http://www.sfsite.com/ The new issue of the SF Site is now online. Copyright 1996-2007 SF Site en-us http://www.sfsite.com/images/sfspot1.gif http://www.sfsite.com http://www.sfsite.com/01b/rw192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT "There can be a dislocation between inner, creative life and the surrounding world, between being a writer and earning a living doing other things, between thinking creatively and listening to the surrounding clang of minutia. Dislocations of feeling like an outsider, of being an atheist Jew in an increasingly conservative Christian country. Transforming these dislocations into the literature of the fantastic is a way enabling myself to cope with the world." http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ci192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT "No sunlight, no waning crescent moon. And the wind? The chill, battering wind lay in wait, malevolent, hidden for the moment but ready to strike. Ice crumbled in its path; its onslaught leveled mountains. Not safe here, in this flimsy house-box with its No-heat No-light." http://www.sfsite.com/books/new192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Some of the new and forthcoming books for 2005 include new works from Ian R. MacLeod, Sara Douglass, Stan Nicholls, Harry Turtledove, Terry Goodkind, and Gregory Benford. Also featured are some classics re-issued from Dan Simmons, Geoff Ryman, Robert Silverberg, and more. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/britkids02.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Bevis, a young boy wanders into an enchanted woodland world, where all of Nature has stories to tell. In particular, the water flowing in the creeks and the wind whistling through the trees, have more profound truths to reveal, about life, about good and evil, and so on. With their help, Bevis can sort out the intrigues surrounding the woodland creatures' attempts to overthrow the evil autocratic regime of the magpie. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/se192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT There are some works of art which beg to be parodied due to their popularity and their overindulgences. While J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion certainly qualifies for its overindulgences, the work's popularity is based not so much on its own merits, but its association with Tolkien's more popular books. Nevertheless, following the success of the parody The Soddit, he has turned his wit to the writing of The Sellamillion. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/sr192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Given the seductive lure of Arthurian legend, a tale of an alternate Arthur sounded rather promising. The premise revolves around an uncertain young king, newly crowned, and struggling to unite those who have yet to fully accept him as their ruler. The archetypal magician, Merlinnus, and his former apprentice Morgause are both attempting to use their subtle magics and the symbol of Caliburnus to influence the once and future king of Cadbury. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/re192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT When it comes to blending cutting edge science with complex philosophical ruminations, there are few authors more talented than Robert J. Sawyer. For those unfortunate few who have not yet heard of him, the man has left an indelible mark on the Science Fiction community; earning a well-deserved reputation as a major talent, in addition to his recent receipt of both a Hugo and Nebula award. He is one of those rare SF authors who is able to approach complex scientific concepts and humanize them with believable characters, rich dialogue and all too real moral and philosophical dilemmas. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/aa192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT It is a cinematically written mad dash, rather like an episode of The Sopranos though a drug haze, but also including supernatural characters based on the angels and demons of Biblical lore. The mix is one of psychopathic violence, which is never mindless, Mafia culture, and snappy dialogue presented in a New Jersey accent. The anti-hero is one Harvey Ciullo. Things look terminal, especially when Harv has his brains blown out, but then his death attracts the attention of Hasmed, a fallen angel recently freed from Hell. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/hf192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Now eleven, Tiffany is ready to leave the Chalk to study with Miss Level, a "research witch" in distant High Overhang. Changes are in the offing for the Nac Mac Feegle as well. Their new Kelda, Jeanine of the Long Lake clan, is determined to whip the wild blue men into shape. First off, they must learn to read and write -- despite their lifelong distrust of the literary arts. After all, writing leads to implicating documents and court cases, both of which have a way of seriously cramping a Feegle's style. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/fm192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Rick and Bill of the Jerdain military are amongst those attacking Bahar, the lair of Thomas Fetter and son Curtis, a pair of evil, ruthless immortals, masters of mind control as well a number of other advanced technologies, and -- naturally -- bent upon ruling the universe. Sure, this sort of thing has been done a thousand times by the likes of Ray Cummings, Edmond Hamilton, and John W, Campbell, Jr. -- but perhaps never quite so poorly. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/nu192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The opening story is perhaps the best, Sonya Taaffe's "Another Country". Taaffe is a poet, and it shows in her dense and evocative prose. This story slowly builds a portrait of the relationship between a newly pregnant woman and her two lovers -- it in itself a fraught situation, but made a bit more complex by the nature of one of the possible fathers. Danny Adams's "A Deconstruction of Beauty" is about a cop in a grim world who encounters a woman painting forbidden things -- like trees. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ne192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Negi Springfield's main dream in life is to become a wizard. He has taken the classes, he has mastered several spells, but to prove his true worthiness, he needs to become accepted as an official instructor at Mahora Academy, an all girl's school. The girls seem to finally be accepting their ten-year-old English teacher, but can he bring his class, who are notorious for only ever making last place in the exams, up to snuff before the final exams next Monday? http://www.sfsite.com/01b/le192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT This anthology is a book that rises from the marketing category known as SF, though most readers of science fiction and fantasy will find much frustration in amidst the wonders sensed here, because some of these stories slip into a different stream, one where fabulation looks conservative and traditional when viewed through a lens of narrative displacement, meta-fictional paradox, and autonymic antitropes. How many fish can breathe in such rich, polluted water? http://www.sfsite.com/01b/bg192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT This issue features six stories; except for one they are either novellas or novelettes. Instead of a range, this issue's fiction leans far toward dark side of the fantasy spectrum; arguably one or two of them are downright horror. Perfect reading for the days of cold, long nights, wind-rattled barren branches and deep shadows. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/steven192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Science fiction fans have always had a respect and understanding for the history of the genre. Unfortunately, science fiction has achieved such an age that each year sees our ranks diminished. The science-fictional year 2004 could have been much worse for the science fiction community in sheer numbers. While there were a few tragic surprises, the mortality rate for 2004 was no higher than would normally be expected. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/as192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Welcome to Asgard. No, not the fabled city of Norse mythology, but an equally amazing structure that seems to have been made by the gods themselves. In fact, no one can figure out exactly who made it, but Asgard is a planet-sized artifact that consists of innumerable concentric spheres, one inside the other. No one knows how many levels comprise the entire structure, but scientists, explorers, crooks, and grave robbers from all the nearby galaxies have made their home in Skychain City, the base of operations for the exploration of Asgard. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/lt192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Third in a series, this is the story of a journey to Barnard's Star and the effort to colonize one of the planets of that star. The main character is Conrad Mursk, the First Mate of the Newhope. His lover Xiomara Li Weng, or Xmary, is the Captain. Bascal is the leader of the expedition and will be King once the new planet is reached. Conrad himself is a rather stolid young man, though perhaps not so stolid as he seems to think. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/cm192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT In this second book of The Boreal Moon Tale, Snudge, spy, wild talent, and trusted friend of King Conrig Windcantor continues to reveal the secrets of what really happened, risking his own life and the security of the Blenholme Sovereignty. In the last book Conrig's wife, Queen Maudrayne, forced into a divorce from her husband, calmly signs the papers, then leaps off the castle walls and to her death. But now Conrig knows she did not die, and that she may have born a child. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/news01.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Every day, items of interest to you arrive in our email. Our bi-monthly format doesn't lend itself to daily updates. However, this is a small inconvenience to our Contributing Editor Steven H Silver. His column will fill you in on recent news in science fiction. We'll be updating the page as he sends in new items. http://www.sfsite.com/lists/award-pkdick01.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/pi192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Gavril is working side by side with his men, trying to rebuild their kastle, and is eventually taken to the asylum, where he is forced into a terrible choice. Eugene, even, though he is the antagonist, is not easily categorized as evil. He is filled with insecurities about his marriage, worries over his daughter, and he treats the people around him, mostly, with decency and respect. His government concentrates on tasks such as providing schooling for every child and improving the economy. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Rick has TV reviews of the Star Trek Enterprise episode titled "Daedalus," and the two Battlestar Galactica episodes titled "33" and "Water." He also has some ideas on the similarities between Andromeda and Stargate SG-1. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ah192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Arkham House is one of the finest publishers of collected short fiction in the field. Its beginnings were humble as friends of H.P. Lovecraft founded the house in order to publish Lovecraft in book form as a memorial. Later, they began publishing others of that weird fiction clan: the first collections of Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Fritz Leiber, Lord Dunsany, August Dereleth, Clark Ashton Smith, Frank Belknap Long, William Hope Hodgson, Seabury Quinn, and Donald Wandrei. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/fh192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT It is one of the more remarkable books of our time. Sure, the text has its share of warts. The characters are more like caricatures, over the top and thin in their complexity. The auhtor indulges his inner high-school writer with his strong use of comparisons. Moreover, the ending is simplistic and idealistic, where the well read of society emerge from their homeless shelters to save a post-apocalyptic world. But still. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/wr192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT A scoundrel has come to town and he's just the sort Harry Houdini lived to expose. This Victorian Era John Edwards claims to be able to put the bereaved in touch with their deceased relatives, provided the bereaved can enrich Maxmillian Cairo's existence on this plane. Debunking such frauds was of special interest to both Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and they expect no problems with exposing this con man's tricks before he can bilk anymore vulnerable clients. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/tw192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT In the far future, we've finally used technology to master the world and all aspects of our lives. Teleportation and shapechanging are commonplace, sickness and death are practically unknown, and there is no need. Our imaginations dictate our surroundings, and we spend our lives indulging in fantasies and various forms of instant gratification. Technology has, in other words, become sufficiently advanced so as to be indistinguishable from magic... http://www.sfsite.com/01b/mm192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT In the city of Chalsett, it is traditional that an apprentice who has finished her training shall be assigned the very next case that requires a magister. But Shenza Waik, humble daughter of an illiterate fisherman, feels far from ready when that case turns out to be the horrifying murder of the First Lord of Chalsett by magical fire. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ss192.htm Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT No one knows when the Observers originally arrived on Earth, but their unveiling was an event not to be forgotten. Somewhere in the world, nuclear warheads were launched, escalating into war. Everyone was glued to the television with announcers giving us 20 minutes until the end of the world. Then they appeared on TV with an offer no one would refuse -- "We will save Earth from destruction if you allow us to study mankind." The Observers got what they requested with no resistance. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/am191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT British author Mark Chadbourn might be described as the anti-Tolkien. Not because he displays any special antipathy toward the great man, but rather due to the way his Age of Misrule trilogy grabs standard fantasy fodder by its danglers, and squeezes hard. This is not a story which involves noble elves doing good deeds, cute little blokes with furry feet, or scruffy sods claiming to be the returned king. The ingenious premise questions what might happen to our reality if the gods of Celtic mythology returned, slap bang into the middle of the modern world? Does it signal the end of the age of science? These questions dive head first off the standard fantasy diving board, into relatively uncharted territory, resulting in an edge of the seat, highly credible, page turner. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/yb191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT It is a stunning anthology of short fiction from a variety of authors both well known and the not so well known. It also offers summation on the facets of fantasy and horror, presented by the editors. Of particular interest are the Media of the Fantastic: 2003; Comics and Graphic Novels: 2003; and Music of the Fantastic: 2003. Clearly, the editors wish to make inclusive the various mediums by which artists in this modern day work. Artists work best in a community, and publications like this can draw the various elements together, forging new alliances that lead to creation. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/sm191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Set in a realm where the country is divided between the politically fractured and medieval Eion, the monolithic, despotic theocracy of Xand, and the exiled Twilight Lands of faerie, the author has constructed a stage rife with political intrigue, conflict, mystery and, of course, romantic possibilities. And despite the usual cast of conventions and borrowings, he has mined old material very well, creating his own imprimatur and quickly establishing why he is recognized as one of the better writers of this genre. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/britkids01.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Two young teenage boys, Hector andLouis, and a teenage girl, Catherine, get lost in the Rice Lake region of Upper Canada while picking wild fruit. When they come to realize that they are well and truly lost, they don't panic, but use their wood lore and experience to build a shelter, kill or trap game, store food, and avoid marauding Native Americans, while over-wintering in the wilderness. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/news01.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Every day, items of interest to you arrive in our email. Our bi-monthly format doesn't lend itself to daily updates. However, this is a small inconvenience to our Contributing Editor Steven H Silver. His column will fill you in on recent news in science fiction. We'll be updating the page as he sends in new items. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/gf191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The gifted families are the aristocrats of small, farming-oriented, domains. The gifts seem mostly rather terrifying -- the power to take over another's mind, the power to "undo" something (turn order into Chaos), the power to twist a man's body unnaturally, or to make someone deathly ill. A few gifts are less fearful: calling animals, or moving heavy things. In general, people seem to be struggling -- diminishing in both numbers and in the power of their gifts. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/cf191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Joanne Baldwin, ex-Weather Warden and ex-Djinn, just can't seem to catch a break, or her breath. In less than a month, she has died and been reborn twice, saved the world, and seen her entire life thrown into absolute chaos. She has found love and lost it, been betrayed by those closest to her, and been forced to betray in turn. And just when things should be settling down, it turns out she's in the eye of a very nasty world-threatening storm. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/cb191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Fifty years after the events described in Crossfire, the colonists of Greentrees are preparing to celebrate the anniversary of their arrival. For the two generations since, stories about the first colonists encounter with the warring aliens known as Vines and Furs and hints of troubles on Earth have become less important than the present problems of infrastructure or the concerns of their dissatisfied youth. But then a spaceship from Earth suddenly appears, followed by the reappearance of two characters who may have succeeded in collaborating with the Vines to attack the Furs. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/dr191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Each month, the subjects run from the ridiculous to the lovely. August features a fun surf boarding wizard (Sandy Nightingale's "The Bursar's Hitherto Unrealized Talent") while "Tiffany in the Snowy Wood of Shadows" (Jon Sullivan) shows a cold weather scene with Tiffany walking through it, her features utterly delighted by what she sees, making it the perfect Holiday season picture. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/it191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT A new hotspot develops in the Antarctic Ice Sheet, which isn't entirely odd since Antarctica is seismically and volcanically active, but when those who investigate the site disappear, it's time to send in someone who knows what they might be up against. Erica Daniels, a vulcanologist, is assigned to the hot spot project. She's saddled with a media-hungry archaeologist with a bent for finding Atlantis along with a bunch of gung-ho armed-to-the-teeth marines. What she will find will demonstrate there's something to that old Atlantean super-technology and determine the fate of the human race in the face a massive impending meteor impact. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/xh191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Kimihiro Watanuki, Yuko's indentured servant, learns more about the strange world of occult Japan as he follows the witch first to a series of fortune tellers, and then to an ancient temple for a night of ghost stories. Kimihiro continues to try to win the heart of fellow student Himawari. However, he is now paired off in a classic rivalry for her heart with the far more dashing and athletic Domeki, a temple priest. Kimihiro's curse means he constantly attracts harmful spirits that, coincidentally, Domeki can exorcise; even if they can't stand each other, fate seems determined to force them together. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/tu191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Syaoran would do anything for his princess Sakura, whom he loves deeply. Her memory has been taken away, the pieces of it divided into magical feathers that he must travel through different worlds to regain. He is accompanied by Kurogane, a tall, crabby warrior who has patience only for action, Fai, his sweetly smiling, loquacious opposite, and Mokona, a small, chubby bunny-like creature whose powers of detecting the feathers and translating languages make him invaluable. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/lu191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The tale is a continuation of 1997's Ports of Call wherein began the interstellar peregrinations of Myron Tany. The Glicca wanders from planet to planet, taking on and discharging cargoes, while the crew visits taverns to sample varieties of bitter ale and more potent beverages like Ponchoo Punch. It is a pageant of worlds, some civilized, some wild, some hospitable to strangers, some less welcoming to the traveler's knock. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/gb191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Like the protagonist in his title story, the author lands running. This is a very strong collection from a new writer who hasn't built up a body of work from which to cherry-pick the best stories. Ranging from science fiction to fantasy to horror, the stories offer a pleasing variety that I think will establish him as a guy to keep an eye on. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/la191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT This is the sort of book a reader will either hug to the heart or throw across the room. Even if someone finds the book itself pretentious and nonsensical, they are likely to praise at least some of the writer's skill with language, while even someone who adores the cascading imagery and narrative hallucinations is likely to recognize that the book has thin parts, that the entire endeavor is ethereal rather than material, more a matter of artifice than art. Line by line and page by page, it contains more beauty than all but a very few books published this year. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/no191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Kainui, a world settled by descendants of the Polynesian cultures of Earth, is a water-world, boasting not even a single land mass. The atmosphere is heavy on carbon dioxide and no fun to breathe. Constant thunder makes communication so difficult that most of the natives speak "finger," a very advanced form of sign language. Cities, and the ships that sail between them, are proto-life, grown by the inhabitants from seeds. "Fish" are grown and set loose in the acidic oceans, each with the job of collecting a different metal. These fish are later found and mined by traders who spend most of their lives on the seas. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/lh191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Sometimes, we as humans don't live up to our potential. Sometimes, in fact, we seem to be a massive waste of cells -- Nazis, serial killers, pedophiles -- whose only redeeming quality is the fact of our humanity. As far as we have searched on this planet and the tiny percentage of outer space we have explored, there is nothing like us; humans are unique creatures. So what would be our reaction if someone found a way to challenge our essential nature, make us more than the biological shells that hold us? http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ro191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The author's stories and poems are a haunting mix of cobwebby fairy tale elegance and tough-as-concrete contemporary sensibility. The mood and setting frequently evoke turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th century) eastern Europe, all skinny Gothic arches and Art Nouveau curliqueues, baroque music and staticky radios, Goethe and Faust, and the occasional dish of paprikas. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/hg191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT The BBC has successfully put together the surviving cast from the first series. Simon Jones, Stephen Moore, and Mark Wing-Davey, who played Arthur Dent, Marvin, and Zaphod Beeblebrox on both radio and television, and Geoffrey McGivern (Ford Prefect) return for their third series. Susan Sheridan, who portrayed Trillian in the first series has returned to the role for the third series. The replacement of Peter Jones (the Book) by William Franklyn and Richard Vernon (Slartibartfast) by Richard Griffiths works well. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Rick offers his thoughts on what to watch on TV in January along with what some call borderline fantasy series. It is hard to know what is fantasy and what isn't. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ds191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT A large expedition from Earth is in the process of settling Alpha, a planet orbiting Altair, when disaster strikes. As its twin planet eclipses the sun, a mysterious blue "sea" of mist rises, covering all the low lying areas of the continents. None of the colonists submerged by the sea survive, and those on higher land find that a mysterious force is neutralizing all electrical energy, and the technology they depend upon suddenly doesn't work. Without flyers they cannot even evacuate to their ship in orbit. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/db191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance private investigator on Earth, is called upon to unravel yet another bizarre case. This time, he and his AI partner are summoned to the estate of Ona Thompson, one of the world's four most perfect woman, in order to investigate the murder of her sister, Foraa. It seems that the Thompson Quads, four genetically-enhanced clones, have finally had the falling out people have been predicting for years. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/pl191.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT Single-planet campaigns are good for many, maybe even most player characters. What's wrong with becoming a big fish in a small pond? But for others, the cosmos beckon. For others, the universe, in its infinite variety, calls with a silver-tongued voice, one that cannot be so easily ignored. For those adventurers, here is a new source book for the Dungeons & Dragons world which offers a variety of information on multiple worlds, multiple possible campaigns, and multiple character classes.