The Locus Awards edited by Charles N. Brown and Jonathan Strahan
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
The science fiction community certainly hands out its fair share of awards, starting with the Hugos and multiplying into all
the different categories and their various best-ofs that we know today. The Locus awards, covering the last thirty years in SF
and fantasy, stand about half-way between the Hugos and the Nebulas, the Locus awards are voted on by readers
from a list of recommendations put together by the critics and reviewers of Locus magazine and a few others.
Revelations of the Dark Mother by Phil Brucato
a gaming module review by Don Bassingthwaite
This is Lilith's story, a counterpoint to Caine (The Book of Nod), and the
story of the Bahari, those denizens of the World of Darkness who follow her. If you
compare the two books side by side, you'll notice several things right away but other
subtleties will become apparent.
The Jagged Orbit by John Brunner
reviewed by Marc Goldstein
It opens sometime in the early 21st century, when the U.S. has become divided into racially
separate city-states of blacks and whites. These enclaves clash with each other in a kind
of cold civil war. Against this backdrop, Michael Flamen carries on as the last spoolpigeon, a muckraking gossip
reporter with his own daily television newsmagazine. For months his show has been interrupted by mysterious static
interference. Flamen believes that the network is conspiring to force him off the air (to fill his time slot with
infomercials). His investigation into the source of the interference accidentally uncovers a conspiracy within the
Gottschalk gun-dealing cartel.
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
From the misty depths of the late 60s, Brunner gives us the
ultimate dysfunctional society, a world of decadence spilling into
decay, of high tech advances and the loss of common sense. There's a
good bit of cyberpunkish foreshadowing here. The drugs, the mean
streets, the ragged suburbs, and Mr and Mrs Everywhere on your TV set,
who can be programmed to look just like you; through them you can attend
the most exclusive parties, visit the most scenic places on Earth, meet
the rich and famous, all at the flick of a remote control.
Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
John Oliver Banion hosts an influential political talking-head show on TV. He has a beautiful
house in Georgetown, a permanent spot on the A-list of every Washington hostess of note, and commands
lecture fees of $25,000 and up. Life is good -- until he's abducted by aliens at the fourth hole of the
Burning Bush golf course.
War Surf by M.M Buckner
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Nasir Deepra, in his mid-200s—but kept young by nanotechnology and replacement parts—has seen it all. Now a semi-retired hugely
wealthy and powerful executive who has survived ecological Armageddon and rebuilt the world economy with a handful
of friends, he can and has done pretty much everything that can be done. He is bored
silly and out of touch with the greater mass of humanity. Rather than sink into a funk, he and a group of like-bored
execs, the Agonists,
make an extreme sport of showing up and sauntering through armed conflicts opposing plebes (workers) and commies (giant corporations).
Writers of the Future, Volume XVIII edited by Algis Budrys
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
This anthology surprises with the quality of the stories, though really,
based on some of the names on the selection committee -- Greg Benford, Orson
Scott Card, Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl, et. al. -- no surprise is warranted. Stephen
has never read through an anthology that didn't have some unevenness in the
story quality, but here the writing talent of those featured is clearly, and
consistently, evident.
Orphanage by Robert Buettner
reviewed by Michael M Jones
This is the first-person account of Jason Wander, an eighteen-year-old citizen of Indianapolis, orphaned
when the first Projectile destroyed his hometown and the vast majority of its residents. At first, everyone thought
it was the work of a terrorist. But then more Projectiles fell to Earth, devastating more cities, and the truth was
painfully evident: we were under attack from outer space. From a base on Ganymede, aliens of
unknown origin and motives were systematically wiping out the human race, bringing objects the size of skyscrapers
down in controlled crashes.
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and The Sharing Knife: Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold
reviewed by Sherwood Smith
The story is set on a pastoral world near water, where we are introduced to two cultures living in uneasy
coexistence: the Farmers and the Lakewalkers, who patrol everywhere looking for malices (bogles to the Farm people) that
suck all the life and energy out of people, animals, land. The resultant blight can last a century or more, and affected
are not just the living, but the environment such as rocks and soil. The Lakewalkers aren't particularly trusted by the
Farm folk, who own and farm land, but are protected by them.
The Miles Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
The author has created a living, breathing universe in which well-rounded characters live out lives of unusual danger, passion,
and intellect. Miles Vorkosigan himself is a charismatic leader with physical disabilities that make him an outcast at
best -- and an abomination at worst -- on his home planet. His overwhelming need to prove himself is at the root of his
intense, suspenseful adventures, whether in the military, the security service, the mercenary fleet, or the diplomatic corps.
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
reviewed by Sherwood Smith
The Royina Ista, a middle-aged widow, decides to go on pilgrimage through the land of Chalion, which
feels a lot like a Renaissance alternate-Spain, one that is overseen from the other-worldly realm by five gods, so there are five
religious traditions going on here. On the way, she and the divine leading her entourage discover that demons have been appearing in
the world with disturbing frequency, having escaped from the fifth god's hell. The pilgrimage is then waylaid by a lost contingent of
Roknari warriors from the neighboring kingdom; she is rescued by a swashbuckling horseman who attacks a troop single-handedly.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The first thing to strike you about her work is the warm, welcoming feeling to her narrative. From the
first word, she invites you into another world and holds you safely there. This time, the setting is Chalion, a
diverse and arresting area of many domains, more potential rulers, and endless machinations. It is a time of
chivalrous suffering and cowardly betrayal with a backdrop of courtly manners and wills of iron.
The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The book tells the story of an English gentleman who undertakes a private exploration with a friend below a
deep mineshaft, and accidentally falls into a subterranean world. This is a place inhabited by communities of an advanced race
named the Vril-ya, various monsters, and sub-races of savages. How the Vril-ya react to their visitor from the surface, and
what he learns from them is presented using language, forms of expression and perspectives which, from a modern day viewpoint
can seem rather quaint. However, it's always worth persevering.
|
Bloodlines by William R. Burkett, Jr.
reviewed by Todd Richmond
Keith Ramsey -- poet, journalist, historian and hunter -- is looking forward to
using all of those skills on a visit to Ptolemy to research the famous
Renga poetry competition. He also intends to look up his old friend
Ball, a human brain encased in a floating shell, a former covert Terran
Services operative and a terrific source of stories. It'd almost be a
vacation, if someone wasn't so intent on killing him...
Flesh and Silver by Stephen L. Burns
reviewed by Jeri Wright
Bergmann Surgeons use abilities that seem more magic than science. They can use the power of their brains to
reach into the human body and heal with a precision that surgical tools cannot come close to matching. They can
literally perform miracles, but at a price; they gave up hands for replacements of silver, and
with that they gave up part of themselves.
Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
In a previous book, At The Earth's Core, David Innes has been tricked. He ends up back on the surface of our own world, his
beloved wife Dian replaced by a vile, winged-crocodile like Mahar. Determined to once again return to the underground world of Pellucidar
and get his wife back, he turns his digging machine downward, to dig back through the hundred miles of Earth's crust, to land once more
in Pellucidar. He finds himself lost, miles away from any recognizable landmark.
The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
It's both exhilarating and disconcerting to find this edition. Exhilaration, because
it's all out here again, laid out for yet another generation -- it is immortal and everlasting.
The other, because this edition comes accompanied by an Introduction, scholarly essays, a glossary, etc. It is startling to see to
what extent the wonderful stuff printed in magazines of science fiction's Golden Age has transmigrated into the realm of the University presses.
Pirates of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs
reviewed by Steven H Silver
In the wake of the rise of Soviet Russia, the 1920s saw a rise in a
Communist movement in the United States. The author saw Communism as a
threat and responded by writing up the adventures of Carson Napier, a man
who has found himself caught in the struggle between conflicting social
orders on a fanciful Venus in Pirates of Venus, the opening novel in
a short and incomplete series.
Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
Gina Bliss is the top female action film star in the world (think Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft),
a black belt with a killer body, a face with a regular role in a million male fantasies, and an attitude the size of Hollywood
itself. Just off a demanding film schedule, Gina's ready for a vacation, and what better way to kick back than by accepting a role on
the latest Survivor clone, 'Surviving Demon Island'? Little does she know (cue spooky music) the demons on the island are real.
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
Open the cover and enter, if you dare, the dark twisted
world of Tim Burton. Margo's been there and confesses that there
is no one like him for his ability to make you laugh in spite of
your cringing.
The Knight, the Harp, and the Maiden by Anne Kelleher Bush
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This is a pleasant novel -- the pseudo-mediaeval atmosphere is well
recreated, although the setting more often has a feel of modern fast-paced
action and realistic inter-gender relationships.
Conan: The Frost-Giant's Daughter and Other Stories by Kurt Busiek
reviewed by Rick Klaw
Most readers of Rick's generation first learned of Conan and Robert E. Howard from the popular 70s Marvel comic
book Conan the Barbarian and its companion magazine The Savage Sword of Conan. Initially
written by Roy Thomas with elaborate art by Barry Windsor-Smith (and later John Buscema), the series ran until the
mid-90s, when Marvel dropped the property due to lagging sales.
The Ogre's Laboratory by Louis Buss
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
The author's style harkens back to the rich tradition of atmospheric British horror
by authors such as Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, and more recently Robert Aickman. Unlike the
graphic presentation of many of today's American horror writers, nothing happens in
plain sight -- and horror is left to suggestion and innuendo.
Horses Blow Up Dog City & Other Stories by Richard Butner
reviewed by Matthew Cheney
Let's say you have a cousin, a cousin who is a writer, a snobby writer, a writer who claims science fiction and fantasy "can't be
literature" (whatever that means) and spends all his time rereading Proust. You -- being ornery, being combative, being
mischievous -- want to prove to your cousin that, though there may not be an SF equivalent to Proust, there are, at least, a
few writers digging for grub in the streets of the genre-fiction ghetto who are as skilled and serious about their art as any other
contemporary writer.
The Immortals by Marilynn Byerly
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
In the future when the people of Earth reach out to the stars, what realities will
they create? When we meet up with other sentient life forms, what will they think of
us? It's not all beer and skittles out there and we're probably not the easiest
humanoids to get along with. Maybe it's easier to get along without us.
Children of Gaia by Richard Lee Byers and Uktena by Stefan Petrucha
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
For gamers, this double novel is no doubt a special treat to accompany their role-playing, but, for
those of us who don't fall into that category, both offer equal
charms. True, the many forms and guises of the Tribe may become one unfocussed blur, but there is great
pleasure in the characters themselves. The array of backgrounds that come together to form a clan
is a constant surprise, and the Garou are quite capable of catching readers off guard as well.
Things Unborn by Eugene Byrne
reviewed by Steven H Silver
The author has postulated a world in which an atomic war in 1962 has caused the decline in
population and civilization in much of the Western World. Rather than a post-apocalyptic tale, however, it
tells the story of an England which is rebuilding its position in the world, aided by a strange phenomenon, left
unexplained. In this post-nuclear world, those who have been killed before their time (and before the war) are being
re-born in seemingly random circumstances.
|
