Turning Points edited by Lynn Abbey
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In her recent novel Sanctuary, the editor resurrected the dormant titular city which starred in
anthologies and several novels during the 80s. There, she brought the reader up to date on the changes which have
occurred since the various wizards, warriors, and thieves had battled for supremacy in its streets. With
the stage set, she turned the city over to the authors who had made such a mess of it
once before. Fortunately, those authors are more than willing to destroy Sanctuary all over again.
Jerlayne by Lynn Abbey
reviewed by Jeri Wright
Jerlayne has always felt herself in the shadow of her legendary mother.
When Faerie was facing its greatest crisis, Elmeene discovered the cure for blooddeath and
saved the people of Faerie from iron's poison. 2000 years later,
Jerlayne is determined to surpass her mother as any independent, strong-willed daughter would.
Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
reviewed by John Enzinas
This final book in the First Law trilogy pushes forward like an avalanche through to the bitter end of the
various events taking place from the wars in Angland and with the Gurkish to the internal secret wars of the ruling Closed
Council. Like the avalanche, it is powerful, mesmerizing and unstoppable. However, also like an avalanche, the only way things
can end is in a crush at the base of the mountain with luck being more likely than skills or bravery to save you.
Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
reviewed by John Enzinas
Inquisitor Glotka has to deal with a city besieged by the forces which made him what he is. It leads to the
consequences of his success in the role
given him by his superior. Meanwhile he keeps finding threads of the conspiracy hinted at in the previous book.
His struggle is set against the war in Angland between the Union forces and the invading Northmen. as we follow
West, an officer of the union.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
reviewed by John Enzinas
This is the first book of The First Law trilogy. As with many trilogies, the first book
is used to introduce us to its variation of the typical fantasy
cast. We have the Savage Barbarian with the dark past, the Nobleman with no sense of altruism, the Beautiful Feisty Commoner,
the Inept Apprentice, the Cynical Intellectual and, as always, the Mysterious Magus to drive the plot forward.
However, the author takes these conventions and filters them through the lens of Noir.
Ravenor Returned by Dan Abnett
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Having narrowly survived their encounter with agents trafficking in the addictive glass shards known as flects, Inquisitor
Gideon Ravenor and his team limp back to where their problems began; Eustice Majoris. Ravenor is an unusual lead character,
in that he is a paraplegic, confined to a fully enclosed support chair. This severe physical disability is offset by his
formidable psyker powers, which enable him to roam in an etheric form, or wear the flesh of one of his team.
Titan: God-Machine by Dan Abnett
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is a series omnibus, book-sized graphic novel. Reproduced in black and white for half the book,
the artwork changes to greyscale for the second half. The subject is the adventures of the Warlord Titan Imperius Dictatio
and its crew. Titans are the ultimate in 41st Millennium war machines, standing over 100ft tall and armed with volcano cannons,
turbo lasers and gatling blasters. They have but one purpose; to kill anything that potentially threatens the God-Emperor of mankind.
Ravenor by Dan Abnett
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The story concerns Gideon Ravenor, Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos Helican, and his team, as they seek the origins of a new drug
called flects. An ingenious invention, with a suitably fascinating origin, flects come in the form of glass shards which
have a psycho-narcotic effect on users. Due to an earlier incident, Inquisitor Ravenor is seriously crippled in body, and
exists within a special chair-like environment. Ravenor's mind is free to roam, guiding his team of special operatives, and
occasionally wearing them, like suits of flesh.
Riders of the Dead by Dan Abnett
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is the story of two young men, Gerlach Heileman and Karl Reiner Vollen, who begin as vexillary and clarion in
a company of Empire demilancers. Heileman is drawn as a typically arrogant son of a noble, whose future is all mapped out. Vollen,
on the other hand, is from a noble family whose heritage has been lost. He owes his position to favour, and his family are in
service to the Heilemans. What they have in common is their training, and firm belief that the forces of Empire will easily repel
the invading armies of Northern savages.
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Absolute Magnitude, Issue #15
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Short, sweet, and packed with quality material -- this magazine is one to
keep an eye on, to keep abreast of the state of science fiction. Surely the
strangest selection here is Sawicki's "Invisible Friends," but if you are
familiar with his writing this comes as no surprise...
Guide to the Sabbat by Justin R. Achilli, et al.
a gaming accessory review by Don Bassingthwaite
You think you know the Sabbat? You think you know the real Sabbat?
Monstrous, cruel, inhuman, vile to the core, war to the core, "no, I'm sorry, you can't talk to
the elders today... we ate them last night." Think again...
Kindred of the East by Justin Achilli et al.
a gaming module review by Henry Harding
Designed as an Asian exploration of Vampire: The Masquerade,
this supplement isn't a stand-alone game. But it is a fantastic storytelling
platform on which to explore Oriental culture and art... Plus it's neat to
have your Devil-tiger Kuei-jin rip the snot out of a haughty Toreador from
Boston who thinks sake is just hot wine.
Science Fiction Classics edited by Forrest J. Ackerman
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Since the stories appeared between 1918 and 1963, and half the movies were released in the 50s, you cannot expect the latest in
cyberpunk or VR. OK, so the science in some of the stories is ludicrous today,
but much of this material was written in an age when SF had a sense of optimism and wonder that enthralled
teenagers and adults alike, when science could solve anything, aliens bent on world domination were thinly
veiled communists/fascists, and swashbuckling heroes fought for liberty and the American way.
BJ: A Supernatural Horror Story by Kimile Aczon
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Something happened at 12:42 p.m., on the 6th of September. Actually, many
things happened and, for some people, life changed forever at that exact
instant. Aczon mixes in plenty of nightmarish episodes, some gory moments, and just
the right, natural measure of love and lust. The mixture adds up to a
believable, tense tale of good versus evil.
Timeless Moon by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Josette Monier has been living alone, in self-imposed exile for many years, in order to keep her immensely strong psychic abilities
under control. To most of her fellow shapeshifters, those known as the Sazi, she's both a legend and a hermit by choice, one of the
oldest and most powerful of her kind. Unfortunately, what she's just become is a target.
Howling Moon by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Once a top agent of Wolven, the organization dedicated to internally policing the hidden society of shapeshifters known as
the Sazi, Raphael Rameriz has lived in quiet obscurity ever since a deadly political scandal forced him into
retirement. He thought he was out for good. He was wrong.
Wastelands by edited by John Joseph Adams
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
One of the things that science fiction does is look at how it might be, if our dreams or nightmares came true. And one of the
most persistent nightmares is the contemplation of loss, of all that we love, all that we know, all that makes us feel
comfortable, being taken away from us.
It is no surprise, therefore, that variations on the end of the world are as old as science fiction. Though the
nature of the apocalypse, and our response to it, have changed depending largely on the cultural context from which
the particular end of the world has emerged.
Wastelands edited by John Joseph Adams
reviewed by Stuart Carter
This anthology collects 22 stories together, the majority from
the 21st century, although some reach back to the mutually assured destruction of the 80s, and a couple even hail from the crazy
70s. Is this anthology a result of the new age of insecurity and Terror (with a capital "T") that we live in? It might be argued
so, because nuclear armageddon seldom rears its ugly head here; instead the eponymous apocalypse is more likely to be biological,
a post 9/11 war of attrition or even the Biblical Day of Judgment.
Animated Objects by Linda D. Addison
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
If you believe films and situation comedies, everyone's
secret wish is to peek into other people's diaries. You
can read from the author's personal journal and there
won't even be a messy discovery/pouting/forgiveness
sequence to sit through; she wants you to look inside.
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