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/columns/schrodinger236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Michael is reading short fiction and young adult titles and he has some thoughts. This time, he looks at Beka Cooper: Terrier by Tamora Pierce, Larklight by Phillip Reeve and Spirits That Walk In Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/te236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT With the rather grandiose goal to leave you feeling "joyous, melancholy, rejuvenated, satisfied," it's hard to see how the authors of this themed anthology have addressed it any more effectively, or indeed any differently, from other writers of fantastic fiction who conjure up imaginary worlds or drop their characters into the midst of pivotal events. What's not in doubt, however, is that this is a superior collection -- entertaining, inventive, original, and almost without exception, very well written, with remarkably few entries that drag or miss the mark. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/tf236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT It is a defensible proposition that the job of a fiction author has two parts: first, create characters that the reader can care about; second, put those characters through hell. In this foray into the New Weird, the Campbell Award-winning author takes on the job with gusto and no small measure of fantastical invention, creating flawed yet interesting characters then giving them a prolonged and thorough roasting, with liberal bastings of irony and pity. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/sc236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Spin Control is the author's second venture into the universe she first crafted in Spin State. But whereas Spin State was high-tech, hard SF set in space and alien environments, Spin Control, as the title implies, is a claustrophobic, intense look at the politics of a near-future earth, and the growing split between what's left of humanity on Earth and its post-human descendants in space. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/rt236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Mainly known for his cult novel The Ceremonies and his mythical collection Dark Gods, T.E.D. Klein is certainly one of the less prolific authors of dark fiction, much to the dismay of his many admirers who are constantly in waiting for new material. If you're one of them, this new volume will probably leave you frustrated. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/df236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT This latest book was written by Todd McCaffrey along with his mother Anne. That being said, it bears little resemblance to the original Dragonriders of Pern books. The characters are interesting but it is slow at times and there is so much jumping between points of view that it is difficult to really sympathize with the characters. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/bs236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT One may not always agree with the editor's choices (there are two stories here Paul wouldn't even have published let alone picked as best of the year, and another two he'd have great difficulty arguing should belong in such a volume), but overall because of its limited range and clear focus, the book comes closer to feeling like it really does represent the best of the year than any of its over-inflated rivals. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/vo236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Memer Galva is a daughter of a prominent family in the city of Ansul. For all of Memer's life, Ansul has been under the domination of the Alds, a harsh desert people. She has grown up with the remnants of a once thriving household including the leader of her family, the Waylord Sulter Galva, who survived the Alds' torture without revealing his house's secrets. The most important of these is a secret room in which are hidden the surviving books of the people of Ansul. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/du236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT A man wearing a red robe enters the village of Trengborne and proceeds to slaughter everyone there -- all except two people, that is: Rafe Baburn, the young boy he's looking for; and Kosar, a former thief who hid when he saw the man approaching the village. Leaving Trengborne, Rafe falls in with the witch Hope and Kosar with his ex-lover, a warrior named A'Meer from the mysterious Shantasi people. The truth about the red-robed man becomes clear... http://www.sfsite.com/11b/bw236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Sometimes a story hits you with some knockout punches -- you see them coming but you just can't duck quick enough. This is one of those kinds of reads and yet... the novella (appearing in Secret Life or Veniss Underground) entices you within striking distance, lures and lulls you into a weird, hypnotic trance-like state, then wham! Not only don't you see that punch coming, but it's definitely below the belt! http://www.sfsite.com/books/new236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Highlights among the new arrivals in our office include the latest from Alan Dean Foster, Sean Williams, Peter Watts, Juliet Marillier, Rob Grant, Eric Flint, Karl Schroeder, Harry Turtledove, plus the screenplay to the upcoming Hogfather film for UK television. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/ln236.htm Thu, 16 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT It seems appropriate to begin this review with a nod to Procul Harum, as reading it makes one feel like one skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels across the floor, and was feeling rather seasick. What the author does in this work is a disjointed, post-cyberpunk exploration of human nature. The setting is a surreal, narcotic-washed future, in which AI is fully in control of both virtual and actual reality. Gene manipulation, possession and magic all play their parts, sometimes to fine effect. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/jeff235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT "In November, the brutal heat of the Smaragdine summer is usually gone for good and the city becomes giddy with the crisp month or two before the brutal winter. From the storied, overly marbled downtown with its mainly Central Asian embassies and state houses to the discos and merchant kiosks of the Palisade, Smaragdine is a friendly, more relaxed place. But it's also a long way from home, and so I thought I'd start this monthly column to tell you about the books that find their way to my mailbox here, and to comment on any exotic and strangely beautiful subjects or artifacts." http://www.sfsite.com/11a/yb235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Judith Merril launched her Best of the Year anthology series in the late-50s, just at a time when the magazine science fiction market was collapsing. At this remove, it is difficult to tell whether that was just a coincidence, but one might suspect that part at least of her intent was a compensatory widening of what was considered science fiction. Since then the science fiction and fantasy market has somehow managed to sustain one or at most two Best of the Year anthologies. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ee235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT It is a curious phenomenon, being unable to discuss the prose without discussing the author. But such is the author's unique position -- the shadow he casts is a very large one indeed. The influence he has had on modern genre, direct or indirect, is immeasurable. To that extent, the title of this book is a straightforward case of truth-in-packaging: It is essential, essential for aspiring writers, veterans of the field, editors, fans... anyone with a desire for a thorough appreciation and understanding of SF. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/david235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Fall isn't what it used to be, and with cable networks running shows in the winter and summer, premieres and finales are now a year-long phenomenon. This fall is unusual in that the original big three US networks each has a science fiction program in the offing. These shows are obviously part of the post-Lost phenomenon. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ha235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Ginny Ni Cooley is a half-trained mage, living in Tamhasg Wood, but not alone. She's got the company of Thistle, a doughty little terrier -- and there's also Manus MacGreeley, a ghost. She is well regarded by the villagers of nearly Conorscroft for her magical aid; life is racketing along comfortably enough (as comfortable as it can with a moody ghost who likes to talk) when a disturbance one night plunges them all into adventure and danger. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/bl235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT The Galactic Alliance sits at a dangerous croscsroads. On one hand, they need to maintain order in a galaxy still recovering from war. On the other, too much implied force could result in turning into a perceived new version of the Empire. Jedi Knights lead by Grand Master Luke Skywalker attempt to keep Corellia from building a personal war machine and throwing the universe into turmoil. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo find themselves viewed as traitors by both sides. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/rb235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT When we last saw them, the Triumvirate -- Ax, Sage and Fiorinda -- were at their lowest ebb following an incredible and utterly unstoppable invasion by the newly ascendant Chinese. The Rock'n'Roll Reich had been captured, were prisoners -- or worse, puppets -- of England's new overlords. Now there are friends to be rescued or mourned, post-apocalyptic rock'n'roll hordes to be calmed, invaders to be reassured regarding the realities of magic, and, as always, an entire country to be talked down from a very high ledge. Where do they find time to fit any music in? http://www.sfsite.com/columns/matt235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT What if virtual reality was instead "reality" experienced virtually through remote-controlled bodies? Would crimes like rape or other forms of physical assault be felonies, or just "property damage"? What sort of world might it be if everyone locked themselves away and filled it with stand-ins? Top Shelf's new trade collection of Robert Venditti's The Surrogates mini-series explores those and other issues in a weird future where humans interact vicariously through robotic simulacrums. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Rick offers his thoughts on the rejuvenation of Smallville. He also gives us a list of what to watch on TV in November. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/zg235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT The US and allies (Wes-Bloc) and the Soviet Union and allies (Peep-East) have secretly come to an agreement: instead of continuing the ruinous arms race, they will pretend to be constantly developing new weapons, which are then "plowshared": turned into goofy consumer products. The weapon designers are psychics, who dream up their new designs in trance states. The Wes-Bloc designer, Lars Powderdry, or Mr. Lars of Mr. Lars Incorporated is tortured by the knowledge that he is essentially a fraud -- his designs are useless. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ve235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT This debut is the first in a two-book series about an epic war between demons and angels. It chronicles the history of the sophisticated, ancient and commanding civilization of Kur through Egyptian, Babylonian and East Indian myth as well as bitmites, cyber-avatars and warring bands of fallen angels, the unkin. Vellum is both a gateway to multiverse realities and a manual to a language of supremacy which can be both emblazoned in the skin and on the soul. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/hi235.htm Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:00:00 GMT Set on Fulgar, a planet on the edge, both as a frontier and in its use of technology, the story begins with the disappearance of Tetsuo, a young man from Earth trying to build his own life on Fulgar. When his mother arrives for a visit, the story is set up as a tale of a mother looking for her estranged son. That changes when we meet Rafael, a Luculentus -- enhanced humans who have undergone surgery as children to augment their natural abilities, granting modes of thought and means of communication beyond that of humans -- and a serial killer. http://www.sfsite.com/rssfeeds01.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT After constructing our first RSS feed, it soon became apparent that the size of files could grow quickly. We decided to separate them into smaller ones, breaking them up by month. On this page you will find RSS feed files for all of our content beginning with January 2005.