Half Magic by Edward Eager
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
There is a delightfully light-hearted manner in which Eager tells his adventures. There's
some swordplay and derring-do, and some onstage violence, but it is very
cartoonish and obviously not to be taken seriously. There is nothing here that will give nightmares to even
the most tremulous child.
Eberron Campaign Setting
a gaming review by Chris Przybyszewski
The Eberron Campaign Setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game is the result of a contest run
by Wizards of the Coast, which allowed game fans to put together a totally new world set in the realm of AD&D.
The result is a vibrant and unique realm in which gamers will happily live their alternate lives. This new campaign introduces further
and welcome changes to the D20 system, and introduces "action points," an ability by the character to supplement her or his result score
through the use of additional and additive die rolls.
Down and Out in the Ivy League by J.G. Eccarius
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
He is one of those rare writers who can mix real-life
tragedy and horror with a shot of humour and not diminish the
final product. Do yourself a favour: set your Appall-O-Meter
to "off" and give Down and Out in the Ivy League a try.
Divine Intervention by Julia Ecklar
a music review by Rob Kane
This is a CD of music inspired by stories of fantasy and
science fiction. Originally released in 1986, it has undergone remastering and has
been recently released on CD. Additionally, three bonus tracks have been appended
to the original album.
Stylistically, the album a mesh of different of different styles. Primarily folk-based, it
brings in elements of rock and orchestral music. The styles mix together on the
album to create a texture just right for the content.
Baudolino by Umberto Eco
reviewed by William Thompson
In certain respects, this is one of those rare novels whose contents can be predicted to a degree by its
cover. While the fresco's original allegorical intention is perhaps lost in the book cover's fragmentary appropriation,
it captures in part the odd admixture of spirituality, ritual pomp, superstition, and martial character that made up the medieval mindset,
and which plays a significant role within this novel. And, in certain other, maybe unintended respects -- the sense of parade and
pageantry, features disguised and hidden, distinct yet collectively joined figures, and its restive yet static portrait -- the artwork
chosen for this cover anticipates the reader's experience.
The Treasured One by David and Leigh Eddings
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
The Vlagh, the evil insect queen, sends her workers out from the Waste
to find food. This means invading the more prosperous lands outside the Waste in the land of Dhrall, overseen by four gods,
two sisters and two brothers. These brothers and sisters are part of a cycle with four other gods, who are all
asleep. Dahlaine, the dominant god for this cycle, decided to wake the others up early.
The Elder Gods by David and Leigh Eddings
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Imagine a set of gods ruling a land called Dhrall in shifts. One
group of gods rules each territory, while a second group sleeps for eons, then there is sort of deity changing of the
guard. Now imagine some of those sleeping gods return to the world as children called Dreamers, somehow set up by one of the
waking gods, to fulfill an ancient prophecy in a time of great need. What might drive a god to such measures?
Polgara The Sorceress by David and Leigh Eddings
reviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
If you haven't read anything by these authors, this novel is a
good introduction. For those long time fans, this novel
is a worthy addition to a growing collection. A treat for all.
Mistress of Mistresses by E.R. Eddison
reviewed by William Thompson
Originally published in 1935, more than 10 years after his more well-known
and popular work, The Worm Ouroboros, this book is the first part of
the larger Zimiamvia sequence, though, while published first,
chronologically last in the events unfolding within the trilogy. However,
it possesses a narrative unity that allows it to be read on its own, even
though it is an extension of events established in the other two novels
completing the cycle. This is accomplished in part because time, locale and
characters within the author's novels blur in identity, separated yet
coexisting, almost, though in a very different fashion, as a pre-echo to
Moorcock's multiverse.
The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This is a unique masterpiece of heroic fantasy. It is like nothing published
in fantasy today and few works could compare to it in its time or since. At
its publication even Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was compared to the
benchmark of Eddison's The Worm Ouroboros, and these comparisons
haven't always gone in Tolkien's favour. Besides its lush Shakespearean
English, and its sources in Homeric and Norse epics, it was probably the
first fantasy work to include appendices on historical time lines in the
imaginary world. One reason such a work as Eddison's couldn't possibly be
created today is that, as pointed out by others elsewhere, nobody today
receives the broad Classical educations that the great British fantasists
like William Morris, H. Rider Haggard, Lord Dunsany, C.S. Lewis, Mervyn
Peake and E.R. Eddison did.
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Murder by Magic edited by Rosemary Edghill
reviewed by Sherwood Smith
These stories range from historical fantasy to police procedurals with an extra fillip of otherwordly doings -- from Esther
Friesner's funny "Au Purr" and Laura Resnick's wisecracker gangsters in "Doppelgangster" to Teresa Edgerton's moody, minor key
tale set in her Goblin world, "Captured in Silver." Many of these tales will linger in the mind, and you'll be revisiting
a number of them for pleasurable rereads. There isn't a stinker in the bunch.
The Cloak of Night and Daggers by Rosemary Edghill
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
Margo tells us why her heart leaps
with glee every time a new Rosemary Edghill book appears.
Budayeen Nights by George Alec Effinger
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This book collects all the shorter works set in and around the fictional Budayeen, itself a reflection of
the author's life in New Orleans and his fascination with the inhabitants of the French Quarter. The first story,
"Schroedinger's Kitten," is probably also the best known. A young woman huddles in an alley, knife in hand, waiting to discover
which life she will lead, as visions of possible futures pass through her mind. "Schroedinger's Kitten" won both the Hugo and
Nebula awards and deservedly so, it's a classic of contemporary SF.
Audio: Schrödinger's Kitten by George Alec Effinger
reviewed by Jayme Lynn Blaschke
At first glance, this would seem an odd choice for an audio production. True,
this is of the exceedingly rare breed of short stories to win both the Hugo (1989) and Nebula (1988) awards, and he is
a writer who's accumulated his share of well-deserved critical acclaim over the years. But the author, as a writer, is a
stylist. It's his skill with the written word, that elusive knack for putting not just the right two words together on the
page, but the exactly right two words that has always been his signature.
Schild's Ladder by Greg Egan
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
A physics experiment goes unpredictably awry, creating
a baby universe that steadily expands at a rate slightly greater than that of our own.
The universe is being devoured from within. In a far future, some characters live entirely
in computer storage, all are used to having new bodies grown for them in case of harm or
death. Ii is a world where people barely recognizable as human, face
with a life and death crisis, argue passionately, in dense technical language, about physics that may or may
not hold the key to the basis of our reality, and may or may not save them. Now that's science fiction.
Teranesia by Greg Egan
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
A string of successful novels and stories, all overflowing with interesting
and creative ideas, puts the author's name near the top of those writers who
have come of age in the last decade. Now comes a near-future novel set
mainly in the South Pacific, dealing with speculation in the biology of
evolution. It is strongest in exactly those areas where his work has
previously been the weakest.
Diaspora by Greg Egan
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Been awhile since you've read any hard science fiction?
I mean, really hard sci-fi? Well, if your brain is ready for
a workout, you must give Diaspora a try.
Eidolon, Volume 25/26
reviewed by Thomas Myer
Eidolon is a beefy journal, printed on good quality stock,
with striking full-color cover art. This is not your father's science
fiction quarterly. The stories were a literary can of whoop-ass.
Night Lives by Phyllis Eisenstein
reviewed by Steven H Silver
One of the nice things about reading a collection of short stories by a
single author is the spotlight it shines on the recurrent themes and tropes
they use. Reading this collection allows the reader to see these commonalities in the story, while enjoying the
different things the author does with them.
Table of the Lord by Ono Ekeh
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
The author postulates the appearance on Earth, in the mid-19th century, of a
benevolent alien super-culture, the Fenaarq. These loving, enlightened
aliens, capable of interstellar travel, apparently have gods, and they come to the conclusion
that unlike themselves in their present state, humans can evolve into gods, if they'd only learn to control their
violence.
The Forest of Hours by Kerstin Ekman
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This is a wonderful Rabelaisian romp that combines elements of
fairy tale, Norse saga and historical novel, 16th century ribald literature, mysticism,
alchemy, and close interpersonal relationships reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman films.
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