Readers may sometimes feel queasy that the creation of Lamb, a man who says the unsayable, gives Herron easy licence to write the unwritable on subjects such as race and disability, in the way that character comedy can allow performers to pass off bigotry as irony.
That justice is bittersweet but satisfying all the same. There are true friends out there who will go through hell for you; who won’t forget nor forgive. But just beware of the still lingering ghosts.
We of course assume that Aoleyn and Talmadge will meet, eventually, but it’s far from obvious why, when, or how. All this slow, quiet development allows the low-key charms of these stories and others to flourish. Enjoyable and addictive, flaws and all.
The sequels promise to bring the story postwar into the 1950s and '60s. A complex, entertaining fantasy that sets loose a “chosen one” hero arc among the dogs of war.
Saadawi’s strange, violent and wickedly funny book borrows heavily from the science fiction canon, and pays back the debt with interest: it is a remarkable achievement, and one that, regrettably, is unlikely ever to lose its urgent relevancy.
One of the best in the series—tense and tightly wound, with death relentlessly circling, stalking, lurking behind every shadow.
A solid, enduring, addictive vampire epic with great potential that readers should be thrilled to sink their teeth into.
A fast-paced novel that deftly strikes at the heart of what it means to survive traumatic personal and familial ruptures.
A murky delirium of sinuous language and unnerving storytelling that will delight both experienced genre fanatics and literary fiction lovers alike.
Readers will easily deduce what exactly is killing people and livestock, but Smith wisely focuses on the urgent need to stop the beast rather than on a prolonged elucidation of it.
A swift, cleverly plotted debut novel that ably captures the insular, slightly sinister feel of a small village. Children of the 1980s will enjoy the nostalgia.
The Afterlives is an admirably straight-faced novel, and Pierce writes as if he's allergic to the snide, the ironic and the pseudo-intellectual. It's a deeply generous, compassionate book...
How well does it all hold up, once Finn’s cards have been fully played? Pretty well, but there are problems...For hard-core aficionados of classic logical mysteries, this book includes some special delights.
The author’s avoidance of clear references to Alaska’s Native heritage belies the thematic insistence on the power of storytelling to shape the world. Settlers stole the land, readers are told, but the story of this thievery remains untold. Intriguingly spooky but never quite coheres.
A strong addition to the literature of dystopia, Johnson's outdoor adventure novel is lifted by his command of natural settings and his understanding of family bonding under extreme duress.
Winnette has conjured a profoundly unsettling story from the murky depths of his imagination; once it clicks, giggles, and slithers into your mind, it’s nearly impossible to dislodge.
...the graphic nature of the killing scenes, as well as other grisly details, point it firmly toward a slightly older readership. A briskly written, spirited, and accomplished thriller that readers will be able to sink their teeth into.
It’s not high art by any stretch and lacks the sociological inquiry of Max Brooks’ World War Z, but for a bloody fun ride, it gets the job done.
A woman's novel that should have a definite local market and which is grounded in the city's great and tragic event, this tells its story capably and sturdily.
Weave a Circle Round steadfastly occupies the shakiest of terrain: It's a fantasy novel that is aware of fantasy novels and manages to create something new and powerful out of familiar tropes and approaches.