Recent Rave Reviews

This last week or so has brought in a flurry of positive reviews for various Pyr books. So much so that I can't resist aggregating them here.

B&N's Explorations newsletter calls John Meaney's Paradox a cerebral science fiction thriller of the highest order and a substantial novel in every sense of the word. While SFSignal's review called the book a fast-paced, immersive space opera that's sure to please... a very good mix of adventure, sense of wonder and good, old-fashioned fun and added that the sequels are not something I want to miss.

Chris Roberson's time-travel adventure novel, Here, There & Everywhere, receives a rave review from Michael Berry at SFGate.com. Michael writes that Roberson displays an infectious enthusiasm for the conventions of pulp adventure fiction and sufficient wit and skill to maneuver around their pitfalls. His book is always fun, thoughtful and clever in the way it uses the latest theories about cosmology to rationalize Roxanne's multidimensional sojourns, and says that Here, There & Everywhere is an enjoyable romp by a promising new voice in science fiction.

Earlier last week, Entertainment Weekly gave Roberson's novel a grade of B and said: Roberson's irreverent alternate histories of the Beatles, Sherlock Holmes, and H.G. Wells are a welcome stitch in the age-old time-travel tradition. While the Library Journal wrote: Roberson's deceptively lighthearted take on the phenomena of time travel and alternate universes features a likable heroine whose quick mind and caring heart should appeal to adult and YA fans of sf adventure with a conscience. And Jonathan Cowie of The Science Fact & Fiction Concatenation called the novel a gem and a cracker and an accomplished treatment of a trope in his review. Furthermore, Steven Silver's Reviews says: while many of the ideas Roberson plays with in the novel will be familiar to many readers of science fiction, whether through the writings of Robert A. Heinlein ("By His Bootstraps"), Isaac Asimov (The End of Eternity) or H.G. Wells (The Time Machine), Roberson combines the elements in an interesting and often unique way. When paired with Roberson's writing style, it makes for an entertaining and intriguing novel.

Meanwhile, Sean Williams' The Resurrected Man, a crime novel set in a near future of matter transportation, receives a grade of A and a rave review from Paul Di Filippo on SciFi.com. Paul writes: His book is in fact the first truly rigorous and envelope-pushing attempt in a long time to deal with this trope. Not only is Williams meticulous in teasing out all the implications of such a device, but he embeds his tale in a future world that's truly different from ours, yet a rational extension of many current-day trends (such as the growing tug-of-war between privacy and full-disclosure demands)...for sheer speculative bravado and tale-telling power, this novel ranks high not just among the subset of matter-transmitter stories, but among recent SF in general.

The Resurrected Man was also highly recommended by Laura Lehman of BellaOnline who called the novel a fast-paced blend of science fiction and mystery. Earlier, School Library Journal said: this book raises interesting and unique questions of legality, technology, and identity. Slightly reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Ballantine, 1996), it’s sure to thrill readers.

Charles Coleman Finlay's The Prodigal Troll received some good love from Kirkus, who proclaim: up-and-coming author Finlay expands one of his popular stories...into a fresh and affecting first novel with echoes of Tarzan of the Apes and The Jungle Book...unusually intriguing and satisfying work from a writer on the rise.

Booklist describes Fiona Avery's The Crown Rose as a noteworthy historical fantasy, and goes on to say that: sage readers probably won’t be surprised to learn that they have been deeply drawn into yet another fantasy based on the legend of the Holy Grail. Indeed, they will likely feel it is such a good one that they just must continue reading it to the end––and look forward to coming back for a possible sequel. Even better, the Library Journal calls The Crown Rose essential for lovers of historical fantasy. And Publishers Weekly describes the book as a superior historical fantasy. Meanwhile, Fiona Avery has launched a website in support of her novel worth checking out at www.thecrownrose.com.

Perhaps more a preview than a review of The Healer, Rick Kleffel of the Agony Column says of Michael Blumlein that he is an author on the order of Jonathan Lethem or Jonathan Carroll and praises him for being the sort of author who manages to make all sort of left, right and U-turns when you least expect them.

Obviously, we're thrilled with the overwhelmingly postive response Pyr's first season continues to receive, and we promise good things in season two as well.