Forbes's Words and Banks's Transitions at SFFWorld

Cue Wacky Radio DJ voice…

It’s Two-fer-Tuesday here at the o’ Stuff! I’m posting links to two, that’s right TWO new reviews at SFFWorld!

It’s been a while since I read David Forbes’s debut novel - The Amber Wizard, but I enjoyed it at the time and thought he started of his writing career (and the trilogy of books) on a good foot. Well, I finished off and reviewed the second in the trilogy, The Words of Making, recently:

Forbes improves on his characterization in this, his second novel. Gerin comes across more genuinely and his emotions are portrayed more realistically. All of the characters from the previous novel, in fact, show more depth in The Words of Making. Other characters do come to the fore, of course. Not the least of which is the Voice of the Exalted, Vethiq aril Tolsadri, the headstrong leader of the Havalqa.

In the Havalqa, Forbes gives readers a nation of religious zealots beholden to a mysterious group of creatures known as Dreamers. These people come across as powerful, uncompromising, and ruthless, but underneath all of that they also wish to prevent the coming of the Great Enemy, which has many of the qualities of the Khedeshian Adversary. While this may seem obvious to the reader, the characters were a little slow to pick up on this relationship.

Dan reviewed what a lot consider a major SF novel of the year by one of the genre’s top writers:, Transitions by Iain M. Banks:

To follow this story, we must keep track of (1) the Concern’s chief interrogator known as The Philosopher, a name earned because he refuses to employ children as tools in his interrogation techniques. (2) Adrian’s life and times, (3) The Pitcher, Mike Esteros, who has a story about aliens he has worked long and hard to produce; and, (4) Patient 8262, an inmate in a mental institution whom we know from the outset is a contrived persona.

Along the way we are going to confront issues such as eternal life through transitioned bodies, is man the best agency for deciding what’s best for humanity, and who is Temudjin Oh?

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/14/2009)

Thankfully, a little break from last week’s gigantic haul, but a couple of really interesting books nonetheless.


Titanicus by Dan Abnett (Black Library 11/24/2009) – This is the fourth Warhammer book I’ve received by Abnett, I reallyl need to get cracking.


When the vital forge world of Orestes comes under attack by a legion of Chaos Titans, the planet is forced to appeal for help. Titan Legio Invicta, although fresh from combat and in desperate need of refit and repair, responds, committing its own force of war engines to the battle. As the god-machines stride to war, the world trembles, for the devastation they unleash could destroy the very world they have pledged to save.

Savage Titan action on an apocalyptic scale and dark political intrigue meet head-on in this Warhammer 40,000 epic.

The Saint (A Gaunt’s Ghost’s Omnibus [#2]) by Dan Abnett (Black Library 08/24/2007) – This is the fifth Warhammer book I’ve received by Abnett, I reallyl need to get cracking.


The second superb omnibus of the phenomenally popular Gaunt's Ghosts series.

The Black Library's flagship military science fiction series is back in a new omnibus edition collecting the books from The Saint sequence (Honour Guard, Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr). The novels follow the story of Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First-and-Only regiment, nicknamed the Ghosts, as they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system. The Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deadly politics and in-fighting of the Imperial Guard.



Where Angels Fear to Tread (The Third Remy Chandler novel) by Thomas E. Sniegoski (Roc Trade Paperback 03/02/2009) – The third in Sniegoski’s Urban Fantasy about a former Angel from Heaven who is now a private investigator with supernatural cases. He cranks these books out pretty quickly.


Six year-old Zoe York has been taken and her mother has come to Remy for help. She shows him crude, childlike drawings that she claims are Zoe's visions of the future, everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Like the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her-a man who is an angel.

Zoe's preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power to their own destructive ends. The search will take Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils-and his soul may pay the price...

Divine Misdemeanors (Meredith Gentry Series #8)by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine, Hardcover 12/29/2009) – This is Hamilton’s series about faeries in modern day, mixed with a healthy dose of eroticism. She’s quite a popular author..


Following on the heels of the heart-stopping conclusion to Swallowing Darkness, Laurell K. Hamilton and Meredith Gentry are back!

Between dark faerie magic and the deepest desires lies the world of Meredith Gentry, princess, private eye, and powerful player in a game of supernatural sexual intrigue. The tension in this extraordinary saga continues to mount as Merry, pregnant with twins, refuses the throne of faerie and retreats with her bodyguards to Los Angeles in an attempt to protect the new life growing within her. Both the deadly destructive factions of the faerie courts -- as well as those who would worship her -- will be equally dangerous to her attempts to create a peaceful haven for her unborn children.

Filled with riveting twists, this new novel adds yet another unforgettable chapter to a story that is both epic and breathtaking..

The Dragon Book by Dann/Dozois

First, let me wish a Happy Birthday to Sesame Street!

Second, the real reason I know all you millions and millions of my readers visit this blog on a Tuesday – review time! Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois have been assembling themed anthologies for nearly twenty years together, which is just a portion of their individual bibliographies. Their latest collaboration The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy is the subject of my review this week:

Arguably, Dozois is one of the most renowned anthologists (Datlow, Greenberg, and Hartwell/Kramer being the other luminaries) in the genre so an invitation to contribute to an anthology in which he is (one of) the editor(s) is a sign of acceptance in the genre. In this volume he and Dann have pulled together an eclectic array of stories featuring perhaps the most iconic figure of fantasy literature from a solid group of contributors.
.
.
.
Tad Williams plays with language and communication in A Stark and Wormy Night. The clever trick of the story posits humans as the legendary creatures and dragons as the dominant and ‘real’ species of the world. This story was quite a bit of fun.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/08/2009)

Every time I get one of those really big week of arrivals here at the o' Stuff, I think I won't get a week more arrivals than said week. Well, I'm thinking that this week with all the books to arrive in my mailbox, in front of my garage and on my front porch.


The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett (BantamSpectra, Trade Paperback 11/24/2009) – Becket is also known as Mark Anthony.


Galen Beckett weaves a dazzling spell of adventure and suspense in an evocative world of high magick and genteel society–a world where one young woman discovers that her modest life is far more extraordinary than she ever imagined.

Of the three Lockwell sisters–romantic Lily, prophetic Rose, and studious, book-loving Ivy–it’s Ivy, the eldest, who’s held the family together after their father’s silent retreat to the library upstairs. Everyone blames Mr. Lockwell’s malady on his magickal studies, but Ivy still believes–both in magick and in its power to bring her father back.

Yet it is not until Ivy takes a job with the reclusive Mr. Quent that she discovers the fate she shares with a secret society of highwaymen, revolutionaries, illusionists, and spies who populate the island nation of Altania. It’s a fate that will determine whether Altania faces a new dawn–or an everlasting night.


The Silver Skull (A Swords of Albion Book 1) by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr 11/3/2009) – The protagonist of this novel appeared in what I thought was the best story in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy:

A DEVILISH PLOT TO ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN, A COLD WAR ENEMY HELL-BENT ON DESTROYING THE NATION, INCREDIBLE GADGETS, A RACE AGAINST TIME AROUND THE WORLD TO STOP THE ULTIMATE DOOMSDAY DEVICE…AND ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND'S GREATEST SPY!

Meet Will Swyfte - adventurer, swordsman, rake, swashbuckler, wit, scholar and the greatest of Walsingham's new band of spies. His exploits against the forces of Philip of Spain have made him a national hero, lauded from Carlisle to Kent. Yet his associates can barely disguise their incredulity - what is the point of a spy whose face and name is known across Europe?

But Swyfte's public image is a carefully-crafted façade to give the people of England something to believe in, and to allow them to sleep peacefully at night. It deflects attention from his real work - and the true reason why Walsingham's spy network was established.

A Cold War seethes, and England remains under a state of threat. The forces of Faerie have been preying on humanity for millennia. Responsible for our myths and legends, of gods and fairies, dragons, griffins, devils, imps and every other supernatural menace that has haunted our dreams, this power in the darkness has seen humans as playthings to be tormented, hunted or eradicated.

But now England is fighting back!

Magical defences have been put in place by the Queen's sorcerer Dr John Dee, who is also a senior member of Walsingham's secret service and provides many of the bizarre gadgets utilised by the spies. Finally there is a balance of power. But the Cold War is threatening to turn hot at any moment…

Will now plays a constant game of deceit and death, holding back theEnemy's repeated incursions, dealing in a shadowy world of plots and counter-plots, deceptions, secrets, murder, where no one… and no thing…is quite what it seems.

Plague Zone by Jeff Carlson (Ace, Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) – This would be the third book in Carlson’s series which began with Philip K. Dick-nominated The Plague War.


After surviving the machine plague and the world war that followed, nanotech researcher Ruth Goldman and ex-army ranger Cam Najarro discovered that a new contagion is about to be unleashed.


Red Inferno: 1945 by Robert Conroy (Ballantine Paperback 02/10/2010) – Another alternate history from the author of the previous 1942.






Total Oblivion, More or Less by Alan DeNiro (Bantam Spectra, Hardcover 11/24/2009) – DeNiro has been gaining a lot of positive acclaim for his fiction, this is his second novel.


“I remember the first time I began to understand that things might not be the same again.”

What’s a girl to do when her world is invaded by warriors from the ancient world? That’s the problem faced by sixteen-year-old Macy, who sees her quiet, normal life in suburban Minnesota turned upside down when things that should never be possible begin to transform the landscape all around her. The cable stops working, the phone lines die–and then the horsemen come to town. It’s not the same America that she last went to sleep in.

Ticketed to a refugee camp by the marauding Scythian armies, Macy and her family come to believe that heading down the Mississippi by boat is their one escape from the encroaching madness. But as they make their way downriver, Macy’s world just keeps getting stranger, and the wooden submarines, wasp-borne plagues, and talking dogs are the least of her problems: For in this upside-down world, old identities warp and family bonds are sorely tested.

Acclaimed writer Alan DeNiro has fashioned a completely original, utterly beguiling melding of the surreal and the everyday.

The Devil's Alphabet by Del Rey, Trade Paperback 11/24/2009) – I still haven’t read Gregory’s acclaimed debut and this one looks just as good

From Daryl Gregory, whose Pandemonium was one of the most exciting debut novels in memory, comes an astonishing work of soaring imaginative power that breaks new ground in contemporary fantasy.

Switchcreek was a normal town in eastern Tennessee until a mysterious disease killed a third of its residents and mutated most of the rest into monstrous oddities. Then, as quickly and inexplicably as it had struck, the disease–dubbed Transcription Divergence Syndrome (TDS)–vanished, leaving behind a population divided into three new branches of humanity: giant gray-skinned argos, hairless seal-like betas, and grotesquely obese charlies.

Paxton Abel Martin was fourteen when TDS struck, killing his mother, transforming his preacher father into a charlie, and changing one of his best friends, Jo Lynn, into a beta. But Pax was one of the few who didn’t change. He remained as normal as ever. At least on the outside.

Having fled shortly after the pandemic, Pax now returns to Switchcreek fifteen years later, following the suicide of Jo Lynn. What he finds is a town seething with secrets, among which murder may well be numbered. But there are even darker–and far weirder–mysteries hiding below the surface that will threaten not only Pax’s future but the future of the whole human race.


The Infernal City : An Elder Scrolls Novel by Greg Keyes (Del Rey, Trade Paperpack 11/24/2009) – I like Greg Keyes’s writing very much and from what I know, the setting in which this series takes place is rich.


Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew by an ancient and all-consuming evil. It is Umbriel, a floating city that casts a terrifying shadow–for wherever it falls, people die and rise again.

And it is in Umbriel’s shadow that a great adventure begins, and a group of unlikely heroes meet. A legendary prince with a secret. A spy on the trail of a vast conspiracy. A mage obsessed with his desire for revenge. And Annaig, a young girl in whose hands the fate of Tamriel may rest . . . .

Based on the award-winning The Elder Scrolls, The Infernal City is the first of two exhilarating novels following events that continue the story from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, named 2006 Game of the Year.

Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/1/2009) – These Valdemar anthologies seems to becoming almost an annual thing.


In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Vademar was the beginning of a fantasy masterpiece that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now sixteen of today's hottest fantasy authors-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-visit the world of Valdemar, adding their own special touches.


The Conqueror's Shadow by Ari Marmell (Bantam Spectra Hardcover 02/23/2009) – Marmell has been in the genre for some time now, having published tie-in fiction for Magic: The Gathering as well as work on a number of manuals for Dungeons & Dragons/Wizards of the Coast. This is his first original novel and it sounds pretty interesting

They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda.
Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amidst the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage—a young noblewoman named Tyannon—to guarantee his escape.

Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of an upstart warlord, Audriss, following his old path of conquest, can stir Rebaine to action.

Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.

Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine dons the armor of the Terror of the East again and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda—to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement.

But even if he convinces his comrades to join him, Rebaine faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?

Star Wars Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller (Del Rey/Star Wars Books Trade Paperback 02/23/2010) – Miller churns out novels like a machine, this is her second Star Wars novel and seventh novel over the past two years.


Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are on a secret mission to one of the many worlds caught in the middle of the struggle between the Republic and the Separatists. A pastoral planet, Lanteeb wants only to be left alone to survive -- but it is the source of what could be one of the most devastatingly destructive weapons ever. If this potential weapon were to fall into the hands of the Separatists, uncounted worlds would fall. But should the Republic succeed in destroying it first, one world that needs it to survive will be annihilated. A frightening dilemma that Obi-Wan and Anakin will have to untangle, if they can get in and out of the occupied planet alive...

Oath of Fealty (The Chronicles of Paksenarrion’s World) by Elizabeth Moon (Del Rey, Hardcover 03/16/2009) – Moon’s Deeds of Paksennarrion is very highly acclaimed and this is the authors first novel in that world in very long time.

When the paladin Paksenarrion saved Kieri Phelan from traitorous attack on his way to the throne of Lyonya, it seemed her work was done. Lyonya would once more have a healthy king whose taig-sense would sustain the alliance of elves and humans in this strange land. But a paladin's intervention always means change--and change sweeps through the world in the wake of her great deeds. Who will take over Kieri's former realm? What will happen to those who opposed him? From Girdish yeoman to mercenary veteran, from peasant to king, from the Eight Kingdoms of the north to the Guild League cities of the south, no one escapes the challenges--and opportunities--of this tumultuous period. Those who expected to spend the rest of their lives in the same familiar place or position must cope with these changes, or in failure contribute to
the chaos.

Helfort's War Book 3: The Battle of Devastation Reef by Graham Sharp Paul (Del Rey, Mass Market 11/24/2009) – This is the third book in a Military SF series and I haven’t read the first two books.


If he survives, hell just may freeze over.

The savage Hammer Worlds are not only near invincible but almost certain to win their war to crush the Federated Worlds and control humanspace–unless the Feds can find and destroy their secret antimatter warhead facility.

Only dreadnoughts, the lone Federated ships able to withstand antimatter missile attacks, can do the job, and only Lieutenant Michael Helfort has the skill to lead them. But skill may not be enough, because Helfort is more than the newly appointed captain: He’s a hero, and this means that his own senior officers want him to fail–and that the enemy’s kingpin wants him dead.

Helfort’s early victories merely intensify everyone’s determination. No action is too low, no price too high, to bring him down–with treachery, or betrayal, or an offer he can’t refuse, even if it means selling out his own side.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson (Roc, Hardcover 12/1/2009) – …and the saga of Bradley’s Avalon continues….


Marion Zimmer Bradley's legendary saga of Avalon's extraordinary women continues with a tale of fiery visions, a lost king, and a forthcoming destiny...

Epic in its sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership and anyone who loves wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy.

A boy raised in secret after traitors kill his parents will return to Avalon-and when he does, he'll be faced with a formidable task: to prove his worth as a son of the kings and priestesses of his land and lead his followers to victory, wielding the newly-forged sword Excalibur..


Spells of the City by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) – The December monthly DAW anthology focuses on the magic in everyday cities

Venture into Spells of the City, where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge...Harry the Book will be happy to place your best in a spellbinding alternative New York...a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when he's forced to live by his creator's rules...and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold.



Liberating Atlantis by Harry Turtledove (Roc, Hardcover 12/1/2009) – Turtledove’s third book in his Atlantis alternate history series..


"The maven of alternate history" (San Diego Union- Tribune) continues his epic tale of Atlantis.

Frederick Radcliff is a descendant of the family that founded Atlantis's first settlement, and his grandfather Victor led the army against England to win the nation's independence. But he is also a black slave, unable to prove his lineage, and forced to labor on a cotton plantation in the southern region of the country.

Frederick feels the color of his skin shouldn't keep him from having the same freedoms his ancestors fought and died for. So he becomes the leader of a revolutionary army of slaves determined to free all of his brethren across Atlantis....

Confessions of a Demon by S.L. Wright (Roc, Mass Market Paperback 12/01/2009) – Demon/vampire? Check. Scantily clad shapely woman dressed in leather on the cover? Check. Visible midriff on said woman? Check. Visible tattoo on said woman? Check.


After accidentally stealing the life force of a dying demon, Allay became the only human-demon hybrid in existence. Demons feed on human emotions, so Allay decided the safest way to satisfy this need-and still retain some semblance of her humanity-was to open a bar. Here she can drink from, and ease, her patrons' pain, which has helped her to stay under the demon radar...until now.

When Allay is attacked and nearly killed by another demon, a human comes to her rescue. Theo Ram is tall, handsome, and mortal-and Allay feels a connection to him she didn't think she'd ever know. But that bond is tested when the demon community in New York begins to rise up, and two opposing clans fight for power. Now Allay is caught in the middle, and she must decide where her loyalties lie.

The Sapphire Sirens by John Zakour (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/1/2009) – Zakour’s humorous, pulpy future sf adventure-caper series continues. Very consistently at that, he seems to churn them out once per year.


Zach Johnson, the world's last freelance detective, has been man-napped by the beautiful sapphire-haired Amazon Kiana. She's brought him to her home island of Lantis-where the women dominate men with their words-to discover who killed her mother, the Queen. But to save the day this time, Zach and his holographic A.I. sidekick HARV have to tangle with not just one gorgeous superwoman, but four. Each of Kiana's three sisters could have the motive and the means to pull off the crime-and now that you mention it, Kiana could too...

Werewolves and Space Divers

What would a Tuesday be around here at the o’ Stuff without me posting links to new reviews at SFFWorld?

Earlier in the year, I reviewed a very solid Space Opera by S. Andrew Swann - Prophets. In his second release of the year, and second I’ve subsequently reviewed, he drops the “Andrew” in favor of “A.” and switches genres – a medieval werewolf fantasy - Wolfbreed with very good results:

One of the great things about the book, and an element that helped to keep me turning the pages, was Swann’s structure for the novel. In interweaving sections, Swann reveals the past of Lily and her wolfbreed pack-mates as they are trained by the church to terrorize villages. The bulk of the novel deals with the aftermath of Lily’s escape as she comes to the attention of Udolf, who is in the woods helping to make his adopted family make ends meet. You see, Udolf’s family was slaughtered about a decade prior to the events of the novel in one of the Church’s destructive conversions. In addition, Udolf lost an arm the night his family was slaughtered so his self-worth is not exactly high.

Swann fills the novel with multiple conflicts, each of them paralleling each other. In Lily, we have a creature that is conflicted herself – between her human side and her wolf side. During her years as a captive of the church, she was tortured and abused, with hints of rape thrown into the mix. To help herself cope, she split her personality and hid part of herself away to avoid really experiencing those horrid deeds. When she comes to meet Udolf, she is a shell of a person having regressed in her ability to communicate. However, she displays great physical strength and a remarkable ability to heal, which helps Udolf’s family a great deal. All told, Swann has given readers an empathetic, remarkably drawn character in Lily.

Dan reviewed new SF adventure by genre veteran Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck:

The universe that makes her [Boss’s] story possible also includes a recent war that the Empire won but the Alliance didn’t exactly lose. The balance is precarious, hanging by a thread that will be cut if the old stealth technology can be re-discovered by either side.

In three parts, we watch Boss find what she’s looking for, lose it, and then attempt to destroy it. Part 1 sets the problems, the ones she must deal with and the ones she doesn’t realize she’s dealing with. The former comes in the form of the lost stealth technology hidden on a derelict that Boss discovered. It costs two crew members’ lives, her fault. The latter comes in the form of what Boss is willing to live with in her universe by Cardinal Woolly in order to stop the plot and save old Three Ex herself.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/1/2009)

This week was a bit slower than last, but I still received some interesting books. One I’ve read and at lease one I know I will read.


The Founding (A Gaunt’s Ghost’s Omnibus [#1]) by Dan Abnett (Black Library 2002) – Abnett is the superstar writer of the Black Library and this is the series that put him on the map. Since the folks at Black Library were kind enough to send this to me upon my request, I’ll definitely be reviewing it.

This omnibus edition of the first three Gaunt's Ghosts novels follows the story of the Tanith First-and-Only regiment (nicknamed the Ghosts) and their charismatic commissar, Ibram Gaunt. As they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system, the Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deady politics of the Imperial Guard. The Founding is the first larger story arc of this series. It comprises the first three novels, First and Only (1999), Ghostmaker (2000) and Necropolis (2000). These novels were re-printed in a second edition which also featured new covers. The three novels were later reprinted in a single omnibus edition under the title Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding in 2003. The Founding also contains the short novel "In Rememberance" which explains Warmaster Macaroth's decision to allow the populace of Vervunhive to join existing Guard regiments they fought alongside during the defense of Vervunhive.

The arc tells the early years of the Tanith First and Only, up to the victory on the Hive World Verghast and the influx of new recruits they receive from the survivors of Vervunhive.

Chronicles of Malus Darkblade : Volume 2 by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee (Black Library Paperback 11/24/2009) – This is what Black Library does best for its fans – it quickly puts omnibus editions of their series on bookshelves.

The Dark Elves are feared throughout the Old World for their evil, savage ways, yet one member of this despicable race stands out for his treachery and cunning - Malus Darkblade. Possessed by the ancient daemon Tz'arkan, Darkblade must recover five items of unimaginable power within one year or forfeit his soul forever! This omnibus edition includes the books Warpsword and Lord of Ruin, as well as two short stories never published before on Malus Darkblade.

Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven #3) by James Barclay (Pyr Trade Paperback 11/22/2009) – Third installment of The Chronicles of the Raven . With the release of this book, James Barclay’s terrific first trilogy is now complete and on the shelves of US bookstores.

Also still around are the Dragons that helped to close the rift in Noonshade. As a result of their actions they are stuck in Balaia, dying slowly from the Balaian atmosphere. They are aging rapidly and hunted as big game. The people of Balaia seemed to have forgotten the sacrifice the magnificent beasts made to save them. The only thing between death and the Dragons is Hirad, who was bonded to Sha-Kaan, the great rule of the Kaan brood of Dragons, during the events of Noonshade. The Unknown Warrior is married with child and runs full-time, the bar he owns. Thraun is leading a pack of wolves.

Nigthchild is a satisfying conclusion to this initial trilogy by James Barclay. He expertly brings hanging elements of each preceding volume to closure. Though, there are seeds for a future story or two left unexplored. Let’s hope Mr. Barclay lets these seeds grow into new stories.

Starfist : Double Jeopardy by David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Del Rey, Hardcover 12/29/2009) – These guys are consistent, if nothing else. They provide a new book for their fans almost every year.


The thrilling pace of the Starfist space epic quickens as the explosive series rockets to dazzling new heights, packed with the hell-for-leather action only two battle-hardened and decorated combat vets like David Sherman and Dan Cragg can provide.

The Confederation has finally disclosed the existence of Skinks, fierce aliens bent on wiping out humankind, and announced its plan to find and destroy their home world. While the rest of the universe grapples with the news, the Skink-savvy Marines of the Confederation's Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) have their own take on the situation.

Though they're no longer in danger of being exiled to a ghastly netherworld for spilling the beans about the deadly aliens, the men still can't transfer out of the unit where they've been confined since they first laid eyes on the Skinks. The reason is obvious: Who else but the legendary Thirty-fourth FIST has the skills and experience to spearhead the invasion of the Skinks' home world?

Morale isn't improved by a report of Skinks on the uncolonized world of Ishtar near a mercenary force engaged in slave-driven mining operations there—which means that FIST must turn around and head right back into the jaws of hell with no downtime. But none of that matters to Lieutenant Charlie Bass and the third platoon of Company L. They're Marines, they're the best, and they've got a job to do.

The Marines will find a planet ripped apart by all-out war, with enemies on all sides. The only certainty is that the fighting will rage red-hot and relentless, and Charlie Bass and his men will be right in the thick of the action.

Isis and The Gathering Storm

With Hallowe’en only days away, what better time than now to post my review of a gothic supernatural tale of death? None better, I say, none better. To that end, the review in question is of Isis by Douglas Clegg, a short book that should be read in one sitting for the best effect. It’s a nicely designed book with terrific illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne.

Isis is a very short tale, clocking in at only 113 pages of very large type with haunting illustrations by Glen Chadbourne. The tale follows young Iris Villiers from her pre-teen to teen years as she comes of age alongside her twin brothers at Belerion Hall, where their family recently moved just before the start of the novel. The tale takes place in the 19th Century, placing this story very much in the gothic tradition. Clegg tells the story in Iris’s voice through the first-person narrative and the words flow very well, realistically, and with a great air of believability. Through her voice, Clegg captures the naïve innocence of selfish youth very well.
.
.
.

When the story takes a turn for the worse, Iris cannot help but ignore the warnings of Old Marsh and we see the ‘be careful what you wish for’ adage come into full effect. The story then, comes across as a fairy tale in the dark tradition of the Brothers Grimm.

Oh, and there’s a new book in a small little fantasy series publishing today. I’m not sure if people have heard of it - The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.*



At by SFFWorld, we set up two discussion threads:

The Gathering Storm - Wheel of Time Book 12 Official Discussion SPOILERS
The Gathering Storm - Wheel of Time Book 12 Official Discussion NO SPOILERS,

*I don’t think I could rightfully consider myself a FSF blogger if I didn’t mention the book.

Books in the Mail (W/E 10/24/2009)

A very big week of arrivals at the ‘o Stuff homestead with all of the books in this post except one arriving on Monday alone. Random House finally did something I wish all the other publishers would do – send all their books (from 4 different imprints) in one box. That saves on their shipping costs and the amount of those big, thick, yellow envelopes I accumulate.

Bound to Shadows (A Riley Jenson Guardian Novel) by Keri Arthur (Dell Mass Market Paperback 10/27/2009) – 10 books in 4 years, that isn’t too bad – this is a werewolf/vampire urban fantasy that the kids love so much nowadays:.


In the darkness, demons come out to play and someone must bring their sins to light. Part vampire, part werewolf, Riley Jenson knows what can happen when vamps don’t play well with others. But she’s never seen anything like this: a series of brutal murders surrounding the latest hot spot for vampire-human hookups—and the victims aren’t just killed, they’re beheaded. Now Riley is launching into action, toying with a seductive—and highly suspicious—club owner, and finding herself in the middle of another mystery: women being killed one by one, without a trace of violence.

For Riley, solving multiple cases—in a world going mad with human and vampire passions—would have been tough enough. Instead she has two jealous lovers on her hands: Kye Murphy, the amber-eyed werewolf who makes Riley’s wolf blood howl—and Quinn, the cool, elegant vamp who has over a thousand years’ experience at fulfilling women’s desires. While she’s busy juggling these two sexy beasts, Riley’s detective work takes a stunningly violent turn. Finding a murderer is now a matter of life and death. Especially since the killer has long since found her...

By the Mountain Bound (The Edda of Burdens) by Elizabeth Bear (Tor Hardcover 10/27/2009) I’ve yet to read any of Bear’s novel-length fiction, although I have enjoyed most of the short fiction I’ve read from her. Since this book is a prequel rather than a sequel/second book, this his possibiilties

For five hundred years the immortal Children of the Light, einherjar and valkyrie, have lived together in the North of Valdyrgard. They were born out of the Sea, each with a shining crystal sword in his or her hand; they are Angels of Light created in the formation of a new world. But three have come before them, from the death-throes of the old world, Midgard: the world-girdling Serpent, Bearer of Burdens; the Wolf Fenris, eater of the Sun, who now takes the form of an einherjar; and his demon sister, stealer of souls.

The Children spend their days feasting, fighting, hunting, and guarding their human charges. But one dreadful day a woman is washed up from the sea, a Lady who is no mortal, though she is not valkyrie either. Thus begins the breaking of the Children of the Light, the tarnishing of their power, and the death of Valdyrgard.

By the Mountain Bound is a prequel to Elizabeth Bear’s highly acclaimed All the Windwracked Stars, and tells the painful tale of love and betrayal, sorcery and battle, that led up to the day when Muire was left alone in the snow at the end of the world.

The Prisoner by Carlos J. Cortes (Bantam Spectra Mass Market Paperback 10/27/2009) – Near Future SF thriller that has a PKD feel, at least from the synopsis below

2049. Earth's prisons are shut down and all inmates placed in massive hibernation tanks. In the ten years since then, no one has broken out…until now.

When prisoners check into Washington D.C.'s maximum security "sugar cube," they don't check out. Here lie suspended not just the planet's most dangerous criminals, but also half a million so-called "center inmates"—troublesome activists whose only offense is to challenge those in power.

Laurel Cole was one of those inmates—and now she's on the run. After pulling off a meticulously executed escape plan, she and her team must elude the police by descending into the tunnels that run like poisoned veins beneath the city. Pursued by a ruthless mercenary who knows these sewers better than anyone, Laurel seeks help from a group of renegades who live huddled in the fetid darkness. But if she ever hopes to see daylight again—and expose the government's lies—she'll have to go even deeper. . . and the clock is ticking.


Indigo Springs by (A.M. Dellamonica (Tor Trade Paperback 10/27/2009) – I read a couple of her short stories (Fast Forward 1, Mojo) and from what I remember, I enjoyed them.

Indigo Springs is a sleepy town where things seem pretty normal . . . until Astrid’s father dies and she moves into his house. She discovers that for many years her father had been accessing the magic that flowed, literally, in a blue stream beneath the earth, leaking into his house. When she starts to use the liquid "vitagua" to enchant everyday items, the results seem innocent enough: a “’chanted” watch becomes a charm that means you're always in the right place at the right time; a “’chanted” pendant enables the wearer to convince anyone of anything . . .

But as events in Indigo Springs unfold and the true potential of vitagua is revealed, Astrid and her friends unwittingly embark on a journey fraught with power, change, and a future too devastating to contemplate. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends as Astrid discovers secrets from her shrouded childhood that will lead her to a destiny stranger than she could have imagined . . .

Candle in the Storm (The Shadowed Path #2) by Morgan Howell (Del Rey Mass Market Paperback 10/27/2009) – Impressively, Howell has released/published 5 books since 2007, one completed trilogy and this one 2/3 complete


The malign shadow of the Devourer has darkened the land, extinguishing life and hope. The followers of the benevolent goddess Karm are hunted mercilessly and cut down by an army of bewitched slayers led by Lord Bahl, the Devourer’s flesh-and-blood incarnation. Only two people stand in the way of an apocalyptic bloodbath that will literally bring hell to earth: a man and a woman linked by a love as strong as it is unlikely–Honus, a grim-faced warrior dedicated to Karm, and Yim, a beautiful former slave with the divine power to stop Lord Bahl.

But that power will prove a terrible curse as Yim is called upon to make a costly sacrifice–a sacrifice that will not only put her love for Honus to the test but call into question her very faith. As the evil storm descends, can the flame of hope endure?.


State of Decay (Revivors) by James Knapp (Ace Mass Market Paperback 02/02/2010) – Debut novel about zombies intentionally reanimated. Sounds interesting.


Would you allow the military to reanimate your corpse, knowing it would commit atrocities, if it meant avoiding service in a brutal war during your lifetime?

What if your level of citizenship depended on your answer? To gain a chance at a better life, or feed your family, which would you choose then? Or would you choose neither, and accept a life of hardship and poverty? What if you came face to face with your own death, and realized too late you had made the wrong decision?

Small Miracles by Edward M. Lerner (Tor Hardcover 10/27/2009) – Lerner is a busy man having written or co-written 5 books in the past couple of years

Garner Nanotechnology is developing nanotech-enhanced protective suits and autonomous first-aid nanobots. It’s cutting-edge stuff, and when it saves Brent Cleary from a pipeline explosion that killed hundreds, the Army takes notice.

Near-death experience changes a person, so no one is entirely surprised when easy-going Brent turns somber and studious, focused and cold. Not at first. But Kim O’Donnell, Brent’s best friend, cannot get past some of the changes. This just isn’t her friend, and she wonders what’s gotten into him.

With an Army field trial imminent and the company’s future at stake, possible nanotech side effects aren’t something anyone wants to discuss. The bad news is, Kim’s right. Something has gotten into Brent – and he isn’t the only one changing. If Kim can’t stop them … maybe we’ll all change.


Dragonheart (Dragonriders of Pern) by Todd McCaffrey (Del Rey Mass Market Paperback 10/27/2009) – Another year anotherPern novel, this things come out like clockwork, which is great for Pern/McCaffrey’s legion of fans.

The grim specter of sickness looms over the Weyrs of Pern, felling fire-lizards and posing a potentially devastating threat to their dragon cousins, Pern’s sole defense against the deadly phenomenon that is Thread. Fiona, the youngest and only surviving daughter of Lord Bemin, is just coming of age, and about to assume the duties of a Weyrwoman, when word spreads that dragons have indeed begun succumbing to the new contagion. With the next season of Threadfall quickly approaching, and the already diminished ranks of the dragons once more under siege, every Weyr across Pern is in crisis mode. It is hardly the time for disturbing distractions–such as the strange voice Fiona suddenly hears in her mind at the darkest and most urgent moments.

Circumstances and the mood of the weyrfolk worsen when advance patrols relay the dreaded news that black dust–the unmistakable herald of falling Thread–has been sighted. As more dragons sicken and die, leaving only a new generation of weyrlings too young to succeed them, Weyrleader B’Nik and queen rider Lorana arrive from Benden Weyr to comb Fort Weyr’s archives in a desperate search for clues from the past that may hold the solution to the plague.

But could the actual past itself prove the pathway to salvation for Pern’s stricken dragons and the entire imperiled planet? Guided by a mysterious ally from a wholly unexpected place, and trusting in the unique dragon gift for transcending time, Fiona will join a risky expedition with far-reaching consequences for both Pern’s future and her personal destiny.

Black Blood by John Meaney (Bantam Spectra Trade Paperback 10/27/2009) – I thought the first book in this Dark SF/SF Horror/SF-Mystery series Bone Song was pretty good so this book seems like it will go to the ‘definitely to read’ pile:

In John Meaney’s follow-up to the much-acclaimed Bone Song, a cop in a morbidly lush necropolis crosses the barrier between life and death to avenge the murder of his lover—a woman whose heart now beats in his chest.…

Tristopolitan police lieutenant Donal Riordan returned from the dead for one purpose: to stop the killer who took not only his life but his reason for living it. But first he must penetrate a secret cabal known as the Black Circle, whose stranglehold on the city’s elite is preparation for a magical coup d’état fueled by a sacrifice of unprecedented bloodshed. At the center of this ring of evil is the man responsible for his lover’s murder—a man Donal has already had to kill once before.

Elric in the Dream Realms (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné: Volume 5) by Michael Moorcock (Del Rey Trade Paperback 10/27/2009) – This is the fifth volume in Del Rey’s terrific looking repackaging of Moorcock’s iconic Anti-hero, Elric. Each volume has had a different artist, this one’s cover and interior is by Michael William Kaluta. There’s also an introduction by Neil Gaiman. I’ve read most of the Elric stories in various forms, either in the Science Fiction Book Club omnibuses or the White Wolf versions.

Kinslayer. Soul reaver. Sorcerer. Thief. And last emperor of a cruel, decadent race. Elric of Melniboné is all of these–and more. His life is sustained by drugs and magic–and energy sucked from the victims of his vampiric black sword, Stormbringer, a weapon feared by men and gods alike. Denied the oblivion he seeks, poised between a tragic past he cannot escape and a terrifying future he is doomed to bring about, Elric is a hero like no other.

Del Rey is proud to present the fifth installment in its definitive collection featuring the immortal creation of Michael Moorcock, named Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Highlights include an epic novel of Elric’s early years, The Fortress of the Pearl; the script of the graphic novel Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer; a previously unpublished proposal for a new series; and Hugo Award—winning author Neil Gaiman’s moving fictional tribute to Elric, the short story “One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock.”

Gorgeously illustrated by Michael Wm. Kaluta, Elric: In the Dream Realms is a dream come true for sword-and-sorcery fans.

In His Majesty's Service (Temeraire) by Naomi Novik (Del Rey Books Hardcover 10/27/2009) – This is an omnibus of the first three enjoyable books in Novik’s popular Dragons-in-Napoleonic-War series (His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War):

Together in one volume, here are the first three novels in Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestselling Temeraire series, combining the gripping history of the Napoleonic era, the thrill of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern books, and the excitement of Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring adventures. In His Majesty’s Service also includes an exclusive original Temeraire short story.

Capt. Will Laurence is serving with honor in the British Navy when his ship captures a French frigate harboring most a unusual cargo–an incalculably valuable dragon egg. When the egg hatches, Laurence unexpectedly becomes the master of the young dragon Temeraire and finds himself on an extraordinary journey that will shatter his orderly, respectable life and alter the course of his nation’s history.

Thrust into England’s Aerial Corps, Laurence and Temeraire undergo rigorous training while staving off French forces intent on breaching British soil. But the pair has more than France to contend with when China learns that an imperial dragon intended for Napoleon–Temeraire himself– has fallen into British hands. The emperor summons the new pilot and his dragon to the Far East, a long voyage fraught with peril and intrigue. From England’s shores to China’s palaces, from the Silk Road’s outer limits to the embattled borders of Prussia and Poland, Laurence and Temeraire must defend their partnership and their country from powerful adversaries around the globe. But can they succeed against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army?


Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Pyr Trade Paperback November 2009) – Rusch is a very prolific writer who bounces between genres, with a lot of SF on her shelves. This is a stand alone novel that sounds pretty interesting and reminds me a bit, from the description only, of Jack McDevitt.

Boss loves to dive historical ships, derelict spacecraft found adrift in the blackness between the stars. Sometimes she salvages for money, but mostly she's an active historian. She wants to know about the past—to experience it firsthand. Once she's dived the ship, she'll either leave it for others to find or file a claim so that she can bring tourists to dive it as well. It's a good life for a tough loner, with more interest in artifacts than people.

Then one day, Boss finds the claim of a lifetime: an enormous spacecraft, incredibly old, and apparently Earth-made. It's impossible for something so old, built in the days before Faster Than Light travel, to have journeyed this far from Earth. It shouldn't be here. It can't be here. And yet, it is. Boss's curiosity is up, and she's determined to investigate. She hires a group of divers to explore the wreck with her, the best team she can assemble. But some secrets are best kept hidden, and the past won't give up its treasures without exacting a price in blood.

What Boss finds could rewrite history, cost lives, and start an intergalactic war.


Star Wars 501st (An Imperial Commando Novel) by Karen Traviss (Del Rey/Star Wars Books Hardcover 10/27/2009) – Traviss is a somewhat controversial Star Wars writer – she’s got legions and legions of admirers and some who don’t like her so much. She’s leaving the Star Wars books behind due to some conflicts between her stories and The Clone Wars TV show.


The Clone Wars are over, but for those with reason to run from the new galactic Empire, the battle to survive has only just begun. . . .

The Jedi have been decimated in the Great Purge, and the Republic has fallen. Now the former Republic Commandos–the galaxy’s finest special forces troops, cloned from Jango Fett–find themselves on opposing sides and in very different armor. Some have deserted and fled to Mandalore with the mercenaries, renegade clone troopers, and rogue Jedi who make up Kal Skirata’s ragtag resistance to Imperial occupation. Others–including men from Delta and Omega squads–now serve as Imperial Commandos, a black ops unit within Vader’s own 501st Legion, tasked to hunt down fugitive Jedi and clone deserters. For Darman, grieving for his Jedi wife and separated from his son, it’s an agonizing test of loyalty. But he’s not the only one who’ll be forced to test the ties of brotherhood. On Mandalore, clone deserters and the planet’s own natives, who have no love for the Jedi, will have their most cherished beliefs challenged. In the savage new galactic order, old feuds may have to be set aside to unite against a far bigger threat, and nobody can take old loyalties for granted..

In Great Waters by Kit Whitfield (Del Rey Trade Paperback 10/27/2009) – Owen read/reviewed Kit’s first novel Bareback (aka Benighted in the US) and interviewed her back in 2007 and reviewed In Great Waters a few months ago. This book deals with mer-people:

During a time of great upheaval, the citizens of Venice make a pact that will change the world. The landsmen of the city broker a treaty with a water-dwelling tribe of deepsmen, cementing the alliance through marriage. The mingling of the two races produces a fresh, peerless strain of royal blood. To protect their shores, other nations make their own partnerships with this new breed–and then, jealous of their power, ban any further unions between the two peoples. Dalliance with a deepswoman becomes punishable by death. Any “bastard” child must be destroyed.

This is an Earth where the legends of the deep are true–where the people of the ocean are as real and as dangerous as the people of the land. This is the world of intrigue and betrayal that Kit Whitfield brings to life in an unforgettable alternate history: the tale of Anne, the youngest princess of a faltering England, struggling to survive in a troubled court, and Henry, a bastard abandoned on the shore to face his bewildering destiny, finding himself a pawn in a game he does not understand.

Yet even a pawn may checkmate a king.

Salamander - Rob's First Warhammer 40K Novel

I’d been interested in the Warhammer / Warhammer 40,000 universe(s) for a while now. There seems to be a very cohesive, well-thought air about these media/gaming fiction universes. I recently finished my first Warhammer 40,000 Salamander by Nick Kyme, the first of the Tome of Fire Trilogy. I like the cover on this one a lot, too.

Salamanders are the elite fighting units of the Space Marines – the military force of the Emperor’s Imperium of Man. Bred and genetically enhanced to the fullest extent of human physical capabilities, they are on the frontline of the galaxy defending the worlds of man and helping to enact the Emperor’s will. In genre shorthand, think the soldier’s of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers standing seven-feet tall, amped up on steroids, armed with blot throwers and chain-swords.

Kyme populates his Salamanders with quite a range of characters, with Dak’ir as the de-facto protagonist. Da’kir has prophetic dreams and is haunted by past battles, and both of these converge along the way. Other characters include the plotting Iagon and Tsu’gan, as well as the newly appointed captain N’Keln. Considering the novel centers on a troop of Salamanders, there are additional characters. Unfortunately, they weren’t too distinguishable from one another and this was not helped by their similar sounding names often broken by the great genre apostrophe. Kyme also has a tendency to fall back on some tropes that come across as anachronistic – literary phrases that seemed to have lasted 40 thousand years. The only other flaw is an occasionally unevenly paced narrative.

Books in the Mail (W/E 10/17/2009)

Sunday is Books in the Mail time, so here’s the tally of books I received for review during the previous week. Since I can’t possibly get to all of the books publishers send me, the next best thing is to at least not ignore them, which is the main purpose of this post.

All that said, this week was a pretty big week at the o’ Stuff mailbox/porch/in-front-of-the-garage...


And Another Thing... (Book #6 in The Hithchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy) by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion Trade Paperback 10/11/2009) – I have a deep affection for the first 4 or 5 books in the trilogy and have read them each a couple of times. My wife loves the books, too. There seems to be some positivity surrounding this continuation of a deceased author’s defining work, quite the opposite of what’s happening with the Dune books. In fact, a number of very positive reviews cropped up the day of the book’s release

An Englishman's continuing search through space and time for a decent cup of tea . .

Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has not been entirely without incident.

Arthur has travelled the length breadth and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forwards and backwards through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released, and colorfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And of course Arthur Dent has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Arthur has finally made it home to Earth, but that does not mean he has escaped his fate.

Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa have evaporated rapidly along with all the world's oceans. For no sooner has he touched down on the planet Earth than he finds out that it is about to be blown up . . . ..again.

And Another Thing . . . is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favorite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer, and at least one very large slab of cheese.

Makers by (Cory Doctorow (Tor Hardcover 10/27/2009) – This is Doctorow’s first novel since Makers, which I thought was one of the best books I read last year:

Perry and Lester invent things—seashell robots that make toast, Boogie Woogie Elmo dolls that drive cars. They also invent entirely new economic systems, like the “New Work,” a New Deal for the technological era. Barefoot bankers cross the nation, microinvesting in high-tech communal mini-startups like Perry and Lester’s. Together, they transform the country, and Andrea Fleeks, a journo-turned-blogger, is there to document it.

Then it slides into collapse. The New Work bust puts the dot.combomb to shame. Perry and Lester build a network of interactive rides in abandoned Wal-Marts across the land. As their rides, which commemorate the New Work’s glory days, gain in popularity, a rogue Disney executive grows jealous, and convinces the police that Perry and Lester’s 3D printers are being used to run off AK-47s.

Hordes of goths descend on the shantytown built by the New Workers, joining the cult. Lawsuits multiply as venture capitalists take on a new investment strategy: backing litigation against companies like Disney. Lester and Perry’s friendship falls to pieces when Lester gets the ‘fatkins’ treatment, turning him into a sybaritic gigolo.

The Commanding Stone (The Osserian Saga #3) by David Forbes (EOS Mass Market Paperback 10/03/2009) – I read and liked the first book, The Amber Wizard when it first published in 2006 and subsequently interviewed David. I liked the book and now I have books 2 and 3 to read back to back.

Gerin, King of Khedesh, has long since accepted the mantle of Amber Wizard—the first in a millennium—with all the terrible responsibility that accompanies it. He has prevented the dread wizard-king, Asankaru, from attaining the all-powerful Words of Making, but the enemy grows stronger by the day.

And now Gerin must be resolute and pursue the secret of the Words at any and all cost. For a new foe has emerged in a furious race toward a magical artifact that can awaken and command monsters long thought dead. And nothing will survive the devastation wrought by dragon fire.



Heart's Blood edited by Juliet Marillier (Roc Hardcover 11/03/2009) – Taking a break from her popular Sevenwaters milieu, Marillier spins a romantic fantasy that seems to touch upon some similar themes. I only read Daughter of the Forest and thought it was good.

The national bestselling "fine folklorist and gifted narrator"(Publishers Weekly) of the Sevenwaters novels conjures a new sweeping romantic fantasy.

Anluan has been crippled since childhood, part of a curse that has besieged his family and his home of Whistling Tor. But when the young scribe Caitrin is retained to sort through family documents, she brings about unexpected changes in the household, casting a hopeful light against the despairing shadows.

But to truly free Anluan's burdened soul, Caitrin must unravel the web of sorcery woven by his ancestors before it claims his life-and their love…


Sasha (A Trial of Blood and Steel #1) by Joel Shepherd (Pyr Trade Paperback 10/13/2009) – Joel made a big splash with his Cassandra Kresnov series (Crossover, Breakaway, and Killswitch). With this series, he seems to be sticking with a strong heroine, although he’s switched gears and is telling a (historical?) fantasy with these books

SASHA IS A FIGHTER, THE LIKE OF WHICH THE HIGHLAND COUNTRY OF LENAYIN HAS NEVER SEEN.

Spurning her royal heritage to be raised by the great warrior, Kessligh, her exquisite swordplay astonishes all who witness it. But Sasha is still young, untested in battle and often led by her rash temper. In the complex world of Lenayin loyalties, her defiant wilfulness is attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Lenayin is a land almost divided by its two faiths: the Verenthane of the ruling classes and the pagan Goeren-yai, amongst whom Sasha now lives. The Goeren-yai worship swordplay and honour and begin to see Sasha as the great spirit—the Synnich—who will unite them. But Sasha is still searching for what she believes and must choose her side carefully.

When the Udalyn people—the symbol of Goeren-yai pride and courage—are attacked, Sasha will face her moment of testing. How will she act? Is she ready to lead? Can she be the saviour they need her to be?

Legacy by Tom Sniegoski (Delacorte Books for Young Readers Hardcover 11/03/2009) – Sniegoski is a pretty prolific writer, this is the third book I’ve received for review over the past year with his name on it. This story is about superheroes and sounds, thematically, a bit similar to Robert Kirkman’s Invincible.


What if you found out your deadbeat father is a superhero? Would you leave your small-town life to take up the mantle of a father you never knew? For 18-year-old Lucas, the choice is an easy one: he’s not going to leave behind his mother and his comfortable life for a father who’s never shown any interest in him. But his father—known officially as billionaire Clayton Hartwell, and secretly as the vigilante superhero The Raptor—tells Lucas that as he is dying, evil is growing, and the world needs Lucas to become the new Raptor. When Lucas’s mother is killed by mysterious warriors, he realizes that his father is right. Once in Seraph City, Lucas is stunned by the amount of poverty and crime. But after observing his father’s “heroic” behavior up close, Lucas is left wondering about the line between good and evil. And eventually, he must decide whether to take a stand against the one man who loves him in order to defend a world that desperately needs him.

Eclipse Three edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books Trade Paperback October 2009) – This is the third in Strahan’s acclaimed annual, unthemed anthology series of original fiction. I thought the first one was good, but haven’t gotten to the second one yet, and this one looks pretty impressive, too.

To observe an eclipse is to witness a rare and unusual event. Under darkened skies the sun becomes a negative image of itself, its corona transforming the landscape into a strange space where anything might happen, and any story may be true...

In the spirit of classic science fiction anthologies such as Universe, Orbit, and Starlight, master anthologist Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year) presents the non-themed genre anthology Eclipse: New Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here you will find stories where strange and wonderful things happen--where reality is eclipsed by something magical and new.

Continuing in the footsteps of the multiple-award-nominated anthologies Eclipse One and Eclipse Two, Eclipse Three delivers new fiction by some of the genre's most celebrated authors, including Karen Joy Fowler's story of a family's desperation and a rebellious young woman's strange incarceration; Ellen Klages's fable of a practical girl, an unusual tortoise, and an ancient mathematical puzzle; Pat Cadigan's story of a mysterious photograph and two friends' journey through space and time in order to solve its riddle; Jeffrey Ford's tale of a legendary sword imbued with the power to turn flesh to coral, and of the artist that wields it; Daniel Abraham's story of divine providence, sacred oaths, and the omens that indicate whether a man is fit to be king; and Caitlin R. Kiernan's chronicle of an astronaut whose memories of a lover lost to an alien intelligence haunt her.

Table of Contents:

• The Pelican Bar, Karen Joy Fowler
• A Practical Girl, Ellen Klages
• Don't Mention Madagascar, Pat Cadigan
• On the Road, Nnedi Okorafor
• Swell, Elizabeth Bear
• Useless Things, Maureen F. McHugh
• The Coral Heart, Jeffrey Ford
• It Takes Two, Nicola Griffith
• Sleight of Hand, Peter S. Beagle
• The Pretender's Tourney, Daniel Abraham
• Yes We Have No Bananas, Paul Di Filippo
• Mesopotamian Fire, Jane Yolen & Adam Stemple
• The Visited Man, Molly Gloss
• Galapagos, Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Dolce Domum, Ellen Kushner

Blackout by (Connie Willis (Bantam Spectra Hardcover 02/10/2010) – Willis is one of the most awarded writers in the Science Fiction genre. Her most famous novel Doomsday Book also centers on Time Travel. I expect this novel will be on awards lists next year.


Blackout is the opening movement of a vast, absorbing two-volume novel that may well prove to be Connie Willis’s masterpiece. Like her multi-award winning The Doomsday Book, this marvelous new work marries the intricate mechanics of time travel to the gritty – and dangerous – realities of actual human history.

The narrative opens in Oxford, England in 2060, where a trio of time traveling scholars prepares to depart for various corners of the Second World War. Their mission: to observe, from a “safe” vantage point, the day-to-day nature of life during a critical historical moment, As the action ranges from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the manor houses of rural England to the quotidian horrors of London during the Blitz, the objective nature of their roles gradually changes. Cut off from the safety net of the future and caught up in the “chaotic system” that is history, they are forced to participate, in unexpected ways, in the defining events of the era.

Blackout is an ingeniously constructed time travel novel and a grand entertainment. More than that, it is a moving, exquisitely detailed portrait of a world under siege, a world dominated by chaos, uncertainty, and the threat of imminent extinction. It is the rare sort of book that transcends the limits of genre, offering pleasure, insight, and illumination on virtually every page.

Iron Company by Chris Wraight (Black Library Mass Market 11/04/2009) – The breadth of these Warhammer novels continues to impress me – the folks at Black Library really have quite a few different series going on.
.

When retired engineer Magnus Ironblood is tempted into one more campaign, he finds himself working alongside some unlikely allies. Sent as part of an Imperial force to bring to heel the secessionist forces of Countess von Kleister, this rag-tag army finds themselves outgunned. Digging deep into their reserves of courage and ingenuity they must fight the enemy forces with everything they have. But will it be enough to succeed where other have failed?