Fantasybookspot - 8

The Inferior by Peadar O Guilin

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:33:38 -0400

Peadar O Guilin takes the reader out of their comfort zone with The Inferior. This is the story of a young man who learns the hard way that things are not always what they seem, and you should be careful what you ask for because you might just get it. Stopmouth, so called because of his stutter, is a strong young hunter whose only ambitions are to make his family proud, find him a wife and start a family of his own. Holding him back are several things, his stutter is always a stumbling block, making others not take him seriously and making him less interested in social interaction. Stopmouth also has more attraction to his brother’s new wife than is seemly. Additionally, his brother’s latest reckless scheme has created a rift between them that may never be mended. But, O Guilin obviously feels that there isn’t enough stress in Stopmouth’s life because there is tossed in the arrival of beautiful stranger and some radical changes in the world around them.

O Guilin is exploring many things in this story. To begin with the title, The Inferior, this could be a comment on the fact that the characters do not agree on who is inferior to the other. This occurs with the two main characters, Stopmouth and Idriana who each believe that the other is their inferior. This could also be a comment on the idea of inferiority itself – depending upon the definition you put on the word, you could consider the Diggers (which would be the overwhelming evil of the story) to be superior to all the characters because eventually they will be all that remains, thus making all of the ‘human’ characters their inferior. Additionally, playing with the word inferior, the author could be saying that those observing from outside should not presume to judge that because they are not the observed, that they are superior. This could also apply to the reader – we are duly cautioned to not judge others unless we could take a walk in their shoes.

What else could the author be exploring? The nature of relationships across cultures is one theme. The strength and capriciousness of familial bonds is another. The author takes a simple coming of age story and gives it so many obstacles that poor Stopmouth is quite lucky that he comes of age at all. And this he certainly does. He puts his life on the line for others who not only consider him to be inferior, but to be repulsive. Since they need his knowledge and experience, they cannot refuse his offer of help. With simple honor, respect and integrity, Stopmouth shows them that inferiority is in the eye of the beholder.

Did I truly enjoy the story? Certainly I was rooting for Stopmouth and wanted him to prevail, but at the same time I both pitied him and was revolted by his actions. This is where the problem arises when you take the reader outside of their comfort zone. They are no longer comfortable. They are forced to think, take sides, and make personal choices from poor options. Once we are there, we are more focused on how we react to the story than how the story is played out. The story was well written, and considering the secret the author was keeping that was probably a much more difficult task than it would be for a straightforward story. I only found one point I would have quibbled with the author over and it was not a major one. Other minor issues were just with background and scenery and truly did not affect my connection with this novel. I can think of two major influences that could have inspired this novel and while they were both well done, I feel that Peadar O Guilan took it a step further and made the reader both uncomfortable and thoughtful at the same time. This book is designed for a younger audience and while there are some instances of violence and some rather gruesome imagery, I find that it still fits for both a younger and older audience. For a good story and a more extreme take on an older idea, I give this one an 8, though I doubt that I will be rereading this one any time soon.

The Immortal Prince

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:55:58 -0400

Australia is referred to as a ‘New World' country with respect to its wine production. This distinction is made with the traditional European nations being referred to as ‘Old World'. Jacobs Creek, one of Australia’s leading wineries, defines ‘New World’ wines as “innovative, easy to understand, accessible and generous in flavor”. There is far less pretention to be found in New World wines than the traditional versions, and as such, Australian wines have gained a world-wide reputation for originality and value for money. In many ways, a strong parallel can be drawn to the large number of Australian fantasy authors currently producing high quality and innovative works. Many of these writers are not well known outside of their home country, but they are gradually gaining exposure in the mainstream marketplaces of the USA and England. One of the most talented of these Australian authors is Jennifer Fallon.

Fallon is an interesting character in her own right, being the ninth child in a family of 13 girls. She lives in the Northern Territory, which contains some of the most isolated and remote places in the world. Fallon has three children of her own, but has also fostered over 50 other youngsters in need. Her writing commenced, as with all good authors, through submitting a Mills and Boon manuscript. Thankfully for the world of literature, this book was rejected and Fallon has gone onto a successful career in fantasy. Fallon’s first novel was 'Medalon', the opening novel in the six piece “Hythrun Chronicles”. She then wrote the “Wolfblade Trilogy”, with both series being very well received in Australia and overseas. Fallon’s latest work is “The Tide Lords”, which commences with 'The Immortal Prince'.

Fallon introduces the reader to a new world in 'The Immortal Prince', with the story commencing in the duchy of Glaebe. The main character of the book, Arkady Desean, is in a position of security being married to Stellan, the Duke of Glaeba. She has, however, a life and experiences prior to her marriage that are not traditionally expected of someone marrying into high society. Her childhood originated in near poverty, and then progressed to history studies at a doctoral level. And it is as an academic that Arkady is brought in to interview a convicted criminal called Cayal who, mysteriously, failed to die whilst being hanged. From this point, the story unfolds.

The author manages to successfully sketch out the background and history of this new country, but at the same time, does so without falling into the trap of inundating the reader with massive passages of descriptive text. Fallon uses the interviews between Arkady and Cayal as a mechanism for revealing the details of the world. As a literary device, it works very well. New characters such as the Royal Spymaster Declan Hawkes, and the Crasii, a mix of half-human half animal slaves, are also introduced and add significantly to the flow of the story.

The underlying magical premise is quite innovative, being based around the concept of a group of Immortals who possess near god-like powers. This magical skill is contingent upon ‘the Tide’, a force that ebbs and flows over thousands of years. When the Tide is out, the Immortals are largely powerless. However, when the Tide returns, the Immortals have the ability to literally destroy or re-make the world. At the start of the book the Tide is out, however, it soon becomes clear that change is underway.

One of the strengths of 'The Immortal Prince', and yet also its weakness, is the prose. Fallon demonstrates her great skill in writing interesting and well developed characters, however, at times the story almost got lost in overly decorative language. Some readers will delight in this aspect of the book, but I must admit that at times I found it a little grating. It is only a minor criticism, but I almost felt that the plot took second place to the prose in certain sections of the book. It is not a significant fault in any way, and some readers will particularly enjoy her style. It must also be said that Arkady is occasionally quite irritating as the main personality, but Cayal and the rest of the cast are consistently well portrayed. As a means of comparison, Fallon's writing is far closer to that of a Robin Hobb or perhaps Greg Keyes than someone like Steven Erikson.

Whilst much of the story is reasonably predictable, Fallon does manage to maintain the intrigue right to the end of the book. There are a number of twists in the plot that are unexpected, and underline her skill as a storyteller of the highest quality. These surprises are logical and consistent within the larger plot, but were still not easily foreseen. Fallon also manages to finish the book off at a suitable point. Whilst it is clearly set up for the remainder of the series, it still ends without leaving the reader completely up in the air. I intensely dislike books that are not complete in their own right, and Fallon has successfully managed to avoid this error.

There are few authors that I automatically buy their latest offerings without even perusing the back cover. Fallon has become one of this group. Her books are consistently well written, with great plots and exceptionally well developed characters. Fallon is not just a very good Australian fantasy writer, she is simply a very good fantasy writer. 'The Immortal Prince' is highly recommended to all fans of the genre. Book Two of the Tide Lords, 'Gods of Amyrantha', and Book Three, 'The Palace of Impossible Dreams', are also now available.

The Shadow Year

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:31:09 -0400

Almost two years ago when I reviewed Ford’s collection The Empire of Ice Cream for FantasyBookSpot, I noted that Botch Town was my favorite of the bunch. It was something of a mystery story meshed with a coming of age story that had a feel of the “fantastic” about it.

So when I began reading The Shadow Year which is based on that novella, it was evident I was reading a very familiar story, but I didn’t mind because I had enjoyed the original so much. But The Shadow Year isn’t just a re-telling of Botch Town. Ford expands on his original story, makes some major changes to it, adds a significant character, and then continues on to a much more resolute ending.

At the same time that little Charlie has disappeared, a Peeping Tom has been making the rounds in this neighborhood and a stranger trawls the streets in an old white car. All of these occurrences seem likely to be related, and Jim recruits his brother and sister as well as George, the family dog, to gather clues and investigate.

The focus of The Shadow Year is as much on these mysteries as it is on family, and that is where Ford expands on the original story the most. Dad works three jobs and is seldom seen by the kids, Mom is an artist and an alcoholic, Nan and Pop are the grandparents who live in the converted garage, and George, the aforementioned family dog, is protector and scent marker. The youngest child, Mary, is either “really smart or really simple”, Jim is the oldest and in the seventh grade and does a good job of bossing and generally harassing the other kids. The book’s narrator is the middle child, a self-described weakling, but who is never actually named in the entire book (or the original story.)

Ford’s portrayal of this family and its dynamics evokes feelings of compassion and even understanding as he describes here a scene in which you get the feeling this has happened all too often before and will be repeated all too soon:

When George and I got home, the wine bottle sat on the kitchen counter, empty, and my mother was passed out on the couch. There was a cigarette between her fingers with an ash almost as long as the cigarette. Jim went over and got an ashtray that was half a giant clamshell we had found on the beach the previous summer, and Mary and I watched as he positioned it under the ash. He gave my mother’s wrist the slightest tap, and the gray tube dropped perfectly whole in the shell.

I wedged a pillow under her head as Jim took her by the shoulders and settled her more comfortably on the couch. Mary fetched the Sherlock Holmes. Jim opened it to The Hound of the Baskervilles, the story that obsessed her, and gently placed the volume binding up, its wings open like those of a giant moth, on her chest.

There is a lot going on in The Shadow Year, and Ford moves the story effortlessly through such accounts of family life to the disquieting effects of the prowler’s appearances in folks’ backyards and a stranger in a white car (also the prowler?) whose presence is somehow sinister and alarming.

But things are kept in balance with humor as we see the grandmother through the eyes of the young unnamed narrator:

Nan had gray wire-hair like George’s, big bifocals, and a brown mole on her temple that looked like a squashed raisin. Her small stature, dark and wrinkled complexion, and the silken black strands at the corners of her upper lip made her seem to me at times like some ancient monkey king. When she’d fart while standing, she’d kick her left leg up in the back and say “Shoot him in the pants. The coat and vest are mine.”

And as when Jim gives Mary some Halloween advice:

“You don’t eat anything that’s not wrapped, except for Mr. Barzita’s figs. Some people drop an apple in your bag. You can’t eat it, but you can throw it at someone, so that’s okay. Once in a while, someone will bake stuff to give out. Don’t eat it--you don’t know what they put in it. It could be the best-looking cupcake you ever saw, with chocolate icing and a candy corn on top, but who knows, they might have crapped in the batter. I’ve seen where people will throw a penny in your sack. Hey, a penny’s a penny.”

By the end of The Shadow Year, the mysteries are solved, and if there is any flaw to be found in this book, that may be the one: the neatness of its conclusion. Nonetheless, Jeffrey Ford has written a captivating novel of a year in the life of a young boy. The characters have that feeling of authenticity that makes them instantly recognizable, and the story has that feeling of nostalgia without any of the sugary sentimentality.

Once Upon a Time in the North

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:38:50 -0400

This is not a children’s story. Marketed as a companion piece to HDM, this short piece is rife with sophisticated themes and adult language, along with an elegant sarcasm that operates well from an adult perspective. No prior experience with the author’s famed series is necessary to enjoy this stand-alone tale of an accidental aeronaut and an outlaw talking bear. Readers familiar with the relationship between Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison will be engaged by this explanation of their first adventure together, and those without such a background will be intrigued enough to read future developments surrounding the pair.
When Scoresby finds himself a stranger in a city on the verge of a hostile political and business takeover, he stumbles headfirst into conflict, with the armored bear at his side. Scoresby has a habit of chasing trouble, if one considers the snappy remarks of his rabbit daemon, Hester, who consistently harasses him in good humor. His concern with honor, which he denies – “I don’t think too much about honor” – seems the primary motivation for these conflicts. He finds himself drawn to others with this interest, including Miss Victoria Lund, a librarian and fellow boarder. When Lund surprises him by asking his advice about a difficult personal situation, he quickly deduces the heart of the matter.
“This is about honor, ain’t it.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hard thing to get right.”
His consideration of the upset young lady is unexpectedly rewarded at the end of the story, as is his commitment to leave the townsfolk in a better position than he found them. He expects no return on this investment, but the appreciation of certain citizens leads to assistance in his safe escape.
The author clearly holds a distaste for big business and uses the story to promote this message, but his platform does not take center stage from the fast paced adventure and valuable friendship born within these pages. Neither do the charming engravings by John Lawrence, which echo his work in Lyra’s Oxford. What does detract is the unfortunate miscellanea from Scoresby’s volume on aerial navigation; a bill of lading as described in the story; instructions to ‘Peril of the Pole,’ a board game included in a pocket inside the back cover that is “too exciting for children under 5 years of age;" a leaf from a shipping world yearbook with a description of the town, Novy Odense; a newspaper article regarding the final events in the story; two letters from Lyra regarding her dissertation; and the certificate for her dissertation, which is a study of trade pattern development with an emphasis on independent cargo balloon carriage. These, like the intrusive materials in Lyra’s Oxford, are annoying. Readers of HDM will make the obvious connection between Lyra’s work and Scoresby’s activities, but like Lyra and the Birds, the story stands better on its own.
The audio adaptation proves a two hour and 17 minute mess of the author’s narration, which is often too fast, and various actors who unintentionally make a mockery of this sharp story. “Overdramatic” does not quite cover the lengths to which the accents and emotions are carried. Unlike Lyra’s Oxford, which employs several actors but remains primarily in the talented hands of Jo Wyatt, this version falls short of the written word.

A Druid Born

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:38:25 -0400

“A Druid Born” is an uplifting tale of adventure and self-discovery, told from the point of view of a young chieftan’s daughter, Regan. Narrated from a first-person perspective, we follow Regan as she faces personal challenges and learns about herself and her blossoming abilities. Magic is present mildly throughout the story, in the form of shamanistic rites, visions, or herbal remedies.

For its target audience, this novel will be quite a treat. The writing is competent and solid, and the pages fly by. Unlike many books for younger readers, it does not come off as juvenile, but maintains a dignified maturity that is refreshing. The subject matter and events are mostly personal in nature, and include the kinds of things that young readers might themselves be facing: conflict with the wishes of parents, and changes brought about by approaching adulthood. In contrast to the book’s title, there is very little that is dark, and nothing I’d call disturbing. The drama is dealt with gently, with a responsible eye toward impressionable readers.

Druidic culture is lightly showcased, and there is a flavor of Celtic life throughout. At times I wanted to see more of this, however, as it felt like the author was only scratching the surface of a deeper ability she has in this regard.

The bond between mother and daughter is central, and is presented in a way that may be particularly appealing to young female readers. Regan’s family situation in the story is a little unusual, and her desire to be close to the spirit of her mother becomes an important part of her quest.

There are a few drawbacks worth mentioning. Foremost is the shortness of the book. The text comprises what would only be two or three chapters in similar novels. A dedicated reader would require only a couple of afternoons to finish the short novel. Though meant for less experienced readers, it seemed that more could have been written. The language, as well, seemed a touch too simple. Perhaps this is simply due to my bias as an adult reader.

Also, I found the characters to be slightly shallow and underdeveloped. Given the few pages to work with, it’s to be expected, perhaps. Additionally, there are some minor anachronisms which pop out here and there – unlikely references to real-world places and history that pulled me out of the story as I read. These were only slight distractions, however.

Additionally, the first-person perspective has a way of narrowing the story. It decreases the potential for characters other than Regan to be interesting, and detracts a little bit from tension that might exist otherwise – we know nothing bad will happen to Regan, because she’s retelling the story for us.

The book finishes on an optimistic note, as Regan completes her journey ready to take on the world and her approaching womanhood. “A Druid Born” very much has the feel of a motivational work. It was a pleasant, if brief, read, and one which I would not hesitate to recommend to readers aged 10-16.

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:42:53 -0400

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Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs

Here I go again on my own…(Whitesnake 1987). Just seems an appropriate way to start out our review of the new Futurama episodes packed into a DVD for a movie length feature. This will eventually air on Comedy Central Network as a bunch of 30 minute episodes, and we can only hope that it will get picked up for some direct to TV shows as well. If you are unfamiliar with Futurama, it is a Matt Groening creation of a man (Fry) who is frozen in 1999 and thawed out in the 31st century. Futurama gives all the people that lived through the 1980s nice Easter Eggs of funny things to watch for when Fry deals with the many situations at hand.

Review of the movie storylines

I am going to pick up some of the story lines and sub story lines and comment on them without hopefully spoiling anything for the viewers. We start a bit after the last movie (see the continuity) and there is a big ‘ole tear in the universe.

One of the first storylines we get is of Colleen and Fry, who are dating (we can see a whole dating theme throughout the movie). Unbeknownst to Fry though, the future must look upon polygamy in a different light as Colleen has boyfriends from all corners of the world as well as walks of life. Fry is really digging her (what happened to him and Leela) and tries to make it work, but Fry cannot take the sharing of his girlfriend for that long. This lends itself to some humorous moments but it is really only a setup for the central plot of the movie with the big ball of tentacle loving that Yivo puts on the planet.

Sprinkled in the storylines we have a neat little one about Bender and his fascination of what he originally believes to be an imaginary League of Robots from his robot youth. Nice spoof concept here as well as being a necessity for Bender’s climactic act at the end of the movie. It is a great setup, even if it is originally a solid storyline from the get go. Hang on ‘cause it makes the movie in my opinion.

Professor Farnsworth and Doctor Wernstrom, as always, get to competing with each other on who gets to encase the world in their version of some clear crystalline structure. Having a nemesis is awesome, and the back and forth between both of the characters works as usual. A nice cameo voice from Stephen Hawking flesh this part of the movie out as well.

Ok, so back onto the central concept of the movie, which can be summed up as “dating”. The previously mentioned big ball (think planet or so sized) of tentacles comes to earth and wants to spread his love to the people of Earth by sticking his tentacles into their necks. Fry, who was the first to meet Yivo, soon becomes Pope of the tentacle shenanigans with most everyone on Earth being ass-imilated (intended). But as Leela escapes she comes to find out the tentacles are genitals or genticles and everyone now feels disgusted. So is that it? No, Yivo feels bad that he/she pretty much raped the inhabitants of Earth and now wants to go on a date with the people of Earth. Some funny dialogue ensues with some answering machine messages and the Head of President Nixon pulling out some quips from behind his ear.

The inhabitants of Earth figure they will go back to Yivo’s Universe and what they come to find out is that it is a pretty good approximation of Heaven and everything is pretty satisfied.

This is Futurama though and here comes Bender being Bender. While everyone is loving the Yivo life, Bender brings his robot army he got from the robot devil which he used to take over the League of Robots and “rescues” all the humans from Yivo. Bender is a friend to a fault and I love that about the character. His trying to save them actually ends up taking them away from the perfect life, and to Bender it is all in a days work. This is by far the climax of the movie and stays true to character.

There is one storyline in the movie that really for me was the reason I knocked it down a few notches, and that is that Kif Kroker asks Amy to be his Fon-Fon Rue and have the ceremony on his home planet to make the union. I never really like the Kif character and his role to begin with, but this just seemed forced and out of place. Then to top it all off *spoiler* we have the Kif resurrection at the hands of Yivo. Come on, I for one would have been pleased to see him go. The Amy and Zapp sex may have some future implications going forward and that I do enjoy. Switch out this story line and come up with something else and this is then in the top notch halls of Futurama.

Extras

Let us not forget the extras of this DVD because they are pretty solid. I am not a huge fan of extras, and had this not been for a review I probably would have skipped them. I would have been a darn fool to do so though. We have the norm, with some commentary by Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Michael Rowe, Claudia Katz, Peter Avanzino and Lee Supercinski.

Futurama The Lost Adventure, which are the cut scenes from a long lost video game. The commentary on the top of the computer scenes are really funny as well. There are two audio tracks, one with the creative people commenting and then the actually audio for the cut scene episodes. It is almost worth watching twice, one for each audio track. The characters are cell shaded 3-d models and it looks pretty good actually, the robots may even look up to par with the cartoon. The scenes all together add up to an extra long episode of Futurama. The Professor’s project the Re-animator is pretty funny, and seeing Devastator in his cameo (hey as well as Zoidberg) was also nice. So this extra is actually more than an extra but really like a second episode.

Also in the bonus features is a story board of the movie, which is neat to see how things are laid out and pitched. There is also a section that has some bloopers while the actors are doing their audio voiceovers. Meet Yivo allows us some insight into the voice actor (David Cross) who does Yivo. It is always really cool to see the real actors doing the voices of cartoon characters, even though it can be weird at the same time. The Deleted Scenes are always a nice touch, even if some of them never made it past the story board phase. Geek feature where the 3d animators show us how their job works worked for me as well, it always interesting to see how these things are done. The Deathball background was one of the weaker parts of the extras as I really was not fond of that portion of the movie anyway. And now on to the second best extra. A preview of the next movie, which is a Dungeon and Dragons spoof called Benders Holiday, which we should be able to check out Holiday 2008 (Christian and Jewish Holiday I would assume if anyone is keeping track). Obviously with our fantasy reading background this is on the super hype meter for me.

Summary and waiting for next one

The thing I enjoy most about the Futurama characters is the consistency of their actions as well as the overall tidbits that get carried over from one episode to the next; why hasn’t any company made a Slurm drink yet? TBWABB seems like it might have had too much closure on the story, which at this point we cannot tell if it is a good thing or not. A Beast with a Billion Backs may not be the best episode(s) of Futurama that has ever been produced by Matt Groening, but being very cliché here, a good episode of Futurama is still better then a great episode of most other comedy television. We had one storyline bomb in the Amy/Kif one, and we had a little bit of a lull in the latter parts of the DVD, but Bender saving them all really upped the ante. Even though the scene was at the end and didn’t seem like a huge thing, from the Futurama standpoint and the character of Bender it was just brilliant.

Futurama is my favorite cartoon sitcom, passing the Simpsons, King of the Hill, American Dad, and Family Guy (which I feel has gone too far in some of its humor). Bring this show back into the regular rotation with a regular season Fox, it is missed. I haven’t watched the Simpsons in ages, but I have re-watched every Futurama at least 10 times and it still is on my DVRs schedule.

Since I got to watch this one early it means an even longer time before I get to watch the third part, as Bender would say “Well I’m boned”.

Tigerheart

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:58:45 -0400

Coming from a different direction, Peter David explores the Peter Pan legend through the eyes of Paul, a young man whose family has experienced a terrible loss. Paul's baby sister dies in her crib one night. His family deals with this tragedy in different ways. Paul's mother retreats into reality, declaring that only the recognition of the pain of life will make one strong enough to survive. Paul's father simply retreats, leaving his family and the woman who used to be his wife but is now a stranger. Paul relies on what he believes - that his friend, the Boy of Legend, and the magic that surrounds the Boy can somehow replace his sister with another baby. After rescuing a pixie, Paul finds himself led into Anyplace and embroiled in a power struggle between the pirates and the Boy. Thus begins an adventure for Paul that will cause him to question his beliefs and face the most difficult pain of all - saying goodbye.

His quest is not all rainbows and roses. Peter David, the author, weaves the thread of loss and loneliness heavily throughout the story. While some might believe the subject matter of sadness and rejection are too much for younger readers, I disagree. What child has never experienced some type of loss? This is an excellent example of how one little boy deals with the pain he is feeling.

Mr. David writes in a lyrical prose that is a work of art. Unfortunately, the structure and cadence of the writing serves to separate the reader from the story, keeping the reader from participating in the fantasy, experiencing the wonder alongside Paul. Instead, a gulf has been formed, maintaining a strict formality of here is the story and over there stands the reader. For readers who enjoy submerging themselves into a book's reality, this will be a disappointment.

In spite of this, or maybe because of it, I enjoyed this story. The formality and separation served to give the book an old-fashioned feel, as if this was a dusty favorite resurrected from the nursery. The style of the book gives it a sense of being made to read out loud. The cadence lends itself to auditory emphasis and perhaps would be more entertaining to children to listen to the story rather than read it themselves. Peter David goes behind the scenes of NeverNever Land, giving bones and structure to a legend that has spanned generations. He brings in many well-known characters from Peter Pan, giving them fresh faces and different reasons for existing. The new characters are blended seamlessly in with the previous legends, causing Tigerheart to be able to stand on its own.

This is a deep story that would bear well under the scrutiny of a literature class. The nuances of the storyline, though delicate, are clear. Here is a young man struggling to understand the abandonment by his mother, the painful escape of his father, and the harshness reality can bring to life. Mr. David ties up all his loose ends in the end, delivering a whimsical tale that harkens back to the elegance of turn-of-the- century literature.

Wicked Game

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:22:01 -0400

Jeri Smith-Ready’s Wicked Game is a fun little vampire yarn with some interesting new twists. While some of those new twists bring on new thoughts that I might prefer never to have come up, others may enjoy them for what they are. Wicked Game tells the story of a small town radio station manned by vampires stuck in their respective ‘birth years’ and thus the experts on each era’s music. While they have a cozy gig at the station with an understanding boss and onsite apartments designed to protect them, their future with the station is on shaky ground with they find out it could be sold to a huge radio conglomerate famous for homogenizing their stations.

Ciara Griffin is a small time con artist looking to go legitimate with a regular job. When she hears about an internship at the local radio station, she’s all for it. But she isn’t yet aware that the famous DJs are actually vampires and that her internship might be a little more exciting than she expected. Getting through the interview, while horribly dreaded and sweated through, winds up being the easiest part of the job. Ciara soon learns that WMMP’s revenues must go up by a large percent in a short period of time in order to keep the radio station going as it is. Her resulting mad dash to increase revenues creates some wonderful publicity, a load of new listeners and a media storm that causes more problems than it solves.

This book is definitely a fun and interesting twist on the urban vampire tale that has become so popular these days. Expect adult situations, blood, death and a healthy seasoning of cheesy puns for a light stew fit for an enjoyable evening spent on the couch at leisure.

Equal Rites

Sat, 24 May 2008 09:28:06 -0400

Equal Rites is Pratchett's third Discworld novel and the first that features the witches, Granny Weatherwax in particular. You do not necessarily have to read The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic to read this one, it is a pretty self-contained book. Like in the previous two books Pratchett uses his creating to make fun of an awful lot of things in our society. Unlike the previous two books he also takes on the more weighty issue of gender equality. All in proper Discworld style of course.

The story opens on a dark stormy night when the wizard Drum Billet shows up at the remote village of Bad Ass. Billet feels his end is near and is looking for a successor. The smith of Bad Ass has just become father or an eight son. Being an eight son himself this is something of great significance among Discworld's wizards. Billet hands over the symbol of his power before Death takes him. Unfortunately nobody has bothered to check the sex of the child before the ceremony. The unthinkable has just happened, the staff of a wizard has passed on to a girl. Granny Weatherwax, the village witch, has observed the whole affair and decides not to put up with it, if the child is to use magic she will be made into a proper which.

Year pass and at the age of eight the child, Eskarina or Esk for short, starts showing the first signs of magical ability. Granny starts her work to make Esk into a proper witch. Unfortunately for Esk, who wants nothing more than to wield magic, Granny's teaching involve a lot of things but rarely does she directly use magic. Instead Granny relies on what she calls Headology to get the job done. Esk is not to be persuaded to follow the path appropriate for her gender though, and when all else fails Granny and Esk set off on a journey to see Esk installed at the Unseen University to become a wizard's apprentice.

I think Pratchett is getting the hang of it in this book. I liked it better than the previous two, but I suppose it could also be a bit of a disappointment to those who expected something more in the vein of the previous two books. Pratchett focusses a bit more on the story and a bit less on absurd humour in Equal Rites (which is still thoroughly absurd in most places of course). I liked Granny's character a lot. She's a somewhat cynical old crone. Granny is clever, practical but also prejudiced, stubborn, conservative and unwilling to admit ignorance on any given subject. It puts her in several hilarious situations including a duel with the head of the unseen university that would make Harry Potter hide under his bed. All in all she is a rather unlikely champion of equal rites.. er.. rights.

Equal Rites doesn't lean quite as heavily on Pratchett's dry humour as his previous two books. I thought the story to be more compelling. It does go at the expense of the pace of the book though, which sags decidedly during Granny and Esk's journey to the Unseen University. Still, the book is only 280 pages long, the slowing of the pace in the middle of the book is hardly enough to discourage the reader. Besides, it is followed by an explosive finale. Although I wouldn't say it is a brilliant book it is the best of the three Discworld novels I have read so far. I'm looking forward to the fourth book, Mort, which as the title suggests features Death.

Paper Cities, An Anthology of Urban Fantasy

Sat, 17 May 2008 19:59:20 -0400

Urban fantasy has long-reaching roots, but it is only in the last twenty years or so that writers and readers have begun using the term in an effort to describe and define a subgenre of fantasy. A subgenre in which the city defines the setting as well as itself as a character. The theme of Paper Cities, an Anthology of Urban Fantasy is to illustrate how cities are like living entities in themselves, and how they affect and influence the lives of those that dwell within them.

Some of the stories emphasized the physical aspects of the city creating distinctive images and atmospheres like Jay Lake's Promises: A Tale of the City Imperishable,

On the roof---a roof, rather, for the Sudgate was ramified and ramparted like some palace of dream---the moonlight was almost violet. The heavy grease-and-shit scent of the Sudgate Districts moiled below them somewhere, miscegenating with night humors off the Saltus and whatever flowed down from Heliograph Hill and the Limerock Palace. Sister Nurse set Girl down so that they stood on a narrow ledge, looking back across the City Imperishable to the north and east as a curious, abrasive wind plucked at them both.

and The Funeral, Ruined by Ben Peek,

Lately, the twin ovens had a tendency to blur around the edges for Linette, but even with the beginning of her deteriorating eyesight due to her thirty-eighth year, the immense girth and height of the creations meant that they were unable to be passed over when she looked at Issuer’s skyline. In contrast, the hundreds of long, bronze windmills that rose out of the city could---and did--- fade from her awareness. The Ovens, however, lurked on the horizon like a pair of dark, hunched watchers outside the city, covered in a layer of soot as a disguise. If you managed to forget them (and Linette doubted she ever could), then you would be reminded each Friday when they belched tart smelling ash, and plumes rose out of each to signal the burning of the weekly dead.

Others showed how peoples lives were re-shaped, adapted to, or otherwise forced to conform to their environment like in the absurdly strange Godivy by Vylar Kaftan where office managers mate with copiers to produce...copies of themselves, and in the sobering story Taser by Jenn Reese in which a gang of human boys is led by a ruthless husky-mixed dog with telepathic abilities. In Catherynne M. Valente’s Palimpsest, the city makes its mark on the inhabitants literally,

I caught a glimpse in my mirror as I turned to catch a loose thread in my skirt---behind my knee, a dark network of lines and angles, and, I thought I could see, tiny words scrawled above them, names and numbers, snaking over the grid.

After that, I began to look for them.

There were the fantastically adventurous stories like Alex and the Toyceivers by Paul Meloy. This short story is actually the first chapter of a novel in which demented toy-like beasts are after Alex. A sudden, violent confrontation and narrow escape left me wanting to know more about the Toyceivers and why they were after Alex. The Somnambulist by David J. Schwartz tells of a woman who awakens most mornings exhausted and aching because …

She dreamed that she carried a fire-tipped lance astride an eight-legged horse, that she excavated bones from the floors of ancient cathedrals, that she climbed the inner walls of ruined fortresses long since given over to tourists and pulled amulets from behind loose bricks. Sometimes she killed faceless things that crawled through wind or flew upon currents of sand. She developed calluses on her hands, woke up sore after sleeping on silk sheets. Her nails never needed to be clipped.

The Tower of Morning’s Bones by Hal Duncan is an exaltation of language that spans time and space to revel in the most ancient of myths and more modern technologies in a single bound. Its tone and prose are reminiscent of his duology, The Book of All Hours,

Over the grey memory of his dream and over the grey reality of the world outside, he sings out loud and long the lines that weave the world around him, music and mosaic, a shape of songlines. This modern muezzin sings from his minaret to wake the mourning city up, and as he sings, a tower of hours arises out of swamp, vines climbing shaft to glassy dome. The songliner laughs---the city’s morning glory. Somewhere a weathervane cockcrows.

Although they all share a common theme, the diversity of the stories and imaginations of the authors make this collection an interesting and compelling read. In Paper Cities, the city is not a mere background against which authors prop their characters to tell a story. The city is a character: an incredibly viable, evolving, and influential one at that.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Sun, 11 May 2008 09:44:42 -0400

In March of this year one of the greatest writers of science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke passed away at the age of ninety. I had of course heard of his work, but I never actually read anything by him so I decided to dig up some of his work. My reading pile is several feet high at the moment so it took me a while to get to it but this week I finally finished the work for which he is probably best known, 2001: A Space Odyssey.The film by Stanley Kubrick and this novel, written and produced simultaneously are a landmark in the genre. In preparation to this review I watched the film as well. I've seen parts of it before by I watched it in it's entirety for the first time. Although I feel you can't really separate the two I decided I liked the book better even though the film is visually stunning keeping in mind it is forty years old by now.

A summary of the plot is a bit difficult, the book consists of several loosely connected parts, I'll cover the first two, you'll have to make your own way from there. The story begins some three million years ago when a group of ape-men, as Clarke describes them, discover an strange monolith. Given the timing and the knowledge of human evolution at the time he most likely based them on some species of Australopithecus. Human ancestry is still poorly understood so it makes sense to be vague on that particular detail. The ape-men are living a marginal life in an environment that had gradually become dryer and less forested. Survival and food occupy all their attention and they are slowly loosing the battle. Then the monolith shows them the use of tools and the ape-men become hunters.

Three million years later the ancestors of our ape-men come across another monolith. This time it buried on the moon and it was clearly left there to be found. Scientists quickly discover that the artefact has been buried there three million years ago. The conclusion is inescapable, they have found the first signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life. And the monolith surprises them in another way too. When sunlight hits is for the first time in three million years it sends out a clear radio signal in the direction of Saturn. What have they found here? An intergalactic bugler alarm? There is only one way to find out. An expedition is mounted to Saturn. An expedition so secret not even the astronauts know it's true goal. Only the ships computer, a powerful artificial intelligence by the name of HAL9000 has been fully briefed.

Clarke is not know for his highly literary approach of the genre but rather for his realistic descriptions of space travel, his optimistic vision of the future and of course the accuracy his predictions (a debatable matter in my opinion). I very much enjoyed the descriptions of space travel without he artificial gravity nonsense you'll find in most science fiction. His eye for detail, the small things that can cause problems in a zero-gravity environment, is brilliant. Especially if you consider it was written in an age when space flight was in it's infancy. Come to think of it, the time of the release of this book and film, just before the landing on the moon by Neill Armstong c.s. probably contributed to it's status. The moon landing took some of the fiction out of science fiction. His ideas on artificial intelligence are quite interesting too. I thought the HAL in the book a lot more creepy than the one in the film, even if that single red light is a great way of visualizing HAL.

The year 2001 has come and passed and looking at the future Clarke describes in his book he seems to have been a bit too optimistic. He also failed to foresee the fall of the USSR for instance. It seems he was also too optimistic about the possibilities of manned space travel. In recent years unmanned spacecraft have proven to be more a versatile and more cost effective way of exploring space. On the other hand one has to wonder what might have been possible if all the funds and effort would have gone into manned space travel. Clarke thought it pretty likely we would find life or traces thereof in other places in the solar system. The moon has not been explored as thoroughly as it has been in the book but the chance of finding any sort of (past) life seems quite remote. Clarke also seems to favour a theory on the formation of the moon that is not currently the one thought of as most likely. The list of inaccuracies is quite long if you bother to pay attention to them. None of them really distracted me form the story though.

2001: A Space Odyssey is probably not the greatest work of science fiction from a literary point of view but the sheer power of Clarke's vision make it live up to it's reputation as a classic in my opinion. The book also explains a lot of things the film leaves (deliberately) vague. In fact I don't think there is a single person who understood the film after seeing it the first time. Especially the end, which can only be described as Kubrick's interpretation of a particularly heavy LSD trip, leaves the viewer with a lot of questions. The novel explains a lot of these things. I don't think Kubrick and Clarke meant it that way but I don't think you can really separate the two. The way the film and the book came to be is unique, neither can claim seniority really and they are somehow intertwined. The best thing to do is probably watch the film, read the book and then watch the film again. Which is precisely what I am going to do.

The Truth About Celia

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:34:05 -0400

With A Brief History of the Dead, Kevin Brockmeier achieved a measure of mainstream literary success. In spite of this, he stalwartly considers himself a genre author. In fact, he has been announced as the guest editor of the 2009 edition Best American Fantasy. It’s a refreshing change of pace from authors who freely take tropes from genre fiction and thumb their noses at genre (I’m looking at you, Margaret Atwood and Jeanette Winterson). Brockmeier’s fiction definitely straddles the line; his fabulations are openly metaphors and allegories; but at the same time, they cannot be ignored and dismissed as dream sequences and alternate states of mind of the characters. The two Brockmeier fictions I read occur in contemporary ‘real’ world; when the fantastic element intrudes, the focus still tends to be on the characters. In short, Brockmeier creates a kind of ‘mundane’ fantasy fiction (to borrow a phrase from Geoff Ryman, the leader of ‘mundane’ science fiction movement). Think of the work of Haruki Murakami, or perhaps, Jonathan Carroll.

His 2003 novel, The Truth About Celia, has a metafictional frame device. The text is authored by Christopher Brooks, a fantasy novelist. One day, while showing his historical landmark house to a tourist couple, his seven year old daughter Celia vanishes. The resulting mosaic novel is Brooks’ way of dealing with the grief and horror. As he isolates himself and his marriage dissolves, he creates alternative realities in which Celia exists, as a teenager or a single mother with a missing past or as a child who has disappeared into another world. These stories alternate with real life events, such as his wife Janet’s psychotic breakdown in a movie theater, or an overview of the small town when a memorial service is held for Celia. Poignant moments abound in Brockmeier’s direct, crystalline prose.

The opening section, simply entitled, ‘March 15, 1997’ tells the story of Celia’s supposed abduction from her point of view, in childlike, glimmering prose. It’s ominous and magical at once. It ends on an unsettlingly enigmatic note. ‘The Green Children’ tells the story of the sudden appearance of two strange, green-skinned children in a fantasy world. The narrator—a stand-in for Brooks—is a giant man who ferries people back and forth over a treacherous river. The green-skinned girl piques his curiosity; the resonances of the text come from the over-arching frame story. ‘The Ghost of Travis Whorley’ follows 14-year old Celia and her relationship with a mysterious boy. It’s a strange hybrid story, part John Cheever suburbia, part gothic ghost story. In the real world, ‘The Telephone’ has Brooks speaking his missing daughter through a toy phone, as his wife Janet strays into an affair. Each of these stories could be in either The New Yorker or in a fantasy anthology. Brockmeier plays a dangerous fictional game; one misstep, and the stories are too precious or clever for their own good. But his sure hand for character and buoyant, evanescent prose never falters.

Brockmeier’s fiction is ‘post-genre.’ Genre fiction informs the novel, in non overt ways. There’s a reference to J.G. Ballard, and the book has a tricky structure that gives a hint of Gene Wolfe’s elaborately layered work. He has create an elegiac meditation on grief out of scraps of fiction. In a way, it reminds me of Michael Cunningham’s similar experiment of thematically linked novellas, Specimen Days. Brockmeier has a new collection of short stories out, The View From the Seventh Layer. I look forward to exploring his unique voice.

Cartomancy

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:27:59 -0400

Cartomancy is a collection of short fiction by Mary Gentle. I am appreciating this kind of writing a lot more than I used to for some reason. I got a short story collection by Frank Herbert on the to read pile as well as the Wastelands anthology of post-apocalyptic short stories. Martin's Dreamsongs must have converted me. But let's stick to the book at hand. This collection is a mixture of fantasy, historical fiction, alternative history and science fiction and covers themes such as gender issues, sexual identity, Hermetism and a fascination with key events in history as well as the question what would have happened if such an event had run another course.

Let me first of all state that I am completely in love with the Gollancz cover design for Gentle's books. I used two other covers in the same style for my reviews of 1610: A Sundial in a Grave and Illario: the Lion's Eye. Cartomancy is graced by a similar cover. I sincerely hope no one at Gollancz will feel the need to redesign the covers any time soon. Too many crappy fantasy book covers around as it is. They can't possibly not screw up a redesign.

This collection is a cross-section of Gentle's writing in a way. It contains 15 short stories, most of which tie in to one of her novels somehow or are stories in which she develops ideas and concepts that will appear in her books. The stories are accompanied by short afterword by Gentle with a little additional information. After the introduction Cartomancy opens with The Logistics of Cartage, a story that is set in the First History universe and is set some 20 years before the events in Ash: a Secret History. Ash is by far Gentle's best know work, I consider it one of the best novels I ever read. The publisher makes a point of singling it out on the cover of course. Perhaps I am gullible like that but I did consider it one of the highlights of the collection. In 80 pages she takes us through the hardship, humour and tragedies of a 15th century mercenary company and reveals a tiny bit of Ash's past (although that is not the point of the story).

While The Logistics of Cartage of no doubt draw most readers in, there are a number of other jewels in this collection. I particularly enjoyed The Road to Jerusalem, an alternative history where Knights Templar have survived as a military organisation. What God Abandoned, a story featuring René Descartes, is an other favourite of mine. It is set in Prague right after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 and uses the interest Descartes seems to have had in the Rosicrucians as a theme. Not to focus entirely on (alternative) history I will also mention The Pits Beneath the World. A science fiction story that features a young girl brought along on a scientific expedition to a planet inhabited by what appear to be sentient insectoids. She has formed a bond with one of them but they turn out to be more alien than she thought.

I must admit I haven't read Gentle's entire catalogue yet, especially some of her older works are pretty hard to find, and that my influence my view on this collection. I still recognize things in a lot of stories that later turn up in her novels (and most likely missed even more). While this makes Cartomancy very enjoyable for those who are familiar with Gentle's novels, I wouldn't consider this a good place to start if you consider reading Gentle. As with a lot of these collections, Cartomancy is more accessible to the real fan. Still, for someone who considers herself a natural at long fiction, she does a pretty good job at the short stuff.

The 13th Reality:The Journal of Curious Letters

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:05:57 -0400

Tick, an introverted and intelligent young man suddenly receives a mysterious letter. By opening it, Tick launches himself on an adventure of a lifetime. Each subsequent letter holds a quirky and sometimes humorous clue, promising Tick danger if he continues and harm to others if he quits. Intrigued and compelled, he pursues each clue vigorously in spite of the risk involved. The mysterious clues drag him across the country and introduce him to a spitfire Italian girl and an all-American jock from California. Banding together, the trio commits to seeing the mystery through.

At the root of it all are concepts of time and reality, the forces that bind and drive creation. In The Thirteenth Reality, Tick discovers more than one reality exists. Life as he knows it continues in Reality Prime while as many as thirteen other Earths continue on different planes of existence. If this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. Dashner lays out his concept of parallel realities in a manner young readers can understand. Even the basis of quantum physics, aka kyoopy, becomes approachable!

I enjoy how Dashner portrays Tick’s relationship with his family. Too many times, parents are viewed as either the idiot contingency or the evil overseers. Not here. Tick’s sisters drive him nuts but he still obviously loves them. Tick’s dad is a wonderful character that supports and trusts him even though this means letting go of his little boy. In a world where Tick is often a target, at home he is safe and loved. Maybe that isn’t realistic, but who said fantasy had to be reality? Perhaps a little wishful thinking would do us all some good.

I liked this story. There are a few classic aspects that walk on stage, but these are presented in a fresh and believable manner. The evil witch (dressed in lemon), a giant with a quasi-Cockney accent, a dwarf as round as he is tall, mechanistic magic that blurs the line between technology and fantasy; all delivered in wrapping paper designed by Dashner himself. He writes in bold colors, splashing strong characters across the pages who demand your attention (and sometimes your fear).

This isn’t a sweet little fairy tale, bad things happen and our hero is faced with tough decisions. Dashner quietly leads his readers from an odd mystery into a hair-raising quest complete with flesh-eating monsters. As odd as some of the scenes are, though, the entire thing holds together. This is definitely a book young readers should sample.

THE COLD SPOT

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:43:57 -0400

Chase was just a child when his pregnant mother was murdered, and his father committed suicide. Orphaned, he’s eventually claimed by his paternal grandfather, Jonah, a career criminal with a reputation for being hard as nails and ready to do whatever it takes to stay in the game. He can kill a man in cold blood without batting an eye, or needing a good reason.

By the time Chase is a teenager he’s already an accomplished wheelman, working robberies with Jonah, but unlike his grandfather, Chase has heart. When he sees Jonah kill a man, he quickly realizes that even their blood tie wouldn’t be enough to stop Jonah from turning his gun on him if he thinks he needs to. Chase decides to walk away from the only family he has left.

Unfortunately, his skill as a mechanic and driver – as well as a criminal – amount to the only education he has to fall back on. He doesn’t get on the straight and narrow. Instead, he steers clear of his grandfather and heads out of state.

Life changes for Chase when a female police officer sees the robbery in progress and goes to investigate. Chase barely manages to gain control of the situation, but is captivated by the tough woman who controls her fear, while staring down the barrel of a gun. The choices Chase makes that night alter the course of his life, and ultimately he does turn his life around, eventually marrying Lila, the cop. He works hard to keep his demons at bay, but when the unthinkable happens Chase has to avenge the woman he loves… and reaches out to Jonah for help.

As I read THE COLD SPOT, I was intrigued by the layers of the story. On the surface, the book has a lot of action, the kind of adrenaline-charged scenes that lend themselves to the big screen: car chases, murders, heists, and even some physical combat. However, there’s a deeper story that’s simmering beneath the plot twists. The question THE COLD SPOT poses is whether a tiger can change its stripes. How much of Chase was programmed from an early age, and can he ever truly break free from his roots, or will it take only one tragedy to take him back to his criminal ways?

It also toys with other interesting themes, about the ties that bind us to our families, forgiveness, and the fine line between love and hate. The relationship between Chase and his grandfather is an uneasy one at best, and with a hardened criminal like Jonah as one part of the equation the reader has the sense that anything can happen.

The other relationship dynamic that was particularly interesting to me was the one that existed between Chase and his father. I don’t think there’s much in this review that isn’t clear from, or alluded to, on the jacket of the book, and I don’t want to give any unnecessary spoilers. However, considering Chase’s father is dead from the start of the book, I found it intriguing to see how much influence Chase’s father had over him, and how that influenced his choices. Chase is determined not to be like his dad, but in some ways ends up mirroring him.

With the confidence of a master storyteller, Piccirilli resists handing us all the answers to the questions raised throughout the book, and while we’re given the impression that we may know what happened to Chase’s mother all those years ago, the possible explanation isn’t fully explored. THE COLD SPOT is being followed by THE COLDEST MILE, and one can hope that means further revelations and another confrontation between Chase and Jonah, one that might shed more light on their complex relationship.

I’m also intrigued by the idea of a second book with Chase, because in book one we’ve seen him mend his ways, only to fall from grace. Because we know that he’s capable of turning his life around, and essentially has a good heart, there’s a sense that his future may not be written in stone, and there’s hope that he may ultimately be redeemed.

It’s hard to review a writer like Piccirilli. His writing is so fluid and his storytelling has a natural rhythm that makes it nearly impossible to critique. I admire the way that he tells energetic, action-packed stories that cut deeper and probe questions about what it is to be human, to love, to change, and how the things that happen to us in our lives shape the person we ultimately become.

Counting Heads

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:17:25 -0400

My latest review is for Counting Heads by David Marusek. This is a catchy read. The story pulls up sort of like a shiny new car to whisk you off to an exotic location. It is March 30, 2092. That is announced immediately like a road sign. The technology is exotic and plentiful from the get go, so that serves as an invitation to put the imagination on cruise control, kick the seat back and enjoy the scenery that Marusek supplies along the way. Along the way he throws descriptive zingers out there that are good for a laugh. On the first page we get the line:

“Her eyes peered out at you like eels in coral.”

The use of such similes and metaphors could quickly become annoying or look like the author was stretching too far to attempt to impart wit or charm into the tale, but in the context that they arrived it seemed to me that they came with a cheerful, good natured wink.

In 2092 and 2132 technology can do almost anything. Longevity to the point of virtual immortality is prevalent. Death for the most part is an inconvenience to be managed. The affluent in society can totally manage their lives compliments of extremely complex artificial intelligence called valets or later, mentars. There is virtually nothing that technology cannot provide those who have the access to it. But as our main characters, led by Samson Harger, learn technology can also take away as it gives. There are also some personal voids that no amount of technology can fill.

Such is the nature of life in this world that our story unfolds over a span of 40 years, not over days and months. A high tech “misunderstanding” changes Samson Harger’s life forever just when it seems like he truly does have everything. In a matter of seconds, literally, he has all of that taken away and is irrevocably turned into an outcast and fringe member of society.

That is but the beginning of a conspiracy against his family that takes 40 years to unfold and draws in all of the other characters, who cut a cross section across all social classes in the world. We see the affluents, the chartists, and the cloned workforce, as well as the ghosts and uncertainties that haunt them all even as it seems like they have everything that life could have to offer. We see that there always seems to be some longing that technology cannot fix. So not everything is idyllic in that utopian Star Trek way.

Our plot furthers itself as we follow the events of our characters, and they are varied. We have perhaps the only old man in the world who is near death but desires one final social statement before he dies, and a clone security expert who wonders if there’s more to life than the likes and dislikes, traits, and characteristics of his genetic line, and fears that even thinking about that may be a sign genetic clone fatigue. There is his wife, another clone who fears that the skillset of her genetic line is rapidly becoming obsolete in the current world. There is a retro-boy, who desires all the advantages of willingly remaining in a pre-puberty state even as he sees the disadvantages and missed opportunities. His housemeets in the Kodiak Charter also go about their daily lives as they watch their charter continue to decay from its previous heights. We have a social planner who is caught in the middle of a suspiciously improbable accident and finds himself further drawn into events by an AI entity.

Loose connections begin to be made in the plot as all these elements converge, and all road signs pointed to an exciting climax where everything finally came together, all those cherries on the slot machine lined up, and we got our big payout. I was reading eagerly, as the story was original and innovative enough that I didn’t find myself beating the novel to its conclusion. It built up and built up as our character drama reached critical mass. A number of chapters along the way were written with a different style or perspective. They must be there to draw attention to something important or significant, like a flashing hotel sign on the side of an interstate. Things seemed juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust on the verge of all coming together into what I was already anticipating as a big ‘Wow!’ moment. Then just like that the story reached a quick ending. Like the author ran out of words and the story had to stop there. The road ended pretty much exactly where the map for our journey said it would, but the map never said our shiny new car ride would stop at a bridge that was still under construction, with no road ahead left to travel. All those pieces along the way never assembled into a complete explanation. What was the point behind everything that happened? What was the big conspiracy hinted at through the story? You find that you don’t know anymore than what you speculated along the way. Or, like me, perhaps you feel like something of a dense reader, wondering if artfully planted clues and deep interpretations were left out there in plain sight so that all the answers should be self apparent, and that in the end after reading this fine book you managed to entirely miss the point and let it fly over your head.

Perhaps David Marusek wanted to foster conjecture and debate. Maybe somewhere in here he has encoded his secret answer to the meaning of life. Perhaps if I had a Bachelor or Master’s Degree in Literature the message he was conveying would not have slipped beneath my conscious threshold. But maybe he’s already planning for a sequel and wanted to leave them wanting more.

I do want more. I want some concrete answers. So for that I have to drop Counting Heads down a couple notches and give it an 8. I was counting heads but in the end I wasn’t able to report any sort of definitive number..

Unicorn Races

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:03:04 -0400

Unicorn Races, which is written by Stephen J. Brooks and illustrated by award-winning artist Linda Crokett takes us on an adventure with Abigail into her imagination. We watch as she finds herself in a magical forest with all sorts of magical creatures and treats as six very colorful unicorns race into the night sky

Stephen Brooks' story is one that will bring to life the wonderful magical creatures of the forest and is appropriate for children. Sometimes children's books either have a story too advanced, or have something that some parents might not approve of. This is not the case in Unicorn Races, it is a story for all ages.

"There in the deep of the woods, by a slow moving stream, was a royal feast prepared by elves and fairies of cookies and cakes..."

"The unicorns rose up, neighing and huffing, read for the race to begin."

Brooks paints a picture with words that Crokett does the exact opposite with by bringing to life with description her artwork.

The quality of the book is top notch from the nice puffy front hardcover, to the ultra glossy thick pages. This makes a nice canvas for Linda Crockett's artwork to be displayed. Each page is its own little piece of artwork that should be framed in a children's room, or printed out and sold on posters for people decorating young girls' rooms. Each page is sprinkled with a bit of stardust that truly makes the pages jump to life. The only issue I had with the artwork was that Abigail's face seemed to stand out a bit from the rest of the artwork, I do not know if this was something that was a conscious decision by the artist or not. Everything else was very colorful and dreamlike.

My two boys (2 and 4) sat through a reading of the book, they got really interested once the racing of the unicorns started as they both love racing. I have yet to try its wiles on a girl, but I believe it will be met with enthusiasm and enjoyment. This will be one of those books that your young girl will ask for night in and night out.

Marseguro

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:40:11 -0400

Chris Keating hated his life. He hated living on a planet covered mostly with water. He hated the smell of rotting seaweed. He hated his job and the fact he was an orphan. However, he despised the Selkies more than all of these hates put together. Modified genetically from human DNA, the Selkies were beings who could live underwater and on land. They had gills, modified hearing, vision and speech, all of which enabled them to be at home in the sea while still looking human. Because they were so at home in the water, Selkies ruled Marseguro, the planet Chris had the unfortunate reality of calling home.

Settled when a starship escaped Earth to flee religious and political persecution, Marseguro has remained hidden from Earth for seventy years. Not anymore. Selkies and humans alike will face their greatest fears when Earth seeks that which was lost to them seventy years ago, causing all involved to come to terms with the realities of prejudice and hate.

Portraying people at their worst and their best, this book challenges readers to revisit their first impressions. The unexpected dives in the storyline only add interest and depth to what could have been a shallow and simple sci-fi tale. Characters face issues of nature vs. nurture, the effects of bullying and the deep seated threads of prejudice, yet readers do not need to acknowledge any of this to enjoy Marseguro. Added to the mix is delightful display of tech that more resembles Star Trek (possible) as opposed to Star Wars (never gonna happen).

I liked this book more than I thought I would when I first picked it up. The author was constantly surprising me, which doesn’t happen often, twisting the usual sci-fi conventions into more than just a shoot ‘em up space opera. Edward Willett has created people, personalities with belief systems and misguided judgments who make mistakes in trying to do what they believe is right. Still what I would consider light reading, Marseguro is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon on another planet. I look forward to the release of the sequel to Marseguro, Terra Insegura, later on next year.

Dune

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:29:38 -0400

Dune, for those unaware of its existence, is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. Winning both the the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award in the year 1966, the novel claimed its place among the science fiction greatest. According to some sources, it was the first bestselling hardcover science fiction novel ever and with a total of 12 million copies sold, the single bestselling science fiction novel of our time. Dune has been widely influential, inspiring other novels (written by his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson), music, films (most notably the Star Wars films), television series, video games and even comic books. I could go on with my list of popular media that have been influenced by this novel, but what it comes down to is this:

Dune is a masterwork and can rightfully considered to be among the classics in the genre.

The novel is set far in the future amidst a sprawling feudal galactic empire where planetary kingdoms are controlled by noble Houses that owe allegiance to the Imperial House of the Padisha Emperor, Shaddam Corrino IV. While the Padisha Emperor rules the Empire supreme from his Imperial Court on the planet Kaitain, power is shared among three factions. There is the Emperor who enforces his power by controlling the Sardaukar soldier-fanatics. Then there is the Spacing Guild, a powerful organization with their monopoly on interstellar space travel. The Guild also controls the banking aspect of the Empire, regularly employing it to advantage in its dealings with the Empire, the Noble Houses, and other factions. The third faction is an assembly known as the "Landsraad", which collectively represents the great houses. The Landsraad is often divided, as each of the great Houses is in constant competition for planetary kingdoms, political power and Imperial favor.

The narrative in Dune is concerned with the coming of age of young Paul Atreides (heir to Duke Leto of House Atreides), as he and his royal family relocate to the desert planet known as Arrakis. The planet Arrakis is the only source of the spice melange, one of the most valuable substances in the Empire. Arrakis is home to wandering tribes, the Fremen, the only race capable of living in the harsh desert conditions. Water is extremely rare and gigantic sandworms are among the few fauna to be found on the planet. Problems arise when the Harkonnen noble House, the former stewards of Arrakis, don’t want to give up their privilege. Through subtle sabotage and treachery they try to undermine the rule of the House Atreides. Anticipating problems, the Atreides duly arm themselves – but then tragedy strikes from a shockingly unexpected place.

The online dictionary defines a ‘classic’ as “an artist, author, or work generally considered to be of the highest rank or excellence, especially one of enduring significance”. The astonishing number of popular media influenced by Dune clearly shows its ‘enduring significance’, both in the genre and outside the genre, but Dune can be considered classic for other reasons. The novel was the first major ‘ecological science fiction’, as Herbert extensively focuses on the ecological aspect of the planet Arrakis. Also, not unlike Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land it represented a move towards a slightly more literary approach to the science fiction novel. Before this move towards the literary approach, good science fiction was said to only need an interesting speculative concept. Characterization of the protagonist(s) and world building were secondary to the speculative nature. Dune reversed these roles with its vivid portrayal of Paul Atreides and with its well thought-out eco-system of planet Arrakis.
Frank Herbert also deliberately understated the speculative technology in the Dune universe (and hardly explains its role and function in society) so he was able to address the future of human kind, instead of the future of the technology. The narrative also explores multilayered political intrigue of the Empire and often strange and mystical religious beliefs thoroughly. It was one of the first science fictions efforts to do so and marked a breakthrough.

So what we are dealing here with is a landmark of soft science fiction and a classic in the every sense of the word. But does Dune live up to today’s standards?

Yes, very much so. I would argue it is still holds up to today’s standards in terms of quality of writing, world building and characterization. Many of the technological concepts in older science fiction novels are outdated and don’t have “edge” of speculation on where technology will take us anymore, because it has either happened already or the idea was too far-fetched in the first place. Dune however, with its suppressed technology, is still relevant and enjoyable to today’s science fiction readers.

The characterization of many characters is impressive. The young Paul Atreides is a round, fully realized character and I suspect many readers will find his struggles to come to terms with the legacy immersing. It certainly was to me. His mother Jessica, Duke Leto Atreides and Gurney Halleck are worthy of note as well. A strong female character like Jessica Atreides; the novel should be accoladed for having such a character in 1965. Moreover Frank Herbert doesn’t just focus on a single character, but each one is given its fair share of attention. I think the eye for the small details is what makes these characters really come alive.
The world building is equally impressive. Dune is truly epic world building, world building as it meant to be. It doesn’t rival the epic sweeps of JRR Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, but certainly comes close and that itself is quite the achievement. Once again, it is the eye for detail that defines the hand of a master. This is not a patchwork of alien-sounding languages, strange customs and non-relevant histories thrown together in the Galactic mixer, no, the cultural elements present are in balance and plausible. Herbert imagined almost every facet of his creation and his dedication to this project shows. The novel comes with a host of glossaries, quotes, documents, and histories -- all meant to convey a real sense of history. It is a rich universe, almost begging the reader to take the plunge in these imaginary worlds. I didn’t refuse this invitation.

Dune is well-paced throughout but stumbles near its conclusion. Paul’s ascension is a steady and thus believable one – right until the ending, which is a little bit rushed. A bit of a shame really and a minor flaw of an otherwise crystal-clear quality science fiction effort. As interesting and sympathetic Paul is when he faces his problems and comes to terms with them, he loses some appeal as character in the end. I won’t go in details because I don’t want to spoil the novel for those who haven’t read it yet, but the ending bows before spectacle. As a result, it is not that emotionally shattering as it could have been. Yet, as I said, it is a minor criticism and its significance pales when you weigh it against the merits of the novels.

It is hard to fault this novel, this classic. So I am not going to do that and instead recommend it to everyone who’s willing to listen to my bantering. Dune’s status as landmark of science fiction is wholly deserved. Gripping and vividly, it tells us the ascension of a hero and at the same time marked the ascension of a star in the field. A star that still shines as bright as it did when it was first published in 1965.

-- Lawrence

Enchanted - Walt Disney Pictures

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:30:39 -0400

Enchanted starts off with that old school classic Disney feel showing the opening book and music introduction. It is unmistakably Disney. From there we are treated to the cartoon aspect of the film, which is a subtle exaggeration and fun parody of pretty much all Disney cartoons that have been produced. When animated Giselle calls the animals to come help her with her singing voice and the forest empties out like the end of a concert the fine ride is just starting.

Once out of the animated world and flung head (or dress) first into the bustling world of New York do we really get to see Amy Adams play the perfect princess. The character of Giselle works so well because she maintains the naïve attitude as well as the special powers of song, of a princess living in a fairy tale world when she comes to New York. “It’s like you escaped from a Hallmark Card…”, the character of Robert says to Giselle, which pretty well sums it up. The rest of the characters that come over from the cartoon fairy tale world have their same characteristics and powers that were available to them in their own world of Andalasia. Where Giselle can call the animals of the forest (rabbits, chipmunks, foxes) to help her clean and sew in Andalasia, in New York they come in the form of pigeons, rats, and roaches which do the same. Total parody, and really funny.

For the astute Disney fan many of the scenes pay homage to older Disney movies and cartoons, which include Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, etc… I thought this was a very nice touch to a wonderful movie. I understand the Blu Ray version points them out via a bonus feature for those of us who don’t put the hidden aspect of the two mouse ears together.

When a Disney live action movie can be enjoyed by a 30 something year old father and his son, you know you have something worth picking up on DVD. I found Amy Adams really stole the show with what I would call the perfect portrayal of an animated princess that comes from a world where there is only the day of happily ever after. James Marsden plays a nice compliment with his depiction of Prince Edward, the prince of Andalasia, and Patrick Dempsey as Robert the single father New Yorker rounds out the male love interests. Susan Sarandon plays Queen Narissa the evil wicked step mother witch who wants to keep the throne to herself and keeps the action coming from every which angle. Another personal note while watching Enchanted was that I really enjoyed all of the musical numbers in the movie. This is a rare occurance these days, but I felt that the music from Alan Menken was superb and the pacing of them through out the movie worked extremely well. Each number was at least as interesting as the last and they did not seem to interrupt the story, but rather add to it.

Bonus Features – We have what we would consider “the norm” in bonus features these days on the Enchanted DVD, with deleted scenes, bloopers, some behind the scenes, and then the Pop Up Adventure.

Pip’s Predicament is a well done special effects pop-up adventure of how Pip goes to rescue Prince Edward in Andalasia so he can then come to New York to save Giselle. The deleted scenes were nice and we also get a nice description of why they were deleted.

Note: DVD Version watched on a Playstation 3 with a hdmi connection to a Panasonic 43 inch rear projection.

Update: (13) scenes depicted from ENCHANTED along with the Classic Disney scene that was referenced in the film, right click and save as for the higher res version

Dragon Orb: Firestorm

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:00:03 -0500

There are four young dragon riders and four dragons whose destiny is to seek out the Dragon Oracle.

This first book in a new young adult series starts with a meeting. Elian, a young boy, whose life changes when he encounters a Dawn Dragon – Aurora.
In a far away land a young girl, Nolita, also encounters her dragon, Firestorm.
However, they both have quite different reactions to their destinies. Elian embraces his, were Nolita flees from hers.

However, four dragons and their riders are required to carry out the Dragon Oracles quest. To find Four Orbs.
Without Nolita and Firestorm the future is uncertain for Dragon kind.

Personal Thoughts – I like dragon stories. There is something about dragons that feels fantastical to me, so it was a delight to get to read a new series based on dragons.

The story begins with Elian when he meets his dragon, Aurora – a lovely name I felt for a dragon. He soon sets aside his fears and embraces his destiny.
However a dragon hunting party tracks the pair. Another young rider, Kira, and her dragon Longfang come to Elian's rescue. And we learn that Aurora can move between worlds.

When the two dragons and their riders join up for the same journey, we get to learn a bit more about dragons and what motivates them. I enjoyed the bonding process between riders and dragons as each dealt with their situations uniquely.

Their journey to the Oracle brings them to Nolita, who is shunning Firestorm, due to a terrible fear of dragons. Nolita’s issues give this story an interest twist as she must face her fears before she can carry out part of the Oracle’s Quest.

The dragons for me are the most enjoyable characters. Their world is interesting, I liked the idea of duty and destiny which influence their actions. And there were plenty of unanswered questions about their society for the next book.

The strangest character is Kasau, the dragon hunter. He is shrouded in mystery throughout the story. We’re never told how he can sense the dragons or why he is driven to kill them. Plenty of questions left unanswered with his character too.
I couldn’t help but dislike him a little though, as I grew quite attached to the dragons.

Plenty of interesting ideas in this first book and a good start to lead us into a more volatile situation as the series continues.