EW Reviews SF/F

Issue #904 (October 27, 2006) of Entertainment Weekly offers some brief reviews of science fiction and fantasy books. Here’s a snippet…

Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury

For Fans of: Sherwood Anderson and Bradbury.

Lowdown: Summer draws poignancy from the half-century dividing it from Dandelion Wine, but feels like an afterthought.

Grade: B.

The Toyminator by Robert Rankin

For Fans of: Douglas Adams, Mother Goose, and masochism.

Lowdown: Some clever running gags don’t make up for the self-conscious cheekiness or witless plot.

Grade: D.

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

For Fans of: Brainy first-contact tales (Carl Sagan meets Umberto Eco).

Lowdown: Bursting with pungent historical detail, and Big Theme musings, this dense, provocative novel offers big rewards to patient readers.

Grade: A-.

Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster

For Fans of: “Johnny Mnemonic” (the Gibson, not the Keanu), Blade Runner, and Monsoon Wedding.

Lowdown: Foster’s world is convincingly thought-out, but there are too many plot threads (even a man-eating tiger).

Grade: B.