4/6/06 Reviews continue to
come in.
Terrific reviews of The Awakened
City from Cheryl Morgan's Emerald City, Science Fiction Weekly,
and Barnes & Noble Explorations,
as
well as a more equivocal one from Roland Green of Booklist. Another interview.
SciFi Wire interviewed
me about The Awakened City. Added my review
of Michael Blumlein's The Healer
to the Book Reviews page. Blumlein, who is himself a doctor,
has created a haunting metaphor of healing in this literary fantasy
novel about members of a despised race who are able to effect
miraculous cures. Though flawed by a
too-hasty ending, this surreal, episodic novel is memorable for its
powerful
images and themes. Recommended. Added my review
of Charles Coleman Finlay's The Prodigal
Troll
to the Book Reviews page. This hommage to Tarzan of
the Apes (one of my all-time favorite novels as a child) is also a
highly original novel--a coming-of-age story of a boy who is raised by
trolls, and later must find his way in the world of men. It's both
entertaining and thought-provoking, its dark themes enlivened
by sly humor. And the world building is a standout. Highly recommended. Added my review
of Greg Keyes's The Charnel Prince
to the Book Reviews page. This second installment of The
Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone quadralogy isn't quite as thrilling as
its predecessor. Some of the action is repetitive, and too much space
is given to an uncompelling new viewpoint character. Still, it's a
solid read--and the world that Keyes has built to house his story,
replete with
diverse cultures, complex legends, and dark magics, is one of the more
memorable creations of recent fantasy. Recommended. Added my review
of Holly Phillips's In the Palace of
Repose
to the Book Reviews page. In this gathering of nine slipstream
stories from independent publisher Prime Books, Phillips envisions the
“real” world as a thin veneer over a much darker and stranger reality,
and magic as a wild natural power that, like other natural powers, is
fundamentally beyond human control. Fluidly written
and evocatively imagined, this is an impressive collection from a
writer to watch. Highly recommended. Added my review
of Deborah J. Miller's Swarmthief's
Dance
to the Book Reviews page. The elements of an enjoyable fantasy
adventure are here--warring gods, powerful magics, exotic locations,
dangerous quests, a large and varied cast of human and non-human
players--but this book is so badly executed that it doesn't matter.
Cardboard characters, illogical relationships, contrived plot twists,
inconsistent world building, a chopped-up narrative style--in other
words, an incoherent mess. Not recommended.2/11/06 Reviews are coming in!
Publishers Weekly has given a lovely review to The Awakened
City. I'm honored this year
to be serving as a judge for the 2005 World Fantasy Awards.
This will involve a huge amount of reading over the next few
months, as award categories include not just novels, but short fiction,
collections, anthologies, and a life achievement award. I'm getting
boxes from publishers nearly every day, and the piles of books on the
floor of my office are starting to look threatening. Added my review
of Lyda Morehouse's Apocalypse Array
to the Book Reviews page. Lyda Morehouse turns in the fourth
entry in her popular series about God, angels, VR, and AIs. Like the
other books in this series, it's an unusual synthesis of elements: part
cyberpunk, part satire, part serious exploration of religious themes.
It's also extremely entertaining, with snappy dialogue, a fast-paced
plot that serves up some nice surprises, and well-drawn characters. It
doesn't stand alone, however; new readers are advised to begin with
Book 1. Recommended. Added my review
of Peter Watts's two-volume βehemoth
to the Book Reviews page. Watt's conclusion to his Rifters
series (written as a single novel but split by the publisher into two
volumes, β-Max and Seppuku)
combines the tropes of the cautionary SF dystopian novel (a la John
Brunner's The Sheep Look Up) with a complex examination of
scientific hubris and moral responsibility. Cutting-edge scientific
speculation, suspenseful action sequences, and memorable characters
propel the story, but the novel's heart is its exploration of the
nature of moral responsibility in a world where guilt and conscience
are the product of altered brain chemistry. Highly recommended. Added my reviews
of Christie Golden's On Fire's Wings
and In Stone's Clasp
to the Book Reviews page. Five Dancers guard the world: one
for each of the elements, and a fifth for the realm of spirit. It's
their task to guard the world against the Shadow, a fearsome force of
destruction that threatenes to annihilate the world. In each volume of
this series, a new Dancer is discovered and must overcome trials to
understand his or her power and destiny. Vivid world building,
well-drawn characters, powerful magics, and unexpected plot turns
combine with elements of romance in an engaging new series. Recommended
for fans of romantic fantasy. Added my review
of Jude Fisher's The Rose of the World
to the Book Reviews page. With the enormous cast of characters
and plethora of plot threads established in the previous volumes,
Fisher has a lot of ground to cover in this final installment of the Fool's
Gold trilogy. The complicated narrative that results is a bit
dizzying at times, but as before, it's a tremendously entertaining
saga, with many exciting action sequences, vividly earthy settings,
strong characterizations, and a nicely cynical edge. Recommended for
fans of epic fantasy. 12/18/05 I'm blogging!
Ann Crispin (the other half of
Writer Beware) and I have started a blog. It's mostly about
Writer Beware (literary scams and schemes--we've already posted
some juicy scam stories), but also about writing, the business of
publishing, and, occasionally, us. The ARCs have arrived.
A nice stack of ARCs for The Awakened
City
is sitting on
my desk. Once again, Eos has bound them in color covers, so they look
very handsome. If you're a reviewer and would like one for review, let me know. Added my review
of Paul McAuley's White Devils
to the Book Reviews page. Both a pulse-pounding thriller and a
compelling science fictional examination of an all-too-plausible
possible near future, McAuley's novel is a pitch-black portrait of the
worst of human excess, set in a ravaged Africa where plagues both
natural and bio-engineered have all but destroyed the land, and
eco-friendly mega-corporations are the new colonial powers. This is a
terrific book, seamlessly joining exciting adventure to fascinating
scientific speculation and thought-provoking themes. Highly
recommended. Added my review
of Nick Sagan's Edenborn
to the Book Reviews page. An admirably self-contained sequel to
Idlewild, this novel follows a group of
genetically engineeered men and women, the sole survivors of a
plague that has wiped out everyone else on earth, as they struggle to
remake humanity and find a cure. Sagan avoids the trap of the typical
postapocalyptic SF epic by focusing on character rather than on
Matrix-style adventure, telling his tale by means of a series of highly
subjective first-person accounts whose unreliability only slowly
becomes clear. This is haunting, elegant SF. Recommended. 10/10/05 The Awakened
City now has its own page, with
Mark
Harrison's fabulous cover art, a plot summary (some
spoilers, if you haven't read The Burning Land), and wonderful
advance quotes from two of my favorite writers: Robin Hobb and Kate
Elliott. I've also added another chapter: Chapter 3 is now online. Added a new
contest to the Contests page. Win
a
signed bound galley of The Awakened City. Added my review
of R. Scott Bakker's The
Warrior-Prophet
to the Book Reviews page. R. Scott Bakker’s ambitious and
literate epic fantasy trilogy, The Prince of Nothing, continues
in this second volume. The first novel, The Darkness that Comes
Before, was one of the most impressive books I read in 2003; even
so, I had a number of reservations, finding it too digressive at times
in its preoccupation with scene-setting and with the backstories of its
protagonists. But all that careful preparation pays off in The
Warrior-Prophet. At six hundred pages, one couldn’t call this a
lean novel (a baroque density of form and style is an integral quality
of Bakker’s writing), but it is a well-knit and muscular one, with a
more straightforward plotline than its predecessor, superb world
building, and a headlong narrative momentum that keeps the reader
riveted to the page. This is a series, and an author, to watch. Very
highly recommended. Added my review
of Cherith Baldry's The
Roses of Roazon
to the Book Reviews page. Like Baldry’s 2003 historical fantasy
The Reliquary Ring (to which this novel can be considered
a companion piece), The Roses of Roazon is a religious
parable--this
time about a land that has overlooked an essential aspect of the
divine, and has lost its own wholeness as a result. It's an interesting
theme, but there's just not enough underpinning to the central concepts
or depth to the main characters, and too many subplots tangle the main
storyline. The Reliquary Ring worked for me, but this
novel, with a very similar intent and approach, didn’t. Not
recommended. Added my review
of Eric Brown's New York Dreams
to the Book Reviews page. The third installment in Eric Brown’s
Virex Trilogy finds P.I. Hal Halliday deep in VR
addiction, living out a fantasy existence in the pristine landscape of
a virtual Virginia coastline. When he takes on a real-world case as a
favor to a friend, he must confront not just a dangerous mystery, but
the consequences of his addiction. Neither the mystery nor the SFnal
setting
offer many surprises--but this is a series whose strength lies not in
its execution of genre conventions, but in its attention to character
and theme. Overall, an enjoyable conclusion. Recommended, with a few
reservations. Added my review
of Adam Connell's Counterfeit Kings
to the Book Reviews page. A striking debut from a new author, Counterfeit
Kings tells the tale of an annihilating struggle for power and
vengeance in a kingdom that's not a kingdom, ruled by a king who's not
a king. It's about degraded people with grimy souls, waging epic
battles for things of dubious value; it can be read for its
shock value--it's crammed with sex and violence--or for its sharp
characterizations, unique setting, and compelling storytelling. Or,
perhaps, for both. Adam Connell is a writer I'll be watching.
Recommended. Added my review
of Chris Wooding's The Skein of Lament
to the Book Reviews page. The second installment of Wooding's
Asian-flavored fantasy of political intrigue, dark magics, and
rebellion is a more controlled work than its predecessor,
without the infodumps and gratuitous action scenes that bothered me in
the first volume. The exciting (and sometimes a bit too jam-packed)
action/adventure plot doesn't neglect the subtleties of character.
Recommended, especially for fans of epic fantasy.8/1/05 Added another
chapter of The Awakened
City: Chapter 2 is now online. Added my review
of Elizabeth Lynn's Dragon's Treasure
to the Book Reviews page. I detest the
word "luminous" used to describe any sort of book, but it fits this one
(billed as a sequel to the earlier Dragon's Winter, but really
an expansion of the events depicted in the final section of that
novel). A spare, beautifully-written book whose loose plot is less the
point than Lynn's shimmering evocation of character and setting.
Recommended for those who appreciate quieter fantasy. Added my review
of John Brosnan's Mothership
to the Book Reviews page. Funny fantasy
is rare, and funny fantasy that works is even rarer. This madcap tale
of a giant generation ship that resembles a medieval fantasy theme park
has enough jokes and hijinks to keep the reader chuckling throughout.
Silly stuff, but a lot of fun. Recommended, especially for fans of
Peter David. Added my review
of Martin Sketchley's The Affinity Trap
to the Book Reviews page. This SF yarn of
a hard-bitten operative sent on a dangerous mission by the despotic
military leader of a corrupt Earth government is vividly, if somewhat
derivatively, written; but it asks us to swallow such a lot of
preposterous premises (such as the idea that two-sexed humans can breed
with three-sexed aliens) that it's simply impossible to suspend
disbelief. But for the current vogue for New Space Opera, it probably
would not have found publication. The author clearly has writing
talent, but he has gone badly wrong with this one. Not recommended.
7/12/05 The Awakened
City: I just turned in revisions to the sequel to The
Burning Land, titled The Awakened City. It's
about the same length as the first book, and will complete the story;
I'm not planning any further sequels (though I do have a nifty idea for
a standalone book set in an earlier era of the same world...) It's
scheduled for March 2006 in
hardcover. I have been
disgracefully remiss in updating this website! I'm going to be
remedying this in coming weeks. Watch for updates, new reviews, new
articles, and more excerpts from The Awakened City.1/28/05 Best of 2004: The Burning
Land has been chosen for January Magazine's Best
Fiction 2004 and Readers Read's Best SF/Fantasy/Horror
2004. I've posted
another preview of the sequel to The
Burning Land (now
provisionally titled The Awakened City): the prologue, The
Brethren's Covenant. No spoilers, if you haven't read the first
book. The Great Vanity
Publisher Hoax: PublishAmerica
is a vanity publisher that poses as a "traditional" publisher in order
to
ensnare thousands of gullible first-time writers. Among writers'
advocates
warning about this unscrupulous company are a number of science fiction
and
fantasy authors, including yours truly. After PublishAmerica posted a
venemous
screed against SF/fantasy writers at their AuthorsMarket.net
website ("...writers who erroneously believe that SciFi, because it is
set
in a distant future, does not require believable storylines, or that
Fantasy,
because it is set in conditions that have never existed, does not need
believable
every-day characters"), a bunch of us wretched hacks decided to see how
high
a bar the supposedly selective PublishAmerica sets for its own books.
Over
the course of a weekend, thirty professional science fiction and
fantasy
writers and editors sat down and each banged out a chapter of a
deliberately
unpublishable opus entitled Atlanta Nights. Guess what:
PublishAmerica accepted it.The hoax is described in more detail here. So toweringly, appallingly, epically bad is Atlanta Nights that we just had to turn it into a real printed book. It can be purchased here (check out the reviews). All proceeds go to SFWA's Emergency Medical Fund. Or you can download it in .rtf format here. Mine is Chapter 12 (the first Chapter 12, that is). 7/21/04 Just posted a
preview of the sequel to The Burning Land: Chapter
1 (Warning for those who haven't read the first book: there are
some
spoilers.)
I'll be posting more previews every now and then.5/30/04 Added my review
of Alma Alexander's The Secrets of Jin Shei
to the Book Reviews page. This novel
about a diverse group of women bound by a special vow of loyalty,
set in an imaginary China, stands on the border between commercial
women's
fiction and fantasy, and should appeal to fans of both. A bit slow to
start,
but it's rich in imagination, and provides an acute analysis of the
joys,
and tyrannies, of friendship. Recommended. Added my review
of K. A. Bedford's Orbital Burn
to the Book Reviews page. A SF detective
story with a twist--the detective's dead. Lou is the victim
of a deadly nanovirus that necrotizes human tissue, though a
nanoengineered
medical treatment keeps her (barely) functional. When an augmented
talking
beagle called Dog asks her to take on one last case, she agrees, and in
short order becomes the focus of vicious gangsters, mysterious
artificial
minds, and the possible transformation of humankind. This smart,
engaging debut
falls apart a little at the end but grips right up until that point.
Recommended. Added my review
of Rob Grant's Incompetence
to the Book Reviews page. Welcome to the
United States of Europe, where incompetence is a way of life.
According to Article 13199 of the Pan-European Constitution, “No person
shall
be prejudiced from employment in any capacity, at any level, by reason
of
age, race, creed or incompetence.” Result: nothing works, and Murphy's
Law prevails. Rob Grant is a co-creator of the BBC SF
comedy Red Dwarf;
if you're familiar with that cult wackfest, you'll know pretty much to
expect
from this novel. Great if you like that sort
of humor, tedious if you don't. Added my review
of Scott Mackay's Omnifix
to the Book Reviews page. Ten
years before the action of this SF yarn, an alien invasion devastated
the
earth with nanoengineered plagues. Inexplicably, the aliens vanished,
but
now there's a chance they're back. Dr. Alex Denyer is Earth's foremost
expert
on alien tech--but even he isn't prepared for what's in store. In its
stripped-down
prose and minimalist characterizations, this book recalls the SF of an
earlier
era, but the action is engaging and the science inventive, if not very
fully
realized. Recommended, with some reservations. Added my review
of Jeff Noon's Falling Out of Cars
to the Book Reviews page. Jeff Noon's
latest follows four damaged people on a dreamy road trip through
an England surreally transformed by the spread of a nameless plague
that
corrupts the messages of the senses, rendering the world meaningless.
This
tone poem of a novel can't really be described; it must be experienced.
If
you're familiar with Noon's work, you'll know what I mean. Recommended
for
conoisseurs of surreal fiction.2/25/04 More great reviews for The
Burning Land, from Locus
and SF Weekly among others. I've done a
number of recent interviews to help
promote the book, including one for Barnes & Noble's Explorations
newsletter. Links are posted on the biography
page.1/30/04 The Burning
Land was
released January 20 and is on sale now (saw it in my local Barnes &
Noble--always
a thrill!), though there'll be no publicity till February 1. Reviews
are
coming in, though, and I've added quotes
from the ones received so far. Standouts: Romantic Times, which
awarded it four stars, and January Magazine. Added my review
of Rachel Caine's Ill Wind to the Book
Reviews page. Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden, part of a secretive
group with power
over the elements, responsible for helping to keep the natural forces
of
the world in check so the human race isn't wiped out. When she's
accidentally
infected with a Demon Mark, her only choice is to go on the run,
searching
for the one person who may be able to save her. With magic, djinns,
romance,
classic cars, a wisecracking heroine and spectacular weather events,
this
fast-paced supernatural adventure should please fans of fantasy/mystery
hybrids. Recommended. Added my review
of Jude Fisher's Wild Magic
to the Book Reviews page.
The second installment in Fisher's Fools Gold
trilogy relegates rehash to a "What Has Gone Before" introduction, and
plunges
right into the story. This excellent series about magic and old gods
returning
to a world that has forgotten them doesn't stint on action and
adventure,
but remains firmly rooted in its well-drawn characters, most of whom
don't
yet suspect the great events in which they've been caught up. There's
enough
heft to this middle volume to make it a satisfying adventure on its
own,
while hinting at wondrous events yet to come. Recommended. Added my review
of Diana Pharaoh Francis's Path of Fate
to the Book Reviews page.
When young Reisil finds herself unexpectedly chosen to become ahalad-kaaslane,
(one of a special group of people psychically bonded to sentient animal
companions),
she's horrified--she wants to be a healer, not a wandering servant of
the
goddess. But events conspire to force the ahalad-kaaslane
bond upon her, and both danger and self-discovery ensue. The familiar
tropes
of this engaging debut fantasy are offset by the well-drawn characters
and
detailed worldbuilding--and as the novel proceeds down unexpected
paths,
readers will discover that where Pharoah is taking them isn't so
familiar
after all. Recommended. Added my review
of Geoffrey Huntington's Demon Witch
to the Book Reviews page.
This second installment of the Ravenscliff
series for young adults finds its hero, young sorcerer Devon, still
battling
demons and other baddies who want to open Ravenscliff's fearsome
Hellhole,
still searching for the secrets of his parentage, and still worrying
about
why he was never told about his Nightwing heritage as a child.
Huntington
rustles up some good supernatural action, and draws a poignant contrast
between
Devon's demonic battles and the mundane world of school and friends.
But
both the action and the plot structure are too similar to the first
volume
in the series--and various pressing questions don't go any further
toward
being answered. There is also some very awkward writing. Two books in,
this
series has already lost my interest; I suspect many young readers will
feel
the same. Not recommended. Added my review
of Jane Jensen's Dante's Equation
to the Book Reviews page. The complex
plot of this compelling speculative thriller is impossible to
recount in capsule form; suffice it to say that Jensen intelligently
and
convincingly mixes esoteric scientific theory, Kabbalistic mysticism,
and
wondrous science fictional journeys into a riveting character-centered
adventure.
I enjoyed every line of this terrific novel, and that's not often true.
Throw
out The Da Vinci Code and give this one a try. Highly
recommended.11/30/03 The Burning
Land. I've added a
good bit of content to section of this website devoted to The Burning Land:
more excerpts, maps, a glossary, a deleted scene (together with some
thoughts
on the editing process), and much background material used in world
building.
This section will continue to grow. Contests. Win autographed
copies of my "Stone" duology (The Arm of the Stone and The
Garden of the Stone) and The Burning Land! You'll find
information on how to enter on the brand-new Contests page.11/2/03 The Burning
Land. I've added a
section to showcase my forthcoming novel from Eos, The Burning Land
(February 2004). Right now there's a description and an excerpt, as
well
as some of the nice advance praise the book has received. In coming
months I'll be
adding other content, including maps, legends, character lists,
historical
background, and deleted scenes. Help rescue me from the
midlist--pre-order
today! Website update.Those who've
been here before may notice that I've done some overhauling, including
a new background, new fonts, and some general sprucing up to make this
website
(which I don't pretend is state-of-the-art, but which I would at least
like
to be neat, easy to read and convenient to navigate) look a bit more up
to
date. Added my review
of Jon Courtenay Grimwood's Felaheen
to the Book Reviews page. Grimwood winds
up his striking Arabesk
series, set in an alternate-world Islamic North Africa, with this third
installment.
The crime thriller elements that drove the first two volumes fall
somewhat
into the background for a strongly characterized and highly atmospheric
story of loss, discovery, and identity. Recommended. Added my review
of Margaret Weis's Mistress of Dragons
to the Book Reviews page. Weis's first
solo fantasy (after many collaborations with Tracy Hickman) is set
in a world in which dragons are the superior species. When a renegade
dragon
violates the dragons' long custom of keeping aloof from humankind, the
Watcher--a
dragon in human form--is tasked by the Dragon Parliament with finding a
way to
defeat the renegade. Plot holes, an extremely generic setting, and a
cast
of characters right off the D&D shelf are just barely redeemed by
expert
pacing and the interest of dragon society. Recommended for Weis and
Hickman
fans only. Added my review
of Jim Butcher's Death Masks
to the Book Reviews page. In the fifth
volume of Butcher's popular Harry Dresden
series, Chicago's only practicing wizard must deal with a vampire
duelist,
the return of a lost love, a desperate search for the stolen Shroud of
Turin,
and a confrontation with an ultra-scary order of demons--all at the
same time. Being Harry, he manages pretty well. This is one of the most
enjoyable
installments yet, a terrific blend of action, horror, suspense, and
dark
humor. Highly recommended. Added my review
of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake
to the Book Reviews page. Atwood's
latest work of "speculative" fiction (which, mainstream critics to the
contrary,
bears not the slightest resemblance to The Handmaid's Tale) is
a combination
of Swiftean satire and Shelleyan allegory that examines the calamitous
consequences
of humanity's urge to play God through unfettered tinkering with the
human
genome. Though, like much dystopian and utopian literature, it is
somewhat
less than satisfying as a novel, it's a feast for the intellect, with a
dead-on
indictment of present trends and a frightening warning about where they
may
take us. Very highly recommended.7/27/03 Added my review
of Cherith Baldry's The Reliquary Ring
to the Book Reviews page. A
tale of an alternate Venice, where high technology has transformed an
18th-century-style
world, and genetically-engineered men and women--not considered human
in
the sight of God--are bought and sold like slaves. When a reliquary
ring
is discovered containing a single hair of the divine Christos, an evil
and
ambitious nobleman plots to use it to seize power. In the ensuing
struggle,
everything changes, including the genics' future. Ostensibly a melding
of
fantasy and science fiction, this book is at its heart a religious
allegory
about who is human in the sight of God. Sweeping, lush, and thoroughly
engrossing,
this book is also old-fashioned, sentimental, and a little prudish. Not
to
every taste, but a to those who like grand Romances, a feast.
Recommended. Added my review
of Roger Levy's Dark Heavens to the Book
Reviews page. A
thematic followup rather than a direct sequel to Levy's striking debut,
set
in the same world but involving a mostly new cast of characters. In an
ecologically-trashed
future, life on Earth has become all but unlivable, and mass suicide
seems
an acceptable solution. Investigating a series of murders at a medical
school,
disgraced cop Cy Augur stumbles on a much darker mystery involving the
world
government's plans for colonizing the beautiful but deadly planet
Dirangesept.
Is xenogenocide an acceptable price for human survival? Dark and
gripping,
this beautifully-written book offers a deeply cynical tale about
hypocrisy,
desperation, and the betrayals people will commit to survive--tempered
by
a strangely hopeful ending. Highly recommended. Added my review
of Chris Wooding's The Weavers of Saramyr
to the Book Reviews page. Wooding, who
till now has penned children's and YA fiction, enters the adult
market with the first installment of an Eastern-themed trilogy. In the
Empire
of Saramyr, political turmoil is brewing as a result of the possible
accession
to the throne of an Aberrant, a human born with strange extrasensory
powers.
For hundreds of years Aberrants have been hunted and killed by the
Empire's
secretive order of magicians, the Weavers. But the evil Weavers have
their
own political agenda, and only young noblewoman Kaiku, together with a
mismatched
band of companions, has an inkling of what it is. This is competent
adventure
fantasy, with believable action, interesting world building, and an
unusual
magic system--but marred by uneven writing and lapses in character
depiction.
Though I found it generally entertaining reading, and will probably
continue
on to the next installment, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it.5/16/03 Appearance: I'll be at
Balticon from May 24-26. Added my review
of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful and Turning
the Storm to the Book
Reviews page. This engaging fantasy duology by newcomer Kritzer tells the
story of youthful violinist
Eliana, who is swept unwillingly into a leadership role in a revolution
against
a government dominated by a dictatorial magical elite and an oppressive
religious
faith. There are some interesting religious themes here, and Kritzer
imparts
an unusually down-to-earth feel to her Italianate setting. Eliana and
others
behave heroically, but they aren't Heroes, just likable, imperfect
individuals
trying as best they can to do the right thing. A promising
debut--recommended. Added my review
of Steve Cash's The Meq to the Book
Reviews page. A
dreamy, slow-paced quest-fantasy by country musician and first-time
author
Steve Cash, about a race of childlike semi-immortals called the Meq.
The
Meq are an intriguingly different creation, and the book's touches of
Americana
make for an unusual setting; but the narrative is far too leisurely,
the
characters much too static, and the action frequently repetitive. This
is
just the start of a trilogy; it's unusual enough that I'll probably
follow
it at least into the next volume--but I suspect it's a story that might
have
been tellable in a single book. Recommended for those who are curious
(but
be warned: it's slow going). Added my review
of Ricardo Pinto's The Standing Dead
to the Book Reviews page. Pinto's
followup to his debut, The Chosen, follows protagonist
Carnelian and his lover Osidian into a world very different
from the cruel and hieratic domains of the Masters portrayed in the
previous
novel: the Earthsky, a vast region of fern plains where the tribes of
the
Masters' tributaries live in harmony with the land. Here Carnelian
learns
to love a different life and to reject his kind, while Osidian, unable
to
abandon the dream of Emperorship that has been stolen from him, plots
dark
revenge. This is quite a different book from its predecessor, not just
in
its (equally unusual) setting but in its character-driven narrative;
but it's
just as riveting, with an epic sweep and a grandly tragic progression
of events
worthy of Greek drama. This is one of the most fascinating and original
fantasy
series now being written. Pinto is a writer of huge talent. Very highly
recommended. Added my interview with Ricardo Pinto
to the Articles page. I recently
conducted this interview for SF Site. Ricardo has some
interesting things to say about his books, his writing process, his
political views, and other matters. 4/6/03 Added my review
of Kage Baker's Black Projects, White Knights
to the Book Reviews page. Baker is
unfolding her Company series
not just in her novels, but in her considerable output of short
fiction,
and this collection, her first, features many of the series' familiar
characters.
While it will be most appreciated by readers who are already familiar
with
the Company, the skillful writing, wry humor, and intelligent treatment
of
broader themes make the stories accessible to anyone. Those (like me)
who've been following
the series only through the novels are well advised to pick up this
volume,
as it contains vital clues to the story's progression. Highly
recommended. Added my review
of Scott Bakker's The Darkness That Comes Before
to the Book Reviews page.
New author Bakker makes a striking debut with this novel of holy war,
religious
conflict, strange magics, and awakening evils, the opener to a trilogy
called The Prince of Nothing. Make
no mistake: this is a challenging book--densely written and
intellectually
rigorous, with few concessions to readers' unfamiliarity with the
author's
very complex world and concepts--and is at times overwritten and
self-indulgent.
But it's also relentlessly fascinating, deeply original, and
superlatively
characterized. Bakker is--to use the cliche--a writer to watch. Highly
recommended
for serious readers of fantasy. Added my review
of Greg Keyes's The Briar King
to the Book Reviews page.
Keyes kicks off a new series with this first installment. In the
kingdom
of Crotheny, built with forbidden magics on the ruins of a non-human
empire,
dark forces are stirring and an ancient prophecy has begun to move
toward
culmination. A variety of characters are caught up in the rising storm:
a
headstrong princess, a betrayed queen, a gruff forester, a young
scholar,
a treacherous councilor, a brave but baseborn knight. These are
familiar
tropes, but Keyes gives them power and depth with interesting
worldbuilding,
skillful characterization, stirring action, and a compelling atmosphere
of
dark menace and suspense. This is traditional epic fantasy the way it
should
be done. Highly recommended. Added my review
of Vivan Vande Velde's YA novel Heir Apparent
to the Book Reviews page Vande Velde's
new novel is fantasy in an SF scenario. Giannine Bellisario gets a
certificate for the Rasmussem Gaming Center for her birthday, and
decides
to play "Heir Apparent", a virtual reality game in which the gamer
unexpectedly
inherits a kingdom, and must figure out how to deal with shifty royal
relatives,
eccentric sorcerers, unhelpful sidekicks, and some serious magical
threats. When an accident traps Giannine in the game, the
only way to get out is to win--not an easy proposition in a game
scenario
with infinite variations. This is a fast, funny, inventive romp, one of
Vande
Velde's recent best. Highly recommended.2/16/03 Added my review
of Eric Brown's New York Blues
to the Book Reviews page. Brown continues
his Virex Trilogy
in this second volume, in which private eye Hal Halliday is drawn into
another
deadly mystery featuring the illusive realms of VR. This is a more
straightforward
mystery than its predecessor, which was more concerned with character
exploration;
Brown pays tribute to American hard-boiled detective fiction without
forgetting
that he's also writing science fiction. Recommended. Added my review
of Paul Cornell's British Summertime
to the Book Reviews page. Alison,
a woman who is able to read patterns and possibilities the way other
people
read street signs, accidentally encounters Douglas Leyton, a pilot who
has
been accidentally thrown from his (future) time into Alison's. Problem
is,
Alison's timestream doesn't seem to match Leyton's; somehow, things
have
been subverted by four huge golden sword-tongued beings known as the
Golden
Men. How to get rid of the Golden Men and make Alison's present match
up
with Leyton's future? Cornell's novel combines Christian theology,
socialist
philosophy, and a perfect blizzard of time-travel paradoxes into one of
the
most interesting and unusual novels I read during 2002. Highly
recommended. Added my review
of Barbara Hambly's Sisters of the Raven
to the Book Reviews page. Barbara
Hambly is a writer of rare ability who doesn't always fully tap her
potential.
This, however, is one of her best fantasies in some time, a tale of a
desert
realm in which the power of magic is shifting from males, who are the
culture's
traditional magic-wielders, to females, whom the culture profoundly
devalues.
It's a subtle examination of gender-role challenge, a suspenseful
murder
mystery, a convincing portrayal of the dangers of fanaticism--and a
beautifully-written,
engrossing story. Highly recommended.1/1/03 Added my review
of Jim Butcher's Summer Knight
to the Book Reviews page. Harry Dresden,
Chicago's only wizard private eye, is on the case again in this fourth
installment
of the popular series--this time, trying to clear his reputation with
the White Council of wizards, and running foul of deadly
faerie plots. Butcher delivers the kind of exciting supernatural
adventure his fans have come to expect,
with an always-appealing hero and a generous dose of wacky humor.
Recommended. Added my review
of Ivan Cat's The Burning Heart of Night
to the Book Reviews page. This
space opera (I guess I ought to identify it as an "old style" space
opera,
given all of the hoo-ha right now over "new style" space opera)
involves
a living ship, a hostile planet, a human settlement struggling to
survive,
and a race of aliens who are more than the humans believe. It's not
deep,
and there's some padding, but overall it's a good, enjoyable yarn.
Recommended,
though with some reservations. Added my review
of Geoffrey Huntington's YA novel Sorcerers of the Night Wing
to the Book Reviews page. This
young adult fantasy series opener--all about a boy discovering his
mysterious
sorcerous heritage, and battling disgusting demons and evil revenants
along
the way--comes from adult imprint ReganBooks, which I think may prevent
it
from finding its audience. This would be a pity, as it's an
entertaining
story that despite a slow start and a somewhat awkward present-tense
narration
will appeal to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Goosebumps.
Recommended. Added my review
of James Lovegrove's The Hope to the Book
Reviews page.
This "novel" (really a collection of thematically-linked stories) was
first
published in 1990 to critical acclaim. Now republished by Gollancz,
it's apparent that time has passed it by. An allegorical account of a
vast ship and its endless, pointless voyage, it's a savage portrayal of
the
devolution of human nature, but sensation is given priority over
insight,
and ultimately the catalogue of horrors becomes monotonous. I can't
de-recommend this; Lovegrove is unquestionably a deft and powerful
writer. But I can't truly recommend it either. Added my review
of Jan Siegel's The Witch Queen
to the Book Reviews page.
Siegel's trilogy about Fernanda Capel, modern witch with an Atlantean
heritage, concludes in this final volume. Morgus, the evil sorceress
whom Fern believed she had defeated in Book 2, has become more powerful
than ever,
and is intent upon revenge; meanwhile, the ancient demon Azmordis still
covets Fern's soul. Fern must confront them both. Though the
writing is beautiful and the imagery fabulous, the structural flaws
that
plagued the two previous books are more prominent here, with a
one-dimensional villain in Morgus, a cavalier treatment of secondary
characters,
and a plot that, until the final section, offers few surprises. It's
a disappointing finish to what is nevertheless a very interesting
series.
Recommended only for those who've read the other books, and wish
to complete the series. |