The SF Site: Featured Reviews Archive

The reviews are sorted alphabetically by authors' last name -- one or more pages for each letter (plus one for Mc). All but some recent reviews are listed here. Links to those reviews appear on the Recent Feature Review Page.

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In the Hall of the Martian King by John Barnes
reviewed by Rich Horton
Jak is a citizen of the Hive, a huge space habitat at the Earth/Sun L5 point. In the two previous books, we have followed his career as a part-time secret agent, and somewhat of a celebrity, due to his involvement in a couple of high-profile adventures. As this book opens, he has graduated from the Hive's Public Service Academy, and taken a job as Vice Procurator of the Hive's base on the Martian moon Deimos. At the same time he is secretly an agent of Hive Intelligence. His life is further complicated by his continued conditioned lust for his former girlfriend, the sadistic Princess Shyf of Greenworld.

The Duke of Uranium by John Barnes
reviewed by Rob Kane
He didn't get admitted to the Academy, now he'll have to join the army and his girlfriend has been kidnapped. Oh, and the Galactic Council just might decide that humans are not worth the bother and order extermination. Yet, all in all, eighteen-year-old Jak is having the time of his life.

One for the Morning Glory by John Barnes
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Did you enjoy the whimsical humour of T. H. White's The Sword in the Stone? Well, this is the book for you. It is the story of young prince Amatus, who accidentally swallowed the Wine of the Gods as a child and had the entire left side of his body vanish. Not long thereafter, 4 mysterious strangers appeared and took up positions in the court -- as the Royal Alchemist, Royal Witch, Royal Nurse, and Captain of the Guard. By this time, the whole Kingdom knows that a Story is unfolding...

Finity by John Barnes
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
Lyle Peripart is reasonably content with his quiet life as an expatriate American academic in New Zealand. Until he accepts a plum job offer from billionaire industrialist Iphwin -- and he's roughed up by the Gestapo in Surabaya, shot at in Saigon, and comes home to a smoking crater where his house used to be.

Finity by John Barnes
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In a world where bits and pieces of different timelines begin filtering through and individuals can suddenly become their other world analogues without warning, the author seems intent on throwing everything into the mixture without worrying whether the flavours will compliment each other.

Apostrophes & Apocalypses by John Barnes
reviewed by James Seidman
For James, the essays are by far the best part of this collection. They discuss the author's creative process, how he creates universes, his analysis of writing style, and the importance of science fiction to him growing up.

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