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/11b/ib308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The story is about a Chinese-American painter named Ewen Young. He lives a peaceful enough life, and he's a fine painter, though his personal life has had some disappointments, including a live-in girlfriend who left him. But overall, things seem fine. Then he is attacked by a couple of thugs, who state that he's a message for his beloved but rather disreputable Uncle Jimmy, who apparently owes a mobster a lot of money. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/dw308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT This is the final book in a trilogy of trilogies from an author whose work has redefined the boundaries of dark fantasy. The colossal story has never been less than fascinating, and at times easily rivaled the most riveting, original work of the genre. As with the author's other books in the epic sequence, Destroyer of Worlds could be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone piece, but doing so would be to deprive oneself of subtlety, context, and a whole lot of excitement. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/bh308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The annual Best New Horror anthology edited by Stephen Jones celebrates its twentieth anniversary with flying colours providing one of its more compelling and satisfying selections in years. With a few exceptions, the large majority of the twenty pieces of dark fiction included in the latest volume of this long lasting, successful series are either outstanding or simply excellent. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/dm308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT In this movie we see Alison Lohman get tackled, punched, slammed into walls, and dangled in midair; she has an arm shoved down her throat, is vomited upon, has to fight for her life in drowning mud, and is forced to wrestle with the same corpse not once, but twice. Oh, and she gets her hair pulled -- several times. Combine that with the little-noticed fact that horror movies tend to allow good actors to go from zero to sixty over a wide highway of emotions, and it's a very impressive performance that Ms. Lohman gives us. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/tr308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT After thirteen years, two dismal feature films, and a failed television series since the last quality installment (First Contact), the 43-year-old Star Trek franchise received a much needed facelift. In Star Trek, director J.J. Abrams managed a true rarity in creating a reboot that honored and embraced its predecessor in a movie that excited both hardcore and casual fans. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/hw308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The assassination of Konrad Henlein in 1938 gives Hitler the excuse he needs to follow his desire to invade Czechoslovakia. England and France are appalled by the German aggression, and refuse to sign the treaty offered by Hitler. Even though neither side is really ready for another big war, the die is cast, and before anyone can pull back, an alternate take on World War II is well underway. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/sh308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Georgina is a succubus in need of counselling after breaking up with her boyfriend Seth, a human novelist, and seeking solace in another man's company. She made the great mistake of sleeping with her councillor, a man of lesser morals than her, him being a married man. As if that is not enough to contend with, suddenly her demon lord Jerome decides to have another woman as his spy then, for no apparent reason, he becomes the victim of a kidnapping. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/ds308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The third part of GraphicAudio's adaptation of The Demon Spirit brings to a close the second book in R.A. Salvatore's series, The Demon Wars Saga. It's the second in a seven-book epic and this title ends with an extreme cliffhanger. Listening to these productions makes you feel as though you've been launched into the magical/mythical land of Corona and are sitting alongside the characters, watching the story unfold. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/rc308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The timeline in Return of the Crimson Guard is just after the events in The Bonehunters. In this story, the action shifts to the continent of Quan Tali, the home continent of the Malazan Empire. The empire is in bad shape. It is stretched thin and insurrection threatens to rip the empire apart from the inside out. To make matters worse, it appears that the rumors that the Crimson Guard, a mortal enemy of the Malazan Empire, is returning are finally coming to fruition. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/dc308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Second of The Phoenix Chronicles, continues the adventures of Elizabeth Phoenix, a psychic who used to work as a cop until her abilities got in the way of her job and freaked out her colleagues. Here, she gets a glimpse of her true enemy during a run-in with a naye'i, a Navajo spirit whose top priority is Liz's execution. The naye'i also happens to be mother to Sawyer, the mystical skinwalker who gave Liz more insight into her abilities. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/ft308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT It starts with Flinx's exploration of the home world of the AAnn where Flinx has disguised himself in a special costume and is pretending to be an AAnn. He's there as a result of learning that for some reason he is the only one capable of saving the galaxy. After encountering nice AAnns, he decides to not let the galaxy be destroyed by evil just because he had a crappy childhood and a couple of bad break-ups. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/booknews308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT It's a busy time of year for editor and author Stephen Jones. October saw the release of The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 20 -- a book which is also his 100th title -- and November kicked off with the re-release of The Mammoth Book of Wolfmen. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Gary Phillips, author of The Jook, and the Ivan Monk mystery series, knows his L.A., and more of it is cropping up in comics form -- web comics form -- at FourStory.org, a social advocacy/journalism website, whose slogan is "better living conditions for everyone." On the edge of those conditions is Bicycle Cop Dave -- done in collaboration with artist Manoel Magalhaes -- which has its own slogan: "Patrolling the underside of gentrification." References to shifting economic sands are everywhere. Mark London Williams thought it'd be a good time to catch up with Gary, now that he's taken to writing like Dickens -- which is to say, in installments. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT New Arrivals this time include new and forthcoming works from Connie Willis, Cory Doctorow, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Robert Conroy, Robert V.S. Redick, reprinted classics from A.A. Attanasio, Robert E. Howard, Damien Broderick, Paul Cook, the long-awaited conclusion to The Wheel of Time series, and much more. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT There was a time when science fiction meant something new, different, original. Now, too often, science fiction means something old, familiar, predictable. Now, too often, science fiction means a remake of an old tv series. Rick offers his thoughts on V and The Prisoner. http://www.sfsite.com/11b/jr308.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Anyone who came into science fiction during the late 60s and 70s would have been aware of Joanna Russ. Even if you never read any of her relatively few novels or stories, you couldn't avoid the name. Of the three great women writers who did so much to transform science fiction at this time, Ursula K. Le Guin, James Tiptree Jr., and Russ, Russ was far and away the most controversial. So much so that it was known for her name to be greeted with boos at an sf convention, and believe me even in the conservative world of fandom that was unusual. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ca307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT You encounter them sometimes, stories that haunt you without you ever knowing quite why or how. Stories that are good, yes, you are sure of that, but what makes them so? "Jack Daw's Pack," which leads off this novel or collection or what have you, is drunk on words, is feasting on myth and legend and folk tales and song and literature. It's oblique, if that doesn't sound too straightforward for what Greer Gilman does here. It's allusive, yet no-one, probably not even Gilman herself, is going to pick up on all the allusions. Which means there is always mystery here, always some piece missing from the puzzle, always some sense of the fist closing on air. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/wb307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The kingdoms of Hallandren and Idris have been estranged from one another for 300 years over political and religious differences. The kingdom of Hallandren is ostentatious, colorful and worships its "returned" as living gods. They make use of a biochromatic system of magic that utilizes colors along with their life force, which they refer to as Breath, to produce magical effects. In stark contrast, is the humble kingdom of Idris. They lead simple drab lives of devotion and do not believe in the using their breath to produce biochromatic magic and feel the Hallandren's use of breath to be blasphemy. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/nk307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Matt Richter is good at doing favors for people. A former cop, he's good at finding things out and making people talk. He's also very, very dead. As the only self-willed zombie in the alternate dimension where the haven city of Nekropolis is built, he's something of an oddity even among the strange, weird, dangerous, and creepy citizens that make their home there. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ng307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The planet Z2 is part of the Octente, a political entity comprised of many planets whose communications and commerce are limited by the use of SPEED ships that travel near, but not beyond, the speed of light. SPEED ships are also used for exploration and research. That's the mission of the Procne, but when the Procne's crew is changed at the last minute, and its mission is mysteriously altered from two years to two hundred in local time, the effect on the friends and family of the crew is as if they have all been murdered. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/pd307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Known for its showcasing talented writers and illustrators, the magazine also boasts new stories from such well-known writers as Steve Rasnic Tem who has penned many short fictional tales of fantasy and horror, Danny Adams who was also co-author with Philip Jose Farmer and T.L.Morganfield. These stories range from the fantastic to the inventive and the tales are woven with great style. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/pg307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Apparently there is a genre called Bizzaro Fiction. John hadn't know about it before reading Shark Hunting in Paradise Garden by Cameron Pierce. Now he does. It touched him deeply. He has not yet decided if it was inappropriate touching. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/mg307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Seventeen-year-old Quentin Coldwater is pretty much your average highly-intelligent seventeen-year-old: he plays at being aloof, cool, and indifferent to the trials of being a teenager. But there's a secret part of him that longs for magic -- the same part of him that still loves the series of children's books set in the magical land of Fillory. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ds307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The Demon Spirit, Part 2 continues with Elbryan, Pony and Juraviel, the elf, trying their best to rid Corona of the remaining Fomorian Giants, Bloody-Cap powrie dwarves and goblins. This time, they run into the generals of the powries and giants and decide to destroy those higher ranking officials in hopes that, without their leaders, the powries and giants will leave the land and the goblins will soon follow suit. The battles ensue and when it looks like a major victory for the humans is eminent, an unforseen problem arises. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/mx307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The gap between the haves and the have-nots has spread to a Grand Canyon sized gulf. Set in the near future of South Africa, it follows the interweaving story of four very different kinds of people. In each perspective, the person is somehow controlled or subsumed by the technology society has come to rely on, bringing to mind visions of how claustrophobic and wired life could eventually become. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/ws307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT The story takes place in Regency England in and around London. Dulcinea Craven comes from a long line of powerful witches who usually come into their power gradually as they age, but Dulcie receives all her power at once, the night her parents are killed in a mysterious carriage accident on their way home from a party. In fact, Dulcie's whole life changes that night. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/rd307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT This a the story of a Norwegian/Japanese girl who escapes from sexual slavery to taken in and trained by ninja-enforcers for a utopian co-op. If that doesn't grab your interest, what if you learned it was self-published? But before you pass, read the first paragraph. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT In the late 90s, manga, Japanese comic books, finally exploded into the American consciousness. Unlike its animated cousin, anime (popular since the early 60s following the introduction of Astro Boy to the US), manga didn't make a significant impact in the United States until the 1980 release of Barefoot Gen. Rick Klaw concludes his look at how the much maligned comic book edged toward the precipice of mainstream acceptance. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT This time our new arrivals include the latest from Kim Stanley Robinson, Jeff VanderMeer, Jacqueline Carey, David Anthony Durham, F. Paul Wilson, Kristin Cashore, Harry Turtledove, some classic Douglas Adams, and much more besides! http://www.sfsite.com/columns/audio307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Recent audiobook releases received by SF Site include works by Anne Rice, Simon R. Green, R.A. Salvatore, Alastair Reynolds, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. At times it's more convenient (and enjoyable) to hear the latest in science fiction and fantasy. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Rick has been thinking about the state of SF on TV and who writes the series. He also gives us a list of what SF is on TV in November. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/nm307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT Originally published in 1978 and nominated for the World Fantasy Award, Night's Master constitutes the first book in a series of five volumes which appeared in print over a ten-year period and subsequently labelled under the title, Tales from the Flat Earth. Structured as a series of interconnected short stories merging in atypical novels, it takes place on a world in which the Earth, where humans live, is flat and lies between two different layers: the Upperearth, the realm of indifferent gods, and the Underearth, a fantastic place where demons rule and the sun never shines. http://www.sfsite.com/11a/sx307.htm Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT There is a difference between dealing with sex and being sexy. Joe Haldeman opens and closes the collection with two pieces, neither of which could be described as hot. The first, "The Future Of Sex: A Garden Of Unearthly Delights," is a piece of light comic erotic SF verse. Thankfully that isn't a description you have to use too frequently. The second, "More Than The Sum Of His Parts," is more typical of the fare on offer. 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.