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David McK (3422 KP) rated Deathstalker (Deathstalker, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Not so much science fiction as it is science fantasy, this novel pretty much proves the old matra that you can't judge a cover by it's (in this case, dodgy) cover. Not the best book I've ever read, not even the best by Simon Green, but still worth a look if you like space opera.
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Next to the iconic light saber battles, nothing excites a Star Wars fan more than the epic space battles. The original Star Wars trilogy had some of the most unique and beautifully designed space ships in all of science fiction. For its time, the X-Wing was a truly iconic piece of special effects. With the introduction of Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures game from Fantasy Flight Games, players can now have their own space battles with these memorable ships. Does Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures have what it takes to score a victory on you table top or should it be encased in carbonite? Read on to find out!
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures is a miniatures game of space combat for 2 players. The game players in about 30-60 minutes and can be expanded to accommodate more players.
Reviewer: Tony MastrangeliRead the full review here: https://www.boardgamequest.com/x-wing-miniatures-board-game-review/
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures is a miniatures game of space combat for 2 players. The game players in about 30-60 minutes and can be expanded to accommodate more players.
Reviewer: Tony MastrangeliRead the full review here: https://www.boardgamequest.com/x-wing-miniatures-board-game-review/
Merissa (12051 KP) rated Shadows & Starstone (The Immortals #1) in Books
Apr 14, 2023
To start off a new fantasy world within a novella is a very brave thing to do. So often, you need an epic novel due to the amount of world-building that you need to do. Somehow, Cheryl Mackey has managed to build a world, complete with history, within a very short space that is not lacking in any way!
Our four heroes battle against evil and their memories. You get glimpses of their pasts which will intrigue you and leave you wanting more. A lot is answered in this novella but it is Part One so you are left with teasers for the next book, none of which I will mention so as not to spoil it for anyone.
If you are dipping your toe into the genre of Fantasy, or want an atypical fast Fantasy read, then I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I would recommend it to all Fantasy fans.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2015
Our four heroes battle against evil and their memories. You get glimpses of their pasts which will intrigue you and leave you wanting more. A lot is answered in this novella but it is Part One so you are left with teasers for the next book, none of which I will mention so as not to spoil it for anyone.
If you are dipping your toe into the genre of Fantasy, or want an atypical fast Fantasy read, then I can definitely recommend this book. In fact, I would recommend it to all Fantasy fans.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2015
Ross (3284 KP) rated Across the Broken Stars in Books
Feb 14, 2020
Unusual space fantasy ... with wings!
I received an advance copy of this book from BookSirens and provide this honest review.
This book has a very unusual setting with plenty left to the imagination. The story takes place in a world of "discs" (I presume man-made but not wholly clear), large surfaces with a metal base and a force field keeping oxygen in and gravity working, where single multi-purpose crops ("omnicrops") provide perfect sustenance, various fungi/mosses providing building materials, luminescence and underwater/outer space breathing apparatus.
Despite this apparent sci-fi setting, the technology is at a very early stage - weapons are limited to swords/arrows and vehicles are drawn by pegasi or wind power. Space travel is accomplished by launching oneself towards your destination and hoping to reach the other, orbiting, disc. Unless you're an angel/Pegasus where your wings can apparently help propel you through space (you know, air-less space, where wings wouldn't be of any use) - but hey this is fantasy lets not get bogged down with this.
The angels have been wiped out by the ruling race during a long and nasty war. Leon, a cowardly traitorous "former" angel, is in hiding living a simple life drinking and gambling his days away after back-breaking work unloading airships. He is approached by someone he starts to believe is an angel who has tracked him down. Unfortunately she is also being tracked by an Inquisitor, and the two are forced to run.
Elena, the last angel with wings, is determined to outrun the Inquisition and find Waverrym, the mythical hidden home of the remaining angels. The two (Leon reluctantly) embark on a journey to unravel puzzles and riddles to determine the location of their only haven.
Leon is quite an annoying protagonist, being a whiney, cowardly husk of a man. His role in the story is using his angel training and knowledge to solve the riddles they uncover, while training Elena along the way.
The story is well planned out with a decent plot and well-crafted dungeon-type areas (at times it felt a little D&D/LitRPG). While there was a definite lull to my mind around the halfway mark this didn't impact my enjoyment too much.
If you can accept the fact that angel wings / Pegasus wings can allow someone to fly through space, the world is well thought out and very original, and the story very enjoyable. Some of the dialogue was a little clunky but not overly annoying.
This book has a very unusual setting with plenty left to the imagination. The story takes place in a world of "discs" (I presume man-made but not wholly clear), large surfaces with a metal base and a force field keeping oxygen in and gravity working, where single multi-purpose crops ("omnicrops") provide perfect sustenance, various fungi/mosses providing building materials, luminescence and underwater/outer space breathing apparatus.
Despite this apparent sci-fi setting, the technology is at a very early stage - weapons are limited to swords/arrows and vehicles are drawn by pegasi or wind power. Space travel is accomplished by launching oneself towards your destination and hoping to reach the other, orbiting, disc. Unless you're an angel/Pegasus where your wings can apparently help propel you through space (you know, air-less space, where wings wouldn't be of any use) - but hey this is fantasy lets not get bogged down with this.
The angels have been wiped out by the ruling race during a long and nasty war. Leon, a cowardly traitorous "former" angel, is in hiding living a simple life drinking and gambling his days away after back-breaking work unloading airships. He is approached by someone he starts to believe is an angel who has tracked him down. Unfortunately she is also being tracked by an Inquisitor, and the two are forced to run.
Elena, the last angel with wings, is determined to outrun the Inquisition and find Waverrym, the mythical hidden home of the remaining angels. The two (Leon reluctantly) embark on a journey to unravel puzzles and riddles to determine the location of their only haven.
Leon is quite an annoying protagonist, being a whiney, cowardly husk of a man. His role in the story is using his angel training and knowledge to solve the riddles they uncover, while training Elena along the way.
The story is well planned out with a decent plot and well-crafted dungeon-type areas (at times it felt a little D&D/LitRPG). While there was a definite lull to my mind around the halfway mark this didn't impact my enjoyment too much.
If you can accept the fact that angel wings / Pegasus wings can allow someone to fly through space, the world is well thought out and very original, and the story very enjoyable. Some of the dialogue was a little clunky but not overly annoying.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated A Darker Shade of Magic in Books
Jun 29, 2017
Lila Bard (2 more)
Great Story telling
Everything Else
I want to Fight like Lila
I was introduced to V E Schwabs work in January by a friend and i pretty much read all her series in the space of a week an a half. However out of all of her books the darker shade series is my Favorite, Victoria creates an amazing world within world. Her characters are lovable and flawed than will make you love them more. Lila Bard is a fantastic Female protagonist and whilst Kell may be the lead there chemistry together is undeniable.
If you love fantasy good story telling magic mystery suspense then these books are for you!
If you love fantasy good story telling magic mystery suspense then these books are for you!
Ross (3284 KP) rated You Die When You Die in Books
Jan 21, 2020
Fantastic witty pre-historic Viking / Native American fantasy
This is the alternative-reality story of the Hardworkers, a small clan of Viking descendants in pre-Columbian North America. A mentally-damaged young boy in the clan has a premonition that the village will be attacked and they should head west. When the village is indeed attacked by natives (who themselves had a premonition of these Vikings ending the world), the clan quickly up-sticks and head off.
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
Underrated attempt at a proper science fiction series from the BBC. In the far-off year of 2027, British copper Nathan Spring takes command of the International Space Police Force, responsible for law and order on the Moon and aboard the various space stations. Psychological and political issues prove to be as tricky as the actual crimes, though...
Clearly made on a punishingly low budget, and the vision of the future is occasionally a bit wonky from a modern perspective, but the five episodes written by series creator Chris Boucher are some of the best, most intelligent, wittiest and most cynical SF ever broadcast by the BBC. The other episodes not so much: everything gets a bit campy and there are a lot of national stereotypes on display. (Plus, the theme tune has been called the worst in TV history, and most of the incidental music is rubbish too.) Even when it's not particularly good, it's always trying to do something a bit different, and David Calder is consistently excellent as Spring. Not the first nor the last SF or fantasy show to be cut loose by the BBC before it had a chance to realise its potential.
Clearly made on a punishingly low budget, and the vision of the future is occasionally a bit wonky from a modern perspective, but the five episodes written by series creator Chris Boucher are some of the best, most intelligent, wittiest and most cynical SF ever broadcast by the BBC. The other episodes not so much: everything gets a bit campy and there are a lot of national stereotypes on display. (Plus, the theme tune has been called the worst in TV history, and most of the incidental music is rubbish too.) Even when it's not particularly good, it's always trying to do something a bit different, and David Calder is consistently excellent as Spring. Not the first nor the last SF or fantasy show to be cut loose by the BBC before it had a chance to realise its potential.
Merissa (12051 KP) rated The Night House in Books
Nov 8, 2019
THE NIGHT HOUSE is a standalone post-apocalyptic fantasy romance that seamlessly blends medieval knights and sword-play from a different planet with current day earth.
This was a fantastic read, ticking most of my boxes. Thane and Taya have sparks flying aplenty when they are meet and these continue throughout the book. I loved not only Thane though, but his whole team. They were all strong characters with a strong sense of duty and loyalty. Once Taya was part of their team, that was it. No stupidity or senseless behaviour, just helping the newbie out where possible.
If I could give out half stars, this would be a four and a half! The reason for that half star being knocked off would be the ending. It felt very quick to me, almost as if the author was running out of available words in her word count. Big build-up followed by events happening very quickly and not taking up much page space. Still, I loved this book anyway, so perhaps that's why it seemed to end too quickly!
If you like fantasy and contemporary genres merged together, then I would definitely recommend this book!
This was a fantastic read, ticking most of my boxes. Thane and Taya have sparks flying aplenty when they are meet and these continue throughout the book. I loved not only Thane though, but his whole team. They were all strong characters with a strong sense of duty and loyalty. Once Taya was part of their team, that was it. No stupidity or senseless behaviour, just helping the newbie out where possible.
If I could give out half stars, this would be a four and a half! The reason for that half star being knocked off would be the ending. It felt very quick to me, almost as if the author was running out of available words in her word count. Big build-up followed by events happening very quickly and not taking up much page space. Still, I loved this book anyway, so perhaps that's why it seemed to end too quickly!
If you like fantasy and contemporary genres merged together, then I would definitely recommend this book!
Cori June (3033 KP) rated Guards! Guards! Discworld Novel 8 in Books
Dec 3, 2018 (Updated Jun 16, 2021)
Sam Vines (2 more)
wit
L-space
I've reread the book, its been a couple of years. As an introduction to Discworld this is a good place to start. I really enjoy the fact that you don't have to read the Discworld series in order to grasp the main themes and ideas, most of the story arcs are self contained.
Samuel Vines is one of my favorite characters.
If you want a popular fantasy trope(s) flipped on its head this is a great series to read. Funny and surprisingly deep this story is an enjoyment for all. It's an adult book and it does deal with some dark things like alcoholism and other adult themes, but I'd let my nephews read it or I'd read it to them.
Samuel Vines is one of my favorite characters.
If you want a popular fantasy trope(s) flipped on its head this is a great series to read. Funny and surprisingly deep this story is an enjoyment for all. It's an adult book and it does deal with some dark things like alcoholism and other adult themes, but I'd let my nephews read it or I'd read it to them.