Books & Authors

From romance to science-fiction, publishers are bringing out the big guns just in time for summer.  The latest from Laurell K. Hamilton, Clive Cussler, and Alice Hoffman hit stores this week, and not all the reviews have been positive.  While die-hard fans of each author will probably be pleased, you may want to take a look at what critics and fans are saying before heading to the bookstore.

The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman follows the lives of three sisters living between reality and their own magical world.  Filled with dark themes and tragic accidents, the book explores family dynamics as the relationships between the sisters constantly shift.  According to critics, the book is beautiful and moving, but not Alice Hoffman’s finest work.

• “The always dazzling Hoffman has outdone herself in this bewitching weave of psychologically astute fantasy and shattering realism.” - Booklist (starred review)
• “Excessive and over-determined but ultimately so moving that it overwhelms these faults.” - Wendy Smith, The Washington Post
• “I would not recommend this book as a satisfying read [...] For me, it is just too dark to be enjoyable.” - Regis Schilken, Blogcritics.org

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton, the 17th installment of the “Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter” series, is causing a debate among fans - some say the book is exciting and impossible to put down, while others complain that too much sex is slowing the vampire-hunting action.  Skin Trade is similar to the more recent books in the series, where sex plays a larger role, so fans of Hamilton’s recent work won’t be disappointed.

• “Skin Trade quickly unfolds with vivid detail, captivating characters, and villains that are dangerously wicked.” - DarqueReviews.com
• “Far greater story development than some of the smuttier Anita books of late.” - Laurell K. Hamilton fan, Goodreads.com
• “Like a pornographic version of ‘Lord of the Rings.’” - disappointed fan, Amazon.com

In Clive Cussler’s Medusa (the 8th book in the “NUMA Files” series), Kurt Austin and his NUMA team must stop a virus threatening to spread around the world.  Cussler weaves together multiple story lines to produce the action and suspense his fans expect, though the dialogue and ending leave something to be desired.

• “An action-packed tale that snags readers and drags them racing through heavy seas and high drama.” - Publishers Weekly
• “Some clunky dialogue and an ending right out of a Scooby Doo cartoon hurt a bit, but Cussler fans will stick around for the action.” - Booklist
• “An easy and enjoyable read with an interesting historical prelude [..] but an underdeveloped enemy that keeps it from being as good as it could have been.” - Cussler fan, Goodreads.com

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Tags: popular

This entry was posted by BNA_Daily on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 5:53 am and is filed under popular fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.