Completiest and Mind Meld at SF Signal

Last week my latest Completist column posted to SF Signal, this time featuring Peeps, the young adult vampire apocalypse duo from Scott Westerfeld:

Vampires, we all know them and at one point they were supposed to be scary creatures that could take over your soul, drink your blood and destroy you. Well, over the years to say the vampire has lost some of its scary edge is an understatement. While Dracula did have some sexiness to him, the modern perception of the vampire is less scary and more sexy. Enter Scott Westerfeld and his two book series which includes Peeps and The Last Days. These books tell the story of a world on the brink of apocalypse, overrun by vampires, but not your average vampires and are rarely referred to as such. Rather, they are “peeps” as the title indicates, peep being a shortening of the term parasite positive. You see, in Westerfeld’s tale, parasites cause the stricken person to shun both the light and that which he or she loved in their previous life. Throughout the first novel Peeps, Westerfeld injects a logical scientific explanation for many of the tropes of the vampire legend. By doing this, Westerfeld allows the novel to be read on many levels: a vampire novel, a young adult novel [which it is marketed as], a horror novel (mashed up with science fiction), or a dark fantasy novel.

Also, my role at SF Signal has grown in the past few weeks. In addition to the occasional book review, I am now one of the Mind Meld curators for the SF Signal overlords John DeNardo and JP Frantz.  As such, my first Mind Meld posted yesterday and asked the question:

Q: How long do you have a book before you read it? We, as biblioholics and voracious readers often accumulate books at a greater pace than we can read them. What is the longest you’ve had a book before you’ve read it and/or how long do you typically let a book sit before you read it?

The participants included:

1. Ellen B. Wright, the Senior Marketing Sorceress for Orbit books 
2. My long time friend and colleague from SFFWorld - Mark Yon (aka Hobbit)
3. Kristen Bell, purveyor of the fine blog/web site Fantasy Café
4. Mark Chitty, another SFFWorld colleague, but he and I have been internet pals before he was writing for SFFWorld back when he was running the great SF blog Walker of Worlds
5. Twitter chum Kathryn A. Ryan (aka @Loerwyn)
6. N.E. White, Writer/Editor and fellow SFFWorld moderator and reviewer (and editor of the forthcoming Wars to End All Wars themed anthology (for which I'm reading some stories and doing some edits)
7. Jennie Ivins, a fellow NJ SFF fan and one of the folks behind Fantasy-Faction
8. SFF blogger and fellow beer aficionado Joe Sherry
   and lastly...
9. The great Sarah Chorn owner and supreme overseer of Bookworm Blues.

So go find out what they had to say! (http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2014/06/mind-meld-how-long-do-you-have-a-book-before-you-read-it/)

Steampunk, Epic Fantasy, and Post-Apocalyptic Reviews

Bride and Mark join me in posing new reviews over the past few days at SFFWorld.

I reviewed the newest book by Scott Westerfeld – an alternate history/steampunk/science-fiction romp Leviathan.

Of course this technology was not quite as advanced in 1914 of our world as it is in the world of Leviathan. Westerfled’s descriptions were enough to give hints and really put me in the seat with Alek as he piloted his walking tank across the European landscape. Furthermore, Alek is genuine in that while he is somewhat oblivious to world events and headstrong, Westerfeld doesn’t make him a complete idiot. The balancing act can be tough to manage with the typical orphaned heir and Westerfeld pulled it off exceedingly well – I liked Alek, I felt for his plight, and I found myself rooting for him throughout the story.

So, there are a lot of dichotomies in this novel and world – mechanized technology v. biological technology; boy protagonist v. girl protagonist; Allied Powers v. the Central Powers. The technology conflict is presented in a very engaging manner, with the Clankers showing revulsion at the manipulated life forms, while the Darwinists think the Clankers some kinds of heretics for their devotion to mechanized technology.

Mark reviewed Amanda Downum’s debut novel and the first of her Chronicles of the Necromancer series -The Drowning City.

This may sound a little familiar but usually a reader hopes that a tale will develop enough of its own identity in order to make it memorable. Here the key differences of the novel are the use of oriental-style ghosts in a South American rainforest-type setting and its magic system. One of these worked for me, the other less so. Here, ghosts of your ancestors can determine your lifestyle, by both being a force for change and a means of possession if things get too tricky. Less successful is the world’s means of magic – basically this involves storing ghosts in what basically amounts to magic crystals is a little too Mario-land for my liking, though the author makes a reasonable job with what could have been a millstone.

The tale is fairly fast moving from one set piece to another, and this tends to cover up the fact that there is actually little depth here. I rather expected more espionage and political shenanigans than I actually got, and of the actual world around Symir there is, in the end, little to be actually seen here. By the denouement, things are a little overwrought, with what initially seemed to be a key plot-stone turning out to be nothing more than a MacGuffin around which the other events unfurl. The ending is rather apocalyptic and possibly a little overdone, with some plotlines being conveniently held over to the next book.

Last, but not least, Bride took a look at X-Isle by Steve Augarde:

The plot is pretty simple; end of the world style destruction, struggling to survive, taking down the bad guys. But there are a few twists that you just don’t see coming, one to do with a character and another during the final climax on the Eck’s boat. These blew me out of the water so to speak; I didn’t see them coming but when you think back over the story it all fits into place seamlessly. None of the plot was random; it was all connected all determined from the start just hidden inside the text, waiting till the end of the book when you suddenly realise that the clues were there; you just didn’t notice.

Starry Review

I figured I'd post another review this week since I've got a decent number in the hopper, with a couple more to be written in the next few days. I don't read enough short fiction in the genre, as I've said before so I begain rectifying that very quickly this year when I read Jonathan Strahan's indispensable YA Science Fiction anthology from last year, The Starry Rift. I really think this book should be a must have for all fans of the genre, with all the great contributors like Cory Doctorow, Ian McDonald, Scott Westerfeld, Alastair Reynolds and many more. Here's a bit from my review:

Ass-Hat Magic Spider by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Midnighters, The Risen Empire, Peeps) kicks off the anthology. The story here is no different showcases a hopeful future not just for humanity’s survival, but for the future and power of storytelling and books.

Garth Nix’s (The Abhorsen Trilogy & The Keys to the Kingdom) Infestation is a fun, unexpected, and engaging look at alien vampires (reminiscent of E.E. Knight’s Vampire Earth). There’s more to tell here and of the stories in this anthology, I think this is the one I’d most like to see expanded into novel length form.

The Starry Rift should remain a genre benchmark for years to com as an invitation to younger readers to sample some today’s most insightful and imaginative voices. Highly recommended.

Books in the Mail W/E 09/28/2008

Caine Black Knife (The Third Act of Caine) by Matthew Stover (Del Rey, Trade Paperback 10/14/2008) – What can I say that I haven’t yet said? I got the ARC of this over the summer and read then, too. I posted my review this past week and as it stands now Caine Black Knife is my top book of the year.

In Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle, Matthew Stover created a new kind of fantasy novel, and a new kind of hero to go with it: Caine, a street thug turned superstar, battling in a future where reality shows take place in another dimension, on a world where magic exists and gods are up close and personal. In that beautiful, savage land, Caine is an assassin without peer, a living legend born from one of the highest-rated reality shows ever made. That season, Caine almost single-handedly defeated–and all but exterminated–the fiercest of all tribes: the Black Knives. But the shocking truth of what really took place during that blood-drenched adventure has never been revealed . . . until now.

Thirty years later, Caine returns to the scene of his greatest triumph–some would say greatest crime–at the request of his adopted brother Orbek, the last of the true Black Knives. But where Caine goes, danger follows, and he soon finds himself back in familiar territory: fighting for his life against impossible odds, with the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance.

Just the way Caine likes it.


The House of the Stag by Kage Baker (Tor, Hardcover 9/30/2008) – I read The Anvil of the World and really enjoyed it, which takes place in the same world as this one. Synopsis

Before the Riders came to their remote valley the Yendri led a tranquil pastoral life. When the Riders conquered and enslaved them, only a few escaped to the forests. Rebellion wasn't the Yendri way; they hid, or passively resisted, taking consolation in the prophecies of their spiritual leader.

Only one possessed the necessary rage to fight back: Gard the foundling, half-demon, who began a one-man guerrilla war against the Riders. His struggle ended in the loss of the family he loved, and condemnation from his own people.

Exiled, he was taken as a slave by powerful mages ruling an underground kingdom. Bitterer and wiser, he found more subtle ways to earn his freedom. This is the story of his rise to power, his vengeance, his unlikely redemption and his maturation into a loving father--as well as a lord and commander of demon armies.

Metamorphosis by James P. Blaylock (Subterranean Press , Hardcover 3/01/2009) – Metamorphosis: three stories, each one involving a man who discovers that he has come to dwell, for an hour or for a lifetime, in a house and in a mind not quite his own. Each one opens doors onto rooms of illusion, radiance, regret, and dark enchantment. Welcome to the stories of three young writers, stories written in collaboration with James P. Blaylock. Welcome to the borderland of illusion and reality.

Three tales, written in collaboration by James P. Blaylock with students in a class by Tim Powers, with an introduction and illustrations by Tim, an afterword by Blaylock, and some necessary meddling by William Ashbless.

The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle edited by Jim Butcher (w) and Ardian Syaf (a) (Del Rey/Dabel Brothers 10/14/2008) – Jim Butcher’s mega-successful Dresden Files comes to the comic/graphic novel medium in this terrific collection. I read the series in single issues what I received from Del Rey/Dabel is the hardcover collecting those four issues plus some nice bonus material. I really enjoyed the mini-series and will be posting a review shortly. In short, I think the Dabel's have another winner on their hands.


The Other in the Mirror by Philip Jose Farmer and Dustjacket by Bob Eggleton (Subterranean Press, Hardcover 3/01/2009) – I read Farmer’s Riverword novels and really enjoyed the first few quite a bit so this omnibus could be pretty cool. Subterranean has been publishing nice author retrospective/introductory volumes/omnibuses and this looks like it will carry on that tradition.

The Other in the Mirror brings together three classic novels by Philip José Farmer: Fire and the Night, Jesus on Mars, and Night of Light. All three are united by one of SF’s central tropes, that of The Other.

Fire and the Night is a mainstream novel so rare that even many of Farmer’s most dedicated fans have never read it. First published in 1962, it is also one of the author’s most daring works, exploring the issue of racial Otherness in a mesmerizing tale of temptation and entrapment in a small industrial Midwestern town.

In Jesus on Mars, Richard Orme and the crew of the Barsoom embark on the first manned mission to the Red Planet, intent on investigating what seemed to be evidence of life beamed back to Earth by a robotic survey satellite. But Orme discovers in the hollowed-out Martian caverns what he and the scientists back home least expect: a group of aliens, as well as humans transplanted from first century A.D. Earth, led by a being who claims to be Jesus of Nazareth Himself. Soon Orme and his crew are shocked to find that The Other they face is made all that more alien because of its similarity to humanity’s past.

Night of Light is not only one of Farmer’s most psychologically gripping SF tales, it is also the novel which inspired Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic rock classic “Purple Haze.” John Carmody is a fugitive from Earth, condemned to exile for brutally murdering his wife. Hired by the galactic Church on a mission to squelch a burgeoning rival religion, Carmody must take the Chance on the planet Dante’s Joy and risk his worst nightmares becoming reality. But that’s not the worst of it: the Fathers of Algul and the Fathers of Yess have their own plans for the conscienceless Carmody—for to the inhabitants of Dante’s Joy, Carmody himself is The Other...and they need his alien flesh to give birth to God.



Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman (Viking Children's Books Hardcover 12/26/2008) – This sounds interesting enough, I suppose. My only concern is that it will be another Eragon, quality wise. This is Goodman’s third book, so I think that might outweigh those fears. Viking has a strong marketing push behind this one, moving the original pub date from the fall to just after Christmas hoping to catch some gift-card sales and the packaging on the ARC is nice. Here’s the synopsis:

Does young Eon have the power to become a Dragoneye? His ruthlessly ambitious master believe he does. Now the years of gruelling training will be put to the test: it’s time for the terrifying Rat-Dragon to choose his next apprentice. In a spectacular sequence of events, Eon is catapulted into the opulent but treacherous world of the imperial court. But Eon is playing a dangerous game: he is in fact Eona, a young woman whose true identity must remain hidden, for discovery would mean instant death.

Inspired by the rich myths and traditions of Ancient China, shimmering with energy dragons and fraught with tension, this is a fast-paced, exhilarating page-turner.

Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind (Tor Trade Paperback 9/30/2008) – I’m not the biggest fan of this series of books; Tor is re-issuing with another cover to promote the syndicated TV series based off of the books.

ex-Kop by Warren Hammond (Tor Hardcover 9/30/2008) – Sequel to Hammond’s debut novel Kop, this novel continues the futuristic noir that, on the surface, is very reminiscent of Blade Runner. In this hardboiled science fiction thriller, Juno, having been booted off the police force, is barely getting by as a low-level bagman and photographer for the scandal rags. But it gets worse: his wife is in critical condition at the hospital and Juno doesn’t have the money to pay her bills. Desperate for cash, Juno agrees to help his ex-partner, Maggie Orzo, solve a difficult case. A young girl sits on death row, accused of brutally murdering her own parents. She’s confessed to the murders, but Maggie isn’t buying it, so she sends Juno out to get some answers.

Working with Maggie, Juno comes into contact with her new partner, Ian. As dirty as they come, Ian is eager to rise in the police force no matter what the cost. Somehow Ian, a vicious serial killer, and the girl on death row are all connected. It is up to Juno and Maggie to find out how before more people die.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Knopf Books for Young Readers , 10/14/2008) – Lanagan has written some acclaimed short stories and this novel looks like a pretty interesting tale: Set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—
magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?


The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey Hardcover 01/20/2009) – This is the ARC of the US edition coming out in January. Del Rey has been staggering the release of Morgan’s novels about 6 months or so after the UK publication. What else can I say about this that I didn’t say in my review? Or that Hobbit didn’t say in his review? Anyway, here’s a snippet:

One of the most potent aspects of the novel is Morgan’s unrestrained approach to both the sex and the violence. The sex is intimate and graphic and the violence is on the same level of graphic description, as well as the sexual proclivity of the protagonist, Ringil. Ringil does embody these two aspects very much, from the graphic nature of his trysts to the violent nature of many of his physical encounters with enemies, Morgan is unrelenting in how he puts Ringil into all of these scenes. The harsh language, the graphically depicted non-traditional sex, and stark reality of violence all add a stamp of boldness readers of Morgan’s science fiction will find familiar. Some will (and have already) found these intertwined aspects of the novel off-putting. Too bad for them.

As well as Morgan depicts the characters, what he does to an even stronger degree in The Steel Remains is depict the overall mood of the story and world in which it takes place. Ringil’s world is filled with a great deal of tension and angst with the past of war ever-present as well as the fear of potential war in the air as well in addition to an overall feeling of melancholy and malaise. The word gritty, as I’ve said in previous reviews, gets thrown around all to often and in that sense, the word loses some of its original meaning and potency. Here, I suppose, I would call the world in The Steel Remains gritty and harsh, it is dirty, uncompromising and very real. One gets a feel for the dirt under the fingernails Ringil might have after much travel and war; the feeling of exasperation Ringil expresses in many of his encounters also epitomizes the mood of the story.


Getting to Know You by David Marusek (Del Rey, Trade Paperback 12/30/2008) – David Marusek has been on my radar since his debut novel, Counting Heads, was released almost two three years ago now, to much acclaim. His short stories have won awards (Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award) and acclaim as well. This collection was originally offered as a limited edition by Subterranean Press last year.



Juggler of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner (Tor , Hardcover 9/23/2008) – Set 200 years before the events of Niven’s most famous novel, Ringworld, this book is itself a sequel to Fleet of Worlds, which I really enjoyed last year. I was, in fact, surprised by how much I enjoyed Fleet of Worlds, and hadn’t realized the sequel was coming out now. Either way, this and Kage Baker’s book landing in front of my garage on Monday were two pleasant surprises. As always, when I get to them is always up for debate.



The Killing of Worlds: Book Two of Succession by Scott Westerfeld (Tor Trade Paperback (9/30/2008) – This is the second half of the Succession duology begun in The Risen Empire. I only read the first half of this duology, actually a book split by the publishers, but since reading and loving his novels Peeps and The Last Days , I’ve wanted to revisit this Space Opera.

Books in the Mail (W/E 7/26)

The City at the End of Time by Greg Bear – This is the final book, I received the ARC a few months ago and the actual on sale date is August 5, 2008.

In a time like the present, in a world that may or may not be our own, three young people–Ginny, Jack, and Daniel–dream of a doomed, decadent city of the distant future: the Kalpa. Ginny’s and Jack’s dreams overtake them without warning, leaving their bodies behind while carrying their consciousnesses forward, into the minds of two inhabitants of the Kalpa–a would-be warrior, Jebrassy, and an inquisitive explorer, Tiadba–who have been genetically retro-engineered to possess qualities of ancient humanity. As for Daniel: He dreams of an empty darkness–all that his future holds.

But more than dreams link Ginny, Jack, and Daniel. They are fate-shifters, born with the ability to skip like stones across the surface of the fifth dimension, inhabiting alternate versions of themselves. And each guards an object whose origin and purpose are unknown: gnarled, stony artifacts called sum-runners that persist unchanged through all versions of time.

Hunted by others with similar powers who seek the sum-runners on behalf of a terrifying, goddess-like entity known as the Chalk Princess, Ginny, Jack, and Daniel are drawn, despite themselves, into an all but hopeless mission to rescue the future–and complete the greatest achievement in human history.

The Diamond of Darkhold (the fourth BOOK OF EMBER) by Jeanne DuPrau – I love getting the fourth (or any non first) book in a series after not having read any of the previous books. This is an ARC with the actual book publishing at the end of August.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss – I’ve read a few books by Traviss, so this might jump the pile a bit so I can read it before the movie hits theaters. This is, if it couldn’t be surmised by now, the novelization of the upcoming CGI-animated Star Wars flick.


The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld – For some reason, Tor reissued this series in trade paperback. To me, it would make sense to bind the two books in this duology, planned from what I’ve gathered as a single volume, rather than two trades which are double the price of the mass market paperback which went out of print. Those marketing choices aside, I read the first book a while ago and it was the selection of the SFFWorld Science Fiction book club back in 2005, but never made it to the second book. The arrival of this book is a good opportunity to revist Westerfeld’s saga, since I’ve enjoyed his YA vampire novels.