SF/Fantasy Reviews, October 15, 2010
Oct 15, 2010Bujold, Lois McMaster. Cryoburn. Baen, dist. by S. & S. (Miles Vorkosigan Novels). Oct. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9781439133941. $25. SF
When a company specializing in cryogenics from the planet Kibou-daini seeks to expand into the Barrayaran Empire, Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan travels to the distant planet in search of hidden agendas and other complications—and finds them. A botched kidnapping attempt lands Miles in the company of Jin, a young boy who collects pets of all kinds and has contacts among the street people. Corruption on many levels and a resistance movement seeking to end the cryo-freezing of the dead make life interesting for the Emperor’s foremost troubleshooter. The first Miles Vorkosigan novel in eight years (after Diplomatic Immunity) offers another gateway into the world of one of sf’s most charismatic and unusual protagonists. VERDICT Filled with snappy dialog and quirky humor, this long-awaited title should find a large following among series fans.
Church, T. S. RuneScape: Betrayal at Falador. Titan. Oct. 2010. c.448p. ISBN 9781848567221. pap. $7.99. FANTASY
Ancient protectors of the Kingdom of Asgarnia, the Knights of Falador find themselves facing a threat to their brotherhood and the realm’s safety when a young girl appears in the midst of a storm bearing an item that links her to a tale of treachery among the knights. The future of the world lies in the hands of the girl and an untried squire. Set in the medieval fantasy world of the popular RuneScape free massive multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) game, this series opener serves as both an introduction to the game world and a first-rate fantasy adventure that does not require game-related knowledge to enjoy. VERDICT Fans of the online game as well as general fantasy lovers will appreciate this well-written tale of epic fantasy and personal struggle. [First published in 2008 in a limited-run hardback edition, this prequel launches a tie-in series with the second title, Return to Canifis, to be published in February 2011.—Ed.]
Denning, Troy. Star Wars ® : Fate of the Jedi; Vortex. Del Rey: Ballantine. (Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi, Bk.6). Dec. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 9780345509208. $27. SF
On a jungle world deep within the Maw Cluster, Luke Skywalker and his son Ben form a fragile alliance with the Sith to uncover the secrets behind the entity known as the Abeloth before it destroys Sith and Jedi alike. Back on Coruscant, Han and Leia Solo become embroiled in the escalating conflict between the Jedi Order and the ambitious and ruthless leader of the Galactic Alliance. The sixth installment of the nine-book “Fate of the Jedi” series brings important conflicts to a head while laying the groundwork for new complications. VERDICT Featuring the familiar heroes of the Star Wars® films as well as the next generation of Skywalkers and Solos, the latest novel by the author of Star Wars®: Fate of the Jedi; Abyss as well as numerous other Star Wars® titles should be in great demand among fans of the series and of space opera in general.
Enge, James. The Wolf Age. Pyr: Prometheus. Oct. 2010. c.500p. ISBN 9781616142438. pap. $17. FANTASY
The sorcerer Morlock Ambrosius travels north in his wanderings and falls prisoner to a society of werewolves in the city of Wuruyaaria, a democracy in name but not in practice. Befriending a fellow prisoner, Morlock becomes a key player in a battle between warring factions and leaves behind a legacy even he does not fully understand. The third novel in Enge’s series detailing the events in the life of Morlock Ambrosius (Blood of Ambrose; This Crooked Way) offers an unusual portrait of werewolves with their own distinct language and culture, as well as superb storytelling. VERDICT Series fans and readers who enjoy epic fantasy will look forward to this title.
Gilman, Laura Anne. Weight of Stone. Gallery: S. & S. (Vineart War, Bk. 2). Oct. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 9781439101452. $24.99. FANTASY
Wrongly accused of treachery and marked for death, Vineart apprentice and former slave Jerzy flees aboard ship, accompanied by three companions who have cast their lot with him. Seeking the taint that threatens the vineyards producing the magical wine of spellcasting, Jerzy encounters fierce sea creatures and foul winds as he makes his way to a confrontation that could rock the foundations of his world. Gilman’s sequel to the Nebula Award–nominated Flesh and Fire provides a closer look at a distinctive fantasy world in which magic and vineyards are inextricably entwined. VERDICT With intriguing characters and a fresh approach to fantasy adventure, this beautifully written title deserves a wide readership.
Griffith, Clay & Susan Griffith. The Greyfriar. Pyr: Prometheus. (Vampire Empire, Bk. 1). Nov. 2010. c.320p. ISBN 9781616142476. pap. $16. FANTASY
A massive attack by vampires in 1870 drives humans lucky enough to survive the invasion to the tropics, where the hot climate proves intolerable for the vampire clans. When Princess Adele, heir to the Equatorian Empire—formerly the British Empire—travels north to meet with her American suitor, Senator Clark, to cement relations between human powers, a vampire ambush results in her capture. The appearance of a mysterious vampire hunter known only as Greyfriar, who assigns himself the task of rescuing the princess, rouses many questions as to the mystery man’s true purpose. Blending vampire fiction with steampunk and romance, this trilogy launch by the married authors possesses a seductive charm and tells a rousing tale of adventure. VERDICT A change of pace from standard vampire fiction, this should find a sizable readership among fans of fantasy romance as well as the vampire and steampunk genres.
He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson. Tor. 2010. c.352p. ed. by Christopher Conlon. ISBN 9780765326133. $25.99.
Matheson, Richard. Matheson Uncollected: Volume 2. Gauntlet. Oct. 2010. c.377p. ISBN 9781934267172. $75. sf
Two volumes pay tribute to the legendary author of such sf and horror classics as I Am Legend, Hell House, and What Dreams May Come. Previously published in a Gauntlet Press limited edition, the 15 original stories in He Is Legend, including a collaboration between Stephen King and his son, horror writer Joe Hill (“Throttle”), celebrate Matheson’s body of work. Each story is either inspired by one of Matheson’s stories or novels or serves as a prequel or sequel to one of his novels. Other contributors include F. Paul Wilson, John Shirley, Thomas F. Monteleone, Nancy Collins, and Whitley Strieber. The second volume of Matheson Uncollected features three unfinished novels (Mountains of the Mind; Red Is the Color of Desire; The House of the Dead), the unpublished screenplay for What Dreams May Come, and several short stories, including one written with his son Richard Christian Matheson. VERDICT He Is Legend will appeal to fans of Matheson as well as the authors featured in the volume. Serious collectors of Matheson’s work will want to add the latter volume to their personal libraries.
Lackey, Mercedes. Trio of Sorcery. Tor. Oct. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9780765328519. $24.99. FANTASY
The first new Diana Tregarde story in almost 20 years and the first Jenny Talldeer tale in over 15 years set the stage for an introduction to a remarkable new urban fantasy heroine in this collection of three urban fantasy novels by the best-selling author of the Valdemar series. In Arcanum 101, which takes place in the 1970s, a young Diana Tregarde finds time between her studies at Harvard and her budding writing career to stop a supposed psychic from interfering in the police investigation of a kidnapping case. Drums, set in the 1990s, sends PI and Native American shaman Jennie Talldeer on a quest to prevent an angry Osage ghost from coming between Navajo Nathan Begay and his Chickasaw fiancée. In Ghost in the Machine, set in the high-tech world of modern times, computer programmer and techno-shaman Ellen McBridge investigates a series of mysterious deaths linked to a multiplayer online role-playing game. VERDICT Lackey’s urban fantasies always reflect her keen sense of time and place, and her vivid characters and respect for other cultures make her a standout storyteller with a broad-based audience. Lackey’s fans and urban fantasy readers will want this.
McCaffrey, Anne & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. Catacombs: A Tale of the Barque Cats. Del Rey: Ballantine. Dec. 2010. c.224p. ISBN 9780345513786. $26. FANTASY
When powerful, mysterious cat Pshaw-Ra helps rescue the telepathic Barque Cats and their space-faring human companions from certain death, the refugees find Pshaw-Ra’s planet Mau an uncomfortably hot, desert haven. One telepathically bonded pair, the human Jubal and his cat Chester, discover that Pshaw-Ra’s altruistic intentions are really part of the ambitious feline’s hidden agenda, a plot that must be stopped. This sequel to Catalyst continues the tale of cats in space and the humans who rely on them and further develops the feline society of the planet Mau, where cats are worshipped as gods. VERDICT Written with gentle humor and a genuine understanding of the feline species, this welcome addition to a new series will appeal to cat lovers and fans of McCaffrey (Pern series) and Scarborough (The Healer’s War).
McDevitt, Jack. Echo: An Alex Benedict Novel. Ace: Berkley. Nov. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 9780441019243. $24.95. SF
Through eight millennia of star travel, humans have discovered only one other intelligent species. Twenty-five years after the death of intrepid explorer and alien enthusiast Sunset Tuttle, a tablet with strange, indecipherable markings comes to the attention of antiquarian Alexander Benedict. He seeks more information from its current possessor and Tuttle’s former lover, Rachel Bannister, but is rebuffed. Benedict’s attempts to discover more about the mysterious tablet and the elusive Bannister lead him on a journey that proves both enlightening and deadly. The latest Alex Benedict novel (A Talent for War; Polaris; Seeker; The Devil’s Eye) maintains the author’s high standard of storytelling excellence. Benedict is a thoroughly likable protagonist, and McDevitt imagines the far future with precision and believability. VERDICT The author’s fans and lovers of sf mystery/adventure should enjoy this polished addition to a popular series.
Stackpole, Michael. At the Queen’s Command. Night Shade. (The Crown Colonies, Bk. 1). Nov. 2010. c. 398p. ISBN 9781597802000. pap. $14.99. FANTASY
Captain Owen Strake, a Redcoat of the Queen’s Own Wurms, travels aboard ship to the Crown Colonies of Mystria. Strake is on a royal mission to explore and collect information on the New World as well as on the colonies of the rival nation of Tharyngia. As turmoil in Aurope is echoed in the colonies of Norisle and Tharyngia, Strake and Prince Vladimir, the Colonial Governor-General, become enmeshed in the politics and rivalries of colonial life. The prolific Stackpole (“Age of Discovery” trilogy; “Dragon Crown War Cycle” series) launches a new series that reimagines the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Like Harry Turtledove’s “World at War” series, which presents an alternate version of World War II, Stackpole creates a fantasy version of 18th-century Europe and the New World, peopled with realistic characters and filled with action and intrigue. VERDICT In addition to the author’s fans, readers of alternate history and the novels of Harry Turtledove should enjoy this well-researched series opener.
Stanton, Steve. The Bloodlight Chronicles: Reconciliation. ECW, dist. by IPG. Oct. 2010. c.240p. ISBN 9781550229547. pap. $14.95. SF
Zakariah and Mia Davis have contracted the alien virus that indefinitely prolongs their lives. Because it is not inherited, Zakariah spends every free moment searching for a means to acquire the “Eternal” virus for his son Rix, a quest that takes him into the shady world of high-tech corporate research and interstellar politics. The first full-length novel by short-fiction author Stanton and ECW’s first sf title revitalizes the cyber-fiction genre with its vivid prose and believable characters. VERDICT Stylistically streamlined, this vibrant series opener should appeal to fans of Bruce Sterling and William Gibson.
Steampunk Prime: A Vintage Steampunk Reader. Nonstop. 2010. c.240p. ed. by Mike Ashley. illus. ISBN 9781933065182. pap. $15.95. SF
A fugitive automaton seeks help from a writer of popular fiction in “Mr. Broadbent’s Information,” written by Henry Hearing in 1909, while a man and a woman contemplate the end of their frozen world and their role in humanity’s survival in George C. Wallis’s “The Last Days of Earth” (1901). Compiled by a noted editor in the fields of sf, crime fiction, and the supernatural, the 14 stories by Victorian and Edwardian visionaries showcase themes familiar to today’s steampunk authors: international cabals, mechanical men, and the wonders of electricity and scientific inventions. Other authors featured here include Fred C. Smale, Jean Jaubert, and George Griffith. VERDICT This anthology should have greatest appeal among fans of Victorian and Edwardian literature, with its stylistic attributes, as well as those interested in the history of the steampunk genre.
Weber, David. Out of the Dark. Tor. Oct. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 9780765324122. $25.99. FANTASY
The alien Shongairi have launched an attack on Earth, bent on either conquest or destruction of a world they consider too primitive to join the interplanetary Hegemony. In the southeastern United States, Dave Dvorak and his extended family flee to their reinforced cabin in the mountains, where they become a center for resistance to the alien invaders. In Romania, Master Sergeant Stephen Buchevsky seeks refuge for his small group of stranded U.S. soldiers and finds an unlikely set of allies as Earth’s vampires join forces to fight a common enemy. This series launch offers a unique blend of military sf and vampire fiction, and the multiple points of view, including that of the invading forces, make for a fast-paced read. VERDICT With likable characters and plenty of military detail, this should appeal to Weber’s (“Honor Harrington” series) large fan base as well as followers of the military sf of John Ringo and Eric Flint.
Additional SF & Fantasy
Hambly, Barbara. Blood Maidens. Severn House. Jan. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9780727869470. $28.95. fantasy
An intense relationship has developed between Don Simon Ysidro, a powerful vampire of London; James Asher, a former secret service agent for Queen Victoria; and Asher’s young wife, Lydia, a physician with a penchant for medical research. In their third foray (after Those Who Hunt the Night and Traveling with the Dead), Ysidro demands that James accompany him to the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, where he has learned that agents for German Kaiser Wilhelm plot to bring members of the Undead into the German web. Ysidro insists that the existence of vampires must remain secret to the living world and convinces Asher once again to help the cause of the undead. Inevitably, Lydia’s special talents are needed, and the three are once again caught in a nail-biting adventure. Verdict This is an interesting story but not as compelling as its predecessors. In addition, some of the fascinating interaction of the main characters, so well described in the previous books, is lost here. However, fans of this popular fantasy author will demand it.—Patricia Altner, Columbia, MD
SF News in Brief
At the 68th World Science Fiction Convention in Melbourne, Australia, HarperCollins announced that it is creating a global sf & fantasy publishing program under the Voyager imprint. Starting with the January 2011 hardcover, trade, mass market, ebook, and audio publications, its Eos Books imprint will be rebranded as Harper Voyager, joining with Harper’s Australian, New Zealand, and U.K. Voyager imprints.
