The Siren’s Call: An archive of past reviews
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Duels and fantastical creatures await readers of ‘The Night Circus’ and ‘The Circus of Dr. Lao.’
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The lure of the sea in Bernd Brunner’s ‘The Ocean at Home’ and Andrea Di Robilant’s ‘Irresistible North.’
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‘Breaking Up With God’ by Sarah Sentilles; ‘Waiting’ by Marya Hornbacher.
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People ignore a bleak world by hiding in their memories in Dan Simmons’ novel ‘Flashback.’ Plus: Lama Surya Das wants us to make peace with time.
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Charles Freeman’s “Holy Bones, Holy Dust†is an insightful study of the religious rise of relics during the Middle Ages; plus a relic left behind by C.S. Lewis.
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New books on legendary creatures give us fresh glimpses of monsters real and imagined.
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In Richard Matheson’s ‘Other Kingdoms,’ a young man wanders into fairy mischief; a view of the sky that’s 200 years old.
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Magic powers in Deborah Harkness’ ‘A Discovery of Witches’ and ‘The Occultist’; if only we didn’t need sleep.
- 9
A ghost may (or may not) haunt Andrew Taylor’s ‘The Anatomy of Ghosts’; UFOs continue to hover in popular culture.
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An early Christian document, ‘Revelation of the Magi,’ provides unexpected insights into the Nativity story.
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The point of our lives, says Ram Dass’ ‘Be Love Now’ and Rumi’s ‘The Big Red Book,’ is to get into that flow of energy and stay there.
- 12
History of both species are linked, hand in paw.
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New, unexpected versions of the poet’s epic work are nothing short of heavenly.
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The literary tradition of detective duos continues in George Mann’s ‘The Osiris Ritual.’
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In Lawerence Goldstone’s ‘The Astronomer,’ a young student is enmeshed in a plot to silence a revolutionary thinker. Plus: William Eamon’s ‘The Professor of Secrets’ shows the plight of Renaissance-era doctors.
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Breaking fantasy from the genre ghetto: That’s one result of the splendid anthology ‘Stories: All-New Tales’ edited by Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio. Plus: ‘the Penguin Book of Ghost Stories’ edited by Michael Newton.
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In “The Boy with the Cuckoo-clock Heart,†a young man looks for love and stays alive thanks to a little wooden clock. Plus: “The Bradbury Report’s†unsettling vision of the near-future.
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New books consider our unending quest to slow down daily life. Plus: Timothy Leary and Huston Smith hold an unexpected dialogue.
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Plus: The reason why Clark Ashton Smith’s work is hard to find.
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Plus: New and forthcoming releases, Umberto Eco and an excellent clockwork blog.
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A talk with Michael Haag, author of ‘The Templars: The History and the Myth.’ Why did they disappear? Blame it on the king of France, Haag says.
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This entertaining biography takes the long view of Led Zeppelin.
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The mysteries of the ancient world are evoked in Alan Jacobs’ ‘When Jesus Lived in India’ and Janet Soskice’s ‘The Sisters of Sinai.’
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A new edition of ‘Frankenstein’ shows the contributions of her husband, Percy. Plus: In praise of Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’; why is the Bilderberg Group so secret?
- 26
They could be divine or neural -- John Geiger’s ‘The Third Man Factor’ and Rami Shapiro’s ‘The Angelic Way’ consider the possibilities.
- 27
How much evidence do you need? Is the truth out there? New books consider our tireless fascination with unsolved mysteries.
- 28
The creator of Elric, Jerry Cornelius and so much more reflects on his work, his career and what it was like to be a sci-fi writer in the Golden Days of the 1960s.
- 29
Owen Davies’ ‘Grimoires: A History of Magic Books’ and a new edition of ‘The Hammer of Witches.’
- 30
Before Conan, there was Kane, a Puritan swordsman on a restless search for justice.
- 31
People have always been fascinated with the occult, as Matt Baglio’s “The Rite†and Alec Ryrie’s “The Sorcerer’s Tale†demonstrate.
- 32
“The Man in the Picture†and “The Gable Window†present supernatural and cosmic treachery lurking in paintings and windows.
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Books by Kate Summerscale, the Steampunks, Christopher Priest and more
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In ‘Finding Merlin: The Truth Behind the Legend of the Great Arthurian Mage,’ Adam Ardrey condemns long-ago chroniclers for their motives but is like a sleuth in tracking ancient details.
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Spoiler alert: Plot surprises in Christopher Priest’s novel “Inverted World†are discussed in the following column.
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In ‘Steampunk,’ an anthology edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, there are unavoidable echoes of Classical myth.
- 37
There’s a Minotaur at the center of “The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher,†an intriguing account of a murder in mid-19th century England.
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The inclusion of unorthodox symbolism in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling
- 39
In Lauren Groff’s “The Monsters of Templeton,†there’s a creature in the lake, a ghost and a family secret hidden through the ages.
ALSO: Kevin Brockmeier’s “The View from the Seventh Layer†- 40
There’s a golem at the center of Jonathan Barnes’ novel “The Somnambulist.â€
Plus: Books on theories of the afterlife and the Nazi occult. - 41
The quest for an ancient manuscript of animals, real and fantastic.
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Contemplating the angel in us all.
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Darkmans A Novel Nicola Barker Harper Perennial: 838 pp., $16.95 paper ONE reason why Nicola Barker’s novel “Darkmans†made the Man Booker short list this year but didn’t win was that it isn’t reader-friendly enough.
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A busy year for Tolkien fans.
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Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there.
