Unlike typical "science of" titles seeking to explain fantastic stories with real-world science, Terry Pratchett and his science advisers tell a story from the magical viewpoint of the flat Discworld. The evolution of this world is observed and explained using fictional terms that simply explain complex ideas. Stephen Briggs brings his usual expertise to his narration, warmly delivering dialogue and narrative. In particular, his mastery of dialect distinguishes characters without overacting. Michael Stevens delivers a more clinical narration, describing various bits of history and science in a slightly didactic manner. The result is hilarious but also uniquely informative, allowing fiction to suggest fact in an organic manner. A.Z.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
A secret history of vampires in America, the next installment in a gripping trilogy of a dystopian Martian society, two new urban fantasy series that explore hidden supernatural worlds that exist just out of the corner of your eye, and a silly primer on the science of an invented world: these are just a few […]
For over a decade, Jim Killen has served as the sci-fi and fantasy book buyer for Barnes & Noble. Every month on the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog and Tor.com, Jim shares his curated list of the can’t miss upcoming genre releases.
For a good time, call Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. The books have been the pinnacle of creative fantasy since The Colour of Magic was released in 1983. Legions of fans sprouted in subsequent decades, gobbling down every word in more than 40 novels, tie-in books, comics, and video games. The invented environment has grown so elaborate, there’s […]
It’s another great week for new book launches, from a clever, quirky debut about a hero housecat, to a celebrated, newly-translated literary fantasy, to another thrilling entry in one of the most expansive genre franchises running.