Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews Available Now (page 4)


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Cover art for ORION AND KING ARTHUR
FICTION
Released: July 3, 2012

"A pleasant, if unremarkable, time-travel diversion."
Prolific sci-fi author Bova (Leviathans of Jupiter, 2011, etc.) returns with the sixth installment of his Orion series, his first since 1995's Orion Among the Stars.This latest story of time-jumping warrior Orion opens with him helping Beowulf defeat the monster Grendel (and Grendel's mother) in ancient England. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE APOCALYPSE CODEX
FICTION
Released: July 3, 2012

"Readers familiar with Stross' dazzling science fiction should relish this change of pace and direction. "
Fourth in the series (The Fuller Memorandum, 2010, etc.) about the Laundry: a weirdly alluring blend of superspy thriller, deadpan comic fantasy and Lovecraftian horror. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LONG EARTH
FICTION
Released: June 19, 2012

"Still, the authors have plenty of fresh insights to offer, and fans of either will want to tag along and see where it all leads."
Pratchett, author of the esteemed Discworld yarns (Snuff, 2011, etc.), and collaborator Baxter (Stone Spring, 2011, etc.) venture into alternate worlds. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE SHADOWED SUN
FICTION
Released: June 12, 2012

"Overstuffed and underpowered, but not to the extent that fans of the first book will be deterred."
Sequel to The Killing Moon (2011), this New York resident author's ancient Egypt–flavored fantasy. Read full book review >
Cover art for SILVER
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Certainly worth a try for existing lycanthrophiles. "
Werewolves are threatened by a mysterious antagonist in Held's fantasy debut. Read full book review >
Cover art for REDSHIRTS
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Check the date. If it isn't April 1st, you've been had."
Scalzi (Fuzzy Nation, 2011, etc.) takes a stab at metafiction--and misses. Read full book review >
Cover art for LIVE AND LET DROOD
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Let your path lead you to the Nightside series, which has everything--real wit, personalities, plot, invention--that this book does not."
Another in Green's Secret Histories series about Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond (For Heaven's Eyes Only, 2011, etc.), set in the same universe as his Nightside yarns and occasionally intersecting with them. Read full book review >
Cover art for JUDGMENT AT PROTEUS
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Finishes with enough loose ends to allow for sequels, but that shouldn't be encouraged."
The fifth installment of Zahn's science fiction thriller series concerning the Quadrail, an interstellar train system, brings the series to a close. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE CRAVING
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Starr doesn't let plot development or characterization impede the flow of violence or improbable twists and turns in this tale about a guy who parents by allowing his 3-year-old to hang out with people-eating werewolves."
Jason Starr continues the saga of regular-guy-turned-werewolf that he began with The Pack (2011). Read full book review >
Cover art for BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH
FICTION
Released: June 5, 2012

"Readers hoping for adventures in the mind-boggling fashion of Revelation Space may emerge dissatisfied but certainly not deterred. "
First volume of a new planet-hopping series from the author of Terminal World (2010). Read full book review >
Cover art for TERMINAL POINT
FICTION
Released: June 1, 2012

"If this book sounds appealing, then read Mind Storm first to avoid at least some of the confusion. "
Continuation of Mind Storm (2011) as "psions," mutants with psychic powers, battle it out over the fate of humanity. Read full book review >
Cover art for EXISTENCE
FICTION
Released: June 1, 2012

"A verbose, unwieldy, frustrating, nugget-strewn mess."
Huge, ambitious concoction from the author of Kiln People (2002, etc.) that tackles the question of why we haven't yet been contacted by aliens. Read full book review >