softcover, published by Peggy Bright Books 2009, classified YA. I bought this in June while I was in Australia at Continuum 8, their Natcon. And up front let me say that while it may be classified as YA (“young adult” for anyone who doesn’t know) this adult found it more than readable. In fact it’s …
Category: Reviews
SF TRAILS 9 – ALL MARTIAN SPECTACULAR
large size anthology, 9 stories, edited by David B. Riley, weird western theme. Reviewed by Steve Johnson. I got back from a week in Wellington to find that this anthology had been dropped off for me to review, and I’ve had some amusement doing that. I like a good WW story and this anthology has …
SCIENCE FICTION TRAILS 8.
edited by David B. Riley, cover by Laura Givens. 87 pages in large size with nine stories. The SF Trails anthologies are ‘weird western’ stories and the editor has been building an excellent stable of writers in this sub–genre for quite a few years now. (And yes, one of them is me but not in …
THE BEIDERBECKE AFFAIR by Alan Plater
paperback published Methuen, 1985. back in the 1980s this appeared on NZ TV as a series. It was very funny in a laidback sort of way, warm, witty, and featuring very ‘ordinary people’. A few years later I found a copy of the book in a secondhand-books shop and pounced. I’ve just read it for …
THE THIRTEENTH CHILD by Patricia Wrede
published by Scholastic 2010, softcover. One of the books I’ve recently purchased is Patricia Wrede’s Across the Great Barrier. However I decided before reading that, to re-read the first in this series, THE THIRTEENTH CHILD. It could be loosely described as a weird western, in that you have the more civilized east, the wilder west, …
The Gaean Enchantment by T.Jackson King.
trade paperback, published 2012. The author most kindly sent me a free copy of this (and another not-associated book that I won’t be reviewing although I’ve read and liked it) but, sternly resolved as I am when that happens, what you’re getting is an honest appraisal of the book. I’m just very happy to be …
Dougal’s Diary by David Greagg
Dougal’s Diary, published 2010 Clan Destine Press. Also – When We Were Kittens published 2012 Clan Destine Press. having returned from both our New Zealand National SF Convention (Unconventional) in Auckland, and the Aussie natcon, (Continuum 8) in Melbourne, I’m behind in reviews. This will be made up because I returned with books (of course) …
THE MAGINOT LINE anthology, edited by Rob Redman.
Volume three, published by The Fiction Desk, April 2012. softcover. Reviewed by Steve Johnson. This was a damn good anthology. All the stories were a great read, and it was clear all of the writers knew what they were doing. The editor’s also been smart enough to go for quality over quantity and produce a …
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon, by Donna Andrews.
published St Martins, Minotaur Mysteries, 2003, paperback. I was at Emoticon, the NZ National SF Convention in Auckland when this came out and Barbara Clenden of Barbara’s Books strongly recommended it. I bought it because Barbara had been selling books to me for years, and was very accurate in knowing what I might like. On …
LOW NOON anthology edited by David B.Riley.
softcover, published by Science Fiction Trails, April 2012. Reviewed by Steve Johnson. This was an excellent compilation, there was only one story that I thought wasn’t a reasonable read, and all were definitely weird. Don D’Ammassa’s Drawn Out was, I thought, the best in the anthology. It produced an aspect of ‘weirdness’ that I haven’t …