I Hope I Didn't Just Give Away the Ending

World Without End by Ken Follett

2007-12-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

Oprah Winfrey is not the devil.

Last year she gave proper due to Cormac McCarthy's science fiction masterpiece The Road long before it won the Pulitzer. (I won't comment on the rampant stupidity of SF Fandom at large on this issue other than to say pervasive.)

So... Oprah.

A month or so ago, Winfrey named Ken Follett's The Pillars of The Earth her latest bestseller... err... book club pick. And kudos to her for the choice. Pillars is a wonderful historical on the building of a cathedral in feudal England, and the tales of those affected by it.

Seventeen years after The Pillars of The Earth was first published, we have the sequel: World Without End.

Hallelujah.

WWE is a return to Kingsbridge to visit with the descendants of of the characters in Pillars of The Earth, and as such, can be read without having read the previous volume. (But you don't want to skip it.) It is a fascinating look into the life of serfs and average business people during the Dark Ages. Politics and religion weigh heavily in this book, and if one is deeply religious and particularly Catholic, one may not like the realities presented.

I have two problems with this novel, despite enjoying it very much; the women are far too modern and the editor was far too timid.

I appreciate that Follett wants to present women as independent, but his portrayal of a teenage girl turned Nun rebelling against the Church to practice modern medicine is a bit much. (I don't want to give away too much, but it becomes increasingly absurd.) And while I enjoy doorstop books as much as anyone, a whole lot of this could have been condensed.

That said, go enjoy Kingsbridge.

8.5/10

Collector's Notes:

The Pillars of the Earth first edition has exploded in value due to Oprah's making it a club selection. That said, I do not foresee the same happening with World Without End. Feel free to wait for the paperback if you are so inclined.

Black Man (Thirteen) by Richard Morgan

2007-11-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

'"Fucking right, not us. You know how they breed contemporary humans from a thirteen? You fucking domesticate them. Same thing they did with wolves to make them into dogs... You Select for fucking tameness, Marsalis. For lack of aggression, and for compliance. And you know how you get that?"
...You get it by taking immature individuals, individuals showing the characteristics of fucking puppies."

"We're the only thing that scares those people because we won't comply, we won't stay infantile and go out and play nice in their plastic fucking world."
-Richard Morgan, Black Man

I have something of a man-crush on Richard Morgan. I can admit it.

I've been reading his books for five or so years now, ever since I chanced across the Phillip K. Dick award winning Altered Carbon in my local used book store. To say I was gratified when I finally got around to reading it is something of an understatement.

Altered Carbon is among the very best science fiction books of this young millennium, and although Morgan has written 3 fine novels in the interim between AC and Black Man, it seemed he may never again reach the heights of his debut novel. (This is too often the case with writers, after all.)

Well, Black Man is better. And not insignificantly so. Black Man is the best science fiction novel of the year. Black Man is the most thought-provoking and stirring science fiction novel I have ever read.

Morgan tackles racism and the many faces of religion today and tomorrow; war, politics and the very nature of masculinity. Six or so months removed from my initial reading of this work, I still find myself internally debating ideas expressed here, finding I have no answers. I'll save the plot summaries for Amazon; just read this book.

And then go here to buy your membership so that you may nominate it for the Hugo.

10/10 (If you read only one book this year, etc, etc.)

Collector's Notes:

Do the SF community a favor and import this one from the U.K. (While you still can.) Gollancz published this title as it was written; Black Man. Del Rey, on the other hand, shied away from the controversial title, renaming it Thirteen for the United States.

As for the future value of this title, well..

Look, one of these days Morgan is going to be recognized for what he is; the best combination of sheer readability and thought-provoking ideas we've had in science fiction since Robert Heinlein was good. U.K. First editions of Altered Carbon are selling for around 800 dollars, and I still view that as a sound investment. Buy the book, enjoy the book, and if the value inflates as it ought, you can thank me later.

Amazon's Best of 2007 for SF and Fantasy

2007-11-07T12:38:00.000-05:00

Is Amazon the best site on the internet or the evil bane of brick and mortar bookstores?

Yes.

Their list of the top ten SF and Fantasy books of the year is actually tremendous in many respects, and I recommend you check it out.

It features 4 or 5 choices that will probably make my own top ten list, and as such I can only marvel at the savvy, charm, and undoubted good looks of Amazon's crack team of editors.

The List:

1. The Terror by Dan Simmons
2. Brasyl by Ian McDonald
3. Territory by Emma Bull
4. The Traitor by Michael Cisco
5. Spaceman Blues: A Lovesong by Brian Francis Slattery
6. Shelter by Susan Palwick
7. The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
8. Thirteen (Black Man) by Richard Morgan
9. Tin House: Fantastic Women by Aimee Bender
10. The Coyote Road edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling

I will be reviewing a number of these books shortly. (But please feel free to purchase numbers 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 right away. )

World Fantasy 2007; Breathing is overrated

2007-11-06T16:11:00.000-05:00

In case you've been living under a rock, as I have been, thanks for asking, Gene Wolfe has just won his first major award since the very early eighties in the form of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Soldier of Sidon.

Bravo, randomly selected panel of judges, bravo.

Wolfe is as talented an author as has ever graced genre fiction; his least work fit to stand on any ballot. And this latest installment of the paramount example of an undependable narrator is a satisfying return to the world of Latro.

I was fortunate enough to attend World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga this past weekend, and it must be noted that this was a first class convention; as well-run and organized a con as I have attended in my handful of years in fandom. It was a truly first class operation from a members point of view.

So, though I was but a few feet away on the hotel patio, I was not present at the awards ceremony. I am normally angered by the rank foolishness of the chosen winners, and so have learned it is better to not attend award presentations at all. As such I was not present for what was apparently a wonderful and stirring speech by Toastmaster Guy Gavriel Kay about the recently deceased Robert Jordan.

Search as I might, I can not seem to locate a transcript of this speech. However, it was articulated to me that Kay thought it was a shame that Jordan was never nominated for a World Fantasy, Hugo, or Nebula Award during his lifetime, despite the implicit fact that genre fiction was so deeply influenced by his work, both artistically and fiscally. I don't know much else of what Kay said, and would dearly love to, if anyone has a transcript.

But this I can say:

"Right the fuck on, Guy."

James Rigney (as Robert Jordan) shaped Epic Fantasy in his own way just as much as J.R.R. Tolkien. That's right, I said it. Get over it. His impact is seen on the bookshelves of every bookstore that stocks fantasy in the world. With apologies to Marvel, let's do a little 'What If?' shall we?

If there had been no Wheel of Time, epic fantasy would still be stuck in the rut of Tolkien's
(albeit unintended by him) Rule of Three. Trilogies sell, the soul-sucking publishing houses would scream, longer series fail.

Would we have Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire?' Perhaps, as it was originally intended to be a trilogy. However, the popularity of his series, aside from the sheer quality, can also be traced to Jordan's cover blurb on A Game of Thrones. I can not number the many fans who have told me they picked it up do to that tiny blurb.

Well then, would we have the multi-volume epic stories of Steven Erikson? Robin Hobb? L.E. Modesitt? Terry Goodkind? (OK, so perhaps that one's in the negative column.)

Would someone have taken a chance on a seven book fantasy series from an unpublished, unknown author? Probably not. And so I state that while it may not be the only reason, Jordan's success weighed in the decision to publish Harry Potter.

Hell, The Wheel of Time has weighed in some form or another in the decision to publish any and every fantasy novel since the early nineties. The genre would not have it's popularity today if not for Jordan. There are a slew of authors who literally owe their having been published to him. How many genre authors were discovered by how many millions of readers while waiting for the next Wheel of Time novel?

So what am I getting at, exactly?

Next year when I actually attend the World Fantasy award presentation, I fully expect to witness the Life Achievement Award presented to Harriet Rigney. Anything less is wrong. (And I do not care about award rules. They can be changed by a simple vote.)

As for the SFWA Grandmaster, the rules for that will never be changed to allow for the deceased. The reason for that, of course, is that no living author would vote to compete on a ballot with the likes of H.G. Wells, H.P. Lovecraft, or Roger Zelazny. (And since I wasn't blogging at the time... James Gunn over Gene Wolfe? Michael Moorcock? You're a joke, SFWA.)

Please excuse the rambling. I haven't ranted like this in a while.

As for the other award winners, I was exceedingly pleased with Mary Rickert taking two categories.

Her inscription in my copy of Map of Dreams (go buy it!) reads: "Thanks for Sharing My Dream, Sincerely, M. Rickert"

No Mary, thank you for sharing your Dreams with us.

P.S. Yes, I'm back.

A Breather

2007-05-31T13:42:00.000-04:00

I have been asked by my attorney to discontinue blogging for the forseeable future. As such, IHIDJGATE is and will remain in stasis.

I apologize profusely. There is nothing I can do about it.

I'll be back someday, but until then, please read the links over on the right on a regular basis. Those guys and girls are almost as smart and tasteful as me.

Just as a parting shot.....

-Black Man by Richard Morgan 10/10, a must read.
-Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch 9.5/10
-Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie 9/10
-The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 8/10
-Marvel Comics Civil War storyline 4/10
-The Last Colony by John Scalzi 5/10
-Bright of The Sky by Kay Kenyon 8/10
-A Thousand Deaths by George Alec Effinger 8/10
-Mother of Lies by Dave Duncan 7.5/10
-In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan 8.5/10
-The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon 9/10
-Death's Head by David Gunn 6/10
-White Night by Jim Butcher 7/10
-Breakaway by Joel Shepherd 8/10
-The Children of Hurin by JRRT 9.5/10 (but you've already read it.)
-Gradisil by Adam Roberts 7.5/10
-The Terror by Dan Simmons 9/10
-The Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling 7.5/10
-Map of Dreams by M. Rickert 9/10

-The Lies of Locke Lamora limited edition 10/10, beautiful book.

If you want an opinion, have a question, would like to yell at me, or want to offer me a lot of money from your Kenyan bank account for a modest investment, my email address is williamlexner@gmail.com.

Cheers.

Oprah has better taste than Fandom, or the insatiable desire to be persecuted

2007-04-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

The Hugo nominees are out.

Believe it or not, the nominees aren’t that embarrassing this year. There are notable omissions to, particularly, the best novel list, but none of the nominees are laughable choices. The nominees, in the unlikely case that you’ve just returned from sabbatical, are:

-Glasshouse by Charles Stross

-Blindsight by Peter Watts

-Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge

-Temeraire (His Majesty’s Dragon) by Naomi Novik

-Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

While I voted for two of the five nominees, there are two prominent novels that were snubbed by this year’s balloters.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was the best fantasy novel released in 2006. If every fan with nominating power had read it, each and every one would have nominated it. At this point I believe it’s just a matter of getting the word out on Lynch’s groundbreaking new series. (Look for a review of the second installment of the Gentlemen Bastards Sequence, Red Seas Under Red Skies later this week.)

The other neglected heavyweight of 2006 was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. And what should be more embarrassing to fandom than snubbing this masterpiece is the fact that media diva Oprah Winfrey has just announced that The Road is the next selection for the bestseller begetter, Oprah’s Book Club.

Oprah.

Shame on you, fandom.

(And hey, aren’t you glad you listened when I told you to pick up The Road first edition? Oprah’s going to make the prices soar... )

Once again, I have little opinion on the short fiction of 2006. I have not read enough to make an educated decision, and an informed vote is the only sort worth making.

There are a couple of gems in the related books category, the awe-inspiring John Picacio art book and Julie Phillips’ splendid treatise on James Tiptree Jr. I’ll probably share my thoughts on the other categories at some later time.

But I wanted to get to the infuriating conjured outrage that is circulating on the live journals of some SF fans with an overwhelming need to find something to be offended over.

This years Hugo’s are sexist and racist.

At least that’s what’s being said.

It appears someone (many people) have gone through the fiction nominees and realized that there is only one female nominee, and despite Worldcon taking place in Japan, there are no Japanese authors on the ballot. And of course, the inevitable conclusion has been reached that this must be due to institutional prejudices.

Because, it could not be possible that in this particular year, there were no works from female or Japanese authors that truly struck a chord with fandom. No, there is an ‘old boys’ skiffy club’ which has decided we’ve had enough female and minority winners for a while.

I believe quite strongly that taking a writer’s sex into consideration when nominating a work is sexist, whether it be against woman or man. I believe quite strongly that taking a writer’s race into consideration when nominating a work is racist, regardless of ancestry. Furthermore, I believe that the work is what matters, not the genitalia or culture of the author. It is completely alien to me to look at a work of art and consider the sex, race, or religion of the artist. And I am having a hard time discerning just how people can view things in this manner and then purport to be against discrimination on the basis of sex or race.

Science Fiction fandom is not a collective with any sort of nimiety of prejudice. It very well may have been at one point, but we’re talking about a conglomerate that awarded the Nebula for best novel to a homosexual African American from Harlem long before the death of Martin Luther King. We’re talking about a genre that has been on the cutting edge of feminist fiction for decades. And that same feminist fiction has won a slew of Hugo’s and Nebula’s.

If one wants to argue the quality of the nominees based upon literary and genre merit, I’ll be the first to sit down, listen, consider, and express my own feelings. I could literally do this for days. But to argue which works belong on a list solely on the existence or absence of dangly bits in the respective author’s nether regions or the geography of an author’s forbears is prejudice of the highest order, and demeans SF fandom a hell of a lot more than leaving 100 works of the same quality as The Road off the ballot ever could.

For the Hugo award to have any value whatsoever, it must be awarded to the best work of the year in it's respective category.

Regardless of any other consideration.

-William Lexner

P.S. Vote For Blindsight.

A Contest Worth Entering

2007-03-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

You can win a free copy of Subterranean Press's numbered limited edition of last year's mega fantasy debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

Number One, in fact.

Collector's rejoice and all that noise.

Check out the ever helpful Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for details.

And if you don't win, be sure to pick it up your own copy anyway. This novel is not a fluke, and Lynch's series is going to make some noise in the genre for a long time to come.

I'm reading the sequel Red Seas Under Red Skies as I write this, and if anything, Lynch is improving as an author. Getting in on the ground floor of this landmark limited edition series is just good sense.

Getting number 1 for free is stealing.

Locke would be proud.

Brasyl by Ian McDonald

2007-03-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

Last June I reviewed Ian McDonald's most recent book, River of Gods, and I called it "The most important SF novel that has been released in my 18 years of fandom."

So it may be a bit surprising when I say that the forthcoming Brasyl is just as strong, a bit tighter, a lot faster paced, and all-around probably a better, more enjoyable novel.

Set in past, present, and future Brazil, McDonald weaves a triptych tale of humanity and all its passions and indignities. He proves the existence of ghosts through science; makes time travel scientifically plausible through quantum physics.

And he has multi-dimensional swords that make lightsabers look like letter openers.

Brasyl is a far smaller book than River of Gods, in size if not scope, and it is far easier to follow. That said, I have still had discussions with friends also lucky enough to read this work about just how difficult some of the subject matter is.

Understand before you embark on this trip up the Rio Negro that it will be difficult and time consuming. You will be compelled to look up words, research topics, and perhaps even translate some phrases. McDonald is not for the weak of heart.

But oh, the ideas!

But having given the effort, having learned and wondered and considered, I am better for having read this novel.

10/10

Collector's Notes:

Buy early and often. Brasyl is almost guaranteed a Hugo nomination, and ought to be a contender to win with it's simultaneous release in the US and UK.

PYR is publishing this in the US, with an absolutely stunning Stephan Martiniere cover. (Shown above.) Gollancz has the publishing duties in the UK, and the UK editions tend to be worth a bit more than the US editions. So this brings about an interesting dilemma.

To which the obvious answer is to buy both.

And thank me later.

Howard Who?

2007-03-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

"There's no better writer alive than Howard Waldrop."
- Tim Powers

Old Earth Books (the fine publishers of SF classics Davy by Edgar Pangborn, City and Way Station by Clifford D. Simak, and the Edward Whittemore fantasy line) has produced an incredible collection of Howard Waldrop short fiction entitled Things Will Never Be The Same.

Waldrop's short fiction is among some of my favorite science fiction, and this book collects some of his very best work. It features:

"King of Where-I-Go"
"Calling Your Name"
"The Dynasters, Vol. I, On the Downs"
"US"
"Mr. Goober's Show"
"Heart of Whitenesse"
"Household Words, or, The Powers-That-Be"
"The Sawing Boys"
"Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance?"
"Wild, Wild Horses"
"French Scenes"
"Night of the Cooters"
"The Lions Are Asleep This Night"
"Heirs of the Perisphere"
"Flying Saucer Rock and Roll"
"The Ugly Chickens"

I bring this collection to your attention because Old Earth Books is currently offering free shipping on all orders that include Things Will Never Be The Same.

From the OEB website:

SPECIAL OFFER:

Order Things Will Never Be The Same before April 1, 2007 and receive free shipping on your entire order (US orders only; does not apply to currently out-of-stock books).

Enter the code HW in the promotion code box when you check out to take advantage of this special offer.

While there, be sure to pick up the Simak books and Davy. These three works are bloody seminal.

And I'd be remiss in not mentioning other great Waldrop books:

Howard Who? from Small Beer Press is a joy, and was my first Waldrop experience. And Custer's Last Jump from Golden Gryphon Press features Waldrops collaborations with such luminaries as George R.R. Martin and Bruce Sterling.

If you find your collection lacking in Howard Waldrop, then your collection is truly lacking. Pick up Things Will Never Be The Same while you can. If I've learned one thing with Old Earth Books it's that you only get one chance.... when they sell out, that's it.

Don't be out of luck.

Nebula Nominees 2007

2007-02-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

The nominees for this years Nebula Awards were released today. To a chorus of groans, I would hope.

I realize that the SFWA Popularity Contest Award has fallen on hard times of late, but this list of novels is truly an embarrassment. Save for Jeffrey Ford's minor (In comparison with the rest of his output) work, The Girl In The Glass, which adorns any list it belongs to, the list is lackluster and sometimes pathetic.

Privilege of The Sword by Ellen Kushner? Seeker by Jack McDevitt? Just who do you think you're fooling, SFWA?

In year when Spin by Robert Charles Wilson was eligible; a year when Accelerando, Vellum, The Warrior Prophet and Never Let Me Go (to name just a few) were eligible....

we get this list?

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
Seeker by Jack McDevitt
The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford
Farthing by Jo Walton
From the Files of the Time Rangers by Richard Bowes
To Crush the Moon by Wil McCarthy

For shame, SFWA, for shame. Enough with voting for your friends. A bit of integrity would go a long way in people actually considering this award worth mentioning.

As for short fiction, Burn by Jim Kelly classes up the joint in a weak novella category. M. Rickert and Peter S. Beagle run a two man race in the novella category, and Theodora Goss ought to run away with the Short Story.

Complete nominee list here.

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

2007-02-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

Jude Coyne is an agin' Cajun death metal god with the requisite attachment to the macabre. He collects that which is distasteful and intriguing -- art from a serial killer, snuff films, and goth strippers with Daddy issues.

Then one day, for no particular reason, he bids on (and wins) an online auction for a ghost.

Joe Hill is a fascinating and immensely talented young voice in horror fiction. His debut collection 20th Century Ghosts was nominated for the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker awards for best collection, and perhaps should have won both.

It's interesting to watch the evolution of the traditional ghost story. To compare Heart Shaped Box to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Peter Straub's opus Ghost Story is perhaps a bit unfair, but very interesting. The ghosts in these stories seem to become increasingly more human as the decades pass. The ghost in Hill's work is flawed and sick, and very believable as a villain if one discounts his undead status. Granted, I'll admit I'm not as well read in horror fiction as I ought to be, but the stark changes from M.R James's classic works to present day ghost stories is marked in tone.

In fact, Heart Shaped Box is very believable and compelling -- to a point. And then it becomes absurd. It's unfortunate, but I believe Hill came very close to ruining his novel by pushing the boundaries of believability. Until that point, it was a very good story.

All in all, Heart Shaped Box is a good book, but not worthy of Hill's earlier short work.

7/10

Collector's Notes:

Here's where it gets interesting. There was no need to mention it earlier, but with regards to collectibility, I think it's important to mention who Joe Hill actually is.

His full name is Joe Hill King; the son of horror heavyweight Stephen King.

The King collector's are pushing the Hill market, and as such his earlier works (20th Century Ghosts and some chap books) are priced very highly. As such, get your hands on a first edition and set it on your shelf. There hasn't been as sure an investment released thus far this year.

Hugo Nominations

2007-01-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

As any slightly astute reader of this humble web log is aware, I had some issues with this past years Hugo Awards ceremony and winners. But now is the time to work towards something better. Now is the time to reward those truly deserving. Now is the time for the 2007 Hugo Award Nominations.

That all members of LA Con should throw their opinions in the ring ought to go without saying -- but it won't. VOTE! Do not allow travesties to occur on your watch. The nomination papers were sent out recently and all members should have them or will be receiving them shortly.

So now that you've decided you most certainly will nominate your favorite works, I'm certain the inevitable question is dawning upon you. What from the past year is worthy? Did so-and-so come out in 2006? Is that work eligible? Can Terry Goodkind win this and the Pulitzer in the same year? What does my friendly neighborhood blogging moron think?

There's one I can answer for you. Here, for your perusal, are the best SF/F novels released in 2006.

-The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker: Who? Yeah, I hear a lot of you saying that, and it's a bloody shame. Bakker has produced the best fantasy trilogy in decades, and due to being signed by a small publisher that absolutely refuses to print mass-market paperbacks, he has managed to elude the attention and accolades his work screams for. This is the third and final novel in The Prince of Nothing Trilogy, and an absolutely stunning work. Even if this does not force you to nominate the work, I hope it makes you run out and pick up the first in the series, The Darkness That Comes Before, and prepare to have your preconceptions of epic fantasy raped and stomped and likely raped again.

-The Road by Cormac McCarthy: Absolutely haunting. Some novels stay with you, and I have a feeling The Road will always be there, waiting. The farther removed from reading it I am, the more I become convinced of its brilliance. A Canticle For Leibowitz for our generation.

-The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: The first novel I've read since Lamb by Christopher Moore that was literally more fun than sex. Locke Lamora has, with only one novel, made a mark in the hearts of fantasy fans around the world.

-Blindsight by Peter Watts: This is the Hugo Award winner. The other books listed are shining examples of the craft, but this is the hard science fiction that appeals to the Worldcon faithful. And it doesn't hurt that it's absolutely wonderful in its own right. Read it, if you haven't yet, here for free.

-Temeraire or Her Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik: Novik has written an all-ages fantasy novel far superior to a far more popular all-ages series which won the Hugo a few years back. Like McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series which she emulates in many ways, Novik deserves a nomination for this wonderul story, if not the Hugo itself.

-Infoquake by David Louis Edelman: I have this one pegged as the Philip K. Dick Award winner, for best Science Fiction book released as a softcover original, though I do believe it has a shot to win the Hugo. It is the most successful attack on the future of mega-corporations and the inevitable failure of our current economic system thus far written. It's not the perfect novel, but it is more than worthwhile, and is certainly a must-read of 2006.

Honorable Mentions:
The Crooked Letter by Sean Williams
Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski
Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff VanderMeer
Mappa Mundi by Justina Robson
The Glass Books of The Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Glasshouse by Charles Stross

I'm not well-read enough on short fiction to offer advice, and so I will not. Vote your heart, and hope for the best.

I would like to add that the category for Dramatic Presentation, short form ought already be decided. A vote for anything but Exodus Part 2 of Battlestar Galactica would be a bloody crime.

So be sure to pick up the books mentioned here that you haven't read as yet. They're all of the highest quality. But don't forget to nominate for the Hugo's, because it's posterity you're a part of. Live up to that responsibility.

And read more.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2007-01-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

"What about the little boy?"

Cormac McCarthy, author of the seminal Western novel Blood Meridian, has produced an achingly haunted view of post-apocalyptic America with The Road. Unlike most in this crowded subgenre of science fiction, however, McCarthy does not tackle the events leading up to the event. He does not call for political change or drub us with a wake up call to some evil occurring in our midst. No, McCarthy instead tells of the pain and hardship that faces the survivors. He tells a story of humanity and it's struggles, of suffering and death and survival. The story of mankind.

The Road tells the story of an unnamed man and his son, known only as the boy. It is the story of the struggle of everyman. The man's struggle to survive and the reality that the only possible way to truly survive is through your children. And, of course, mans indomitable will to allow for that.

The Road is stunning in its stilted and harsh prose, nigh unparalleled in its painting of the bleakest of canvases. This is science fiction to the core, but also undeniably literature. While I appreciate all these things, to be wholly forthcoming, I did not enjoy this book at all.

Yet I was moved. I remain haunted. It was an experience I will never forget.

This book may be overlooked by SF fans because it was released as literature and not as a genre book. This would be a tragedy; both for the book and its success, and for the fans who missed out on this truly memorable experience.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Though many copies were printed of the first edition, a new Cormac McCarthy novel is always an event for collectors. The Road belongs in every science fiction collection. It's very hard to put into context so recent a book, but I believe it stands alongside A Canticle For Liebowitz, Alas, Babylon, and Lucifer's Hammer as the cream of this subgenre.

Firsts of The Road will undoubtedly rise in value, despite the relatively large print run. McCarthy is never a bad investment.

Empire by Orson Scott Card

2006-12-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

At a certain science fiction convention earlier this year, I had the pleasure of, in the midst of a fascinating discussion, muse on the question of who would be a good guest of honor at a Worldcon that had yet to receive the honor.

Amid suggestions of "How about Jack Vance? Is he well enough?" and "Norman Spinrad?" and "Would Arthur C. Clarke do it again? I'd love to meet him," I tossed out a name:

Orson Scott Card.

Eyes rolled. Pronounced sighs were released. Someone went to refill their drink.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. He's something of a wacko these days," I said. "But Ender's Game! ENDER'S GAME!"

Then it was related to me that many regulars have avoided conventions where he was guest of honor, such as Boskone 2005, and would refuse to attend worldcon. It can't be that bad, I fumed. This guy wrote the last SF book that can be considered a classic of the genre. The science fiction book that introduced an entire generation to SF -- a modern day Heinlein.

Then I read this. And so should you.

But please don't waste your money on his latest novel. I'm here to save you the time and money.

Empire is vile. It is barely veiled hate speech; an attack on liberal America that enables Card to fulfill his masturbatory fantasy of painting all liberals as ignorant and evil, and then kill them. But this isn't John Ringo writing this filth, this is Orson Scott Card, and people will read what he writes. This isn't an inconsequential Baen Books novel that nobody but a core audience will give a damn about, though it's about as realistically feasible as the majority of the shite that is published by Baen.

He writes about many things of which he is woefully ignorant in this novel, but his worst affront in my mind is his complete lack of understanding of anything that accompanies military service, combat, and chain of command. He's not embarrassed by his ignorance, in fact he seems to revel in stereotypes and straw men arguments. The hero of the story is a soldier; a good, stolid, and brilliant soldier -- because he believes in God. When it is inferred that the good soldier does not suffer from combat induced trauma because of his relationship with the almighty and his living the 'Christian Way,' I was admittedly infuriated.

Card seems to make a habit out of speaking on topics he knows nothing about -- homosexuality, combat induced PTSD, logical thought. Stuff like that.

Empire is infuriating, sure, but it's even more depressing that some innocent minds may be corrupted by this nonsense. Most of all, it's embarrassing to the genre.

Ender's Game or no, this was it for me and Scott Card. And it's really too bad.

1/10

Collector's Notes:

Overprinted by TOR, this will be on bargain bin shelves in a few months, like that last 20 books from Card. Even at the reduced price, I recommend you stay the hell away. I'm just going to pretend that Card stopped writing after Speaker For The Dead, and strictly speaking as a collector, so should you.

**Note

2006-12-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

I've been on something of a hiatus from the site. This is not permanent thing and has been caused by a number of things in my personal life.

I'm happy to say the site should return to a semblance of normalcy soon. In fact, I will be posting a review of Orson Scott Card's Empire later today.

The Best Books of The Millenium (Thus Far)

2006-11-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

Granted, we're not yet 7 years into the 2K's, but inspired by Jay Tomio's Best 100 Books of the Past Ten Years (Which he has no intention of ever completing, I'm quite certain.), I've decided to do something similar. Spanning the time period from January 1, 2000 unto the present day, these are the best speculative fiction works released thus far this decade. They are in descending order, based solely upon my opinion of their merit, with the briefest of descriptions as to why.

50. Knife of Dreams byRobert Jordan: It appears that Jordan has finally righted this tottering behemoth of a series. KoD is a return to the highest quality of the heyday of The Wheel of Time, and it's noteworthy and commendable after the travesty that was his last few volumes.

49. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey: Sexy and exciting, Carey's first foray in the world of Terre d'Ange is also her best novel to date. The rest of the books are worth reading, however.

48. The Merchant Princes by Charles Stross: SF wunderkind Charlie Stross's fantasy epic which combines equal parts Zelazny's Amber, the Medici family, and James Bond.

47. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Tragedy and hope; a wonderful and moving ghost story.

46. The Mount by Carol Emshwiller: No one is weirder than Emshwiller. A boy is the horse of a soon-to-be Emperor of an alien species that has conquered Earth.

45. Infoquake by David Louis Edelman: Perhaps the best recent take on the dangers of widespread capitalism. A wonderous and scathing debut novel.

44. Smoking Poppy by Graham Joyce: Graham Joyce is the best fantasy author you've never read. Fix that failing.

43. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: Incredibly overrated, this Hugo and World Fantasy Award winner is still a pretty damn fine novel.

42. Black Juice by Margo Lanagan: It is impossible to read this short story collection for children and remain unmoved.

41. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay: Kay's first urban fantasy, and his best novel in over a decade.

40. Fables by Bill Willingham: A comic book series telling the story of fairy tale legends in New York. Winner of multiple Eisner Awards.

39. War Stories by Joe Haldeman:
an omnibus edition of Haldeman's Vietnam novels and shorts. A wonderful companion piece to his SF mega-novel, The Forever War, and perhaps the most important book published thus far from Night Shade Books.

38. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: The first book of the dazzlingly addictive Thursday Next SF mysteries.

37. Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds: Space opera meets mystery in Alastair Reynolds finest novel to date.

36. The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon: Science fiction featuring autism and futuristic corporate politics. Winner of the Nebula Award

35. Galveston by Sean Stewart: Galveston, Texas is split between a world of magical ever-lasting Mardi Gras and the mundane normal city. World Fantasy Award winner.

34. The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford: A deeply affecting short story collection from one of the finest short story writers in the world, in any genre.

33. Camouflage by Joe Haldeman: Haldeman's Nebula Award winning novel of shape shifting.

32. GRRM: A Rretrospective by George R.R. Martin: An amazingly complete collection of the Martin's short work. It contains some of the best short fiction of the 70's and 80's, along with newer work. Published in the UK as Dream Songs.

31. Vellum by Hal Duncan: This novel will confound or enthrall you; there is no third option. A fine debut novel, not easily topped.

30. Accelerando by Charles Stross: Stross's most important work thus far, but I expect more from him based upon his evident abilities. I have no doubt he will fulfill this demand.

29. White Devils by Paul McCauley: A post-apocalyptic techno-thriller set in Africa. Think Michael crichton, if he were, you know, a good author.

28. A Year in The Linear City by Paul Di Filippo: The story of a city betwixt heaven and hell.

27. The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford: Simply the finest urban fantasy I have ever read from an author we lost this year.

26. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: Six fantastic viewpoints weaved together to form a dreamlike whole. A marvel of a novel.

25. Temeraire by Naomi Novik: A wonderfully enjoyable amalgam of McCaffrey's Pern and O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin novels.

24. Kalpa Imperial by Angelica Gorodischer: Stories of a fictional empire. Absolutely stunning and moving. It's the best book you've never heard of.

23. City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer: A similar theme: VanderMeer's collection of stories set in Ambergris. His latest novel, Shriek, I have yet to read, and so was unable to judge if it was fit for inclusion in this list. A fault I will shortly remedy.

22. Air by Geoff Ryman: The story of a provincial woman trapped in the quantam realm of a futuristic internet. James Tiptree Jr. Award Winner

21. The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce: Joyce's best novel in a handful of years. That's high praise, people. World Fantasy Award winner.

20. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson: a great science fiction yarn about big ideas and full of that good old fashioned 'sensawundah.' Hugo Award Winner

19. American Gods by Neil Gaiman: Gods exist because we believe in them. The story of Shadow and Wednesday is the pinnacle of Gaiman's stories career, and an excellent novel. Hugo Award winner.

18. Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link: Kelly Link bends structure and warps expectations. Her short fiction is like nothing else, and that's a good thing.

17. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: I have not read a more enjoyable book in years. Lynch is the future of high adventure fantasy.

16. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan: Simply the best science fiction comic book currently being produced, by a wide margin. Yorick must survive in a world where he is the last living male. Eisner Award winner

15. The Road by Cormac McCarthy: 've sat down three times to review this novel, and I am at a loss as to what to say. I was decimated, mind and body, by this tale of hope and horror.

14. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: Booker prize winning author's take on cloning and human engineering.

13. The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach: Orson Scott card has not done much worthy of mention since Speaker For The Dead, but I thank him heartily for bringing this epic tale into print in the United States.

12. Blindsight by Peter Watts: Next years Hugo Award Winner. This is the SF novel of 2006.

11. The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford: This volume deserves to be ranked with The Rediscovery of Man, Deathbird Stories, and The Jaguar Hunters, as one of the best genre fiction collections in history. It's almost as good as Number 6.

10. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville: Perdido ushered in the New Weird, and Mieville is one of the finest young writers in speculative fiction today.

9. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore: Without a doubt, the funniest book ever penned. Terry Pratchett and Tom Holt ought to take notes from this master.

8. The Prince of Nothing Trilogy by R. Scott Bakker: This is the best epic fantasy trilogy since The Lord of The Rings.

7. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan: Until Number 5 came along, this was the best SF novel of the burgeoning decade. A page turning noirish cyber-mystery, that will have you buying the sequels before you're done with the first. Phillip K. Dick Award winner.

6. Story of your Life and Others by Ted Chiang: The best SF collection since The Rediscovery of Man. An absolute must-read for lovers of the short form.

5. River of Gods by Ian McDonald: The veritable proof I was searching for that science fiction is not dead.

4. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski: The reinvention of the horror novel. The book itself is a work of art, and Danielewski is an absolute madman -- but you'll enjoy the ride.

3. The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe: This dualogy is the pinnacle of Wolfe's Grandmaster level career. This dream induced fantasy is about as good as fantasy can possibly be.

2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: The story of cousins, The Holocaust, comic books, love, and courage. Pulitzer Prize winner.

1. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin: The single best fantasy novel ever written.

Discuss.

The Collector by John Fowles

2006-11-09T13:23:00.000-05:00

The Collector was the first published novel of John Fowles, one of the great British authors of the 20th century. While not pertaining to the supernatural in any manner, The Collector is a foundation of modern horror writing, and so I am able to massage defnitions a bit and allow for this commentary here at Speculative Reviews.

In a word, this novel is creepy.

The Collector tells the story of Frederick; (but call him Ferdinand!) a lonely, socially retarded young man who wins the lottery. He collects butterflies; hunts them, breeds them, is meticulous in his care and treatment of them. With his lottery winnings, Frederick buys himself an old cottage in the country outside of London; a cottage with a secret room beneath the cellar.

And then Frederick kidnaps the object of his infatuation -- Miranda Grey, beautiful young art student., and places her in this secret room.

After the abduction, the narrative is told by Miranda herself, who details her capture and confinement, and the terror that defines her waking moments. But by the end, we are returned to the point of view of the sick collector of butterflies -- and women.

According to documented evidence, (and a fascinating article in Maxim Magazine, found here) The Collector has acted as inspiration for at least five serial killers and 40 murders, and most certainly was an inspiration for Thomas Harris's The Silence of The Lambs.

Fowles maintains that his novel is about class warfare, and how the best and brightest are too often snuffed out by the mediocre majority, but The Collector is also an incredibly disturbing horror novel in and of itself. One that I can't force myself to reccomend to anyone but those who find this sort of thing fascinating. It was entirely too upsetting to me.

But then, it was supposed to be.

9/10

Collectors Notes:

First editions of The Collector are incredibly valuable due not only to its cult status, but also because it Fowles first novel, and there are signifigantly less copies in circulation than of his later novels. A signed first (1963, Jonathan Cape, London) can bring upwards of 2000 dollars. The US First (1963, Little & Brown, Boston) is worth ~500 dollars, and a signed Franklin Library edition published in the late 80's is worth ~200.

The cover of the true (UK) first edition is shown in the picture above.

Ian McDonald Interview

2006-11-06T11:23:00.000-05:00

Pat from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist was kind enough to allow me to add a few questions to his interview of Ian McDonald. (River of Gods)

The interview can be found here. McDonald is incredibly witty, and the interview is amusing and interesting. He even gives a few book recommendations, which is always a high point for me.

Thanks, Pat.

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

2006-11-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

Guy Gavriel Kay isn't flying under anyone's radar. A modern master of the fantastical, his resume includes the masterwork Tigana, the thrilling historical fantasy The Lions of Al-Rassan, and he is responsible for turning The Silmarillion into a masterwork from the notes and files of J.R.R. Tolkien. (For any who have The Silmarillion and then the other texts compiled by Christopher Tolkien, it is easy to see that Kay is responsible for making this volume readable.)

Recently, Kay has concentrated solely on historical fantasy, and so it was with great surprise that I cracked open Ysabel to find that this book was set in the present day.

Ysabel is a story of love, the idea of love, and the lengths that people will go to for the chance of it. It is a coming-of-age story set in the south of France; a location with millennia of blood soaked history -- all of which can be explained by Ysabel herself, and the men that love her.

What surprised me most about this novel was the wit and candor in the dialogue. It was literally hilarious at times, and I laughed aloud in more than one instance. There is also sexual tension between many characters, and while there is no sex to speak of in the text, there are many scenes which are erotically stimulating. And the mystery of Ysabel and the adventure she prompts are quite absorbing as well.

I believe Ysabel to be Guy Gavriel Kay's best novel since The Lions of Al-Rassan, and it just may be one of his signature works.

8.0

Collector's Notes:

This book is released in February 2007, but feel free to order now. This is one you'll want in your collection.

Kay's Ysabel Journal is online here.

Blindsight by Peter Watts

2006-10-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

Of Readercon this summer past, one of my enduring memories was of one particular author I had never before heard of speaking to one and all (anyone who would listen, truly) of how much he hated the cover art to his forthcoming novel. But just as this was no man to suffer in silence, Peter Watts had also gone so far as to create alternate covers for people who may (or may not, I suppose) feel inclined to purchase his novel at some later date.

This was undoubtedly a man who cared about his novel, but in truth, I quite unreservedly deemed him a nut job.

Blindsight is Tip-Of-The-Spear science fiction. It's not an easy read and it's not intended to be. At times I felt not quite smart enough to be reading it, as I've felt before when reading such prominents as Cory Doctorow and R. Scott Bakker.

It's a first contact novel, but the aliens are very much ourselves. In that, I should say, the human beings are beyond recognizable as such today. Our narrator has suffered a lobotomy of staggering proportions, but remains quite the genius -- sans all ability to feel emotion of any sort.

Oh, and there are Vampires.

I don't particularly know how much I enjoyed this novel, but I was immersed and blown away by the most fundamental of all science fiction tropes -- the big ideas. I'm thinking, and I can't stop, and that is an incredibly successful work of art. This is the one we've been waiting for; the novel that finally cements Charlie Stross as the science fiction author of this generation. Except for the simple fact that he did not write it..... One Peter Watts did.

And I'll never be caught offguard by a nameless, excitable science fiction author named Watts again. He may just be a nutjob in truth, but he's also an incredibly gifted author. And now I want one of those alternate covers. My collector's heart yearns for it.

Oh, and I called Spin, for those not keeping score. I am jumping the gun and calling Blindsight for next years big one -- the Hugo Award for Best Novel -- before it's even nominated.

Science Fiction is not dead. It just had half of it's brain cut out.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Jump on board, people. Buy this novel, and buy it in hardcover. I believe you can buy a copy with one or more of the alternate covers from Clarkesworld Books. (Who, might I add, somehow knew how important and good and nougatty this novel was going to be months and months ago.)

At Rifters.com, you can get an immersive background on this and all of Watts' novels.

Battlestar Galactica: Season Three

2006-10-21T23:47:00.000-04:00

Never have I been so disheartened with science fiction fandom as when Battlestar Galactica lost the Hugo for best dramatic presentation, short form to the ponderous and preposterous Dr. Who this summer in Los Angeles. Not only was the Pegasus episode of BSG a pinnacle installment of the hands-down best science fiction television program ever created, but Dr. Who is simply unwatchable drivel.

Well, I no longer have any concern over this horror repeating itself. There is simply no plausible -- I even dare say possible -- way in hell that the world did not just witness next years Hugo recipient for short form on Friday evening.

Exodus, Part 2 was the single best episode of a science fiction television program I have ever witnessed. It was an event; something I feel privileged to have been able to see as it was first broadcast.

If you have not yet become a fan of the new Galactica, I haven't the words to describe just what you are missing. Season One, Season 2.0, and Season 2.5 are available as DVD box sets, and Season Three episodes are available to be watched on SciFi.com.

This is the SF TV show that literally grinds beneath its heel all that have come before. (Yes, even Firefly.) You will laugh and cry and think, and perhaps not hate your television quite so much.

Scar Night by Alan Campbell

2006-10-15T21:09:00.000-04:00

Scar Night is the first book of The Deepgate Codex, and the debut from Scottish author Alan Campbell. It is billed as the second-coming of China Mieville; the latest from the country that has brought us Ken MacLeod and Charlie Stross and Hal Duncan. In fact, the hype surrounding this title has been somewhat deafening, but unlike some earlier releases this year, Scar Night fails to live up to the reputation it has garnered.

Set in a deeply religious city that appears to be chained precariously over, well, Hell, we are introduced to an angel who is not allowed to fly.

I'm a fantasy reader, see that's what I do, but despite years of experience in the suspension of disbelief, I could not get past the preposterous nature of this setting. Everything is chained down, because if it weren't, well, it might fall down.

Err.
Campbell never actually gets into what everything is chained to, exactly, except everything else. But they worship the god of chains, so it's ok, I suppose.

There's also a war with a lesser and evil race. The Angels used to lead the war against these savage hordes, but the Church now has dirigibles, and so no longer need risk their holy ones.

Except, they treat their last surviving Angel as if he were the prototypical pigboy of fantasy yore. (But they give him a young female assassin to pal around with.)

Oh, and if you bleed too much, your soul is gone, and so go to hell. (Unless you're a General.)

This book is preposterous. I wanted to like it. I was set to fall in love with it. What I found myself immersed in was no doubt a wonderful imagining in Campbell's head which he was distressingly unable to convey to paper.

There is a flood of quality books and stories surging out of the United Kingdom these days, but unfortunately Scar Night is not worthy to be numbered among such.

4/10

Collector's Notes:

Scar Night has only been released in the UK thus far, but is recieving a very big push from Bantam for release here in January. If the book becomes popular, and lesser works with less hoopla certainly have, the UK first would be the copy to have.

But if you pass on this title, you're not missing much.

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

2006-10-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

".....Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at it's worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms."

Starship Troopers (Hugo, 1960) is the controversial classic that spawned the subgenre of military science fiction. It changed modern warfare and is required reading for each and every U.S. soldier and Marine to this day. It is the novel whose voice was so strong, it forced Heinlein to set aside Stranger In A Strange Land to pen it. Beyond being one of the most influential, most important, and absolute best science fiction novels, it's also one of my very favorites.

See, it's dedicated to me.

Well, to be completely forthcoming, it's dedicated to a very many thousands. All Sergeants anywhen, in fact. I fail to hold that against it, however.

A political pamphlet on civic duty as well as a novel, Starship Troopers purports that suffrage ought to be the privilege of those who have earned it, and those alone. In Heinlein's society this group was solely veterans of military service. Though this idea (and many others in Starship Troopers) was very attractive to me in my youth, I can not help but notice Heinlein's shortsightedness in limiting his civic service to military service alone. For instance, do doctors not serve society with as much import as the soldier? I can almost hear RAH sighing when I say that; about to point out how doctors are economically rewarded for their service exponentially more than a soldier. Then I would point to teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and more. I believe he would assert that I would find most of these professions filled with veterans of military service, but some or most, even in the world of his own making, is not enough to make his point valid.

I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Robert Heinlein, and do not doubt that my mind is far inferior to what his was, but I do believe I would win this argument.

Score.

This one small point aside, I do believe that Johnnie Rico's adventures as a member of the mobile infantry is the most enjoyable, infuriating, and wondrous science fiction tale ever told.

Starship Troopers has become something of a handbook for my former service, The United States Marine Corps. It purports the superiority of an all-volunteer, highly trained, technologically superior elite force, which is exactly what the Marine Corps works constantly towards being. Heinlein envisioned night vision goggles, which are standard issue throughout military forces across the globe, but were first used tactically by the Marine Corps. He also envisioned thermal viewers, now known as forward looking infrared (FLIR) which is used on most tactical aircraft and tanks. The most famous idea from Starship Troopers, the powered armor, has been in development by the U.S. Army for nearly a decade, but has yet to see tactical use.

Starship Troopers was also the basis of somewhat comedic movie of the same name in 1997.

It occurs to me that I've not given any plot summary whatsoever. I don't intend to. You've probably already read it, but if you haven't, you absolutely must. Now. Starship Troopers is one of the five most important novels of science fiction.

10/10

Collector's Notes:

Starship Troopers, due to its relative importance and the collectiblity of Robert A. Heinlein, is a very expensive book in first edition. (Original cover pictured above) A signed first edition in very fine condition is selling on ABE Books for about six thousand dollars. There is also a copy on ABE, unsigned, for sale by Barry Levin for $4,500. I have inspected this particular copy myself, and it is finer than I believe he represents.

The UK first hardcover edition was published in 1975, and is nowhere near as valuable. (~$500)

There have been many reprints, but none worthy of note for collectors. Meisha Merlin, in the process of publishing The Virginia Edition of Heinlein's complete works, will be producing a limited leather edition at some point. However, due to Meisha Merlin's history of poor quality and repeated untimeliness, I would urge caution prior ordering this series.

John M. Ford

2006-09-25T19:16:00.000-04:00

John M. Ford died today.

When I was a little boy, I wanted to conquer the world. Like most children's extravagant dreams, this did not come true.

When I was a hormonally charged idiot, (read: teenager) I wanted to be a Marine. This dream did come true, quite often to my dismay.

Some time during my journey through SF fandom, I realized I wanted to be John M. Ford.

I want to write some of the greatest books that genre fiction has ever seen. I want every conversation I am a part of to help people to grow and laugh and wonder. I want to go to lots of conventions and be able to write them off come tax time. I want to leave the world a better place, as sappy as that may sound.

I want to be John M. Ford.

I was able to meet Mr. Ford only twice, though I've journeyed through his stories dozens of times. We spoke for just a few minutes on the first meeting, but he remembered my name and offered a cheerful greeting on our second encounter. I was in awe of his talent and his mind. Though I was never more than an acquaintance, his books are dear friends to me, and today I mourn.

I encourage you all to go have one Last Hot Time with Mike Ford. You'll be better for it.

Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski

2006-09-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Some books are events.

"Then impudently a Moustached Toother jerks me around.
-Lost, Little Lemonade?
-There aren't no returns for those
with no starts.
-Sure. I got weed too. Where
you from?
-Around.
-Wanna get down?
-You're all School and Summer.
-How'z that?
-No class.
-Yeah, but it's Spring baby.
And I lie down and let Him.
And when He goes I go too.
A round tear slips past, slides
from my life and on the soft paths
showers my dirt with strife."

Mark Z. Danielewski kicked the world in the nuts in 2000 with House of Leaves. He's back, six years later, with Only Revolutions, a delightfully abstract take on time travel, love, and recent human history.

Sam and Hailey are soul mates in two different times; which does nothing to keep them apart. Sam's story is behind the green-eyed cover above, while Hailey's story begins on the flip side behind an eye of gold -- but both stories take place on each and every page in the book. The trick, at least the manner in which I was encouraged to read it -- is to flip the book to the other side every 8 pages. I read it the first time in this incredibly frustrating fashion, but on my second journey with Hailey and Sam, I read their entire stories through, one after the other. Neither choice is bad, but I believe the 8 pages, then flip is the author's preferred method.

Throughout the book, there are keywords referencing historical events on the particular day being written about in a side column. I've spent hours looking up certain historical tidbits I did not quite understand, and as a consequence, have learned much of recent world history that I was ignorant of. It truly feels, at times, to be a novel-length version of Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start The Fire.'

Here's where I'm supposed to tell you whether I liked it or not, but it's not so easy. There were pages where I felt as if I were attaining a higher plane of existence, and passages that caused me to grind my teeth in disgust/rage/frustration. I loved it and hated it, but mostly I was challenged by it, and it's all I can think about these past few days.

Only Revolutions is a lot of things; some bad, most good, but all worthwhile. You just need to read it. Please. I need to talk to people about it.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

House of Leaves became an instant collector's item in 2000, and a signed first can sell for hundreds of dollars today. Only Revolutions will have the same sort of impact, but to a lesser degree due to its higher profile and a far larger first printing. That said, it's a no-brainer for collectors.

Danielewski is in the midst of a promotional tour for this book, and if he comes to your town, be sure to go to his signing/reading. It's an experience. Check the dates and locations here under Tour.

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

2006-09-18T19:11:00.000-04:00

"She only looked away for a moment, and the mask slipped, and you fell. All your tomorrows start here."

I'm not a Neil Gaiman fan.

Sure, I enjoyed quite a lot of American Gods. Who didn't? I respect what he did with Sandman and the effect it had on comics in general and Vertigo in particular, even though it wasn't a personal favorite. Good Omens made me smile a lot and chuckle once or twice. But he never sucked me in to the legions of Gaiman worshippers.

But then, I hadn't read his short fiction.

Fragile Things is Neil Gaiman's fourth (Angels and Visitations, Smoke and Mirrors, and Adventures in the Dream Trade.) collection of short stories and poetry. I am unable to rank it amongst those that have come before because, despite owning all three, I've never read any of them. A failing I do believe I'll be correcting rather sooner than later. See, Fragile Things is wonderful.

Not wonderful in the sense that you got a promotion in work; truly it's in the rare and more honest definition: It's full of wonder. I was terrified by the eerie possibilities in 'Closing Time.' I simply could not shake that story, and so, am suffering from a lack of sleep today. 'Bitter Grounds' would not have been amiss amongst the best of Tales From The Crypt, but it wasn't quite as scary. 'A Study In Emerald' is a Lovecraftian tale of Sherlock Holmes; as strange and beautiful as any short I've read since Kelly Link's last collection. It won the Hugo for short story in 2004.

Most of the stories in Fragile Things have appeared in anthologies or magazines or other assorted Gaiman ephemera; but the collection is strong despite this, and reads well as assembled. This is the strongest book from Gaiman that I've yet read, barely touched by his propensity to ramble in his longer works. That said, a few of the stories are weaker than the rest, and his poetry is so out of place, it literally begs to be skipped over more than the songs in a Tolkien novel. "Oh Elbereth Gilthoniel!" Let's get on with the stories, aye?

I'm still not a Neil Gaiman fan. Maybe it's the leather jacket. Regardless, Fragile Things is a very good collection. Check it out.

7.5

Collector's Notes:

There were 150,000 of the US hardcovers produced. Could it be a collector's item with that many in print? A short story collection? I doubt it.

The book itself is quite neat, with a tissue paper dust jacket over a glossy binding. It certainly belongs on the shelves of Gaiman collector's and short fiction fanatics, but I would honestly recommend waiting for the paperback.

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

2006-09-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

Over the past few years it seems that the U.K. has become the tip of the spear; the cutting edge in speculative fiction. Mieville's Perdido Street Station, Morgan's Altered Carbon, Novik's Temeraire, and McDonald's River of Gods were all released first in the United Kingdom. Steven Erikson published a slew of books in his mega-popular Malazan: Book of the Fallen series before a U.S. publisher decided to give it a shot. Now Gollancz brings us a shockingly good new epic fantasy from first time author Joe Abercrombie.

And the U.S. has yet to announce a publisher for this work. Are you listening PYR?

The Blade Itself fails to break new ground in fantasy. There is nothing terribly new about this work, and there are even a few tired old tropes that I wish had not been used. However, it's well plotted, the characters live and breath, and the world comes alive. The action is intense, and it offers epic fantasy fans what is too often missing in recent times -- a great adventure.

*I ought to point out that this is the first book in a new series. The Blade Itself ends quite nicely, but keep in mind that the wait for the next volume could be tedious. Fans of Martin, Jordan, and Erikson know exactly what I mean.

Logen is a barbarian from the North. He's seen more than enough of war, but violence seems to follow him wherever he goes. Jezal is a cocky son of nobility; a Captain of the King's army, and something of a pompous ass. Then he meets a girl who sets his little world on it's head. Glokta was the greatest swordsman of his generation, and a much-honored officer in the army. That is, until he was captured by the enemy and tortured for many years. Now he has returned from this imprisonment, still a young man, and faces life with a withered and twisted husk of a body. Unable to continue in the army, his career path leads him to join the King's Inquisitors. The tortured becomes the torturer.

This is a fine first novel. It certainly ranks among the higher echelon epic fantasies being written today, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

Jump all over the U.K. hardcover edition (It says paperback, but it is indeed the hardcover.) of this work. The Blade Itself will take off when it reaches the U.S. -- it's just the type of book that will do well in this country.

Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches by Resnick and Siclari (ed.)

2006-09-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches is, quite obviously, a compilation of some of the past Guest of Honor speeches at previous Worldcons. I say some, because there are literally 40+ speeches not accounted for in this volume. It is stated in the introduction by the editors, Mike Resnick and Joe Siclarii, that this is due to not being able to acquire copies of the missing speeches in time for publication, but they also hint at a sequel.

If that sequel were to appear, it would be well worth the cover price. The missing speeches include the words of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Roger Zelazny, and Jack Vance. (At least they didn't leave out any of the big names.)

Enough about what this book lacks, what it contains is also worth the price of admission.

Featuring the speeches of "Doc" Smith, Heinlein, A.E. van Vogt, Hugo Gernsback, Robert Silverberg, and John W. Campbell Jr., Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches is a fascinating read. This book not only tracks the progression of Science Fiction and Fantasy history, it also touches upon our nations history, and offers a unique view into our past.
Robert A. Heinlein's speech in 1941 looks to the war on the horizon, and the uncertainty of the times becomes transparent. A.E. van Vogt's speech of 1946 looks back upon the war at the first post-nuclear science fiction worldcon. In 1963, given sufficient breathing room from the second World War, Murray Leinster sheds light on the effects science fiction and science fiction authors had on the war, including a brief touch on the Naval Research Unit who boasted Heinlein, Asimov, and L. Sprague deCamp as members.

In 1970, Robert Silverberg speaks to the Vietnam War in his guest of honor speech. He speaks of revolution in art, in sex, and in science fiction in particular. He seemingly denounces the New Wave while embracing it; showing a wisdom beyond his years in being able to see both sides of the story.

In 1990, Joe Haldeman's speech touched upon Vietnam also, in a much more personal manner. He spoke of being saved from his own demons by science fiction and science fiction fandom, a release that far too many never found. Though many speeches in this volume were heartfelt and sincere, this is the one that made me cry.

Frank R. Paul's speech from 1939's first worldcon was a motivational speech to SF fandom. Harlan Ellison's from 1978 was a call for equal rights, specifically with regard to Arizona, where the convention took place. George R.R. Martin's speech from 2003 was autobiographical and easy to relate to. Theodore Sturgeon's was engrossing and hilarious.

This book offers a wealth of SF history in a single package, and is incredibly entertaining as well as important historically.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

This collection is not a collector's item per se, but it's a book that belongs on every serious SF collector's shelf. I especially recommend it to newer fans, such as myself, who only have a few conventions under their belts. It's a treat.

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman

2006-09-05T01:59:00.000-04:00

A future Earth controlled by multinational mega-corporations has been a common backdrop in science fiction since 1952, when Fred Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth released the eerily prophetic classic, The Space Merchants. This fearful foreshadowing continued with the startling portrayal of a capitalist future in William Gibson's award-winning Neuromancer, and was satirized mercilessly in Richard Morgan's Market Forces (soon to be a motion picture).

Infoquake describes a free-enterprise future that may be the most alarming yet, due to its sheer believability.

Set in a future Earth that has survived an Asimovian uprising of artificial intelligence, all technology exists, at least in part, inside the human body. Bio/Logic microcomputers have extended human longevity and improved on every imaginable bodily function. Humans are always online, as their bodies themselves are internet terminals.

Natch, our protagonist, is an Ender Wiggin with significantly less scruples. His company, a fiefcorp where he is master to two highly talented apprentices, is on it's way up the corporate rankings. Then the opportunity of a lifetime comes along.

David Louis Edelman keeps the action coming at a breakneck pace, and despite the lack of SFnal tropes such as interstellar travel and space battles, Infoquake never lacks in excitement. The politics are fascinating, and the day-to-day juggling performed by corporate officers have never been so interesting.

I enjoyed Infoquake very much, and my only reservation would be that this particular future takes a bit of reading to understand. It's not instantly engaging, but the time required to immerse oneself is time well spent. The historical background mapped out by Edelman in the multiple appendices, along with the timelines provided show a world as rich with history as our own, and only rivaled in speculative fiction by J.R.R. Tolkien and perhaps George R.R. Martin.

As a softcover first edition, Infoquake seems an obvious frontrunner in the race to win this years Philip K. Dick Award.

8.5/10

Collector's Notes:

This is the first novel (in a trilogy) from an author who indisputably has loads of talent and more importantly, original ideas. That his first book is a trade paperback release ought not discourage collectors from picking it up. After all, Neuromancer was a softcover release originally, and the prices on those firsts are through the roof.

Infoquake does not appear to have a UK publisher, as yet.

An excerpt is available here.

The Hugo Awards 2006: In Depth

2006-08-29T21:24:00.000-04:00

Subtitled, of course: 'Harlan Ellison is an Ass.'

I had two great hopes entering the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center this past Saturday evening. The first was that John Picacio would win a well-deserved Best Artist Hugo, and the second being that George R.R. Martin would finally win that elusive 'big one,' the Best Novel Hugo.

Well, we'll get to that later.

Has anyone taken a look at the votes tallied for the Hugo awards this year? In any year? And then compared them to the Worldcon membership?

Those new to Science Fiction fandom know that the community is very open and welcoming to new members. All are welcome, and even the strangest of personages (furries, klingons) are allowed a place at the collective table. However, a place at the table is the best that one can expect. Do not attempt to voice an actual opinion; it's simply not welcome.

Ever try to tell a SMOFer (Secret Master Of Fandom; Hah! Not so secret anymore!) that there is a better way to do things? You'd have better luck asking Harlan Ellison to act like a decent human being. If things were done a certain way in 1963, then there is obviously little need to consider changing them. For a community built around looking forward through literature, SF fandom is remarkably conservative and dare I say it, archaic in their manner of running conventions and awards.

Take, for instance, the manner in which Hugo votes are tallied. The cut off date for votes was July 31, despite the fact that half of a Worldcon's memberships are purchased at the door. That is half of the membership that is simply unable to vote, simply because they did not plan their year around this event. They still pay full price; in fact, they pay more for their memberships than those who sign up early. This not only punishes those new to fandom, it disenfranchises them and punishes those who are too poor to know in advance whether they will be able to make it to Worldcon. It's everything that the liberal leaning SF fandom purportedly rails against, and would be ironically hilarious if not so depressingly stupid.

With the technological ability of our modern society, how hard would it be to begin and end the voting at the event in which the awards are presented? A couple of computers and a few vote checkers would be all the output needed by the convention committee, and the entirety of the membership would have the opportunity to express their feelings.

Now I've heard it said that this implausible because the Hugo Awards themselves must be engraved in advance of the event. If this is the height of the argument against technological advance and across-the-board fairness and equality by the Old Guard, then I'll happily sink that laughable argument.

Make up engraved plates for all of the nominees. I am reasonably certain that with the 3000+ engineers and rocket scientists in attendance, we could manage to rivet them onto the cute little rocket ships. Hell, I bet one of our numerous PhD.'s could even handle engraving tools.

But such advances would mean that even the (gasp!) SMOFers would be in the dark as to who was getting a rocket, and that simply can't be digested, it seems. It wasn't done that way when Heinlein won, and so, it seems, we can never make things better.

This is a call to everyone who arrived at their first Worldcon and was laughed at for looking for the ballot box. We've come so far socially in the years since the first Worldcons, can we please advance with science now, as well?

For the love of Asimov, only 567 votes were tallied for Best Novel this year, despite Worldcon having over 6000 members. Stop the bloody madness! Until you do, SMOFers, the Hugo will not posses the validity it ought have. It is not the voice of the people; The Locus Award is.

------------------

The Hugo Award presentations began with an amusing skit between Robert Silverberg and Toastmaster Connie Willis. Amusing at first, that is, but quickly tired and incredibly overlong. (It's Saturday night at Worldcon, people! There are parties to attend!)

Forrest J. Ackerman was recognized for his contributions to fandom by not only winning the Big Heart Award, but having it renamed in his honor. (Who decides this, SMOFers? Not that Forrie is undeserving -- he most certainly is -- but I don't recall being asked my opinion, despite my so-called 'membership.')

That brings us to the other special recognition award recipient, Harlan Ellison. While I find it incredibly amusing that the two people LACon IV decided to honor absolutely loathe each other, I need to ask just what the hell Harlan Ellison has done in the past 20 years to deserve any recognition whatsoever? Is being the rudest asshole in the history of the community truly an award-worthy accomplishment? Is making him a bloody Grandmaster not enough? (And have we truly run so low on august personages that we ought to make a man who is most famous for editing an anthology a grandmaster of Science Fiction?)

So anyway, Harlan Ellison. It's no secret that Ellison sexually assaulted Connie Willis on stage at the Hugo ceremony; there has been much ado about it. Everything that need be said about it has already been said by far greater minds than mine, and so I will leave it at that. (Though I'd like to point out Nick Mamatas's offer to fly to the next convention to squeeze the evil midgets' man-titties, simply for comedic value.)

What has not been mentioned, in the wake of the assault, is his liberal use of the 'N' word in his panel on Saturday. (Yes, I'll refrain from its use here. I see no reason, as you all know which word I refer to.) I've also not heard tell of his calling the elderly widow of Robert A. Heinlein a 'fucking bitch' during his award acceptance speech. She had said, most likely as a result of his abuse, that although Ellison had more Hugo Awards than her late husband, Heinlein had the 'big ones;' the Best Novel Hugo's, and they were far more important.

I'm just gonna throw this out there, people. Harlan Ellison is not worth having to deal with Harlan Ellison. His work is not that good, and never fucking has been. Sure, he was important during the New Wave, but not remotely as influential as Michael Moorcock. He was edgy and experimental, but not to the level of J.G. Ballard and Samuel R. Delany. He, HE, is simply not worthy of our time or notice anymore, if he ever truly was. His output since the 70's is worthless, and the time spent reading it is time wasted. The only tome bearing his name that can be called required reading is Dangerous Visions, a wonderful anthology featuring the work of far better writers than himself. Yet we as a community allow ourselves to be repeatedly shat upon by a known liar, bully, and now sexual predator. I will never again attend a convention that has Ellison as a member, and those of any conscience ought not either.

Oh, and Harlan, the Best Short Story Hugo is nice and all, but Best Novel is all that anyone ever remembers. Sorry, but Virginia was right, and Robert was so much more important than you, that your attacks are the ramblings of a bitter old man who couldn't and didn't and now never will. I truly hope I've had my last dangerous vision of you.

--------------------

The Winners:

The Campbell Award for best new writer was awarded to John Scalzi. Congrats to John Scalzi.

The Best Artist Hugo went to Donato Giancola. Though my vote went to John Picacio, and I truly believe he deserved to win, Donato is well and truly worthy of this award. As Picacio magnanimously told me later on, Giancola has earned it. Any awarding other than to one of these two artists would have been a monumental travesty, and I am glad that Donato finally received his Hugo.

The Best Editor Hugo, or as I like to call it, The Editor Whom I'd Most Like To Buy My Craptacular Fanfic For his Magazine/Anthology Pretty, Pretty Please, I Voted For You For A Hugo, Doesn't That Count For Something, Even Though I Have No Idea What You Actually Do To A Story Other Than Buy It And So This Award Is Worth Less Than Best Dressed In My High School Yearbook went to the second biggest asshole of the night, David G. Hartwell. After receiving this *ahem* award that no one in fandom has any right to vote on unless they've had a book/story edited by each and every editor on the nominee list, Hartwell took the stage and began to preach a wonderful assertion that the late Jim Baen ought to be the recipient of this award next year, because he deserved it. However, this large-hearted plea was negated trifold by Hartwell's attack on the deceased: "Though he'd never do the same for me."

How in the hell Hartwell presumes to know just exactly what Baen would do in the event of Hartwell's death is beyond my ability to fathom. Good thing for David that Ellison was present, for if not, this classless tripe would have been the talk of the evening. Between Hartwell and Frenkel, you sure have some beauties, TOR.

The Hugo for Best Dramatic Short went to the unwatchable and laughable Dr. Who. At this point I realize that this particular membership has taste in their ass, and I'm feeling gloomy at the prospects of the remaining awards. I mean, Battlestar Galactica, people! Intelligent television, and one of their best episodes, no less. I should not have been surprised; after all, this is the crowd that supported Star Trek for decades and let Firefly fail in a single season.

The Hugo For Best Dramatic Long went to Serenity, and this was the only award in which my vote went to the winner.

The Hugo For Best Related Book went to Kate Wilhelm. I have no opinion, as I do not read related books.

The Best Short Story Hugo was won by David D. Levine for "Tk'tk'tk," or as I referred to it later that evening in my post-Hugo rant, "Suck'Suck'Suck." I mean, it was better than the Burstein and the Resnick, but against Margo Lanagan? "Singing My Sister Down" was one of the most moving fantasy short stories ever penned. What a travesty. Read it now.

The Best Novellette Hugo went to Peter S. Beagle, the anti-Ellison. One of the nicest men you could ever hope to meet, and an absolutely incredible author. He buried his mother just a few short hours after receiving this award. My heart and thoughts go out to him.

The Best Novella Hugo went to Connie Willis in an incredibly tight race with Kelly Link. Link's story was better, but Willis was the Guest of Honor for this particular convention, and so this was foreseeable, if regrettable. As Willis never had to leave her place as Master of Ceremonies to accept the award, it crossed my mind that she ought to have removed herself from the running, but what is, is. "The Inside Job" is not a bad story, it's just not "Magic For Beginners". (But then, not much is.)

And on to the 'Big One.' (Apologies, Harlan.) The Hugo Award for Best Novel went, deservedly, to Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. (Something I foresaw back in April. Go ahead, look.)

Spin is an excellent novel, and I am glad in many ways that it won. On the other hand, I was incredibly distraught that my friend George did not. This is personal bias rearing it's ugly head, true, but I so wanted to carry him proudly back to his awaiting party, rocketship in hand. He finished fifth of five in the results, and this is what upset my applecart.

Is this the backlash against fantasy we've all been expecting for years now from the SF community? Is it due to A Feast For Crows being the fourth book in a series? I simply don't know, but both theories hold at least some water. Will it be Martin's seventh and final novel that wins the award, a la Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings movie trilogy? I do not know.

What I do know is that Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is a pinnacle of speculative fiction; the absolute height to which epic fantasy has thus far brought us; far surpassing the work of Tolkein, Moorcock, Vance, Donaldson, Feist, Williams, and Jordan. It would be criminal if it were not to win the best novel Hugo at some point. But I digress.

Spin contains everything that is good about Science Fiction. I am not, nor will ever claim that a deserving book was not the recipient. Kudos to Wilson; I eagerly await his next.

The ceremony took just over two hours. After which, I returned to my fellowship, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and drank quite heavily. But that, as they say, is another story.

Post Script:

At one point, Robert Silverberg quoted an old George R.R. Martin speech in which Martin stated that his lack of the 'big one' (Best Novel Hugo) was the reason why Joe Haldeman always had the pretty girls around him and Martin, regrettably, never did.

Silverberg ought to have checked his facts, for it seems, as Martin has no doubt learned, that it is not the 'big one' that attracts the girls, but a monumental epic fantasy series. This picture was taken a few hours after the Hugo Awards. I imagine George will survive.

Off to Worldcon

2006-08-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

Just finishing up the last minute preperations for my trip to the 64th World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim, California. At which my intent is to:

A. Spend too much money on collectible books.

B. Get certain treasures autographed, such as my first editions of Dangerous Visions (Harlan Ellison), Dragonflight (Anne McCaffrey), and The Last Unicorn (Peter S. Beagle).

C. Party with, and enjoy the company of, countless friends and the wonderful members of the Brotherhood Without Banners.

On Friday I will be taking part in a live action chess match between Daniel Abraham and George R.R. Martin. Indeed, I will be the 'king' for the undoubted champions, Dorne. (Of A Song of Ice and Fire fame.) This is my first time wearing a costume at a convention, and hopefully my last.

The weeks leading up to this convention have been more than hectic here, and due to an inordinate amount of business travel, I've fallen a bit behind on my reviews. Beginning immediately after Worldcon (and related reports and pictures), I will be posting at least a review a day until I'm caught up.

Books you can expect to get the lowdown on include Lords of Rainbow by Vera Nazarian, Mockingbird by Sean Stewart, Shriek by Jeff VanderMeer, Seven Touches of Music by Zoran Zivkovic, Infoquake by David Louis Edelman, Mappa Mundi by Justina Robson, The Steam Maganate by Dana Copithorne, Scar Night by Alan Campbell, and many more.

I will also be talking about magazines such as Interzone, Electric Velocipede, Locus, and Asimov's. I'll regale you all with tales of book stores I've been fortunate enough to visit on my recent travels, such as DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis. IHIDJGATE will be running strong up until World Fantasy Convention in Austin, TX at the end of the year, at which point I'll have to beg another pause for geeky hijinx and soul recharging.

If you happen to be going to Worldcon this week, look me up at the BWB party following the Hugo's on Saturday night. That is certain to be a party you'd regret missing.

-William Lexner

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

2006-08-14T22:16:00.000-04:00

Recently re-released (just in time for Pirate of The Caribbean mania) by Babbage Press, On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers is, perhaps, the best pirate novel of all time.

I realize that this is incredibly high praise when taking into consideration Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini, however I stand by the assertion. And not only is It a pirate novel, it's a pirate fantasy novel.

ARRRR.

Jack Shandy is on a mission of revenge when his ship is taken by pirates. After attacking the pirate captain (after said captain has killed the original captain of the vessel Shandy was sailing upon) and actually scoring a hit against this feared swordsman, Shandy is given a choice; join us or die.

Being the pragmatic sort, Shandy leaps with both feet into pirate life, replete with voodoo sorcery, constant drunkenness, and shipboard battle. After a run-in with the British fleet, Shandy joins Blackbeard in the search for the mythical Fountain of Youth. Zombies, ghosts, and deadly voodoo magic abound. And the requisite damsel-in-distress, of course.

The prose, plotting, etc? This is Tim Powers, and a Tim Powers novel can stand next to any fantasy novel ever penned. And this is one of his best.

If you enjoy swashbuckling derring-do, or for that matter, loved The Lies of Locke Lamora as much as I did, this is a perfect time to pick up and read On Stranger Tides for a reasonable price.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

This is a very interesting title for collectors. (As are most of Powers' novels.) Ultramarine Press produced two limited editions of On Stranger Tides, a lettered and a numbered. The lettered edition is hand bound in full orange leather, and is signed by Powers. It's value is estimated at 750 dollars.

The numbered edition is quarter bound in red Moroccan leather and sells for between 150-250 dollars. The US first edition from ACE Books is worth somewhere between 50-100 dollars, and the UK first edition from Grafton, and is valued the same, between 50 and 100 dollars.

The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield

2006-08-13T17:42:00.000-04:00

In the company of soldiers
I have no need to explain myself.
In the company of soldiers,
everybody understands.

To repeat the snivelling axiom that 'War is Hell' would be to demean the horrors of war. Oftimes hell is looked forward to as an upgrade in predicament by men in combat, and that certainly holds true for our valiant, confused and ever-so tired soldiers in Steven Pressfield's latest historical, The Afghan Campaign.

Matthias is a Macedonian youth from Appollonia, and together with his best friend Lucas, he follows his two older brothers off to war in the East to serve Alexander The Great. By the time the young soldiers make it out to Alexander's army, he has long since defeated the Persians, and prepares to make war on the Afghani tribes, who stand in his path to India. Seen as an easy campaign, Matthias hopes he will be able to attain some fleeting bit of the glory grasped by his brothers in war against greater nations.

What Matthias discovers is a bit like what the Soviets found in the 1980's in Afghanistan; a bit of what the U.S. has discovered in recent years. Conquering the Afghani people is never easy.

The Afghan Campaign tells the story of a little known piece of history of Alexander The Great, by way of a few of his soldiers. Pressfield is at his absolute best using this narrative strategy, and much like in Gates of Fire before, he uses this technique to shape The Afghan Campaign into a brilliant novel.

Even more so than in his past novels, The Afghan Campaign rang true both in its dialogue and in the situations and problems that these fighting men faced. As a veteran, this truth is all-important to the believability of the tale, and Pressfield succeeded nigh perfectly. My one complaint about this tale was the same fault shared by every great novel; it was too short.

The parallels to our present day problems in the Middle East and in Afghanistan in particular will not be lost on the reader. Each victory is pyrrhic, and each loss calamitous. Whichever side of the argument you may fall, The Afghan Campaign is a great way to gain a sense of exactly what it is that we are up against.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

First editions of Gates of Fire are worth a pretty penny, and this novel is just as good. However, the publishers undoubtedly know this, and the print run is not nearly so small. That said, preserving a pristine first of The Afghan Campaign would not be amiss. Pressfield is quickly becoming the best historical fiction author of our time. You ought not miss out.

The Crooked Letter by Sean Williams

2006-08-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

There's nothing new under the sun. At least that's how it sometimes feels with regards to fantasy of the epic variety. However, Australia's prolific Sean Williams seems to genuinely scamper down untrodden roads in The Crooked Letter.

Set in the same world, as a prequel of sorts, as his previous young adult Book of The Change series, The Crooked Letter is a stark turn towards adult fantasy for Williams. In fact, the book is quite gritty, violent, and very much aimed at a mature audience.

Seth and Hadrian are twins that don't quite get along, but that does not seem to pose much of a problem, as Seth is murdered in cold blood in the very first chapter. But this is fantasy, after all, and so when Seth dies, his spirit passes over to a second realm of existence. The unique bond the twins possess link the two realms, and an evil overlord hopes to use this bond to conquer the first plane.

Mythologies and religious beliefs are melded and warped in a world not unlike our own in many ways. Narration is divided through the separate realms, but manages to weave itself into a wonderful story. The prose is eloquent and the dialogue is flawless.

Isn't the cover magnificent? Go ahead and click on it; you'll get a better view. This wonderful piece was painted by Greg Bridges.

Famous and award-winning in Australia, I must admit complete ignorance of Williams' work prior to this U.S. release from PYR Books. As of late, PYR seems to be the anti-TOR. Not a novel comes from this particular house that is hackneyed or weakly plotted. I don't foresee, for instance, a David Keck or Terry Goodkind in the offing. There was a time, during my fantasy adolescence, where the TOR mountain symbol seemed a seal of quality. While that particular mountain no longer seems to be any guarantor of goodness, the flaming PYR certainly hints at such.

And The Crooked Letter may be their strongest fantasy novel yet. I may not have been a Williams fan prior to it's reading, but I certainly count myself amongst that number now.
8.5/10 Collector's Notes:

Released in 2004 in Australia, the Australian first edition of The Crooked Letter will be the most collectible and/or valuable. That said, if things fall as they ought, this is a book you don't want to miss out on.

Flying home from Minneapolis this week, I noticed a copy of The Crooked Letter in an airport bookstore. Good on PYR for getting this prodigious work out there for people to read and experience. I expect great things will happen.

A Bookstore

2006-08-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

I spent last week in the city of Los Angeles on business. Business travel, as a rule, if you were not aware, sucks. One shining event in my arduous journey was a trip to a special little book store.

Barry R. Levin Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature is what you would call a high end SF book shop. Located on Santa Monica Boulevard, Levin has peddled the absolute finest in science fiction books, art, and memorabilia for 30 years. To enter his shop is to come into contact with treasures you simply can't find anywhere else; a true experience for the fan and collector.

As I entered the front door, what truly struck me was the obvious value of the stock and the manner in which it was cared for. You can not simply browse like in any run-of-the-mill store. All the shelves are behind locked protective glass. Mr. Levin is quick to retrieve any book you wish to take a look at, but obviously has no patience for browsers. Look, but do not touch.

There's good reason for this policy, however. In Levin's shop you can find a pristine as the day it was pressed, first edition of The Forever War, a signed and absolutely fine edition of Starship Troopers, and just about every Arkham House title ever produced -- in triplicate. Behind his desk is a pristine signed limited edition of H.G. Wells complete works, and if one were to buy such a treasure, it would be packed in the same wooden crate it was shipped in, in the 1920's.

The walls feature original art from the originators of SF art, signed letters and short stories from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, and Harlan Ellison, and actual props from classic science fiction films. (Such as a Marine's rifle from Alien.)

There were tomes in this magical shop I'd only heard of prior to this visit, such as Philip K. Dick's limited edition collection from Underwood-Miller, and UK editions of not-so-modern classics. I was like a kid in a candy shop.

Not having the means of a Kennedy, my purchases were meager in comparison to what was available. I was able to acquire a pristine, unread first edition copy of Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins that looked as if it were printed yesterday. I also picked up a signed UK first edition of Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon (The only world hardcover, and very rare.) and a first edition of On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. (For a song!)

If you live within driving distance or plan on visiting LA this summer for Worldcon, take the time to stop on in. I left the store with a smile, some treasures, and a feeling of wonder in my heart. And that, after all, is what SF is all about.

A Meme

2006-08-06T15:17:00.000-04:00

Meme's are certainly not what this site is about. That said, Jay Tomio (best blog around!) has tagged my up for a really neat one, and rules are there for the bending.

Updates to this site have been few and far between of late due to a lot of business travel on my part. The good news is that
I've been reading a lot of good (and not so good) stuff, and the updates/reviews/articles will be coming rapidly for a quite some time.

And so, the meme:

1. One book that changed your life?

My standard answer would be A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Until reading this tome, I was merely a fan of genre fiction, not the Fan I am today.

In a truly dark time in my life, set against the backdrop of a war-ravaged central Europe, a very close friend of mine died. While cleaning out his personal belongings to send back to his wife, I came across a copy of A Game of Thrones. I had been a fantasy fan, (Tolkien, Jordan, Feist) but had not come across Martin before. (Though I had seen my friend reading it.) He had tried to get me to read it a few times, but it wasn't Jordan, after all, so why bother?

Somehow I deemed it his final wish for me to read this tattered, well-read fantasy novel, and that night I did so. The following day, I read it again. It was exactly what I needed in that dark time; an escape worthy of a life I had a hard time facing. I had held no previous inkling that fantasy could be so damn good, so real; ring so true. I was hooked.

This series of books were the cause of me getting involved in online discussions of books; in my going to my first convention. George himself made me feel at home in fandom and opened up my eyes to authors such as Jack Vance, Fritz Leiber, and Robert E. Howard. I had been hooked on genre fiction before, but now I was utterly lost to it. I was a collector.

2. One book you have read more than once?

Re-reading is a common occurrence for me. I could literally list a thousand novels I have read to pieces. The most recent book I have re-read, however, is River of Gods by Ian McDonald. A new classic; destined to be one of the defining science fiction books of this decade.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

Tough call. Perhaps Robinson Crusoe for ideas? Treasure Island? Gravity's Rainbow so I am certain to actually finish it? A Dance With Dragons, or is that cheating? Probably the answer would be my trusty old U.S. Marine Corps Survival Guide. (It contains gems such as why not to drink coconut milk as your main sustenance -- it's a potent diuretic, will cause you to become incredibly dehydrated, and in volume will cause horrific diarrhea.)

4. One book that made you laugh?

Well, the book that has caused me to laugh the most would be Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. If there is a funnier book ever written, I've not come across it.

5. One book that made you cry?

Again, the book that made me cry the most was Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Patterson. A Newberry Award winner for best children's book of the year, A Bridge To Terabithia tells a tale of childhoods lost to fantasy, and how the only way in which to endure horrific tragedy exists in the mind and the imagination. A must read for fantasy fans of all ages.

6. One book you wish had been written?

A novel by H.P. Lovecraft? The Last Dangerous Visions? I try not to think about what has not been written, there are so many great works that I still need to read.

7. One book you wish had never had been written?

This could get exhausting. I'll settle for Ulysses by James Joyce. Masturbatory claptrap at its worst. Responsible for leading thousands of talented young novelists into writing unreadable trash, and perhaps the worst standard of literature in existence. Has anyone actually ever enjoyed it? (Or do they just pretend to?)

8. One book you are currently reading?

I'm currently re-reading On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. It's a powerful pirate novel by one of the best in the business.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. I keep meaning to get around to it.

10. Now tag five people.

Uhh. I hate tagging people for Meme's. If you desire to fill out this form, please consider yourself tagged and let me know where to read your answers. I'm intrigued.

Viriconium by M. John Harrison

2006-07-30T15:33:00.000-04:00

"I think it's undignified to read for the purposes of escape. After you grow up, you should start reading for other purposes" - M. John Harrison

This particular quote was brought to my attention as the signature of Jay Tomio on the Fantasy Book Spot forums. I've considered it, deliberated it, and seethed against it for months now, and decidedly feel the need to rage against it.

Insipid and blathering nonsense. I refuse to even accept his preposterous premise and allow that he is somehow the dignity police and can make such random generalizations. He's an author -- a talented, acclaimed, and commercially unsuccessful author; nothing more.

And the rampant attacks on escapism from SF pundits is crowned by this ludicrous assertion. The search for an escape from reality is deemed immature and foolish, when it was the base premise for the advent of literature in the first damn place. Perhaps Mr. Harrison and the proponents of this claptrap philosophy have never experienced any sort of life which literally begs for escape, but we are not all priviledged denizens of London. We are not all born with the inherent right to higher education and loft apartments in Manhattan. The greatest challenges that most will face have nothing to do with finding the next hand-hold on a climbing wall, Mr. Harrison, and escapism is not a four letter word.

During my short-tenured time in the war-ravaged former Yugoslavia, I would have lost my mind if not for Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. I needed that escape each day, I lived every waking moment for it. Later, In Africa and Kosovo, I discovered George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. I read these books literally dozens of times, along with paperbacks from Heinlein, Asimov, Lovecraft, Tolkien, Card, Zelazny, Hobb, King, and even Tom Clancy. (Clancy, quite kindly, gave me a stack of his books after he interviewed me for this.)

I take incredible offense at the assertion that, as a combat veteran, I was either not 'grown up,' or that wishing a release from an incredibly austere day-to-day I was leading at such a time was somehow undignified.

Furthermore, I assert that I did not have it bad at all compared to the vast majority of human beings on this planet. I was fed, clothed, and had a roof (sometimes) over my head. Perhaps Harrison's commentary works well with his overpriviledged crowd in London, but it's pure bunk in the real world. I submit that this sentence is as foolhardy as anything ever presented by the psychotic Terry Goodkind or the criminally insane Orson Scott Card.

M. John Harrison is something of a darling of the critical mass in speculative fiction, and so you'll likely not find another negative opinion regarding him or his work on the entire bloody internet. That's ok. I'm up for the challenge. (And fallout.)

Oh yeah, Viriconium.

Viriconium is a collection of all of Harrison's work that takes place in the fantasy world of the same name. His prose is wondrous, and the manner in which he weaves a tale is Pulitzer worthy. That said, it's boring. Harrison is the only author who can write a swordfight that (literally!) puts me to sleep.

The Pastel City, the first Viriconium book, is actually pretty awful. It gets far better from there, thankfully. A Storm of Wings, published nine years later, shows a significant improvement in both prose (which was never lacking) and in storytelling. A Storm of Wings is where Harrison quite obviously made his name as a master fantasist.

Viriconium Nights (The Floating Gods) is again a departure from what came before, both is style and in that actualities of the world. Names and places change, while remaining very much Viriconium. There are also a handful of short stories set in the same world which complete the collection.

So the question that remains at the completion of Viriconium; when your prose is elegant and delicious, is it acceptable to be boring?

6/10

Collector's Notes:

This trade paperback collection published by Bantam Spectra is certainly not collectible in any way. However, the original novels do have some value in the after market. The Pastel City first edition can be had for 100-150 dollars American; A Storm of Wings for 75-100. (Not overly valuable for books published in 1971 and 1980, respectively.) The other books can be had for considerably less.

Anno-Dracula by Kim Newman

2006-07-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

As I began reading the recently released The Man From the Diogenes Club from Monkeybrain Books by the vastly talented and underrated Kim Newman, I was vividly and startlingly forced to recall my first tryst with a man from this esteemed and secret organization. In 1992, Newman punched the world in the teeth with Anno-Dracula, the single best vampire novel ever written.

Hubris; it takes quite a bit on my own part to make such an assertion, and it took quite a bit more for Newman to rewrite the Dracula mythos. The premise of Anno-Dracula is that Van Helsing failed in his bid to rid the world of Vlad Tepes, and the Count has since married Queen Victoria and spread the blight of vampirism throughout London.

The plot revolves around Jack The Ripper, and the eternal mystery of just who it is, and why is it he is committing these acts. The spin that vampirism throws upon this much-told tale is both queerly believable and wonderfully contrived.

Charles Beauregard is charged by the ancient order of the Diogenes Club to solve these mysteries and to bring Jack The Ripper to heel. (Hence, the original man form the Diogenes Club.)

Newman includes many wonderful cameos, including Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, The Elephant Man, and Bram Stoker himself -- all conceived deftly and unforced.

Often I am asked for recommendations of novels that someone may not have heard of before. Anno-Dracula, to this day, is the first to pass my lips if the questioner shows the slightest proclivity towards horror.

Anno-Dracula was a nominee for the World Fantasy Award in 1993 and the Bram Stoker Award in 1994, and lost both to Tim Powers and Peter Straub respectively. And, I submit, despite the doubtless talent of these two fine novelists, quite unfairly.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Anno-Dracula is a cult classic and a somewhat rare and very collectible book. Fine condition copies of the US or UK first edition hardcover will cost you between 100 and 200 American dollars. (I've found them cheaper on eBay, and I'm quick to snatch up any copies I find.)

*Review of The Man From the Diogenes Club forthcoming.

What's Hot In Collecting: Summer 2006

2006-07-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to start doing something like this for a few months now. There are always ups and downs in collectible book values, but often times it's important to know just what books are becoming valuable and how fast -- so you can be sure to grab a copy before the value increases beyond reasonable reach.
Like Vellum last year, The Lies of Locke Lamora is this years collectible darling. (At least so far.)

The SF community, while trending toward old and conservative, (in habit, certainly not politically) have always been neophysts, in love with the 'Next Big Thing.' Scott Lynch seems to be just that.

Duncan is still going strong, however, and Vellum is a very collectible book. In fact, it might be a good idea to snatch up a UK first edition before they become impossible to procure. The US edition, released just this year, was a trade paperback original. Yawn.

Snatching up a copy might also be a good idea for the recently reviewed River of Gods. It's probably smart to acquire both a UK and US edition of that particular work.

The market recently has been particularly strong for Steven Erikson's Malazan: Book of The Fallen series, with early UK editions rising rapidly in price. (The first few were trade paperback originals, and the recent TOR hardcovers were the only hardcovers produced. This has not hurt their value in the slightest, however.) As new readers from the U.S. become fans, prices continue to rise. I would look to R. Scott Bakker to continue this tradition, and soon.

Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was quite big last year, but the market was glutted with a huge first printing. Signed copies are practically a dime a dozen.

Charles Stross books continue to be very collectible, despite his releasing a new one every other week. I believe that Stross will be considered a pinacle of science fiction of the current generation, and so his books should snatched up as you would Asimov's, Heinlein's, or Zelazny's.

What's Buzzing Right Now:

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gollancz, UK, Hardcover

2. River of Gods by Ian McDonald (Simon & Shuster, UK, Hardcover)

3. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Bantam Spectra, US, Hardcover)

4. Vellum by Hal Duncan (Pan, UK, Hardcover)

5. Temeraire by Naomi Novik (Voyager, UK, Hardcover)

6. Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge (TOR, US, Hardcover)

7. River of Gods by Ian McDonald (PYR, US, Hardcover)

8. The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Centenary Edition by Robert E Howard (Gollancz, UK, Hardcover)

9. Accelerando by Charles Stross (TOR, US, Hardcover) *expect a huge jump in collectiblity if Accelerando wins the Hugo next month.*

10. Glasshouse by Charles Stross (TOR, US, Hardcover)

11. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (PS Publishing, UK, Hardcover)

Shelf Life by Greg Ketter (ed)

2006-07-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

DreamHaven Books of Minneapolis, MN is perhaps the worlds finest brick and mortar speculative fiction specialty store. Founded by Greg Ketter in 1977, DreamHaven is just what it's name espouses -- a haven of science fictional, fantastical, and horrific literature, comic books, collectibles, and various other delightful treasures.

At some point, Ketter decided to publish certain special works of wonder, and in the years since DreamHaven's inception has published marvels such as Angels and Visitations by Neil Gaiman and (I believe) The Chronicles of Master Li and The Number Ten Ox limited edition by Barry Hughart.

On the 25th anniversary of DreamHaven Books, Ketter published a collection of science fiction, horror, and fantasy in which books and book stores themselves play a major role. He called it Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores, and it featured a foreword by Neil Gaiman and a luxurious and stunning cover from one John Picacio. The contributors are no slouches either -- Shelf Life features shorts from the likes of Gene Wolfe, Harlan Ellison, Ramsey Campbell, Jack Williamson, Charles De Lint, and John J. Miller.

I'm a bit impassioned over my bibliophilism, and so are the authors, characters, and everyone else involved with this collection. Selling this book to me was a no-brainer, but why should you read it?

Gene Wolfe begins the collection with a haunting tale entitled From The Cradle. It's a story, like most of Wolfe's work, that can not be easily defined by any genre. It's a futuristic tale of a boy who grows up loving books and working in a bookstore. As a young boy, he watches an old woman put a particularly interesting book up for consignment, awaiting the correct buyer. As he works his life away at this particular bookstore, he finds a few distinct opportunities to read certain passages, which never fail to haunt his dreams and change his outlook. One day a strange and familiar young woman comes into the store and truly changes the course of his life.

This story caused me to set down Shelf Life and consider it for a few days. It's Wolfe at his shining best, and worth the price of the book by itself. But one story is not all you will get from this collection.

Other strong stories include works from P.D. Cacek who weaves a fable of books being the manner in which Jews were saved from the holocaust and by David Bischoff who spins a yarn in which a man ends up in heaven but believes himself in hell. (He's in a book store with first editions of every landmark novel imaginable -- all for a pittance -- but he doesn't like to read.)

Ramsey Campbell's One Copy Only tells the tale of a room in the attic of a bookstore where imagined but non-existing books do truly reside. Untold novels from H.P. Lovecraft, The Last Dangerous Visions from Harlan Ellison, and all sorts of magical tomes that ought to exist, but don't anywhere else.

John J. Miller's Lost Books is a tale of regret; the man responsible for the burning of the great library at Alexandria in the fifth century endures to recollect, share, and protect all great literature. Charles De Lint's Pixel Pixies introduces us to a helpful hobgoblin who cares for a used bookstore after the proprietor goes to bed for the night, and how he tries to defend the store from the terrifying onslaught of Tinkerbell's evil cousins. (Any out-of-work Hob's want to come help with my collection?)

All told, Shelf Life is a very fine collection; one that speaks to me personally, and most like all of you as well, if you're reading this musty corner of the internet.

9/10

Collector's Notes:

This is a very collectible book, especially the limited edition version, available here from DreamHaven and Ketter himself. I am off to purchase one of the limiteds myself, right now.

Wolfe, Ellison, Gaiman, early Picacio, De Lint, Campbell........ How can it not be a collector's item?

Paragaea by Chris Roberson

2006-07-13T21:11:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was no such thing as Science Fiction. Well, of course there was, but it was not called such until Hugo Gernsback coined the term in Amazing Stories in the 1920's. (Well, at first is was Scientifiction, but the syntactical relationship is quite obvious.)

Previously, the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison and the like were referred to as romances. In modern publishing the term has come to mean bodice-rippers and the like, but originally it was a catch-all for adventure.

Subtitled 'A Planetary Romance,' Paragaea is aptly named.

Not only does it hearken back to a more innocent time in SF, Paragaea also embodies everything lovely and wondrous about the genre before it was, while applying a glossy new coat of modernism.

Leena is a cosmonaut, one of the first to orbit Earth, when she comes upon a radiant gateway leading to an alternate land, Paragaea. After crash landing on this strange foreign land, she is immediately taken prisoner by jaguar-human creatures, until she is rescued by the swashbuckling Hero Bonaventure and the vanquished prince of the jaguar people, Balam.

The three quickly form a partnership, and begin a quest to find a way in which to return Leena to the Soviet Union, where duty calls.

That premise is a bit ridiculous, I'll grant. It's silly and childish and the adventures our merry band embark upon are each more preposterous than the last. We're even treated to the obvious romantic tryst between Leena and Hero.

But for all that, it's a hell of a lot of fun. I smiled my way through this book in just a few short hours. I enjoyed each and every moment, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the absurdity of it.

Roberson dedicates the book to Edgar Rice Burroughs, (Barsoom, Tarzan) Alex Raymond, (Flash Gordon) and David Gerrold. (Land of The Lost, Star Trek, much else) There are obvious nods to each in Paragaea, and each were accomplished quite well. If classic adventure yarns turn your crank, then Paragaea is that one classic tale you've never been able to find in stores or libraries. It's a throwback, a real gem.

Chris Roberson, in addition to being a writer, is, along with his wife, the owner of Monkeybrain Books. Monkeybrain is a fine small publisher, having recently released John Picacio's Cover Story* and Kim Newman's The Man From The Diogenes Club. (Which I purchased at Readercon and will review here shortly.)

7.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Paragaea is a mildly collectible volume. It's worthy of a place in your collection, but I would not invest in it. That, of course, could change if Roberson's success continues.

*Daily required Picacio reference.

Readercon 2006

2006-07-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

Readercon is the literary SF convention. Imagine if you will, a science fiction convention free of Trekkies and Furries and costumed crazies. A science fiction convention lacking an anime room, a tabletop gaming room, or even a crazy lady selling dragon t-shirts and cheap, gaudy jewelry. Held annually in Burlington, Massachusetts, it is a convention focusing solely on books; reading them, buying them, talking about them. It's my kind of place.

The guests of honor this year were China Mieville and James Morrow, with the memorial guest of honor being the seminal Jorge Luis Borges. Other attendees included R. Scott Bakker, John Crowley, Thomas M. Disch, Kelly Link, Jeffrey Ford, John Scalzi, Paul Park, Paul Di Filippo, Nick Mamatas, and Ellen Kushner.

The mood of the crowd was a bit more dour than in years past -- it seems that this was the smallest Readercon attendance in years, and the dealer's room was hit worst of all. The American economy seems to be hurting some of the specialty book dealers.

But some of it is their own fault. How absurd is it that not one bookseller at the convention had a first edition hardcover of Towing Jehovah or Perdido Street Station? These are the signature books from your guests of honor, people. Wouldn't such commodities be a no-brainer? Not a Borges book worthy of merit, either. Well, what about Camp Concentration or 334 you say? Nope, Tom Disch was not in evidence either. The pinnacle of Crowley collectibles, the UK Little, Big from Gollancz? Nowhere to be found. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any Kushner books, either, and those aren't even hard to find.

I wonder sometimes if dealers even glance at the guest lists.

That's not to say I didn't buy anything -- I can't escape a dealer's room at any con without dropping a few bills. Small Beer Press was there, and I couldn't escape without picking up the first book in Peapod Classics line, Carmen Dog by Carol Emshwiller. I also spent quite a bit of time talking up the second in the series, Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison, a true gem of a childrens book. The third in the line, Howard Who? by Howard Waldrop had unfortunately not made it back from the press in time for the convention.

I also stopped by Old Earth Books and picked up a new reprint hardcover of Davy by Edgar Pangborn. Davy is a lesser-known classic of science fiction; a coming of age story set in a post-apocalyptic world. OEB's edition is beautiful, a quality reprint from the company that brought back Edward Whittemore's magnificent Jerusalem Quartet.

John Kuenzig from Kuenzig Books was there, and his wares are always a highlight of a dealer's room. He's one of those guys who has or can get anything you want. A great help to collectors.

I also ran across a table run by a website called SFRevu. They were selling the ARC's and hardcover review copies that company's had sent to them for review. Call me crazy, but I see this as a bit of a breach of trust. Companies do not send you free review copies so that you can undersell the retail price and take money out of the author's and publisher's pockets. These were not old books; some of them were very recent releases such as Dave Duncan's Children of Chaos and Charlie Stross's The Clan Corporate.

That wasn't the best, though. The best was that they proceeded to tell me that these were all books that they did not like, and that they refuse to review books they did not like. "There are enough 'good' books released each month that we never have to talk about the bad ones."

I'm quite certain I lost brain cells talking to that poor, poor man.

So anyway, if you ever happen to click on SFRevu, just look at the pictures. If you see a cover of a book, that means they liked it. No need to, you know, read the content.

So, the programming.

I missed out on the Friday programming due to that pesky employment thing, but my wife and I were ready for war when Readercon opened on Saturday morning. Admittedly, I didn't make it to many panels this year. I spend most of my time in the Dealer's Room or at signings and readings. Once or twice a day there is a panel that seems especially attractive, and on Saturday there were two that seemed like sure fire, can't miss, enthralling discussions.

The first was Everybody Dies with James Morrow, Thomas M. Disch, Beth Meacham of TOR, and some people I'd never heard of. (Despite the fact that I follow speculative fiction with every waking moment. I'm not saying that such filler is common, and I'm not insinuating that such people should not be on panels, but, well, such people should not be on panels.)

That's a good segue: What the hell is up with nobodies on panels? It never fails that if you were to go to a panel featuring J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, and H.P. Lovecraft, there would also be Pete Smith and Tanya Jones on the panel -- and these bloody nobodies would proceed to monopolize the conversation. Sorry Jenny Johnson, but I came to hear Ms. LeGuin -- so shut yer damn mouth.

Ok, so back to Morrow and Disch and Everybody Dies.

Nobody number 1, 2, and 3 have taken up the majority of the initial 20 minutes. Nobody #3 even seems incapable of stringing together a cogent sentence. Mr. Morrow is able to step in for a moment and make a lucid point, before being interrupted by Moderator Nobody. Mr. Disch had yet to say a word, and I was a bit concerned over whether they would bully him out of the opportunity to speak at all.

Well, I needn't have worried.

Remember now, the topic is Everybody Dies. Gothic Nobody #2 seemed to be glad at the opportunity to kill off the worlds population and was mumbling something about how hope in the face of a cataclysm was evil. Hope is disgusting, just ask the Greeks! Despair is truth or somesuch. I was pretty sure she had forgotten her medication, and I couldn't stop myself from starting to hum Love Song by The Cure.

Anyway, then comes Tom Disch. He was literally mumbling and gesturing incoherently. Complaining, I think, that no one could hear anyone speaking. (Though he was by far the hardest to hear of the group.)

Then he turned to us, pulled a microphone close, and chastised the panel for not mentioning the word tragedy with respect to the topic. Then he started to speak about Hamlet, and that's when he fell apart.

I thought he was acting at first. Then I thought he was drunk or high. He was crying uncontrollably -- into the microphone. I laughed at first, then I thought perhaps he had suffered a recent loss. Then I wondered if perhaps he was having a joke at our expense, and finally I mused over whether the man was truly bugfuck insane. I can't say I know the answer to this question, but it was certainly a panel for the ages.

And don't ask what happened next; the answer is nothing. Disch proceeded to cry and occasionally speak of poetry and tragedy and movies for the next half hour. It was incredibly disconcerting. At the very least it worked to quiet the Nobodies, but I don't wish that panel on anyone.

And so we looked to the next panel to remove the bitter taste from our tongues. This one promised to be the best panel of the convention -- Embracing The Uncomfortable with R. Scott Bakker, Kelly Link, China Mieville, Paul Park, Ellen Kushner, and David G. Hartwell. Each participant was at least somebody, and Link, Bakker, and Mieville are some of the top minds in the field.

The problem began with the panel's moderator -- the esteemed David G. Hartwell. I had drill instructors on Parris Island who were less structured and micro-managing. I suppose that's how it was done in the golden age of SF or something, but really, sometimes editors should just let the authors talk. I would pay money to listen in on a conversation -- any conversation -- between Mieville, Link, and Bakker in a bar, but Hartwell did not so much encourage discourse as ask specific questions and call the panelists to heel if they stepped outside the questions. It was so tedious and boring that I believe Bakker tried to challenge the belief of form vs content in literature simply to liven up the thing. We seemed on the verge of an interesting exchange between Bakker and Link, who were both right in their own way, when Hartwell exerted control.

After the travesty that was Jim Frenkel vs Scott Bakker and Gary Wassner at World Fantasy Con last year, it truly seems as if TOR editors have it out for Mr. Bakker. I honestly don't know. Hartwell is the same guy who disrespected PYR Books and bragged about passing on River of Gods by Ian McDonald, and Jim Frenkel is the editor for one Terry Goodkind -- so who knows what goes on in their minds.

Anyway, the panel was boring. Mieville was charming and well spoken as always, but didn't get much of a chance to talk. Bakker never got a chance to explain just what it was he was talking about, and Link was probably the gem of the panel, though she was interrupted twice.

It's sad when a discussion with such possibility wilts on the vine. Alas.

Sunday was a bit more of the same. I attended two more panels, but of all the SF conventions I have ever attended, this was certainly the least worthwhile in terms of panel content. I was, however, cheered by a comment of Hartwell's in Sunday's panel on SF criticism when he stated that no reviews online were worth reading. (He singled out Emerald City to disdain.) Oh, but reviews and criticism sure were great back in the old days.

Yawn.

I had intended to attend a panel on the New Weird in which Nick Mamatas was a panelist, but got sidetracked by Scott Bakker offering to buy me a beer before his reading. I simply could not pass up such an opportunity, but was lucky enough to at least meet Mamatas before the panel, and got him to sign my copy of Move Under Ground. Nick was a very nice man, and I say that for the record because he is known mostly for his acerbic and dastardly wit on his very popular livejournal account. He didn't make me cry, and so I considered it a good outcome.

Neil Clarke from Clarkesworld Books was at the convention, attaining signatures from seemingly every author in attendance. If you're interested in signed books from any of the authors mentioned, Clarkesworld would be a good place to get them. He was gracious enough to have a drink at the bar with my wife and I, and then he paid me quite handsomely to say nice things about him.

There was a small Brotherhood Without Banners presence, in the form of myself, my wife, and Stilgar. Maureen and I heard over and over again from friends, acquaintances, and people we simply could not recall how wonderful the Boskone party was and how memorable it had been. I repeatedly told them to "Wait until you see Worldcon."

Our final adventure at Readercon was R. Scott Bakker's reading from his forthcoming science fiction thriller, Neuropath. It's nothing like The Prince of Nothing, but it's very much Bakker at the same time. I think he said the word 'fuck' over 50 times in the half hour reading and made me consider my existence -- it was a great way to end the day.

The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford

2006-07-05T20:03:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey Ford is the master fantasist that no one seems to have heard of. Those few dialed in know him, sure, but I don't see The Girl In The Glass being read on the train. I don't see The Physiognomy on high school summer reading lists. Despite critical acclaim and notable awards, Ford has yet to attain his rightful status among the masses.

The Empire of Ice Cream will not be the book to change this sad truth, but it certainly ought to be.

A hodge-podge collection of Ford's recent fantasy, The Empire of Ice Cream is Ford's second collection from Golden Gryphon. The first, The Fantasy Writer's Assistant, was the World Fantasy Award winning collection in 2003. It was also one of the five finest short story collections I have ever read. It seemed impossible to me, despite my appreciation for all things Ford, that a second collection coming so soon on the tail of the previous could even approach the same sort of quality, depth, and brilliance.

Jeffrey Ford proved me sorely wrong. The Empire of Ice Cream is even better.

The lead story recieved the Nebula Award for best novellette in 2003. A Night in the Tropics is incredibly haunting. Boatman's Holiday is a vividly rendered mess of insanity. And Coffins In The River has kept me awake the past two nights.

The cover looks kinda wacky, doesn't it? Like The Fantasy Writer's Assistant, it's John Picacio, and if you've read more than one review on this site, you know how much I appreciate John Picacio.

But this particular cover, I did not like. It's kind of weird, no? Weird and bright and not, I assumed, Picacio's best work. It didn't much speak to me.

Then I read the book.

Now it's among my favorites of all time. This guy is ridiculous. He's the speculative fiction Picasso, and he's alive in our very own times, people. Take note.

But I'm digressing. The book, not the cover, is what I should be talking up. It's good. It's better than good. It's Cordwainer Smith, Harlan Ellison, George R.R. Martin, Lucius Shepard short story good. This collection is a gem. I need some time and distance for perspective, but this may be my favorite collection of all time.

In an era of great short story writers -- Link and Lanagan, Chiang and Hill -- Jeffrey Ford stands above and beyond the rest; a true master of his craft, and this may be his opus.

10/10

Collector's Notes:

The first edition is limited to 3000 copies. Pick it up before it's sold out. When you get it, put down whatever else it is you're reading and delve into the magic. This is what fantasy is all about.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

2006-07-02T19:25:00.000-04:00

This past January I had the pleasure to attend Harvard University's annual science fiction & fantasy convention, Vericon. The guest of honor was George R.R. Martin, of whom I'm something of an unrepentant fanboy. (He says we're friends, but I'm quite certain he's just being nice.)

From his first reading throughout the entire weekend, when asked about any other works whatsoever, he brought up Scott Lynch's name, and his just now released The Lies of Locke Lamora. He mentioned how it was "just the sort of story I love to read," and "One of the best new fantasies in years." Having spoken with George at length a time or two about other writers, I'd never before heard him so excited about a new author. He usually reserves his accolades for genre stalwarts like Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, or J.R.R. Tolkien, and so my appetite for this novel was duly whetted.

Try as I might, I simply could not get my hands on a copy of the ARC. Thus, I had to wait like everyone else for the general release on June 27th.

The wait was worth it.

'His problem,' said the Thiefmaker, 'Is that if I can't sell him to you, I'm going to have to slit his throat and throw him in the bay. And I'm going to have to do it tonight.'

Instantly we are immersed in the Venice-like city-state of Camorr, and the life of Camorr's most brilliant thief, Locke Lamora. The hooks fly, and you can't help but read just a bit more of Locke and his Gentleman Bastards. It's a non-stop ride that you don't ever want to get off.

Lynch combines the very best of Raymond Feist (Jimmy the Hand) with the timeless magic of Robin Hood, set in a Godfatheresque watery Lankhmar. The Lies of Locke Lamora is not a book of ideas, a work of wonder, or anyones idea of a classic of literature. What it is is a worthy heir of the very best adventure novels ever written, deserving shelf space alongside Treasure Island, Scaramouche, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Count of Monte Christo.

C. M. Morrison over at Strange Horizons, in his or her review of The Lies of Locke Lamora, inferred that reviewers were bribed to talk up this book. "Far more often I want to know how the reviewer was bribed to tell me such lies." And Nick Mamatas tears Morrison a new orifice here on his live journal. (Just thought you might like to see that. S'pretty amusing.)

Well, I wasn't bribed. I didn't even get an ARC. I shelled out my hard earned dollars. Retail price, even.

And I loved it to tears.

9/10

Collector's Notes:

Want to invest in a newly released book? This is it. Buy now, buy signed, buy five. In ten years, you'll wish you bought twenty. Lynch is going to be big, and this is it. His Magician, The Eye of The World, A Game of Thrones. This is the book to buy this year.

The prologue is available for free download here.

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

2006-06-26T18:53:00.000-04:00

Naomi Novik released her first book, Temeraire (UK) or His Majesty's Dragon (US) just a few short months ago, to much fanfare and accolades. (Including many from myself) Thus far there are three novels in the Temeraire series, and all have been or will be published this year. After reading the first, I was extremely excited to see what she would do with William Laurence and Temeraire next. After reading Throne of Jade I can only wonder if the book was not rushed to market. The title should have been Sophomore Jinx.

Throne of Jade is a bloody catastrophe of a novel. The plot was absurd, the ending a yawnfest, and the main character, Temeraire himself, playing a small bit part in the action. In His Majesty's Dragon, Novik seamlessly blended a passable Patrick O'Brian with Anne McCaffrey at her best, yet in Throne of Jade, the best of McCaffrey was nowhere to be seen -- dragons were talked about but rarely had any screen time.

Oh, and the passable O'Brian has turned into a travesty of a depiction of naval life.

I wanted to love this novel. I snatched it from the book store shelf with glee; I broke down and bought a softcover -- anathema to a collector -- and was punished mightily for my sin against bibliophilism.

Novik had me with Temeraire. She lost me with it's sequel.

4/10

Collector's Notes:

Do not buy paperbacks.

River of Gods by Ian McDonald

2006-06-19T17:09:00.000-04:00

Every so often there is a science fiction novel that acts as a catalyst for change in the genre. A visionary with a tale so new and vivid that it spawns copycats and subgenres and critical thought -- true breakthrough works from forward thinking artists. Samuel Delany, J.G. Ballard, William Gibson, Vernor Vinge, and now Ian McDonald.

River of Gods is the third major novel of modern speculative fiction set in the lore of India. The first, Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny received the Hugo Award for best novel in 1968, and the second, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie won the Man Booker Prize in 1981 and was voted the 'Booker of all Booker's' in 1993.

River of Gods outshines them both.

The meek need not enter, for River of Gods is as complex as it is lush, as forbidding as it is human. This is no Heinleinian juvenile, McDonald requires as much from the reader as he offers. If you'd but work through the gnarled and horny shell to get to the bitingly sweet and fiercely piquant juice underneath, what awaits is the best science fiction novel of this newborn century; the most important SF novel that has been released in my 18 years of fandom.

The story centers around a large, seemingly unrelated group of people in India, about 40 years into the future. Tantalizingly slowly, McDonald weaves these incongruous threads into a sumptuous tapestry of artificial intelligence, Hindu spiritualism, human desire, and staggering advances in foreign culture.

Justly and unfairly nominated for the Hugo Award for best novel in 2005, River of Gods hadn't a prayer of winning, due to it not having been released in the United States until early 2006. It's a crying shame too, because no novel has deserved the Hugo Award so obviously in twenty years. Thankfully it has yet to be nominated for the Nebula, and the SFWA has the opportunity to somewhat right a grievous wrong.

A relative newcomer to Science Fiction fandom, I'd always wondered what it would be like to have lived in the times that saw the releases of masterful works such as Stranger in a Strange Land, or The Foundation Trilogy, or Nineteen Eighty-Four.

I no longer have to wonder.

10/10

Collector's Notes:

Looking for a book to invest in? I can't think of a better choice than River of Gods. The UK hardcover from Simon & Shuster is the true first edition, and is already becoming scarce on the collectible market. The US first edition from PYR Books has been recently released (March 06), and is a steal at cover price or less. Ever imagine getting in on the ground level of Neuromancer or Dhalgren? Here's your chance.

Buy two, because you'll never want your library to lack this title.

**Pyr Books is a newcomer to science fiction publishing, but with River of Gods they gain instant credibility as a powerhouse in genre fiction. They've certainly gained my attention, and look for more reviews of their titles on this site soon.

Collector's Spotlight: Robert Jordan

2006-06-16T14:35:00.000-04:00

Robert Jordan (James Rigney Jr.) has been incredibly influential in high fantasy since The Eye of The World was released in 1990. His signature series, The Wheel of Time, is a monstrous force in fantasy sales, and has brought new meaning to the term 'epic.'

His work, whether it be fantasy, historical fiction, or a western, features heroes with human faults and human problems. I imagine this comes easy to Rigney, because he's a hero himself. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star with valor device for gallantry in combat in Vietnam. He is also the recent survivor of a deadly blood disease; a battle which he has refused to lose.

The first edition, first printing hardcover of The Eye of The World is Robert Jordans most rare and sought after book. While 4000 copies of the Advanced Reader's Copy were printed, only 2000 of the first edition hardcover were printed, the rest being produced as trade paperbacks. Of the 2000 hardcovers, over half went to libraries.* Due to the popularity of the series, this scarcity has skyrocketed the price of a 16yr old book to the 1000 dollar mark. I do not have access to information about the UK editions of Jordan's work, and apologize for the lack. If anyone has that information, please leave a comment.

*These numbers are from discussions I've had with Robert Jordan himself.

**Note on Pricing: All prices are listed as a suggested price, (Books are worth what they sell for. Could be more, could be signifigantly less.) referring to a book in Fine condition, and in American dollars.

The Wheel of Time

The Eye of The World
-US ARC, TOR *rare* -- $200-$400
-US First edition, first printing HC, St. Martin's Press *incredibly rare* -- $900-$1200
-US First Edition, Trade Paperback, TOR *rare* -- $300-$500
-US First edition, second printing HC, TOR -- $500-$600
-US First edition, third printing HC, TOR -- $150-$300

The Great Hunt
-US ARC, TOR *rare* -- $100-$250
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $600-$800
-US First Edition, Trade Paperback, TOR -- $100-$200

The Dragon Reborn
-US ARC, TOR *rare* -- $100-$250
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $400-$600
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *incredibly rare* -- $1000-$1500

The Shadow Rising
-US ARC, TOR -- $100-$250
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $200-$500
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *incredibly rare* -- $500-$1000

The Fires of Heaven
-US ARC, TOR -- $75-$150
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $200-$500
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $400-$800

Lord of Chaos
-US ARC, TOR -- $75-$150
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $75-$200
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $400-$800

A Crown of Swords
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $50-$100
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $200-$700

The Path of Daggers
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $50-$100
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $150-$500

Winter's Heart
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $40-$60
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $90-$250

Crossroads of Twilight
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $30-$40
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $150-$350

Knife of Dreams
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $30-$40
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $150-$350

Related:

New Spring
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $30-$40
-Leatherbound Presentation Copy, TOR *rare* -- $150-$350

Legends Anthology
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $80-$150
-Signed and limited leather edition, TOR *incredibly rare* -- $1500-$2000

The World of Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $50-$75

Other Works:

The Conan Chronicles
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $25-$50

Further Chronicles of Conan
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $25-$50
As Reagan O'Neil
The Fallon Legacy
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $50-$100

The Fallon Pride
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $25-$50

The Fallon Blood
-US First Edition, first printing HC, TOR -- $25-$50
As Jackson O'Reilly

Cheyenne Raiders
--US First Edition, first printing HC, Forge -- $25-$50

Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts by George Zebrowski

2006-06-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

She asked, "Didn't you love me?"
Bruno said, "There are some people you want to fuck, and other's you don't. It wears off."

Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts is a collection of short horror work from George Zebrowski. Mostly known for his science fiction novels Macrolife and Brute Orbits, Zebrowski slips on the horror hat impeccably with Black Pockets. He accomplishes the trick by never really changing what it is he is writing about -- people.

Hearkening back to the days of horror comic books and youthful conceptualizations of new and unique super powers, Black Pockets is both incredibly fun and eerily familiar. There is not overly much terror per se, but there are quite a few moments where the dark thoughts you'd never utter aloud are shockingly displayed on the page before you. It's disconcerting, thought-provoking, chock full of neat ideas, and overall a very good collection.

I believe the strongest story in this collection to be The Wish In The Fear. A man, Frank, is having a hard time keeping other peoples thoughts out of his head, to the point where he has a hard time figuring out which thoughts are his own, and which are unwelcome invaders. This confusion, this paranoia, manifests itself in Frank foundering into dementia, and the ride is well worth the price of admission.

The headlining story, Black Pockets, tells the story of Bruno, an everyman downtrodden by a lifelong bully. Bruno is given a secret power to gain revenge upon any person who has done him harm, but the benefactor of this gift is the very bully he most wishes to exorcise. Any sort of revenge is available to him -- except for that which he most yearns for. It's a neat story with creepy underpinnings, but the ending is very Stephen King's It-like. (As in, it pretty much ruined the tale for me.)

Black Pockets and Other Dark Thoughts was published by Golden Gryphon Press, the seeming heirs to Arkham House, and this collection certainly reads like it was published by Arkham. In a mostly good way.

7/10

Collector's Notes:

George Zebrowski is somewhat collectible, though fans of starship sagas rarely translate to fans of horror, and so this book might not hit a chord with his fanbase. Either way though, this book, like all Golden Gryphon Press books, had a limited press run. (In this case, it was 2000 copies)

There were and are a lot of collector's whose goal was/is to collect every book ever printed by Arkham House. I foresee the same for Golden Gryphon in the future, and if that is true, this book will certainly be collectible. Just how collectible and in how much demand, is a very good question that I am unable to answer.

Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas

2006-06-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

Move Under Ground is the story of Jack Kerouac and company in a Lovecraftian setting. The Beat writers have been personal favorites of mine for as long as I can recall; with Neal Cassady acting as a seminal icon of my childhood. Coupled with the Lovecraftian mythos that was instrumental in my falling in love with the genre of speculative fiction, an amalgam of the two both excited me as a prospect, and generated considerable distress that it would not be pulled off adequately.

I need not have feared. Nick Mamatas achieves a seamless blend of the dialectic worlds, and Move Under Ground is a feat worthy of song.

Kerouac is seeking nirvana on Big Sur, but is never quite complete without his kindred Neal, and so when Cassady writes to Jack telling of strange goings on and a 'wakened sleeper,' Kerouac decides that it is time to return to the road.

Jack finds the world has become even more strange since his last fling with living, indeed eldritch horrors abound, and a non-Euclidean city has risen from the sea. Kerouac meets up with Cassady once more, and their travels take them to New York, where they face off against the Mythos, and each other.

Do you need to have read Kerouac and Cassady and Burroughs to enjoy this book? Lovecraft and Derleth? Perhaps not, but you should read those books, regardless of the answer. Mamatas speaks to us in the unquestionable voice of Jack Kerouac, and that alone deserves to be savored.

Move Under Ground deserves the classification of cult classic, both from the inmates of Arkham and the yearners of the Beat Generation.

9/10

Collector's Notes:

Move Under Ground has not yet garnered the attention it deserves, and perhaps will not until Mamatas writes more novels and attains more acclaim. However, a copy of the hardcover from Night Shade Books is a worthy investment, both because it could very well become a cult classic, and because it is quite deserving of being read, and would not be amiss on any book shelf.

Bone by Jeff Smith

2006-06-09T20:49:00.000-04:00

Bone is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning children's fantasy comic by Jeff Smith. In 2004, Smith collected all of the 55 issues of the serialized comic into a single omnibus edition, a format that has proven ideal for telling the epic adventures of the Bone cousins.

The tale begins with Fone Bone and his cousins Smiley and Phoney wandering aimlessly due to being kicked out of Boneville. They are soon separated by a plague of locusts, and Fone Bone finds himself in a not-so-peaceful valley on the eve of winter. (Winter comes fast in the Valley.) He meets a mysterious red dragon, a bug named Ted, and two numskulled rat creatures who are very interested in eating him. (Smith has the rat creatures act much like the trolls in The Hobbit, Bone is able to escape while they decide just how to cook him.)

After a long winter without his cousins, Fone Bone meets the beautiful young lady Thorn, and is brought back to her home to meet Thorn's Grandma Ben. With the help of Thorn and Grandma Ben, Fone Bone is able to locate his cousins, just in time for the Great Cow Race.

As the tale progresses, we realize that this is not just another children's comic book. Before long, we are thrust into an epic fantasy worthy of Tolkien. Thorn is not what she seems, and neither are the Bone's. The lines between good and evil are blurred in a manner not often rendered in children's fantasy. There are grandiose battles and perilous sorcery, we are taken to dragon graveyards, ancient castles, and mythic ruins, all the while providing humor to lighten the depth of the story. Smith has done a wonderful job in creating a fantasy for people of all ages, and in Bone, has created one of the better comics in the history of the medium.

8.5/10

Collector's Notes:

The winner of nine Eisner Awards and nine Harvey Awards, Bone is among the most critically acclaimed comics of all time. The single issues have various values, but the first printing of the first issue can command $200.

At $40 (or less) for the complete edition, you get an incredible value, and a book that belongs on the shelves of fantasy fans of any age. Certainly a great gift to give to children who are looking for something after they're done with the Harry Potter books.

Salt by Adam Roberts

2006-06-07T20:42:00.000-04:00

Adam Roberts, in addition to being a sharp new voice in British science fiction, is also a professor of literature, an SF critic, and a satirist. His The VaDinci Cod is an excellent lampoon of the stupefyingly popular and criminally stupid The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Salt, published in 2000, is his first science fiction novel.

Humanity is just beginning to reach for the stars. A veritable wagon train of ships bearing different peoples with contradictory cultures heads out to colonize Nebel 2, a planet that appears to have everything needed to support human life.

The story is told from the viewpoints of the 'leaders' of the two most divergent cultures. On the one hand we have the devout religious conservatives named the Senaar, led by the criminally manipulative Barlei, and on the other an anarchist society called the Alsists that rejects any and all forms of government and hierarchy. By random chance during space travel, Petja seems to be accorded a leadership role in the Alsists, a position he does not want, and one his fellow anarchists do not recognize.

But hierarchy is all that Barlei can understand, and the Alsists repeated ambivalence to his authority sparks a disjunction between ships before they even reach their destination. Barlei uses his wits to arrive at Nebel 2 first, and so the Senaar get first choice of settlement locations.

Only, Nebel 2 is not all that was promised. The planet is a desert of salt, it's bodies of water negligible, the air poisonous without filters, and the surface unlivable without massive permutation. A situation that calls for all of the colonists to work together towards a common end -- which is why they do no such thing.

Roberts is very heavy handed with his disdain for political conservatism. It's quite funny at times, and you can tell that he tries to see the situation from both points of view, but can't help skewing the vision and tossing in barbs at poor Barlei.

Salt has everything that makes science fiction grand. The ideas are plentiful and well-considered, the interstellar travel was accomplished well, and human beings take priority over both; their fears and hatreds, passions and weaknesses, all woven into an all-too-trite tapestry. It's a crying shame, because instead of a very good first novel, Salt could have been the next Dune.

7.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Unreleased as yet in the American market, now is a good time to discover Adam Roberts. Unfortunately, the UK hardcover from Gollancz is glued, not sewn, and the book appears to be poorly crafted. All the same, check it out.

Book Sale - Night Shade Books

2006-06-06T07:04:00.000-04:00

From now until Monday, June 12th at 11:59 pm, you can get 40% off your order at Night Shade Books with a minimum purchase of three books.

****Must enter NSB0640 as the coupon code to recieve the discount****

Night Shade is one of the gems of small independent press, featuring authors such as Iain M. Banks, Steven Erikson, H.P. Lovecraft, Lucius Shepard, Graham Joyce, and Joe Haldeman. Their books are finely crafted and I've yet to read book from them that I have not enjoyed.

I would personally recommend:

The Fourth Circle by Zoran Zivkovic
London Revenant by Conrad Williams
Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas
War Stories by Joe Haldeman

The Hugo Awards 2006

2006-06-01T14:08:00.000-04:00

The Hugo Award is Science Fiction's version of the Oscar. It is the pinnacle of awards, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a work of speculative fiction (Fantasy works are now eligible for the award). Named for Hugo Gernsback, the man who coined the term 'Science Fiction,' founder of the first Science Fiction magazine, and an influential writer in his own right. His novel Ralph 124C 41+ (1911) first envisioned radar, a technology we take for granted today. Gernsback is often referred to as the father of Science Fiction, though there were many fine practioners before him. First presented at the 11th World Science Fiction convention in 1953, The Hugo has been the pre-eminent award in genre fiction ever since.

Past Hugo Awards have been given to some of the most important SF novels of all time, such as The Left Hand of Darkness, Starship Troopers, The Forever War, Ender's Game, and A Canticle For Leibowitz, and at other times it has been awarded to questionable works. (Which I will not name) (Harry Potter)

This years Hugo Awards proves to be a tough batch to call, at least in the novel category. The nominees for Best Novel are:

Learning The World by Ken MacLeod
A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Accelerando by Charles Stross
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

A tough choice, and I have to admit I've been waffling on a decision. I make no secret of being a huge fan of Martin and Stross, and Spin by Wilson blew my mind. Scalzi's book was very fun, if a bit flawed, and should certainly be considered one of the best debuts of last year in the U.S., if not quite deserving of the Hugo. I'm not a fan of Ken MacLeod's work, yet I dutifully trudged through Learning The World after it was nominated.

Charles Stross deserves a best novel Hugo at some point, but I don't feel that Accelerando is his best work. A Feast For Crows is undoubtedly the weakest of Martin's series thus far. Spin had amazing ideas and that old-fashioned sensawundah that makes SF so special, but I felt it lacked in the character department. Like I said -- tough choice.

My award ballot looks like this:

1. A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin
2. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
3. Accelerando by Charles Stross
4. No Award
5. No Award

I'd like to note the books that did not garner a nomination but should have:

The Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker
Vellum by Hal Duncan
The Hidden Family by Charles Stross
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
London Revenant by Conrad Williams
The Carpet-Makers by Andreas Eschbach

Of course, not all deserving books can be nominated, but these all deserve at least as much recognition as the nominees.

The nominees for Best Novella are:

Burn by James Patrick Kelly
Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link
The Little Goddess by Ian McDonald
Identity Theft by Robert Sawyer
Inside Job by Connie Willis

Another tough category, another difficult choice. As good as Kelly and McDonald's stories were, I have to give the edge to Kelly Link. Magic For Beginners, the story and indeed the entire collection was transcendant, the best collection I read last year, in a year of sublime collections.

My award ballot reads:

1. Magic For Beginners by Kelly Link
2. Burn by James Patrick Kelly
3. The Little Goddess by Ian McDonald
4. No Award
5. No Award

The Nominees for Best Novellette are:

The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi
Two Hearts by Peter S. Beagle
Telepresence by Michael A. Burstein
I, Robotby Cory Doctorow
The King of Where-I-Goby Howard Waldrop

I really enjoyed The Calorie Man, and Two Hearts was a very good story, by The King of Where-I-Go was both suitably strange and conjured the American South so vividly, I felt I was back there.

So goes the ballot:

1. The King of Where-I-Go by Howard Waldrop
2. Two Hearts by Peter S. Beagle
3. The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi
4. I, Robot by Cory Doctorow
5. No Award

The Nominees for Best Short Story are:

Seventy-Five Years by Michael A. Burstein
The Clockwork Atom Bomb by Dominic Green
Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan
Tk,tk,tk by David D. Levine
Down Memory Lane by Mike Resnick

The short story category is really the only no-brainer category. Margo Lanagan is bloody incredible, and Singing My Sister Down is the best of her superior output.

My ballot shall read:

1. Singing My Sister Down by Margo Lanagan
2. No Award
3. No Award
4. No Award
5. No Award

I don't bother with most of the other related categories. For instance, what fan can judge who the best editor is? It becomes a choice of who picks the best stories for their magazine or collection -- and to be perfectly honest, the magazines do not matter anymore. If a short story is good enough, the story will end in a collection or anthology. This will probably sound like blaspheme to the old guard, but times change.

One of the other categories I do care about is The Best Artist award. The art gracing the covers of our books is oftentimes what lures fans to a new author. And sometimes, like this year, an artist stands the speculative fiction world on their heads.

The nominees for Best Artist are:

I'm a longtime fan of Whelan for his covers on the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. They were favorites of mine as a child. Donato Giancola is inarguably a master in the field. However, this year than can be no choice but John Picacio. Have you seen his new cover for A Canticle For Leibowitz? For the new paperback of Gateway? No contest.

The ballot looks like this:

1. John Picacio
2. Donato Giancola
3. No Award
4. No Award
5. No Award

The Campbell Award is named for legendary editor John W. Campbell, and is given for the best new author. The nominees are:

K.J. Bishop (2nd year of eligibility)
Sarah Monette (2nd year of eligibility)
Chris Roberson (2nd year of eligibility)
Brandon Sanderson (1st year of eligibility)
John Scalzi (1st year of eligibility)
Steph Swainston (2nd year of eligibility)

Just one question people, where the bloody hell is R. Scott Bakker? Incredibly disappointing.

My vote will go to:

K.J. Bishop

--------------------------------------------

Now I'm quite certain that all my choices won't win, these are just my opinions. There are a lot of links to wonderful stories here, and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have. See you at Worldcon in LA.

Price Guides

2006-06-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

-Robert Jordan

-George R.R. Martin

-China Mieville

The Baby Merchant by Kit Reed

2006-05-31T00:14:00.000-04:00

Kit Reed is the highly esteemed author of the A.L.A. Alex Award winning novel Thinner Than Thou, a book reviewer for The Washington Post Book World and The New York Times Book Review, and a board member of the Authors League Fund. The Baby Merchant is her fourth book published by TOR Books.

If you'll allow a digression, I'd like to step outside the review for a moment. This site is in its infancy still, and I must confess it was with great eagerness that I received my first review copy, The Baby Merchant, from TOR Books. I've heralded and lambasted TOR novels on this site in the past, but it is with a heavy heart that I review this book, a book I did not pay for, from an author I had heard wonderful things about and whom I enjoyed listening to speak on a panel at Readercon in 2005.

The Baby Merchant, while technically superb, is the most hate-filled, venomous, scathing piece of misandry I have ever had the displeasure to experience. The vile loathing of men that permeates each page is unparalleled in genre fiction. It is the literate treatment of the stereotypical Lifetime movie: Evil man beats wife, kills the dog, and steals the kids -- but the heroic and pure-hearted woman saves the day by outsmarting the lackwit brute.

The story is kind of neat; it's the details that sour the book. An unwanted boy grows up and fills a capitalistic void in a near future of barren wombs for women in their 30's or older. This is reportedly due to additives in food and impurities in the air and water, but there are hints that the government is trying to curb birthrates in lower income families. Unfortunately for some, it seems to have affected all women over a certain age. Tom Starbird is a provider of babies for the ultra rich and powerful who can not have children on their own. A sociopath with deranged ideals, he believes he is doing good in placing 'unwanted' (abducted) children with loving families who will give the child everything they could ever want or need. The completely twisted sub plot is that Reed obviously has a sense of empathy for this character; she makes no secret of these beliefs by showing us a preposterous relationship between a useless boy and his uncaring mother. This is exactly what Starbird exists to prevent, and playing God seems to be exactly what Reed wishes to do.

Each and every male character introduced is more contemptible than the last, while each female is either the perfect, talented, and intelligent heroine, or has a man to blame for her shortcomings. Pregnancy is portrayed as a curse "your body's been carjacked", but not being able to get pregnant is even worse. Numerous times it's drilled into our heads that the sperm donor is of no consequence -- 'it's her body after all.'

"This isn't your inalienable right, you jerk, it has nothing to do with you." -in reference to her pregnancy, specifically with regards to the father, a character who, at this point in the novel, has done nothing but try to take responsibility for his actions and be a father to his child. Of course, later in the novel, he is revealed to be a total scumbag. He has a penis, after all.

And of course, the woman who thought this detestable vitriol is the heroine of the story, Sasha.

The protagonist couple in search of baby features a despicable egoist of a news anchor husband, and a miserable high-powered lawyer of a wife who just wants a baby (and has gone through a myriad of torturous procedures to become pregnant; her husband has done the same, but his efforts are belittled by our narrator). The husband, Jake Zorn, uses his muck-raking Geraldoesque investigative reporting to blackmail Tom Starbird into acquiring a baby for the aging couple, while the downtrodden wife, Maury, wistfully languishes oblivious to all wrongdoing. The baby that Starbird chooses as the perfect match for the Zorn's happens to be the previously unwanted baby of the oh-so pitiable billionaire heiress and art prodigy, Sasha. I say previously unwanted because despite her intention of giving the baby up for adoption, at the moment of birth she magically develops motherly instincts and becomes Super Mom.

A scared child mother throughout most of the book, when Sasha's baby is finally abducted by Starbird, she becomes a supernatural (and unbelievable) force to be reckoned with. We are even to believe that she blackmails the Savannah, Georgia police department into flying her by helicopter to find her missing child.

As I stated before, the novel is well constructed. Kit Reed's writing is technically flawless, and the juxtaposition of her different points of view is intriguing -- if one can get past her flagrant bitterness towards the male of the species. I could not. When the women save the day, and all the men end up dead or in prison, Reed still can not help herself -- she makes a last ditch attack on deadbeat dads, further trying to reinforce that men are vile. As if there were no deadbeat moms.

The Baby Merchant is hate mongering of the highest order, and I have never been made so physically ill and upset by a work of fiction. Avoid it like the plague.

1/10

Collector's Notes:

Thankfully, this novel promises to go widely unread and quickly forgotten. Avoid.

The Clan Corporate by Charles Stross

2006-05-30T00:38:00.000-04:00

Charlie Stross doesn't write bad books. I'm quite certain that's a quantifiable scientific law. If he were ever to steer close to mediocrity though, it might look like The Clan Corporate.

The Merchant Princes series began with a bang in The Family Trade. Miriam Beckstein, after being summarily fired from her job as an investigative journalist for digging in the wrong grave, discovers a horrible family secret by way of a locket that induces teleportation to an alternate world (The Gruinmarkt). As Miriam discovers she is not who or what she'd always thought, we're thrust into brutal familial politics, a culture of blackmail and assassination, and an ongoing blood feud with family members from a hidden third world (New London).

In The Hidden Family, Miriam (or Helge as her new family knows her) strikes out on her own as a start-up capitalist in New London by marketing existing modern patents of inventions not yet discovered in this alternate world. She is markedly succesful in her venture and succeeds in turning her clan on its ear, when a family betrayal brings the entire clan to its knees. A high ranking cousin in clan security has become an informer to the U.S. government, made authorities aware of the Gruinmarkt and the security nightmare of their inhabitant's teleportation abilities, and now all clan activites in the U.S. are at risk.

The Clan Corporate begins with Miriam as something of a prisoner. She has upset the balance of power in the clan, and is being reined in by the powers that be. Her relatives are insistent on her marriage to a brain damaged prince so as to align the clan with royalty, a match which Miriam rails against. However, unlike the first two books, Miriam seems to have lost her heroine proclivities. She sits idly by while insults pile on after injury. She seems to be a different character; her will has been broken. That is probably why the story feels so wrong.

Much of the book is told through alternate points of view; Miriam is not center stage at all times. I'm not certain that the complete story could be told entirely from her POV, but the book suffers from the diversity. I understand that Stross was trying to make us feel bad for poor Miriam, but at times I was screaming for her to act in defense of herself. I was emotionally distraught over her treatment, and while that goes a long way in complimenting Mr. Stross's characterization skills, that's little comfort while reading the book.

There is a superb ending, a great shake-up of the status quo, but it feels like too little, too late. I wonder if The Clan Corporate was also intended to be the first half of a single volume, like The Family Trade. If so, it would make more sense. We are left stuck out on a tenuous branch, and it will be months before we find out if we'll make it back to the tree and climb down, or simply fall to our doom. I suppose it's an opinion thing, but I do not like my novels to end in such a manner, serialized or no.

The Clan Corporate was not a bad book, indeed it succeeded on many levels, including advancing the plot and making readers feel for their heroine. However, I wanted more. I expected more. I anxiously await the next installment.

7.5/10

Collector's Notes:

This series is well worth picking up, indeed every Charles Stross book is. However, if you've not read this series yet, I would suggest purchasing the books now, but waiting until the next book is released to begin your reading. This ending is bloody torturous.

Charles Stross will be numbered amongst the all time science fiction greats. Buying his books in first edition hardcovers is a no-brainer. Someday in the not-too-distant future when people speak of him with Heinlein, Asimov, and Zelazny, you'll be thanking me.

The Overnight by Ramsey Campbell

2006-05-28T01:09:00.000-04:00

Ramsey Campbell is a mainstay of horror fiction, a true living grandmaster. His bibliography is nigh absurd, with scores of novels and collections, and his short fiction has appeared in over 100 magazines and anthologies. He's never approached the sales of peers Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Barker, but his body of work is undeniably superior to the big three.

His latest novel, The Overnight, tells the story of a newly opened chain book store where not all is as it seems. The recently constructed shopping center of which it is an anchor seems to have been built on marshlands, as nightly it fills with a smothering fog eerily reminiscent of Jack The Ripper's London. To complete corporate demands, the store manager has required that all employees must be attendant for an overnight inventory.

Eery events lead up to the dreaded all-nighter, and some staff members have already befallen dubious accidents. Books are curiously misplaced, tempers are inflamed, and personalities sour as the eventful night approaches, and strange stories of the landscapes past are revealed. The overnight may spell the end of the bookstore, and the doom of the staff.

Now a book about a book store is something I can get into. A rabid bibliophile, books with plenty of references to other books are inherently pleasing. Unfortunately every book mentioned is a fictional imagining of Campbell's, and the inner workings and politics of the book store are the bones of this tale.

Inordinately ominous and suitably terrifying, The Overnight is a throwback horror novel replete with fear of the unknown and plenty of chilling hints of the macabre. The first half of the book is a veritable how-to of horror writing, which unfortunately falls flat in the end with too much gore and too much show -- really lacking the fear of the unknown that marks the first half as a prodigiously horrific.

The Overnight is a very good horror novel that falls just short of greatness in the end. If the premise sounds fascinating, then it's certainly a book you should consider.

7/10

Collector's Notes:

Horror novels by masters are always collectible, and The Overnight featured a limited numbered edition from PS Publishing. There were 500 copies of the limited edition created, with 200 of them being a slipcased deluxe edition. The limited edition sells for 50 dollars and the deluxe edition for around 90 dollars -- prices that are sure to inflate when it sells out.

In The Palace of Repose by Holly Phillips

2006-05-26T12:23:00.000-04:00

In the Palace of Repose is the debut collection from fantasist Holly Phillips. This collection has garnered a signifigant amount of critical acclaim, and has amassed more than a few fans and proponents amongst the internet review circles.

Here is a differing opinion.

Using a surrealist style, more Marquez than Wolfe, Phillips paints with vagaries. Her vocabulary is eloquent, her sentence structure flawless, and her settings are vividly stirring. However, the worlds felt uninhabited, the stories impotent, and at the end of each entry, I was left grasping for substance.

Like a flawless painting that fails to move, Phillips collection is lovely and fruitless. This book is a tangible embodiment of the style over substance fallacy.

Phillips is a wonderful writer, but I just didn't care. If you have the ability to appreciate delectable prose without asking for much in the manner of a payoff, this is probably something you should check out.

4/10

Collector's Notes:

It's a nice collection for what it is, and probably a small print run from Prime Books. However, my gut feeling is that you'll be able to find this book for at or below cover price 20 years from now. There's certainly no mass appeal.

Counting Heads by David Marusek

2006-05-25T14:07:00.000-04:00

Counting Heads is a startling debut novel from noteworthy short fiction writer, David Marusek. It is something of a continuation from a previous short story of his, We Were Out of Our Minds With Joy, and this short provides the first chapter.

Just over 100 years in our future, nanotechnology has changed human life as we know it. The economy is in ruins due to this technology's ability to produce any product one might want out of any substance, and the only market is for patented luxury items. Aging has been halted and overpopulation forces the worldwide government to severely restrict all human birth.

The story begins with Samson (an artist) meeting and falling in love with Eleanor (an upwardly mobile government agent). After their public event of a wedding, Eleanor is given a major promotion and the couple are given a permit to produce a child. The fetus awaits them in a jar in New Jersey, in fact.

As if to contravene their improbable good fortune, soon after the birth of their daughter, a random nanotech sweep finds erroneous signs of terrorist technology in Samson's personal AI assistant. (which of course resides in his body) Samson is taken into custody, and he is molecularly 'seared' to rid him of any nanotech. From then on, Samson becomes mortal -- nanotech fixes will not work on the seared. His marriage ends; as it must for a mortal married to an immortal. This is all covered in the original short, and from there the longer tale of mother and daughter, a lost father and loneliness, and the morality of sentient clones begins.

Counting Heads is dense. There are 3-4 new technologies or scientific ideas per page, and it's easy to be overcome at times. With that, though, comes a frightfully fierce sense of wonder and immersion. The story is fast paced and it's a quick read, but the font is small, and so what appears to be a short book truly is not.

Marusek has written a work of hard science fiction, and it's a wonderful debut novel. A bit uneven at times -- there are a few scenes that drag -- it still numbers as the best nanotech SF story I've ever read.

7.5/10

Collector's Notes:

It's the first novel from a talented writer. A no-brainer to pick up.

The Blood Knight By Greg Keyes

2006-05-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

Greg Keyes began The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone to much acclaim in 2002 with The Briar King. In 2004, he continued his epic with The Charnel Prince, and won over many fans with his character driven plots and high adventure. This series has shown signs of being one of the finest epic fantasies being woven in recent years, and Keyes' latest, The Blood Knight, fulfills the promise of the earlier work while improving the formula and delivering his best novel yet.

The initial premise is still ingenious: the survivors of the lost colony of Roanoke are somehow spirited off to a fantasy world where they become slaves to a demon race. Under the leadership of the first European child born in the Americas, Virginia Dare, the humans throw off the reigns of their infernal masters and form human societies.

But the power used to dethrone the demonic Skasloi has a price, and hundreds of years later, in The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, the price is finally catching up with humanity.

The Blood Knight begins with us thrust right back into the action. Since we've last seen our heroes, Princess Dare has been kidnapped by mysteriously blessed monks, and somehow her friends must rescue her and march to Eslen and retake her throne from her undead uncle, Prince Robert. Cazio the duelist faces manhood without his mentor, Sir Neil leads knights in a suicidal charge against an overwhelming force, and Leoffrey learns to rue the day he crossed Prince Robert and Praifec Hespero. Stephen Dandridge comes into his appalling birthright, Aspar White must brave a different sort of forest, and the dying world gives birth to a new sort of monster -- a Waurm. (flightless dragon)

Earlier comparisons to George R.R. Martin's magnum opus, A Song of Ice and Fire are proven well-founded in this third volume. Replete with rousing battle, astonishing heroics, shocking deaths, and even more stupefying revelations, The Blood Knight is to The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone what A Storm of Swords is to A Song of Ice and Fire.

The Blood Knight is the best novel yet from a fine novelist, and the best epic fantasy of the year thus far. If you've not given this series a shot yet, you owe it to yourself to go pick up The Briar King and The Charnel Prince, and get cracking before The Blood Knight is released in July.

8.5/10

Collector's Notes:

With the quality continuing to improve, it's only a matter of time before the first edition prices of this series begin to rise exponentially. Be sure to put away a first edition, and beat the rush by getting your hands on first editions of The Briar King and The Charnel Prince as soon as possible.

Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite

2006-05-19T13:03:00.000-04:00

The term exquisite corpse comes from a Surrealist technique of collaborators writing a sentence/poem/story in a set sequence. Each confederate is only allowed to see the ending of what the previous author wrote. Later on, this technique was applied to paintings, drawings, and collage. Together the collaborators create a work that oftentimes is strange and gruesome.

Poppy Z. Brite has done just that with Exquisite Corpse, her novel. It is an interwoven tale of two serial killers from two different worlds. Andrew Compton is a refined Englishman and a mass murderer of boys. Jay Byrne is a wealthy resident of the famed French Quarter in New Orleans, and a cannibal who lures homeless teenagers into his house for photograph sessions and then proceeds to kill and eat them. The two meet fortuitously in New Orleans after Compton escapes prison, and proceed to swap 'recipes' of murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia.

Incredibly disturbing, Exquisite Corpse still fails to let us see convincingly through a serial killers eyes. There is too much gore, and too little pathology. Such studies have been accomplished signifigantly better by Iain Banks in the Wasp Factory and by Bret Easton Ellis in American Psycho.

That's not to say Exquisite Corpse is without merit; the setting is sweaty and livid, and the secondary characters shine, though the killers do not. If you don't mind a little nausea, vivid descriptions of horrific unnatural acts, and wish to visit a Big Easy far darker than that of Anne Rice, Exquisite Corpse is worth the ride. But don't say I didn't warn you.

6/10

Collector's Notes:

Poppy Z. Brite is a somewhat collectible author, a first edition hardcover of Exquisite Corpse (Simon & Shuster, 1996) is worth 50-60 dollars American. Some of her other titles have had limited editions made by Subterranean Press and Gauntlet Press, which are probably more collectible. I imagine that a limited edition of Exquisite Corpse is not that far off.

The Ultimate Speculative Fiction Reading List

2006-05-17T11:50:00.000-04:00

You read that correctly.

I have endeavored to create the reading list to end all reading lists. I have included classics from Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, as well as other important works that changed the ways in which the genre is viewed and published.

Even clocking in at a whopping 600+ titles, it's nowhere near a complete listing. To help navigate the list, I have labelled which genre each book fits the best into (or multiple listings), including Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Children's Books. I have also labelled each novel for quality using one to four stars. I believe that each four star book is of the highest quality, and should be read by all fans of the speculative fiction. To also aid in the navigation of this monstrosity, I have listed what series each belongs in -- if applicable -- and listed any awards it has recieved.

Resources used include Jeff VanderMeer's exhaustive fantasy list, James Gunn's Basic SF Library, The SFWA's reccomended reading lists (with special attention to Gardner Dozois' list), David Pringle's 100 Best lists, Stephen Jones & Kim Newman's 100 best lists, The Locus online awards index, Jay Tomio, greatfandsf.com, my own personal reading experience, and literally hundreds of opinions from friends and acquaintances from either the internet or conventions.

The list is in Excel format.

Download The Ultimate Speculative Fiction Reading List

Publisher Spotlight: Dabel Brothers Productions

2006-05-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

Launched in 2002 as Roaring Studios, a studio of Image Comics, DBPro is the first comic book studio to develop a line of comics based solely upon proven fantasy world developed by best-selling authors.

DBPro has moved through a few different publishers and has finally developed a certain autonomy, publishing their own work. Their signature comics series thus far has been the wonderfully rendered world of George R.R. Martin's Westeros in The Hedge Knight, but their goals are lofty and their projects are many.

The Hedge Knight is available in trade paperback format soon to be in its third edition, and tells the story of Ser Duncan the Tall, a prequel of sorts to A Song of Ice and Fire. It's a short story that previously appeared in the Legends anthology, and is lavishly drawn by Mike S. Miller and adapted by Ben Avery. The second tale of Ser Dunk, The Sworn Sword, first appearing in Legends II, is currently in production by DBPro.

Other comics previously produced include The New Spring from Robert Jordan, Dragonlance: The Legend of Huma, Raymond Feist's The Wood Boy, and Tad Williams' The Burning Man. (These last two are available in a single trade paperback edition)

DBPro has even more exciting renditions slated for the future, such as Raymond Feist's fantasy classic Magician, whose first issue is now available. I've read this first issue, and I was immediately immersed in a fantasy playground of my youth; shoved right back into the adventures of Pug and Tomas. Wonderful fun.

Another title in the works is a rendition of the first novel of Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series, The Red Prophet. I'm a fan of Card's science fiction, but had never read his fantasy before. DBPro's The Red Prophet was fascinating, impelling, and left me wanting more to the point that I went and purchased the first three novels of the Alvin Maker series.

Other future projects include Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, and the story of a new Dungeons & Dragons world, Ptolus by D&D creator Monte Cook.

Developing comics out of proven fantasy titles is an idea that is long overdue. DBPro has painstakingly developed comics (and trade paperback collections of them, for those of us who do not collect comics) of the highest quality, while staying true to the author's orginal vision. Their efforts should be lauded and commended, and thier comics snatched up by fans everywhere.

Book Sale

2006-05-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

Huge Book sale @ Shocklines. 100 Hours only. Check it out.

Camouflage by Joe Haldeman

2006-05-15T00:11:00.000-04:00

Joe Haldeman is the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of The Forever War and Forever Peace (which, surprisingly, is not a sequel). There are few science fiction writers alive today that can match his resume, and so it would seem unsurprising that he would win the 2006 Nebula Award for best novel for Camouflage.

But it shocked the hell out of me.

I was certain the award would go to Susanna Clarke for her marvelous Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, already winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards. If, by chance, Clarke was not the recipient, I had assumed the next likely candidate would by Air by Geoff Ryman, already the winner of the James Tiptree Jr. and Arthur C. Clarke awards. So it was with more than a little shock that I was made aware of Camouflage's recieving of the award.

Camouflage was an unheralded novel. Somehow it was not even nominated for the Hugo award -- in an admittedly weak year. And so, foolishly, despite my enjoyment in a slew of Haldeman's previous novels, I did not purchase nor read Camouflage.

So after the shock of the Nebula award announcement wore off, I drove to the library to see what the fuss was about.

Camouflage is the story of an alien shapeshifter, the Changeling. He is immortal and spends the majority of human history underwater, learning and searching as an oceanic predator. When he comes upon mankind, in 1931, he changes his shape in human form, the better to learn more about the mysterious creature at the top of the food chain.

Camouflage is also the story of an alien shapeshifter, The Chameleon. He too is immortal, but has lived among mankind since the stone age. He is the source of vampire legend, and a merciless warrior throughout the ages.

This hard-SF novel brings the two together, in a pursuit of understanding, a journey of love and hate, power and the will to survive. It's a powerful novel, and very good, if not Haldeman's best work. Naming the villain 'Halliburton' might have been a bit heavy handed, but was amusing, as were a few jabs at our current President.

It's a quality old fashioned science fiction novel, with plenty of core science and very little campiness. For those who miss such novels, you can't do much better.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

This book just won the Nebula Award: now is the time to get your hands on a first edition hardcover before they become too scarce and expensive. I've already ordered mine. Haldeman is a popular author who attends many conventions, and so a signed first edition Nebula Winner would look mighty fine on any collector's shelf. Or Two.

Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith

2006-05-12T13:04:00.000-04:00

Michael Marshall Smith writes weird books.

Only Forward is the story of Stark, a man who can get things done. As such, he is employed as a freelancer by the Department of Doing Things Especially Quick, a division of the Action Centre.

He is contracted to find out what happenned to an important executive of the Action Centre, seemingly kidnapped on his way to work. His journey will take us through many varied neighborhoods, each an independent political and social entity, where the neighborhood itself acts to fulfill the wishes of its populace.

Stark lives in Color Neighborhood, which is for people '"heavily into color." The streets and buildings adapt to the people nearby, finding brilliant ways to offset and compliment the bright colors of passersby. His first stop on the journey is to Red Neighborhood, a nest of organized crime, where weapons are readily available, and turf wars smear the streets with carnage. We also find ourselves in Cat Neighborhood; an area reserved for and run by cats. You don't mess with the cats.

Written in the first person, featuring a badass futuristic protaganist in a gritty urban setting, and focussing on a central whodunit mystery, Only Forward is like Altered Carbon on acid.

If this sounds the least bit interesting, I urge you to pick up the Subterranean Press limited hardcover while it's still available from finer booksellers. Smith is a master storyteller, and this is his first novel. At 34 dollars (from clarkesworld), you can purchase the first hardcover release in a signed and numbered deluxe format of this modern classic of science fiction for slightly more than the cost of a new hardcover.

8.5/10

Collector's Notes:

This Subterranean Press edition has sold on eBay and abebooks.com for 50-60 dollars, and so the Clarkesowrld price is a bargain. The lettered state of this release with traycase is unavailable, and could garner signifigantly more if made available. First edition softcovers sell for around 50 dollars.

Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison

2006-05-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

Each time I open a book from an author I've not read before, there is some tiny glimmer of hope that what I am about to read will be magical. Each of us, as readers, can look back upon their childhood and recall those few books whose effect upon us was nigh spiritualistic. For me, it was Madeleine L'Engle and C.S Lewis; Chris Claremonts' X-MEN and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings.

A little bit of why I read speculative fiction, probably more than I'm willing to admit, is an attempt to recreate that sense of wonder; to live for just one more minute in the childhood homes of my heart, Narnia or Terabithia or Middle Earth.

Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison brought me home.

I'd not read Travel Light prior to this morning, but a part of me had lived my entire life there. A little-known classic, it was recently brought back into print by Small Beer Press as a part of their Peapod Classics line. Travel Light tells the story of Halla, a princess raised by bears and dragons, who wanders the world in search of herself. It's surpassingly moving, artfully economic in prose, and is most certainly one of the greatest childrens books I have ever read.

I'm embarassed to admit I'd never heard of it, dismayed that it was not a part of my childhood, and emphatically thankful to Gavin J. Grant and Small Beer Press for reprinting it and bringing it to my attention.

Whether you knew it when you woke up this morning or not, you want to read this book.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

Not an overly collectible book by virtue of being a reprint, Travel Light from Small Beer is a title that all fans of fantasy should have in their collection.

A couple of hardcover first editions from Faber and Faber UK, 1952 are available for a reasonable price on abebooks.com.

The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes

2006-05-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

The Kingoms of Thorn and Bone, the epic fantasy series by Greg Keyes, begins with The Briar King. A rousing adventure in the vein of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, The Briar King sets the stage with characters such as Sir Neil the knight errant, Cazio the honey-tongued duelist, and Aspar White, the kings holter, and a legend in the old forests.

The second in the proposed four book series, The Charnel Prince, further flushes out the plot and draws the major players to a convergence to save the rightful Queen of Crotheny, Princess Anne Dare, from an unspeakable evil.

We are also introduced to Leoff the court composer, who is commissioned to create his masterpiece -- an opera that will stir the souls of the people to rise up against their blackguard Prince.

The Charnel Prince is a slight let-down from The Briar King, as not much seems to happen until the end, but it sets up perfectly the epic quest of the third novel in the series, The Blood Knight.

While Keyes may not be redefining epic fantasy, he succeeds in telling a vastly enjoyable story. Without reservation, I would reccomend The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone to all fans of epic fantasy, and especially for those who are looking for something to tide them over until A Dance With Dragons.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

Keyes is becoming more popular by the book, and this series looks to be moderately collectible. At some point first editions of The Briar King will certainly be a worthy investment.

The Briar King by Greg Keyes

2006-05-09T21:15:00.000-04:00

Called 'Martin Lite' by many fans, Greg Keyes' The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series is certainly among the best epic fantasies currently being written.

This series is based upon the premise that the missing colony of Roanoke, Virginia, the first British colony in the new world founded by Sir Walter Raleigh, has somehow dissapeared to a mythical fantasy world. The first child born in America to English parents, Virginia Dare, is the ancestor and nigh-mythical hero to our protaganists.

To free humankind from slavery to an evil race, Virginia Dare had to make use of unholy sorcery. In so doing, she and her descendants became the victim of an awful curse. In The Briar King, set hundreds of years later, this dreaded curse begins to rear it's ugly head.

The Briar King himself is an obvious nod to Green Man mythology; he wakes to defend his forest from destruction by man. The idea is well developed, and Keyes is even able to add his own twist to the ancient story. His world is meticulously constructed, rich in both history and culture, and with at least five different languages -- which can be a bit overwhelming at times.

The comparisons to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series are apt; there are a slew of different characters whose viewpoints are woven in a manner which tells the complete story. Some of the characters border on stock fantasy archetypes, but they're the type that we can't help but love; the questing knight, the roguish swordsman, and the princess who was prophesied.

While Keyes may not be redefining epic fantasy, he succeeds in telling a vastly enjoyable story. Without reservation, I would reccomend The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone to all fans of epic fantasy, and especially for those who are looking for something to tide them over until A Dance With Dragons.

The third in the series, The Blood Knight, is due out in July 2006, and will be reviewed on this site within the next week.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

Keyes is becoming more popular by the book, and this series looks to be moderately collectible. At some point first editions of The Briar King will certainly be a worthy investment.

Sleeping Policemen by Dale Bailey and Jack Slay Jr.

2006-05-08T00:53:00.000-04:00

Sleeping Policemen by Dale Bailey & Jack Slay Jr. is a three-fold work of art. At first sight, you are treated to a wrap-around painting by the accomplished and masterful John Picacio, who, using his unique and award-winning method, vividly renders a painting that is both lovely and distressing. It becomes increasingly clear that Picacio actually reads the books that he produces cover art for, which is both rare in genre fiction, and quite refreshing.

This novel has been produced by one of the shining stars of small publishing, Golden Gryphon Press. I was first made aware of this publisher from buzz surrounding such titles as The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford, Secret Life by Jeff VanderMeer, and The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross, and in each subsequent reading, my esteem has grown for them, not only as publishers of cutting edge speculative fiction, but as the finest in book makers as well. Each volume is solidly crafted, the bindings are sturdily sewn, and the alkaline paper used ensures a long-lasting treasure. The proof is in the reading, and I submit that each title I own from Golden Gryphon retains the look of a new book, even after multiple readings.

Sleeping Policemen begins with three friends driving home through the Smoky Mountains from a night at a strip club, when they hit a man. Upon stopping and returning to the scene of the accident, they find that the man is dead, and full of secrets; a loaded gun, a roll of hundred dollar bills, and a key. Instead of calling the police, they decide to hide the body and hope for the best. What follows is a non-stop ride down hells chasm, a lightning paced plot that leads to revolting secrets and inconcievable violence.

I'm no scholar of crime fiction; I've read only a few books and seen all the commonplace movies. However, like Joseph Conrad's masterpiece, Heart of Darkness (which it cites), Sleeping Policemen conjures all the horror that exists in the heart of men, and works quite well as a horror novel. What makes it so very terrifying is the very possible and believable premise, and the hint of all the true-life horror that bubbles just beneath the surface of our unsuspecting daily lives.

I read Sleeping Policemen in a single sitting. It was so disturbing that I'm not all that certain that enjoyed it in any conventional manner, but I was engrossed, hooked, and I could not put it down until it was complete. This novel is not for the squeemish; yet if crime thrillers with a healthy sprinkling of horror seem inviting, you should not miss this limited-time-only journey into the nether.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

Each and every book from Golden Gryphon Press is a limited print run, and as such, every book is collectible. Just how collectible is deemed by a works popularity and the ensuing popularity of the author(s).

The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford

2006-05-05T11:11:00.000-04:00

There's a blurb on the cover of The Last Hot Time from fantasy stalwart Robert Jordan that states "John M. Ford is the best writer in America, bar none." Hyperbolic nonsense I assumed. After all, John M. Ford happens to be the map maker for Jordan, and I assumed that this was a sort of thank-you for those wonderous maps.

Boy, was I wrong.

An argument can be made, of course, that Ford is not the best writer in America. However, I believe an honest debate can not be had without at least mentioning him. That's how good he is. That's how good The Last Hot Time is.

Danny Holman is running away from home. In the darkest of night, on a lonesome highway leading to Chicago, he is passed by a mysterious black car that appears to be driven by an elf who flashes Danny the peace sign. He then notices yet another car, blood red, approaching at high speed. It passes Danny and comes alongside the first car, and a burst of gunfire erupts from the red car. The first car drives off the road and stops.

Being a paramedic, Holman stops immediately, grabs his medical bag and sprints to the black car. A woman in the back seat has been shot, and despite initial misgivings by the car's other occupants, he is allowed to save the woman's life.

And so begins Danny's life as Doc Hollownight, physician for Mr. Patrice; a crime boss in a section of Chicago known as the Levee, in which the land of Faery overlaps our own, and Elven magic holds sway.

A sort of The Godfather meets The King of Elfland's Daughter, The Last Hot Time is an urban fantasy fashioned by characterization and style. Each player has depth and history that is only hinted at. It's embarassingly immersing, frightfully gratifying, and I can't reccomend it highly enough.

We want a sequel, Mr. Ford. We demand it. We plead for it.

9.5/10

Collector's Notes:

This book was released in hardcover in 2000 from Tor Books. My understanding is that it did not sell very well, and thus the first edition isn't very valuable. (it was remaindered) There is no justice in the world.

However, any John M. Ford novel is a worthwhile investment, if only for reading. I would also reccomend 1984 World Fantasy Award winner, The Dragon Waiting, which is somewhat collectible. A US First Edition, Timescape 1983 will sell for 50-75 dollars.

Collector's Spotlight: George R.R. Martin

2006-05-04T15:11:00.000-04:00

George R.R. Martin of A Song of Ice and Fire fame has been writing stories all of his life. I'd be at this for months if I were to track down each and every short story, and so this spotlight will focus only his novels, collections, and edited-by books. (which is no small task in itself)

Referred to as the American Tolkien by Time Magazine and boasting the greatest fans in the world, A Song of Ice and Fire is Mr. Martin's shining epic; the highpoint of an illustrious career.

The first novel in the series, A Game of Thrones, is perhaps one of the most interesting books in recent SF history to collect -- there are literally 19 different english language editions. The UK Advanced Reader's Copy (pictured at top left) is considered the holy grail of Martin collectibles, though other editions can cost a pretty penny as well.

*Note on Pricing: All prices are listed as a suggested price, (Books are worth what they sell for. Could be more, could be signifigantly less.) referring to a book in Fine condition, and in American dollars.

A Game of Thrones:
-UK ARC, Voyager *incredibly rare*-- 1000-1700 dollars
-UK Preview (99 pages), Voyager -- 40 dollars
-UK First Edition HC, Voyager *rare* -- 800-1500 dollars
-UK Book Club Edition (8 inches in height, not priced on dust jacket) -- 30 dollars
-UK First Edition paperback -- 25 dollars
-UK Second Edition paperback - 10 dollars
-US ARC, Bantam *rare* -- 200-400 dollars
-US First Edition HC, Bantam (silver foil cover) -- 150-300 dollars
-US First Edition Softcover preview (not for sale) -- 150 dollars
-US Second Edition HC, Bantam -- 40-50 dollars
-US Third Edition HC, Bantam -- 25 dollars
-US Book Club Edition (8 inches tall, without foil)- 10 dollars
-US First Edition Trade Paperback - 20 dollars
-US Second Edition Trade Paperback - 15 dollars
-US First Edition paperback - 25 dollars
-US Second Edition Paperback - 10 dollars
-US Third Edition paperback - 8 dollars
-Meisha Merlin Signed and Numbered edition - 500-800 dollars
-Meisha Merlin Signed and Lettered edition - 800-1200 dollars

Here are a few of these editions:

From here on out, I won't talk about paperbacks, except where they were original first editions.

A Clash of Kings is the second book in the series, and thankfully does not have so many editions as its predecessor.

A Clash of Kings:
-UK First Edition hardcover, Voyager -- 300-500 dollars
-US ARC, Bantam *rare* -- 200-300 dollars
-US First Edition hardcover, Bantam - 100-125 dollars
-US Second Edition hardcover, Bantam - 25 dollars
-Meisha Merlin Signed and Numbered edition - 300-400 dollars
-Meisha Merlin Signed and Lettered edition - 500-700 dollars

A Storm of Swords:
-UK First Edition hardcover, Voyager -- 80-100 dollars
-US ARC, Bantam *rare* -- 100-200 dollars
-US First Edition hardcover, Bantam -- 60-80 dollars
-US Second Edition hardcover, Bantam -- 25 dollars
-Subterranean Press Signed and Numbered edition (not yet released) -- 260 dollars
-Subterranean Press Signed and Lettered edition (not yet released) -- Sold Out

A Feast For Crows:
-UK First Edition hardcover, Voyager -- 35 dollars
-UK First Edition hardcover slipcased, signed and numbered, Voyager Amazon.uk edition (1000 copies) -- 80-100 dollars
-UK First Edition hardcover slipcased, signed and numbered, Voyager International edition (300 copies) -- 200-250 dollars
-US Preview (Daenerys) -- 20 dollars
-US Preview (Captain of the Guard) -- 20 dollars
-US ARC, Bantam -- 100 dollars
-US First Edition hardcover -- 30 dollars

*Subterranean Editions planned

Other Related A Song of Ice and Fire Books:

Legends:

-Legends: UK First Edition hardcover (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 100 dollars
-Legends: US ARC (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 150 dollars
-Legends: US First Edition hardcover (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 80 dollars
-Legends: US First Edition signed and limited leather edition *incredibly rare* (includes The Hedge Knight short) -- 2000 dollars (So rare I can't find a picture. Due to the collectability of Stephen King, this one may be the rarest of all Martin's works.)
-Legends II: UK First Edition hardcover (includes The Sworn Sword short) - 60 dollars
-Legends II: US First Edition hardcover (includes The Sworn Sword short) - 40 dollars
-Legends II: US First Edition signed and limited leather edition (includes The Sworn Sword short) -- 200 dollars

The Hedge Knight Comic from Dabel Brothers Pro and artist Mike S. Miller:
-Issue 1 Convention Special -- 25 dollars
-Issue 1A -- 10 dollars
-Issue 1B -- 10 dollars
-Issue 1C (Hildebrandt Art) -- 20 dollars
-Issue 2A -- 6 dollars
-Issue 2B (Vallejo and Bell Art) -- 12 dollars
-Issue 3A -- 6 dollars
-Issue 3B -- 12 dollars
-Issue 4A -- 6 dollars
-Issue 4B -- 12 dollars
-Issue 5A -- 6 dollars
-Issue 5B -- 12 dollars
-Issue 6A -- 6 dollars
-Issue 6B -- 12 dollars
-Collected Trade Paperback First Edition -- 20 dollars
-Collected Trade Paperback Second Edition -- 15 dollars
-Collected Trade Paperback Third Edition -- Not Yet Released

Related:

-The Art of Ice and Fire, Fantasy Flight Games -- 30 dollars
-The Art of Ice and Fire Collector's Edition -- 150-200 dollars
-A Game of Thrones RPG Resource Book -- 50 dollars
-A Game of Thrones Deluxe Numbered RPG Resource Book -- 100 dollars
-Quartet, NESFA Press trade paperback (features Blood of the Dragon short) -- 15 dollars
-Quartet, NESFA Press trade hardcover (features Blood of the Dragon short) -- 75 dollars
-Quartet, NESFA Press slipcased signed and numbered edition (features Blood of the Dragon short) -- 100-150 dollars

Novels:

Dying of The Light:
-UK First edition hardcover, Gollancz 1978 -- 60-80 dollars
-US First edition hardcover, Simon and Shuster 1977 -- 100-150 dollars

Windhaven (w/ Lisa Tuttle) :
-US First Edition hardcover, Timescape 1981 -- 50 dollars
-US Second Edition hardcover, Bantam 2001 -- 25 dollars

Fevre Dream:
-US First Edition hardcover, Poseidon 1982 -- 80-100 dollars
-UK First Edition hardcover, Gollancz 1983 -- 80-100 dollars
-Subterranean Press limited numbered edition -- 125 dollars (not yet published)
-Subterranean Press limited lettered edition -- 300 dollars (not yet published)

The Armageddon Rag:
-US First Edition hardcover, Simon & Shuster 1983 -- 50 dollars
-Poseidon Nemo limited numbered edition -- 100-150 dollars
-Poseidon Nemo limited lettered edition -- 200-300 dollars

Tuf Voyaging:
-US First Edition hardcover - Baen 1986 -- 50 dollars
-UK First Edition hardcover, Gollancz 1987 -- 40 dollars
-Meisha Merlin trade hardcover -- 30 dollars
-Meisha Merlin limited numbered edition -- 125 dollars
-Meisha Merlin limited lettered edition -- 175 dollars
Shadow Twin (W/ Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham) :
-Subterranean Press numbered edition -- 40 dollars
-Subterranean Press lettered edition -- 100 dollars

The Pear-Shaped Man:
-Pulphouse Paperback #37 -- 10 dollars
-Short Story Hardback #24, limited signed leather -- 150-200 dollars

Collections:

A Song For Lya:
-US First Edition paperback, Avon 1976 -- 30 dollars

Songs of Stars and Shadows:
-US First Edition paperback, Pocket Books 1977 - 50 dollars

Sandkings:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club Edition 1981-- 50 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Pocket Books, 1981 -- 50 dollars

Nightflyers:
-Binary Star #5 Nightflyers and True Names by Vernor Vinge -- 50 dollars

Portraits of His Children:
-Dark Harvest trade hardcover 1987 -- 30 dollars
-Dark Harvest numbered edition -- 60-100 dollars
-Dark Harvest lettered edition in wooden slipcase -- 125-300 dollars

Songs The Dead Men Sing:
-US First edition hardcover, Dark Harvest numbered edition 1983 -- 200-400 dollars
-UK First edition hardcover, Gollancz 1985 -- 75-100 dollars

Quartet:
-Quartet, NESFA Press trade paperback -- 15 dollars
-Quartet, NESFA Press trade hardcover -- 75 dollars
-Quartet, NESFA Press slipcased signed and numbered edition -- 100-150 dollars

GRRM: A Rretrospective:
-Subterranean Press trade hardcover -- 100-150 dollars (second printings available here)
-Subterranean Press numbered hardcover -- 195 dollars (still on sale here)
-Subterranean Press lettered hardcover in traycase -- 400 dollars

Wild Cards:

Wild Cards I:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 30 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam - 10 dollars

Wild Cards II: Aces High:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 20 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 20 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 20 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 20 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards VI: Ace in The Hole:
-US First Edition hardcover, Book Club edition -- 20 dollars
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards XII: Turn of The Cards:
-US First Edition softcover, Bantam -- 10 dollars

Wild Cards New Cycle I: Card Sharks:
-US First Edition softcover, Baen -- 8 dollars

Wild Cards New Cycle II: Marked Cards:
-US First Edition softcover, Baen -- 8 dollars

Wild Cards New Cycle III: Black Trump:
-US First Edition softcover, Baen -- 8 dollars

Wild Cards: Deuces Down:
-US First Edition hardcover, iBooks -- 20 dollars

Wild Card Comics from Epic Comics (an imprint of Marvel):
-Issue 1 -- 9 dollars
-Issue 2 -- 9 dollars
-Issue 3 -- 9 dollars
-Issue 4 -- 9 dollars
-Collected Trade Paperback -- 18 dollars
Anthologies:
-New Voices I, First Edition hardcover, MacMillan -- 40-50 dollars
-New Voices II, First Edition softcover, Jove -- 15 dollars
-New Voices III, First Edition softcover, Berkeley -- 10 dollars
-New Voices IV, First Edition softcover, Berkeley -- 1o dollars
-New Voices V, First Edition softcover, Berkeley -- 10 dollars
-Night Visions, UK First edition hardcover, Century -- 75-100 dollars
-Night Visions 3, US First Edition hardcover, Dark Harvest -- 75-100 dollars
-Night Visions 3, signed and numbered edition, Dark Harvest -- 150-250 dollars
-Night Visions 5, US First Edition hardcover, Dark Harvest -- 75-100 dollars
-Night Visions 5, signed and numbered edition, Dark Harvest -- 300-400 dollars
-Legends: UK First Edition hardcover (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 100 dollars
-Legends: US ARC (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 150 dollars
-Legends: US First Edition hardcover (includes The Hedge Knight short) - 80 dollars
-Legends: US First Edition signed and limited leather edition *incredibly rare* (includes The Hedge Knight short) -- 2000 dollars (So rare I can't find a picture. Due to the collectability of Stephen King, this one may be the rarest of all Martin's works.)
-Legends II: UK First Edition hardcover (includes The Sworn Sword short) - 60 dollars
-Legends II: US First Edition hardcover (includes The Sworn Sword short) - 40 dollars
-Legends II: US First Edition signed and limited leather edition (includes The Sworn Sword short) -- 200 dollars
-The Science Fiction Weight Loss Book , First Edition hardcover, Crown -- 25-30 dollars
-A Century of Fantasy: 1980-1989 , First Edition hardcover, MJF Books -- 20 dollars
-Otherworks w/ Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) and Raymond E. Feist, UK Book Club -- -20 dollar
-Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century, FE hardcover -- 25 dollars

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

2006-05-03T02:59:00.000-04:00

Black Juice is a short story collection which introduces the western world to Australian author Margo Lanagan. She has a startling imagination and shares it in a unique and often mesmerizing manner.

I had first heard of Lanagan during a panel at World Fantasy Convention 2005 in Madison, WI. Kelly Link (a grand short story writer in her own right) and Graham Joyce (one of the best authors writing in speculative fiction today) were extolling its virtues to any and all who would listen.

In the intervening time, Lanagan has been nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her lead short story in the collection, Singing My Sister Down.

Singing My Sister Down is the story of a girl who is sentenced to death for killing her husband. The punishment is enacted by her standing in the middle of a tar pit and waiting until she sinks. The story is told from the perspective of her younger brother, as he and their entire family watch their loved one sink into oblivion. It's heartwrenching and incredibly strange. With this story, Lanagan sets the stage for a collection filled with stories with an almost dreamlike murk enshrouding them.

Sweet Pippit is told from the point of view of a group of elephants out to rescue their handler, slated for execution. Another story, Red Nose Day, allows us into the mind of snipers out to rid the world of the evil that is child molesting clowns. Each of these 10 stories are a unique slice of fabulism unlike anything you've read before. Sometimes it borders upon too strange, but the stories never become boring, and each is short enough so that you can soon go on to the next.

Though she has a number of books released in Australia, this is Margo Lanagan's first release in North America. A companion collection, White Time, has been anounced for US release in July.

Singing My Sister Down is my choice for best short story in this years Hugo Awards, and even if you do not purchase this collection, reading that particular short should be a priority.

8/10

Collector's Notes:

The original first edition of this work was published in Australia by Allen and Unwin in 2004 as a trade paperback original. This first is worth 80-100 dollars. The first printing of the American hardcover published by HarperCollins/EOS was a small print run, and is worth about 50 dollars.

This book has already become a cult classic, mostly due to Singing My Sister Down. As soon as it wins the Hugo and the Nebula -- which it most likely will -- the value will probably double, especially for these rare editions.