• Zulu Heart/ Lion’s Blood by Stephen Barnes: Barnes’ alternate history explores the evolution of slavery and racial formations in a world where the West never rose to prominence. The New World is in the process of being conquered by various African empires, and both women and enslaved whites are starting to buck up for independence. This is a very cool context — there’re women scientists hiding the extent of their work, a rising anti-slavery movement, and the equivalent of an Underground Railroad managed by Jews in an ... READ MORE
  • Lynn Abbey — Daughter of the Bright Moon: This week’s flashback book is Daughter of the Bright Moon, featuring Rifkind, a warrior-healer whose character inspired Xena, the warrior princess herself! This was such a fun book. Rifkind’s one of the few lady sword-slingers coming out of this sword and sorcery genre who doesn’t have sexual assault as a part of her origin story. She’s brash, bold, and completely cool with how totally awesome she is. It’d be easy to tip this into Mary Sue territory, since she’s basically ... READ MORE
  • Karavans series — Jennifer Roberson: Hmm. It’s a toss-up. On the one hand, Roberson’s writing at full force here. All the delightful sensory details that made the dry deserty world of Tiger and Del a reality are present. You can feel the dust coating your face in Roberson’s lushly realized world. And she neatly establishes that it’s a world in flux — the Hecari invaders are an ever-present threat, without overwhelming the story. Bethid, one of the secondary characters, is the first female courier… and ... READ MORE
  • jane lindskold — the firekeeper saga: Jane Lindskold is an amazing author. I first encountered her work when I read Child of a Rainless Year. I was astonished — here was a coming of age story about an adult, an older woman, and one that acknowledged the complicated interplay between race, class, and family. AND it was a lyrical, lovely fantasy novel, with a wry narrator and a solidly realized plot. I’d love to describe it as a fairy tale for grown-ups, but really? With the ... READ MORE
  • Witness of Gor — John Norman: Hello, my lovelies. I apologize for my enforced hiatus from book blogging – I just moved, and haven’t had reliable internet access for the last few weeks. But don’t worry. My lack of posting does not mean I haven’t been reading, so look forward to seeing a bunch of critiques coming up soon. Now, on to the review. The last time I was on the intarwebs, there was a big to-do going on in regards to the re-release of the Gor series, ... READ MORE
  • The Long Kiss Goodnight: starring Geena Davis, Samuel Jackson, Craig Bierko, Brian Cox, Yvonne Zima I love this movie. I know it got a bashing by the critics when it came out, and dissed completely; but I still love it. I also like movies like The Phantom, or The Shadow – Saturday morning serials made completely for the fun factor and the goofiness. But The Long Kiss Goodnight? I have NO idea what the title is supposed to mean in context with the movie itself. But ... READ MORE
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