http://www.sfsite.com/ The new issue of the SF Site is now online. Copyright 1996-2010 SF Site en-us http://www.sfsite.com/images/sfspot1.gif http://www.sfsite.com/ http://www.sfsite.com/08b/ls278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT From the first page of this collection you are already immersed in one of the stories that made Lucius Shepard's name: "The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule." In many ways it seems a conventional fantasy; the setting somewhere imprecise in what appears to be Southern Europe, a dragon brooding high in the mountains over the remote town, a hero with an ingenious way to slay the dragon. But something separates this story from such apparent conventionality. Our central character means to kill the dragon by painting it, an act of slaughter that is also a work of art. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/bq278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Perfection isn't always good enough. With The Born Queen, the author delivers a stellar conclusion to his quartet The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone that nevertheless leaves the reader earthbound in an ultimately conventional, if unconventionally well written, epic fantasy. He executes each of the key elements of the genre as masterfully as his dessrata (fencing) champion Cazio dispatches enemies. He properly reconstructs rather than simply incorporates uncanny linguistic and anthropological sources from this world to breathe verisimilitude into his own. He deals, at a lethally brisk pace, hands of fate to his characters that no card-counting reader could anticipate. His prose hustles the reader forward into the story rather than the other way around. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/dc278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Some authors,admittedly, have taken fantasy in interesting new directions, but Georges must admit to looking more and more to pre-Tolkienian times for his fantasy reading. He grew up in a time when authors like J.B. Cabell, Lord Dunsany, E.R.Eddison, H.R. Haggard, R.E. Howard, W. Morris, T. Mundy and C.A. Smith had been rediscovered in the fantasy boom of the late 60s-early 70s and were widely available. As much as he might wish that any serious fantasy reader of today begin with the 'classics,' he realises that the vast majority don't. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/pd278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT In this eighth installment of the Women of the Otherworld series, Hope Adams is pressed into a service by Beneico Cortez the ruthless head of the Cortez Cabal. Hope goes undercover as a disgruntled rich girl looking for fun with a gang of dangerous supernaturals who have been giving the Cabals a bad time. While there, Hope, now called "Faith," becomes involved in more than just the robberies the gang is perpetrating. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/aa278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Alice's Adventures in Wonderland makes for great listening, and a reader's understanding of Lewis Carroll's language and humor can be greatly enhanced by hearing it interpreted by a talented performer. In this new audiobook edition, the wonderfully talented Jim Dale renders a memorable performance that gloriously delivers Alice to a new generation of reader-listeners. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/bf278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Who doesn't like a good, well told, piece of erotic fiction? And if eroticism blends with horror or science fiction that's even better, an exciting mix of strong emotions, a feast for the imagination, a load of adrenaline able to make us forget the grey colours of everyday's reality and to expand the boundaries of daily life. So here we have a promising anthology deceivingly named Best Fantastic Erotica. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/jt278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT On the city-planet of Coruscant, capital of the new Galactic Empire, no one is resting easy. The Clone Wars are still fresh in everyone's minds, with the fall of the Jedi and the ascension of Palpatine to the Emperor's throne still having far-flung repercussions. For not every Jedi is dead, and not all hope has been crushed. Plotting is afoot, and at the center of it all, unwittingly, is Jax Pavan, Jedi Knight turned bounty hunter, having fled into the worst parts of the city in an attempt to escape the fates of his brethren. The past, unfortunately, is about to catch up to him. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/gf278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT When most people get married, all they have to worry about are lost caterers, college buddies who get drunk and embarrass themselves, and relatives lost at the airport. However, when Joanne Baldwin and her lover David decide to get married, it opens up several cans of unpleasantness. You thought your family was bad? David may be the leader of the pro-human faction of the immensely powerful djinn, but there's an anti-human faction that objects to him tying himself to a human. You thought your co-workers were horrible? Joanne's just discovered the existence of a rogue group of Weather Wardens. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/bd278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Struggling musician Dante Shaw has his hopes pinned on a planned concept album based around a book on the occult written by reclusive academic Eliot Coltwell. With his friend and bandmate Tom in tow, Dante travels up to Scotland,accepting an invitation to work as Coldwell's research assistant at the University of St. Andrews. Coldwell proves reluctant to discuss his work with Dante, but is keen for the young man to meet his wild and beautiful associate, Beth -- leading Dante to suspect he has been lured to the town under false pretences. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/be278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Marla Mason comes across as part Zatanna part Elektra, with a dash of American Psycho. Tagging along with Marla is her associate, Rondeau, currently possessing the body of an average human male, which rather nastily, he has held since it belonged to a little homeless boy. The pair turn up in San Francisco looking for something called the Cornerstone, a rare, magic enhancing artefact. The last time Marla heard of the Cornerstone, it was in the care of an old ally, Lao Tsung, but he is dead, apparently murdered, and the only clue to his demise is a poisonous golden frog. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT In 1992, Rick Klaw appeared on his first Armadillocon panel along with Ellen Datlow and Gardner Dozois. In 1993 and at the majority of Armadillocons through the rest of the decade, artist Doug Potter and Rick were typically the only acknowledged comic book guests. In 2002, comic book contributors flooded the convention as the previous detractors embraced this newly discovered medium. My, how things have changed over the last 25 years. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/su278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT John Justin Mallory is a down-on-his-luck Private Investigator who is seeing the New Year in with a bottle of booze and a pocket full of regrets. The main one is Velma, the lush-bodied, loyal secretary who never was, but he has also been evicted from his apartment and been left to take the heat for a blackmailing scheme run by his ex-partner before he debunked with John Justin's wife. The knee-breakers are outside waiting for him and there's a sure loser waiting for him to bet on it at the track. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/hh278.htm Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Long before Frodo traveled to Morder to destroy the One Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote another tale of Bilbo, who traveled with the wizard Bladorthin to steal the treasure of the dragon Pryftan. If some of those names are not familiar, it is because Tolkien's The Hobbit went through numerous iterations before reaching its final version. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Speaking of summer travel, as noted at the end of the last column, Mark London Williams is back from the San Diego Comic Con. In some ways, there's not a lot to say about the Con anymore. This is because everyone else is already saying it. Which is to say: It has apparently become the mainstream America media/pop culture event of the year. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/ps277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT In the third novel in the Virga series, the focus is the Admiral himself, Chaison Fanning who is a prisoner of the nation he defeated in the first book until he is freed. But in the process Chaison gets lost again -- his sense of duty causes him to also help free a couple of other Slipstream natives -- and he and his friends, along with the mysterious "winter waif" Antaea Argyre, end up in a major city of the enemy Falcon Formation. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT This time, we're looking at the latest from Greg Bear, Harry Turtledove, Mark Chadbourn, Paul McAuley, Eric Brown, Steven Brust, Alastair Reynolds, Stephen Baxter, and many others. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/ft277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Visually, it is a lovely book, the detailed line drawings of Craig Frazier, complementing the whimsical story of Mr. Fooster who goes on walking excursions armed with only his senses and an old bottle of soap with a bubble-making ring. But what bubbles! one becomes a vintage car, another an immense flying bird cage full of tropical fish. Mr. Fooster meets a lost newt, a giant insect, spends a winter as a tree, and meets an isolationist wall-builder. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/si277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT The Shadow Isle is Book Six of the Dragon Mage series and the penultimate novel in the epic Deverry series. A bitter-sweet read for anyone who has read the series from the very beginning. Or it would be, if one had time to dwell on that instead of focusing all one's attention on keeping up with the events that start unfolding the moment you open the book. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/de277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT This is an entertaining, effortlessly captivating read, dripping with what Alannah Myles once called a slow southern style. It's this sweltering Deep South ambience, and to some extent pacing, which makes it stand out from other superhero based novels. Occasionally, the sheer laid back approach slows to a crawl, which is usually the antithesis of the superhero genre, but the author knows what he's doing. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/df277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Suppose that Hamlet were an 11-year-old modern-day English boy, and his late father not the King of Denmark but the owner of a pub in Newark-on-Trent. That is the starting point of this refreshing novel that is part ghost story, part coming-of-age tale. Paying homage to Shakespeare's masterpiece throughout, Matt Haig nevertheless has created a story all his own. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/mm277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT This collection includes nine selections originally published between 1991 and 2007, offering a variety of topics ranging from an aging superhero grandmother ("Grandma," by Carol Emshwiller) to how a mother and daughter cope with the end of the world ("Last Contact," by Stephen Baxter). Narrators Tom Dheere and Vanessa Hart give fine performances. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/so277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT John Winchester's wife has been murdered. She was pinned to the ceiling of her son's bedroom then she burst into flames. Nobody believes John when he tries to them how she died, they all believe the tragedy was caused by an electrical fire and that John is just under the emotional stress of grieving for his lost wife. Only one person has an inkling of what really happened and she tracks John down to a bar where he's hustling pool. http://www.sfsite.com/lists/yb-sf-volume07.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT In 1984, Gardner Dozois gathered together what he thought was the best short science fiction of the previous year. He scrutinized as many of the magazines, collections and anthologies published in 1983 that he could get his hands on and chose those which he felt best represented the science fiction field. Jim Frenkel published it as part of his Bluejay Books line (for three years) and it has been produced every year since then (by St. Martins's Press). http://www.sfsite.com/08a/sc277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Two centuries after mankind died out, its legacy continues, as all manner of self-aware robots have spread out to conquer the solar system, building outposts and cities from Mercury to Eris, and beyond. Some made in the image of their creators, others built for very specialized jobs, they've created a society all their own, as complex as any humans ever formed. From living hotels and spaceships to decadent slave-owning aristocracy, they pursue their dreams and schemes. Enter Freya, one of a dwindling number of femmebots, robots originally designed to bring pleasure and companionship to their human masters, now obsolete and purposeless in an all-robot universe. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/booknews01.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT There's so much news happening in the world that it's hard to keep up. SF Site sifts through the details picking out the interesting stuff and following them up. Sandy has information on Alastair Reynolds' latest SF novel, Tony Richards' new collection, Elastic Press's two new SF collections and PS Publishing launch of some great titles at this year's Fantasycon. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Rick doesn't plan on reviewing The X-Files: I Want to Believe and has some notes on Jeremiah. He also gives us a list of SF on TV in August. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/jc277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Jules Verne really wasn't a very good writer. The James Mason, Pat Boone version of Journey to the Center of the Earth really wasn't a very good movie. Neither is this one. But Rick has a soft spot in his head for all three. They have charm. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/dk277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT This movie certainly gives action fans their money's worth -- there is enough action on the screen for a double feature, a Batman vs. The Joker movie and a Batman vs. Two Face movie. This film is much better on all counts than Batman Begins, where Rick has to take time to even remember who the villain was -- oh, yes, Ras Al Gul, but not the memorable Neal Adams version of that character. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/tm277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT With nearly four dozen volumes, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series can be somewhat daunting to new readers, especially since the series is not as linear as most fantasy series. While books such as The Discworld Companion are aimed at readers who are already familiar with the series, Lawrence Watt-Evans has created something else. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/hm277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT Volstov has been at war with the Imperialistic Ke-Han for centuries; both sides have magic and both sides have armies, but Th'Esar's Dragon Corps, a fourteen strong crew of magic-powered, mechanical dragons and their bonded riders, have given Volstov the advantage. Ke-Han has no corresponding air-force. Unfortunately, the dragons do have their limitations: their range is limited by the amount of fuel they can take on. If the Ke-Han armies ever get their hands on a dragon they could reverse-engineer a flock of their own. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/lr277.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 11:00:00 GMT The book weighs in, according to the U.S. Postal Service, at 14 pounds. And it seems at least 13 pounds of that is Lovecraft-inspired madness, running the spectrum from the black-and-white Weird Tales interior illustrations to a digitally manipulated collage created in 2007. This makes a nice 80-year period of art inspired by a man whose fiction influenced many writers and who has been loathed by at least as many writers of fiction and criticism for all of those years. 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.