Articles by Samantha Nelson | | The A.V. Club

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Book Review Brandon Sanderson: The Rithmatist

Established genre tropes weaken an interesting premise in Sanderson’s first foray into YA.

May 20, 2013 | 12:00am -
The Gameological Society A new Star Trek video game embraces the worst tendencies of J.J. Abrams

It's an empty vessel, captain.

May 5, 2013 | 11:59pm -
Book Review Ryan McIlvain: Elders

This novel about young Mormon “elders” isn’t as fun as Book Of Mormon, but it has plenty to say about the church.

April 29, 2013 | 12:01am -
Book Review Melanie Warner: Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over The American Meal

An experiment to see how quickly processed foods decay becomes an eye-opening book about the things we eat that aren’t really food anymore.

April 8, 2013 | 12:00am -
Book Review Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman: Top Dog: The Science Of Winning And Losing

A new pop-science book from the authors of NurtureShock explores studies that define how people compete and succeed or fail.

March 4, 2013 | 12:01am -
Book Review R.S. Belcher: The Six-Gun Tarot

This debut Western fantasy reads like the comfortable finale of a colorful TV series.

February 18, 2013 | 12:01am -
Book Review Juliann Garey: Too Bright To Hear Too Loud To See

The hot mental illness of the hour receives an internal examination in this sometimes harrowing debut novel.

January 28, 2013 | 12:00am -
Book Review Marjorie Celona: Y

This subtly characterized debut novel turns villains into the heroes of their own story, as a young abandoned girl explores her identity.

January 21, 2013 | 12:00am -
Book Review Brandon Sanderson: The Emperor’s Soul

The author of Elantris, Warbreaker, and the post-Robert Jordan Wheel Of Time series takes a break for a slight but satisfying story.

November 26, 2012 | 12:00am -
The Gameological Society World Of Warcraft preaches to the converted, with kung fu panda monks

World Of Warcraft: Mists Of Pandaria is a shot in the arm for dedicated fans.

October 21, 2012 | 11:59pm -
Book Review Felix J. Palma: The Map Of The Sky

A Spanish author’s follow-up to a tremendously winning historical-fantasy bestseller again returns to H.G. Wells, but without hitting the same highs.

October 15, 2012 | 12:02am -
Book Review Vaddey Ratner: In The Shadow Of The Banyan

A Cambodian-born woman draws her debut novel out of her own shocking childhood experiences with the Khmer Rouge.

October 1, 2012 | 12:00am -
Book Review Rachel Joyce: The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry

A walking trip across England creates many connections for an isolated man in this quixotic novel.

August 20, 2012 | 12:02am -
Book Review Christian Kiefer: The Infinite Tides

The marooned-on-Earth astronaut at the heart of this draggy debut never seems to find a purpose.

August 6, 2012 | 12:00am -
Book Review Carol Rifka Brunt: Tell The Wolves I’m Home

In this sterling, emotional debut, a teenage girl comes of age by bonding with her uncle’s gay lover.

July 16, 2012 | 12:01am -
Book Review Harriet Lane: Alys, Always

This debut novel about a scheming, manipulative mastermind comes from a faulty premise.

July 9, 2012 | 12:01am -
Book Review Anouk Markovits: I Am Forbidden

A debut novel about two women growing up in an insular religious community gives one of them short shrift, which weakens the story’s balance.

June 18, 2012 | 12:00am -
The Gameological Society You know I’m gonna be like you, Dad: 18 delinquent fathers in videogames

On the eve of Father's Day, we pay tribute to gaming's daddy issues.

June 14, 2012 | 9:30am -
Book Review Jennifer Miller: The Year Of The Gadfly

This debut novel follows some of the familiar patterns of young-adult books, but takes a more adult attitude, right down to its thoughts on becoming a grown-up.

June 4, 2012 | 12:01am -
The Gameological Society This month’s Best Of Sawbuck Gamer has 12 free or cheap games you can play right now

Selections from our daily reviews of bargain-bin games.

June 1, 2012 | 9:30am -
Book Review Brandon W. Jones: All Woman And Springtime

This debut novel follows two North Korean women through self-discovery and sex slavery, fending off exploitation with strong characterization.

May 14, 2012 | 12:00am -
The Gameological Society Moms play games, too—most of them do, anyway

The Gameological moms tell us what they’ve been playing.

May 11, 2012 | 9:30am -
Book Review Regina O’Melveny: The Book Of Madness And Cures

An ambitious debut chases a woman chasing her father across Renaissance Europe, but never catches up long enough to determine its own intentions.

May 7, 2012 | 12:01am -
The Gameological Society In a blaze of glory: 14 games that reward creative self-destruction

Studies in video game slapstick.

April 24, 2012 | 9:30am -
Book Review Elizabeth Bear: Range Of Ghosts

A trilogy launch from an award-winning fantasy veteran spends a lot of time on setup and moral clarity.

April 23, 2012 | 12:01am -
Book Review Rachel Maddow: Drift

War is hell, but it’s a hell we’ve learned to live with. For America, perpetual conflict has become the status quo.

April 9, 2012 | 12:01am -
The Gameological Society First-person shooters: 21 games that cast players as photographers

The framing of gaming.

April 3, 2012 | 9:30am -
Book Review Jessica Maria Tuccelli: Glow

A winning debut starts in 1941 and heads backward from there.

March 28, 2012 | 12:03pm -
Book Review Toby Lester: Da Vinci’s Ghost

A contributing Atlantic editor followed the 1,500-year trail between a Roman architect and Leonardo da Vinci, and wrote this book about both of them.

March 7, 2012 | 12:01pm -
Game Review Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

Remember part one? Get ready for déjà vu.

March 5, 2012 | 12:00am -

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