Smorgasbord Fantasia

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 d...

I know this is perhaps one of the forgotten gems of GRRM, but it still ranks pretty much up there in terms of the quality of pure unadulterated story telling.  A terrific SF thriller that once again cements the fact the GRRM is indeed one of the best story tellers of our times. Joining him this time are two other talents, Daniel Abraham and Gardner R. Dozois. I have read the first two parts of Daniel Abraham’s much acclaimed Long Prince Quartet series that has repeatedly taken the mantle of being the most under-appreciated Fantasy series out there. I haven’t heard of Dozois, but heck, with two names that most certainly promised a rollercoaster of a ride, I couldn’t resist. And a treat it was. An absolute masterpiece in terms of the twists and turns and a simple yet appealing plot that sticks to the original purpose of story-telling. To entertain. Without getting lost in the hyperbole of clumsy world building. There are so many lessons that GRRM could give the young guns who w...