Battle of the 2015 Books, Bracket One :: Wrap-Up

We have completed Bracket One of the Fantastic Reviews Battle of the 2015 Books.  There were plenty of good book battles along the way.  Hope you enjoyed our reviews of samplings of these books!

Congratulations to The Just City by Jo Walton, winner of this Battle of the Books bracket!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole completed bracket, click here.

Listed below are the sixteen books which were featured in this bracket, sorted alphabetically by author.  Click on the book title links to go that book's highest round book battle review.

Letters to Zell by Camille Griep
Infinity Lost by S. Harrison
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Firesoul by Gary Kloster
Blood Will Follow by Snorri Kristjansson
Human Monsters by Gregory Lamberson
Oathkeeper by J. F. Lewis
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
Fortune’s Blight by Evie Manieri
Hexed by Michael Alan Nelson
Originator by Joel Shepherd
Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz
Towers Fall by Karina Sumner-Smith
Forge of Ashes by Josh Vogt
The Just City by Jo Walton
The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest.  Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books and authors.  Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book, most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages.  So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle.  These matches are inherently subjective.  These battles were decided based on which book the reviewer, who was Aaron for this bracket, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket One of the Battle of the 2016 Books.  Another sixteen books are lined up for this competition.  Aaron will be the reviewer judging this bracket.  We'll be announcing the books which will be featured as our next group of contenders soon!

Battle of the 2013 Books, Bracket One :: Wrap-Up

We have completed Fantastic Reviews Bracket One of the Battle of the 2013 Books.  There were plenty of good book battles along the way.  Hope you enjoyed our reviews of samplings of these books!

Congratulations to The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord, winner of this Battle of the Books bracket!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole completed bracket, click here.

Listed below are the sixteen books which were featured in this bracket, sorted alphabetically by author.  Click on the book title links to go that book's highest round book battle review.

The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Shades of Nyx by A. R. Cook
Trinity Rising by Elspeth Cooper
Mage's Blood by David Hair
Electricity & Other Dreams by Micah Dean Hicks
The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi by Mark Hodder
The Cusanus Game by Wolfgang Jeschke
Mist by Susan Krinard
The God Tattoo by Tom Lloyd
Never by K. D. McEntire
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
The Returned by Jason Mott
The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick
23 Years on Fire by Joel Shepherd
Fiend by Peter Stenson
Shadow People by James Swain
Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Jackie's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest.  Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books and authors.  Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book.  Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages.  So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle.  These matches are inherently subjective.  These battles were decided based on which book the reviewer, that was Jackie for this bracket, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket One of the Battle of the 2015 Books.  Another sixteen books are lined up for this competition.  Aaron will be the reviewer judging this bracket.  We'll be announcing the books which will be featured as our next group of contenders soon!

Battle of the 2012 Books, Bracket Eight :: Wrap-Up

We have completed Fantastic Reviews Bracket Eight of the Battle of the 2012 Books.  There were plenty of good book battles along the way.  Hope you enjoyed our reviews of samplings of these books!

Congratulations to Osama by Lavie Tidhar, winner of this Battle of the Books bracket!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole completed bracket, click here.

Listed below are the sixteen books which were featured in this bracket, sorted alphabetically by author.  Click on the book title links to go that book's highest round book battle review.

Dead Religion by David Beers
The Diviners by Libba Bray
The Steam Mole by Dave Freer
Untimed by Andy Gavin
Destiny's Flower by Linda Harley
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
A Red Sun Also Rises by Mark Hodder
Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye
Sharkways by A. J. Kirby
Beyond Here Lies Nothing by Gary McMahon
Blood and Feathers by Lou Morgan
Bad Apple by Kristi Petersen Schoonover
Grim by Joseph Spencer
A Pretty Mouth by Molly Tanzer
Osama by Lavie Tidhar
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest.  Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books and authors.  Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book.  Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages.  So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle.  These matches are inherently subjective.  These battles were decided based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket One of the Battle of the 2013 Books.  Another sixteen books are lined up for this competition.  These are books we received earlier, but hadn't had the time to review yet because of real life getting in our way.  We're valiantly working to whittle down our backlog of books.  Jackie, a new Battle of the Books reviewer, will be judging this bracket.  We'll be announcing the books which will be featured as our next group of contenders soon.

Battle of the 2014 Books, Bracket One :: Wrap-up

We have completed Fantastic Reviews Bracket One of the Battle of the 2014 Books.  There were plenty of good book battles along the way.  Hope you enjoyed our reviews of samplings of these books!

Congratulations to The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, book one of Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, as winner of Bracket One of the Battle of the 2014 Books!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole completed bracket, click here.

All sixteen of these 2014 books are now available.  Listed below are the featured books, sorted alphabetically by author.  Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci
Raven’s Shadow by Elspeth Cooper
Into the Wilderness by Mandy Hager
Mentats of Dune by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson
Motherless Child by Glen Hirshberg
Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson
Damn Zombies by Patrick MacAdoo
The Last Weekend by Nick Mamatas
Empress of the Sun by Ian McDonald
The Talent Sinistral by L.F. Patten
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
The Barrow by Mark Smylie
The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton
The Dagger of Trust by Chris Willrich

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest.  Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books and authors.  Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book.  Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages.  So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle.  These matches are inherently subjective.  These battles were decided based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket Eight of the Battle of the 2012 Books.  Another sixteen books are lined up for this competition.  These are books we received earlier, but hadn't had the time to review yet because of real life getting in our way.  We're valiantly working to whittle down our backlog of books.  Aaron will be judging and reviewing this new bracket.  We'll be announcing the books which will be featured as our next group of contenders soon.

Battle of the Books, Bracket Seven :: Wrap-up

We have completed Bracket Seven of the Fantastic Reviews Battle of the Books. There were good matches along the way, involving a number of books worth reading. Hope you had a good time and heard about about some new books and authors!

Congratulations to The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross, winner of Bracket Seven of the Battle of the Books!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

All sixteen of these books are now available. Listed below are the featured books, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

Beautiful Monster by Jared S. Anderson & Mimi A. Williams
Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson
Wolf Hunter by J.L. Benét
The Demoness of Waking Dreams by Stephanie Chong
Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney
Red Sand by Ronan Cray
The Hour of Lead by Kathleen De Grave w/ Earl Lee
Blood Zero Sky by J. Gabriel Gates
The Rise of Ransom City by Felix Gilman
River Road by Suzanne Johnson
Quantum Coin by E. C. Myers
The Path of the Fallen by Dan O’Brien
The Doctor and the Rough Rider by Mike Resnick
Apollo's Outcasts by Allen Steele
The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross
Free Radicals by Zeke Teflon

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading my (Amy's) book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest. Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books. Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book. Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages. So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle. These matches are inherently subjective. Battles were decided based on which book the reviewer, which for this bracket was me, Amy, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket One of Battle of the 2014 Books. We have another sixteen books lined up for the next competition.  Aaron will be judging and reviewing our first bracket of 2014 books. We'll be announcing the books which will be featured contenders soon.

Battle of the Books, Bracket Six :: Wrap-up

We have completed Bracket Six of the Fantastic Reviews Battle of the Books. There were good matches along the way, involving a number of  books worth reading. Hope you had a good time and heard about about some new books and authors!

Congratulations to Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck), winner of Bracket Six of the Battle of the Books!  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

All sixteen of these books are now available. Listed below are the featured books, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

Earth Unaware by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston (Tor)
Pazuzu's Girl by Rachel Coles (JournalStone)
Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)
Besieged by Rowena Cory Daniells (Solaris)
Vampire Empire: The Kingmakers by Clay and Susan Griffith (Pyr)
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (Tachyon)
Technomancer by B.V. Larson (47North)
Blood of the City by Robin D. Laws (Paizo)
London Eye by Tim Lebbon (Pyr)
False Covenant by Ari Marmell (Pyr)
Be My Enemy by Ian McDonald (Pyr)
No Peace for the Damned by Megan Powell (47North)
The Snow by Ross S. Simon (Damnation)
The 13th Zookeeper by Bernd Struben (Strider Nolan)
The Skybound Sea by Sam Sykes (Pyr)
WorldSoul by Liz Williams (Prime)

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest. Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books. Only one book can win each battle, and only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book. Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages. So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle. These matches are inherently subjective. Battles are decided based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket Seven of Battle of the Books. We have another sixteen books lined up for the next competition.  Aaron is taking a break from Battle of the Books.  I, Amy, will be judging and reviewing Bracket Seven. We'll be announcing the new group of contenders soon.

Battle of the Books, Bracket Five :: Wrap-up

We have just concluded Bracket Five of the Fantastic Reviews Battle of the Books. There were good, competitive matches along the way, perhaps even some upsets. Hope you had a good time!

Congratulations to Keith Brooke's Harmony (aka alt.human), winner of Bracket Five of the Battle of the Books! Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

All sixteen of these books are now available. Listed below are the featured books, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

The Croning by Laird Barron (Night Shade)
Paradox Resolution by K.A. Bedford (Edge)
This Case Is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa Bornikova (Tor)
Harmony by Keith Brooke (Solaris)
The Devil's Nebula by Eric Brown (Abaddon)
Kangazang! Star Stuff by Terry Cooper (Candy Jar)
Wildcatter by Dave Duncan (Edge)
A Guile of Dragons by James Enge (Pyr)
Ghost Key by Trish J. MacGregor (Tor)
The Express Diaries by Nick Marsh (Innsmouth House)
Nightglass by Liane Merciel (Paizo)
Railsea by China Miéville (Del Rey)
Fated by Alyson Noël (St. Martin’s)
City of the Fallen Sky by Tim Pratt (Paizo)
The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers (HarperCollins)
Deadfall Hotel by Steve Rasnic Tem (Solaris)

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest. Perhaps we introduced you to a few new books. Only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book. Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages. So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle. These matches are inherently subjective. Battles are decided based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for Bracket Six of Battle of the Books. We have another sixteen books lined up for the next competetion. Aaron will be reviewing. We'll be announcing the new group of contenders soon.

Battle of the Books, Fall 2012 :: Wrap-up

This concludes the belated Fantastic Reviews Fall 2012 Battle of the Books. Aaron posted the book battles in this bracket swiftly, helping us to get back on schedule. Hope you enjoyed it!

Congratulations to The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi, winner of the Fall 2012 bracket of Battle of the Books!  There were some fierce battles along the way.  Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

All sixteen of these books are now available. Listed below are the featured books, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi (Little Brown)
Losers in Space by John Barnes (Viking)
Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian C. Esslemont (Tor)
Cuttlefish by Dave Freer (Pyr)
Lance of Earth and Sky by Erin Hoffman (Pyr)
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson (Tor)
Zombie Bake-Off by Stephen Graham Jones (Lazy Fascist)
Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
Finding Poe by Leigh M. Lane (Cerebral)
Song of the Serpent by Hugh Matthews (Paizo)
Alexander Wisbal and the Hall of Heroes by Isaac A. McBeth (Tate)
Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Further: Beyond the Threshold by Chris Roberson (47North)
Bloodthirst in Babylon by David Searls (Samhain)
Dark Magic by James Swain (Tor)
Auraria by Tim Westover (QW)

Some of these books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's book descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of them sparked your interest. Only one book can win the bracket, but there were many good books in the competition.

Battle of the Books match-ups are decided based on reading a sample of the book. Most upon reading a mere 25 pages or 50 pages. So if a good book starts slow, in this review format, it may face an uphill battle. These matches are inherently subjective. Battles are decided based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for the next bracket of Battle of the Books. Another sixteen books are lined up waiting for their chance in the ring. Aaron will be reviewing. We'll be announcing the new group of contenders on Monday.

Battle of the Books, Summer 2012 :: Wrap-up

This concludes the Fantastic Reviews Summer 2012 Battle of the Books.  It took looker than expected to judge, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Congratulations to The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis, winner of our Summer Bracket of the 2012 Battle of the Books! Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

All these books are now available. Listed below are all the books in the Summer 2012 bracket, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle review.

Casting Shadows by J. Kelley Anderson (World Castle)
The Ultimate Game by Sean Austin (AAA Reality Games)
Pure by Julianna Baggott (Grand Central)
Hunter and Fox by Philippa Ballantine (Pyr)
Destroyer of Worlds by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr)
Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper (Tor)
Silver by Rhiannon Held (Tor)
Taft 2012 by Jason Heller (Quirk)
The Games by Ted Kosmatka (Del Rey)
Faith by John Love (Night Shade)
Age of Aztec by James Lovegrove (Solaris)
The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen (Henry Holt)
Fair Coin by E.C. Myers (Pyr)
The Mongoliad: Book One by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear &  five others (47North)
The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis (Tor)
My Vacation in Hell by Gene Twaronite (self-published)

Sixteen (16) new books were featured in this Battle of the Books bracket.  These books and authors may be new to you, but after reading my descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of these books sparked your interest.

Book battles were decided on reading a sample of the book, many based on reading only 25 pages or 50 pages. So, given this format, if a book starts slow, it may have an uphill battle. And, of course, each judgment was entirely subjective, based on which book the reviewer (for this bracket me, Amy) would rather continue reading.

Stay tuned for the delayed, but not forgotten, Fall 2012 Battle of the Books.  To see the already announced contenders in this new bracket, click here.  I, Amy, will continue formatting the book cover graphics and updating the bracket webpage.  Aaron will be taking back over as your reviewer for Battle of the Books.  Aaron says to look for the first result in the Fall Battle of the Books this Sunday, with new results going up every other day as long as he can keep it up.

Battle of the Books, Spring 2012 :: Wrap-up

This concludes the Fantastic Reviews Spring 2012 Battle of the Books. Hope you enjoyed it!

Congratulations to The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner, winner of our Spring Bracket of the 2012 Battle of the Books! Let's give a round of applause for all the participating books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

Sixteen (16) new books were featured. These books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's descriptions and battle reviews, I hope some of these books sparked your interest. There were a wide variety of books. I know that I, Amy, saw books that I'd like to read.

Book battles were decided on reading a sample of the book, many based on reading only 25 pages or 50 pages. So, given this format, if a book starts slow, it may have an uphill battle. And, of course, each judgment was subjective, based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, decided he'd rather continue reading.

All these books are now available. Listed below are all the books in the Spring 2012 bracket, sorted alphabetically by author. Click on the book title links to go that book's most recent book battle.

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)
The Faceless by Simon Bestwick (Solaris)
The Burning Man by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr)
Tempest by Julie Cross (Macmillan audio)
Hell Train by Christopher Fowler (Solaris)
Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt (Sand Dollar)
The Stolen Bride by Tony Hays (Tor/Forge)
Forbidden by Syrie & Ryan M. James (Harper Teen)
The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod (Pyr)
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus (Alfred A. Knopf)
Greatshadow by James Maxey (Solaris)
Blood Ocean by Weston Ochse (Abaddon)
The Demi-Monde: Winter by Rod Rees (William Morrow)
The Man from Primrose Lane by James Renner (Farrar Straus & Giroux)
Shadow's Master by Jon Sprunk (Pyr)
Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck by Eric G. Wilson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

This week we'll be announcing the bracket for the Summer 2012 Battle of the Books which I, Amy, will be judging, giving Aaron a little break. I'll be deciding book battles based on which books I most want to continue reading. The books I select as battle winners may or may not be what Aaron would have chosen. Stay tuned!

Battle of the Books, Winter 2012 :: Wrap-up

This concludes the Fantastic Reviews Winter 2012 Battle of the Books. Hope you enjoyed it!

Congratulations go out to Elizabeth Bear for Range of Ghosts, winner of our inaugural bracket of the 2012 Battle of the Books!

To see the whole bracket, click here.

Sixteen (16) new books were featured. These books and authors may be new to you, but after reading Aaron's descriptions and reviews, I hope some sparked your interest. I know that I, Amy, saw books that I was interested in reading.

Battles were decided on reading a sample of the book, many based on reading 25 pages or 50 pages. So if a book starts slow, it may have an uphill battle. And, of course, each judgment was subjective, based on which book the reviewer, Aaron, decided he'd rather continue reading.

Not all of the books are out now. So don't worry if you don't see them yet in your local book store. Here's a list of the books, alphabetically by author, with their publication dates.


Cat Adams, The Isis Collar (Tor) -- March 13, 2012
Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts (Tor) -- March 27, 2012
Orson Scott Card, Shadows in Flight (Tor) -- January 17, 2012
Thomas K. Carpenter, Gamers (Black Moon) -- June 2011
Mark Chadbourn, Jack of Ravens (Pyr) -- March 27, 2012
David Constantine, The Pillars of Hercules (Night Shade) -- March 6, 2012
Charles de Lint, Eyes Like Leaves (Tachyon) -- February 2012
Sergey & Marina Dyachenko, The Scar (Tor) -- February 28, 2012
Andy Gavin, The Darkening Dream (Mascherato) -- January 14, 2012
Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, Sisterhood of Dune (Tor) -- January 3, 2012
Mark Hodder, Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon (Pyr) -- January 24, 2012
Stina Leicht, And Blue Skies from Pain (Night Shade) -- March 6, 2012
Nathan Long, Jane Carver of Waar (Night Shade) -- March 6, 2012
J.M. McDermott, When We Were Executioners (Night Shade) -- January 31, 2012
Ari Marmell, Thief's Covenant (Pyr) -- Febuary 14, 2012
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Boneyards (Pyr) -- January 24, 2012


Next week we'll be announcing the bracket for the Spring 2012 Battle of the Books.