Monthly Archives: February 2018

Epic Fantasy Done Right

Posted on February 24, 2018 by midiguru

If you’re looking for a fine and somewhat unusual epic fantasy series, may I recommend Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Sharing Knife? It may be a little low-key for some readers’ tastes, but in the end it packs quite a wallop. … Continue reading →

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Trick or Treat

Posted on February 21, 2018 by midiguru

I thought Tamora Pierce’s first novel about Beka Cooper was pretty good. Haven’t read the second one yet. While browsing in our Friends of the Library used bookstore, I spotted a two-in-one hardback called Tricksters (containing her Trickster’s Choice and … Continue reading →

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The Rudiments

Posted on February 16, 2018 by midiguru

When a writer has become successful, there is always, I suspect (I wouldn’t know), a temptation to think, “Oh, the basics of good writing no longer apply to me. I know what I’m doing.” This temptation seems to have gotten … Continue reading →

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Butcher Block

Posted on February 13, 2018 by midiguru

Human history is a dreadfully bloody affair. Few readers above the age of 12 would want to read a fictionalized history in which all is sweetness and light. Wholesale butchery, however, is not very attractive in a story. One wants … Continue reading →

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Laugh Like Hell

Posted on February 7, 2018 by midiguru

Is it because we all see what we’re expecting to see? Or is it numbness of the soul? That’s the puzzle. In my collection I have a dozen novels by Kurt Vonnegut. Probably all of them except Player Piano, which … Continue reading →

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