Category: Fantasy

  • REVIEW of The Dragon’s Tooth, by N. D. Wilson

    REVIEW of The Dragon’s Tooth, by N. D. Wilson

    The Dragon’s Tooth, by N. D. Wilson was released about six months ago with much fanfare and excitement. I had enjoyed a couple of Wilson’s other children’s books, Leepike Ridge and The 100 Cupboards, but my disappointment with books 2 and 3 in the 100 Cupboards series made me reluctant to attempt The Dragon’s Tooth.…

  • REVIEW of Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

    REVIEW of Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

    Mockingjay, the final book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, concludes the story of Katniss Everdeen, but whether it is a satisfactory conclusion is a question open for debate. As the book begins, Katniss has been whisked away from the Hunger Games arena by the shadowy rebels from District 13. These insurgents have spent many hours planning…

  • REVIEW of Chalice, by Robin McKinley

    REVIEW of Chalice, by Robin McKinley

    Because she was Chalice she stood at the front door with the Grand Seneschal, the Overlord’s agent and the Prelate, all of whom were carefully ignoring her. But she was Chalice, and it was from her hand the Master would take the welcome cup…. From the very first paragraph, Robin McKinley draws you into the…

  • REVIEW of Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

    REVIEW of Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

    Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, picks up where the first book left off. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have conquered the Hunger Games in defiance of the rules; now they must conquer the vengeance of the Capitol. President Snow pays a visit to Katniss and lets her…

  • REVIEW of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

    REVIEW of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

    I started reading The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, while ensconced in an overstuffed armchair at the mall bookstore, killing time before the next showing of Mission Impossible IV. I rarely read popular literature of that kind. I picked it up on a whim, and I fully expected to dislike it. By the time I finally…

  • REVIEW of The Skin Map, by Stephen Lawhead

    Let me get this off my chest before I start: I am not a big fan of time travel novels or novels that jump back and forth between sets of characters in different time periods. With that said, I must acknowledge that I liked Stephen Lawhead’s new book, The Skin Map, more than I thought…

  • REVIEW of The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde

    Leisure time has been at a premium for me ever since the birth of the twins. Feed Adam, feed Oliver, hold them if they’re fussy, sneak in a shower or wash the dishes if they’re not, hurriedly throw together a meal for myself, check Facebook and my e-mail. Repeat. Not long after the twins’ birth,…

  • REVIEW of The Chestnut King, by N. D. Wilson

    As the second post in my blitz, I am reviewing The Chestnut King, by N. D. Wilson. I realize that N. D. Wilson really deserves three posts all to himself, since The Chestnut King is the third and final book of a trilogy, but one short post is all I can afford. I dislike giving…

  • REVIEW of Grendel, by John Gardner

    “I touch the door with my fingertips and it bursts, for all its fire-forged bands–it jumps away like a terrified deer–and I plunge into the silent, hearth-lit hall with a laugh that I wouldn’t much care to wake up to myself…. I am swollen with excitement, bloodlust and joy and a strange fear that mingle…

  • REVIEW of Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde

    Jasper Fforde’s books are as whimsical as the spelling of his last name. I was first introduced to Fforde over a year ago and mirthfully made my way through his Thursday Next books and Nursery Crime series in a matter of weeks. The fantastical wordplay and literary allusions exercised and entertained my brain (even convincing…