http://www.sfsite.com/ The new issue of the SF Site is now online. Copyright 1996-2010 SF Site en-us http://www.sfsite.com/images/sfspot1.gif http://www.sfsite.com/ http://www.sfsite.com/12b/mf286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT This is an elegant, brilliantly written novel that spins the plates of three, possibly four, different threads with the elan of a seasoned circus performer. A compelling narrative and unique voice makes the book almost impossible to put down -- despite Tammy's somewhat ambiguous feelings towards the main character. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/ss286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT In the bloody, violent days following the implementation of Order 66, the Jedi have been slaughtered, their temples burned, their fellowship broken by the newly-formed Empire, with the Emperor's protege, Darth Vader, tracking down those few to survive and escape. One Jedi, Jax Pavan, has gone to ground in the slums of Coruscant, the city-planet that serves as the very heart of the Empire. Here, among with fellow ex-Jedi Laranth, hardboiled reporter Den Dhur, independent-minded droid I-5YQ and Vader's own former personal aide Haninum Tyk Rhinann, Jax Pavan has formed a small detective agency. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/mu286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT It has become a cliche: the difficult middle volume in a trilogy. But it's a real problem nonetheless. The main players have been introduced in the first volume, the dramatic situation has been set up, the action has started upon its course, and in all likelihood there has been a satisfying climax because each volume has to work in its own right. In the middle volume you cannot bring in the big action-packed climax, because that has to wait for the final volume; you can't even introduce too many important new characters, because then you've got to wonder what they were doing hanging round off-stage in the first volume. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT It's that time of year again -- the existential suspense redolent in the air over whether your uncle will get blindly drunk at Christmas again, whether the country will survive until January 20th, whether you'll get lucky on New Year's Eve. The usual swirl of late December concerns. And in that swirl are the year-end "ten best" lists as well, compiled by movie, music, book and other critics. The erudite Mr. Klaw and Mark London Williams thought it might behoove them to compile a similar top-tenny sort of rundown for graphic novels and comics and split it into two parts. Here are numbers 10-6 of the list. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/go286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The Federation is in danger once again, as the Borg have renewed their attacks with a new, vicious enthusiasm, aiming for annihilation rather than assimilation. Entire worlds have already fallen beneath their relentless fury, and the Federation's resources are rapidly being stretched to their limits. But not all hope is lost. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/ub286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT In the distant future, circa 1992, death has moved from an event, to a process. The newly deceased are placed in cryogenic "cold-pac" and taken to a moratorium where their active minds interact with each other, and, when called upon, with the outside world, in a state called "half life." Psychic powers have moved into the mainstream. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/fc286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The narrator, Kate Reading, delivers the punch, when needed, in this epic adventure Her voice easily reveals characters' sense of loss or hope and, when the situation requires it, she can drum up plenty of excitement for all of the battle scenes. Jim Butcher may have written all the words, but it's her delivery that allows the audiobook listener to become completely immersed in the land of Alera. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/jv286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT 3 books. 3 introductions. 1 author. Jack Vance. Normally, that should be enough to make any collector happy. So perhaps that's what the editors were counting on when they collected three of Vance's shorter novels (or longer novellas) into a compact trade cover, slapped on a preface about the "planetary adventure" subgenre, and apportioned a separate introduction for each book by Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Mike Resnick -- Jack Vance admirers and masters in their own right, one and all. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/dn286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Talk about expectation versus experience! Richard will confess that he thought this book was going to be a total snoozer. A facsimile of a hundred or so pages of dubiously legible notes by a long-dead author, for a novel that he wrote well over a century ago. The author was Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847-1912) and the novel was Dracula (1897). http://www.sfsite.com/12b/bf286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT First published in the late 80s, the Wild Cards series is resurgent, and this title marks a welcome return to form. This time around, instead of veering madly away from what made this series such a huge success, the editor has coaxed his writers into playing to the strengths of the world. This includes a few long established characters, used in ways that are fresh enough not to alienate any new readers, yet enticing enough to captivate original fans of the series. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/gg286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT So what happened was the world went to Hell, through a combination of war, terrorism, and natural disasters... Nine years later, Mortimer Tate emerges from his well-stocked cave deep in the woods, ready to rejoin the world he left behind, and utterly unprepared for the changes made in his absence. It seems that compared to most, he's actually been living a civilized, luxurious life, and all because he wanted to get away from his soon-to-be ex-wife. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/np286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT This is the story of a telepath named Jeff Vaughan who works on the docks of the space port known as Bengal Station. His job is to scan ships for contraband and stowaways. He has become suspicious of his boss and while investigating his suspicions, he discovers a cult that is smuggling something onto Earth. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/de286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The 50s are a Sargasso Sea of science fiction amid an ocean desert of movies with not even a hint SF. There were great SF films in the 30s and earlier. But there was no science fiction (except low-budget movie serials and monster movies) between Things to Come, by H.G. Wells, in 1936 and Destination Moon, by Robert A. Heinlein, in 1950. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Rick continues his look at TV writers. He has some thoughts on Tim Kring and Heroes and the recent decision to bring in Bryan Fuller (of Star Trek-Deep Space Nine and Voyager, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies fame) as a consultant. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/ms286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The Magazine of Speculative Poetry / from the Spring of 2008 / Holds poems related to rocketry / and one of a robot's dark fate. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/mq286.htm Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Ivy Lockwell is the eldest daughter of Mr Lockwell, a magician whose sanity has been shattered in a mysterious magickal accident that has left his family impoverished and socially isolated. Dashton Rafferdy is the wastrel son of one of Altania's great magnates who views claims that he is descended from one of the great magical families as a potentially dangerous distraction from his pursuit of shallow enjoyment. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/do285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT It's the familiar, everyday things in life which, if they suddenly turn on you, can be the most frightening. The author evidently knows this very well, because in her latest novel, a taut thriller, she takes that beloved object of American affection, the family dog, and turns it into a carrier of terror, chaos, and international intrigue. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/fo285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Some time in the far future, after the presumed collapse of human society, sentient dragons, who reproduce through a strict system of eugenics, rule the world and humans are largely slaves. But Albekizan, the evil dragon tyrant is killed during a human rebellion and his son, the heir to the dragon throne wishes to enact policies of human/dragon cooperation. However a number of forces including the heir's own brush with power, an insane and murderous uncle, and a mad human prophet bent on annihilating the dragon race are derailing this project. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/cm285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT It has been centuries since the malevolent machine intelligences known as the Cold Minds conquered Earth and sent the remnants of humanity fleeing into the depths of space, where they established a refuge in the form of the Hidden Worlds. There, humanity has built itself a new home, but it's by no means a paradise. The Pilot Masters, an elite caste who hold the secret of interworld and interstellar travel in an iron grip. And somewhere out there, the Cold Minds are still looking to finish the job of subjugating the human race. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/de285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The story starts slowly with Sookie working a wedding where she gets hassled by an ex and she meets a couple of mysterious strangers. From there the story explodes in to a collection of threads including a hostile takeover attempt by vampires from Las Vegas, a clan war between rival werewolf packs in the next town over, fighting a smear campaign initiated by an angry shape changer, meeting her house mate's family and resolving her brother's marital discord. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/nd285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Joe is back to his old tricks, trying to stay flush with the blood and the bling, while also keeping a low profile with the other Vyrus infected factions. One night while hanging out at his favorite bar, Joe comes into contact with another victim of the Vyrus who appears to be wigged out on some kind of new drug called Anathema. Since the Vyrus cancels out every other stimulant, this gets Joe's attention. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/lb285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Who is Wheeler Burden and why does he suddenly find himself transported from 1988 San Francisco to 1897 Vienna? From the opening paragraphs, the reader wants to know. In the course of the next 15 hours, the story unfolds over various decades, tying together the stories of Wheeler, his mother Flora and his father Dilly, his grandmother Eleanor, the legendary prep-school teacher Arnauld Esterhazy, and many supporting characters in both centuries. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/ws285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The premise is that a human ship has landed on the planet the passengers christen Mars II. Ostensibly the ship is there for repair, though we never learn how it was damaged, we see no attempt to effect repairs, and later the ship will take off with no apparent problem. Instead, the humans decide to settle, and immediately embark upon a war with the race of intelligent lizards who inhabit the planet. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/gt285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Time and again, Starfleet has encountered, fought, even defeated the Borg, but always at a great cost. The most recent Borg incursion cost numerous lives, and saw the USS Einstein assimilated and transformed into a new kind of vessel for a much more aggressive, even vindictive breed of Borg. Now the Einstein seems to be on the verge of capturing a form of "quantum slipstream" technology, which would allow it near-instantaneous teleportation across vast distances. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/tp285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT I still remember when I was reading Dinner at Deviant's Palace (1984) by Tim Powers for the first time. After some 27 years of reading SF, I thought it would be hard to startle me with ideas and amaze me with plot. Sure, I could become engrossed with a sense of wonder and be charmed by a delightful turn of phrase. But I had read a lot of books and it didn't seem like there could be more. Boy, I was young and stupid. I found a number of treasures and surprises in Dinner at Deviant's Palace and Tim Powers became one of my favourite writers on the spot. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/dr285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The story begins with a cranky old necromancer named Ayers, recently released from the Blackwing Institute for insane sorcerers, going back to his old ways. Ayers is grave robbing, against the orders of Marla Mason. When things don't work out the way that Ayers wants, he uses blackmail against one of Felport's leading sorcerers, to obtain a mummy. No former resident of Egypt, the body is purported to be the remains of Abraham Lincoln's assassin. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/ef285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Somewhere in deep interstellar space, the enigmatic faction of machine intelligences known as the AISource have constructed a monumentally huge habitat designated One One One, which they've filled with a bizarre, near-uninhabitable ecosystem and a collection of engineered species. Of chief interest among these species are the Brachiators, a sentient, violent race inhabiting the topmost portion of the habitat, dwelling among the Undergrowth. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/st285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The despised youngest child from a large family, Runnel decides one day to leave his mountain country village. Allowing his feet to carry him, he soon finds himself in the strange lowland city of Mitherhome. Runnel moves from being a ninth, and unwanted child in his mountainous village to being a servant in one of Mitherhome's suburbs. While there, Runnel learn more about the ways of the city and its strange form of magic. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/mk285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Fascinated by carved masks (of which he had assembled a remarkable collection) and intrigued by the concept of masks as a symbol of the way people conceal their true nature and their deepest feelings when facing, day in day out, the cruelty of the world they are living in, Bradbury conceived and tried to write a novel in the period between 1945 and 1950. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT On November 8, 2008, Rick Klaw attended his first comic book convention in almost a decade. Throughout the 90s, when he served as the managing editor for Blackbird Comics and Mojo Press, he frequented as many as seven cons per year, primarily in Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and San Diego. When Mojo Press began to dissolve in the fall of 1997, Rick whittled his convention schedule down to the local literary gathering, Armadillocon, and few random World Fantasy Cons. Since then, he has re-invented his professional persona from an editor and comic book writer to a columnist, reviewer, and pop culture critic. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/booknews285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT Virgin Books Editor (and author) Adam Nevill talks about the re-emergence of horror books in the UK; author Toby Frost reveals the inner workings of the British Space Empire and the significance of tea in God Emperor of Didcot; editor Tony Lee on the upgraded Premonitions: Causes For Alarm publication; and Sam Stone talks vampires in Killing Kiss. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT The books are arriving fast and furious to the SF Site office. Some of the highlights among our newest arrivals include forthcoming titles from Bruce Sterling, Sarah Ash, Kelley Armstrong, and Ray Bradbury, plus the latest from Dean Koontz, David Drake, Jane Lindskold, and Orson Scott Card, as well as new collections of classic works from Robert E. Howard, Robert Silverberg, L. Ron Hubbard, and C.L. Moore. All this, and plenty more! http://www.sfsite.com/12a/tm285.htm Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT This book, to quote the author, is "light and fluffy literary criticism." It is a light examination of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series written by someone who lets his love for the series and his admiration for Mr. Pratchett show clearly. http://www.sfsite.com/rssfeeds01.htm Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:00:00 GMT After constructing our first RSS feed, it soon became apparent that the size of files could grow quickly. We decided to separate them into smaller ones, breaking them up by month. On this page you will find RSS feed files for all of our content beginning with January 2005.