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/columns/best11b.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Every year SF Site asks you, our readers, to tell us what you felt were the best books you read from the year that just ended. For the past several weeks, we've been reading your recommendations with keen interest, and tallying your votes for the best of the best. What follows is the list that you and your fellow readers have chosen as the best books from 2010. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/gb340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT This is one of those books that elicits comparisons with the classics, and, by so doing, arches the incredulous eyebrows of prospective readers. The book has been variously described as like Dickens, Sherlock Holmes and H. Rider Haggard, mostly by other writers. The premise is three very different characters, all of whom become embroiled in the same nefarious conspiracy. At heart, it is a good old-fashioned mystery, with plenty of action to keep things lively. But can it be as good as the illustrious names mentioned above, or do we have another case of Emperor's New Clothes? http://www.sfsite.com/03b/sa340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Messing with the timeline can drive a man insane. That's one of the lessons Richard Burton and several other characters learn as they are confronted with an apparition who, among his various crimes, asserts that the world they live in was never meant to be. That world is nineteenth century England, a world of coal-engine driven taxis, helicopter lounge chairs, and genetically engineered messenger pigeons that taunt and insult the message's sender and recipient. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/fo340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The story picks up a year after Starkiller's final battle with Vader and the Emperor on the still-under-construction Death Star. His former pilot and romantic interest, Juno Eclipse, is now Captain in the fledgling Rebel Alliance and doing her best to help and keep control of Jedi General Rahm Kota. But on Kamino, Darth Vader has not given up on his apprentice, either bringing him back to life, as he did once before, or finally managing to clone a Force-sensitive individual. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/wf340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Every year budding fantasy and SF writers send in their short stories to be read and possibly published in the next Writers of the Future volume. Judges, four in all, run their eyes over the new talent, and offer their own opinion on how good they are and if they are good enough; the judges in this case are; Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Eric Flint, Dean Wesley Smith and Mike Resnick. These judges were also winners in previous contests. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/au340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The latest issue of Aurealis is the 20th Anniversary issue. One highlight is a memoir by cofounder Dirk Strasser of the circumstances around the founding and early history of the magazine -- very entertaining. Patricia L. O'Neill's science article, "Underbelly -- A Feast for the Census II," looks at some of the critters we harbor internally. The book review column is former editor Keith Stevenson's farewell, and there is an editorial from current editor Stuart Mayne. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/td340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The first thing that grabs you about this book of contemporary poetry is the fact it puts off the reader by using capital letters throughout its entirety, and due to the advent of the internet and netiquette, those who are aware of netiquette will feel the poetry on every page is shouting at them. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/ww340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT E. E. Knight's Vampire Earth series, of which Way of the Wolf is the first, is a tremendous work of post-apocalyptic science fiction with genetically engineered vampires. The story follows David Valentine, from his beginnings as the adopted son of a minister in the free territories, through joining the Wolves and becoming like a wolf himself, through his military career against Earth's new Kurian overlords. Most of the power in this story comes from its excellent and brilliantly executed world building. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/fc340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Let's see if we have this straight -- in some future battle, Darkseid is defeated and is sent hurtling backward through time. Eventually, he lands on Earth in our own present day. This causes an imbalance in our world, and also in the 51 other universes that hinge upon our own, and the whole big mess begins to slide into a black hole. There's also something about the anti-life equation, a mathematical proof that shows Darkseid is the true ruler of all. Darkseid broadcasts the anti-life equation all over the planet to enslave humanity and a few super-heroes as well. All the super-heroes of the world, and a few not of this world, will have to band together to save the 52 universes. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/cg340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The Cetagandan Empire may be Barrayar's main military rival, but when the Cetagandan Empress dies, political niceties must still be maintained. In this case, the young officer Miles Vorkosigan, son of the Barrayaran Prime Minister, and his cousin Ivan are sent to Cetaganda to attend the galactic funeral proceedings. However, they've barely made it off their spaceship -- and haven't, to their knowledge, offended anyone yet -- when they're attacked by a servant of the late empress... The same servant who is later found in the middle of the mourning procession with his throat cut. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/sp340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The anthologists of record for such subgenres as New Weird and pirates as well as the subject matter at hand stand out because of their sense of humor about genre classification lacking in most academic treatments and that they supplement terrific fiction with offbeat critical discussions, typography and other diversions of interest. A prime example here is "A Secret History of Steampunk," a collage incorporating graphics, multiple authors, and just plain weirdness to satirize the academic research and discussion of obscure literary fragments. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/bn340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Just an ordinary teen, Hikaru lives her life through hearing, and the only thing she hears is the sound of the music on her MP3 player, uninterested in the real-life world around her at school, at home or in the street. One day she has a disruption in her headphones, she goes outside to see what the trouble is and is met by a skeletal form known as Horizon who infects her bloodstream and controls her actions. The invader is an alien being, though it isn't the bad guy she thinks he is and he wants her to save humanity. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/vi340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT We find ourselves in the company of four 12- to 14-year-olds. Tory Brennan, Temperance Brennan's niece, is the youngest and the only female in the group. Ben, Hi, and Tory make up the rest of the pack. They are all science and sci-fi geeks and the luckiest kids in the world. Their parents are an elite group of scientists from the University of South Carolina who are fortunate enough to live on Loggerhead Island, off the coast of South Carolina, which is all but deserted except for the research labs, a small pack of dog/wolf mixes, and a bunch of Rhesus monkeys who seem to have lived on the island since escaping from the labs many years ago. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Mark London Williams talked with Gary Phillips awhile back when his Bicycle Cop Dave first appeared on the web. But this being the ides of March and all, it's time to talk to him again about the current state of crime-in-comics, and noir in particular. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Newest arrivals at the SF Site offices include the latest from Kim Harrison, Raymond E. Feist, Orson Scott Card, Daniel Fox, Elizabeth Moon, China Mieville, Lisa Goldstein, and others. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Each year Rick predicts which genre films will be best, based on the people who write the screenplay, people who have more to do with how good a film is than anyone else, people largely neglected by the popular media. According to the IMDB, 102 science fiction movies will be released in 2011 and 92 fantasy movies. Most will never make it to your local multiplex. Most will not be worth seeing. A random example: Evil Bong 3-D: The Wrath of Bong, written by August White, who also wrote the first two Evil Bong movies. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/ab340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The Adjustment Bureau is about that old chestnut, predestination vs. free will, but it is fast and smart and a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It is also about the ever popular idea that every man and every woman have one true love, something Rick responds to as strongly as the next man, despite never having seen it in real life. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/ds340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Dabir and Asim are both members of the household of Jaffar, a prominent judge in Baghdad and an associate of the caliph. Asim is the Captain of Jaffar's guards, and Asim is the tutor to Jaffar's beautiful -- and very intelligent -- young niece, Sabirah. Attempting to raise Jaffar's spirits after the death of his beloved parrot, the two happen upon an escaping thief, and recover a valuable ancient door pull. Dabir soon realizes that the door pull is connected with the disappeared ancient city of Ubar. http://www.sfsite.com/03b/al340.htm Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Death isn't the end anymore. Play your cards right, be willing to abandon your old life, and you can be resurrected, courtesy of Fresh Start's secret cloning process. If you're really lucky, you might get as many as nine lives before things break down to the point of systems failure. Chaz Dominguez is a Babysitter in New Orleans, tasked with protecting and watching over recent resurrectees for the first week of their new lives, until they're settled in and can take care of themselves. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica339.htm Wed, 2 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT In 1923 the visionary Nikola Tesla unveiled his greatest invention: Atomic Robo, a robot with automatic intelligence. Over the next eight decades, the metallic marvel along with his allies investigate and battled para- and extra-normal phenomenon. If this is news to you, then clearly you have yet to experience the fascinating creations of Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. Rick Klaw has a look at this series that recalls the best of the 40s serials and 50s science fiction. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/bg339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Saloninus, our narrator, tells us he is the greatest living alchemist. Apparently that's true, though as he also tells us, he doesn't always tell the truth. Indeed, he opens the book by telling someone "In the morning, I discovered the secret of changing base metal into gold. In the afternoon, I murdered my wife." Whether either or both or neither of these claims is true is much of what the story is about. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/an339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT In the course of her daily, dreary duties, a nun named Evangeline discovers wartime correspondence between the philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller, and the abbess of the New York convent that is her home. The suggestion is that the now deceased women conspired to spirit away a valuable object, which has supernatural powers. Naturally, the location of this missing artifact is only accessible to those who can work their way through a series of codes. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/pp339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Therez is a typical teen, revelling in her own intelligence, sure she's figured out the world. Like many smart teens, when presented with her first big challenge (and it's a very big one) she cuts and runs, not really considering that there could be worse things out there than her problems at home. And she finds them when she joins a caravan. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/pn339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Why do you read science fiction? Has it is been a lifelong affair, immersing yourself in altered worlds? Do you come for the science or for the fiction? For the adventure, for the characters, or for the ideas? If you asked Seamus in his more sober, respectable moments, he would say his attraction is to both new and innovative ideas, but also at encountering our own world slightly altered, or with some little quirk taken to its logical conclusion. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/bs339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT As well as the usual array of short stories, and information on where to get new novels in this month's issue of Black Static, Peter Tennant's Case Notes has some reviews on the latest books out there and an interview of Stephen Jones, "Home is Where the Horror Is." This time out, Tennant reviews the latest anthologies in horror such as The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Horror: A Twenty Year Celebration edited by Stephen Jones, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 21 also edited by Stephen Jones, and Zombie Apocalypse!, created by Stephen Jones. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/ju339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Rich thought the previous two issues of the magazine among the strongest in its tenure. Alas, this issue doesn't work as well. It features four stories, plus four linked sonnets. The sonnets are by Ian Sales, and are collectively entitled "Jupiter Quartet," with the individual poems named for the Galilean satellites. They are the most interesting pieces in the issue. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/kh339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Kitty is back in this third installment of the Kitty Norville series. After a disastrous visit to the nation's capitol, Kitty decides to take a break from her radio show and disappear into the mountains of southern Colorado to lick her wounds. Free from the glare of the media, Kitty tries to take a stab at writing her memoirs. Being the first verifiable werewolf in the world has garnered Kitty more interest than she truly wants. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/wh339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT In the sequel to World Made By Hand, the author further develops his dark image of an America plagued by terrorism and terrorized by plague. Now, with no more oil or electricity, citizens struggle to survive. The Witch of Hebron focuses on Jordan Copeland, the eleven-year-old son of the resident doctor in small-town Union Grove. Believing he must leave Union Grove, Jordan decides he has learned enough from his father to start up his own doctoring business in another town. As you might suspect, that plan doesn't work too well... http://www.sfsite.com/03a/bf339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT This is not a novel proper, but rather a collection of Miles Vorkosigan novellas. All three deal with Miles (who was deformed from a prenatal gas attack on his mother) as he must use his considerable intellect to get out of -- and occasionally in to -- trouble. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/ob339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT David Duane is an American artist, adventurer and air ace who finds himself fighting for the Democratic People's Government of Finland, only because he is in that country when the war starts. As a veteran aviator and air ace, Duane instinctively goes after a group of Russian bombers. But his mission is interrupted when he sees a city in the clouds. This city turns out to be Puhjola, the mythical land of heroes. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/dk339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT What happens when the rebels win and become part of the system? That's one of the many themes explored in the third and fourth books of the Sirantha Jax series, starring the titular hot-tempered grimspace jumper and her motley assortment of allies and friends. After bringing down the corrupt Farwan Corporation and battling the deadly alien Morgut, Jax has reluctantly traveled to Ithiss-Tor as an ambassador for New Terra's ruling Conglomerate. Her job: to play nice with the reclusive race of alien insectoids. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/za339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT The cleverly designed collection of short stories, strung together as journal entries, police reports, emails, texts, medical records and classified documents, tells of a near future London that, over the course of about a month, goes from being a country trying to celebrate its history in a failing economy, to ground zero of a massive zombie outbreak. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/ld339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Never again will Mario read another zombie anthology. This is his last one, he promises. After such an indigestion of zombie tales (44 stories spread across almost 500 pages), he doesn't think he'll be ever be able to take more. Maybe the occasional tale in a non-themed anthology, but not a whole book such as this hefty volume (the sequel to the successful and critically acclaimed The Living Dead). Having said this, the book does address the subject of zombies from any possible perspective and situation the human mind can conceive and that many excellent tales are included herein. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/derek339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Derek's love affair with cinema began when he was twelve years old, with John Williams's bombastic opening fanfare that began The Empire Strikes Back. It almost ended abruptly a year later, with Wallace Shawn's nasal pleading with Andre Gregory to keep his electric blanket in Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre. At the time, he was trying to see everything that was given generally unanimous critical praise, especially to things that would not normally have come across his radar. Recently, he recorded it on his DVR and watched it again for the first time in nearly thirty years. And guess what? http://www.sfsite.com/books/new339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Some exciting stuff has recently arrived at the SF Site offices, including the latest from Steven Erikson, Martha Wells, Lewis Shiner, Ben Bova, Sheri S. Tepper, and much more besides. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/au339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT Opinions differ sharply, but it may be paossible to date the origins of our genre (at least in its modern form) pretty accurately. In May 1515, Thomas More travelled to Bruges on a trade mission and in July took time off to pay a visit to Peter Giles, a fellow humanist, in Antwerp. There he wrote a treatise about an ideal state that would become the second part of Utopia. The response from those fellow humanists who saw the work was so enthusiastic that, upon his return to England later in the year, he wrote the section that has come to be known as the Dialogue of Counsel. The whole thing was published, in Latin, in Louvain, in November or December 1516. Thus was a new word coined, a literary genre created, and innumerable political theories born. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/jd339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT For those who like to delve into the realms of the unreal and offbeat, this is a really good one. What other cover has a severed hand on it wearing green nail varnish? This is as good an indication as any that what's inside is a fun read. It is an unusual novel that has several influences from some of the most notable horror fiction writers around, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King and dare one say, Douglas Adams. http://www.sfsite.com/03a/nm339.htm Tue, 1 Mar 2011 11:00:00 GMT On an island of women alone, who is the real enemy? This is the question posed on the dust jacket of the novel and it takes some time for the truth to come out. We are only left to question why men have been chosen as the enemy and attributed with horrible actions. Some of it may be true and are remembered from the days of Tribulation. 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.