We meet Faris Nallaneen, the gawky eighteen-year-old duchess of Galazon, just as she arrives as a new student at Greenlaw College, a finishing school in northern France. Faris was sent to school against her will by her uncle Becker, who is ruling the independent duchy of Galazon in her absence. Faris is deeply annoyed at…
The Royal Treatment is a book with a great deal of style and very little substance. That may not sound like much of a compliment, and for many readers it won’t be. But anyone willing to accept the book for what it is – slick, goofy, occasionally bewildering, but mostly fun – should find it…
Angel-Seeker is the sequel to Sharon Shinn’s wonderful novel, Archangel. Shinn’s subsequent books in this series, Jovah’s Angel, The Alleluia Files, and Angelica were solid reads, but not as satisfying for me personally, so I approached this one with hope but not expectation. Happily, I found it to be almost as good as Archangel and…
Welcome to wild world of Thursday Next where the Crimean War has just ended, wooly mammoths migrate, Neanderthals are fighting for their civil rights, and to win public office in England you need to have the backing of the Shakespeare fanatics. It’s also a world where a select few have the ability to leap into…
The Eyre Affair is a little bit of everything – adventure, romance, alternate reality – and a whole lot of fun. I didn’t know quite what to expect from it; in reviews Fforde’s style has been compared to Connie Willis and Douglas Adams. I don’t think he’s much like either, except for the fact that…
When I read the raves about The Verificationist earlier this year, I bought a copy for myself and set it aside for a time when I needed a really great read to pull me out of the doldrums. This past weekend I decided I needed a boost and read it. Expecting both an odd read…