Tag Archives: Books

Michael Swanwick – The Dog Said Bow-Wow (2007) Review

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

8/10 Of the 16 short stories in this collection, 3 are Hugo Award winners, 3 more are Hugo Award nominees, 12 are Locus Awards nominees with 1 winner, and 1 Nebula nominee. This is a show of strength, this collection, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Clark Ashton Smith – The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies (Review)

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

8/10 Clark Ashton Smith was once one of the Big Three authors of fantasy and horror fiction at the Weird Tales magazine, alongside H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. And while Lovecraft and Howard and their works are still remembered … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, horror | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Steve Brusatte – The Rise and Reign of the Mammals (2022) Review

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

As a kind of sequel to his previous book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (2018), popular science writer Steve Brusatte now looks at the evolutionary history of the mammals. The previous book even ended with a cliffhanger: a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

M. John Harrison – The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again (2020) Review

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again. What image does that title generate? Something about the past, something that lay hidden, that you thought was gone perhaps, but is coming back. This does not only refer to the land, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Tad Williams – The Dragonbone Chair (1988) Review

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

Series: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, book 1. 7.5/10 The Dragonbone Chair is the kind of epic fantasy that is perfect for losing yourself in a fantasy world; for burrowing into the world-building and wrapping the familiar fantasy tropes around you … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

My Blog in 2022 – Stats and everything

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

Inspired by the recent post by Ola and Piotrek, here are my stats for the year and a list of the most popular blog posts of the year. There are some surprises in there and some I can explain and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol (1843) Review

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

Look, if you put a character named Tiny Tim in your novella, and he’s a sickly child, wheezing and crippled, and his signature line is “God bless us, every one!”, then you’re laying it on thick. You’re being mean. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

David Brin – Startide Rising (1983) Review

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

7.5/10 Dolphins. In spaaaaace. This novel is like a space opera theme park. David Brin just squeezed in every idea that he thought was cool until the novel was ready to burst. It’s a space opera candy store. I’ll have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

K.J. Parker – Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City (2019) Review

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

9/10 Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City is a comedic and exciting fantasy story set in an alternate version of the Byzantine Empire, and the alternate Ottomans are at the gate, ready to lay siege. In the midst of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

George R.R. Martin – Fire & Blood (2018) Review

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

8.5/10 What bloody use is fictional history? I think it is a just question to ask. These places and people don’t even exist. In regular fantasy fiction you at least have characters to follow with motivations and journeys and character … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments