I have no idea where I found Killer of Enemies. Something about the title caught my attention, I think, but by the time I had picked it up (from the library) I had already forgotten why. Somehow, though, I decided to read it, anyway. Despite a title that probably should have died in marketing (as […]
Hugo Nominee: The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal
2014-07-30 · by ·
One of the podcasts I listen to in my spare time (or rather, while I’m mowing the lawn or doing laundry or in the car, because really: who has spare time?) is Writing Excuses, which includes Mary Robinette Kowal. She is the author of the Glamourist Histories, which I hear is something like Pride and […]
Andy Weir’s The Martian Should Get a Hugo Nomination
2014-07-14 · by ·
If Andy Weir isn’t up for the Hugo next year, then scifi fandom doesn’t deserve good fiction anymore, because The Martian is pure awesome sauce. Left behind on Mars after a freak dust storm puts a hole in his suit and buries him, Mark Watney–astronaut, biologist, engineer–knows that the odds are against him returning back to Earth […]
A Two Minute Review: Nation by Terry Pratchett
2014-07-08 · by ·
I’ve never made a secret about my love of Terry Pratchett‘s writing. In the lottery of picking a good novel, choosing one with Pratchett’s name on the cover dramatically increases the odds of winning. Nation is no exception. Title: Nation Author: Terry Pratchett Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: October 6, 2009 Format: Audio Pages: 396 […]
David Farland Nails It: Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing
2014-07-07 · by ·
Writing about a book on writing is perhaps an odd challenge. On the one hand, I read the book because I wanted to become a better writer. On the other hand, I’m reviewing the book, telling where the author (of a book on writing, if you recall) has succeeded or failed at their attempt. Fortunately, […]
Book Review | Guy Stuff in the Scriptures by Mike Winder
2014-07-06 · by ·
And now, something completely different from my typical reviews… Mike Winder is a friend, so when he asked if I would take a look at his newest book (he’s written several, including Presidents & Prophets. The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church and When the White House Comes to Zion), I was more […]
Salt Lake’s Fantasy Con 2014 is a Magical Crowd Pleaser
2014-07-05 · by ·
If Salt Lake’s Fantasy Con is a sign of things to come, than fantasy fans can look forward to good times. In his book Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing, David Farland speculates that the fantasy genre sells as much as six times as many books at science fiction. Over the years, especially since the […]
The Wonder of Short Stories: Writers of the Future Volume 30
2014-07-02 · by ·
The thing about I like about short stories is that you don’t have to commit much to get a certain amount of satisfaction. Any novel worth reading will spend a certain portion of time introducing conflict, stringing together a plot, creating characters and relationships, and, if were in science fiction or fantasy, building a […]
Seeds of Rebelion: Brandon Mull and the C.S.Lewis tradition
2014-06-08 · by ·
Brandon Mull doesn’t get enough credit. A few weeks ago, I attended a forum at the Salt Lake CominCon FanXperience for authors Brandon Sanderson and Brandon Mull. Both are a local (to Utah) authors, both are BYU grads, both write fantasy, both are New York Times bestselling authors, and both are at about the same […]
Book Review | All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
2014-06-02 · by ·
It’s over so fast, I almost flipped back a few pages to see if I had missed a chapter. But no, I hadn’t missed anything. All You Need Is Kill sits you down, straps you in, and ignites a rocket strapped to your chair, and before you know it, you’ve finished, breathless and heart-stopping, palms […]
