History as it is written is full of holes, of secrets and of omissions. The so-called “secret histories”, fictional or otherwise, are the stories of the forgotten and the suppressed, the stories of those who …
Continue readingSly Mongoose by Tobias Buckell Review
Sly Mongoose is the third novel of Tobias Buckell. It is part of the same future history as its predecessors Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin, but it is a self-contained story that can be read on …
Continue readingJames P. Blaylock Interview – Where in the World is William Ashbless?
James P. Blaylock was one of the writers, along with Jonathan Carroll, that was at the forefront of reeducation of what Fantasy was or rather could entail, and it was work like The Paper Grail …
Continue readingJhegaala by Steven Brust Review
Steven Brust brings us another tale of our hero Vlad Talos as he goes to the East to learn about his family in the town of Burz. Being the outgoing chap that he is, Vlad starts asking about the family Merss (his mother’s side of …
Continue readingAsh: A Secret History by Mary Gentle Review
ASH – A Secret History can in many respects be regarded as Mary Gentle’s magnum opus, both in terms of volume (a whopping 1100 pages) and in terms of its ambition and scope. It is …
Continue readingNAOMI NOVIK and CHARLES ARDAI at THE EXPLORERS CLUB
Recently, I received a splashy invitation to the kind of event that a genre-bender like me can’t refuse. The location of the festivities was the Explorers Club on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I couldn’t wait …
Continue readingCon Report – Readercon 18
Readercon 18 was held July 5th through the 8th, 2007, in Burlington, MA, USA. Readercon is known as a very focused convention: there are none of the art shows, music, gaming, costumes, etc. that one …
Continue readingA Mystery/Crime Fiction Primer
Awhile ago here at BSC we had a contest to win a copy of The Blonde. And when the person who won the contest finished reading it he placed his thoughts in the review comments …
Continue readingEkaterina Sedia Interview and The Alchemy of Stone Review
Ekaterina Sedia’s second novel, The Secret History of Moscow, has made her a new author to watch. It has garnered critical praise, from no less than Neil Gaiman and is selling quite well. The novel …
Continue readingA Mignola Daydream – Rhys Hughes Guest Blog
I first learned of the existence of Mike Mignola only in 2007 when I received an email out of the blue from a writer and editor by the name of Christopher Golden. His message informed …
Continue readingUn Lun Dun by China Mieville Review
China Mieville is the premiere iconoclast of the fantasy genre. Before (or at the same time) that “punk” (as in cyberpunk, splatterpunk and mythpunk) became a common subgenre suffix, Mieville laid out the manifesto of …
Continue readingThe Man on the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic & Melanie Tem Review
Tem’s fantastical memoir The Man on the Ceiling, about his wife Melanie. And Melanie’s character, in one of her narrative turns, tells us how a strange and lost man did one night climb through her …
Continue readingLou Anders Interview – Pyr Editing
This one’s for those of you who like to know what goes on before the book falls off the bookstore shelf into your hands. Lou Anders is the editorial director of Pyr books, as well …
Continue readingPost Mortem: Uncovering the Real Ending of The 50/50 Killer by Steve Mosby
I almost feel like this doesn’t need to be said but I’ll say it anyway. This isn’t a review; it’s a critical piece that deals with text specific examples. In other words there WILL be …
Continue readingMaledicte by Lane Robins Review
Maledicte marks Lane Robins’ first effort as a novelist, and a glance at the cover – which depicts and androgynous face in profile, eyes covered with an ornate Venetian-style domino, the title written with gothic …
Continue readingDavid J. Williams Interview – Mirrored Heavens
The Mirrored Heavens by debut author David J. Williams is described by Stephen Baxter as “Tom Clancy interfacing Bruce Sterling.” Williams combines future technology and espionage with a richly imagined political climate, with action and …
Continue readingDeepsix by Jack McDevitt Review
Deepsix is the second novel in Jack McDevitt’s “Academy” series, which can be described as mostly-hard science fiction with a few exceptions like faster-than-light travel included out of narrative necessity. However, while it has the …
Continue readingThe Magician and the Fool by Barth Anderson Review
Barth Anderson’s second novel, The Magician and The Fool, is marketed as a thriller in the DaVinci Code mode, with the hidden history behind the Tarot being the focus. Indeed, the novel is fast-paced and …
Continue readingThe Demon and the City by Liz Williams Review
Seneschal Zhu Irzh, demonic scion and star of the first Detective Inspector Chen Novel, is now officially, if grudgingly, a member of the Singapore 3 police force while Chen is on his honeymoon. An investigation …
Continue readingThe Last Dragon by J.M. McDermott Review
In Last Dragon, J.M. McDermott strips the fat from the bones of epic quest-driven fantasy, then dresses up the resulting skeleton of story in layer upon layer of fragmented and elliptical narrative. The fit of …
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