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/02b/cr194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT When the novel begins, we are in Paris. What's more it is the 50s. Wendell Floyd is an ex-pat American who came to France to become a jazz musician. Instead he became a private detective, although he and his partner, Andre Custin, still play in order to make ends meet. A pragmatist and political animal rather than tough guy gumshoe Floyd finds the answer to his money woes in an apparent suicide. When a young American woman, Susan White, is found dead outside her apartment her landlord does not accept the view of the police that she jumped and hires the pair to investigate. Suddenly, the next chapter takes us somewhere else entirely. Or perhaps not. We are still in Paris but in a very different Paris; an ice-locked city haunted by the furies of a 23rd Century Nanocaust. Paris, and the whole of the Earth, is abandoned and dead. http://www.sfsite.com/lists/greg2004.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT 2004 was a good year for science fiction, with more worthwhile titles than will fit comfortably into a top ten list. Still, with the usual caveat that the choices were limited to books I have actually read, here is such a list. None of us can read enough to definitively declare what constitutes the best, but out of what I read this year, these are the books I enjoyed the most and would heartily recommend to readers of science fiction. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/sl194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT "On the historical side, Elizabeth Longford, I would think. And a lot of memoirs of the Peninsula and Wellington. On the fairy tale side, I would think anything by Katherine M. Griggs, who was the collector and folklorist in the mid-twentieth century who collected together what was left of the fairy lore on the British Isles." http://www.sfsite.com/02b/gu194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT A not-so-routine job as consultant for the Federal Inderland Bureau quickly throws Rachel into a major mess of trouble. It seems that someone's been killing off witches proficient in ley line magic, and like it or not, the human-biased FIB needs someone with Rachel's qualifications and skills to help investigate. To Rachel's delighted surprise, the trails all seem to lead right back to drug lord/crime kingpin and respected businessman, Trent Kalamack, who gave Rachel no end of grief last time they met. It starts to look like maybe this time, Rachel can take down her nemesis properly. Right? http://www.sfsite.com/02b/fp194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT This collection is part of a series of previously unreprinted Robert Bloch stories. It begs the question "why?" If Bloch himself did not see the value in reprinting these stories after they provided him with initial payment, why would a publisher and editor think they have value at this late date? One part of the answer is for the collectors, but another part of the answer is to compare the stories to chocolate. Any chocolate is better than no http://www.sfsite.com/02b/tq194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT This is the thirteenth book in the Shannara series, and has the mixed fortunes associated with that number. It's also the middle book in the current trilogy, which began with Jarka Ruus. Any author who takes a series this far better have something to write about, and we're not disappointed on that score. The plot is divided between four elements; Pen's quest, the machinations of evil Druid Shadea a'Ru, Grianne Ohmsford's struggle to survive inside the Forbidding, and the decades old conflict between the Federation and Free Born. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/sb194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT While Hollow Earth fiction probably hit its peak in the lost race fiction era of the late 19th-early 20th century, excellent works in this genre continue to be produced, the recently reprinted "Black as the Pit, from Pole to Pole" (1977) by Steven Utley and Howard Waldrop being a prime example. It is this genre that is the focus of the book, a predominantly academic (i.e., it bears endnotes and a bibliography) work which investigates Hollow Earth theories and fiction. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/gd194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT A military-made drug, based on LSD but far more powerful, has led to the creation of a small group, fractured personalities that are aspects of the soldiers who took part in the experiment. Jovah was the only survivor, and he was rendered both insane and unable to exist in the real world. Senses all messed up, he was placed in a sensory deprivation tank, and forgotten. Now, the splinter personalities are on the loose in the real world, working toward the ultimate goal of recreating reality. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/mr194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Nothing is going right for poor Maya. All she wants is to fit in, win the heart of the cutest boy in her school, and become a great beauty. That's no more than any young girl dreams of and wonders why she can't have. When it gets to be too much for Maya to bear she hits upon an unusual course of action: appeal to the great god Ganesh to make all her wishes come true. Ganesh, a genial if gluttonous god, warns her that she might not really want all obstacles in her path removed. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/vb194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Russell Walker, a nocturnal, coffee-addicted newspaper columnist, is jerked abruptly out of a spiralling depression when he is visited by a friend he hasn't seen in decades. The friend is a telepath and he wants Walker to help him prevent some murders that have not yet been committed. With the clock ticking down to horrific deaths, Walker wrestles with whether to try and interest police in a telepathic tip about a villain he can't name or identify, or try his hand as an unlikely amateur detective. http://www.sfsite.com/forum/ Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Each day we get many emails from SF Site visitors. Some are simple to answer. Others ask questions which stump us and we refer them to others who may have the answer. Several just want to exchange views with somebody who will listen. All of this correspondence convinced us to try installing a discussion forum. Drop by for a visit. Browse the topics. If you see something that piques your interest, register and send your reply. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/best05.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Every year we find the SF Site Top 10 Lists to be full of surprises. Every year we find a few great recommendations for books we might otherwise have passed by. We hope you find the same thing, because we've polled the SF Site contributors, reviewers and editors and come up with the following titles which are what collectively we consider to be among the best of the past year. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/ts194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT As you might gather from the title, the author's fifth novel depicts a catastrophic snowfall. Not a mere avalanche or the airports-are-closed kind of weather anomaly, but a precipitous disaster of worldwide scale that obliterates human civilization. Of course, since the story begins with a first-person account of the start of the snow and her subsequent adventures, you already know there are survivors. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/ww194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT The never-named title character is an instructor at a school for wizards. He is fairly young, though he tends to disguise himself magically as an older man -- people just don't believe someone as young as he really is can be a respectable wizard. As the story opens, he is settling into his summer vacation, hoping to spend his time as usual -- puttering around his garden, mainly. An encounter with a rather snappish witch reminds him that he might not be ecstatically happy, but that "true happiness is overrated." http://www.sfsite.com/columns/britkids04.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT While the people, places and objects in this series are different from the others and the history spans close to nine centuries, these books capture the essence of such a time in a child's life when an unfettered imagination, a locale which invites exploration, and an older, but not too intrusive adult is present to pass on the historical continuity of the family and locale, combine in a life-affirming and altering experience. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/news01.htm Tue, 15 Feb 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/02b/ex194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Nominally a sequel to Coalescent, this novel tells the story of the climax of a twenty-five thousand year long war, and the final human assault on the Xeelee stronghold at the center of the galaxy. It's a war that is being fought by children. The economics and logistics of war have led to fast-breeding, fast-maturing humans whose brief, fierce lives are completely devoted to fighting the good fight. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/ar194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT This two-book set features short stories by O'Neil De Noux, Carol Emshwiller, Jeff Vandermeer, Mike Resnick, Mike Baron, and Martin Meyers. The authors are as distinct as the volume's twin covers, the first a fond look back to Paris in 1944, complete with lovers, birds, and a man in a beret (Gregory Manchess is the artist). The second cover, created by John Picacio, shows a man trying to control his genie, with deep reds in the one corner, deep blues in the other, and a mystic yellow down the diagonal center. It is a contrast, one that visually shows the mold-breaking efforts of the editors. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Rick has TV reviews of the Star Trek Enterprise episode titled "The Aenar," the Smallville episode titled "The Recruit" and the Battlestar Galactica episodes titled "You Can't Go Home Again" and "Litmus." He also takes a look at tthe DVDs titled My Name is Modesty and Robot Stories. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/nw194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Some of the best science fiction stories of the 60s and early 70s are collected here, among them "Running Down" by M. John Harrison, "Angouleme" by Thomas M. Disch, and "Traveler's Rest" by David I. Masson. For a reader seeking high-quality writing, there's not much else between these covers, though tastes vary, and certainly some readers will be more impressed by a handful of the other pieces. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/sh194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT As you take these volumes out of their slipcase to review them, you may find yourself admiring the admirable job done in putting this new annotated package together. It is possible you will be momentarily caught by surprise when noting the slipcase trumpets this as a 150th anniversary edition, and then the realization that this refers to William Sherlock Scott Holmes's birth in 1854. http://www.sfsite.com/02b/bw194.htm Tue, 15 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT A couple of years ago, Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill published a six issue comic series entitled The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It followed a nineteenth century group of heroes including Mina Murray from Dracula, H. Rider Haggard's Sir Allan Quatermain, Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, H.G. Wells's Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After Moore and O'Neill created a second series, the author produced this volume for the reader who wants to be in on all the jokes. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/su193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT "There was a wonderful bit about Waterloo. All these people came out to watch Waterloo from Brussels. It was very, very dangerous, but apparently they didn't care. A lot of Wellington's messengers, his aides-de-camp, were being killed. He had no one to deliver his orders, so he used civilians. He got them to deliver his orders, and one of them was a commercial traveler for Birmingham Button manufacturer. He had been wandering around getting orders for buttons on the battlefield of Waterloo. " http://www.sfsite.com/02a/za193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Several of the stories try to recapture that golden, curiously innocent, age of heroic fantasy, and a couple spoof it. The rest of the stories range in amazing variety, tone, and idea. The two shared elements are zeppelins in some form, and strong writing. Some are idea stories, some character, many are both. And what zeps! At least two stories feature live ones. Flying cities, balloons that attract ghosts, pirate airships -- the breadth of vision represented by these authors completely disproves the idea that one-idea anthologies don't work. This anthology takes off and soars. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/da193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT There ought to be a law that novels should not be this well-plotted, assured, and addictive. It just ain't right. It may be the complex, compelling characters, the vivid, out-of-the-way settings, or the constant tension the author weaves into the story, but once you started reading you'll move faster and faster, with no way to stop until the breathtaking ending. Forget sleep, because you won't have time for such trivialities; you're here to read. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/gq193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Jig, a runty, nearsighted, cowardly and ugly goblin, finds himself leading an expeditionary force hell-bent on reclaiming a long lost artefact, the Rod of Creation, apparently hidden deep underground by a powerful Necromancer. Through all the dangers, both those from within (a possessed wizard, a gung-ho I've-got-something-to-prove warrior, a captive she-elf thief, and a tough as nails warrior-cartographer dwarf) and without the group (venomous lizard-fish, skeletal zombies, bats, dragons, hobgoblins, and a necromancer), Jig learns of courage, friendship, faith and what it really means to be a hero. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/dg193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Try to imagine being trapped in the darkness. Alone. Shackled and left to die. Knowing that no one was going to find you until it was too late, if ever. Feel the desperation and despair of waiting there, hidden from the world, completely alone in the cold, dark, damp of the maze that is the Los Angeles storm-drain system. How many of us would go mad long before the torrents of water came to cover us? http://www.sfsite.com/02a/tp193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Albino's dream is to become a game creator for the Technoguild so he can create fabulous virtual worlds for the citizens of the galaxy to enjoy. His ultimate dream of becoming the Supreme Technopriest lies in sharp contrast to reality, where he is the unwanted bastard son of a cruel mother interested only in avenging her rape by marauding space pirates. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Rick has TV reviews of the Star Trek Enterprise episode titled "Babel One," the Smallville episode titled "Unsafe" and the Battlestar Galactica episode titled "Act of Contrition." He also lists what to watch on TV in February and some thoughts on Dark Shadows, "Return to Collinwood," an audio drama. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/xx193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT The opening story arc concerns Angel-san, Japan's answer to the Ouija board. Himawari tells Yuko about a school haunted by evil after students took up the innocent-seeming occult practise, and Yuko sends our hero Kimihiro and his spiritually-inclined rival Domeki to investigate. Although American occultists frequently speak of the dangers of the Ouija, this series seems to have refreshingly unique view of where the true dangers lurk. There's also time for a little cross-over with Tsubasa and some Chobits inspired silliness. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/co193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT The Sheriff of Nottingham, Hugh deSteny, feels his blood chill when he is told of bodies found in a crofter's hut in Sherwood Forest. The bodies were completely drained of blood, no wounds save for four small puncture holes, not a drop spilled anywhere in evidence. On the crusades, he saw and fought monsters capable of this, and fears greatly for the safety of his people. His investigations put him within the reach of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men, who slake their thirst, not for gold, but for blood, on all who are foolish enough to come near. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/sk193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT A vast underground city is built in stone to save humanity from catastrophic events on the surface of the planet. Now, four hundred years later, the citizens of Hypogeum have no memory of their origins or the purpose the Founders had for their subterranean metropolis. In fact, they do not even realize there is anything above their colossal city entombed in rock. http://www.sfsite.com/forum/ Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Each day we get many emails from SF Site visitors. Some are simple to answer. Others ask questions which stump us and we refer them to others who may have the answer. Several just want to exchange views with somebody who will listen. All of this correspondence convinced us to try installing a discussion forum. Drop by for a visit. Browse the topics. If you see something that piques your interest, register and send your reply. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/news01.htm Tue, 1 Feb 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/columns/britkids03.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT John, Susan, Letitia, and Roger Walker are British school-children spending their summer holidays with their mother near a lake in northern England. From an overlook they can see a large island, and plan to sail there and camp. After some planning and gathering of equipment and food, they do so, with John as captain of the small sailboat Swallow, Susan as mate, Titty as Able-Seaman, and Roger as ship's boy -- setting up camp on the island. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/so193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT For all that SF claims to deal with new and challenging ideas, the field is still dominated by white male writers in the tradition of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne who -- like all of us -- have trouble thinking outside of their own cultural boxes. And that's the point of "postcolonial" SF written by people of colour. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/ad193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT From the images of Rincewind and Twoflower, who first graced the pages of The Colour of Magic more than twenty years ago, to Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle of A Hat Full of Sky, Paul Kidby presents memorable images of some of Terry Pratchett's most (and sometimes not so) memorable characters. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/hl193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT The master magician has the will to make the greatest escape of all; the evasion of death itself. How he sets about accomplishing this is as simple yet ingenious as many of his genuine tricks. Houdini, in reality and in this story, thrived on publicity which described what he did as magic. Although he always said that his show was not supernatural, he cleverly encouraged others to believe the deceit of their own eyes. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/mh193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Katherine Cross, a good girl from a good home, cannot imagine why her best friend Elise Stone would give herself out of wedlock to one of the local bad boys. No one likes Luther McGrath, he and his family are looked down upon by the local people because of rumors attached to him of missing girls, murder, and deviltry. She discovers that the McGraths are actually werewolves. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/ti193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Circa 2050, Pittsburgh has been transported to Elfhome, as a side-effect of the startup of a new Chinese orbital interdimensional gate. Tinker, just turned 18, owns the junkyard, and is a full-fledged Grrl Genius to boot, with a mouth (and steel-toe boots) to match. Oh, and Tink's Dad, the gate's inventor, died 10 years before she was born... http://www.sfsite.com/02a/pj193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Like Venn diagrams passing in the night, the audiences for science fiction movies and books may overlap at certain points. But there is no law saying that a person who went to see I, Robot three times in the theatre also has a subscription to Asimov's magazine. The pleasures the two media offer are different. http://www.sfsite.com/02a/ir193.htm Tue, 1 Feb 2005 11:00:00 GMT Before Will Smith presented his rendition of I, Robot, Isaac Asimov had a pretty good collection of short stories on his hands. The original book, published first in 1950, was a collection of pulp science fiction short stories which were published between 1940 and 1950. In it, the author explored what he saw as the inevitability of the human condition: the creation of artificial life. Or, as Asimov argues, the created life is not so artificial.