Books in the Mail (W/E 12/12/2009)

My usual readers know the drill – every Sunday I post the books I received for review the prior week.

Catalyst (A Tale of the Barque Cats) by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Del Rey , Hardcover 01/05/2009) – I’ll be right up front with this: books about cats are one of my reading cooties* so I will not be reading this one myself. That said, Scarborough and McCaffrey have impressive bibliographies on their own and together, so this book probably has a decent built-in audience. .

*Reading Cooties term thanks to Elizabeth Moon

Pilot, navigator, engineer, doctor, scientist—ship's cat? All are essential to the well-staffed space vessel. Since the early days of interstellar travel, when Tuxedo Thomas, a Maine coon cat, showed what a cat could do for a ship and its crew, the so-called Barque Cats have become highly prized crew members. Thomas's carefully bred progeny, ably assisted by humans—Cat Persons—with whom they share a deep and loving bond, now travel the galaxy, responsible for keeping spacecraft free of vermin, for alerting human crews to potential environmental hazards, and for acting as morale officers.

Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value.

Then the unthinkable happens. Chessie is kidnapped—er, catnapped—from Dr. Jared Vlast's vet clinic at Hood Station by a grizzled spacer named Carl Poindexter. But Chessie's newborn kittens turn out to be even more extraordinary than their mother. For while Chessie's connection to Janina is close and intuitive, the bond that the kitten Chester forms with Carl's son, Jubal, is downright telepathic. And when Chester is sent into space to learn his trade, neither he nor Jubal will rest until they're reunited.

But the announcement of a widespread epidemic affecting livestock on numerous planets throws their future into doubt. Suddenly the galactic government announces a plan to impound and possibly destroy all exposed animals. Not even the Barque Cats will be spared.

With the clock racing against them, Janina, Jubal, Dr. Vlast, and a handful of very special kittens will join forces with the mysterious Pshaw-Ra—an alien-looking cat with a hidden agenda—to save the Barque Cats, other animals, and quite possibly the universe as they know it from total destruction.


Sons of Dorn (An Imperial Fists Novel) by Chris Roberson (Black Library , Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) –I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read by Roberson as well as the Warhammer universe so I’ll get to this one at some point.

The Imperial Fists Space Marine Chapter is know for their brutal recruitment regime and three new recruits, rivals Zatori, du Queste and Taloc have survived long enough to advance to the Ranks of Scout. Their latest mission is to join their Imperial Fists battle brothers in action on Vernalis, a planet blighted by Chaos. Here their loyalty to the Emperor and their fortitude in battle will be sorely tested, as they must overcome the power of the Roaring Blades Traitor Guard and prevent these old enemies from bringing their downfall.

Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson (Spectra Hardcover 12/29/2009) – Robinson is one of the biggest names in American Science Fiction and this is no doubt a major release for him and the genre itself. Although I couldn’t get through Red Mars, I’m definitely giving this one a try and maybe, just maybe I’ll revisit his Mars books one more time.

The winner of every major science fiction award, Kim Stanley Robinson is a novelist who looks ahead with optimism even while acknowledging the steep challenges facing our planet and species: a clear-eyed realist who has not forgotten how to dream. His new novel offers his most audacious dream yet. At the heart of a brilliant narrative that stretches from Renaissance Italy to the moons of Jupiter is one man, the father of modern science: Galileo Galilei.

To the inhabitants of the Jovian moons, Galileo is a revered figure whose actions will influence the subsequent history of the human race. From the summit of their distant future, a charismatic renegade named Ganymede travels to the past to bring Galileo forward in an attempt to alter history and ensure the ascendancy of science over religion. And if that means Galileo must be burned at the stake, so be it.

Yet between his brief and jarring visitations to this future, Galileo must struggle against the ignorance and superstition of his own time. And it is here that Robinson is at his most brilliant, showing Galileo in all his contradictions and complexity. Robinson's Galileo is a tour de force of imaginative and historical empathy: the shining center around which the novel revolves.

From Galileo's heresy trial to the politics of far-future Jupiter, from the canals of Venice to frozen, mysterious Europa, Robinson illuminates the parallels between a distant past and an even more remote future—in the process celebrating the human spirit and calling into question the convenient truths of our own moment in time.

Starfist : Wings of Hell by David Sherman & Dan Cragg (Del Rey, Hardcover 12/30/2008) – This is the 13th entry in a Military Science Fiction saga set in the 25th Century. This marks the third time I’ve received a copy of this book, after the ARC and hardcover. Sherman and Cragg have Military experience, so maybe that translates into the books. I haven’t seen much chatter about the books online or at SFFWorld, either they are not that good or an overlooked gem.

No one captures the action and sacrifice of war better than real combat vets David Sherman and Dan Cragg. Now their blazing space epic Starfist continues as Marines of the Confederation’s Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) go head-to-head against the deadly Skinks. Of course, Company L’s third platoon has fought these aliens before, but never before in these numbers. . . .

Planet Haulover has been invaded by Skinks. Until now the aliens’ existence has been kept confidential. But Force Recon’s shocking report leaves the Confederation no choice but to mount a military campaign and reveal to the public its biggest secret: the threat of fierce alien predators bent on human destruction. What’s no secret is that the four army divisions and two Marine FISTs sent to Haulover aren’t nearly enough to defeat the well-entrenched aliens, who have a tunnel system second to none.

Back home, the Confederation’s president is being denounced as a warmonger bent on exterminating “harmless” aliens. And if she loses the upcoming elections, the Confederation will have a lot more Skinks than those on Haulover to worry about.

Newly promoted Lieutenant Charlie Bass and his third platoon have more pressing concerns, such as staying alive. But what would be a suicidal mission for most–whether it’s raiding a well-defended Skinks base or destroying the enemy’s most lethal weapons during a desperate firefight–is for them just another job.


Starfist: Double Jeopardy by David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Del Rey, Hardcover 12/29/2009) – This would be the ‘finished copy’ of the ARC I received about a month ago. Y’know, after receiving so many of these StarFist books, I really ought to give them a try.


The thrilling pace of the Starfist space epic quickens as the explosive series rockets to dazzling new heights, packed with the hell-for-leather action only two battle-hardened and decorated combat vets like David Sherman and Dan Cragg can provide.

The Confederation has finally disclosed the existence of Skinks, fierce aliens bent on wiping out humankind, and announced its plan to find and destroy their home world. While the rest of the universe grapples with the news, the Skink-savvy Marines of the Confederation's Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) have their own take on the situation.

Though they're no longer in danger of being exiled to a ghastly netherworld for spilling the beans about the deadly aliens, the men still can't transfer out of the unit where they've been confined since they first laid eyes on the Skinks. The reason is obvious: Who else but the legendary Thirty-fourth FIST has the skills and experience to spearhead the invasion of the Skinks' home world?

Morale isn't improved by a report of Skinks on the uncolonized world of Ishtar near a mercenary force engaged in slave-driven mining operations there—which means that FIST must turn around and head right back into the jaws of hell with no downtime. But none of that matters to Lieutenant Charlie Bass and the third platoon of Company L. They're Marines, they're the best, and they've got a job to do.

The Marines will find a planet ripped apart by all-out war, with enemies on all sides. The only certainty is that the fighting will rage red-hot and relentless, and Charlie Bass and his men will be right in the thick of the action.


Spellbent by Lucy Snyder (Del Rey , Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) – Snyder’s been publishing short stories for a few years, this is her debut novel. Although the cover here, on one hand, is very typical for the tough-midriff-bearing-hot-female, the other elements really help it stand out – the colors and the cool-looking skeletal serpent.

In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that's been unleashed.

In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she'll be shocked by what she discovers—and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.

Trade of Queens (Merchant Princes #6) by Charles Stross (Tor Hardcover 03/16/2010) – That B&W scan is the only image I could find of the cover. I’ve read some of Stross’s SF and enjoyed it, but this is the final and 6th book in a six-book series.

A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, has carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.

Mike Fleming, late of US intelligence, has just survived an attack on his life in Massachusetts and knows the worst and deepest secret: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of terrifying disaster. There is no safe place except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain — which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.

Charles Stross’ Merchant Princes series reaches a spectacular climax in this sixth volume. Praised by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as “great fun,” this is state-of-the-art, cutting-edge SF grown out of a fantastic premise.


Shadow King (A Tale of the Sundering) by Gav Thorpe (Black Library , Mass Market Paperback 03/13/2010) – Thorpe sent almost a decade and ahalf with Games Workshop so he’s got a good feel for the worlds. This book is the second in a series of stories set in the (I think) pre-history of the Warhammer Fantasy world.


When his family is betrayed and slain, Alith Anar, ill-fated prince of the Nagarythe, is forced to walk a dark path. With the island of Ulthuan in the grip of a civil war with their evil counterparts, the druchii, Alith Anar follows his destiny to become the Shadow King. Hunting his enemies from the darkness, he is now on a quest for vengeance that will never end.

SF is dying...again

It seems Mark C. Newton's article and response have caused something of a stir - the latest internet kerfuffle as some might say.

It's been a rather hot topic at SFFWorld lately.

I may (or may not) have a more considered response or thoughts to this, but I'm not sure if I'll post here or at SFFWorld or Mark's blog.

Dimebag & Destoyermen Redux

Talk about a strange twist of fate… Last year when I mentioned the death of Dimebag Darrell I posted my review of Taylor Anderson’s second Destroyermen novel Crusade. So here we are a year later and I’m publishing a nearly identical post, lamenting the loss of one of the greatest and most influential guitar players in the history Metal/Heavy Music/Rock and posting a link to my review of a Taylor Anderson novel. I knew I mentioned Dime about this time last year, but hadn’t gone back in my blog archives to actually read the post until this very day.

So, here’s part of my review of Maelstrom:

As with the previous volumes, Anderson capably renders the characters as people of their time. One of the elements lingering in the background in the previous two volumes comes to the forefront here – population control. Men far outnumber the women so committed relationships, such as marriage, is something of a faux pas. It isn’t touched on with too much depth, but that suits the story just fine since the most pressing matter is the looming threat of the Grik-Japanese force.

The Destroyermen, rightfully so, have had little time to explore or even become accustomed to the world in which they find themselves. Through the entire series Anderson has captured this sense of disorientation very well, but he juxtaposed it nicely with the growing trust, admiration, and respect between the humans and Lemurians. So much so that some of the men become drawn to the female Lemurians.

Books in the Mail (W/E 12/05/2009)

Three ARCs and Three shelf-ready publication books this week, not bad.


The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming (Putnam, Hardcover 12/31/2009) – Having this book arrive on my porch was the first I heard of it, and it the description below is intriguing. .


An incredibly original, intelligent novel-a love story set against New York City at the dawn of the mechanical age, featuring Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and J. P. Morgan.

After discovering an old photograph, an elderly antiques dealer living in present-day Los Angeles is forced to revisit the history he has struggled to deny. The photograph depicts a man and a woman. The man is Peter Force, a young frontier adventurer who comes to New York City in 1901 and quickly lands a job digging the first subway tunnels beneath the metropolis. The woman is Cheri- Anne Toledo, a beautiful mathematical prodigy whose memories appear to come from another world. They meet seemingly by chance, and initially Peter dismisses her as crazy. But as they are drawn into a tangle of overlapping intrigues, Peter must reexamine Cheri-Anne's fantastic story. Could it be that she is telling the truth and that she has stumbled onto the most dangerous secret imaginable: the key to traveling through time?

Set against the mazelike streets of New York at the dawn of the mechanical age, Peter and Cheri-Anne find themselves wrestling with the nature of history, technology, and the unfolding of time itself.

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane (Del Rey Mass Market Paperback 05/25/2010) – This is a real early ARC, as for the story it seems part ghost story, part urban fantasy.

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.

Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.


Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley (Pyr Trade Paperback 03/15/2010) – This will be a welcome sequel to The Quiet War for many. However, I’m one of the only people who didn’t seem to connect with that book.

The Quiet War is over. The city-states of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, founded by descendants of refugees from Earth's repressive regimes, the Outers, have fallen to the Three Powers Alliance of Greater Brazil, the European Union, and the Pacific Community. A century of enlightenment, rational utopianism, and exploration of new ways of being human has fallen dark. Outers are herded into prison camps and forced to collaborate in the systematic plundering of their great archives of scientific and technical knowledge, while Earth's forces loot their cities and settlements and ships, and plan a final solution to the "Outer problem."

But Earth's victory is fragile, and riven by vicious internal politics. While seeking out and trying to anatomize the strange gardens abandoned in place by the Outers' greatest genius, Avernus, the gene wizard Sri Hong-Owen is embroiled in the plots and counterplots of the family that employs her. The diplomat Loc Ifrahim soon discovers that profiting from victory isn't as easy as he thought. And on Earth, in Greater Brazil, the democratic traditions preserved and elaborated by the Outers have infected a population eager to escape the tyranny of the great families who rule them.

Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the Solar System, a rag-taggle group of refugees struggle to preserve the last of the old ideals. And on Triton, fanatical members of a cabal prepare for a final battle that threatens to shatter the future of the human species.

After a conflict fought to contain the expansionist, posthuman ambitions of the Outers, the future is as uncertain as ever. Only one thing is clear. No one can escape the consequences of war—especially the victors.


Starship: Flaghsip (Book Five of the Starship Series) by Mike Resnick (Pyr , Hardcover December 2008) – This I’ve read the first three books (Starship: Mutiny, Starship: Pirate, Starship: Mercenary) but haven’t read the fourth yet, which I plan to remedy now that I have the full series..

The date is 1970 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now, and the Republic, created by the human race but not yet dominated by it, finds itself in an all-out war against the Teroni Federation, an alliance of races that resent Man's growing military and economic power.

The rebel starship, the Theodore Roosevelt, under the command of Wilson Cole, is preparing to lead Cole's ragtag armada into the Republic, even though he is outnumbered thousands to one. Cole is convinced that the government has become an arrogant and unfeeling political entity and must be overthrown.

The trick is to avoid armed conflict with the vast array of ships, numbering in the millions, in the Republic's Navy. For a time Cole's forces strike from cover and race off to safety, but he soon sees that is no way to conquer the mightiest political and military machine in the history of the galaxy. He realizes that he must reach Deluros VIII, the headquarters world of the Republic (and of the race of Man), in order to have any effect on the government at all—but Deluros VIII is the best-protected world in the Republic.

But a new threat looms on the horizon. Cole, the Valkyrie, David Copperfield, Sharon Blacksmith, Jacovic, and the rest of the crew of the Teddy R face their greatest challenge yet, and the outcome will determine the fate of the entire galaxy.

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt) 1 by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Pyr , Trade Paperback 03/13/2010) – I’ve seen and read good things about this series of books, so I was pleased to find out Pyr is bringing this books out for US readers. This is an ARC of the first book of the series.


The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace for decades, bastions of civilization, prosperity and sophistication, protected by treaties, trade and a belief in the reasonable nature of their neighbours.

But meanwhile, in far-off corners, the Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art . . . And now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable.

Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people, before a black-and-gold tide sweeps down over the Lowlands and burns away everything in its path.

But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim.


The Inquistion War by Ian Watson (Black Library Paperback 12/29/2009) – Watson is a respected British SF author and this is what Black Library considers one of the classics of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and as such, they’ve reissued it.

The phenomenal trilogy is back in print!

The Inquisition War is the classic story of Inquisitor Jaq Draco and his desperate mission to uncover a plot that will bring mankind to its knees before the Dark Powers. Written by award-winning author, Ian Watson, The Inquisition War explores areas of the Warhammer 40,000 mythology that few other authors have dared to tackle!

Collected in this omnibus is the seminal trilogy of Draco (previously released as Inquisitor), Harlequin, Chaos Child and two linking short stories which together make the legend of The Inquisition War complete.

Elizabeth Moon & SFFWorld

Over the course of the past near-decade at SFFWorld, particularly in my role as moderator/administrator of the SFFWorld forums, I’ve seen a fair number of published authors participate. It always pretty neat

James Barclay (author of the awesome Raven series of books, the first trilogy of which recently hit US shores thanks to Pyr is a regular participant and moderator, R.A. Salvatore was participating for a while, Jim Butcher dropped in once, Jeff VanderMeer stopped by during our Book Club discussion of Veniss Underground, and perhaps most recently Brandon Sanderson (posting as EUOL).

Heck, we host official author forums for R. Scott Bakker, Alison Croggon, Gary Wassner, Kevin Radthorne, and Matthew Stover

This all brings me to the latest top-name author to become a member of SFFWorld forums, Elizabeth Moon. Mrs. Moon has gone full gusto since joining, providing some great writing advice and discussing both her SF work and her Paksenarrion saga with our members, as well as Science Fiction in general.

She’s got a major release coming out early 2010, the next of her Paksenarrion saga, Oath of Fealty.


In addition, she’s written some popular and acclaimed Science Fiction:
Vatta’s War, Serrano Legacy and the Nebula Award winning Speed of the Dark



So, after reading some of her posts and interacting with Mrs. Moon, I'm very inclined to jump into some of the books she's written. I will likely start with Oath of Fealty, an ARC of which I received a few of weeks ago, and hope to get the omnibus of The Deed of Paksenarrion for Christmas, then I might jump into some of the Heris Serrano books.

The Devil's Alphabet by Daryl Gregory

After last week’s whirlwind week of reviews, we are back to one review up at SFFWorld today.

That book under review is Daryl Gregory’s second novel, The Devil’s Alphabet:

Gregory’s protagonist is Paxton Abel Martin, Pax for short. Pax was one of the few residents of Switchcreek not affected by TDS, and because he was unaffected, he is considered a “skip.” As a result, his father, a preacher and a charlie, urged him to leave. Pax settles in Chicago and fifteen years later, Pax is called back to Switchcreek to attend the funeral of Jo Lynn who was his closest friend as a child. What Pax finds most surprising is that her death is ruled a suicide. When he returns to his childhood home he finds his father in worse condition than he could have imagined. Pax soon learns that one of the side attributes of the grotesquely enormous charlies is the secretion? of the Vintage, essentially a new drug. Pax is unable to not try the vintage and it sends him into an incredible, hallucinogenic high.

What Pax learns about his father; however, is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The theme of small town secrets is prevalent both in real life and in fiction, and Gregory does an incredibly convincing job of revealing the many secrets of Switchcreek. Though some of the secrets are both dark and benevolent at the same time, the path Gregory wends in revealing these secrets is clever and plausible.

Last week I also finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy and I’m still thinking about the book’s simple, elegant and profound story. It took me a bit to get accustomed to McCarthy’s very sparse style – barely any punctuation like opening and closing quotes for dialogue and brief sentences in said dialogue. However, once I was swept up in the story, I couldn’t imagine it being told in any other style since the style mirrored the story being told very well.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/29/2009)

Turkey week brought only one arrival.


Roadkill (Cal Leandros #5) by Rob Thurman (Roc Paperback 03/02/2010) – This series seems quite popular, with five books since 2006, that makes a pretty good track record.


It's time to lock, load, and hit the road...

Once, while half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko were working on a case, an ancient gypsy queen gave them a good old-fashioned backstabbing. Now, just as their P.I. business hits a slow patch, the old crone shows up with a job.

She wants them to find a stolen coffin that contains a blight that makes the Black Death seem like a fond memory. But the thief has already left town, so the Leandros brothers are going on the road. And if they're very, very lucky, there might even be a return trip...

Slew of Reviews - Anders, Bullington, Butcher, Forbes, and Hill

We at SFFWorld wanted to give you plenty of reviews to read over the next week, which here in the US is Thanksgiving. I’ve got my usual review, Dan has a review and Mark went ballistic and posted three reviews.

As promised last week, I finished off and reviewed the third in David Forbes’s Osserian Saga, The Commanding Stone:

One thing that becomes apparent with each volume in this saga is that David Forbes has a clear vision of where he is taking these characters. Forbes also raises the stakes in this volume, with the threat of returning dragons as a clear indicator that Gerin’s awakening to power as the Amber Wizard was just the first of vast and legendary powers returning to the world.

The novel begins with one young man, Tyne, putting the body of his brother to eternal rest. When the legendary Vanil, giants, awakened in the previous volume, Tyne’s brother was killed. Tyne is grieving, wishing for some kind of retribution, and blames Gerin for his brother’s death. His wish is granted in the form of the titular Commanding Stone, which allows him to bend the will of dragons to his wishes. In short, Tyne makes a deal with the devil, or the Adversary as he’s known in Forbes’s world.

Dan reviewed what the second original anthology Lou Anders has edited for Pyr:, Fast Forward:

Lou Anders says in his introduction: What follows are fourteen tales, from the comedic to the cautionary, as different as the seventeen writers who penned them, as current as tomorrow, and as wild as imagination –and the only constant in them is the reality and inevitability of change. Because, as this volume testifies, the future lies ahead of us, and it’s coming fast..
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Mitigation, Karl Schroeder & Tobias S. Buckell - A few years from now, with global warming wreaking astonishing second and third order havoc, the seeds secreted away at Svalbard become booty, a treasure some countries want to acquire for their own survival, not by using them but by ransoming them. A man and a woman set out to prevent this disaster but their individual solutions differ. A nice twist tells us who succeeded.

As I said, Mark reviewed three books, the first I’ll link to is the 9th Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher, White Night:

So, as we reach Book Nine of the Dresden Files series (yes, Book Nine!) what can we say that hasn’t already been said?

Surely, by this point fans are already converted and newbies pointed towards earlier books?

Usually by this point, it’s all been done. Hasn’t it?

Well, White Night is still determinedly Dresden. There’s still that dark humour and dry, Butcher drawl spoken through Harry. There’s still the broad range of engaging supporting characters. As you might expect from this far into a series, much of the tale derives its entertainment not from telling anything particularly new but rather from the development of characters and events earlier in the novels.

Another book Mark reviewed is the debut from Jess Bullington, The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington:

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington is a morality tale for characters with no morals. It is dark, cynical, and at times unpleasant, VERY unpleasant. And yet, in that strange watching a car-crash manner, an enthralling read.

Written in the style of a Brothers Grimm tale, the story tells of Hegel and Manfried Grossbart, whose ugliness on the outside pales to insignificance with their internal malaise. They think nothing of setting alight people who they think have wronged them, of cracking skulls and breaking limbs when the needs arise, whilst often debating their actions in the highest of moral tones..

Lastly, Mark took a look at an interesting non-fiction memoir of one woman’s year of reading, Susan Hill’s Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home:

Howards End is on the Landing is a diary cum memoir of a writer’s efforts to do this. At first, such a book may sound dull or quaint. What can you say about books without going into details about each book? How far can you go before such a monologue becomes annoying?

It’s not an easy job, but Susan Hill manages it. Perhaps it should be expected, for Susan Hill’s reputation as a publisher (Long Barn Books) and a writer (ghost stories The Woman in Black and The Man Who Turned Into a Picture, for example) is well known in England, if not elsewhere.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/22/2009)

A nice slow week of arrivals here at the o’ Stuff.


Metal Gear Solid 2: The Novel: Sons of Liberty by Raymond Benson (Del Rey, Trade Paperback 11/24/2009) – Del Rey keeps churning out these video game novelizations. .


In a torrential downpour, former FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake stands on the George Washington Bridge–ready to launch himself onto the deck of the U.S.S. Discovery as it passes below. Inside Discovery is a new generation of Metal Gear. But in the next hour, Snake’s world explodes.

Two years later, a young, unproven agent code-named Raiden must penetrate the mystery of what went so insanely wrong that night.

In a labyrinthine superstructure in New York Harbor known as the Big Shell, enemies, allies, secret agents, and double-dealers converge: Russian commandos, a cyber Vamp, a long-legged, leather-clad, rifle-bearing beauty named Fortune, a deformed, finely manicured bomber called Fatman, and a mysterious Mister X. Somewhere in the maze, as well, is the president himself–his biometrics coded to a bomb that can take out Manhattan, his loyalties unknown. Now the rookie Raiden is fighting his way to one discovery after another, including the rebirth of Solid Snake himself and a nightmare organization with a history, a plan, and a terrifying superweapon hidden in plain sight.


Dynasty of Evil (A Darth Bane 3#) by Drew Karpyshyn (Del Rey/Star Wars Books Hardcover 12/08/2009) – These Darth Bane books seem to be pretty well received and considering Karpyshyn had a big hand in crafting the early early days of Star Wars in the Knights of the Old Republic games, this isn’t too much of a surprise.

Twenty years have passed since Darth Bane, reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, demolished the ancient order devoted to the dark side and reinvented it as a circle of two: one Master to wield the power and pass on the wisdom, and one apprentice to learn, challenge, and ultimately usurp the Dark Lord in a duel to the death. But Bane’s acolyte, Zannah, has yet to engage her Master in mortal combat and prove herself a worthy successor. Determined that the Sith dream of galactic domination will not die with him, Bane vows to learn the secret of a forgotten Dark Lord that will assure the Sith’s immortality–and his own.

A perfect opportunity arises when a Jedi emissary is assassinated on the troubled mining planet Doan, giving Bane an excuse to dispatch his apprentice on a fact-finding mission–while he himself sets out in secret to capture the ancient holocron of Darth Andeddu and its precious knowledge. But Zannah is no fool. She knows that her ruthless Master has begun to doubt her, and she senses that he is hiding something crucial to her future. If she is going to claim the power she craves, she must take action now.

While Bane storms the remote stronghold of a fanatical Sith cult, Zannah prepares for her Master’s downfall by choosing an apprentice of her own: a rogue Jedi cunning and cold-blooded enough to embrace the Sith way and to stand beside her when she at last wrests from Bane the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith.

But Zannah is not the only one with the desire and power to destroy Darth Bane. Princess Serra of the Doan royal family is haunted by memories of the monstrous Sith soldier who murdered her father and tortured herwhen she was a child. Bent on retribution, she hires a merciless assassin to find her tormentor–and bring him back alive to taste her wrath.

Only a Sith who has taken down her own Master can become Dark Lord of the Sith. So when Bane suddenly vanishes, Zannah must find him–possibly even rescue him–before she can kill him. And so she pursues her quarry from the grim depths of a ravaged world on the brink of catastrophe to the barren reaches of a desert outpost, where the future of the dark side’s most powerful disciples will be decided, once and for all, by the final, fatal stroke of a lightsaber.

Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner (Tor , Hardcover 11/23/2009) – I really enjoyed the first of this Ringworld prequel seriesFleet of Worlds, but was very disappointed by the second book Juggler of Worlds last year.


Worlds closer to the galatic core than Known Space are --or were-- home to intelligent speciers. Some learned of the core explosion in time to flee. Destroyer of Worlds opens in 2670, ten years after Juggler of Worlds closes; with refugee species fleeing in an armada of ramscoops in the direction of the Fleet of Worlds. The onrushing aliens are recognized as a threat; they have left in their trail a host of desolated worlds: some raided for supplies, some attacked to eliminate competition, and some for pure xenophobia.

Only the Puppeteers might have the resources to confront this threat--but the Puppeteers are philosophical cowards... they don't confront anyone. They need sepoys to investigate the situation and take action for them. The source of the sepoys? Their newly independent former slave world, New Terra.


Forged by Chaos (Book 3 in the Warhammer : Age of Reckoning series) by C.L. Werner (Black Library Mass Market Paperback 02/14/2009) – Werner is something of a Warhammer veteran and this is the third novelization/companion novel to accompany the popular and acclaimed MMPORG..

All across the Empire, the servants of Emperor Karl Franz's Griffon order are struggling to turn back the armies of Chaos. Two such heroes the witch hunter Udo and the warrior priestess Annaliese are caught up in the conflict as they journey into Reikland in trying to aid the war effort. At Altdorf, the capital of the Empire, the warriors of Karl Franz must make their stand lest all the land be lost to Chaos.

Forbes's Words and Banks's Transitions at SFFWorld

Cue Wacky Radio DJ voice…

It’s Two-fer-Tuesday here at the o’ Stuff! I’m posting links to two, that’s right TWO new reviews at SFFWorld!

It’s been a while since I read David Forbes’s debut novel - The Amber Wizard, but I enjoyed it at the time and thought he started of his writing career (and the trilogy of books) on a good foot. Well, I finished off and reviewed the second in the trilogy, The Words of Making, recently:

Forbes improves on his characterization in this, his second novel. Gerin comes across more genuinely and his emotions are portrayed more realistically. All of the characters from the previous novel, in fact, show more depth in The Words of Making. Other characters do come to the fore, of course. Not the least of which is the Voice of the Exalted, Vethiq aril Tolsadri, the headstrong leader of the Havalqa.

In the Havalqa, Forbes gives readers a nation of religious zealots beholden to a mysterious group of creatures known as Dreamers. These people come across as powerful, uncompromising, and ruthless, but underneath all of that they also wish to prevent the coming of the Great Enemy, which has many of the qualities of the Khedeshian Adversary. While this may seem obvious to the reader, the characters were a little slow to pick up on this relationship.

Dan reviewed what a lot consider a major SF novel of the year by one of the genre’s top writers:, Transitions by Iain M. Banks:

To follow this story, we must keep track of (1) the Concern’s chief interrogator known as The Philosopher, a name earned because he refuses to employ children as tools in his interrogation techniques. (2) Adrian’s life and times, (3) The Pitcher, Mike Esteros, who has a story about aliens he has worked long and hard to produce; and, (4) Patient 8262, an inmate in a mental institution whom we know from the outset is a contrived persona.

Along the way we are going to confront issues such as eternal life through transitioned bodies, is man the best agency for deciding what’s best for humanity, and who is Temudjin Oh?

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/14/2009)

Thankfully, a little break from last week’s gigantic haul, but a couple of really interesting books nonetheless.


Titanicus by Dan Abnett (Black Library 11/24/2009) – This is the fourth Warhammer book I’ve received by Abnett, I reallyl need to get cracking.


When the vital forge world of Orestes comes under attack by a legion of Chaos Titans, the planet is forced to appeal for help. Titan Legio Invicta, although fresh from combat and in desperate need of refit and repair, responds, committing its own force of war engines to the battle. As the god-machines stride to war, the world trembles, for the devastation they unleash could destroy the very world they have pledged to save.

Savage Titan action on an apocalyptic scale and dark political intrigue meet head-on in this Warhammer 40,000 epic.

The Saint (A Gaunt’s Ghost’s Omnibus [#2]) by Dan Abnett (Black Library 08/24/2007) – This is the fifth Warhammer book I’ve received by Abnett, I reallyl need to get cracking.


The second superb omnibus of the phenomenally popular Gaunt's Ghosts series.

The Black Library's flagship military science fiction series is back in a new omnibus edition collecting the books from The Saint sequence (Honour Guard, Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr). The novels follow the story of Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First-and-Only regiment, nicknamed the Ghosts, as they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system. The Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deadly politics and in-fighting of the Imperial Guard.



Where Angels Fear to Tread (The Third Remy Chandler novel) by Thomas E. Sniegoski (Roc Trade Paperback 03/02/2009) – The third in Sniegoski’s Urban Fantasy about a former Angel from Heaven who is now a private investigator with supernatural cases. He cranks these books out pretty quickly.


Six year-old Zoe York has been taken and her mother has come to Remy for help. She shows him crude, childlike drawings that she claims are Zoe's visions of the future, everything leading up to her abduction, and some beyond. Like the picture of a man with wings who would come and save her-a man who is an angel.

Zoe's preternatural gifts have made her a target for those who wish to exploit her power to their own destructive ends. The search will take Remy to dark places he would rather avoid. But to save an innocent, Remy will ally himself with a variety of lesser evils-and his soul may pay the price...

Divine Misdemeanors (Meredith Gentry Series #8)by Laurell K. Hamilton (Ballantine, Hardcover 12/29/2009) – This is Hamilton’s series about faeries in modern day, mixed with a healthy dose of eroticism. She’s quite a popular author..


Following on the heels of the heart-stopping conclusion to Swallowing Darkness, Laurell K. Hamilton and Meredith Gentry are back!

Between dark faerie magic and the deepest desires lies the world of Meredith Gentry, princess, private eye, and powerful player in a game of supernatural sexual intrigue. The tension in this extraordinary saga continues to mount as Merry, pregnant with twins, refuses the throne of faerie and retreats with her bodyguards to Los Angeles in an attempt to protect the new life growing within her. Both the deadly destructive factions of the faerie courts -- as well as those who would worship her -- will be equally dangerous to her attempts to create a peaceful haven for her unborn children.

Filled with riveting twists, this new novel adds yet another unforgettable chapter to a story that is both epic and breathtaking..

The Dragon Book by Dann/Dozois

First, let me wish a Happy Birthday to Sesame Street!

Second, the real reason I know all you millions and millions of my readers visit this blog on a Tuesday – review time! Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois have been assembling themed anthologies for nearly twenty years together, which is just a portion of their individual bibliographies. Their latest collaboration The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy is the subject of my review this week:

Arguably, Dozois is one of the most renowned anthologists (Datlow, Greenberg, and Hartwell/Kramer being the other luminaries) in the genre so an invitation to contribute to an anthology in which he is (one of) the editor(s) is a sign of acceptance in the genre. In this volume he and Dann have pulled together an eclectic array of stories featuring perhaps the most iconic figure of fantasy literature from a solid group of contributors.
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Tad Williams plays with language and communication in A Stark and Wormy Night. The clever trick of the story posits humans as the legendary creatures and dragons as the dominant and ‘real’ species of the world. This story was quite a bit of fun.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/08/2009)

Every time I get one of those really big week of arrivals here at the o' Stuff, I think I won't get a week more arrivals than said week. Well, I'm thinking that this week with all the books to arrive in my mailbox, in front of my garage and on my front porch.


The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett (BantamSpectra, Trade Paperback 11/24/2009) – Becket is also known as Mark Anthony.


Galen Beckett weaves a dazzling spell of adventure and suspense in an evocative world of high magick and genteel society–a world where one young woman discovers that her modest life is far more extraordinary than she ever imagined.

Of the three Lockwell sisters–romantic Lily, prophetic Rose, and studious, book-loving Ivy–it’s Ivy, the eldest, who’s held the family together after their father’s silent retreat to the library upstairs. Everyone blames Mr. Lockwell’s malady on his magickal studies, but Ivy still believes–both in magick and in its power to bring her father back.

Yet it is not until Ivy takes a job with the reclusive Mr. Quent that she discovers the fate she shares with a secret society of highwaymen, revolutionaries, illusionists, and spies who populate the island nation of Altania. It’s a fate that will determine whether Altania faces a new dawn–or an everlasting night.


The Silver Skull (A Swords of Albion Book 1) by Mark Chadbourn (Pyr 11/3/2009) – The protagonist of this novel appeared in what I thought was the best story in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy:

A DEVILISH PLOT TO ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN, A COLD WAR ENEMY HELL-BENT ON DESTROYING THE NATION, INCREDIBLE GADGETS, A RACE AGAINST TIME AROUND THE WORLD TO STOP THE ULTIMATE DOOMSDAY DEVICE…AND ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND'S GREATEST SPY!

Meet Will Swyfte - adventurer, swordsman, rake, swashbuckler, wit, scholar and the greatest of Walsingham's new band of spies. His exploits against the forces of Philip of Spain have made him a national hero, lauded from Carlisle to Kent. Yet his associates can barely disguise their incredulity - what is the point of a spy whose face and name is known across Europe?

But Swyfte's public image is a carefully-crafted façade to give the people of England something to believe in, and to allow them to sleep peacefully at night. It deflects attention from his real work - and the true reason why Walsingham's spy network was established.

A Cold War seethes, and England remains under a state of threat. The forces of Faerie have been preying on humanity for millennia. Responsible for our myths and legends, of gods and fairies, dragons, griffins, devils, imps and every other supernatural menace that has haunted our dreams, this power in the darkness has seen humans as playthings to be tormented, hunted or eradicated.

But now England is fighting back!

Magical defences have been put in place by the Queen's sorcerer Dr John Dee, who is also a senior member of Walsingham's secret service and provides many of the bizarre gadgets utilised by the spies. Finally there is a balance of power. But the Cold War is threatening to turn hot at any moment…

Will now plays a constant game of deceit and death, holding back theEnemy's repeated incursions, dealing in a shadowy world of plots and counter-plots, deceptions, secrets, murder, where no one… and no thing…is quite what it seems.

Plague Zone by Jeff Carlson (Ace, Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) – This would be the third book in Carlson’s series which began with Philip K. Dick-nominated The Plague War.


After surviving the machine plague and the world war that followed, nanotech researcher Ruth Goldman and ex-army ranger Cam Najarro discovered that a new contagion is about to be unleashed.


Red Inferno: 1945 by Robert Conroy (Ballantine Paperback 02/10/2010) – Another alternate history from the author of the previous 1942.


Total Oblivion, More or Less by Alan DeNiro (Bantam Spectra, Hardcover 11/24/2009) – DeNiro has been gaining a lot of positive acclaim for his fiction, this is his second novel.


“I remember the first time I began to understand that things might not be the same again.”

What’s a girl to do when her world is invaded by warriors from the ancient world? That’s the problem faced by sixteen-year-old Macy, who sees her quiet, normal life in suburban Minnesota turned upside down when things that should never be possible begin to transform the landscape all around her. The cable stops working, the phone lines die–and then the horsemen come to town. It’s not the same America that she last went to sleep in.

Ticketed to a refugee camp by the marauding Scythian armies, Macy and her family come to believe that heading down the Mississippi by boat is their one escape from the encroaching madness. But as they make their way downriver, Macy’s world just keeps getting stranger, and the wooden submarines, wasp-borne plagues, and talking dogs are the least of her problems: For in this upside-down world, old identities warp and family bonds are sorely tested.

Acclaimed writer Alan DeNiro has fashioned a completely original, utterly beguiling melding of the surreal and the everyday.

The Devil's Alphabet by Del Rey, Trade Paperback 11/24/2009) – I still haven’t read Gregory’s acclaimed debut and this one looks just as good

From Daryl Gregory, whose Pandemonium was one of the most exciting debut novels in memory, comes an astonishing work of soaring imaginative power that breaks new ground in contemporary fantasy.

Switchcreek was a normal town in eastern Tennessee until a mysterious disease killed a third of its residents and mutated most of the rest into monstrous oddities. Then, as quickly and inexplicably as it had struck, the disease–dubbed Transcription Divergence Syndrome (TDS)–vanished, leaving behind a population divided into three new branches of humanity: giant gray-skinned argos, hairless seal-like betas, and grotesquely obese charlies.

Paxton Abel Martin was fourteen when TDS struck, killing his mother, transforming his preacher father into a charlie, and changing one of his best friends, Jo Lynn, into a beta. But Pax was one of the few who didn’t change. He remained as normal as ever. At least on the outside.

Having fled shortly after the pandemic, Pax now returns to Switchcreek fifteen years later, following the suicide of Jo Lynn. What he finds is a town seething with secrets, among which murder may well be numbered. But there are even darker–and far weirder–mysteries hiding below the surface that will threaten not only Pax’s future but the future of the whole human race.


The Infernal City : An Elder Scrolls Novel by Greg Keyes (Del Rey, Trade Paperpack 11/24/2009) – I like Greg Keyes’s writing very much and from what I know, the setting in which this series takes place is rich.


Four decades after the Oblivion Crisis, Tamriel is threatened anew by an ancient and all-consuming evil. It is Umbriel, a floating city that casts a terrifying shadow–for wherever it falls, people die and rise again.

And it is in Umbriel’s shadow that a great adventure begins, and a group of unlikely heroes meet. A legendary prince with a secret. A spy on the trail of a vast conspiracy. A mage obsessed with his desire for revenge. And Annaig, a young girl in whose hands the fate of Tamriel may rest . . . .

Based on the award-winning The Elder Scrolls, The Infernal City is the first of two exhilarating novels following events that continue the story from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, named 2006 Game of the Year.

Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/1/2009) – These Valdemar anthologies seems to becoming almost an annual thing.


In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Vademar was the beginning of a fantasy masterpiece that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now sixteen of today's hottest fantasy authors-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-visit the world of Valdemar, adding their own special touches.


The Conqueror's Shadow by Ari Marmell (Bantam Spectra Hardcover 02/23/2009) – Marmell has been in the genre for some time now, having published tie-in fiction for Magic: The Gathering as well as work on a number of manuals for Dungeons & Dragons/Wizards of the Coast. This is his first original novel and it sounds pretty interesting

They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda.
Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amidst the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage—a young noblewoman named Tyannon—to guarantee his escape.

Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of an upstart warlord, Audriss, following his old path of conquest, can stir Rebaine to action.

Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.

Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine dons the armor of the Terror of the East again and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda—to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement.

But even if he convinces his comrades to join him, Rebaine faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?

Star Wars Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller (Del Rey/Star Wars Books Trade Paperback 02/23/2010) – Miller churns out novels like a machine, this is her second Star Wars novel and seventh novel over the past two years.


Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are on a secret mission to one of the many worlds caught in the middle of the struggle between the Republic and the Separatists. A pastoral planet, Lanteeb wants only to be left alone to survive -- but it is the source of what could be one of the most devastatingly destructive weapons ever. If this potential weapon were to fall into the hands of the Separatists, uncounted worlds would fall. But should the Republic succeed in destroying it first, one world that needs it to survive will be annihilated. A frightening dilemma that Obi-Wan and Anakin will have to untangle, if they can get in and out of the occupied planet alive...

Oath of Fealty (The Chronicles of Paksenarrion’s World) by Elizabeth Moon (Del Rey, Hardcover 03/16/2009) – Moon’s Deeds of Paksennarrion is very highly acclaimed and this is the authors first novel in that world in a very long time. This novel seems to stand on it's own, so I'll probably be diving into it at some point.

When the paladin Paksenarrion saved Kieri Phelan from traitorous attack on his way to the throne of Lyonya, it seemed her work was done. Lyonya would once more have a healthy king whose taig-sense would sustain the alliance of elves and humans in this strange land. But a paladin's intervention always means change--and change sweeps through the world in the wake of her great deeds. Who will take over Kieri's former realm? What will happen to those who opposed him? From Girdish yeoman to mercenary veteran, from peasant to king, from the Eight Kingdoms of the north to the Guild League cities of the south, no one escapes the challenges--and opportunities--of this tumultuous period. Those who expected to spend the rest of their lives in the same familiar place or position must cope with these changes, or in failure contribute to
the chaos.

Helfort's War Book 3: The Battle of Devastation Reef by Graham Sharp Paul (Del Rey, Mass Market 11/24/2009) – This is the third book in a Military SF series and I haven’t read the first two books.


If he survives, hell just may freeze over.

The savage Hammer Worlds are not only near invincible but almost certain to win their war to crush the Federated Worlds and control humanspace–unless the Feds can find and destroy their secret antimatter warhead facility.

Only dreadnoughts, the lone Federated ships able to withstand antimatter missile attacks, can do the job, and only Lieutenant Michael Helfort has the skill to lead them. But skill may not be enough, because Helfort is more than the newly appointed captain: He’s a hero, and this means that his own senior officers want him to fail–and that the enemy’s kingpin wants him dead.

Helfort’s early victories merely intensify everyone’s determination. No action is too low, no price too high, to bring him down–with treachery, or betrayal, or an offer he can’t refuse, even if it means selling out his own side.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson (Roc, Hardcover 12/1/2009) – …and the saga of Bradley’s Avalon continues….


Marion Zimmer Bradley's legendary saga of Avalon's extraordinary women continues with a tale of fiery visions, a lost king, and a forthcoming destiny...

Epic in its sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership and anyone who loves wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy.

A boy raised in secret after traitors kill his parents will return to Avalon-and when he does, he'll be faced with a formidable task: to prove his worth as a son of the kings and priestesses of his land and lead his followers to victory, wielding the newly-forged sword Excalibur..


Spells of the City by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/29/2009) – The December monthly DAW anthology focuses on the magic in everyday cities

Venture into Spells of the City, where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge...Harry the Book will be happy to place your best in a spellbinding alternative New York...a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when he's forced to live by his creator's rules...and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold.



Liberating Atlantis by Harry Turtledove (Roc, Hardcover 12/1/2009) – Turtledove’s third book in his Atlantis alternate history series..


"The maven of alternate history" (San Diego Union- Tribune) continues his epic tale of Atlantis.

Frederick Radcliff is a descendant of the family that founded Atlantis's first settlement, and his grandfather Victor led the army against England to win the nation's independence. But he is also a black slave, unable to prove his lineage, and forced to labor on a cotton plantation in the southern region of the country.

Frederick feels the color of his skin shouldn't keep him from having the same freedoms his ancestors fought and died for. So he becomes the leader of a revolutionary army of slaves determined to free all of his brethren across Atlantis....

Confessions of a Demon by S.L. Wright (Roc, Mass Market Paperback 12/01/2009) – Demon/vampire? Check. Scantily clad shapely woman dressed in leather on the cover? Check. Visible midriff on said woman? Check. Visible tattoo on said woman? Check.


After accidentally stealing the life force of a dying demon, Allay became the only human-demon hybrid in existence. Demons feed on human emotions, so Allay decided the safest way to satisfy this need-and still retain some semblance of her humanity-was to open a bar. Here she can drink from, and ease, her patrons' pain, which has helped her to stay under the demon radar...until now.

When Allay is attacked and nearly killed by another demon, a human comes to her rescue. Theo Ram is tall, handsome, and mortal-and Allay feels a connection to him she didn't think she'd ever know. But that bond is tested when the demon community in New York begins to rise up, and two opposing clans fight for power. Now Allay is caught in the middle, and she must decide where her loyalties lie.

The Sapphire Sirens by John Zakour (DAW, Mass Market Paperback 12/1/2009) – Zakour’s humorous, pulpy future sf adventure-caper series continues. Very consistently at that, he seems to churn them out once per year.


Zach Johnson, the world's last freelance detective, has been man-napped by the beautiful sapphire-haired Amazon Kiana. She's brought him to her home island of Lantis-where the women dominate men with their words-to discover who killed her mother, the Queen. But to save the day this time, Zach and his holographic A.I. sidekick HARV have to tangle with not just one gorgeous superwoman, but four. Each of Kiana's three sisters could have the motive and the means to pull off the crime-and now that you mention it, Kiana could too...

Werewolves and Space Divers

What would a Tuesday be around here at the o’ Stuff without me posting links to new reviews at SFFWorld?

Earlier in the year, I reviewed a very solid Space Opera by S. Andrew Swann - Prophets. In his second release of the year, and second I’ve subsequently reviewed, he drops the “Andrew” in favor of “A.” and switches genres – a medieval werewolf fantasy - Wolfbreed with very good results:

One of the great things about the book, and an element that helped to keep me turning the pages, was Swann’s structure for the novel. In interweaving sections, Swann reveals the past of Lily and her wolfbreed pack-mates as they are trained by the church to terrorize villages. The bulk of the novel deals with the aftermath of Lily’s escape as she comes to the attention of Udolf, who is in the woods helping to make his adopted family make ends meet. You see, Udolf’s family was slaughtered about a decade prior to the events of the novel in one of the Church’s destructive conversions. In addition, Udolf lost an arm the night his family was slaughtered so his self-worth is not exactly high.

Swann fills the novel with multiple conflicts, each of them paralleling each other. In Lily, we have a creature that is conflicted herself – between her human side and her wolf side. During her years as a captive of the church, she was tortured and abused, with hints of rape thrown into the mix. To help herself cope, she split her personality and hid part of herself away to avoid really experiencing those horrid deeds. When she comes to meet Udolf, she is a shell of a person having regressed in her ability to communicate. However, she displays great physical strength and a remarkable ability to heal, which helps Udolf’s family a great deal. All told, Swann has given readers an empathetic, remarkably drawn character in Lily.

Dan reviewed new SF adventure by genre veteran Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck:

The universe that makes her [Boss’s] story possible also includes a recent war that the Empire won but the Alliance didn’t exactly lose. The balance is precarious, hanging by a thread that will be cut if the old stealth technology can be re-discovered by either side.

In three parts, we watch Boss find what she’s looking for, lose it, and then attempt to destroy it. Part 1 sets the problems, the ones she must deal with and the ones she doesn’t realize she’s dealing with. The former comes in the form of the lost stealth technology hidden on a derelict that Boss discovered. It costs two crew members’ lives, her fault. The latter comes in the form of what Boss is willing to live with in her universe by Cardinal Woolly in order to stop the plot and save old Three Ex herself.

Books in the Mail (W/E 11/1/2009)

This week was a bit slower than last, but I still received some interesting books. One I’ve read and at lease one I know I will read.


The Founding (A Gaunt’s Ghost’s Omnibus [#1]) by Dan Abnett (Black Library 2002) – Abnett is the superstar writer of the Black Library and this is the series that put him on the map. Since the folks at Black Library were kind enough to send this to me upon my request, I’ll definitely be reviewing it.

This omnibus edition of the first three Gaunt's Ghosts novels follows the story of the Tanith First-and-Only regiment (nicknamed the Ghosts) and their charismatic commissar, Ibram Gaunt. As they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system, the Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deady politics of the Imperial Guard. The Founding is the first larger story arc of this series. It comprises the first three novels, First and Only (1999), Ghostmaker (2000) and Necropolis (2000). These novels were re-printed in a second edition which also featured new covers. The three novels were later reprinted in a single omnibus edition under the title Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding in 2003. The Founding also contains the short novel "In Rememberance" which explains Warmaster Macaroth's decision to allow the populace of Vervunhive to join existing Guard regiments they fought alongside during the defense of Vervunhive.

The arc tells the early years of the Tanith First and Only, up to the victory on the Hive World Verghast and the influx of new recruits they receive from the survivors of Vervunhive.

Chronicles of Malus Darkblade : Volume 2 by Dan Abnett and Mike Lee (Black Library Paperback 11/24/2009) – This is what Black Library does best for its fans – it quickly puts omnibus editions of their series on bookshelves.

The Dark Elves are feared throughout the Old World for their evil, savage ways, yet one member of this despicable race stands out for his treachery and cunning - Malus Darkblade. Possessed by the ancient daemon Tz'arkan, Darkblade must recover five items of unimaginable power within one year or forfeit his soul forever! This omnibus edition includes the books Warpsword and Lord of Ruin, as well as two short stories never published before on Malus Darkblade.

Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven #3) by James Barclay (Pyr Trade Paperback 11/22/2009) – Third installment of The Chronicles of the Raven . With the release of this book, James Barclay’s terrific first trilogy is now complete and on the shelves of US bookstores.

Also still around are the Dragons that helped to close the rift in Noonshade. As a result of their actions they are stuck in Balaia, dying slowly from the Balaian atmosphere. They are aging rapidly and hunted as big game. The people of Balaia seemed to have forgotten the sacrifice the magnificent beasts made to save them. The only thing between death and the Dragons is Hirad, who was bonded to Sha-Kaan, the great rule of the Kaan brood of Dragons, during the events of Noonshade. The Unknown Warrior is married with child and runs full-time, the bar he owns. Thraun is leading a pack of wolves.

Nigthchild is a satisfying conclusion to this initial trilogy by James Barclay. He expertly brings hanging elements of each preceding volume to closure. Though, there are seeds for a future story or two left unexplored. Let’s hope Mr. Barclay lets these seeds grow into new stories.

Starfist : Double Jeopardy by David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Del Rey, Hardcover 12/29/2009) – These guys are consistent, if nothing else. They provide a new book for their fans almost every year.


The thrilling pace of the Starfist space epic quickens as the explosive series rockets to dazzling new heights, packed with the hell-for-leather action only two battle-hardened and decorated combat vets like David Sherman and Dan Cragg can provide.

The Confederation has finally disclosed the existence of Skinks, fierce aliens bent on wiping out humankind, and announced its plan to find and destroy their home world. While the rest of the universe grapples with the news, the Skink-savvy Marines of the Confederation's Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) have their own take on the situation.

Though they're no longer in danger of being exiled to a ghastly netherworld for spilling the beans about the deadly aliens, the men still can't transfer out of the unit where they've been confined since they first laid eyes on the Skinks. The reason is obvious: Who else but the legendary Thirty-fourth FIST has the skills and experience to spearhead the invasion of the Skinks' home world?

Morale isn't improved by a report of Skinks on the uncolonized world of Ishtar near a mercenary force engaged in slave-driven mining operations there—which means that FIST must turn around and head right back into the jaws of hell with no downtime. But none of that matters to Lieutenant Charlie Bass and the third platoon of Company L. They're Marines, they're the best, and they've got a job to do.

The Marines will find a planet ripped apart by all-out war, with enemies on all sides. The only certainty is that the fighting will rage red-hot and relentless, and Charlie Bass and his men will be right in the thick of the action.