New 4-star review for From Mountains of Ice

Well colour me tickled Imagine my delight when fellow author, Louise Spilsbury, wrote this review of my fantasy novel, From Mountains of Ice. If you enjoy stories with rich characterization and intricate world-building, told in leisurely, lyrical prose dense with imagery, “From Mountains of Ice” is for you. I love stories that immerse the reader in moment-by-moment action, and this story doesn’t disappoint. I especially love the story’s celebration of honour and integrity; these are…

30

Nov 2021

By Lorina StephensFrom Mountains of IceComments Off

Review: The Warrior Who Carried Life, by Geoff Ryman

The Warrior Who Carried Life by Geoff Ryman My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have to admit being disappointed in Geoff Ryman’s The Warrior Who Carried Life. Unlike much of his later work, especially The King’s Last Song, I very much felt The Warrior Who Carried Life demonstrated a writer finding their way in their art. There were long passages which were clumsy in execution, too much exposition, in my opinion, and a lack…

23

Nov 2021

By Lorina StephensReviewsComments Off

Review: Greenhollow Duology, by Emily Tesh

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh My rating: 3 of 5 stars Emily Tesh’s World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow Duology, which begins with Silver in the Wood, is a gorgeously told novella which digs deep into legends of the fae. Her writing is reminiscent of both Guy Gavriel Kay and Robert Holdstock, and I very much found myself hearing echoes of Holdstock’s Mythago Wood series. This is a beautifully told tale of transformation and love,…

15

Nov 2021

By Lorina StephensReviewsComments Off

Just checking in

Thought it might be time to do a general update for my readers. I’m not very good at that, I’m afraid, so apologies. Often just feels sort of intrusive on my part, the concept that I should just blurt out to the world what I’m up to, but I suppose that’s more a part of being a private person than anything else. But on to what I’m up to, if you’re interested. audiobooks This is…

04

Nov 2021

By Lorina StephensNewsletterComments Off

Review: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard My rating: 1 of 5 stars For me, Annie Dillard’s Pulitzer-winning pastoral ponderings were a complete miss. Overall the writing swung from pretentious to dull, her musings entirely self-absorbed, and clearly her modern attempt to emulate Thoreau’s Walden Pond. While others may find it highly absorbing to read a person’s personal diary about life in a modern-day backwoods, for this reader there was nothing particularly insightful or inspirational….

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Nov 2021

By Lorina StephensReviewsComments Off