Books

Part noir, part space opera, Leviathan Wakes is a very good science fiction novel: written by James S. A. Corey, the first volume of The Expanse series manages to successfully balance character development with exciting set-pieces, offering the best of both genres. The book opens with a young pilot named Juliette Mao finding herself trapped after her spacecraft, the Scopuli, …

Seven Faceless Saints is a competent YA novel that successfully builds a compelling central dynamic between its main characters, even if it forgets to properly develop the main conflicts that define their world. The story is set in Ombrazia, a city where people blessed with magic become disciples and live separate lives from the unfavored, as magic is considered a …

Foundryside is a great urban fantasy novel set in a world where people can change the properties of matter – an ability held by powerful merchant houses that, like any good company, monopolize the technique to maximize profit and gain political power. The protagonist is Sancia, a young thief with a very special ability: she can “communicate” with any object …

It’s rare for a book to show its fangs before it even starts. But Mira Grant manages that with Into the Drowning Deep, in the Dedication Page of all places, where she simply writes, “For Mike and Marnie. Stay away from the water.” It’s a chilling warning and a statement of intent: this horror novel is basically a thalassophobic’s worst …

Although Blood of Elves is the third book in The Witcher saga, you could say it’s actually the first proper novel in the series, as the previous two volumes, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, are structured more like a collection of short stories. The transition proves to be more of a curse than a blessing, however, as Blood …

This review is full of spoilers for the entire trilogy; you could say it will… ruin most twists and turns. The Hero of Ages marks the conclusion of the first Mistborn trilogy. It’s an uneven novel that struggles under the weight of its many plotlines and themes, with redundant character development and some disappointing pay-offs. The story begins a few years after the …

Bioshock: Rapture is a flawed complement to its great source material: Bioshock’s greatest strength was its fantastical setting – the grandiose underwater city of Rapture – and how it managed to tie the philosophy behind it to its horror elements. The novel may try to follow suit, focusing on the city’s initial years before its terrible downfall, but fails to …

“And they say marriage is such hard work,” someone ironically concludes in Gone Girl, a novel that employs a typical thriller structure to deconstruct the institution of marriage and, through the conflicts of deeply troubled characters, expose the difficulties of maintaining a long-lasting relationship. On his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne receives the news that his wife, Amy Dunne, has …

The Miniaturist is a historical novel disguised as a mystery one: its real aim is not to explore the enigma that the title character represents, but to investigate and criticize the Dutch society of the early 17th century. The protagonist is Petronella Oortman, or Nella, a young woman who marries a successful merchant she doesn’t know, Johannes Brandt, and goes …

“I’m sure I can tell this story. I’m also sure no one will believe it. That’s fine with me. Telling it will be enough. My problem – and I’m sure many writers have it, not just newbies like me – is deciding where to start,” the narrator states in the first paragraph of Fairy Tale, a novel that actually starts …