Angels’ Blood (Guild Hunter #1)- Nalini Singh
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
340 pages
RRP: AU$22.95
ISBN: 978-057-509572-4

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Angels’ Blood is the first in the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. She already has quite a following for her sexy paranormal Psy-Changeling series (the first title in that series, Slave to Sensation is also reviewed on Ticon4.com) and by the looks of it, Guild Hunter will be snapping at its heels. The Guild Hunter in question here is Elena Devereaux, a vampire tracker and bounty hunter whose new job doesn’t just involve vampires. She is now working for the drop-dead gorgeous Archangel Raphael, ruthless and terrifyingly inhuman, yet caring and overwhelmingly attractive. Working with angels isn’t like you’d imagine — in this world they are immensely powerful and beautiful, yet they are also the Makers of vampires. This first instalment of the series is packed with drama, intrigue and attraction, and provides a nice balance between the action and the… er… action.

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Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) – Nalini Singh
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
334 pages
RRP: AU$22.99
ISBN: 978-057-509566-3

Reviewed by Kate Smith

I initially bypassed this novel as not a story that I would be interested in reading, however I am pleased that I took the time to read Slave to Sensation.  This does not mean that the story is a classic, but it is a good example of its genre.  Not having read the two further novels in the psy-changeling series, I am a little apprehensive that there will be repetition of ideas or premises with different names inserted, but hopefully Singh will be able to integrate three different stories smoothly, each supported by the others without being the same.

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Horns – Joe Hill
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
437 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-057-507917-5

Reviewed by Kate Smith

Horns was an interesting read, however I was initially thrown off by the blurb on the back, the phrasing of which made me imagine the story would be very different in terms of tone.  Once I had reconciled expectations and reality, I was able to settle in to enjoy a generally well written tale of a man’s journey to discover why he lost everything.

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FlashForward – Robert J Sawyer
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2009
320 pages
RRP: AU$19.99
ISBN: 978-057-509101-6

Reviewed by Kate Smith

FlashForward is the story of a science experiment that results in unexpected consequences and discusses the nature of time and whether the future can be altered.  Having never watched the TV series that appeared some time recently I cannot say whether it was accurate to the text, however I’m sure that it was faster moving than the novel.  FlashFoward was a very interesting read but was not exactly a page turner that keeps you up until three in the morning.  Having said that, not all novels need to be, and FlashForward asks you to think about the concepts it brings to mind rather than skimming through a straight forward plot.

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Chasing the Dragon – Justina Robson
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
400 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-057-508562-6

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

This is the fourth instalment in Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series. I enjoyed the first two, but missed #3, Going Under. When reading Chasing the Dragon, I noticed quite a few story arcs and characters that would be confusing to the new entrant to the series or if you missed one or more of the novels. If you enjoy a mix of SF and fantasy, cyberpunk mixed with magic and dragons, you’ll enjoy reading the whole series.

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The Spy Who Haunted Me – Simon Green
Hachette Gollancz, 2009
327 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-0-575-07947-2

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

As the title implies, The Spy Who Haunted Me has a definite James Bond flavour, but in a paranormal world. Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, is the hero of Simon Green’s Secret Histories series. The Spy Who Haunted Me is centred around a “Greatest Race” through the world and the otherworlds, where the final spy standing will win the retiring Independent Agent’s cache of secrets.

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan
Hachette Gollancz, 2009
308 pages
RRP: AU$29.95
ISBN: 978-0-575-09085-9

Reviewed by Sarah Parker

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a YA novel by Carrie Ryan detailing the events around a girl who dreams of what might exist beyond the forest of zombies. Known for not ever using the Z word, this novel is a fantastic telling of a solid, strong, zombie story. This is a stand alone book, and is gripping and satisfying. The pace is fast, easy reading, and I found myself completely absorbed in the world.

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Incandescence – Greg Egan
Hachette Livre Orion Gollancz, 2008
300 pages
RRP: AU$35
ISBN: 978-0-575-08163-5

Reviewed by Mark Cooper

The thing you have to remember when you’re dealing with Greg Egan is that this is hard science fiction. Any review of his work has to start from that point. The science and the ideas that spring from the science are the most important things in his books. If you don’t like that, you don’t like Greg Egan. If you want more than that, you won’t find it here.

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The Blood of Elves – Andrzej Sapkowski
Orion Gollancz, 2008
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-057-508318-9

Reviewed by Kate Smith

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed his previous book The Last Wish in so many ways, I was a little disappointed in The Blood of Elves. The story continues its focus on Geralt of Rivia but begins to show the larger scope of events in the world.

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Graceling- Kristin Cashore
Hachette Livre Orion Gollancz, 2008
431 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-0-575-08462-9

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Kristin Cashore’s Katsa is a Graced killer – she has a talent for it that was discovered at the age of eight when she killed her cousin with one hit when he threatened her safety. As a result, she became an official bully for her uncle, King Randa of the Middluns, a role she despises but cannot see any way out of. Then she meets Po, another Graced fighter from Liend whose friendship encourages Katsa to question her power.

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