Fantasybookspot - 10

The Lions of Al-Rassan

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:10:56 -0400

Al-Rassan is a land in turmoil. For hundreds of years it has been ruled by powerful Khalifs, and had prospered, sending raiding parties to Esperana in the north for treasure and supplies. But now the last Khalif has been murdered, at the behest of newly proclaimed King Almalek of Cartada. The warring kings of Esperana see the opportunity to regain the land, and a plot is hatched to join forces and retake Al-Rassan. In the midst of this upheaval, four people from vastly different backgrounds are drawn together by circumstances beyond their control, and together they forge a bond stronger than the armies warring around them.

Religious fervor runs high between the two warring factions. In the south are Asharites, who worship the stars, while in the north are Jaddites, who worship a sun god. Caught in the middle are the Kindath, wanderers who worship the moons and who are mistrusted by both lands. Ammar ibn Khairan, an Asharite, is notorious in Al-Rassan - after all, he killed the last Khalif. He is known as both brilliant and cruel, and is a close confidant of King Almalek. He is also a poet, who wishes nothing more than to live a quite life with his writing. Betrayed by the king, Ammar disappears from public life, only to resurface in a coup that puts Almalek's heir on the throne. Rather than showing gratitude, the new king exiles Ammar, who flees to Ragosa to join the mercenary ranks. Also in Ragosa is Rodrigo Belmonte, a Jaddite, the famous warrior of the north. After publicly humiliating the brother of the Constable, Rodrigo is banished from his king's service for two years. Alvar, a member of Rodrigo's band of soldiers, is in his first year of service to the king. He is honored and a little confused at being chosen to ride with Rodrigo, and experiences the horrors of war for the first time. Jehane bet Ishak is a Kindath physician, almost unheard of for a woman. She is in Ragosa to escape from the slaughter in her home town, and has been made physician in the king's court. Ammar, Rodrigo, Alvar, and Jehane begin to trust each other, and form a complex loyalty between the four. As tensions in Al-Rassan grow, the newly formed friendships are quickly tested. Urged on by religious fanatacism, the political upheaval soon becomes all-out war, and the four find themselves forced to decide between friendship and country.

Kay is truly a master of historical fantasy. In The Lions of Al-Rassan, he has created a world that is clearly modeled on medieval Spain. Readers will easily recognize the three religious groups as based on the Moors, Christians, and Jews of the time. The character of Rodrigo is based on the famous Spaniard El Cid, and the story draws on the historic fall of Grenada, the last Moorish state in Spain. While Kay has used these historical elements to ground his story, the world he creates is all his own. His ability to create complex social and political scenarios makes the story completely believable. He draws the reader into his narrative slowly, allowing one to get accustomed to each new setting before moving to the next. His book is also beautifully written, with an extensive vocabulary that requires the reader to engage with the words on the page, reading carefully to not miss anything. And yet he includes plenty of action, so the reading never seems slow, and the 500+ pages literally fly by.

Each of Kay's characters are unforgettable. They are real, flawed people, who want to be good but quite often do very bad things. Jehane is a physician, who truly believes it is her duty to bring healing and light whereever she can. She also allows a man to be killed in front of her eyes for revenge. Ammar is an intelligent poet and diplomat, and yet he himself has killed on many occasions because it served his purpose at the time. Rodrigo is perhaps the most consistant to his ideals, but in the end he makes a choice to turn his back on his friends. Even Kay's secondary characters have depth - from a deeply pious queen who is a slave to her husband's carnal desires, to a silk merchant who transforms himself into a new man, Kay breathes life into each of the people we meet on these pages. He also allows them to grow and change - when we first meet Alvar he is young and terrified, and we are able to watch him grow up into a confident, mature man.

Ultimately, The Lions of Al-Rassan is about choices. Kay's characters face questions of love, loyalty, and friendship before the novel is finished. They are asked to determine if different people of different faiths can really live together in peace. They are asked if a few strong men and women really can bring change into the world. They are asked if love really is worth sacrifice. It is these universal questions that make this novel so powerful. This is not a happily-ever-after book - it actually left me with a feeling of sadness. It is, however, a novel that will stay in your mind and heart long after you have turned the last page.

ASH

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:22:16 -0400

ASH - A Secret History can in many respects be regarded as Mary Gentle’s magnum opus, both in terms of volume (a whopping 1100 pages) and in terms of its ambition and scope. It is also a work of literature that is very difficult, if not impossible, to categorize. It is simultaneously historical fiction, alternate history, fantasy and science fiction. The novel was awarded the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in 2000. It should also be noted that while ASH is published in one volume by Gollancz in the UK, it is published in four volumes (A Secret History, Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, Lost Burgundy) by Avon Eos in the US.

The novel contains two parallel narratives. The primary narrative is the story of Ash, a young woman, who is the captain of a company of mercenaries in the late 15th century. When we meet her, she and her company are employed by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III in a conflict with Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy – both great powers in late medieval Europe. Ash has ambitions for herself and her company. Life as a mercenary is both dangerous and unpredictable, and it is difficult to provide for the hundreds of people that make up a mercenary company in lean times, so she fights in the hope of being rewarded with land, which would provide the company with a secure base. Ash’s own position as soldier who is also a woman is also rather precarious, which she learns the hard way when Frederick to her dismay rewards her with a noble husband instead of land and title. Bound by marriage and her husband’s feudal ties, Ash finds that she has lost control over her company of mercenaries. This, however, turns out to be the least of her problems. At this point Gentle twists her narrative into alternate history as she introduces Visigoth Carthage as powerful and fearsome enemy. In this alternate history, Carthage is a stronghold of Arian Christianity and a place of stark brutality and strange technology – golems, tactical computers and non-human intelligences. Shortly after Ash’s marriage, Carthage launches a crusade of massive proportions against Europe, and Ash learns that the voice she hears in her head is not a saint but something else entirely. Soon it becomes apparent that the fate of Europe rests on the slender and armoured shoulders of Ash; on her origins and, indeed, her very nature – as well as on the continued existence of Burgundy (The Duchy of Burgundy dissolved as an independent nation upon the death of Duke Charles the Bold in at the Battle of Nancy on January 5th 1477, which became a pivotal moment in European history).

Framing the story of Ash is a narrative which plays out through a fictitious email correspondence between a historian working on a biography of Ash and his editor. This part of the narrative is set around the turn of the millennium and focuses on Dr. Pierce Ratcliff, who is translating a collection of late medieval manuscripts that tells the story of Ash, i.e. the main narrative of the novel. As his work progresses he discovers that the history of late medieval Europe that the Ash documents narrative diverges significantly from known history. That is, in Pierce’s time-frame, Carthage did not exist in the late 15th century. As he puzzles about this, trying to construct a theory to fit what the documents narrate, strange things begin to happen. Suddenly most of his source material has either disappear or has been re-classified as myth and literature, while at the same time material evidence of a Visigoth Carthage begin to appear in North Africa. As the novel progresses, it becomes apparent that the story of Ash and the history Pierce is working on is deeply intertwined.

ASH is a very complex novel, which includes some very sophisticated perspectives on the workings of history, myth and scholarship, founded on a thorough knowledge of late medieval Europe and the warfare of the period. In fact, Gentle completed a MA in War Studies as part of the research for this novel. As a piece of alternate historical fiction, ASH demands quite a lot from the reader, more specifically a certain amount of historical knowledge in order for the reader to discern exactly when the fictional narrative deviate from known history. However, Gentle doesn’t just throw in random element to create an alternate history but rather creative extrapolate an alternate history from a certain point of known history. Case in point: Visigoth Carthage! In the 5th century, the site of Carthage was conquered by the Vandals (an East Germanic tribe like the Visigoths), who were in fact followers of Arianism (refers to the teachings of the 4th century theologian Arius, who held that Jesus Christ was almost, but not fully divine). Carthage existed as a Vandal city in a short period before it was annexed by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century.

In order to facilitate this kind of knowledge, Gentle has provided her narrative with numerous footnotes, a feature that simultaneously support the framing narrative wherein Pierce Ratcliff explores Ash’s life in order to write a historical biography. As the two parallel stories progress, it becomes apparent, that the framing narrative serves other purposes than presenting historical exposition too cumbersome for the main narrative. At first, the footnotes as well as Pierce’s correspondence with his editor serves to mark the moment of departure – what is fact and what is fiction? But as his evidence appears and disappears, the framing narrative develops into a more philosophical exploration of the very nature of alternate histories (couched in scientific terms):

I’ll be honest. Anna, I know the ‘Ash’ documents were authentic history when I first studied them. Whatever I may have said about errors of re-classifications, you will remember that I found myself completely unable to explain it in any satisfactory way. I think that I _had_ almost come to believe in Vaughan Davis’s theory out of sheer desperation – that there actually had been a ‘first history’ of the world, which was wiped out in some fashion, and that we now inhabit a ‘second history’, into which bits of the first have somehow survived. That Ash’s history first was genuine, and has now been – fading, if you like – to Romance, to a cycle of legends.
[…]
I had begun to think that perhaps they *were* from a previous version of our past, growing less real by the decade. A previous past history in which the text’s ‘miracle’ *did* take place. In which the Faris and the ‘Wild Machines’ (or whatever it is that those literary metaphors represent) triggered some kind of alteration in history. Or, to put it in scientific terms, a previous past history in which the possible subatomic states of the universe were (deliberately and consciously) collapsed into a different reality – the one we now inhabit.
[…]
Plainly, we have to face the possibility now that reality did fracture in or about the beginning of the year 1477. Equally plainly, it is possible that fragments of that prior history have existed in ours, becoming gradually less and less ‘real’ as the universe moves on from the moment of fracture.

Gentle uses this notion of a ‘first’ and a ‘second’ history to explore the workings of history and the fluidity of historical “truth”. She has elsewhere stated that she views “history” as a construct, that is, that there historical writing always contains a certain level of fictionality. Furthermore, historical sources and documents are continually re-examined and re-evaluated, and the farther they are from the present, the harder it becomes to separate fact from fiction and myth. Considerations such as these are partly made explicit in the contemporary sections of the narrative, but Gentle also lets history and myth blend almost seamlessly together in the story of Ash herself. Thus the astute reader might pick apart Gentle’s often subtle play with myth and history. A good example of this particular aspect of the novel can be found in a rather discreet detail: the many references to the Green Christ (Christus Viridianus), a detail that isn’t really explained until the latter part of the novel when Ash and the company surgeon Floria(n) del Guiz inspect a series of religious mosaics:

Ash leaned in close, peering at a mosaic of the birth of the Green Christ – his Imperial Jewish mother sprawled under the oak, half-dead from bringing forth her son; the Baby suckling the Sow; the Eagle, in the oak’s branches, lifting up his head, depicted about to take wing on the flight that will – in three days – bring Augustus and his legions to the right spot in the wild German forest. And in the next panel, Christus Viridianus heals his mother, with the leaves of the oak.
[…]
Florian walked the circuit of the walls, glancing at each panel briefly – Viridianus and his legion in Judea, gone native after the Persian wars; Viridianus speaking with the Jewish elders; Viridianus and his officers worshipping Mithras. Then Augustus’s funeral, the coronation of his true son, and, in the background, the adopted son Tiberius and the conspirators, the desire for the oak tree upon which they will hang Viridianus – bones broken, no blood shed – already plain on their faces.
One circuit of the room, back to where Ash stands by the birth; and the last panel is Constantine, three centuries later, converting the empire to the religion of Viridianus, whom the Jews still consider nothing more than a Jewish prophet, but whom the followers of Mithras have long and faithfully known as the Son of the Unconquered Sun.

In the space of a few paragraphs, Gentle constructs an alternate history of Christ, a history that highlights the specific mythic elements from the ancient world that have since been incorporated into Christianity. The epithet “Viridianus” is not a Christian one; rather it (the colour green), together with the jealous brother and the death on the tree, is specifically associated with the Egyptian god Osiris. The references to Mithras (a sun god of Persian origin, worshipped by Roman soldiers) and Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun, a late Roman state cult of solar deities) are, like Osiris, all examples of an ancient mythic archetype – the resurrected deity (a life-death-rebirth deity). The story Jesus Christ display key structural elements with these deities, and it has been argued that this mythic archetype has been absorbed into Christian theology and symbolism through the religious syncretism of the late Roman Empire.

The above-mentioned elements are deeply buried in Gentle’s narrative and require a rather knowledgeable reader to puzzle out. However, other examples of her play with history, myth and fiction are made manifest on the surface of the story. One such is the ways in which Ash continually is compared and contrasted to the legend of Joan of Arc. Like Joan, Ash is female soldier; like Joan, Ash receives aid from a disembodied voice; and, like Joan, Ash finds herself in the role as the defender of a nation – she is the Maid of Burgundy to Joan’s Maid of Orleans (a bit ironic since Burgundy play a part in the capture of Joan of Arc!). Mary Gentle not only invokes the legend of the Maid of Orleans, she also turns it inside-out thus highlighting the hidden issues of gender and sexuality. Where Joan of Arc was a holy virgin, a peasant girl made into soldier through divine intervention, Ash is a professional soldier who happens to be a woman. Ash’s military competence has been earned by hard work and an iron will. She is single-minded in her dedication to the business of war, which partly is a product of circumstance – she has lived almost her entire life in a mercenary company. War is, in fact, the only thing she knows. As a female soldier, Ash is an anomaly. Her gender presents an obstacle in the context of her chosen profession, but at the same time she uses her femininity, youth and beauty strategically in the dealings with the men of her profession. She knows that her status as a female war leader evokes the legend of Joan of Arc and she’s not averse to exploit it.

Ash might be a brilliant and cold-blooded soldier, but she is also an incredibly damaged young woman with what at best can be described as a dysfunctional childhood. She’s raped at the tender age of 8 and survives childhood as a camp whore – it is certainly no coincidence that Gentle lets Ash’s rapists cut up the girls face. She is scarred, both literally and psychologically, and those traumas are integral elements of her personality. It is, as it is stated in the opening sentence of the prologue: It was her scars that made her beautiful. The rape/scarring also constitutes another form of marking – Ash is not a virgin in armour like the archetype to which she is compared. The fact that she is a sexually active female soldier makes her a potentially subversive and therefore dangerous figure according to the late medieval mind, something that her young husband finds very troubling. He finds her threatening and repulsive, whereas Ash is very strongly attracted to him on a pure physical level but has trouble seeing him as other than weak-willed and cowardly. In many respects, Ash’s marriage seems to be a pivotal moment in her character-development. It is established early on that she isn’t an introspective personality – Ash is all action, and her military competence often make her appear older than her 19 years. Emotionally, she is, however, very young and she has no clue how to deal with the confliction emotions that her reluctant husband elicit in her. It is, however, not this rather ill-luck marriage that forms the most significant relationship in this novel. Rather, the main focus is firmly locked on the interactions between Ash and her company, especially her officers. Here she finds a real sense of belonging, of comradeship. It is an emotional attachment that is never spoken (unless couched in an irreverent banter) but always present in an easy (and often bawdy) camaraderie. Ash and her company are loyal to each other unto death and beyond – and it is Gentle’s skilful and often subtle representation of this heartfelt bond between Ash and her company that constitutes this novel’s heart and soul.

Another wonderful aspect is the level of mimesis that Gentle brings to her story. She delves unflinchingly into the minutiae of the daily life of these 15th century mercenaries, and she never shies away from depicting the less salubrious aspects of late medieval life and war. Ash and her soldiers are, more often than not, both dirty and battered, their armour rusting, their clothes fouled by gore and human waste, their appearance ravaged by the dangers of war and the harshness of the elements. All of this gives the reader heightened experience of the world the protagonists inhabit, all the details makes Ash’s world present in one’s mind. Stylistically, this aspect is reinforced by the way in which the narrative alternates between the past and the present tense. Gentle primarily employs the present tense in action- and battle scenes since it effectively conveys a sense of immediacy – and it works! I have yet to encounter a writer who can imbue a fight scene with such an overpowering sense of immediate experience as Gentle does.

This kind of attention to detail – often anchored in sensory impressions – heightens the realism of the text, and Gentle is most certainly part of the recent trend for the dark and gritty in fantasy fiction. Gentle makes her alternate 15th century Europe real and tangible to such a degree that ASH is a very intense and somewhat exhausting reading experience. I sometimes felt as tired and battered as the protagonists and thus welcomed the sections of the present-day narrative as much needed and well-timed breathing spaces. Yet no matter how demanding and exhausting it can be ASH ultimately offers a deeply rewarding reading experience. It is, in fact, hard to find anything to criticize. It offers a gripping action adventure, a historical puzzle and a slightly foreign world. It has a well-structured and well-paced narrative, built on a solid and extremely impressive foundation of historical research. The main character is complex and compelling, strong yet vulnerable and utterly likeable. The text itself is multi-layered and has a depth beyond the ordinary when it comes to fantasy fiction. The only thing that annoyed me was an odd tendency to arbitrarily vacillate between a third person and a first person narrative in the sections of Ash’s story – this is, however, a very minor complaint in regard to a novel that is very nearly perfect.

I will not hesitate to label ASH a modern masterpiece of speculative fiction. It is a work of literature that transcends genre and offers up an intriguing and highly entertaining exploration of history as a state of potentialities. As a secret or alternate history ASH is not only closely related to the genres of both fantasy and science fiction, but also to the practice of counter-factual history (also called “virtual history”) in academic circles. Mary Gentle’s novel is a highly intelligent and extremely accomplished work of literature that will appeal to fans of historical and speculative fiction alike.

Trine D. Paulsen

Little Brother

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:26:33 -0400

A terrorist attack on San Francisco kicks off this Young Adult novel by Cory Doctorow. Marcus Yallow and his friends are playing an interactive scavenger hunt game and end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of their number is injured and when they flag down the police, they find themselves under arrest and taken to a secret prison where they're interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security. Once released, Marcus uses his technology skills to become and activist, which makes him Public Enemy Number One, as he attempts to regain the city and the freedom that he used to know.

This novel is particularly compelling because it isn't far-fetched. When a government and its people gives terrorists the power to disrupt their lives, the changes that a governing body can institute and the people will tolerate in the name of safety can become shocking. The majority of the technology in the novel already exists in some form, even if it isn't yet as sophisticated or widely-used as in the book. The leaps for the techonolgy in the book aren't unreasonable and have probably already been developed, but haven't been released to the general public. Interestingly enough, the chief tool for the subversion of the government are xBoxes that have been hacked.

Marcus is a compelling character because if he hadn't been so mistreated, he wouldn't have become so active in attempting to bring down the Department of Homeland Security. He isn't stupid, nor does he seem particularly lazy, he's just a kid, doing the kind of things expected from a typical teenaged geek with free time on his hands. He's a little selfish and a bit vindictive, but he's a highly realistic character. Many very significant social movements were founded on a similar vindictive dissident basis.

Cory Doctorow also provides afterwords and a bibliography for those who want to learn more about the technology involved in the book and the ideas presented. The book mentions Abbie Hoffman and the Yippie movement, as well as civil rights groups, and some very poignant quotes from the Constitution. The book never become preachy, it has a point and the author is never shy about reminding the reader what that point is, but there is still so much action, reaction, and character growth that it doesn't feel as if it's an adamant statement. This is the kind of book meant to get people thinking and talking, and it certainly offers a great deal of food for thought.

Technology can sometimes be off-putting in fiction. If an author has to take a long tangent in order to explain how things work or how and why the technology was developed, the plot and characterizatino can often suffer. Sometimes, techno-babble can cause readers to lose interest, especially if they're unfamiliar with slang or jargon that is being used. "Little Brother" doesn't suffer from these problems. The technology isn't inacessible and through various plot devices it's easily and neatly explained enough to help the reader understand what is happening.

The bigger point, though, is at what point trading privacy for safety needs to be stopped. "Little Brother" is being marketed as Young Adult, but I believe that adult readers would gain just as much, if not more, benefit from reading this book. Anyone who has concerns over the amount of power the Department of Homeland Security has been granted or about the Patriot Act should definitely get a hold of a copy of "Little Brother" and then start sharing it with their friends. Some adults are certainly part of the problem in the book, but not all adults are the issue. There are very specific villains in this book, which gives it a more balanced view than it might have had.

It's an excellent, thought-provoking read, and I would recommend it to just about everyone.

Lavinia

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:48:43 -0400

Virgil sings of arms and of a man; over two thousand years later, Le Guin offers the princess of that song her own words. Lavinia, the prize of battle in Virgil’s Aeneid, speaks under the guidance of this award-winning author, revealing details of the struggle between cultures from a perspective unseen in the national epic of the Roman Empire. In this first person account of a woman caught by fate and held by love, Le Guin imagines this minor historical figure as a princess with a mind of her own as well as respect for traditions that may not always serve her best interests.

Lavinia shares her story as a storyteller tells tales around a campfire; the conversational tone is inclusive, welcoming readers to stop and listen. She explains her circumstance as a valued daughter of King Latinus and of his queen, Amata, who is twisted with rage and grief over the death of her young sons, taken by a fever that left Lavinia alive to suffer her mother’s wrath.

Lavinia is genuinely loved by the people of Latinium as she grows into adolescence among a vibrant countryside, where she roams without fear or restraint. Her fifteenth birthday brings her self-absorbed cousin Turnus to light as a suitor for her hand in marriage, a suit he presses for the next three years, but she does not trust him: “Turnus flattered my mother and laughed with my father and looked at me as the butcher looks at the cow.”
To avoid social events that honor Turnus, she finds solace in a sacred place where spirit communications have been revealed to her and her father, which further alienates her mother because she is not similarly blessed. Lavinia waits in the dusky woods alone until the figure of a man appears. Virgil is dying, his body somewhere in the future, consumed with a fever that will take away his chance to finish his great poem. This poem, he explains to her, reveres her husband, Aeneas, but speaks little of her. He is ashamed by this slight and offers a glimpse of her future so that she might be prepared for the best and the worst.

It is easy to forget that Lavinia herself has not written this story; Le Guin adopts a believable and intimate tone with which Lavinia weaves back and forth from the distant past to her present, from her adolescence to marriage and motherhood, and back again, carried between times by common feelings brought about during pivotal events in her life. Lavinia may be a princess, but she does not put on airs. She questions her ability to write at all, for if the great spirit poet of the future did not find her worthy of note, perhaps she is, after all, not. How will she choose to act during the remainder of her life to justify remembrance?

Le Guin’s preparation for Lavinia involved reading the Aeneid in Latin, a time and effort consuming task for any scholar. The incomplete epic, which Virgil hoped would burn at his death, was a ten year project ending with the battle for the princess between Aeneas and Turnus. Le Guin succeeds where no author has before, in an imagining of Lavinia’s perspective on the events of the Aeneid as well as what she calls an “unfolding of a hint,” as close and rich as if she herself had experienced it. It comes as no surprise that this tale of magical realism is a work of art in Le Guin’s hands.

Breath and Bone

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:47:58 -0500

Every once in a while a book comes along that redefines enjoyment and artistry. With Breath and Bone, Carol Berg has achieved just that. The magic in this story lives and breathes in the very words and phrasing of the tale. I have not read a more captivating work of art in sometime.

Readers are drawn seamlessly into Valen’s mind in this first person point of view tale spun effortlessly, woven with magic and such craft as to gift life into its very pages. Valen finds himself between the devil and the deep blue sea as his oaths and renegade reputation catch up with him. Bound to the bastard prince Oriel and struggling against a deadly addiction, he comes the overwhelming realization the kingdom and the very existence of all creation depend on him and his questionable decision making. At the root of it all lies the reason for his grandfather’s madness and the hatred he feels from his father.

The plot twists and turns, knarled like an old tree and filled with unexpected darkness. Hidden motivations come to light and questions raised by the first book in this series, Flesh and Spirit, are answered. The tale is filled with numerous characters yet each has an individual voice so readers easily can keep them straight. More than a typical quest fantasy, Valen struggles with questions many people face. Issues of familial devotion, abandonment, and loyalty are woven within the age-old conflict of whether the ends justify the means. Is saving the lives of hundreds worth the damning of one soul?

I could find no weak link in the golden chain of this story. From beginning to end I was held in thrall by the beauty and blending of myth and magic. Carol Berg is a gifted artist who paints magnificent scenes of prose. The only slightly negative statement I can make is to beware - know that every book you read from now on may suffer in comparison. Here is a book that will compel you to return and enjoy its texture and savor its depth. Bravo, Ms. Berg!

Gabriel's Horn

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:53:01 -0500

Raquel has everything- beauty, power, and all the money she could ever want. What she doesn’t have is a faithful husband. Match that with a prenuptial agreement signed in haste and no proof of infidelity and you have one vengeful lady. Revenge is a dish best served sweet and Raquel knows how to turn up the heat. Her own husband won’t recognize her as the passionate woman she longs to be, but maybe someone else will.

Tess Mackall has taken the traditional plot of infidelity and vamped it up a hundredfold. Gabriel is the epitome of all female fantasies. His character is raw and in charge. Readers will be mesmerized with the description, storyline, and, of course, the ending. Be prepared to salivate and yearn for more from this new erotic author. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

This book is available from Dark Eden Press as an ebook.
http://www.darkedenpress.com/book_tess-mackall-gr1-gabriels-horn.html

The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:04:57 -0500

I hobbled over to the computer and realized that its hard to type with one hand. Before you ask why I'm typing with one hand, its because I picked up The Big Book of Pulps and dislocated my shoulder. Of course that simplistic answer does nothing to explain the hobble, well, when my shoulder gave out the book fell on my foot and broke my toe. I mean it has to be said, this is a big friggin book and, quite frankly, I see only one way to really start this review.

I can't help it so lets get this out of way up front.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that people jog around it for exercise

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that I had to read it in the drive way

The Big Book of Pulps is so big NASA had to orbit a satellite around it!

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that when I dropped it into the ocean the tides changed!

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that I dropped it on 4 quarters and it made a dollar!

The Big Book of Pulps is so big it sat on another quarter and a booger shot out of George Washington's nose!

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that when it dances at a concert the whole band skips.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that when its open it sits in two time zones.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that Patrick and I read this book together...at the same time.

The Big Book of Pulps so big that it put on some BVD's and by the time they reached its waist they spelled out boulevard.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big it was baptized in the ocean.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big it makes sumo wrestlers look anorexic.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big it makes Big Bird look like a rubber duck.

The Big Book of Pulps is so big all the restaurants in Baltimore have signs that say: "Maximum Occupancy: 240 Patrons OR The Big Book of Pulps"

The Big Book of Pulps is so big that when it tried running away, they had to use all four sides of the milk carton.

Seriously though I did have to go to the other pulp collections on my shelf and console them, telling them that size doesn't really matter, that its what's on the inside that counts. Which then becomes the million dollar question 'what IS on the inside'? How about short stories, novelettes and two complete novels.

Here are some classic stories from some of the best writers the era produced, regardless of genre, like Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, Cornell Woolrich, Erle Stanley Gardner and James M. Cain. Then there is the joy of reading stories by authors that aren't as well know but should be like Roger Torrey, Stewart Sterling, and Leslie White.

The pulp era was one that comprised of writers banging out stories for 1/2¢ to 1¢ a word. These authors made their living as writers so, in many ways, quantity was the name of the game. The faster you wrote the more you produced. The more you produced the more times you got paid. So polishing a draft or re-writing were luxuries they couldn't afford. This atmosphere lent a certain manic energy to the pulp stories of the day, a fire was lit under their asses and it shows on every page. With things done on the fly there were good, great and so-so writers and The Big Book of Pulps uses an egalitarian approach in collecting these stories. There really aren't any bad stories in the collection but it does become apparent that some are better then others and why they rose to the top.

Otto Penzler has also included mini-bios and a selected bibliography for each author collected. Biographical information about some of these men is scarce and Penzler does a great job of compiling that information and they become equally as entertaining as the stories. The Big Book of Pulps stands as both a historical document and great entertainment all in one package.

Given its great price for all of the content (putting my hands over the ears of the other collections on my shelf) in this case, bigger IS better.

--Brian Lindenmuth

**An Amazon word of caution. The Big Book of Pulps collects three titles that have been and will be released separately. Amazon is offering one of the single titles as part of its "Better Together" program.

Hundreds Of Years To Reform A Rake

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:28:05 -0500

Time travel is rebuffed by Josie, a modern career minded ghost-buster who proves or disproves the existance of ghosts in people's homes. When Amelia brings Josie out to her castle she is dependent on a ghost being present- it's all she needs to open her home to the public and save it from falling apart. Weeks are spent searching but to no avail. It's only when Josie is prepared to leave that the ghost reveals himself, and his carefully calculated plan to retain the family home.

Josie finds that the plan is dependent on not only her participation but her ability to act as if she belongs in the past. Meeting her ghost in person is disconcerting at best. His affect on her multiplies in materialized form. Her mission is to reveal someone as a fraud and to find the family jewels. She is the only one capable of preventing a swindle to take the family's fortune. Will Josie live up to Deverell's expectations?

Laurie Brown has outdone herself with her latest historical novel, Hundreds Of Years To Reform A Rake. The Regency time period proves to be a magical setting for Josie and her ghost Deverell Thornton, the ninth Earl of Waite.

Sexual tension starts early and builds throughout the story. The conflict between the ghost of Deverell and the 'real' Deverell is pragmatic writing at its best. Readers will find this struggle between characters to be almost humorous. Josie's interaction with each of these characters is what builds the plot of this story. She is drawn to both of them in different ways but can't stand to be without either of them.

The romantic elements in this story were frequent and awe inspiring. All who read this will be drawn away to the Regency Era. Ball gowns, corsets, secret tunnels, cravats, and carriages abound. The relationship between Josie and Deverell goes from sweet to fated soulmates. Their journey will take your breath away.

You will need to set aside an entire weekend to finish this novel. Once you start reading you'll be transported to another time and won't want to return until the very last page is digested.

Inside Straight - A Wild Cards Novel

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:38:22 -0500

“Inside Straight” is a Wild Cards novel. The Wild Cards universe is a shared universe that was created in 1987 by George R. R. Martin. A number of authors write individual chapters/short stories focusing on a specific character, which Martin then edits together into an overall story. “Inside Straight” is the 18th novel set in the universe.

In the Wild Cards Universe, an alien virus that re-writes human DNA was released on Earth in 1946. It killed 90% of the people it infected. 9% were mutated into Jokers, who were deformed into a wide variety of non-human looking appearances. 1% gained superpowers as a result of their exposure and became known as “Aces”.

In 2008, 62 years have passed since the wild card was introduced into the world. An entire generation has grown up with it. The first generation of aces has grown up, become famous for their status and powers, had children, and in some cases died.

“Inside Straight” now focuses on the new generation, which has grown up with this as part of their lives and imprinted into society’s popular culture. Familiarity with the other books is not necessary. Many of the heroes and events from those books are spoken about, often reverently, by this younger generation. These were the stories that they’d heard every day as they grew up. These were their childhood heroes, and the people that they looked up to. “Inside Straight” does a good job of weaving that into a rich history of the world.

Even when one has superpowers, there are enough other aces around that it is a struggle to stand out, or to find one’ niche in the universe. “Inside Straight” firmly plugs into the culture of the day. On the very first page of the book Daniel Abraham brings us the character of Jonathan Hive, as seen through the postings he makes on his blog. The very first sentence of the book sends the message that this character is going to be edgy, complex, well detailed, and easy for the reader to relate to, whether he has an ace ability to not. Mr. Hive’s ability is that he can turn into a swarm of wasps. In spite of that, he has other ambitions and dreams. He wants to be a writer. His perspectives as seen through his blog are hilarious, brilliant, and serve to continue to tie the various chapters of the book together as the larger plot continues to unfold. I especially liked the blog chapters in the book. It was very cool to see a character just casually talking directly to us, the reader. The style also provided much of the comic relief in the book.

Jonathan Hive knows that what he needs to get his foot in the door of a writing career is exposure. He needs more people to read his blog. So to get that exposure he does what many people in the 2007 real world do. He appears on a reality TV show.

He is not alone. He is joined by a unique and varied cast of characters, such as Jetboy, Drummer Boy, Stuntman, the Maharajah, Water Lilly, Rosa Lotera, Jade Blossom, Diver, Digger Downs, Brave Hawk, Mistral, The Candle, Toad Man, Spasm, Father Henry Obst, Hard Hat, The Amazing Bubbles, Tiffani, Rustbelt, Earth Witch, Curveball, and Wild Fox.

“American Hero” will give one lucky ace the chance to win a million dollars and become the next big ace hero. Not only that but it gave me chapter and chapters of amusement and laughter. This reality show was better done on paper than most reality shows I’ve ever watched. The authors nailed the character interactions, as all the contestants interacted in the house and in their various team challenges for the show. Personalities came together and clashed. Certain ace abilities were more spectacular than others. Some were downright comical. But were any of them useless? That was part of the lesson of the reality show and of the book as a whole.

There’s much more to the book than a bunch of superheroes competing in a reality show. On the other side of the world there is big trouble in Egypt. A new Caliph had united Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, and now Egypt, under his rule. Unified Muslim rule was beginning to sweep the Middle East. But in Egypt 6000 + years of culture had caused many Jokers to mutate to the appearance of ancient Egyptian gods and other beings from their mythology. This had led to a rebirth of the old religion that had been in place before the rise of Islam or Christianity. Now in 2008 the rise of a new religious movement and the rise of the old were clashing violently. Not that anyone in the United States was noticing, as the “American Hero” craze swept the nation.

Have no fear. Everything meshes together. Jonathan Hive and his blog is the thread that weaves its way through the story until the big “Aha” moments when it all comes together. “Inside Straight” brilliantly pulls no punches, whether it be characters with colorful language, issues of sexuality, issues of race, the fact that many characters are deep and are not entirely what they appear to be, or just being brave enough to put it out there that even if someone is a superhero sometimes they will die in the performance of heroic duty. This is not “Superfriends” where everyone returns back to the Hall of Justice unscathed to fight another day. If I had to compare it to anything it’s like “Heroes”. But Wild Cards and its group of authors came up with this idea 19 years ago.

“Inside Straight” is a brilliant rendition of people with super powers living in a real and contemporary world. In some cases they are just trying to live normal lives. Almost every contestant gets a chance throughout the various chapters to move to the forefront for character development. The chapters are each told from the perspective of a particular character, so the book gives many opportunities to get into the head of one character after another.

I can say this without a doubt for “Inside Straight”. This is the 22nd book that I’ve reviewed for the site. It was funny. It was deep. It was original (I’ve not read any other books in the Wild Cards universe. In fact I have to admit that I’d never heard of it). In my opinion this is the best book I’ve read so far. That includes my two beloved DragonLance novels. It takes a pretty original telling of the superhero concept to get my attention. I am not a comic book fan. Tales of invulnerable superheroes flying around are usually dull to me. But these characters are not indestructible superbeings who can only be foiled by radioactive rocks from outer space, being bathed in sunlight, from a red star, or other Achilles’ Heels so exotic that it stretches my suspension of disbelief to see them manage to appear with regularity. Most of the characters in this book are regular people, most with regular jobs, who “drew an ace” and happen to have an ability as a result of their response to the alien virus which did not destroy their lives.

I would never have thought that a “book by committee” could have come together so cohesively and seamlessly. I wondered if there would be any inconsistency in character personality or behavior as we saw them through the eyes of a different author. That never happened. I absolutely give a standing ovation to the fine writing of Daniel Abraham, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Carrie Vaughn, Michael Cassutt, Caroline Spector, John Jos Miller, George R. R. Martin, Ian Tregillis, and S.L. Farrell, and to the outstanding editing done by George R.R. Martin. “Inside Straight” makes me re-write my rating scale. I’ve given several other 10’s over the course of the previous 21 books. Based on that I would absolutely have to give “Inside Straight” an 11.

Territory

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:32:06 -0400

The story covers the events leading up to the famous gunfight at the OK Corral. All the usual players are featured, like Curly Bill Brocius, Ike Clanton, Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp. Yet, something isn’t quite the same. Someone new has been added to the mix this time, a young drifter by the name of Jesse Fox. Jesse’s talents lie outside the usual realm of gun fighting and gambling. In fact, his talents are outside the realm of reality. He can see things that aren’t there and make things happen that shouldn’t. He has power, and he isn’t the only one in Tombstone gifted in this manner.

Emma Bull is a gifted wordsmith, creating sounds and smells with just a few lines. She somehow seems to grasp the essence of the atmosphere in a saloon, a newspaper office, or a shootout in the dark. Her salty descriptions of life leave the reader with the taste of sulphur and cordite on the tongue, catching whiffs of cigar smoke and horse sweat. She has taken a well-bandied story of understood history and turned it on its ear. It is as if the reader is viewing the legend of the gunfight at the OK Corral through a kaleidoscope that keeps shifting slightly, changing the details and creating something completely different.

I enjoy how she takes the commonplace events of a day and twists it into something very uncommon. She has an ability to pen magic that is very real. At times, the shifts between scenes were abrupt but I felt this was a method to keep the reader on his or her metaphorical toes. The story is like the powerful thunderstorms that sweep the West, tension building until it overflows in an eruption of wind and electricity that shifts reality to places you have only dreamed.

For those unfamiliar with the people involved the the OK Corral shootout, the story would still be enjoyable. However, the impact of the reality shift may be lessened. Alternative histories derive much of their effect from changing the trusted realities of our legends. Having a concept of the players in this story may not be necessary, but certainly will cause the story to have more of an effect.

This is a story to be savored and relished. Not only did I enjoy reading it the first time but will pick it up again and again. If you are wanting a new take on magic, enjoy alternative history, or dream about life in the saddle, give Territory a try.

The Elysium Commission

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:38:28 -0400

My latest review is “The Elysium Commission” by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. This was definitely something new for me. Most of the science fiction that I read tends to be short stories, or genre science fiction, whether it be Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files, or another of the popular science fiction universes. So again I have an opportunity to read something new. That’s always a thrill.

This story is set far in the future, a thousand years or more. Humanity has expanded to other worlds and left Earth beyond. Technology has advanced to the level where it seems that almost anything is possible. That however is merely the backdrop of this story. It may be the 31st century or maybe the 41st century, but at its heart this story is a detective novel. Blaine Donne is a retired military special operative, now turned “problem solver”. When he receives a very profitable assignment from a mysterious client, he ends up with much more than he bargained for. Not only does the assignment turn dangerous but his client may be more than she seems to be.

As Blaine takes a couple other cases it turns out that they may all link together to reveal something elaborate and sinister. As the stakes get higher Blaine races to get answers before he himself becomes a target.

I really liked this book. The story was told from first person perspective, from a pair of perspectives. That gave you a bit more knowledge than Blaine himself has, but not much. The limited perspective worked very well for this book and turned it into quite a page-turner. The chapters were short and seemed to keep moving things along.

The cultural setting in the novel was very much French inspired, even down to an emphasis and critique of food in numerous scenes. A meal or party was not just a throwaway scene. The food was always noteworthy, for better or for worse, even when it was a backdrop to more serious affairs.

Our great futuristic detective novel also had other perks. There was blossoming romance. Blaine Donne also reminded me of Batman. That’s all I’ll say. Read the book. But don’t read the dust jacket. I didn’t. I just plunged into the story. It wasn’t until afterwards that I looked at the dust jacket. I was disappointed to find that a lot of the mysteries of the story were unveiled right there on the front. It seems to me that would have taken a lot of fun out of the journey from cover to cover of this fine story.

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths - The Lost Chronicles Volume 1

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:25:01 -0400

Good things are worth the wait. I’m very excited to be able to review this book. It’s been over 20 years since Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman began The DragonLance Chronicles. It’s been about 17 years since I read the series, which was the first fantasy series to take my breath away. It set the stage for all the fantasy and science fiction I have read since.

Over the past 17 years DragonLance has become a name brand, so we’ve had many stories, written by many authors, set on the world of Krynn. The quality of those other stories has varied, especially those written by other authors. This though is a reunion of Weiss and Hickman, and a return to the Heroes of the Lance, the “flagship” of the franchise.

The original Chronicles hold a special place in my heart so, while I was extremely excited to see it on the shelf at the bookstore, I also had a high level of expectation.

I did wonder how riveting the story would be since it is billed as a “untold tale from the War of the Lance”. Anyone who’s read the original knows ultimately how the tale will end. So how engaging could a story tucked in between Books I and II of the series be?

The answer is “very”. This novel captured the essence of the originals and captivated me in that same way, and it did it right from the beginning.

I thought this was the best DragonLance novel since the Legends series. What I always liked most about the Companions was that they all had flaws so they seemed complex and real. Many of them had their own agendas. Raistlin certainly wasn’t moved to save the world, or even travel with the Companions, for the pure purpose of saving the world. Still, heroism with an agenda is still heroism, and that’s intriguing. All those complex characters and interactions were back for this book.

I didn’t expect any bombshells in the story given its place within the DragonLance timeline. I very much enjoyed the character interaction, which I thought was at the forefront as there weren’t many action sequences for a book of this size. Tasselhoff Burrfoot played a very prominent role in the story, and any scene he is in will always be entertaining. I felt that he’d been used more as a plot device in some of the more recent stories in the DragonLance universe, so this was very refreshing.

While working within the confines of the established story, it still did a good job of supplying answers to a few questions within the story, and used the foreshadowing of established events as a driving force in the plot. That brought Flint Fireforge’s quest and motivation to locate the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin and the Lost Hammer of Kharas to the forefront.

If there was one thing that troubled me, it was the fact that Sturm Brightblade seemed to be portrayed as being more of a selfish character than an honorable character. He wanted to find the Hammer of Kharas as well, but he was more concerned with using it to restore his family’s lost honor. To use it to forge dragonlances seemed to be secondary. His portrayal didn’t seem to match what we had previously seen from the character. Tika Wayland’s role in the book was reduced to that of a lovelorn maiden, with one little bit of character development.

Those points aside, I still highly recommend this book to any DragonLance fans. It fits very well into the original Chronicles. Effectively it’s the fourth book that fills in the blanks. I’d rather read this than read about second and third generation characters in the ever expanding world of Krynn.

Survival

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:46:23 -0400

This is an impressive creation by a word master. Ms. Czerneda has envisioned a world where Earth has joined in alliance with a multitude of sentient creatures and she has imbued each species with its own particular identity. Throughout this, she has woven a mystery story that will eventually span three installments - who or what is responsible for the total and complete destruction of life on certain worlds sprinkled throughout known space?

Our hero, Mackenzie Winifred Elizabeth Wright Connor, is a biologist studying the recovery of salmon in the Pacific Northwest. She has pledged devout loyalty to her salmon and pointedly ignores the goings-on of life on other planets, even when that life is being mysteriously wiped out. She is volunteered by the Ministry of Extra-Sol Human Affairs when an alien scientist, notable in his field of archeology, comes to beg her assistance in the search for the killers. Brymn is a Dhrin, a species that has ignored biology to the point of forbidding the study of all biological sciences. He hopes her experience in studying the survival of salmon will translate to knowing how to insure the survival of the Dhrin. One thing leads to another, of course, and she is soon embroiled in galactic politics as well as a fight for the survival of mankind.

Ms. Czerneda breathes life into her characters, giving them substance and dimension. Readers will laugh out loud at the whippy dialogue and perhaps cry during the inevitable partings. The storyline is well-constructed and the descriptions of the aliens makes me wonder if Ms. Czerneda has ever visited with a Dhrin. (Only first-hand knowledge could be so accurate!) The author doesn’t identify the cast of characters completely but hands out information in bits and pieces, especially in the all-important area of “friend or foe”. This creates a tension for the reader which is maintained to the very end. Like any good spy novel, we aren’t sure who to trust.

Honestly, there aren’t any negative comments I could make about this book. The colorful characters are entertaining and believable. The story is tight-knit, leaving no loose ends except those that contribute to the next book in the series. The author has added details regarding the characters that add depth to their personality and to the history of their species. This is not a light-weight carbon copy of space opera, but a full-fledged story in its own right. I enjoyed reading the book and was eager to continue on with the next one, Migration. While the story encompasses many words, it is well-worth investing time to read and digest slowly. Ms. Czerneda, already a successful author, has sealed a place in her readers’ hearts with Survival and the Species Imperative Trilogy.

The Watchman

Wed, 16 May 2007 13:51:12 -0400

The Watchman by Robert Crais is the ultimate in tough guy novels. I’ve only read one other Crais novel. Most of them (about 10 in the series) star PI Elvis Cole. Joe Pike, the protagonist in this novel, previously held the position of second fiddle as the bad-guy side-kick. The Watchman is the first novel in which Pike stars and we learn much about Pike’s character and his background. Crais does an admirable job of juggling the characters, plots and background. Have no fear, Elvis Cole isn’t ignored in this novel; he plays his usual part in gathering clues, and not all of it is off-screen. Every character is fully developed and so is the plot. Elvis Cole remains true to his normal character, cracking bad jokes, showing kindnesses to any damsel in distress and backing up Pike in the job that Pike is asked to do.

Pike’s chore is to provide security for a young, rich lady who has a price on her head. Pike must keep her alive, find out who on the team is feeding information to the bad guys and put up with the rich, spoiled heiress in the meantime. Yes, there were times when I thought I was reading about Paris Hilton, but luckily, Larkin, the heiress in question, evolves over the story. Pike, in his admirable, insensitive way, forces her to face a few realities even as he faces a few of his own ghosts. What makes this book stand out is that we finally get to see what Pike is thinking. He doesn’t fall for the sniveling, manipulations of his rich charge, but he does treat her as his equal as a human being.

There are plenty of shoot’em ups and dangerous moments. I loved the underlying themes of patriotism, and protect and serve. There simply isn’t much to complain about. Oh, it’s true that Crais switches POV more than I care for, but he does keep the chapters short so I never forgot where the preceding action was headed. When Pike’s history is detailed—and it is quite fascinating with appropriate details—it’s in italics, which I found hard to read because the passages were quite long. But all these are minor complaints and not related to the overall story. There was at least one late character introduction that seemed serendipitous, but since little time was wasted on explanation, I assume this character was actually introduced in earlier books. Even with that, I never felt that I missed any significant detail by not having read the other books in the Elvis Cole series.

This is a great page-turner and definitely a stay-up-past-bedtime read.

Find me

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:44:12 -0400

This may very well be O’Connell’s best book yet. Over several novels (this is number 9) she has developed Mallory, a hard-nosed New York Police Detective—giving glimpses of the dark childhood years that helped formed her, all while solving difficult murder cases. Perhaps one of the reasons I didn’t totally love the book previous to this one, “Winter House,” was because the author chose not to develop Mallory and her interesting history as much.

O’Connell always has multiple plots running and almost always includes clues about the mysterious background of Mallory. For me a thriller is only as good as its characters, and those characters need to be affected and changed by the events around them. Too often an author strings a reader along with a larger story of a person’s life—and fails to ever advance that part of the story. In O’Connell’s case, her plots are compelling by themselves, but when you add in the superb characters and the changes in their lives, there is no stopping this series.

In “Find Me” Mallory is taken out of her comfort zone of New York and travels down Route 66—tracking clues from her past, parts of the road that no longer exist, and a child serial killer. The clues are thrown out fast and furious; the two cases intertwine, then separate, and just when you think you know where things are headed, you see another viewpoint and must explore yet another alleyway. In some ways, I was left unable to assimilate all the facts with only a single read.

O’Connell has a rare gift: you don’t just see the scenes she paints, you feel them. You know instantly whether the roadway is lonely or filled with the heartbeats of passing souls. I swear you feel warm blood dripping when one of her characters bleeds. Without exact words the cold dampness of an abandoned farmhouse seeps into your living room, drawing you away from safety to look at evidence you’d rather not see.

One of the strengths of the books is also a weakness: Mallory’s relationship with her long-time partner, Riker. Riker is a bit of a father or uncle figure to Mallory; he watches her back and tries to cover for her flaws, especially when she plays outside the edge of the law. You want these two to exist outside the police and personal head games, but Mallory is not so forgiving a character. She will manipulate events to suit her unless it actually endangers her partner’s life. This harsh part of her personality is a reality in all her relationships even though you hunger for her to put it aside with her partner. As a reader, I chase each exchange, hoping for the signs she will relent, getting teased now and then when she shows a kindness, but I’m always left wondering if she is too close to the edge and one day it might just cost her the friendship.

As for the serial killer plot, it’s a fascinating mix of old cases and new. A killer that had gone underground is back, but he has changed his killing pattern. It’s up to Mallory to not only find some of the bodies in the older cases, but tie them to the new killings. Then there’s the subplot of why the murders started up again and why they are different this time. In all the Mallory books, her companions are quite certain she is able to solve crimes because she can, in a very accurate and frightening manner, get inside the head of the killers. Riker is completely convinced she is a sociopath in her own right, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of her biggest supporters.

You don’t have to read the earlier books in the series to follow the serial killer plot of this one; however reading earlier books helps greatly in understanding Mallory’s personality. Knowing the character and her past triumphs and failures helps you anticipate her actions. The story of Mallory’s history is peppered throughout the series and is more important in some of the books than others. There are nine books now; I’d recommend reading at least the first three before this one. Reading the whole series makes the grand finale in "Find Me" all the more rewarding, but it is a book that is complete on its own.

If you want just a taste of O’Connell’s talent without starting the series from scratch, I highly recommend her stand alone: “Judas Child.” As Brian would say, "it’ll leave you sockless." Start any O’Connell book well before bedtime because you’ll not have time for sleep or food until you’re finished.

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:20:04 -0400

"The Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer" is a first novel by artist Laini Taylor. Don't let the fact that she's an artist worry you. She successfully writes an amazing fantasy story that should keep kids and adults happy. The book is targeted for young readers, most likely in the 8-12 set, but it could easily hold the attention of older readers who are looking for a good story but aren't quite up to the rigors of the latest epic doorstop.

The novel follows Magpie Windwitch, a young faery who travels the world hunting devils who were released from their bottles by humans. That might sound like a typical Djinn to you, but rest assured, while there are Djinn in this book they are not devils and the distinction is made abundantly clear. There are also imps (both good and bad) along with good and bad faeries. Magpie travels with an actor's troupe of crows who serve as her surrogate family. A routine hunt turns into a much bigger journey when they discover that they aren't hunting the typical devil.

I found the book to be original and imaginative. I don't think I've ever seen the particular bent Taylor uses for her Djinn and while the overall laws governing the magic have been done before, the style the author gives the explanations for how the magic works (and there are explanations, rather than the overdone and oversimplified "magic works here, doesn't matter how") really turns it into a fitting method of introducing how the peculiar physics of Dreamdark work.

I wouldn't give this book to a child with a particularly vivid imagination if they're predisposed to nightmares. Taylor's descriptions are vivid and call forth very particular images. One of the imps in the book is a particularly vile little creature and he's got some rather disgusting habits, which means that even though the main character is a girl, there are probably more than a few little boys out there that won't mind the fact too much. There are fight scenes, killings, dragons, skeletons, skulls, and a clan of tattooed warrior faeries in the book as well. It's tightly paced, which means that there's little chance that attention to the story will wander.

The only other thing that gave me a little concern is that the crows in the book smoke cheroot cigarettes. Many of the characters refer to the smoking as being smelly and gross and it's considered a very low class thing to do. I don't think that the smoking warrants ignoring or deriding this book however, because it's really just a little character tic that gives the crows a little more depth.

The characters are well written and the reader will get a sense very early on that each character acts within the realm of their established personality nearly flawlessly. There are no moments of shocked questioning of a character's motives or sudden flips in teperament that cause confusion. They're very solidly and believably written.

The illustrations in the book, as well as the cover, are by Laini Taylor, I believe. (My proof copy doesn't actually credit the cover illustrator, and I couldn't seem to find the information elsewhere) The illustrations are sparse, but well-placed. They are black and white drawings that are appropriate to the story, even though very few of them appear to be an actual scene in the book. The illustrations seem to be there to help the reader envision the characters as the author sees them, which adds to the book rather than detracting from it. It's clear that the centerpiece of this book is the story, the pictures are just small treats hidden between the pages, to be uncovered unexpectedly in the midst of reading.

The story is self-contained, wrapping itself up satisfyingly and at a reasonable pace, though not so neatly as to seem completely pat. There are a few loose ends, including indications that the particularly nasty little imp mentioned previously is going to return in future novels, but they aren't the sort of loose ends that make the reader feel gypped. Instead, I'm honestly looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I want to know what else is going to happen in the realm of Dreamdark and what will become of Magpie Windwitch. It's the first new fantasy series I've gotten excited about in a long time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good fantasy adventure.

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 00:22:10 -0400

Marvel has started trying to force me to do a rapid about-face where their offerings are concerned. First, there was "1602", then, "The Eternals", and now, they've released "The Gunslinger Born." I still don't particularly care for superheroes. I'm not saying that there aren't talents out there writing, drawing, pencilling, inking, and coloring that perennial comic staple, just that there's far more available to readers than the "X-men." (Though, I have to concede "X-Men Fairytales" was quite good.)

Robin Furth (who also wrote the Dark Tower Concordance books) and Peter David tackle the daunting task of Roland the Gunslinger's origin story. The Dark Tower series is largely regarded as Stephen King's magnum opus and I'm readily inclined to agree with that particular popular opinion. King had wanted to tell at least part of the Dark Tower saga in a graphic novel format for quite some time, according to the author's notes conveniently included in the comic book. Once Marvel got a team together the author could approve wholeheartedly, they moved ahead with the project. There was a surprising minimum of fanfare. I found out the comic was going to be out because of a lovely glossy card (reminiscent of the lobby cards handed out in the golden age of Hollywood) my local comic dealer had on prominent display. There weren't a lot of trumpets and fanfare, which seems a little sad, as Marvel has produced a top-quality product this time around.

Jae Lee is the artist responsible for creating the look of Roland's world and he pays heavy (and much appreciated, in this reviewer's opinion) homage to the original illustrations that Michael Whelan had done for the novels. The color schemes and character design remain faithful to Whelan's work which gives added consistency and continuity to King's series. I can only see that as a huge relief to fans, especially since there is talk supported by King's notes in the comic that the Gunslinger's comic book journey will not end with this prequel.

The art has a hefty feel, there's weight belied by the uncluttered linework. The color scheme is mostly done in warm colors, rich oranges, reds, and browns which lend a gritty, old West, sepia-toned feel to the entire work. It seems fitting that the Gunslinger's wasteland should be filled with subtle shadings and deep shadows.

As for the writing itself, it would only be better if King had done it himself, though he's chosen very talented writers to handle the story. He says, in the notes, that he felt more comfortable allowing people with experience writing the actual comic, though he admits that he'd very much like to try his hand at them later, since the process is so similar to movie scripts. The story fits smoothly into Roland's epic journey and stops at a very logical point. The cliffhanger is far more bearable with the knowledge that the seven issues will be coming out on a monthly schedule. It's certainly a great tribute to King's pulp sensibilities.

This one is not a comic book for the kids, obviously. Despite being released by Marvel, and despite the comic book format, it's still very much a Stephen King story which includes the sort of imagry King's readers have come to expect no matter what tale he seems to be spinning. It's not recommended reading for the squeamish at all. In fact, I wouldn't recommend eating while reading this comic book (if you are the sort that eats and reads comics at the same time and if you are-shame on you for risking your paper treasures!) as it's not a pretty or peaceful read.

This is a very good introduction to the Dark Tower universe for those who are uninitiated (and shouldn't remain so) and it's a great read for those who want to know more about Roland. Hopefully, Marvel will release the miniseries in a graphic novel collection for those who may have missed that first issue. If you have the opportunity, definitely look into getting yourself a copy.

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:34:24 -0500

Ex Machina has at its heart two central conceits. One of them is readily apparent from the outset, is proudly displayed on the back cover summary, is the main calling card and probably the reason that the book was picked up in the first place. What if a super hero became an elected official? Mitchell Hundred was a civil engineer who stumbled upon a glowing object of mysterious origins that bestowed upon him the ability to talk to machines. After healing from his burns he embarks on a short lived career as the worlds first and only superhero. Short lived because he feels as if he is just maintaining the status quo and he could make more of a difference by unmasking and running for mayor of New York City.

Now, I said above that there were two central conceits at work here. One is on the surface and the other is buried below the surface and could only have been asked by a modern comic creator. I'll get to the second one in just a minute so I ask for your patience.

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days collects the first 5 issues in trade paperback and I might add is reasonably priced. Brian Vaughn has stated that the series will run for 50 issues which I think is indicative of its quality because it shows that he has the story and all of the arcs that encompass it mapped out in some capacity, in other words this will not turn into a shaggy dog story as is often the case with monthlies that go on endlessly bouncing from one creative team to the next.

Some, but not all of the far reaching story arcs that will be addressed but not yet resolved include: the avenged death of Hundred's mother, the mysterious origins of his powers, the fact that the NSA swore him to secrecy in regards to discussing his powers, apparent quirks or flaws in his powers as we and he understands them and finally his nemesis who may or may not be dead. All of these and others keep the story intriguing and move the over all story along.

I have been tired of super heroes for a very long time, even in their modern incarnations. As I've grown older and after the publication of Alan Moore's Watchmen which systematically dismantled the super hero mythos, I have become increasingly removed from the super hero titles that continue to populate the shelves. I have gravitated towards other types of stories like crime, horror, action and thriller which are served well by the format. Brian Vaughn, whose previous titles include Y: The Last Man and Runaways, is a modern master of comic writing and speaks to my disillusionment like no other. His titles consistently show such a high level of quality that he has the ability to literally take your breath away sometimes. One of his strongest traits is that he comes up with an interesting central idea, and then surrounds it with a full exploration of that idea, often times in ways which you had never anticipated and populated by realistic fully formed characters.

Ex Machina is the current torch bearer of Alan Moore’s Watchmen and such comparisons are truly drawn out upon re-readings where it become readily apparent just how thought out this parallel New York is. From the multiple meanings of the title of the series right on through to the complexities of the political system and everything in between. Obviously there is much more to be said on this title but some spoils should be left for you the first time reader.

This is Vaughn firing on all cylinders and at the top of his game. Brian K Vaughn is not only the best comic writer working today but one of the best writers bar genre.
Now that I've talked about the strengths of the title as a whole it is time to address that second central conceit that was mentioned above. For this part of the review I am going to ask that you trust me and to indulge in something a bit out of the ordinary but we will get to that is a second.

Mitchell’s opponent in the mayoral race is a well connected, well funded Republican candidate. Mitchell gets elected to office in a stunning landslide victory. His final act as a super-hero is shocking, stunning, truly heroic and is revealed to the reader on the FINAL page of the first issue. It is this final act that allows Mitchel to ride an unprecedented wave of popularity into office. It takes a modern image that is burned into the brain of all of us and twists it a quarter of a turn finding a hidden power that will haunt you with the ramifications. It will take your breath away, make you choke up, may make you cry a little as a whispered "My God" escapes you.

The first issue in its entirety is available online for free. I implore anyone reading this review to follow the link now and read it before continuing on. Images in this case speak far more eloquently then words ever could. It won’t take long to do. It will be worth it, I promise I'll wait. Remember, don’t skip to the end.

Whistles a tune.

Reads a book.

Google’s own name.

Listens to the new Tom Waits.

Works on Ken Bruen project.

Ok, your back, good. Now you see the ONE way that a super hero could get elected in a world where super heroes hadn’t existed before. It’s this story that permeates the ENTIRE series. The ramifications of this one selfless act will be played out over the series in ways that you can’t begin to imagine. At time shocking, funny, and heartbreaking, the entire scope of human emotions will be represented here.

Now tell me you don’t want to rush out and start reading this series.

--Brian Lindenmuth

Drive

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:54:41 -0500

Drive is the story of a Hollywood stunt driver appropriately named Driver. He isn’t just a stunt driver though, he is the best. On the side he also is a top freelance getaway driver. He takes a job which goes very wrong, very quickly. He finds himself in a hotel room surrounded by dead bodies. With a duffel bag filled with money from the botched job he decides to seek revenge on those who turned on him.

I drive. That’s all I do. I don’t sit in while you’re planning the score or while you’re running it down. You tell me where we start, where we’re headed, where we’ll be going afterwards, what time of day. I don’t take part, I don’t know anyone, I don’t carry weapons. I drive.

When he walked, his arms flailed about and he shuffled. If he tried to run, often as not he’d trip and fall over. One thing he could do, though, was drive. And he drove like a son of a bitch.

Drive is classically bleak noir; think films from the 40's & 50's, but is never oppressive in its telling. It’s interesting to note that when one looks for comparisons to Drive one inevitably gravitates towards film. If ever a book read like a film, this is it.

Maybe he should turn around. Go back and tell them that’s what life was, a long series of things that didn’t go down the way you thought they would.

Drive is told in quick successive chapters that would be equivalent to jump cut edits if it were a movie. All of the moments in the story are told out of order and it is only upon its completion that the final order of events is evident. This isn’t used a trick though to distract from a weak story. It enhances the story and perfectly compliments it in every way. Drive is a stylistic tour de force. Every moment in the story is carefully chosen by Sallis to reveal those parts of the story and of Drivers life that resonate with intensity and insight. Like a poet carefully deliberating then choosing the right word, the one that will have multiple meanings and reveal hidden depths under the guise of perfect clarity, Sallis tells the story of enigmatic Driver with a surgical precision. Despite its length it is a complex and interwoven narrative that bounces across the timeline of Drivers life with startling clarity.

She had one ear off and a wide red mouth drawn in his throat before he could set his coffee cup down.

Possibly reflecting Sallis' own dealings with Hollywood Drive is at time a vicious satire of the Hollywood studio system. While waiting for his scenes to be shot Driver has a lot of downtime on set, he spends it with bit actors, assistant directors, script doctors and failed novelists. There are anecdotes traded that act as thinly veiled observations of the ways in which movies are made.

Uniformed Catholic schoolgirls waited for buses across from lace, leather and lingerie stores and shoe shops full of spike heels size fifteen and up.

With an economy of words that is closer to poetry then prose Drive exists in the shadows and recesses. Like Miles Davis's classic album Kind of Blue which derived its power not only from the notes that were played but also from the space between the notes, Drive uses a kind of negative space to help define the narrative. What’s not said is as equally important as what is said.

The cover of the trade paperback version is covered with blurbs that exhort one to buy this book. There are times when such praise is unwarranted or hyperbolic in nature, this is not one of those times. Drive is perfect and deserving of all the praise and attention that is heaped at its feet.

-Brian Lindenmuth

The Gift

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 15:39:38 -0400

In my review of Door Number Three I commented on how polished that novel was and how it didn't read like a debut novel. That same observation applies here as well, perhaps even more so. The Gift was 22 years in the making and the time invested shows on every page. The Gift is so beautifully written that you can randomly open up to any page, pick a paragraph, begin reading and be amazed at the prose.

The Gift opens on a ship that is stuck in the water waiting out the night for the wind to pick up again. The ship recently picked up a Teller who is allowed free passage on any ship under the Kings order. We find ourselves thrown into a tense situation that we know nothing about. Here is a part of that opening. It clearly evocates the tension onboard if not the immediate cause of it:

This is a story about monsters. The real ones. Not the ones we tell children about.

The Captain of the helm and the little Teller in the bow watched the sailors one by one leave their hammocks below, and admitting the impossibility of sleep, make their groggy way up to the deck where they stood restlessly together in groups of two or three, looking warily over the sheer water as smooth as any mirror and as black as the pitch that sealed their hull. The full moon cast the only light in that windless night, a comfortless light that made the shadows darker and all their faces white as the body they had pulled up in their nets that afternoon.

No one spoke of it then or now. She was beautiful, or had been. Beautiful and blonde and not a stitch on her. No blood either. No marks or cuts or clues. That would have been enough - more than enough, even if her sagging belly hadn’t born the purple stripes of a recent child.

Once they had untangled her from their nets, everyone stood around the body waiting for someone to suggest what to do. Strangely, none of the sailors asked where she had come from. In fact, they acted as if none of them had ever seen a woman before. Some would not look at her. Some could not look away. Some thought of their wives. Some thought of their daughters. Some, of their mothers.

Finally, the Captain, a tall, hard man with a white beard and one hand, instructed them to tie something to its feet and toss it back. There was a prolonged search for something expendable and weighty enough to do the deed. Theirs was a modest vessel, sparsely supplied and fit only for small trips to stock the fish markets on the rocky coast, a three day journey out and back, barring storms, was the usual. In truth, there wasn’t really much debris, or comfort for that matter, to be found onboard. But eventually one mate discovered in a forward hold an old anchor net of rocks that had rotted out of use. Reluctantly they lashed it to her ankles and dragged her to the edge. Her hair left a wet mop smear on the scale-laden boards of the deck and it was still there, twelve hours later, splitting their boat in two with a black stream that reflected the stars. The men stepped over it.

In this haunting disquiet moment we are presented with a mystery, we want to know more about the woman and we will but not until the very end. In order to pass the night The Teller proceeds to tell the crew a tale. The tale is of course the novel we are reading. The Teller introduces us to our three main characters and a bevy of supporting characters. We learn of the magician who is so bent on learning his craft that he becomes twisted and falls under the control of a dark creature named Tomen giving up his name in the process and becoming The Usher, a dark conduit for Tomen. We learn of a young king who is deaf, his call for a cure and the reward that it holds and how The Usher cures the king and curses him at the same time. Lastly we learn of the boy Tim, the woodcutter’s son, whose parents are killed by The Usher, who saves the king and becomes his most trusted friend. Tim and the King will form a bond and make it their goal to destroy The Usher.

Like other great novels The Gift is a story that doesn’t summarize well. The Gift is not your standard fantasy quest that romps through an alien world. Like The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, The Gift is a story about stories. The story being told is embedded with nested stories. Most important to the tale being told is the symbiotic relationship it shares with the nested stories. Nothing is off hand and everything serves a purpose, you may be faced with a mystery or a dilemma late in the story whose solution might be had in what was mistaken for a throwaway story much earlier in the novel. The story is intricate and further readings (much like Door Number Three) give clues to the story and force you to appreciate there placement. Not only is it complex but it is enjoyable and compulsively readable.

Marathon runners and other athletes always strive to finish stronger then they start. Its sound advice that has broad applications. At some point late in the telling of the tale The Teller informs the crew that things are about to get scary. It’s at this point that the story really kicks in the gear. The individual threads of the story converge and O'Leary's already formidable story telling strengths conspire to make sure you're sockless. The ending of this book is one of my all time favorites, it’s that powerful. The story of the dead women is told and there is a final set of revelations that is startling. The final third of the book explicitly ventures into science fiction territory though the characters aren’t aware of it since the technology that's present for them is indistinguishable from the magic. In fact looking back those science fiction elements have been in place the entire time. I think I even picked up on a reference to Door Number Three buried in there that I missed the first couple of times.

My biggest fear in reviewing this book was that after so enthusiastically praising Door Number Three my comments here would seem subdued in comparison. I'm just as exited about this book as the other and can’t praise or recommend it enough. As good of a book as Door Number Three is, in many ways The Gift is superior. But it's hard to compare the two as they are two entirely different tales. If you are a fan of Fantasy then you owe it to yourself to read this book.

This is brilliant fiction first and a brilliant fantasy second. As I said before I sincerely hope that Mr. O'Leary has more stories to share. If he has to let future stories gestate for another couple of decades that’s OK, just drop us a line every once in a while to let us know you're still out there.

Mr. O’Leary you've have assured yourself a place at the table of those who are on the vanguard of the movement that’s been brewing for 30 years to stretch Fantasy to its furthest limits and carry it and us into the future. The seat is empty but the "reserved" placard will always be there for you, gathering dust, awaiting your return.

-Brian Lindenmuth