Time is not what it seems…
When a drug overdose causes Leoni, a troubled teen from twenty-first-century Los Angeles, to have a near-death experience, her soul is lifted from the modern world and flung into a parallel time 24,000 years in the past. There her fate becomes entangled with that of Ria, a young Stone Age woman fighting for her life against the ferocious Illimani, an army of evil led by the vicious Sulpa, a powerful demon determined to destroy humanity.
As the invaders annihilate Ria’s people, inflicting torture and human sacrifice, Sulpa moves ever closer to his ultimate goal: to manifest physically in the twenty-first century and doom all of mankind to perpetual slavery. The hour is late and all hope of stopping him seems lost. But there is still hope, if Leoni and Ria can rise to the challenge fate has set them. Uniting outside the flow of earth time, they must venture forth into regions of wonder, master their own deepest fears, and fight battles they could never have prepared for, if Sulpa is to be defeated …
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven’s Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. His public lectures and broadcasts, including two major TV series for Channel 4, Quest for the Lost Civilisation, and Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age, have further established his reputation as an unconventional thinker who raises controversial questions about humanity’s past. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction.
Fantasy Book Review will be reading and reviewing Entangled shortly and we will also have some copies to give away as prizes so please check back soon and enter the competition.
Posted: March 8th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Latest News
Original Hobbit artwork on show at The Bodleian Library, Oxford
The Bodleian Library is taking part in World Book Day 2010 by exhibiting a selection of JRR Tolkien’s original artwork which was used to illustrate The Hobbit.
A unique manuscript of Hobbit doodles and a rare first edition of the book will also be on display. The free-of-charge one-day display will take place in the Divinity School of the Bodleian Library on Thursday, 4 March 2010.
“All I can remember about the start of The Hobbit is sitting correcting School Certificate papers … On a blank leaf I scrawled: ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.’”
Excerpt from a letter written by JRR Tolkien to WH Auden (7 July 1955)
Tolkien’s own manuscript of The Hobbit was illustrated throughout with monochrome drawings and maps also printed in the first British edition. At the suggestion of his American publishers, who wanted to include colour plates in their edition, Tolkien painted five watercolours between mid-July and mid-August 1937, four of which were reproduced in the first American edition published in March 1938. Another four appeared in the second British edition published in January 1938.
The display coincides with World Book Day, the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland.
Posted: March 3rd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JRR Tolkien
Egmont enters eBook market
March 1, 2010 saw Egmont UK launch its first e-book list with a range of contemporary and classic titles.
Twenty-one best selling titles for pre-schoolers to teens will be available for the first time as eBooks, with the first 10 titles launching next Monday, the 8th of March.
Among the first titles to be published will be Blue Peter book prize winner You’re a Bad Man Mr Gum (Andy Stanton), Costa prize-winner Just Henry (Michelle Magorian), and west-end theatre favourite War Horse (Michael Morpurgo), plus children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams), Running on the Cracks (Julia Donaldson) and Tumtum and Nutmeg (Emily Bearn).
Further titles to be released in the spring will include the classic children’s favourite, Winnie-the-Pooh (A. A. Milne) and a broader range of young adult fiction.
Mike Richards, Head of Marketing and Publicity, Egmont Press said: "This is a growing market in its early stages and as the leading children’s publisher we need to explore and understand the changing requirements. Over the past 12 months we’ve published books on three, separate digital platforms – handheld consoles, smart phones and e-readers – so that we can learn what works best for children in this exciting new market."
Published in partnership with HarperCollins and Libre Digital, the e-books will launch with prices set at 80% of print editions and will be available to buy via major e-book retailers.
Egmont UK’s e-books list joins a growing range of digital and specialist books and services including iPhone apps launched in December, the world’s first Flips books for the Nintendo DS and a series of Personalised Print on Demand titles.
For more information, visit www.egmont.co.uk
Posted: March 3rd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Latest News, eBooks
See The Hobbit brought to life in Edinburgh this March
Bilbo Baggins, a quiet and contented Hobbit, has his life turned upside down when he is chosen by Gandalf the Sorcerer to join Thorin Oakenshield, exiled King of the Dwarves, on his quest to reclaim their kingdom and treasure.
JRR Tolkien’s classic children’s tale is being brought to life with a thrilling production at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh this Spring. Following three hugely successful national tours and two acclaimed capacity seasons at The Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End, the incredible magic of The Hobbit can be seen on Tuesday 23 and from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 March.
This spectacular stage adaptation has been created by Glyn Robbins, known to millions of theatregoers for his adaptations of the CS Lewis classics, including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Festival stage will be transformed into Middle Earth for this classic adventure of wizards, magic rings and a dragon’s treasure.
The Hobbit is directed by Roy Marsden, now best known for his portrayal of Inspector Dalgleish in the televised versions of the PD James novels. It is produced by Vanessa Ford. First produced in 1999, it has played to capacity houses across the UK and in London. Vanessa Ford has been producing family theatre for over 20 years, and like many previous productions, this show can be appreciated on many levels by adults and children alike.
Venue: Festival Theatre
Dates: Tue 23 & Thu 25 – Sun 28 March, Tue – Sat 7.30pm / Sat 2.30pm & Sun 3.00pm
Tickets: £16.50 – £24.00
Box Office: 0131 529 6000
Website: www.festivaltheatre.org.uk
JRR Tolkien created a series of literary works set in the fantasy realm of Middle-Earth, populated with wonderfully original and magical characters. These culminated in the trilogy The Lord of the Rings which had its origins in The Hobbit. A firm favourite with both young and old, The Hobbit has sold over 42 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 26 languages.
This production of The Hobbit hasn’t been seen on the British stage for seven years. It is technologically thrilling with dragons and spiders making appearances. Age 8+ recommended.
There will be a press night on Tue 23 March, 7.30pm, phone Ruth Findlay on 0131 622 8088 or email press@eft.co.uk for more details.
Posted: March 3rd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: JRR Tolkien
Fantasy news round-up – March 3, 2010
In the US: Kindle books now available on Blackberry
Amazon has released a free Kindle for BlackBerry application that makes the online shop’s electronic books available for reading on the Research in Motion smartphones. The application, available for download online at www.amazon.com/kindlebb lets BlackBerry users access an online bookstore with more than 420,000 digital works.
OverDrive’s most downloaded
OverDrive, the global distributor of eBooks and audiobooks to libraries, today announced the ‘Most Downloaded Books from the Library’ for February 2010. Nicholas Sparks’ "Dear John" moved onto the adult fiction eBook and audiobook top ten lists on the heels of its motion picture adaptation. "The Lightning Thief," also released as a motion picture last month, ended Stephenie Meyer’s long run at the top of the juvenile fiction audiobook list, taking the top spot away from "The Twilight Saga" books. Dan Brown’s "The Lost Symbol" continued its reign at the top of the audiobook and eBook charts for the sixth consecutive month, while digital books by Kathryn Stockett, Dean Koontz, Steven D. Levitt, and Stephen J. Dubner were also among the most downloaded books from the library in February. For the complete lists, visit www.overdrive.com/mostdownloaded
Matthew Goode auditions for Bilbo Baggins role
Watchmen star Matthew Goode is the latest actor to audition for the lead role in the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel. The British actor, who shot to fame in the 2009 superhero movie, admits he recently auditioned for the coveted role of young Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s two-part epic The Hobbit. Other stars rumoured to be in the running include Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy and Tobey Maguire, who recently denied he has been approached to take the part.
JK Rowling forced to yet again defend her creation
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been added as a defendant to an ongoing lawsuit between the estates of the late children’s author Adrian Jacobs. The suit claims that "JK Rowling copied substantial parts of the work of the late Adrian Jacobs, The Adventures of Willy the Wizard-No 1 Livid Land, and that Bloomsbury in selling the books have infringed the Estate’s copyright." In this new filing, the estate included JK Rowling as a defendant in that suit, after, as the estate claims, "discovering legal cause of action against her within the last six years." Rowling released this statement: "I am saddened that yet another claim has been made that I have taken material from another source to write Harry. The fact is I had never heard of the author or the book before the first accusation by those connected to the author’s estate in 2004; I have certainly never read the book. The claims that are made are not only unfounded but absurd and I am disappointed that I, and my U.K. publisher Bloomsbury, are put in a position to have to defend ourselves."
Twilight Unbound: The Stephenie Meyer Story to be published in hardcover
Last year, Stephenie Meyer became a comic-book star. Bluewater Productions in November released Female Force: Stephenie Meyer, a graphic biography detailing Meyer’s rise from unknown writer to the guiding force behind one of the book industry’s top-selling franchises. This new version will include updates on the success of New Moon, the most recent Twilight film, and a look at Meyer’s future plans for Edward and Bella, the romantic leads of her vampire books. The book will also be stuffed with extras, making it a must-buy for Twilight fans.
6,500 authors opt-out of Google Book settlement
Six and a half thousand authors; living and dead have opted out of the Google Book settlement. The authors had until 28 January to opt out of the revised settlement prior to the ruling last week that would allow Google to digitise many millions of books. However, the judge received over 500 written submissions, forcing him to delay his ruling. Among the big names still alive who’ve said no thanks are Jeffrey Archer, Graham Swift, Monica Ali, Bret Easton Ellis, and Philip Pullman. Ursula K Le Guin, who gained significant author support for her petition calling for "the principle of copyright, which is directly threatened by the settlement, [to] be honoured and upheld in the United States", also opted out.
China Mieville shortlisted for Nebula award
China Miéville’s surreal venture into crime fiction The City and the City has been shortlisted for major American science fiction and fantasy awards the Nebulas. Miéville’s novel, in which a murder case in the decaying European city of Besźel turns out to have connections to another city, existing in the same physical space, was nominated for the best novel prize by the 1,500-plus author members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The British author, winner of prizes including the Arthur C Clarke and the British Fantasy award, is up against American fantasy writer Jeff VanderMeer’s Finch, set in a city ruled by sentient fungal beings known as "gray caps", and Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl, in which the hero Anderson Lake meets an engineered being grown to satisfy the whims of a Kyoto businessman.
The shortlist for the Nebula best novel prize:
- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
- Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
- The City and the City by China Miéville
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
- Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
Kate Wilson sets up children’s publisher, Nosy Crow
Kate Wilson is to set up her own publishing company, Nosy Crow. The company will follow the traditional children’s publishing model with titles for ages naught to 14 years and will also publish apps for iPhones and other devices through its Appiness division. Wilson is launching the company with former Macmillan colleague Camilla Reid who headed up Campbell Books. They previously developed popular formats such as jigsaw books and Buggy Buddies. The first books will be published in January 2011 and Nosy Crow will work with both established names and new talent. Wilson left her job as chief executive of Headline in October after just five months; before that she was group managing director of Scholastic UK and managing director of Macmillan Children’s Books.
Posted: March 3rd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Latest News
The Citizen Patriot’s excellent Ursula Le Guin interview
Jackson District Library will be hosting a Big Read event, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, and inspired by Le Guin’s Earthsea books. The Citizen Patriot conducted a really interesting and informative interview with Le Guin prior to the Big Read launch. Living in the UK as I do, the mention of the Scilly Isles as an Earthsea on Earth has led to a change in next year’s holiday plans…
Below is a snippet from the interview, to read it in full follow this link.
Citizen Patriot: The world depicted in the "Earthsea" series seems very complex. Did anything inspire its creation, like a part of the world you’ve been to or know of?
Le Guin: No, but after I’d written some of the books, I discovered pieces of Earthsea on Earth. One of them is Trinidad Bay, on the northern California coast. Another is the Scilly Isles, off the coast of south England. Nobody could make up places so fantastic.
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was born on the 21st October 1929 in California and is an American author of novels, poetry and short stories. She has won numerous awards during her distinguished career, notably the Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master award in 2003. In 1968, A Wizard of Earthsea was published, followed by The Tombs of Atuan in 1971 and The Farthest Shore in 1972. In 1990, Ursula Le Guin came back to the series with Tehanu. A number of short stories also bridge gaps between the main novels. The Word of Unbinding and The Rule of Names (1975), plus Dragonfly and The Tales of Earthsea (2001) are all vital reading for all Earthsea fans.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Ursula Le Guin
Jasper Kent revamps website in readiness for publication of Thirteen Years Later
Jasper Kent has revamped his website – http://www.jasperkent.com/ – including a spiffy new flash animation, in advance of Bantam Press’s UK publication of Thirteen Years Later, the sequel to his highly successful historical vampire debut Twelve. The book appears on March 18 as a trade paperback.
About Twelve
The voordalak – a creature of legend; tales of which have terrified Russian children for generations. But for Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov – a child of more enlightened times – it is a legend that has long been forgotten. Besides, in the autumn of 1812, he faces a more tangible enemy – the Grand Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Fantasy Book Review said “Jasper Kent shows admirable restraint when it comes to the gruesome; there are moments in the book that genuinely make you squirm uncomfortably but it is the scarcity that makes them so effective. If an author dishes out the gore from page one then the reader becomes desensitised and the horrific becomes mundane. The author has an obvious passion for the subjects within his story and he has created an effortless and enjoyable read. The average reader will not possess a wide knowledge of Russian history and Twelve will lead to them carrying out further research on this most fascinating of countries. I personally would have liked for there to have been more tension and for the book to have ended rather differently but there can no denying that Twelve is a great read and a breath of fresh air to more than one genre. Twelve is an educational, entertaining and dark historical fantasy novel.” 8.5/10
Read the full review of Jasper Kent’s Twelve
In July 2009 Fantasy Book Review interviewed Jasper Kent
Jasper Kent was born in Worcestershire in 1968. He attended King Edward’s School, Birmingham and went to study Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, specialising in Physics. Jasper has spent almost twenty years working as a software consultant both in the UK and Europe, whilst working on both fiction and music. He has co written several musicals, including The Promised Land, written and performed to mark the 3000th anniversary of the foundation of Jerusalem and Remember! Remember!, the story of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. He currently lives in Brighton, with seven rats called Millie, Martha, Rose, Manjula, Lurleen, Maybe and Bertie and a person called Helen.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Jasper Kent
Chris Beckett’s hard-hitting child abuse story to appear in Interzone
There have been a series of high profile child abuse, neglect and protection cases in Britain in the past year or so. One of these was the Child P case.
Chris Beckett is a Science Fiction writer who has a day job as senior lecturer in social work at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. He has authored a number of academic textbooks on social work theory, ethics and child protection. This experience as a social worker also informs his fiction. His prize-winning collection of stories contains many first published in Interzone, a British short SF story magazine. Chris’s experience in child protection is critical to his new story ‘Johnny’s New Job’. That story is based on his reaction to the Baby P and similar cases.
The story will appear in Interzone’s March 2010 issue number 227 along with Chris Beckett’s editorial on its genesis. Copies of this should be in UK newsagents and some bookshops from 5th March but around 10 days later in the US.
Chris Beckett’s first Interzone story appeared in October 1990 and since then over 20 of his stories have appeared. His second novel ‘Marcher’ from 2008 was based on stories which first appeared in Interzone and made extensive use of his social work experience.
Interzone, a bimonthly magazine of speculative fiction, is renowned as one of Britain’s leading short story showcases and has developed an international reputation with authors and readers. Interzone discoveries often go on to a career in writing after youthful or early appearances with short fiction in its pages. 1980’s examples are Charles Stross and Greg Egan and more recent generations of British authors, like Liz Williams, Tony Ballantyne and Chris Beckett, have spread their wings beyond the UK and Interzone with novels and/or publication in US short story magazines.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Latest News
What the critics say: Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton’s re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland hit UK cinemas last week and we take a look at the reception from the authoritative media.
Times Online’s Kate Muir says "Never have toves been so slithy or a film so brillig. Tim Burton’s spectacular reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, which had its royal premiere in London last night, takes Lewis Carroll’s famous Jabberwocky poem and makes it a 3-D epic for the next generation. Traditionalists may quibble with Burton’s Gothic ride through the Alice books, but his hallucinogenic humour is true to the originals. Plus you don’t get a cast any better than this. The standouts are Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen with a bulbous head and a venomous tongue, using a live pig as a footstool, and Alice herself, played by the Australian actress Mia Wasikowska with frowning confidence and not a drop of soppiness. The characters may be familiar but the plot deviates insanely from the original. Down the rabbit hole, Alice still finds the “Drink Me” potion, varies from 6in to 20ft tall, attends the Mad Hatter’s tea party and confronts the Red Queen, but Burton brings Alice’s dream closer to his more favoured nightmares."
4/5
Den of Geek’s Carley Tauchert says "When I first heard that Burton was attached to this project I did slightly worry for a moment. After all, his last adaptation of a children’s book, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, left me feeling a bit empty afterwards but, thankfully, Alice In Wonderland sees Burton back on on his game. For his Alice is a fun, endearing and magical movie at its best, and one well worth seeking out. It’s not perfect, certainly, but Burton’s trip to Wonderland is a welcome one, indeed."
4/5
OK! Magazine says "Alice In Wonderland looks absolutely incredible, especially in 3D. The CGI sets are everything you would expect from Burton and are dripping in his signature creepy imagery. It’s entirely captivating and watching in 3D helps the adventure come to life. A huge amount of detail has gone into the main characters and their costumes and the CGI is flawless. Helena Bonham Carter is a delight to watch as the evil Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska makes a perfect Alice. So much attention has been spent on the minor details that the storyline feels a little lifeless and rushed. For such an image-heavy film, very little happens and it certainly feels like a lot has been cut from the final edit. The story, which is built up rather well, isn’t wrapped up neatly and the end feels hurried and messy. This is visually stunning and very captivating, but don’t expect it to match up to all the hype."
3.5/5
Critics have in the main been positive but, of course, it is the most negative review of all that generated most interest. Robbie Collin of The News of the World gave the film a 1-star review and summed up with the single world "Chunderland".
Robbie Collin went on to say "It’s not often that you can start a film review quoting the wisdom of Orlando Bloom. But Alice in Wonderland is a strange case. As Elf-features himself once said in his film Elizabethtown: "There’s a difference between a failure and a fiasco. A failure is simply the non-presence of success. Any fool can accomplish failure. "But a fiasco? A fiasco is a disaster of mythic proportions." And readers, that’s Alice in Wonderland for you – a bona fide, bums-in-the-air fiasco that needs to be burned and the ashes hurtled off in the direction of the nearest black hole as soon as you can, NASA. In fact it’s Lesbian Vampire Killers bad – the kind of film that you don’t just dislike or even hate, but one that your body physically rejects like a dodgy organ transplant. I know it sounds extreme. After all, this is a much-touted, mega-budget, 3D spectacular from none other than Tim Burton and Disney, starring a host of family favourites. So let me explain. Set 15 or so years after the original Alice adventures, this film stars Mia Wasikowska as a 19-year-old Alice who remembers nothing of her first trip down the rabbit hole. In the middle of an embarrassing marriage proposal, she flees to the woods, tumbles down the hole again and learns it is her destiny to kill the Jabberwocky, dethrone the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and return power to her White sister (Anne Hathaway). In 2008, when Tim Burton chose Mia to play Alice, she had never acted in a big feature film before. And that remains true to this day."
1/5
Have you been to see Alice in Wonderland yet? Whose review do you most agree with? Let us know by posting a comment below.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Lewis Carroll
The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
Five-year-old Cassius escaped the brutal assassination of his parents, the king and queen of Malonia, and was exiled to modern-day England. Now fifteen, Cassius continues to be hidden in England under the protection of his tutor, the great Alderbaran, who’s ancient prophecy says that Cassius will, one day, return and claim his rightful place on the throne. At the same time, fifteen-year-old Leo remains in Malonia where a repressive dictatorial regime under the new king, Lucien, followed the assassination. One day Leo discovers a wonderful book in which parts of an epic story appear each day – a remarkable story that reveals the secrets of the prophecy, the assassination and how they are connected to Leo’s own family history.
The Eyes of a King was published more than a year and half ago amidst massive media interest. It was the first book in a planned trilogy – with Voices in the Dark due in March 2010 being the second – and saw the then fourteen-year-old author unhelpfully labelled as the new JK Rowling. Although The Eyes of a King may not be one of the very best young adult fantasy books available it does however showcase a mightily impressive imagination that will ensure all who read it will continue to follow the young author’s future works with much interest.
The first two-hundred pages are rather difficult to get into. There are certainly glimpses of excellence there but there is too much that is either standard or convenient. There is also the spectre of Christian Fantasy hanging over proceedings and the concern that the author may be so desperate to get their message across that it will be to the detriment of telling a good story.
And then with half the book still to go Banner places two words, THE END, into the narrative and then followed fifty or so pages that were truly excellent; chapters dealing with events and emotions in a completely believable and upsetting way. This was the moment where it became apparent what exactly the author was capable of and what the major publishing companies have seen. Although the book did not again reach the heights it did conclude in a satisfying manner.
All in all The Eyes of a King is a real mixture, containing some good points and some bad.
The good points are the clever use of fonts to distinguish between differing narratives and the way in which Catherine Banner weaves these storylines together. The relationship between Leo and his little brother Stirling is touching, full of mutual love and a highlight if the book. This is an intricate book with the teenage characters behaving in an authentic way, it is also on occasions engaging.
The bad points are that the dialogue can sometimes be rather unrealistic and the narrative struggles to flow as a result. Although there are undoubtedly interesting ideas in there they never seem to be fully developed. The teenage angst is realistic enough but may be overbearing for some.
Considering her tender years Banner showed great maturity and life experience. Although this review may not be exactly overflowing with praise it must mentioned that there was something within this book that made it stand out from the crowd – the imagination of the author. Catherine Banner has shown that she is capable of something truly monumental and many who have read The Eyes of a King will read the next book, Voices in the Dark, hoping to find that the author’s skills have been further honed following her debut. Following Banner’s career could be an interesting and rewarding experience for many.
“But I wrote in the book; I want on until it was quite dark, and rose again the next morning and went on writing. I went on even after the winter set in, and through the spring, and into the next summer. Every time I ran out of space, I would skip forward to the next blank page. I didn’t read what I had written. I just went on. I counted the days by the words I wrote, and learned to survive.”
The Eyes of a King
Random House signed Catherine Banner to a three book deal making The Eyes of a King the first in a trilogy. Rights to Catherine’s books have been sold to 13 countries around the world and the book is already a bestseller in the UK. Yet Catherine’s feet remind firmly on the ground; “Even now I sometimes wonder if it’s all real; it means such a lot to me to be able to write professionally, it’s something I had been dreaming about for years.”
Catherine lives in Cambridge and is reading English at University.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
Latest interviews
Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.
Must-reads
The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
