate their impending death, as do those around them. 

Maggie (Abigail Breslin) is a teenager who has been infected. After a certain point, an infected person is rounded up and put into quarantine. Naturally, her parents -- father Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and step-mother Caroline (Joely Richardson) want to delay this as long as possible. Its easy to commiserate with loving parents who want to spend as much time with their terminally ill child as they can. But maybe loving parents aren't best ones to decide when she's too dangerous to keep free. 

Read more at Maggie - SFReader Discussion Forums

Queen of Nowhere, by Jaine Fenn | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

This is the fifth book in this excellent series -- read my review of Principles of Angels here. So would it continue to be as gripping as the previous offerings?

The Sidhe look like us. They live amongst us. They have fearsome mental abilities and considerable physical resources at their disposal. And their biggest advantage? No one believes they exist. Almost no one. Bez is fighting a secret war against them. Always one step ahead, never lingering in one place, she's determined to bring them down. But she can't expose the Hidden Empire alone and when her only ally fails her she must accept help from an unexpected quarter. Just one misstep, one incorrect assumption, and her Sidhe trap -- her life's work -- could end in disaster. Worse, if Bez fails then humanity will be lost to the manipulative and deadly Sidhe...

As is apparent from the back cover blurb, this book veers away from the regular protagonists we have been following to date. Instead, solitary data-hacker genius Bez takes centre stage. I really enjoyed her spiky, paranoid personality as she tries to stay one step ahead from the authorities while fighting the Hidden Empire. Fenn pitches us right into the middle of the action from the beginning of the book, with the tension pinging off the page. Bez is not remotely cozy or particularly approachable and to make me care so much for her so quickly is a harder trick to pull off than Fenn makes it look.

Read more at Queen of Nowhere, by Jaine Fenn | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Half-Off Ragnarok, by Seanan McGuire | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

In this continuation of the "InCryptid" series by Seanan McGuire, we actually abandon the main character from the first two books (Verity) and focus on her brother, Alexander Price.  This certainly takes the series in a new direction.

The premise is that Alexander is "hiding" in plain sight as a reptile specialist at a zoo.  What he's really doing is investigating the feathered frog cryptids in the area, while hoping his basilisks decide to breed sometime this century.  Meanwhile, he's dealing with a potential relationship with Shelby, a visiting scientist from Australia who plays with lions for fun.

But then people start dying . . . by turning to stone.  Suddenly, the local cryptid community is at risk of exposure and he needs to figure out how to keep the Covenant from converging on the zoo for a purge, while simultaneously figuring out exactly what's going on with his girlfriend Shelby.

I like the fact that this book takes us from one main character to another in the Price family.  Focusing on one character in particular for an extended series can sometimes become . . . monotonous.  I think Seanan has done a good job of giving Alexander enough difference from Verity that it doesn't feel like "Verity in drag" here.

Read more at Halk-Off Ragnarok, by Seanan McGuire | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

White Mountain, by Sophie E. Tallis | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

I loaded this book onto my Kindle after meeting Sophie at Bristolcon last year. But what with one thing and another, I hadn't managed to get around to reading it...

Amongst our modern world lies another, an archaic and hidden world of tradition, sorcery and magic. As dark demons awaken from our past, the last remaining wizards are being hunted and murdered by a changeling of terrifying strength. Attacked and drained of most of his powers, a dying sorcerer must race against time to save himself, and the fate of all, from an enemy intent on cleansing the planet of humanity... Darkness spreads as friendships, betrayals and horrifying truths await...


If you are looking for some modern twist on the classic epic Fantasy setup, this isn't it. Tallis gives us a straight Fantasy tale, complete with an evil mastermind who has been plotting the overthrow of the world for ages -- and now his plans have finally come to fruition. We have a stark demonstration of the power of said evil mastermind very early into the story. It was at this stage, I bonded with Marval and his grumpy dragon Gralen.

Read more at White Mountain, by Sophie E. Tallis | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Covenant's End, by Ari Marmell | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

Covenant's End is the fourth and final book in the Widdershins Adventures by Ari Marmell.  These are young adult books, although I didn't know this when I bought the first book.  I can see why they're classified as YA, although I don't think that's a label they should necessarily be stuck with.  I enjoyed them all (even if I felt that one of them wasn't quite in line with the other three).

The premise of this final book is that Widdershins is returning to Davillon, after fleeing (and yes, she finally admits that she fled) and spending some time away from "home."  She thinks it's going to be grand coming home, meeting up with old friends, and picking up her life where she left off.  But while she's been gone, some of her old enemies have banded together and made a few unnatural allies, and they've been waiting for her return.  Even before she reaches the city, Widdernshins realizes that she isn't going to receive the homecoming she thought . . . and that her friends are in as much danger as she is.

This was a great final chapter in Widdershins' adventures.  She needed to return home again, not just because of the threads hinting of it in earlier books, but because she needed to face herself and what had happened to her in the city.  As Ari Marmell states himself, she needed to grow up.  She thought she'd left the city after a previous adventure because it would be safer for her friends, but she really simply fled.  Because of fear, because of the deaths of some of her friends, brought about by her own actions, and because she wasn't ready to face those emotions and that responsibility.  But after her time away (which is the book that I don't feel fits the general thread of the series; sort of an odd man out), she's had enough time to realize that she's been lying to herself about why she left and she's now ready to face the truth.

 Covenant's End, by Ari Marmell | Science Fiction | SFReader.com Book Review

Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

After reading Mars Evacuees, Frankie asked for 'another of your awesome books, Granny,' so I had to oblige with something special after a request like that. And came up with this...

Here is a world where witchcraft is utterly forbidden, yet where magic still seems to break out like measles -- all over the place! When a note, written in ordinary blue ballpoint, appears between two of the homework books Mr Crossley is marking, he is very upset.

It says: SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH

Anyone could have written it, but the most awful thing is, the note might be true for Larwood House is a school for witch orphans. And the last thing Mr Crossley needs is a visit from the Divisional Inquisitor...

Read more at Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones | Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

People Live Still in Cashtown Corners, by Tony Burgess | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

Wow, can you say, 'not what I was expecting?' Not that you ever really know what to expect with a Chi-zine publication. This Canadian based publisher is till one of my favorites and I love everything I've read of theirs, but I have to admit this with was on the lower end of their normally excellent bell curve.

Although they do not spell it out for you, this book is written from the point of view of a man that just snaps and decides to start killing people. I'm not too into anti-hero serial killers, but I have to say that I was surprised when he made his first kill. I did not know what type of book I was reading, but I caught on quick.

I work in mental health and I would have to say the author does a good job outlining this man's psychosis. He takes you into the unbalanced world of the killer, although, I guess my problem is, I never wanted to go there. If you like exploring evil and insanity though, this book will probably grab you.

Read more at People Live Still in Cashtown Corners, by Tony Burgess | Horror | SFReader.com Book Review

Pocket Apocalypse, by Seanan McGuire | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review

This is the fourth book in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series and the second in the series to focus on Alexander Price.  It was an interesting book because it took us out of the US and to Australia, although I still think Verity Price is the stronger character in this series.

The premise:  Shelby Tanner, Alexander's girlfriend, comes to Alexander to tell him that werewolves have popped up in Australia and her family needs his help, since he's dealt with werewolves before.  Alexander overcomes his fear of the creatures from his previous experience and agrees to travel to Australia to help eradicate the disease, which manifests like rabies and is passed on by fluid contact, usually through bites.  But once he arrives in Australia, he's uncertain about what might take him out first--the werewolves . . . or Shelby's family.

As usual, the writing is fluid and easy to read and the plot fairly light and straightforward.  This series relies more on the characters and the situation to draw the reader in and hold them.  Alexander Price is a fine character, although not as unique as Verity in her previous books.  But unlike the last book, I felt that Alexander was his own character here, rather than just a male version of Verity (as I felt in the last book).  I enjoyed this book more than Alexander's previous one.  More focus was on Shelby's family here, and they were unique in their own ways.  The sisters were far more entertaining than either Alexander or Shelby.

Read more at Pocket Apocalypse, by Seanan McGuire | Dark Fantasy | SFReader.com Book Review