S. C. ButlerRecensioni

One of the annual anthologies published by Zombies Need Brains. This one features stories about dragons from their point of view. Great selection! Favorites were The Princess Network about how dragons got their maidens and how the relationship isn't what is popularly thought and The Breeding Habits of Dragons featuring a very lifelike tattoo.

*3.5 (or something)

Rating anthologies can be hard: do you look at the "average" or the stories that made an impression on you?
In this case, the average outweighs the stories I really liked. Fourteen stories: 3 of them I did not even bother finishing, 4 were just meeeh, 5 were fine, 2 really excellent.
The excellent ones were:
"Dogs of Babylon" by Alan Smale - it's interesting that there were two stories in this collection that featured Alexander the Great :). This one is an exercise in alternative history, but it is really about two people that did not manage to cross the divide between them, even though they could have. Excellent stuff. (By the way, I highly recommend Alan Smale's alternative history trilogy about the Roman Empire trying to conquer North America (yes, indeed!). Start with Clash of Eagles and see what you think.)
"Eight Mile and the City" by Steven Harper - a pair of private detectives (who are married) are trying to find a child gone missing. One of them is a "Mowgli" raised by aliens and he is definitely autistic. I swallowed this one whole, falling in love with the characters in just a few pages. Can I have a novel about Andy and Sebastian, please? Or at the very least, more stories...

My friend Paula really liked this book, so I stuck with it even though I was having a lot of trouble getting into it. I can see how a lot of people who aren't me will love this book. It's not horrible, it's just not my cup of tea. The setting parts of the book are really well done, but I'm not so sure about the characterization. The author also does some stuff that annoys me, like the shmeerps. I'm also not sure about his gender roles; the only non-mommy is Ferris, who's feisty but seems to spend a lot of time complaining about needing a bath. I'm giving the book three stars anyway because the setting stuff is so good.

I wish there were separate stars for good writing and for positive or negative reader buttons being pushed. This book has evil wizards, dwarves, and talking animals in a pseudomedieval setting. I fear that my personal reader buttons are pro-wizard, anti-pseudomedieval, and I'm apparently dwarf-neutral at best. I also apparently like talking animals (especially talking shmeerps) less than I would expect.

Reiffen comes into his own, kills 2 of the wizards and ends up marrying Ferris right at the end.

Even though this series is about Rieffen, Avender is the character that most of the story is told through, so he feels like the main character. Poor Avender, a hero who can't get the girl.

A young man, heir to 2 kingdoms, is kidnapped by wizards so they can control him and sow chaos in the world, thus strengthening their rule. Several of the boy's friends attempt to rescue him: a dwarf, a shapechanger, and 2 childhood friends. They get him back, only to have him go back to the wizards right at the end of the book. Is Reiffen under their spell, or attempting to fool the wizards and overthrow them?

I classify this as YA, because the characters are young teens, and the writing seems geared toward a younger, simpler audience.

There were a number of things I liked very much about this book and other things that I didn't like. The things I did like had to do mainly with interesting inventions and details about the world (e.g., there are talking seals in this world, and I liked them very much; dwarves are also very interesting in this world--their nature, creation, mode of life are all very cool). The things I didn't like had to do with elements of plotting and things relating to fantasy tropes, and part of it is definitely me as a reader and not the story at all. The novel did make me *think* in a good way, though. I'm curious about the sequel and concluding story and will eventually read them.

There were a number of things I liked very much about this book and other things that I didn't like. The things I did like had to do mainly with interesting inventions and details about the world (e.g., there are talking seals in this world, and I liked them very much; dwarves are also very interesting in this world--their nature, creation, mode of life are all very cool). The things I didn't like had to do with elements of plotting and things relating to fantasy tropes, and part of it is definitely me as a reader and not the story at all. The novel did make me *think* in a good way, though. I'm curious about the sequel and concluding story and will eventually read them.

One of a number of books I got as freebies from the Tor website, and like most of them, extremely forgettable. I didn't finish this one. The story was OK, I guess, but the writing totally uninspired.

Boring, sort ofa lord of the Rings type of plot. The end is frustrationg after reading about how long they walked and only have the book end were it started is so frustrating.

Oh no, prince is captured and there is magic and wizards and a quest!Also talking seals and bear shapeshifter, which is why this got two stars instead of one.

A classic tale of friendship, and the right/wrong choices we can make. A young prince is kidnapped by evil wizards to bend him to their will. They give him a choice. Willingly join them and go against everything the boy has been taught and stands for, or join them as a puppet without a will.
Two to the prince's young friends with the aid of a dwarf and a shape changing bear set out on a quest to liberate young Reiffen.

The main of the book is the two kids travels to the fortress of the wizards that hold Reiffen, under the earth, and Reiffen's battle of the mind with the Wizards. The wizards offer comfort, power, and finally pain and mental agony.

Who wins?

While a young adult book, an interesting question is asked. With all Reiffen has gone through, he does escape physically, has he really escaped. He is still bound to the wizards through his hatred of them. Is this just one of the bindings, of many, they created?

A solid story. Highly recommended.