Accidental Creatures by Anne Harris
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Chango survives on the fringes of society, picking up odd jobs and scamming. She isn't sure where to go with her
life and she's still haunted by the suspicious death of her older sister Ada, who was trying to organize a union at
GeneSys. Most vat divers die young from cumulative exposure to the poisonous growth medium they work in, but Ada
died after her diving suit "accidentally" ruptured on the job.
Accidental Creatures by Anne Harris
reviewed by Chris Donner
With frank brush strokes and heavy grey pigment, Anne Harris paints a
riveting picture in this her second novel. In the decaying industrial
section of a future Detroit, there is a stark line separating "haves" and
"have-nots." The latter are barely considered human -- indeed some of them
may not be -- as they risk their lives by day and find pleasure at night.
Stars and Stripes Triumphant by Harry Harrison
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
What would have happened if, when the war between America's northern and southern states broke out, England decided to try and
regain its lost colonies? What would happen if, in retaliation, American invaded and freed Ireland? What if Lincoln was
never shot, if Ericsson never died during his ill-fated voyage on the Monitor? What if Disraeli, well-known now for being
one of the world's great statesmen, never got into power, but that power stayed with Lord Palmerston?
Bill The Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
Bill is a big, dumb farm boy, minding his business on a distant world when he is shanghaied by a passing recruiting officer and his band of
gleaming robots. Before you know it, Bill finds himself in a Catch-22 world of rules and
regulations, where it's almost impossible to get ahead and where the slightest infraction
can earn you the enmity of your commanding officer.
The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus by Harry Harrison
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
This adventure begins with the Rat, slippery Jim DiGriz, in comfortable
retirement with his lovely wife, Angelina. He is offered a case in which he
really has no interest: someone is knocking off banks belonging to the
richest man in the universe, Imperetrix Von Kaiser Czarski, and Kaiser
Czarski wants DiGriz to put a stop to it. But DiGriz has plenty of money of
his own so he refuses to accept the gig. Czarski, however, is not a banker
for nothing.
Dates from Hell by Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland
reviewed by Michael M Jones
It seems like everyone's got a war story inspired by their days serving in the front lines of the hell called
dating. Now, four authors well-known for their explorations of the crossroads of supernatural and romance turn their
attentions to those war stories. In four very distinct stories, they explore just how bad, or weird, it can be when
your date isn't even human....
Intergalactic Gazette by Madeleine Hart
reviewed by John Enzinas
Remember the first time you read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Remember those delightful tangents
that Mr. Adams went on to give you amusing little details about the world? Remember all the fun non-sequiterish
conversations that the various characters would occasionally have?
Now, imagine a book where the majority of the text is made up of those tangents and conversations instead of the plot.
The Oblivion Society by Marcus Alexander Hart
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The Cold War suddenly becomes very hot, due to a series of unfortunate events. One such
being the liaison of a Slick Willie style President, taking orders
from below his waist. This time, when the nuclear buttons are pushed, there's no teenage geek hero to save the world. In
the space of a few minutes, it's whoops apocalypse and goodbye to all that we knew.
Mars Underground by William K. Hartmann
reviewed by Marc Goldstein
Anyone interested in the Mars Sojourner/Pathfinder mission will find this novel
captivating. Hartmann is a real-life scientist with the Mars Global Surveyor team.
Year's Best SF 5 edited by David G. Hartwell
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
As is becoming a hallmark of this year's best anthology,
several of the stand-out stories are from young and relatively unknown
writers. Australian Chris Lawson's "Written in Blood" is a moving tale of a
young Islamic geneticist's struggle to live up to her father's faith. "100
Candles" by Curt Wohleber is equally effective in its portrayal of a woman
whose children are changing beyond her comprehension. And Hiroe Suga's
"Freckled Figure" takes us inside the life of a Japanese comic arts fan.
Year's Best SF 3 edited by David G. Hartwell
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
SF has a long tradition of annual best of the year anthologies, starting
with Judith Merril in 1956 and continuing on through Donald A. Wollheim,
Terry Carr, and Gardner Dozois. The appearance of this anthology raises the
question: is there really enough good SF published each year to justify
another best of the year collection? According to Greg, the answer is yes.
The Sword & Sorcery Anthology edited by David G. Hartwell and Jacob Weisman
reviewed by Seamus Sweeney
Hero tales are the oldest tales, and yet like Roddy McDowell contemporary writers in the heroic mode can't get no
respect. While it is still sometimes used as a term of lit crit abuse, "science fiction" has largely completed the
gentrification process of achieving literary respectability. The dystopian fictions of Margaret Atwood and Cormac
McCarthy, the genre bending of David Foster Wallace and Johnathan Lethem, the elevation of J.G. Ballard into something
of a patron saint of British literature, Philip K. Dick achieving the canonical landmark that is inclusion in
the Modern Library edition; all have combined to render SF-nal elements acceptable in quarters formerly forbidden.
|
Northern Suns edited by David Hartwell & Glenn Grant
reviewed by Steven H Silver
One contention of the editors is that Canadian SF is different from the SF published
throughout the rest of the world. Another is that SF is alive
and thriving north of the US border. The latter is readily proven.
Northern Stars edited by David G. Hartwell and Glenn Grant
reviewed by Mark Shainblum
Replete with some of the best SF to be published
anywhere in the last 10 years (William Gibson, Spider Robinson,
Terence M. Green and Yves Meynard), there is simply no way to have a bad
anthology, regardless of nationality. But its diversity
is the strength of modern Canadian SF -- both French and English.
The Town That Forgot How to Breathe by Kenneth J. Harvey
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Bareneed is a small fishing village on the Newfoundland coast, and, what part of the community the loss of the cod fishery hasn't killed,
modern technology is finishing off by distancing people from their long held traditions. The recently separated Joseph Blackwood, a
fisheries officer, returns to his family home, bringing his young daughter. When Davy Jones' locker begins to spew out albino fish,
and the long ago dead-at-sea, there's clearly something up.
Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
reviewed by Dan Shade
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.
The Last Wizard by Simon Hawke
reviewed by Alex Anderson
Often critical neglect of large portions of a writer's career can be a blessing, but not for Simon Hawke. Some
of his work ranks with the best and most creative pure entertainment writing Alex has ever read, with extremely
complex, multifaceted plots and solid characters.
The Future of Spacetime by Stephen Hawking, Kip Thorne et.al.
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
This slim volume consists of 6 essays, based on talks presented at the
Kipfest on the occasion of Kip Thorne's sixtieth birthday.
Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Physics at Caltech
is best known to the general public for his 1988 wormhole "time machine" proposal, and indeed
much of the book is taken up exploring the question, "is time travel possible?"
One Buck Horror, Volume 4 edited by Christopher and Kris M. Hawkins
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
Short stories are the true staple for a reader. They are easy to read and quick enough for short journeys or sitting in
waiting rooms -- though not to see the doctor or dentist. These stories are far too scary for that. One Buck Horror,
this time around, has several stories of interest to just about anyone who likes a good scare.
WyndMagic by Barbara Haworth-Attard
reviewed by Jonathan Fesmire
It starts where the previous novel, TruthSinger left off;
summer has lasted far too long. Katie and
Nathan learn why: the extensive magical activity of their previous
trip to Angliocch caused much strife, and now WyldMagic is traversing the
time streams, disrupting the natural balance.
New Pacific by G. Miki Hayden
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
From the ill-used corporate operative Takashi vantage point, life could not get much worse. While he covers the globe,
doing the dirty work the rich and powerful who control Moritomo, his own situation goes from bad to worse to, just possibly,
lethal. If he does manage to find an important scientist gone AWOL, will everything be back to normal, then? He's just beginning
to understand that "normal" bears no resemblance to the life he has been living.
By Reason of Insanity by G. Miki Hayden
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Disregard the "mystery" classification. This book is one of the finest
examples of dark realism of this decade. Dr. Dennis Astin has no doubt
that whoever is committing murder must be dangerously insane. The problem is
sorting out the merely chemically unbalanced from the hopelessly mad. Hard
to do when you are unsure of your own mental health...
Pacific Empire by G. Miki Hayden
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Conceptually familiar and predictable -- assume that Japan was
the big "winner" in WWII after going it alone without
Germany and Italy. That's your typical what if? scenario, right? Forget
it. Everything, after you turn to the first page, is going to be a surprise. And a good one.
Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon
reviewed by William Thompson
Regardless of how one may view this ongoing series, there is little question
that the author knows how to write, displaying assurance in her descriptive
passages, as well as at times the deft turn of phrase. One might only wish
that the author's admitted strengths were directed to the benefit of a tale
less conventional and less bound to indulgent romance.
Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Rhapsody is a former prostitute turned Singer, practitioner of a
musical magic that manipulates reality by use of the true names of
things. Fleeing from an irate former client, Rhapsody begs
protection from a pair of strangers she encounters in an alley, accidentally re-Naming one
who, it turns out, is a professional assassin on the run from the demon who enslaved him.
The Cowboy And The Vampire by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Go ahead. You're trying not to laugh at the title.
Let it out! It's funny and so is the book. Get a few pages into the book
and you'll be laughing with them, not at them. This is the story
John Carpenter's Vampires tried to be.
Cain by Ren Hayes
reviewed by A.L. Sirois
What we have is essentially a study of violence and pathology, done in Ren Hayes's emphatic
but crude post-modern style, with a lot of emphasis on photocopies to provide the backgrounds. In other
words, it's a super-anti-hero comic.
|
