looking glass reads

August 10, 2020

Gorgeous and poignant, Marie Brennan’s DRIFTWOOD offers an experience unlike any other book you are likely to read this or any other year

Rick Klaw blog annotated excerpt, black forest basilisks, civilian reader, driftwood, edward willett, interview, keikii eats books, looking glass reads, marie brennan, review, scintilla, worldshap 0

Marie Brennan’s spellbinding DRIFTWOOD continues to wow readers.

SCINTILLA praises the book.

Driftwood is a challenging book. The number of points of view, the shifting settings, the diverse characters, and the short-story collection feel to the book mean that the reader has to pay attention throughout. The reward, though, is a wildly creative and imaginative novel that showcases an author’s vast talent and hard work. Grab this book with both hands and hang on with white knuckles for an experience unlike any other book you are likely to read this or any other year.

BLACK FOREST BASILISKS concurs.

Driftwood will haunt you long after you’ve set it down. Brennan has crafted a gorgeous, poignant apocalypse where getting a second chance doesn’t always mean getting a new life. Each of the diaspora she’s depicted are richly imagined, complex, and compelling. I cannot recommend it enough.

KEIKII EATS BOOKS finds the novel satisfying.

I absolutely adored DRIFTWOOD.

[…]

While short, DRIFTWOOD is just so full of life. I wouldn’t say it is full of happiness, since it is filled with people who are slowly losing their homes and lives. But it is full of life, regardless. I love the world that Brennan wrote. And I may have a small crush on Last. Even though he was rarely anything other than an enigma told by the storyteller. But when he was more, he was a friend.

I don’t know if this is a book one in a series or a standalone, but I really hope I get more from this world. And Last.

LOOKING GLASS READS continues the love.

Between the extremely original world building, effective story telling and fantastic writing I was spellbound by DRIFTWOOD

Continue onto page 2 for interviews and more with Marie Brennan.

September 26, 2019

The scintillating MEET ME IN THE FUTURE showcases the length and breadth of Kameron Hurley’s fertile and unconventional imagination

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized ama, apocalypse nyx, book riot, callum mcsorley, carl sutton, elizabeth story, kameron hurley, looking glass reads, meet me in the future, michelle anne schingler, pat's fantasy hotlist, reddit, review, shoreline of infinity, strange alliances, wadim kashin

Praise keeps coming for Kameron Hurley’s MEET ME IN THE FUTURE.

Kameron Hurley has a REDDIT r/books AMA on Monday, September 30, 2019 • 11:00 EST

At BOOK RIOT, Michelle Anne Schingler’s 5 Fantastic Speculative Fiction Titles for Fall includes the collection.

Hurley’s stories are a revelation; they’ve garnered high praise from
every reviewer who’s encountered them. Sidle up to her scintillating
perspectives and allow your mind to bounce unhindered among the stars.

PAT’S FANTASY HOTLIST enjoys the book.

The best aspect of MEET ME IN THE FUTURE is that it showcases the
length and breadth of Kameron Hurley’s fertile and unconventional
imagination. If you have yet to give the author a shot, this collection
of short stories is the perfect opportunity to remedy that sad state of
affairs.

STRANGE ALLIANCES is fascinated.

There were certainly echoes of other writing of Hurley’s, such as APOCALYPSE NYX and, more recently, The Light Brigade where
the character keeps time shifting and experiencing the results in the
present. But this feels more as if you can, as a writer, sense what it
is like to gather up ideas, playing with them in one context with the
potential for transferring them to another. Or trying out complex
concepts and scenarios in the short form where they can be more easily
tracked, then going on to craft them anew for a much more sustained
work. This makes MEET ME IN THE FUTURE forensically intriguing and enlightening for any writer, no matter what the genre.

Over a year and half since it’s publication, APOCALYPSE NYX continues to garner positive reviews.

Callum McSorley for SHORELINE OF INFINITY praises the collection.

APOCALYPSE NYX is a gory, sweary, action-packed adventure that
rips along at top speed. Hurley drops the reader straight into her world
– a matriarchal, Islam-inspired society where technology is reliant
upon bugs and insects with magical properties – without any
hand-holding, and the book is all the better for it. There’s no
info-dumping or awkward exposition – characters don’t require things
they should already know be explained to them for the benefit of the
reader.

LOOKING GLASS READS likes the book.

APOCALYPSE NYX by Kameron Hurley is a great collection of short stories and good companion to the other books within the series.

For info on MEET ME IN THE FUTURE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Carl Sutton
Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on APOCALYPSE NYX, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Wadim Kashin
Design by Elizabeth Story

January 18, 2018

Peter S. Beagle’s enjoyable IN CALABRIA charms and enchants

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized elizabeth story, in calabria, looking glass reads, paul robichaux, peter s beagle, review

LOOKING GLASS READS praises Peter S. Beagle’s IN CALABRIA.

In Calabria does nothing unexpected. The story doesn’t go to places unforeseen, nor are there any shocking twists or turns along the way. But twists and turns aren’t something this tale needs. It is a slow, beautiful tale about the characters, their lives, and how they change. It is just as much a tale of love and learning to forgive as it is a story about magic and unicorns.

The pacing is slow, but deliberately so. We see Claudio’s quiet, repetitive life up close – his caring for his animals, his tending to the farm, and the poetry he doesn’t want anyone to know he writes. Slowly, this changes. First comes the appearance of the unicorn. Slowly but surely this beautiful creature changes everything. The farm and its inhabitants change first. Then, slowly, the town changes too.

I found myself particularly drawn to the setting. The beautiful Italian countryside always makes for a beautiful backdrop, but here it took particularly well to the story being told. Claudio’s farm sits on the side of a mountain – too high to for the visitors at the coast and too low to attract the skiers who flock to the region. The farm and nearby town are thus stuck in a sort of limbo. There are cell phones and cameras, but the mail is only delivered every few days and Claudio’s farm remains near void of modern technologies.

<snip>

And enjoy it I did. The book remains in that liminal space between contemporary fantasy and magical realism, a place I find fascinating but often unexplored. The fantastic and the very mundane meet beautifully here. On the one hand we have a unicorn appearing and giving birth. On the other hand we have a love story, a story of learning to forgive oneself. And, overall, I quite enjoyed this book.

IN CALABRIA by Peter S. Beagle is a wonderful story that charms and enchants. I have not read nearly enough of Beagle’s books. Certainly nothing since I read The Last Unicorn as a child. This is something I must remedy, and I am very happy I started with this beautiful little novella.

Photo: Rina Weisman

Paul Robichaux enjoys the book.

Suppose unicorns were real, and that you found one hanging around your farm in rural Italy? Beagle has written a charming and moving story that revolves around the answers to those two questions. Much more enjoyable than I thought it would be at first.

For more info about IN CALABRIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

December 20, 2017

Tachyon tidbits featuring Joe R. Lansdale, Peter S. Beagle, Jacob Weisman, Patricia A. McKillip, and Bruce Sterling

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized angela matano, ben loory, best of 2017, bob mcleod, bruce sterling, camille andre, campus circle, Charlie Jane Anders, elizabeth story, ginger nuts of horror, hap and leonard: blood and lemonade, jacob weisman, Joe R. Lansdale, john coulthart, looking for a good book, looking glass reads, patricia a mckillip, peter s beagle, pirate utopia, six months three days five others, tales of falling and flying, the forgotten beasts of eld, the new voices of fantasy, Thomas Canty

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.

Joe R. Lansdale (photo: Karen Lansdale), Jacob Weisman and Peter S. Beagle (Jill Roberts), Patricia A. McKillip (photo: Stephen Gold/Wikimedia Commons), and Bruce Sterling

At GINGER NUTS OF HORROR, Bob McLeod includes Joe R. Lansdale’s HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE in his top books of the year.

There is no denying that Joe Lansdale is a master of storytelling and the latest Hap and Leonard novel is a triumphant return to the world of these two hapless heroes. Written as a prequel to their very first adventure Lansdale gives us an emotionally charged insight into what makes the two of them tick.

“At times this is a hard book to read, due to its cultural setting, Lansdale has captured the sociopolitical zeitgeist of the era perfectly. A period where racism was rampant and times were excruciating for Black people and those who didn’t fit in with the general feeling towards them. Be warned the use of the N-word is utilised many times in this book, but it is never used for shock value, it drives the story to such an extent it almost feels as though your soul is taking a beating as you read it. BLOOD AND LEMONADE is an emotionally compelling tale which puts the reader through an emotional whirlwind in a way that only a great writer such as Lansdale can do.

Angela Matano for CAMPUS CIRCLE recommends Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman’s THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY as a book for every stocking.

If your idea of fantasy begins and ends with Hobbits or Mothers of Dragons, you’re missing out on a vibrant part of literature. Peter S. Beagle has assembled a collection of stories from the hottest young writers in THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, including modern classics from Ursula Vernon, Usman T. Malik, Kelly Sandoval and more.

In the same piece, Matano also suggests collections from Charlie Jane Anders and THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY contributor Ben Loory.

Ben Loory returns with his unique brand of short short stories in “Tales of Falling and Flying.” These deceptively simple, absurdist fables and surreal allegories add up to an emotional punch.

“Six Months, Three Days, Five Others” collects six stories from “All the Birds in the Sky” author Charlie Jane Anders, who explores philosophical “what-ifs” with doses of whimsy and quirky humor, while grounding it all with relatable characters.

In a five star review, LOOKING GLASS READS praises Patricia A. McKillip’s World Fantasy Award-winner THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD

Patricia McKillip’s novel THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD was republished by Tachyon Publications. This World Fantasy Award winning novel is a true treasure, a book that is most definitely worth reading.

I have never read prose quite as lyrical as McKillip’s. The language is incredibly descriptive without being overly dense. It is fairy-tale like, adding to the air of magic within the novel. There isn’t a paragraph, a line, a word, that is unnecessary. Despite all of her works having this to at least some extent, this is probably the tightest prose I have read in one of her novels.

I always admired Patricia McKillip’s book. But this is, by far, the best of her work I have read. THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is a book that will delight any fantasy reader. Take a chance on this book. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK reviews Bruce Sterling’s Sidewise Award-nominated PIRATE UTOPIA.

The last third of the book (or so) is an interview with Sterling who gives a brief account of the real history of Fiume. I enjoyed this and it had me doing a quick Google search of my own to learn a little more.

Perhaps the best part of the book is the beautiful art by John Coulthart, who captures the Art Deco/war years style to lead off the chapters and divisions of the book. The art alone is worth checking out this book.

Looking for a good book? Pirate Utopia by Bruce Sterling is a short book about some idealizing ‘pirates’ in the 1920’s who take over and develop their own country. Buy it for the art and enjoy the story.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

For more info on PIRATE UTOPIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover and images by John Coulthart