The Stacks
All book reviews
613 honest reviews across fiction, non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi, romance, and more.
Showing 193-216 of 613
Cat's Claw
by Susan Wittig Albert
Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert review. The 20th China Bayles mystery. A Pecan Springs cybercrime case, McQuaid as PI, and Albert's late-series form at its most confident.
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
by Kinky Friedman
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch by Kinky Friedman review. The 15th Kinky mystery. The Texas setting, Kinky's actual Echo Hill summer-camp ranch, and the form at its most autobiographical.
Steppin' on a Rainbow
by Kinky Friedman
Steppin' on a Rainbow by Kinky Friedman review. The 14th Kinky mystery. A Hawaiian setting, an apparently missing friend, and the form running on long-developed energy.
The Prisoner of Vandam Street
by Kinky Friedman
The Prisoner of Vandam Street by Kinky Friedman review. A late-period Kinky mystery. The country singer turned detective housebound in his Village loft. Pure Friedman register.
Common Carnage
by Stephen Dobyns
Common Carnage by Stephen Dobyns review. A 1996 Saratoga mystery. Charlie Bradshaw works a Saratoga horse-racing case in his usual quietly observed register.
The Face Of Time
by Camille Bacon-Smith
The Face of Time by Camille Bacon-Smith review. A contemporary fantasy novel by the Enterprising Women academic. Demons, Philadelphia, urban fantasy with serious knowledge of fan-fiction tradition.
Science Fiction Culture
by Camille Bacon-Smith
Science Fiction Culture by Camille Bacon-Smith review. A 2000 ethnographic study of SF fandom and convention culture. The Enterprising Women follow-up with serious participant-observation rigor.
Wag the Dog
by Larry Beinhart
Wag the Dog by Larry Beinhart review. The 1997 reissue of American Hero with the title from the David Mamet film adaptation. A Hollywood producer fakes a war. Sharper than the movie.
The Librarian
by Larry Beinhart
The Librarian by Larry Beinhart review. A 2004 political satire about a young librarian recruited to organize a billionaire's archive. The Wag the Dog author's sharp post-9/11 form.
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
by John Clute
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction by John Clute review. The canonical SF reference work edited by Clute, Peter Nicholls, and David Langford. The right starting point for serious genre study.
Microserfs
by Douglas Coupland
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland review. The 1995 novel about Microsoft programmers starting a Bay Area startup. The defining Silicon Valley novel of its decade.
They Have Not Seen the Stars: The Collected Poetry of Ray Bradbury
by Ray Bradbury
They Have Not Seen the Stars by Ray Bradbury review. A 2002 collected poetry volume. Late-Bradbury verse at its most lyrical and most accessible.
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe
by Charlaine Harris
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe by Charlaine Harris and Toni Kelner review. A Christmas-themed paranormal anthology. Werewolves, holidays, strong roster.
The Last American
by Steven Burgauer
The Last American by Steven Burgauer review. A post-apocalyptic SF novel about a survivor of civilization's collapse. Pulpy, ambitious, mid-90s independent SF.
The Trident Deception
by Rick Campbell
The Trident Deception by Rick Campbell review. A 2014 submarine thriller about a rogue US ballistic-missile submarine. Insider-rendered by a former Navy submariner.
Treasure of Khan
by Dirk Cussler
Treasure of Khan by Dirk Cussler and Clive Cussler review. A Dirk Pitt novel with a Mongolian-historical premise. One of the strongest late-Cussler entries.
The Eye of Heaven
by Russell Blake
The Eye of Heaven by Russell Blake review. A Sam and Remi Fargo Adventure co-written with Clive Cussler. Viking artifacts, Mesoamerica, reliable Cussler-brand action.
The Computers of Star Trek
by Lois H. Gresh
The Computers of Star Trek by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg review. A 1999 examination of the franchise's computing technology and how it compares to actual contemporary tech.
The Science of Superheroes
by Lois H. Gresh
The Science of Superheroes by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg review. A 2002 nonfiction examination of comic-book physics. Pleasant, accessible, mid-level scientific.
Sorcery Rising
by Jude Fisher
Sorcery Rising by Jude Fisher review. The first Fool's Gold fantasy. A young trader, an Allfair festival, and a fantasy world being built with serious craft.
Tom Clancy: Commander-in-Chief
by Mark Greaney
Tom Clancy: Commander-in-Chief by Mark Greaney review. A 2015 Ryanverse continuation. President Jack Ryan, Russian black-ops, and Greaney at full Clancy register.
Locked On
by Mark Greaney
Locked On by Mark Greaney review. The 3rd Greaney-co-authored Jack Ryan thriller with Tom Clancy. The Campus and Jack Ryan Sr. against a Pakistani-nuclear plot.
Career Ideas For Kids Who Like Adventure
by Nancy Bond
Career Ideas For Kids Who Like Adventure by Nancy Bond review. A career-exploration book for middle-grade readers. Practical, well-researched.
Revenge of the Tide
by Elizabeth Haynes
Revenge of the Tide by Elizabeth Haynes review. A 2012 Kent-coast psychological thriller. A former pole dancer rebuilding her life on a houseboat. Sharper than the cover suggests.