I’ve spent the first five weeks of 2026 engrossed in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the Long Sun Quartet. The saga of the Long Sun began with Nightside the Long Sun, progressed through The Lake of the Long Sun and Calde of the Long Sun, and reached its culmination in Exodus...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 184: Calde of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Jan 29, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Is giving yourself up as a sacrifice the right thing to do in order to bring peace? What boundaries are crossed when religion turns political and politics becomes religious? Those two questions came to mind after I finished Calde of the Long Sun, the third book in the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 182: Nightside the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
by MHill | Jan 10, 2026 | Book Reviews, Gene Wolfe, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Gene Wolfe has become an author who has grown on me throughout my reading life. I’ve praised his work on my blog for years, considering him among the best American fiction writers after WWII. Even though the science-fiction and fantasy literary community lauds him,...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 162: Widdershins by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Feb 9, 2025 | 2025 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Fiction about Artists, Magical Realism, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
True love, when it is meant to be, will always unite two people, no matter how long the journey. Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell, two beloved characters from Charles de Lint’s Newford contemporary fantasy series, are the focus of this story. Their story is...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 144: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
by MHill | Jun 5, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Washing windows was great thinking work. That is one of the great mistakes people make: assuming that someone who does menial work does not like thinking. Physical labor is great for the mind, as it leaves all kinds of time to consider the world. Other work, like...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 140: The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Apr 28, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
A significant sign that you are truly invested in a book is when you prioritize reading amidst your busy work week and other commitments, consistently devouring 10 pages here, 15 pages there, and 20-30 pages whenever you can. A novel that entices and captivates your...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 133: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
by MHill | Dec 26, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
"When I six years old, my favorite book was The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. I remember reading that book over and over again, examining each illustration and convincing myself that it was all real. And even though I never saw myself in that story, I...
Wisdom From Kammbia Review 129: Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint
by MHill | Sep 24, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Newford, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
In all my years reading (and writing), if someone asked me who is your favorite novelist, what would I write? I have to write that it is Charles de Lint. Over the past three decades, I have kept de Lint novels on my shelf more than any other author. Two of my...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 116: Someplace To Be Flying by Charles De Lint
by MHill | Nov 11, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Charles De Lint, Newford, Wisdom of Kammbia Story Review
That's an interesting cover. What is this book about? I have gotten that comment several times while reading Charles de Lint's Someplace to Be Flying recently. It is a reminder of the importance of book covers. The artist, John Jude Palencar, has produced some of...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 109: All The Seas Of The World by Guy Gavriel Kay
by MHill | Jun 15, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Guy Gavriel Kay, Wisdom From Kammbia Column
Guy Gavriel Kay has joined my short list of favorite authors, that includes Jorge Amado, Octavia Butler, Jonathan Carroll, Charles de Lint, Haruki Murakami, & Robert Silverberg. I have read quite a bit of each author's oeuvre and this my sixth Kay novel so far....