Thumbs up for The Time Roads by Beth Bernobich. Fantasy.
What? Doth my brain deceive me? Steampunk that is actually well-written? Oh my. I can see that having access to publisher’s advance reading copies is going to be a dangerous business. I started reading at work around 5:00pm, expecting to try a few pages and then on to the next thing.… >> Read more
What does a lady adventurer take with her? Goggles to shield her eyes on the dirigible; a watch to calibrate her time machine; a diary to record her discoveries. And a few things to beautify herself as well, in case she must distract the villain!… >> Read more
Thumbs down for Lord Kelvin’s Machine by James P. Blaylock. Fantasy.
First off: Worst. Illustrations. Ever. Nothing can be quite so bad as a bad photo montage. About the book: well, it’s in three sections. In the first, there’s a comet passing close by the earth. The villain, Ignacio Narbondo, is threatening to set off volcanoes on the opposing side of the earth in order to push the earth into the comet’s path.… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Girl Genius Volume X: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Graphic novel/fantasy.
Good, but not as good as the last couple. This story arc really needs to be wrapped up. Can we get out of the damn castle, please?… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Girl Genius Volumes VII, VIII, and IX by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Graphic novel/science fiction.
Ah, the plot is as thick as pudding, the sparks of mad invention fly, and I laugh on every page. I might have to break down, wreck my eyes and try my patience by reading Volume X online!… >> Read more
Thumbs up for Girl Genius Volumes I, II, III, IV, V, and VI by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Graphic novel/science fiction.
Page for page, the Girl Genius series may have brought me the most sheer pleasure I have experienced in the steampunk vein. How can you go wrong with a series featuring an underestimated mad scientist heroine with a mysterious heritage?… >> Read more
Thumbs up for The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Horror.
This would have been a lot more thrilling if I hadn’t already known the story. Poor RLS, his work suffers from its ubiquity – though there are surely far worse fates. That aside, he has a way with words, and I enjoyed every one.… >> Read more
Neither thumbs up nor thumbs down for The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers. Fantasy.
When I first started this book I was so happy: finally, a well-written and exciting steampunk classic! But then it went on…and on…and on. It was never bad. Powers is a good writer, and a smart guy. I am deeply impressed by the way he weaves the various time streams together.… >> Read more