Smorgasbord Fantasia

I had never heard of this novel – naturally as I do not follow YA/MG novels unless of course they are like hot-on-fire runaway international bestseller and probably has like five Hollywood studios fighting over movie rights ( The Hunger Games anyone? Or maybe…the Twilight saga?) So this came out of the blue to me – as Michael reached out to me to check if I was interested in reviewing his debut YA/Urban Fantasy book titled “Crashing Eden” – the hook was, how would it be if we regained Paradise? I jumped for it. Two reasons: a.   a.   This was going be my first foray into “Urban Fantasy” realm as I have not yet really been caught with that bug.   b.        b.This was kind of like the first ARC Copy I was getting direct from an author. A minor one, if not very instrumental, was Michael’s casual mention that the book also featured an “Indian” as a central character. It piqued my curiosity but I decided to play it professional and not get influenced by my origins (Ha! Ha!)

You all know I had started this blog purely to keep track of my interests in speculative fiction ( of course secretly hoping that someday I become a hugely successful blogger and win the "Hugo" of SFF Book Blogs!!) But yesterday, I hit the ceiling when a newbie author reached out to me to have his book reviewed. I was ecstatic. I have no idea where Michael got my reference from, but Heehaw! I got my first "unofficial" ARC kinda copy ( ahem  it ain't ARC, but what the heck, when I am self-pimping myself to glory and gold.....) and am sitting down to finish this one. A YA/urban fantasy/cross-over - firmly speculative fiction though - with a very interesting premise to it - What happens if we were to "re-discover" the lost Paradise or Eden as its called here? told from a first person narrative, this book till now has been a fun ride though still too early for anything significant to break loose and scream "Got You!" Look forward to my re

Wanting to take a break from an overdose of “Gritty realistic” fantasy – I decided to try the hugely successful Hugo-nominated space opera, Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey that came out last year (2011) and was definitely the toast of the entire SFF Community for over a year. True to all its hype, awards and favorable reviews on the net, this book was a rip roaring fun ride with all stops pulled out. A sweeping space opera that brings back the joy of light-hearted science fiction with the just the right bit of intellectual overdose but a lot of character-driven drama that forces you to think and digest the believable premise to the story. This book forms part One of a series called The Expanse, with two more on its way ( part-II, Caliban’s War is out even as I write this and I believe the Epstein-drive powered space joy-ride takes readers to the next level!)  The Expanse is set in a time-frame where space travel to the far out galaxies is still a science-fiction dream

We’ve all been enthralled by the beautiful story of Snow-white and the Seven Dwarfs and Prince Charming – when we were growing up . Only fitting that we get Snow-white and the Huntsman – a grown up version of the same story – albeit in a much darker vein – a stunning visual treat. Fantastic cinematography that will steal your heart and transport you to fairy land. That is the rich impression you take away when the end credits roll. And of course, there is the gorgeous Charlize Theron. We can’t get enough of her in this movie – she truly takes the cake. The best costume (oh remember that sheer jaw-dropping black oozing gown melting and flowing on the floor while she’s writhing in pain? Oh wait, am getting ahead of myself here J ), the best lines and of course some of the best camera shots and special effects. A good villain always makes the hero ( in this case, heroine!) look good. Remember Joker? Here Charlize Theron as the evil queen wins the applause – she’s pure evi