tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137616352011-05-26T03:51:05.332-07:00A random collection of new and previously published reviews that I've written over the years. The main goal is to share information about books and stories that I've enjoyed.Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.comBlogger101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1120593313637051322005-01-31T23:59:00.000-08:002006-04-23T12:45:54.616-07:00

Review - Listed by Title - AuthorBeholder's Eye - By Julie E. CzernedaBlood Crazy - By Simon ClarkDear Zoe - By Philip Beard In the Dark - By Richard LaymonIntensity - By Dean KoontzNight Screams - By Ed Gorman, Martin GreenbergOutcrops - By Laurence StevenPacking Fraction - By Julie E. CzernedaSandman - By Sean Costello

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1130864406229142152005-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:002005-12-09T11:14:09.050-08:00

Originally published in The Hamilton Spectator - 1999If you ask Julie Czerneda what she does for a living, she tells you with a huge grin that she plays with aliens. The Canadian science-fiction author creates and toys with species, worlds and entire universes, armed only with pen, paper and an extensive background in animal behaviour and biology.Her second novel, Beholder's Eye, takes us into

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1121884608068364012005-01-28T11:32:00.000-08:002005-07-20T11:38:17.023-07:00

Originally appeared in Crossroads Vol 5. No 15 (June 1996)What if, one morning you woke not to the gentle voice of your mother calling you to breakfast, but instead to the savage screams of your parents as they attempted to tear you to pieces with their bare hands?This is the basic premise for Blood Crazy.One Sunday morning, Nick Aten discovers that every adult in the world is driven to kill the

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1119873282639665432005-01-27T04:45:00.000-08:002005-06-28T18:44:36.626-07:00

Previously unpublishedMy neighbor died on September 11, 2001. No, he didn’t die in one of the planes that crashed, nor in one of the twin towers that came down that day. Mr. Johnson, who was a dear, dear soul, finally lost his long brave struggle with cancer the same day that thousands of others lost their lives on a day that became known for its date.In the shock-filled days that followed, as I

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1120009323590109582005-01-23T18:35:00.000-08:002005-06-28T18:43:54.840-07:00

Originally published in Crossroads #12 (June 1995)What's the least amount of money you'd accept to spend the night in a used coffin in an abandoned house on the edge of a graveyard?Laymon's latest thriller starts off when Jane Kerry, a librarian, receives an envelope containing a fifty dollar bill and a clue. The clue leads her to a second envelope with one hundred dollars and a clue which will

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1121885004320704222005-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:002005-07-20T11:50:26.560-07:00

Originally published in Crossroads Vol 5 No 15 (June 1996)Intensity pits Chyna Shepherd, a student studying psychology, against a man who is anything but a psychology textbook killer. Edgler Foreman Vess enjoys making words from the letters of his name, such as "God fears me." Vess gets off experiencing everything that life has to offer -- to the extremes. There is no such thing as a bad

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1121885338743256462005-01-23T11:38:00.000-08:002006-04-23T12:41:22.870-07:00

Originally published in Crossroads Vol 5 No 15 (June 1996)Althought this anthology does contain a few reprinted stories, there are many new titles from some of the very best twisted minds in the field of horror fiction.Highlights include F. Paul Wilson's "The Wringer" which is a compelling story of exactly how far a man will bend his morals to get his kidnapped family back. Al Sarrantino serves

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1145820262388277072005-01-23T09:10:00.000-08:002006-04-23T12:39:51.380-07:00

Previously unpublishedOutcrops: Northeastern Ontario Short StoriesEdited by Laurence StevenYour Scrivener PressISBN: 189635016X$22.00 CanadianThe very presence of the anthology Outcrops suggests that there is a distinctive voice within fiction, that when considering fiction which is from Canada or even Ontario, you can parse it out more specifically to the region of Northeastern Ontario.Although

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1134146978826822992005-01-22T08:46:00.000-08:002005-12-09T11:12:52.246-08:00

Originally appeared in Professionally Speaking, December 1999No Limits: Developing Scientific Literacy Using Science FictionBy Julie E. Czerneda Packing Fraction & Other Tales of Science & ImaginationEdited by Julie E. CzernedaAuthor Jeffrey Carver says that one of science fiction’s greatest strengths is "the ability to spark creativity and awareness in the minds and hearts of young readers."

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13761635.post-1121885612786390392005-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:002005-07-20T13:00:17.926-07:00

Originally published in Northern Life May 25, 2005For most thrillers, there’s an unwritten contract between the writer and the reader. The way it almost always goes is the good guys, while faced with difficult and tension-creating challenges, are going to win in the end. It’s like a rollercoaster ride. Scary, but safe.With Dr. Sean Costello’s latest novel, that contract simply doesn’t exist. For

Mark Leslienoreply@blogger.com0