Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Reviews Available Now (page 6)


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Cover art for FOUNTAIN OF AGE
FICTION
Released: April 24, 2012

"A master class in the art of short-story writing."
Nine substantial stories, 2007-2009, from Kress (Crucible, 2004, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for RAGE OF THE DRAGON
FICTION
Released: April 24, 2012

"A middling fantasy adventure that will appeal mainly to the authors' longtime fans. "
Weis and Hickman (Secret of the Dragon, 2010, etc.), co-authors of more than a dozen fantasy novels in the popular Dragonlance series and the seven-part Death Gate Cycle, among other works, again team up for the third book in their Dragonships of Vindras series. Read full book review >
Cover art for IMMOBILITY
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"Satisfying if not particularly surprising or original."
Realization of what appeared, briefly and fictionally, as a "hypothetical" novel in one of Evenson's (Last Days, 2009, etc.) previous works. Read full book review >
Cover art for ANGELS OF VENGEANCE
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"Dull characters, bland dialogue and thin plotting make for a weak final installment of the trilogy, which Birmingham closes by awkwardly setting up a potential sequel. No thanks."
The final novel in Birmingham's post-apocalyptic trilogy (After America, 2010, etc.) doesn't wrap up the story so much as coast to a stop, with a frustrating amount of padding before the disappointing climax. Read full book review >
Cover art for LOST EVERYTHING
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"An intriguing but ultimately unfocused novel."
Slattery (Liberation, 2008, etc.), coeditor of The New Haven Review literary journal, produces a grim tale that takes place in a disaster-stricken, war-torn United States. Read full book review >
Cover art for BLUE MAGIC
FICTION
Released: April 10, 2012

"Far from disappointing but not quite what the first volume seemed to promise."
Sequel to Indigo Springs (2009), where magic, driven into the "unreal" in the 17th century by witch-burning Fyremen, is returning, setting off power struggles and war. Read full book review >
Cover art for TRIGGERS
FICTION
Released: April 3, 2012

"Readers hooked by the futuristic excitement may be disappointed in the lack of follow-through."
Sci-fi veteran Sawyer (WWW: Wonder, 2011, etc.) turns in a solid if bland techno-thriller, which hums along nicely until an absurd mystical finale. Read full book review >
Cover art for NOCTURNAL
FICTION
Released: April 3, 2012

"A bait-and-switch for fans of police noir, but red meat for readers who wish Harry Potter had swapped his YA credentials for a badge and gun."
A genre-bending urban fantasy that pits San Francisco's Finest against a subterranean horde of monsters who threaten the human race. Read full book review >
Cover art for CAINE'S LAW
FICTION
Released: April 3, 2012

"Brutal, witty, insightful, addictive, frequently baffling and altogether astonishing."
Continuing the blended fantasy/science fiction adventures of Stover's homicidal antihero (Caine Black Knife, 2008, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for LIMINAL STATES
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2012

"Intensely realized and often gripping, so perhaps the lack of any discernable structure, logic or explanations deliberately points readers to the multimedia extensions. It's bizarrely fascinating, and what it's all about is anybody's guess."
This first novel from the author of Your Next-Door Neighbor is a Dragon (2009) is part of a multimedia project that also encompasses video, music, artwork, blogs and web pages. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY OF THE YEAR
FICTION
Released: April 1, 2012
edited by Jonathan Strahan

"Especially valuable for readers who enjoy short stories but have neither the time nor the inclination to seek them out."
A whopping 31 eclectic stories in speculative mode, expertly selected from 2011's large and diverse output. Read full book review >
Cover art for RANGE OF GHOSTS
FICTION
Released: March 27, 2012

"Gripping, perfectly balanced and highly recommended."
Beginning of a new historical-fantasy trilogy, set in the same Mongol Khanate–style universe as the short novel Bone and Jewel Creatures (2010). Read full book review >