Friday Roundup: Hobb @ SFFWorld, Abraham @ Tor.com, and Buettner @SF Signal

I haven't posted one of these link round-ups in a couple of weeks. More importantly, this week I posted a new review to SFFWorld, the first in a little over a month.  That isn't to say I haven't been reviewing, but as my plethora (OK, under 700) of twitter followers likely know, I've been posting quite a few reviews to Tor.com over the past few weeks.  So, what does today's fancy link round-up include?

Let's start with my latest review for SFFWorld, a book that I hadn't realized how much I was looking forward to reading it until I stuck my head into it: Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb.  Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about this one based on how badly I bounced off of her second Soldier Son novel, Forest Mage (more for the story than anything, because through everything Hobb has incredible prose), which was the last book by Robin Hobb I read despite her writing five novels since then. All of that having been said, I was more than satisfied with Fool's Assassin and chances are it will be one of (maybe THE) top fantasy novel for me by year's end.

Years have passed since readers were last privy Fitz’s thoughts, he is now married to his boyhood love Molly, his daughter Nettle (whom Molly’s first husband Burrich raised as his own and is now very much enmeshed in the life of Buckkeep court) has appointed him the Holder of the Withywoods Estate she’s been bequeathed. In short, life for the man many know as Tom Badgerlock is far more bucolic than the courtly intrigue in which he spent much of his life embroiled. Then one Winterfest, a traveling group of minstrels and performers arrive; these strangers are very different indeed and bear little resemblance to any folk to have passed through Withywoods as far as any of the staff and people can remember. Life soon returns to its leisurely pace for Molly and Fitz until Molly boldly proclaims she is pregnant. This is something she and Fitz always wanted for many of the children she bore were from Burrich, her first husband and the man who served as a father figure to Fitz.

Much of the novel from this point deals with Fitz as a father to this new child, a child who appears healthy but much smaller than any child should. This young girl, whom Molly and Fitz come to name Bee, is not very communicative and is very withdrawn. She shirks away from Fitz and bonds immediately to Molly. Because of her diminutive size and silence, she is thought by many of Withywoods to be mentally slow and damaged. As the novel progresses, Hobb conveys the emotional turmoil a parent might experience with a child who is so out of what is considered normal.

Last week, my review of another incredible Epic Fantasy novel went live at Tor.com - The Widow's House by Daniel Abraham.  Abraham is climbing the ranks of my personal favorite genre writers and this book raises his stature on that list even more.

In The Widow’s House, the fourth installment of The Dagger and the Coin sequence, author Daniel Abraham continues to deftly explore positions of power, and how perception lends credence to reality. Abraham tells the story through the same points of view as in the previous volume, though these characters have evolved quite a bit since we first met them. Clara Kalliam, widow, mother, plotter against the Lord Regent; Cithrin bel Sarcour, ‘rogue’ banker, former lover and scorner of the Lord Regent; the aforementioned Geder, Lord Regent and emotional basket case; and Captain Marcus Wester, a hardened man of war. Abraham bookends the novel with two additional points of view: a prologue from the POV of the last Dragon Inys, and an epilogue from a soldier’s point of view.

What is most fascinating about this novel, and the story as a whole as Abraham has allowed it to unfold, is how he is playing with archetypes, both propping them up and shattering them. War is most often fought in Epic Fantasy with the standard machinations of war—men with weapons. What if the solution to winning a war is to not fight the war; to pull the proverbial rug out from under the war and completely change the rules? It is an intriguing concept that has been simmering throughout the series as Abraham set Cithrin and Geder, as seeming allies at first, and now characters at ideological cross purposes.

Lastly (and most recently), my latest Completist column went live at SF Signal and features a more recent series than some of the recent column installments. Robert Buettner's Orphange / Jason Wander 5 book Military Science Fiction series.

This series is set approximately 40 years in the future with Earth being attacked by aliens who come to be known as Slugs. Many of the people chosen for this interstellar war are orphans, people whose families were destroyed in the attacks, which take the form of large stone projectiles, with no nuclear armaments, hurtling through space, which destroy the surrounding area where they land, most often populated cities like Pittsburgh or Indianapolis. It is with this premise Robert Buettner introduces the reader to the world of Orphanage and its protagonist, Jason Wander whose hometown is the destroyed Indianapolis.

The premise of alien invasion and a humanity that fights back is a familiar one in Science Fiction, and military Science Fiction specifically. Furthermore, the first person narrative Buettner employs is quite common in Military SF. However, it is no less effective. Rather, Buettner builds an effective, empathetic protagonist in Jason Wander. With his experience as a former Military Intelligence Officer, it should come as no surprise how effectively Buettner conveys military life.

Left Hand of God and Orphan's Triumph @ SFFWorld

Over the past week, we’ve posted two new reviews at SFFWorld. One of which is a much-discussed Epic Fantasy debut while the other is the concluding volume of a popular and enjoyable Military Science Fiction saga.

Hobbit reviewed a highly touted 2010 novel, The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

I think part of the problem, for me, is that the book tended to fall between the two potentially interested parties. Some books, like, say Raymond Feist’s Magician or Terry Brooks’ Sword of Shannara can be happily read by teens and adults alike. However, in places, the book felt as if it might be rather perplexing for younger readers. Hoffman drops readers into the narrative rather like Steven Erikson’s Malazan series, without explanation and yet for adults, especially those who’ve read a bit of the genre, the books may not be complex enough. For them the tale may be too obvious, the evolution of the characters too clumsy and uneven, the dénouement predictable. It is undemanding, though entertaining.

The first part of the book takes a little while to get going but settles the reader in. It tells of Thomas Cale, a mistreated teen incarcerated in a world where children are sent off as slaves to be trained by the religious Redeemers. As a young adult tale, the significance of this is laid out clearly from the outset. Like many a morality tale the idea of ‘bad religion’ is signaled loud and clear, with a great dollop of Catholic guilt. The first section tells us over and over that Religion is dreadful, punishments are harsh, misery seemingly unending, litanies recited without understanding or merit.

The book I reviewed was Orphan’s Triumph by Robert Buettner, the final book in his highly engrossing and entertaining Jason Wander series. I’ve had the book for quite a while (after sort of asking for a copy from the publisher, sorry guys!) and finally popped it open about a week and a half ago.

Buettner picks up the action straight away. Jason is not only contending with the Slugs and a way to stop them, but the various political borders between the inhabited worlds of the Human Alliance. One of Wander’s closest friends, and one might even say his sidekick throughout the entire series, may have come up with a solution to the Slug problem. One of the moon’s surrounding a human-inhabited planet is basically kryptonite to the Slugs and Hibble plans a gambit that will launch pieces of it to the recently discovered Slug homeworld.

As I’ve said in previous reviews, very often, the overall quality of a series rests on the shoulders of its concluding volume. The same can be said of Buettner’s Jason Wander saga, but with the caveat that he’d been doing pretty well since the previous volumes were balanced, entertaining and good examples of Science Fiction. The journey Jason is put on by Buettner is enjoyable, emotional and genuine.

Books in the Mail (06/13/2009)

This is the post where I tell my faithful readers about the books I received for review during the previous week. It is impossible for me to get to all of the books publishers are kind enough to send me, so I figured I could at least mention them on the blog so I'm not totally ignoring what arrived. Some weeks are thinner than others, and around the second week of each month is usually when I get a lot of stuff with an official pub date for the following month (i.e. this, the second week of June saw a number of arrivals that will be on the shelves during the first week of July) - those are the "final" books as they appear on shelves. The other types of books I receive are ARCs (Advance Reader/Reading Copies) which publishers send to reviewers and booksellers weeks (and often months) in advance to generate early feedback and anticipation for the books.

All that said, this week was a good week, a bunch of books I plan on reading and others that look interesting, along with the two I've been wanting to see on US shelves for a while...


Dawntheif (Chronicles of the Raven #1) by James Barclay (Pyr Trade Paperback 09/22/2009) – Finally! A U.S. publisher picked up the great work of James Barclay. I read his Raven novels back in 2001 under the UK Gollancz imprint and reviewed them for SFFWorld* and thoroughly enjoyed them at the time. What I couldn’t figure out was why a U.S. publisher never picked up the series. Well, little to my surprise Pyr comes along and decides to do the immediate shelf-presence thing by releasing the first three books in successive months.

*I’m not going to link to those reviews since they were written a long time ago when my reviewing skills weren’t quite what they are today.

The Raven have fought together for years, six men carving out a living as swords for hire in the war that has torn Balaia apart, loyal only to themselves and their code. But when they agree to escort a Xesteskian mage on a secret mission they are pulled into a world of politics and ancients secrets. For the first time The Raven cannot trust even their own strength and prowess, for the first time their code is in doubt. How is it that they are fighting for one of the most evil colleges of magic known? Searching for the secret location of Dawnthief; a spell that could end the world? Aiming not to destroy it but to cast it . . . DAWNTHIEF is a fast paced epic about a band of all-too-human heroes.


Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven #2) by James Barclay (Pyr Trade Paperback 10/22/2009) – Second The Chronicles of the Raven and again, here we are with that simple and effective immediate shelf presence idea quite a few publishers are employing nowadays.

The enthralling sequel to DAWNTHIEF takes the adventure into a new dimension. The Raven must fight to help the dragons of the Brood Kan defend the dimensional rip opened in the skies of Balaia by the casting of Dawnthief. And then they must somehow close the rip. And all the time the Wesmen are rampaging through Balaia, laying waste to its cities and besieging the mages of Julatsa in Dordova.








Servant of a Dark God by John D. Brown (Tor Hardcover 10/13/2009) – First in a new Epic Fantasy series. The ARC has some nice quotes from David Drake, David Farland, Kage Baker, and Ken Scholes and the cover is another stellar piece of art by Raymond Swanland. With the book not releasing until October, there isn’t much available on the Web about it but from skimming over his Web site, Brown seems an interesting fellow. I left the cover on this one a bit larger just because Swanland’s art for it is awesome.

Young Talen lives in a world where the days of a person’s life can be harvested, bought, and stolen. Only the great Divines, who rule every land, and the human soul-eaters, dark ones who steal from man and beast and become twisted by their polluted draws, know the secrets of this power. This land’s Divine has gone missing and soul-eaters are found among Talen’s people.

The Clans muster a massive hunt, and Talen finds himself a target. Thinking his struggle is against both soul-eaters and their hunters, Talen actually has far larger problems. A being of awesome power has arisen, one whose diet consists of the days of man. Her Mothers once ranched human subjects like cattle. She has emerged to take back what is rightfully hers.

Trapped in a web of lies and ancient secrets, Talen must struggle to identify his true enemy before the Mother finds the one whom she will transform into the lord of the human harvest.





Orphan's Triumph (Jason Wander #5) by Robert Buettner (Orbit Mass Market Paperback 06/09/2009) – I’ve reading and enjoying Buettner’s brand of Military Science Fiction since the books were under the WarnerAspect imprint before Orbit took over an snazzed up the covers (although I like the originals, too). I reviewed Orphanage (#1), Orphan's Destiny (#2), Orphan's Journey (#3), and Orphan's Alliance (#4). Here’s the blurb/synopsis for this volume:

Jason Wander is ready to lead the final charge into battle.

After forty years of fighting the Slugs, mankind's reunited planets control the vital crossroad that secures their uneasy union. The doomsday weapon that can end the war, and the mighty fleet that will carry it to the Slug homeworld, lie within humanity's grasp.

Since the Slug Blitz orphaned Jason Wander, he has risen from infantry recruit to commander of Earth's garrisons on the emerging allied planets. But four decades of service have cost Jason not just his friends and family, but his innocence.

When an enemy counter stroke threatens to reverse the war and destroy mankind, Jason must finally confront not only his lifelong alien enemy, but the reality of what a lifetime as a soldier has made him.

Countdown by Greg Cox (Ace Trade Paperback 07/07/2009) – I’m a DC fanboy but I wasn’t even following this comic series as it was published, which was a letdown after the mostly good 52. That said, Cox has a good reputation for writing these adaptations. I recall reading both the novelization of both The Death of Superman and Knightfall and thinking it was a pretty impressive job to transfer the comics story to prose.


Cosmic legend has it that when the primordial gods of antiquity perished in some bygone cataclysm, the universe gave birth to a new breed of gods who reigned from two eternally warring worlds, the heavenly New Genesis and the hellish Apokolips. Now, a vast conspiracy of evil is determined to eradicate the New Gods, stealing their souls to wield universal power that can destroy all of reality.

At the end of an age in which time, space, and reality may bow before such sinister forces, the fate of the Earth lies in the hands of five unlikely super heroes who have one destiny to fulfill: to save the world at all costs, regardless of the consequences.


Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1) by Faith Hunter (Roc Mass Market Paperback 7/07/2009) – The first in (what some might say is yet another) Vampire Hunter series. The twist here is that the hunter is a Native American shapeshifter.

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps...




Rift in the Sky (Stratification #3) by Julie E. Czerneda (DAW Hardcover 7/07/2009) – Third novel in a trilogy, which itself is a prequel to a larger series, the Trade Pact Universe. I haven’t read anything by Ms. Czernada (unfortunately), but she’s one of those authors who has rattled off 13 novels in just over a decade, which is pretty impressive in and of itself.

Despite all good intentions, the lure of the Talent to move through space using the M'hir dimension is too much for the Om'ray of Cersi to resist. As the awareness of this talent spreads, all those Om'ray who are capable converge on the settlement at Sona. To prevent the disruption of the Agreement and the destruction that it would unleash, the M'hiray, as they now call themselves, agree to leave Cersi forever and try to establish their own haven within the Trade Pact worlds—only to learn that not everybody wants peace.


Gamer Fantastic edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes (DAW Mass Market Paperback 7/07/2009) – DAW’s July monthly themed-anthology revolves around (as the title implies) the intersection of “real world” with worlds in games, mostly of the video or role playing variety. Contributors include Jim C. Hines, Ed Greenwood, S.L. Farrell, and Bill Fawcett

Let the games begin!

These thirteen original stories by veterans of the fantasy realms take role-playing games and universes to a whole new level.

From a teenager who finds a better future in virtual reality; to a private investigator hired to find a dying man's grandson in the midst of a virtual reality theme park; from a person gifted with the power to pull things out of books into the real world; to a psychologist using fantasy role-playing to heal his patients; from a gaming convention where the real winners may not be who they seem to be; to a multi-layered role-playing game that leads participants from reality to reality and games within games—these imaginative and fascinating new tales will captivate both lovers of original fantasy and anyone who has ever fallen under the spell of role-playing games.


The Dark Reaches by Kristin Landon (Ace Mass Market Paperback 07/07/2009) – Third in a space-opera/science fiction romance/military science fiction series. When I first saw the cover I said to myself, “Self, that sure looks like Aeryn Sun.” The previous books in the series are The Hidden Worlds (#1) and The Cold Minds (#2). Here’s the synopsis for this volume:

After the Earth was destroyed by ruthless machine intelligences known as the Cold Minds, the remnants of the human race sought refuge among the Hidden Worlds. Now, renegade pilot Linnea Kiaho and her fellow pilot Iain sen Paolo embark on a dangerous journey to Earth's solar system, where humans may have survived. But what they find is a secret so powerful it may save the Hidden Worlds—or shatter them forever.

Son of Retro Pulp Tales by Joe. R. Landsdale and Keith Landsdale (Subterranean Press Hardcover 08/15/2009) Continuing in the vein of the Award winning Retro Pulp Tales, Joe R. Lansdale and his son Keith Lansdale present Son of Retro Pulp Tales. More stories in the tradition of the pulps, early digest magazines and pre sixties films, this one contains everything from Lovecraftian monsters to demons to hardboiled shootouts to plain ole unchained oddness.

So, tuck yourself in bed with a reading light and a snack, and prepare to be transported to wild worlds and weird situations by the pure storyteller tradition. Come on in, the pulp is fine.:

• The Toad Prince by Harlan Ellison
• Quiet Bullets by Christopher Golden
• Border Town by James Grady
• The Crawling Sky by Joe R. Lansdale
• The Lizard Men of Blood River by Stephen Mertz
• The Perfect Nanny by William F. Nolan
• Catastrophe Box by Cherie Priest
• The Forgotten Kingdom by Mike Resnick
• A Gunfight by David J. Schow
• Pretty Green Eyes by Timothy Truman
• The Brown Bomber and the Nazi Werewolves by Matt Venne

Darkness Calls (Hunter Kiss #2) by Marjorie M. Liu (Ace Mass Market Paperback 07/07/2009) – Second in a series about a Tattooed Zombie Hunter. Liu has written for Marvel Comics and has authored a couple of other series, she’s hit the New York Times bestseller list, too.

Demon hunter Maxine Kiss, inked with living tattoos, is on a mission to rescue the man she loves from a bloodthirsty army. To save him, Maxine has only one choice: to lose control—and release her own powers of darkness.






Red Gold Bridge by Patrice Sarath ( Ace Mass Market Paperback 07/07/2009) – This is a sequel to the author’s debut Gordath Wood, which I haven’t read. Here’s the synopsis for this book:

In the heart of the gordath, danger is waiting...

A year ago, Lynn Romano and Kate Mossland stumbled through the gordath, a portal between our world and the war-torn society called Aeritan. Now, a powerful Aeritan general has crossed through to Earth, and his obsession with Kate could tear both worlds apart.

As a guardian of Red Gold Bridge, it’s Joe Felz’s job to keep the portal closed between worlds. After all, last time it opened, all hell broke loose. But some old enemies are back, and they want to stir things up again. It’s up to Joe to stop them. When strange things start to happen on her horse farm in New York, Lynn knows it means one thing: the gordath is open and Joe’s in trouble.

Kate just wants to be a normal teenager again. Then General Marthen shows up, and Kate has to choose between two worlds and two fates.


The God Engines by John Scalzi (DAW Trade Paperback 12/15/2009) – As a fan of Scalzi, I’m very interested to read his take on fantasy. This is a novella-length story with a very interesting cover. .

Captain Ean Tephe is a man of faith, whose allegiance to his lord and to his ship is uncontested. The Bishopry Militant knows this -- and so, when it needs a ship and crew to undertake a secret, sacred mission to a hidden land, Tephe is the captain to whom the task is given. Tephe knows from that the start that his mission will be a test of his skill as a leader of men and as a devout follower of his god. It’s what he doesn’t know that matters: to what ends his faith and his ship will ultimately be put -- and that the tests he will face will come not only from his god and the Bishopry Militant, but from another, more malevolent source entirely...

Author John Scalzi has ascended to the top ranks of modern science fiction with the best-selling, Hugo-nominated novels Old Man’s War and Zoe’s Tale. Now he tries his hand at fantasy, with a dark and different novella that takes your expectations of what fantasy is and does, and sends them tumbling.

Say your prayers... and behold The God Engines.

Wireless by Charles Stross (Ace Hardcover 07/07/2009) – I’ve slowly come to like what Stross is doing in Science Fiction and this volume contains one of my favorite pieces of fiction by him Missile Gap which was included in the and One Million A.D. anthology I reviewed a couple of years back. The whole of this collection includes:

• Missile Gap
• MAXOS
• Snowball's Chance
• The Colder War
• Trunk and Disorderly
• Rogue Farm
• Antibodies
• Palimpsest (Previously unpublished)

Hitler's War by Harry Turtledove (Del Rey Hardcover 08/04/2009) – Another re-imagining of the outcome of World War II from the writing machine that is Harry Turtledove. Over the past couple of years, I’ve probably received between 6 and 10 Turtledove books for review.

Alternate history master Harry Turtledove sets his sights on one of the most fascinating periods in history—World War II. In gripping detail, he imagines how the war in Europe would have ended had British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain refused to allow Hitler’s annexation of the Sudetenland.

Wandering Twilight

Regular readers of my blog should know the drill by now; on Tuesdays, I post links the reviews I uploaded to SFFWorld the previous night. Today is no exception, but rather an addition since I posted two(TWO!) reviews last night. Orphan’s Alliance by Robert Buettner and Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp.

Orhpan’s Alliance is the fourth book in Robert Buettner’s highly engrossing and entertaining Jason Wander series.

This story is set a year or two after the events of the previous novel, though it features very much the same cast of characters – Howard, Ord, Munchkin, and Jude as well as a minor character and potential romantic interest for Jason (Mimi). Buettner has naturalistically progressed these characters from the previous novel, Jude becoming more entrenched in the military, Munchkin and Mimi becoming bureaucrats. Without infodumping the reader and halting the quick narrative pace, Beuttner provided us as the reader with the right amount of information to give a clear picture of each character. This would also serve to welcome new readers to the fold, too.

Paul S. Kemp returns to his Forgotten Realms character Erevis Cale in Shadowbred, the first in the Twilight War trilogy:

The novel starts off really well with the return of a long forgotten floating city and a superb re-introduction of the character of Erevis Cale. Kemp delivers Cale through the eyes of a young, scared boy who sees Cale as “the Shadowman” of local legend. This iconic imagery reminds readers of how ambiguous a character Cale is and is just a teaser of neat things to come.


Cale walks a tenuous line dividing his nature and a promise he made to his deceased friend, Jak. As a result of this promise, Cale tries to fight the dark thoughts his god Mask imparts, but fighting those urges to kill and derive power from his god prove difficult. In much of the Forgotten Realms, individuals swear fealty to one of many gods. In Cale’s case, his god Mask is the god of thieves and shadows and Cale is the First of Mask, so this struggle against his god is even more difficult.

Remember, don’t forget to vote in SFFWorld’s annual membership poll for your favorite 2008 read(s)!

Books in the Mail (W/E 10/11/2008)

Orphan’s Alliance by Robert Buettner (Orbit Books Paperback 10/28/2008) – I’ve read and enjoyed all three books (Orphanage, Orphan’s Destiny, Orphan’s Journey) in the Jason Wander Series, which I’ve mentioned here at the o’ Stuff in the past. I’m really looking forward to this one. Buettner writes solid military science fiction and he took the series in a cool direction with the third book, Orphan’s Journey. All told, Buettner has a very entertaining Military Science fiction series going with these books.

Humans have been discovered on the Outworlds. And the Army decides to send emissaries. Emissaries like Jason Wander. As intraplanetary conflicts rage around him, and the personal stakes get ever higher, Jason finds that playing planet-hopping politician can be harder than commanding armies. When united mankind squares off to battle the Slugs for a precious interstellar crossroad, Jason will discover that the most dangerous enemy may be the one he least expects.

Quofum (A Novel of the Humanx Commonwealth) by Alan Dean Foster (Del Rey 10/28/2008) – I’m know the title is very relevant to the story and anything that starts with the letter Q is cool, it still has a silly sounding title. I know I’m prejudging here, but who doesn’t on ocassion. This is a book in a series with 25+ books, which is a bit daunting though I suspect this is enough of a stand-alone for new readers. I’ve never read anything by 2008 Grand Master award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. I’m sure the book will do well with Foster’s many fans.

The mission to planet Quofum is supposed to be a quickie for Captain Boylan and his crew. Boylan is tasked with delivering four scientists–two men, one woman, and one thranx–to the unknown world, setting up camp while the experts investigate flora and fauna, then ferrying them safely home. The first surprise is that Quofum, which regularly slips in and out of existence on Commonwealth monitors, is actually there when Boylan and company arrive. The second surprise is more about what Quofum is not: The planet is not logical, ordered, or rational.

The team encounters three intelligent, warring species–some carbon-based, others silicate-based, all bizarre–along with thousands of unique, often unclassifiable life-forms. Quofum’s wild biodiversity doesn’t appear to be natural. But if it is by design, then by whose, and for what purpose?

Star Wars: Millennium Falcon by James Luceno (Del Rey Hardcover 10/21/2008) – From the moment the Falcon broke loose from a Corellian assembly line like an untamed creature with a will of its own, it seemed destined to seek out trouble. It wasn’t long before the feisty YT-1300 freighter went from shuttling cargo to smuggling contraband. But it‘s a fateful rendezvous on Coruscant, at the explosive height of the Republic/Separatist uprising, that launches a galaxywide cat-and-mouse game whose newest players are Han, Leia, Allana, and C-3PO. And they’re not alone: Crime lords, galactic pirates, rogue politicians, and fortune hunters alike loom at every turn of the quest–each with his or her own desperate stake in the Millennium Falcon’s most momentous mission. Through the years and across the stars, from the Rim worlds to unknown points beyond, the race will lead them all to a final standoff for a prize some will risk everything to find–and pay any cost to possess.

The Devil's Eye: An Alex Benedict Novel by Jack McDevitt (Ace, Hardcover 11/04/2008) – I read quite a few of McDevitt’s novels a few years back (Moonfall, The Engines of God, Ancient Shores, Infinity Beach and liked them all, for the most part with Moonfall being a favorite. The Devil’s Eye is the latest in his Space Opera/Mystery hybrid and it sounds pretty interesting.

Interstellar antiquities dealer Alex Benedict receives a cryptic message asking for help from celebrated writer Vicki Greene—who has been mind-wiped. She has no memory of her past life, or of her plea for assistance. But she has transferred an enormous sum of money to Alex, also without explanation. The answers to this mystery lie on the most remote of human worlds, where Alex will uncover a secret connected to a decades-old political upheaval—a secret that somebody desperately wants hidden, though the price of that silence is unimaginable…

This looks like a good time to catch up with his writing.

The Hero of Ages: Mistborn 3 by Brandon Sanderson (Tor Hardcover 10/14/2008) - The first two installments (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension) were terrific so I was really looking forward to reading this one. I’ll be posting up my review in a couple of days, but to put it succinctly, this is one of the more solid, enjoyable and well crafted fantasy trilogies in recent memory.


Here’s a brief preview of the review I’ll be posting:

Throughout the course of the trilogy, Sanderson’s hand has been subtle in the clues he laid out in terms of the ultimate threat, but he has also managed to echo some of his literary predecessors. One of the literary devices I’ve enjoyed the most over the course of the novels is the diary quotes Sanderson uses as an opening for each chapter. These quotes hint at what just happened in a previous chapter involving a certain character, or what will happen in the chapter it leads and gives the story more resonance and authenticity. I liked how it allows Sanderson to tackle some of the themes of the novel without weighing down the narrative of the characters’ plight throughout. At times, some of these themes, particularly Ruin and Preservation as opposing forces, put me very much in the mind of Stephen R. Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant novels and the dichotomy between Lord Foul and The Creator. All told, some really good stuff here by Sanderson that is effective and enjoyable on many levels.

Orphan's Journey & SFFWorld Status

My review of Robert Buettner’s latest Jason Wander novel, Orphan’s Journey, went up at SFFWorld yesterday. As I mentioned in an earlier post I really enjoyed Orphanage and Orphan’s Destiny, the first two books in the series. With the third volume, Buettner takes things in a slightly different direction. Overall, a very solid and entertaining novel.

I recently finished David Louis Edelman’s MultiReal and should have a review posted soon. The short of it is that the book was great and Edelman didn’t lose any momentum since publishing Infoquake. The long if it, well, will be in my review.

SFFWorld and its forums and are back to normal, for now. Speaking of which, our Fantasy Book Club selection for July 2008 is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Yes, I know the book has been around for a while, but in the SFFW Book club, we typically only consider books in mass market paperback in order not to impose a $25 (or more) book on the folks who want to participate. which can often result in a year lag between book publication and discussion in the book club. Anywhoo, I liked the book quite a bit and even considered it one of the best of last year’s novels.

That is all for today.

SPOTLIGHT: Catching up with the Classics - Starship Troopers

So, here's the new "feature" at the Blog o' Stuff. Once a month (at the very least, I hope), I'll be taking a look at a classic book or novel from the Fantasy/Science Fiction genres. This will either be a book I haven't read in a while, or the case of in this installment's book Starship Troopers, a classic I have yet to read. How can I never have read this book? I just never got around to it, simple.

What I can I say about one of the most famous, acclaimed, influential, popular, and important Science Fiction books of all time and a Hugo winner, to boot? What can I add to all the words that have been extolled or exhorted in frustration? I don’t know, except for my opinion and my own response. Suffice it to say, it is virtually impossible to open up this book and read it for the first time without knowing about it, its reputation, or having some preconceived notions.

Much of the novel deals with Johnny Rico’s experiences in the Mobile Infantry and how he deals with the equivalent of boot camp in the future. Heinlein basically paints a picture of the life of one volunteer in what amounts to the Space Marines. Throughout, Rico’s thoughts about life, politics become shaped by his training, his superiors, his “drops,” and the battles in which he engages with the “Bugs.” He goes from one who is unsure of his thoughts to a man with strong-held convictions, and in this sense, the story works as a coming-of-age story.

One thing that surprised me as I was reading the book was how little action and science-fictiony stuff happens for the better part of the novel. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think the best science fiction novels, like this one, have an utterly human quality to them. Even if Johnny Rico serves as something of a mouthpiece for Heinlein (as some have said), the character comes across as genuinely human.

Another part of the story that surprised me was the nonchalance with which Rico reacts to the attack of the Bugs and the beginnings and of the Bug War. Despite Rico losing his mother and the momentary grief he experienced because of it, the attack and break out of the war are dealt with very matter-of-factly. I understand that Rico and his peers are training for war, but there didn’’t seem to be any kind of panic or any great swell of emotion when the Bugs attack Earth, or not as much as I would have expected.

I don’t know Heinlein’s writing well enough, but one item in particular struck me as very far sighted. Much of the novel, probably because it is in an unspecified future, has a timeless air about it. You get the sense that Heinlein was writing this both as a reaction to what he saw as well as a treatise as what he thought. One can also get the feeling that he wrote this book with the intention that it could ring true for many years to come, particularly the chapter where Rico describes something he takes for granted, what most people of that time take for granted, and something that has become a staple of the Military Science Fiction genre – Power Armor:

No need to describe what it looks like, since it has been pictured so often. Suited up, you look like a big steel gorilla, armed with gorilla-sized weapos. … But the suits are considerably stronger than a gorilla. If an M.I. in a suit swapped hugs with a gorilla, the gorilla would be dead, crushed; the M.I. and the suit wouldn’t be mussed. (Page 100 Ace mmpb)

That description says more in the words it doesn’t use than it does in anything else. It allows the reader to visualize something big and powerful; something iconic. It doesn’t rigidly define the thing and allows the thing to stand the test of time.

Although (as I said) I’ve never read the book before now, I do know of its reputation and influence, it arguably spawned the entire Military Science Fiction subgenre. Half of the authors of Baen Books were likely heavily influenced by Heinlein, and this book specifically. As I was reading through the book, I recalled some of the books I’ve read and realized how they were influenced by Starship Troopers – Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Mr. Scalzi admits to patterning his novel off Heinlein’s. Robert Buettner’s Orphanage* is a very similar story line (the alien enemies are Slugs, close enough to bugs for me), though a good book in its own right. Ender’s Game also has a strong similarity. The whole drop scene and group of Space Marines from the film Aliens were likely patterned after the Mobile Infantry. Look at any of the popular science fiction video games, many can trace their origins and influences back to this book.

Lastly, I have to believe Stanley Kubrick read Starship Troopers at some point in his life prior to making his war masterpiece, Full Metal Jacket. The depiction of boot camp is very similar and there is a point in both stories where they seem like two different novels/movies. As soon as Private Pyle blows off his head and Private Joker heads off to Viet Nam, it seems like a different film. Granted, Full Metal Jacket is an adapted screenplay so the source material may be structured this way, but Starship Troopers fits the mold, to a degree. The cut isn’t as drastic in Starship Troopers, but the tone of the book changes, at least in my internal reading voice, after Rico leaves.

Obviously, I can’t speak on how much the novel is “of its times” nor can I speak directly of how much validity there is that certain characters in the book are simply mouthpieces for Heinlein, I haven’t read all that much by him. What I can say is that the novel is very powerful and I agree with William Lexner’s sentiments – this is a must read and probably one of the five most important Science Fiction novels ever written. I’d go as far as to say one of the most important books written in the 20th Century considering it is on the reading list for three of the four US Military Academies.

I still haven’t seen the movie, and I’m not making any plans to watch or TiVo it. So, have I added anything to the discourse that has been going on about this book since its publication nearly 50 years ago**? Perhaps. If nothing else, it shows that the book is still effective to an experienced reader of the genre like myself.

In sum, I really enjoyed the book and am torn. On one hand, I feel I should have read it many years ago. On the other, I'm glad I just read it for the first time. I'm not sure what my next book will be for this "feature" but I certainly started it off with a bang.

* Buettner's next Jason Wander novel, Orphan's Destiny, publishes later this year through the new Orbit US imprint, which absorbed the WarnerAspect Science Fiction line. Good for Robert, the books are a lot of fun. The covers are redesigned and look very good, but I still like this original piece from Fred Gambino.

**I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of fancy 50th anniversary edition of the novel will be published next year.

Silver orphans

Tonight I posted my review of Orphan's Destiny by Robert Buettner. I really enjoyed this novel and I hope Buettner continues to write entertaining, good Science Fiction. Last week I posted my review of Silverheart by Moorcock and Constantine, another pretty good book. Not the best I've read by Moorcock, but still an entertaining novel.

I've got one more review book on the plate then I start my re-read of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. It has been 5 years since I read A Storm of Swords, which is when it published, and 8 years since I read A Game of Thrones, so as much as I loved the books, I really need and want to refresh my memory, I can't wait to jump back into the Seven Kingdoms.

As I type this the Yankees are mounting a nice comeback against the Angels. Hopefully by the time I check back here tomorrow the Yanks will be getting ready to play game 5 in Anaheim.

Catching up

I finished a couple of good books this past week, the Moorcock/Constantine collaboration Silverheart and Robert Buettner's Orphan's Destiny. I liked Buettner's book a little more, and that isn't just because my review of Orphanage was blurbed on the very first page of the book. Self congratulations aside, I was really sucked into the story and I hope Buettner continues the storyline. I'll be posting reviews of both books in the next couple of days.

Lost last night, I thought, was good and better than the first two episodes. Maybe that is because there was some forward progression in the story as opposed to two episodes telling almost the same story from different viewpoints. Even though more of the specifics of the hatch and the others are being revealed, more questions are raised, and in my mind, that makes for good, addictive storytelling. The writers should be careful not to raise too many more questions though, since that would offput many people.

The season opener of Smallville last week was better than the whole of the previous season. Of course showing the Phantom Zone, helps. I think I will just have to suck it up and deal with the fact that all super-powered threats on that show are dispatched or dealt with at the 8:43PM or 8:44PM mark. I'll be TiVO-ing the whole season, at this point, I'll stick around.

NHL Season is now underway! The Devils started off with an impressive win over Pittsburgh, this Zach Parise kid looks pretty good. This is going to be a really good season, I think, with the rule changes and adress changes of many players.

Even though Anaheim evened things up last night, I still see the Yankees winning the next two games and playing Chicago in the ALCS.

Fall Readings, Viewings, & Listenings

There are quite a bit of good things coming out this fall, in terms of books, movies and music. I figured I'd give a rundown of some things I'm looking forward to distracting me from reality...

September will see the release of Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire's sequel to the wonderful Wicked. Robert Buettner's second novel, Orphan's Destiny will be publishing as well. I really enjoyed his debut, Orphanage, which reminded me of Ender's Game. Joss Whedon's Serenity hits the big screen in September. Disturbed's new album, Ten Thousand Fists, hits shelves at the end of September. Mrs. Blog o' Stuff will probably be pleased that Bon Jovi's new album, Have a Nice Day, comes out in September too. DC publishes an Absolute edition of the year-long Hush storyline from 2003.

In October, the NHL resumes play and BantamSpectra publishesa re-issue of M. John Harrison's seminal Viriconium, something I've been wanting to read for a long time. Alexander Irvine's new novel, In the Narrows, comes out in October, too. Mrs. Blog 'o Stuff will be pleased again since the new, as of yet untitled, Lemony Snicket book comes out in October. Batman Begins comes to DVD on October 18th, and DC is publishing Watchmen: The Absolute Edition in October, as well. DC's huge "earth-shattering-mega-super-duper-balls-out-for-glory" crossover kicks off - Infinite Crisis. In music, Shinedown's second album, Us and Them comes out October 4th. Their first album, Leave a Whisper, is amazing and the songs I've heard from this one are very good. I wasn't sure what to make of the cast of Elizabethtown, but once I discovered Cameron Crow was helming it, I mentally added to the list. Two sequels will probably wait until cable, though: Saw II and The Legend of Zorro. Also in October, Robert Jordan's 11th Wheel of Time novel, Knife of Dreams, publishes. The last WOT book I read was probably Winter's Heart. I will likely eventually finish out the series, but that is becoming a lower and lower reading priority with each passing day.

November, of course, is when George R. R. Martin's A Feast for Crows comes out. Stephen Erikson's third Malazan novel, Memories of Ice, comes to the US in November, too. Some little indepent film about a guy who gets burned and starts wearing black armor comes out on DVD in November. The film Zathura looks interesting if only because Jon Favreau is directing it. The fourth Potter movie comes out in November, too.

I've likely forgotten at least a book or two, a movie and some other stuff, but these are the ones that piqued my interest the most.

Notafinga!..I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!

So for the third year in a row, Mrs. Blog o' Stuff and I are having both sets of parents, my aunt/uncle with their kids (the youngest of whom is our Godchild, the eldest is the hockey team we follow, the middle will be a gold medal winning gymnast) and my wife's aunt/uncle and their daughter (who should get a few athletic scholarship to college) over for the holidays. This is always a hectic thing and somewhat stressful since both my mother-in-law and father sometimes speak a little, shall we say, out of turn, and have diarrhea of the mouth. Anyway, it has turned out to be very nice day each of the last two years, Mrs. Blog o' Stuff does a spectacular job with the spread of food and everybody brings beer, so I'm usually well stocked for the subsequent month as our invitation always clearly asks the invitees to "bring libations and good cheer." The first year, we thought our hot water heater was dying the day before the party and this year, our vacuum cleaner died just as we finished trimming the tree this past weekend. Let's just say the dust-buster doesn'tt quite cut it when picking up the needles from the tree. I always hope to get one of those trees where the needles don't fall off.*** So those are my weekend plans.

Closing out the year-end list from a couple of days ago... are two debut novelists who really impressed me this year. (clicking on the title of each book will take you to my review of the book.)

Robert Buettner – His debut novel, Orphanage, published last month and is receiving a lot of good reviews and hefty words of praise. It is military SF, and with Buettner's military background, he is keeping up the fine tradition of stories of interstellar war set out in books like Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Buettner's writing has a cinematic quality and the pace keeps the pages moving quite briskly. The sequel to Orphanage publishes next year and I can't wait to read it.

Minister Faust – Canadian media personality made quite a splash this summer when his genre-defying novel, Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad, was published by Del Rey books. This book mixes almost many genres – Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Mythic Fiction, Mystery – and the final product is a fun, entertaining read.

For about the 800th time in the past couple of years, Randy Johnson is almost a New York Yankee. I've got mixed feelings on this one. Sure Johnson is a great pitcher, but the Yanks are doing what sent them down the river in the '80s, flushing out their farm system for older pitchers. When George gets a hard-on for a guy, he usually winds up getting him in the long run (See Clemens and Giambi).

The NHL players' union took a big step in reducing salary by 24%, but they are still far from complying with what the NHL owners want to do. Why can't the players just get it through their heads and go with the NFL-like system the NHL owners are proposing?

Beer of the week: Tillburg's Dutch Brown Ale. Similar to Newcastle, but better, plus, it has a funky Jeroen Bosch painting on the bottle. Found this one at a local liquor store after talking beer with one of the guys working there, told him I liked Newcastle and he suggested I try Tillburg's, the rest is history.

Writer of the week, well, I think the five I highlighted the past couple of days will suffice.


***paraphrased from what the mother in A Christmas Story says when the family goes shopping for Christmas trees –"this isn't one of those trees where all the needles fall off, is it? " The greatest Christmas movie of my generation and ever, IMHO (yes, even better than It's a Wonderful Life in my personal canon of Christmas entertainment).