Vampire Sunrise

Vampire Sunrise is the third book in the tales of Delilah Street, Paranormal Investigator in the world of post-Millennium Revelation Las Vegas by Carole Nelson Douglas. First, let me say that while I personally struggled through parts of Vampire Sunrise and the series as a whole, it offers several things that are worthy of high praise. For instance, this is one of the more unique urban fantasy settings I’ve read in a while... Read the rest of SB Frank's review.

Child of Darkness

In Child of Darkness, Jennifer Armintrout continues the unique, genre-convention-defying story she began in Queene of Light. As before, it says “Paranormal Romance” on the spine, but while Queene of Light tweaked the conventional romance novel structure, Child of Darkness breaks it almost completely. (No happily-ever-after, at least not in this installment.) ... Read the rest of Kelly's review.

On December 29th, author Nancy Holzner will be stopping by to chat about her fantasy debut, the much discussed Deadtown.  In preparation for that, we're soliciting questions you'd like to ask Nancy. Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn more about her or her novels, you should check out her website. There are lots of fun events and games going on there, including previews of her novel. All questions submitted will qualify you for an entry in today's drawing. We're giving away a copy of Deadtown.  And while you're here, comment on Ruth's Thoughtful Thursday post for a chance to win Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamand. Both drawings will continue through Monday, December 7th and will close sometime after 5PM, so check back to see if you've won and, of course,  to also check out Monday's fascinating interview with Science Fiction and Fantasy Legend, author Michael Resnick.

First off, congratulations to Melanie Simmons who won our giveaway of Karen Chance's Midnight Daughter. Contact SB Frank to claim your book!

I've read some reviews lately (on other sites, to which I will not drive traffic by linking) that purport that fantasy books - and genre literature in general - lack merit for adults.  They are merely a form of escapism for children, and like all childish things should be put away when one enters adulthood. As almost all the people on this site that I know any demographic data about are adults, it seems that there are a sizeable number of you out there that would disagree with that point of view.  I've touched on the role of escapism in fantasy before, so today I want to take on the other side of the coin, and talk about the role that fantasy plays in dealing with important issues, or, to put it more lightly, "All I need to know, I learned from reading fantasy novels."

I've learned a lot of things from reading fantasy novels, from the lighthearted "Beware of talking frogs," to the more serious issues of sexism, racism, and oppression in general.  Most recently, I was rereading Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, which I haven't read in twenty years, and was shocked to find that the issue of "same isn't equal" that is one of the underlying arguments of my doctoral dissertation, is one that Meg argues so forcefully in the book.  Somehow, those words have informed my world view as an adult, even though I couldn't have traced them back to that source originally.

So, dear readers, What have you learned from reading fantasy novels?  Besides "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line."

Post a comment to this post and SB Frank will pick a random commenter to win a hardback copy of Emily Diamand's Raider's Ransom. He'll announce the winner on Monday, sometime after 5PM, when this drawing will close.

A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin

.... While the pacing can be a bit sluggish at times, and the premise is initially quite confusing, those that that stick with the story may find an intriguing story of mystery and unexpected magic. Ending on a note that promises sequels, A Madness of Angels is a challenging but intriguing read. Read the rest of Rebecca's review.

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

...  Overall I suppose I enjoyed 80% of Salman Rushdie’s The Enchantress of Florence so, to misrepresent the philosophy of one our main characters, I’ll say that perhaps the means justifies the end. This novel contains much insight, humor, and artistry, and this alone — not the plot or its conclusion — made the journey worthwhile. Read the rest of Kat's review.

The Osiris Ritual by George Mann

.....The Newbury and Hobbes books have some charm to them, but it’s of a lesser sort. It’s similar to flipping the channels and ending up on a show you wouldn’t have chosen to watch; it has just enough going on that inertia keeps you there, but if someone suggested going out for pizza you’d be happy to go. ...  Read the rest of Bill's review.

Welcome back from the holiday. Discerning visitors may notice a few changes.  Kat Hooper spent most of her Thanksgiving break working fiendishly to create a more integrated user experience between the blog and the rest of the fantasy literature website. We're still tweaking things, but we're very excited about the overall integration. Thanks also to reviewer Justin who provided Kat with some much appreciated technical support.

For those who have mostly frequented the blog in the past.  You can see the red buttons above for the first time. These link to the database at the heart of the fantasy literature site. Clearly, the listing of fantasy authors is the centerpiece. But my personal favorite feature is the listing of New Fantasy Releases, where you can see titles and cover art for virtually every newly released or soon-to-be released fantasy title. You can even click through and purchase these novels from amazon.com - which helps support our site.  You can also learn about the talented reviewers who contribute to fantasyliterature.com. Or check out the More Fan Lit Stuff section and see our staff's favorite fantasy novels, our YA section, or the very clever random fantasy title generator, which I personally use whenever I need an idea for a random title.

Meanwhile, web-only visitors may be pleased to hear about all of the author interviews we've been lining up for 2010.  Next up, on December 7th, we're interviewing speculative fiction living legend, 33x Hugo Nominee Mike Resnick. I hope you'll all spread the word about it and then stop back to hear what he has to say about trends in fantasy and Sci-Fi publishing. It's very fascinating.  Later in December, we also have the very talented novelist Nancy Holzner discussing her fantasy debut, Deadtown.  Then starting in January we have Karen Chance, Caitlin Kittredge, and a host of other authors, artists (such as famous cover artist Chris McGrath), editors, and agents, picking up the pace to do 3 and 4 interviews every month.  And, as always, we'll be giving away books and having frank discussions about fantasy literature.

Today we will be giving away one of five signed copies of Karen Chance's Midnight's Daughter, which is the first book in a spin-off series to her popular Cassandra Palmer adventures. Karen will be dropping by fantasy literature to chat with us on January 5th, in support of the release of its sequel: Death's Mistress. I have read Midnight's Daughter and am happy to say that I find the adventures of Dorrie Basarab to be even more compelling than the original, highly enjoyable series.  To participate in the giveaway, please comment on this post and tell us one thing that you visited on the fantasy literature site  for the first time today. Or, if you're an old hand, then just comment on something you like about the site and hope we don't change during this transition. The drawing will continue until Thursday and the winner will be announced in Ruth's Thoughtful Thursday post.

Robert Holdstock

According to reports we haven't yet confirmed, Robert Holdstock died this morning of an E.Coli infection. He was 61 years old.

Mr. Holdstock is one of my very favorite fantasy authors and I'm reading his book Avilion now. Lavondyss, the sequel to Mythago Wood is, in my opinion, the best fantasy novel ever written. I encourage you to try his work, if you're not familiar with it.

Our sincere sympathies go to the Holdstock family. He will be truly missed.    ~ Kat

Gatty's Tale by Kevin Crossley-Holland

... Gatty makes for a lovely young heroine. Although only a field-girl, she is impulsive, bright, compassionate, and possesses an innate sense of wisdom and openness to the world around her that makes for several thought-provoking moments. She compares her journey to a story that contains several forever-unknown stories within it, referring to the people she meets or sees on her way, and on returning from her great pilgrimage and attempting to share her experiences with a friend, she realizes that "no one is really quite as interested in us as we are in ourselves." Read the rest of Rebecca's review of Kevin Crossley-Holland's Gatty's Tale.

The Gypsy Morph

... The premise of the GENESIS trilogy is a great one.... but I can't shake the disappointment that The Gypsy Morph should have been an "answer" book, shedding light on many of the mysteries and enigmas that shroud this series. Not in a blindingly obvious "this is how it all works" way, but in a subtle way that allows for illumination at the puzzle pieces between the two worlds clicking together. But it simply isn't that type of story, and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more had I known that initially. So if you're reading this, hopefully you'll now know what to expect: it's a fine read, but the two worlds of the far-reaching series are bridged, yet never really merged.  Read the rest of Rebecca's review of Terry Brook's The Gypsy Morph.

Raider's Ransom: Post apocalypse, from the eyes of a child.

... Raider’s Ransom turned out to be a little predictable and had some characters who were too shallow. But some of the characters shined and there were picturesque settings, witty humor, and deep sub-plots. Raider’s Ransom is a good little book with an edge of adventure. Read the rest of Caitlinn's review of Emily Diamand's Raider's Ransom.

Demon Bound by Caitlin Kittredge

Demon Bound is the second book in Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series. Kittredge fans will be happy to know that she has once again spun a fascinating yarn that is loaded with creative nuances and twists. Her dark imagination is a breath of dank, moldering, fetid air exhaled by something creeping out of the haunted crypt she calls a brain. She has a knack for unfolding compelling stories without too much backfill (backfill is something I personally find annoying). And I especially love the magic system and the world of London’s “Black.” But as much as I want to give Demon Bound a glowing recommendation, my enjoyment was limited by the fact that I personally found it very hard to sympathize with the male co-protagonist Jack Winter.  Read the rest of S.B. Frank's review of Caitlin Kittredge's Demon Bound.

Blood Kin by Maria Lima

....Overall, I am interested enough in the Blood Lines series and characters, and impressed enough with Maria Lima’s overall talent, that I am still looking forward to the next novel and would recommend the series to fans of urban fantasy. But this Lima fan hopes the next installment has a bit more action, mystery, and suspense. Read the rest of SB Frank's review of Maria Lima's Blood Kin.

Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks

Mel is living his dream. He’s been plucked from his meager existence in his sleepy town and has been brought to the big city to study as an apprentice under a great Master painter. Once there however, Mel finds that life in the big city is not exactly what he pictured. Read the rest of Julie's review of Mike Wilks' Mirrorscape.

The Thief

... This is YA fiction that would appeal to a nine year old, but does not lose its appeal for adult readers as well. It is the first book in a trilogy, and I already have the second book on hold at the library so I can continue to follow the adventures of Gen. Read the rest of Ruth's review of Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief.

Nightingale’s Lament

The Nightside stories are so hard boiled that it’s hard to put in perspective, but I’m going to try anyway: If you took Dashiell Hammett’s corpse, rolled it in batter, then deep fried it till black, you would have a pretty good approximation of what Simon R. Green is going for.  Read the rest of Justin's review of Simon R. Green's Nightingale's Lament.

By SB Frank.

In the innocence of my youth (note: aka up until a couple of months ago), I naïvely thought that a fantasy in which a supernatural being fell in love was called a “paranormal romance.”  When I started blogging, I proudly proclaimed myself a fan of urban fantasy and paranormal romance and invited people to send me reading materials. Yeah.

I soon got wise to the difference between fantasy and romantic fantasy and things settled down. But then a few weeks ago I received in the mail a hot-off-the-press paperback with a naked man on the cover that I’m 99.8% sure I never asked for. The unsolicited sex object was turned demurely so that his washboard abs rippled but his private bits were unseen, but he was very clearly starkers.   I instantly imagined the following conversations: 

Pre-teen Pubescent Daughter: (in a tone of prurient curiosity) Daddy – why are you reading a book with a naked man on the cover?

Teenage Pubescent Son: (in a tone of abject mortification) Dad – why are you reading a book with a naked man on the cover?

Wife: (in a tone I refuse to even speculate upon) Hon, can I, um, borrow that book when you’re finished reading it? Or, you know, just the cover?

So, blame my personal sexual insecurities, but the book hit the trash unopened. I consulted with literary beefcake expert Mandi of Smexybooks who had this to say of the incident: “You tossed it? Poor naked-man cover!”

Yeah. Anyway, it seems clear that we all draw lines in different places.  So for today’s discussion, I thought I’d solicit you all on the topic of fantastic sex and whether (um, in literature only please) you can ever get too much.  Where do you personally draw the line? One commenter will win a copy of Nancy Holzner’s forthcoming Deadtown, which I have reviewed in advance and am happy to say is an excellent novel that I have no beef with. [Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this drawing/contest will remain open for an entire week and there will be no Thoughtful Thursday post. Instead, all comments to all blog articles that post this week, starting today, including book reviews, will qualify you for an entry into the drawing. Happy Thanksgiving. Check back next Monday at the top of the blog to see if you've won].

We have with us today, Lev Grossman, in addition to writing book reviews for Time Magazine, Lev is also the internationally best-selling author of The Magicians, Warp, and Codex. His Nerd World blog has recently relaunched as Techland.com. But Lev promises that a) he is still a nerd; and b) he will still be blogging about nerd culture.

SB Frank: I was looking at your website levgrossman.com, and I saw that you’ve written on some fascinating topics.  One article in particular that caught my eye was a piece “Catalog This,” that talked about the bizarre things that are sometimes bequeathed to libraries as part of the estates of famous personas, such as Dante’s ashes, etc.  If you could pick one bizarre item to bequeath to a library after your death, what would it be and why?

Lev Grossman: When I was working at the Beinecke Library at Yale, I used to take my ease at break time in a shabby old armchair in a part of the stacks that we called The Vault. It was only towards the end of my tenure there that I noticed the label on the chair in The Vault, which explained that it was Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing chair. Which I had defiled with my unworthy buttocks.

I wouldn’t leave my writing chair to a library, because it’s a boring Aeron chair. But I might leave my writing desk, which is this gigantic metal-clad industrial work bench that somebody salvaged from a dead factory in Allentown. Since it’s basically indestructible, it wouldn’t be any trouble to curate. And if nothing else they might get some use out of it.

SB Frank: I know I've always wanted an indestructible desk.  So, other than Dante's ashes, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve written about in your nerd world blog for Time Magazine?

Lev Grossman: According to the WordPress stats, the most objectively interesting thing I ever wrote on my blog is a review of Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Which I found a little austerely Norse and Wagnerian for my taste.

For me personally it was probably an interview with Parry Gripp, lead singer of Nerf Herder, one of the founding bands of nerd-pop. He’s one of my culture heroes.

SB Frank: Nerf Herder's excellent, but, no offense,  I've got to go with Tolkien. I’d imagine that being a professional book critic gives you a leg up when it comes time to writing your own novels. But does it ever get in the way?

Lev Grossman: It gets in the way all the time. Working at Time is a full time job, so my novel-writing happens in the early mornings, late at night, and in spare moments on weekends. Being a professional critic is an unbelievably great job, so much better than anything I ever thought I could get paid for. But when it comes to writing novels, there is no day job so great that a novelist won’t find a way, in his petty, miserly little heart, to bitterly resent it sometimes.

SB Frank: Well, we're all grateful that you persevere. Your most recent novel, The Magicians is still on shelves. Any good or exciting news to share?

Lev Grossman: That it’s still on shelves! And it’s selling well, by the standards of a non-famous author anyway. According to IndieBound, it was the #2 bestselling hardcover in fantasy and science fiction for most of this fall, at least in independent booksellers. I am a really happy author these days.

SB Frank: That is happy news. Congratulations! The Magicians has a somewhat rare realism of character, by which I mean that, you allow the protagonist, Quentin, to be a self absorbed and error prone, typical teen. He differs significantly from a Harry Potter type hero whose virtues more than offset his few character flaws. Was this realism something you deliberately set out to accomplish before writing the novel or something that happened along the way?

Lev Grossman: It happened along the way, mostly. Though I don’t think any novelist ever sets out to write an unreal character. I always felt that Harry -- much as I love him -- was in the end a little too good of a person. I corrected Quentin accordingly. Some might say I over-corrected.

SB Frank: Speaking of Quentin, in book three, of The Magicians, he and his friends encounter Fillory. I understand that you are considering a future novel set in Fillory. Is this true? And would it be a straight sequel or more of a spin off?

[Author looks shifty and mumbles something unintelligible.]

SB Frank: Aha, I see. Well what other irons do you have in the fire? Any other projects or plans you’d like to share?

Lev Grossman: My most exciting, ambitious project at this point is keeping my day job and thereby paying my mortgage. But when I can I’m working full tilt on that sequel-like project I was trying not to discuss in question 6. There have been some conversations with Hollywood people, too. But you never know if those are going to go anywhere.

SB Frank: I've noticed that myself about people from Hollywood.  So, may I ask, what are the best books you’ve read in 2009?

Lev Grossman: Age of Wonder, by Richard Holmes, The Financial Lives of the Poets, by Jess Walters, D-Day, by Antony Beevor, Cooking Dirty, by Jason Sheehan, and Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

SB Frank: Before we close, I'm hoping you could answer a few questions from the fans:

From Michele: What was your primary or favorite Dungeons & Dragons role/character growing up?

Lev Grossman: I mostly played fighter/thieves. I liked the hardware, and I was always too greedy and impatient to go through the work of leveling up a spellcaster. I went though a bard phase, too. I may have gotten overly attached to that guy. We bent a lot of rules to keep that bard alive.

From Mike: What music would we find in your iPod or CD player?  And what video games, if you game?

Lev Grossman: I’m in a big nerdcore phase right now. I’m working my way through MC Lars at the moment. As for gaming -- “if I game.” Please! I just finished Halo: ODST, and now I’m about a quarter through Borderlands. I picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum and Dragon Age: Origins in between, but they didn’t take.

From Shellie: What is the nerdiest thing that you have done in the past 24 hours?

Lev Grossman: On the way to work I was listening to MC Lars and playing Geo-Defense Swarm on my iPhone, while walking down the street. Yeah, I’m that guy.

Very nerdy, Lev. Thanks for the interview and thanks to all of you for stopping by. One commenter on this post will win a copy of Mr. Grossman's The Magicians.  Comment directly on the interview or on the topic: Why I am a fantasy nerd. Er,  um, that's why you're a fantasy nerd. Winner will be announced on Monday!

By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear

..... If you enjoyed All the Windwracked Stars and are curious about how it all started, definitely check out By the Mountain Bound. It contains some powerful scenes, tons of beautiful, poetic prose, and a highly original fantasy universe. However, while I have the utmost respect for Elizabeth Bear's talent, I simply didn't enjoy By the Mountain Bound as much as I wanted to.  Read the rest of Stefan's review of Elizabeth Bear's By the Mountain Bound.