SF/FANTASY, May 15, 2011
May 15, 2011
Correia, Larry. Hard Magic. Baen, dist. by S. & S. (Grimnoir Chronicles, Bk. 1). May 2011. c.400p. ISBN 9781439134344. pap. $15. FANTASY
Jake Sullivan, a war hero, private eye, and now an ex-con assisting the government, accompanies a team of special agents as they attempt to bring down Sullivan’s former friend Delilah Jones, a notorious criminal possessing special powers. Jake also has a unique ability: as a “Heavy,” he can increase or decrease gravity. When Jake and Delilah meet, however, the consequences launch a chain of events that lead the pair to their unforeseen and shattering destinies. Set in an America circa 1930 in which dirigibles are a standard mode of transportation and FBI tsar J. Edgar Hoover spins a dark web of intrigue, this series debut by the author of the popular “Monster Hunter” titles (Monster Hunter International; Monster Hunter Vendetta; Monster Hunter Alpha) exemplifies the best of the superhero noir genre. VERDICT Steampunk meets the hard-boiled detective story with a strong flavoring of superpowers in a tale that will please Correia’s enthusiastic fans as well as lovers of Glen Cook’s “Garrett, P.I.” noir fantasies. Highly recommended.
D’Lacey, Joseph. Garbage Man. Bloody Bks: Beautiful Bks., dist. by Trafalgar Square. May 2011. c.346p. ISBN 9781905636471. pap. $11.95. HORROR
Former photographer–turned–hermit Mason Brand lives in self-made squalor near the Shreve District Council Landfill in the Welsh countryside. When he hears the earth call to him, he begins to transform into something nonhuman and assists in the creation of a creature born from the refuse of human civilization and bent on exacting environmental revenge. The result is a shambling horror that turns an entire town into a living disaster. The author of Meat and The Kill Crew concocts a gruesomely gory horror tale with bizarre ecological overtones. VERDICT As in most modern visceral horror, character development takes second place to special effects. An optional purchase for horror and splatter aficionados.
Eclipse Four: New Science Fiction and Fantasy. Night Shade. Jun. 2011. c.256p. ed. by Jonathan Strahan. ISBN 9781597801973. pap. $14.95. SF
From Andy Duncan’s tale of a man’s bet that he can outrun a bullet (“Slow as a Bullet”) to Damien Broderick’s cosmic story of a woman’s encounter with a cat whose ability to speak is the least of its talents (“The Beancounter’s Cat”), the 14 original stories in this collection illustrate the strength and vitality of the sf and fantasy short fiction genre. VERDICT Including contributions by James Patrick Kelley, Nalo Hopkinson, and other contemporary authors, this volume should attract fans of those authors as well as readers who enjoy short stories.
Goldstein, Lisa. The Uncertain Places. Tachyon, dist. by IPG. Jun. 2011. c.240p. ISBN 9781616960148. pap. $14.95. FANTASY
Accompanying his roommate Ben to the home of Ben’s girlfriend, Maddie, Berkeley student Will Taylor falls in love with the Feierabend women. When Will begins dating Livvy, the middle sister, he believes he has found the direction of his life. One morning, however, Livvy fails to wake up, and Will discovers the secret pact at the heart of the family’s apparent streak of good luck, a secret with its roots in the forgotten fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. The author of The Red Magician and The Alchemist’s Door has written an exquisitely beautiful, eerily compelling modern fairy tale. VERDICT Graceful storytelling and a knack for making the fantastic all-too-believable make Goldstein’s latest novel a treat for fantasy lovers and folk/fairy tale enthusiasts alike.
Hobb, Robin & Megan Lindholm. The Inheritance & Other Stories. Harper Voyager: HarperCollins. May 2011. c.400p. ISBN 9780061561641. pap. $15.99. FANTASY
This collection of seven short pieces written under the award-winning author’s two pseudonyms highlights her progress from newcomer to veteran writer. In Lindholm’s “A Touch of Lavender,” a young boy relates the poignant tale of his life in a Seattle neighborhood shared with alien Skoags, whose touch induces druglike euphoria. Of the other Lindholm contributions, several are new tales, and others are older stories brought back into print. Three long tales by Hobb offer a further look at the world of Hobb’s “Liveship Traders” trilogy (“Homecoming”; “The Inheritance”) and the strange world of felines (“Cat Meat”). Taken as a whole, the two voices represented here provide a richly textured body of work from one of the genre’s most accomplished writers. VERDICT Fans of both Lindholm (Harpy’s Flight; Alien Earth) and Hobb (“The Tawny Man Trilogy”; “The Rain Wilds Chronicles”) will appreciate the diversity of this one-woman showcase.
Knight, Aya. The Chronicles of Kale: A Dragon’s Awakening. Old Line. May 2011. c.394p. ISBN 9781937004361. $29.95; pap. ISBN 9781937004293. $17.95. FANTASY
A cruel general targets dragons for extermination and succeeds, except for Kale Fireheart, a young black dragon protected by Thomas the sorcerer. In an act of desperation, Thomas transforms Kale into a human, and the two flee their home territory for parts unknown. As Kale adjusts, sometimes comically, to a form he loathes, the world of humans and elves opens his eyes to a wider community filled with loves, hates, and dark plots that revolve around his desire for vengeance against the man responsible for the destruction of his species. Knight’s debut novel, the first in a series, presents a cast of sympathetic characters and explores the bittersweet coming of age of an individual trapped in an unfamiliar body. VERDICT Despite anachronisms and patches of awkward prose, the author’s ability to tell a good story shines through, and this makes Kale a suitable addition to larger collections of adult and YA fantasy as well as an appealing read for dragon lovers of all ages.
McCarthy, T.C. Germline. Orbit: Hachette. (Subterrene Wars). Aug. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9780316128186. pap. $7.99. SF
Assigned to Baker Company, Second Battalion, and stationed in the resource-rich mines of Kazakhstan, Stars and Stripes reporter Wendall Holmes covers the subterranean war being waged over the hidden wealth. Key to winning the war are the “germline” (genetically engineered) soldiers, whose modifications make them the ultimate killing machines. This debut novel by a former patent examiner in biotechnology delivers a rapid-fire military sf adventure that explores the relationship between the runaway development of technology and biotech and the long-term consequences that ensue. VERDICT Fans of military sf and science-based sf will enjoy the unusual setting and vivid battle descriptions.
Masterton, Graham. The Ninth Nightmare: A Novel of the Night Warriors. Severn House. Jun. 2011. c.272p. ISBN 9780727869975. $28.95. HORROR
Guests of the Griffin House Hotel in Cleveland begin experiencing grisly visions of brutal murders and suffer from strange dreams involving an odd traveling circus. Elsewhere in the city, a cab driver, twin singing sensations, and a social worker discover they are inheritors of a unique legacy: they are the Night Warriors who enter dreams to fight the evil creatures that would set loose a reign of chaos and nightmares upon the world. Their target is Albrecht’s Traveling Circus and Freak Show, and their enemy is a mutilated 13th-century monk whose only dream is vengeance. The fifth installment of Masterton’s series (Night Warriors; Death Dream; Night Plague; Night Wars) blends superhero fiction with graphic horror and a dash of pulp detective story to produce a compulsively readable tale of ordinary people transformed into heroes. VERDICT Not for the squeamish, this paradoxically likable horror story will attract series followers and the author’s large readership.
Merciel, Liane. Heaven’s Needle: A Novel of Ithelas. Pocket Star: S. & S. May 2011. c.480p. ISBN 9781439159163. pap. $7.99. FANTASY
The archer Bitharn and Kelland, the Sun Knight she has freed from the enemy’s dungeon, travel to the ruined and cursed fortress of Duradh Mal in the company of the Thornlord Malentir, who draws his magic from pain and death. This uneasy alliance between enemy religions has as its mission the discovery of the source of horror that has swept over the land. At the same time, a pair of young priests set out with their bodyguards to tend to the people in the village of Carden Vale, not far from Duradh Mal, unaware of the dangers that await them in the once-prosperous community. This sequel to The River King’s Road deepens the ancient history of the land of Ithelas and explores the complexities of individuals driven by their faith to compromise with their adversaries. VERDICT Merciel’s series promises to provide epic fantasy that will appeal to fans of Terry Goodkind and Storm Constantine.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2011. Tor. May 2011. c.384p. ed. by Kevin J. Anderson. ISBN 9780765328427. pap. $17.99. SF
This volume presents the 2010 short fiction nominees for the Nebula Awards (winners to be announced May 21), voted on annually by the membership of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The strong and varied selections include James Patrick’s bittersweet tale of a young girl growing up with an absent space-traveling mother and an AI room for a “nanny” (“Going Deep”), Rachel Swirsky’s elegant and moving interpretation of the brief life of Agamemnon’s daughter (“A Memory of Wind”), Kage Baker’s award-winning novella “The Women of Nell Gwynne’s,” and a rambunctious comic story by 2010 SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master Joe Haldeman (“A !Tangled Web”). VERDICT Taking over the publishing reins from New American Library’s ROC imprint, Tor has reformatted this annual as a fiction-only collection and also includes the 2009 short fiction winners (announced in May 2010). Along with its Nebula Award–related lists, including the winners in each category from 1955 to the present, this serves as a top-notch introduction to the genre for newcomers and seasoned readers alike.
Richards, Tony. Midnight’s Angels. Dark Regions. (Raine’s Landing, Bk. 3). Jun. 2011. c.337p. ISBN 9781937128074. pap. $18.95. Horror
As a haven for the Salem witches, the Massachusetts village of Raine’s Landing has seen its share of strange happenings. When a plague of destructive flying creatures resembling angels threatens to destroy the town, only a handful of people have a chance at saving their home. The inhabitants are believable, exemplifying the best and worst of small-town individuality and resourcefulness. VERDICT The third installment in the author’s “Raine’s Landing” series resolves some issues from the previous books (Dark Rain; Night of Demons) and opens up new paths for further exploration. Graphic detail may limit the readership to mature horror fans.
Sprunk, Jon. Shadow’s Lure. Pyr: Prometheus. Jun. 2011. c.340p. ISBN 9781616143718. pap. $16. FANTASY
Once an assassin without peer, Caim left his former life when he assisted the empress Josey in claiming her throne. Now, as Josey engages in the daily battles of political intrigue within her palace, Caim travels to the far north, which has fallen to the Shadow, to search for answers about the disappearance of his parents and the truth of his birth. The sequel to Shadow’s Son brings together the dark plots and underpinnings of Sprunk’s fantasy world and expands on the nature of Caim’s ghostly companion, Kit. VERDICT This addition to the sword-and-sorcery genre features both action and magic as well as a tale of unrequited love and unlikely lovers.
Swanwick, Michael. Dancing with Bears: A Darger and Surplus Novel. Night Shade. May 2011. c.280p. ISBN 9781597802352. $24.99. sf
Con men Darger and Surplus, a biogenetically engineered human-dog crossbreed, make their way across a postapocalyptic Russia in the entourage of Prince Achmed of Byzantium and six of the world’s most beautiful and accomplished virgins, the Pearls of Byzantium—a gift to the Duke of Muscovy. When a near catastrophe strikes the caravan, the resourceful pair pull off their greatest scheme in an atmosphere of intricate plots, nascent revolution, and forbidden romance. Steampunk meets postnuclear collapse in an infectious and convoluted tale of intrigue and madcap adventure by the author of Vacuum Flowers and The Iron Dragon’s Daughter. VERDICT Swanwick’s superb storytelling and offbeat humor make this a delightful tale sure to please sf fans and steampunk aficionados.
White, Steve & Charles E. Gannon. Extremis. Baen, dist. by S. & S. (Starfire). May 2011. c.448p. ISBN 9781439134337. $24. SF
Formed from four starfaring species—humans, Orions, Ophiuchi, and Gorms—to combat common enemies, the Rim Federation has grown lax in its watchfulness and in the deployment of its fleets. When a hive-minded race of creatures seeks to colonize the Rim worlds in lieu of its own shattered planet, the Federation must once again rally its troops, this time against an enemy whose religious zeal and belief in reincarnation make it nearly unstoppable. The latest entry in the authors’ military series (Insurrection; Crusade; In Death Ground; The Shiva Option) offers scenes of hard-hitting battles in space and heroic actions on both sides of the galactic war. VERDICT Series followers and fans of military sf and space opera should look forward to more of what they love.
ADDITIONAL SF & FANTASTY
Mayer, Andrew P. The Falling Machine. Pyr: Prometheus. (Society of Steam, Bk. 1). May 2011. c.305p. ISBN 9781616143756. pap. $16. FANTASY
Sarah Stanton is the daughter of the Industrialist, a founding member of the group of gentlemen adventurers known as the Society of Paragons who police New York City. She has grown up surrounded by the exploits and inventions of the Paragons and has the mind and motivation to be an adventurer herself, if it weren’t for her protective father. But there is a traitor within the Paragons, and as the deaths and disasters pile up, Sarah joins forces with the fascinating mechanical man known as the Automaton in an attempt to expose the conspiracy. VERDICT Set in a Victorian New York guarded by a society of heroes reminiscent of the golden age of comics, this series debut by a game designer is sure to appeal to steampunk and comic fans alike.—April Steenburgh, Endwell, NY
Vampires: The Recent Undead. Prime. Jun. 2011. c.480p. ed. by Paula Guran. ISBN 9781607012542. pap. $14.95. HORROR
Guran, an anthologist (The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010) and editor of Pocket Books’ Juno fantasy imprint, has selected 25 vampire stories of the “new millennium” that reflect a diversity of themes. Holly Black’s “The Coldest Girl in Cold Town” provides a bleak look at what it means to trade your humanity for immortality and eternal thirst. On the other hand, Tanya Huff’s heroine, Vicki Nelson, in “No Matter Where You Go” unselfishly follows three desperate teens into a hellish alternate universe. Tanith Lee uses her wonderfully bizarre imagination for an unusual take on the vampire theme in “La Vampiresse.” Nisi Shawl’s “To the Moment” combines the themes of love and the predatory nature of the vampire, while Johan Langan chills the reader with a horrifying tale of a creature haunting four American soldiers in “The Wide, Carnivorous Sky.” Other noted fantasy authors, including Carrie Vaughn, Jeanne C. Stein, Kelley Armstrong, Nancy Kilpatrick, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, are well represented here. VERDICT This splendid collection will appeal to readers of the vampire genre as well as fantasy in general.—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com, Columbia, MD
