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/01b/an288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Arbre, is an Earth-like world with a few thousand more years of written history under its belly. It seems to have spent most of this time in a prolonged condition of post-modern now: there's no significant social or technological progress, but instead an ongoing profusion of technological gimmicks. Early on, we see little of this world, since its narrator, Fraa Erasmas, is a so-called avout, living in one of many large convents of ascetic scientists and philosophers who isolate themselves from the outside world. Erasmas is a young scholar with a passion for knowledge, who hasn't seen the outside world for ten years and doesn't miss it, since he has found many good friends among the avout. However, on the eve of Apert, the opening of the gates to the outside world that occurs only once every ten, hundred or even thousand years, things start to change. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/tt288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT The Macht, legendary for their military prowess, have little to do with the Kufr in the Asurian Empire to the South East. Ever since the brutal, long-ago war -- that the Macht narrowly lost -- all contact has been carefully filtered through the ancient Port of Sinon. Both races prefer to maintain the separation. Even without the lingering enmity of once-upon-a-time atrocities the two races find each other repellent in form and culture. Intrinsically alien. So it has been for generations. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/sb288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Genevieve (Genny) Taylor works at SpellCrackers.com, a company designed to diffuse magic before it can do damage. Genny, the only sidhe fae in London, can crack spells and absorb magic, but she can't cast even the simplest spell. In this magical world that is London but not London, humans and the supernatural mingle together, so you can buy charms at Witch Central, a downtown market; ride the underground with goblins; or have a troll as the police detective on a case. And then there are the vampires who have improved their reputation among humans to celebrity status. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/rg288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT In 2030, as the world was descending into chaos thanks to a flu-like plague that killed many and mutated others into ravening monsters, Molly Anderson and her mother hid away in a specially-prepared bunker, courtesy of her father, a brilliant scientist and conspiracy theorist who always knew this day would come. Six years later, the bunker's locks release, and Molly is released into a world devastated and transformed, a post-Apocalyptic society where decaying corpses litter empty houses, and vicious zombies prowl the streets. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/lw288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This is the author's fifth short story collection, released after a long hiatus of collections, but also after a period in which he wrote five books in his Coyote universe. However, just because he wasn't publishing a collection, doesn't mean he wasn't publishing short fiction, as this volume, which collects that fiction, clearly shows. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/fl288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT A series of grisly murders takes place in Keystone City and all evidence points to a metahuman (that is, someone with super-human powers) being responsible, most likely a speedster. All the murders took place at the same time. All involve the victim's head being blown open at the top, and the wound instantly cauterized. None of the victims realized they were in danger before they died. At the same time, strange objects appear in our solar system. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/va288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Valis, which is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, seems to reveal PKD's search for the meaning of life within religion during the later part of his life. Not easily categorized, the work could be classified as science fiction, philosophy, religion, or even an autobiography. For all of these topics come into play as the main character examines the origin of God and the purpose of life, while suffering through mental illness. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/cf288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Cursor's Fury continues the adventures of Gaius Octavius, or Tavi, the only Aleran who cannot perform magic through controlling a part of nature. But Tavi is the grandson and only heir to the First Lord, Gaius Sextus. His true identity is kept secret to avoid assassination by those seeking to overthrow the First Lord. Tavi's mother uses her water-fury crafting skills to prevent Tavi from developing what would no doubt be extremely powerful fury crafting. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ju288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Here's the fourth issue of Jupiter for 2008. It maintains a regular quarterly schedule, very impressive for a small press 'zine. This issue is subtitled Harpalyke, as usual after one of Jupiter's many moons. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/pd288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT John should have known what to expect once he read Zoran Zivkovic's introduction in which he praises the small press for protecting the fundamental artistic nature of literature by publishing authors such as Robert Freeman Wexler instead of the large publishing houses that dominate the industry and are not willing to take risks for fear of lost profits from not catering to the masses. However, he failed to pay heed to this, not pausing to wonder why Wexler might not be of interest to one of the big publishers. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ce288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT With this novel, the author returns to the kind of big idea science fiction that first marked his appearance in the field. The theme is nothing less than the nature of reality and the possible fate of the entire universe. That's an awfully big topic to take on in the course of a work of fiction, and one that possibly no one could successfully address in the telling of a story. It doesn't completely succeed in its task of melding its vision of the incredibly far future with the need of keeping it all within the framework of a science fiction story, but it does provide ample moments of wonder, awe, and a sense of humanity in the face of an implacable universe. Whether the book is eventually ranked with the best of Greg Bear's novels only time will tell, but it's certainly his most ambitious work, well worth the attention of any serious reader of modern science fiction. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/lo288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Christopher Barzak could be one of the best new writers that America has produced in recent years. Not one of the best science fiction writers or fantasists; one of the best writers, period. There seems to be only one character that appears consistently throughout the novel, and that is Japan itself. It comes across as both haunting and haunted, caught between an abiding sense of tradition and its own hyper-modernity, until you get the feeling that the country itself is disoriented, dislocated, perhaps even schizophrenic. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/sp288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This concludes the Annals of the Chosen trilogy, in a generally satisfying fashion. That is, not only is the conflict at the heart of the trilogy resolved, but the implications of various things we learn during the books are also dealt with. The trilogy as a whole is enjoyable work, though not brilliant, and not as good as those of Watt-Evans's books Rich most likes. But it is a true trilogy, and it is definitely best to read all three books in order. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/ps288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This may be Disch's last known work, although further unpublished material may yet be found. A very short book, stretched to 128 pages by the use of large type and plenty of white space, it is a sequel to The Voyage of the Proteus (2007). In the earlier book, Disch is summoned through time by Cassandra, meets Homer and Socrates, and fights off a flock of attacking Harpies. In the second book, Disch is back in his apartment in New York. The time is a tantalizingly described near future. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Mark London Williams says we are the cusp of, if not hopefully some great, or at least good, then at least sane things in the U.S. (and by extension, whether we like the idea of empire or not, the world). Much has been made of the new White House occupant's part-time geekiness -- or nerdiness. Which, in Bush era terms, could've simply meant "anyone who reads a book," or perhaps "knows six words in a different language." But with a certain Barack Obama, it means -- as the media has famously let us know -- that it also means he reads comic books. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/mb288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT "I could write a whole article about Isaac Asimov. Come to think of it, I have, for the fanzine Mimosa, and it's available on my website. It would be far too long to reproduce here. But the short version is that Asimov, being as prolific and open about his life as he was, gave the rest of us a blueprint to follow if we wanted to do so." http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Again this year, Rick offers his movie predictions for what is coming and is worth seeing in 2009 (based entirely on the reputation of the writers). http://www.sfsite.com/books/new288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This time we're looking at new and forthcoming works from Harry Turtledove, Kelley Armstrong, Gordon Dahlquist, Paul Di Filippo, Charlie Huston, Peter S. Beagle, and many more. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/neil287.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Traditionally, the arrival of the new year is a time to look ahead, and make plans for the future. But it's also a time to look back and reflect on the year we've just completed. And at the SF Site, it's traditional to review the past year's worth of reading and to vote on what you considered to be the best of it. This is your chance to have your say. The same rules apply as in previous SF Site Readers' Choice Awards: if you read it, you liked it, and you want to vote for it, go nuts. If you've forgotten what you chose in previous years, you can find them all linked at Best Read of the Year including The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which was the top choice last year. http://www.sfsite.com/01b/mh288.htm Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT The year is 2110, and a Second Cold War between the US and the Eurasian Bloc is thawing, until a terrorist group calling themselves Autumn Rain bring down the Phoenix space elevator. An act which, somewhat predictably, launches the world's great military powers on course toward all-out global conflict. Before the tipping point is reached, a Special Forces team are tasked with finding Autumn Rain, and putting a stop to their heinous plans. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/neil287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Traditionally, the arrival of the new year is a time to look ahead, and make plans for the future. But it's also a time to look back and reflect on the year we've just completed. And at the SF Site, it's traditional to review the past year's worth of reading and to vote on what you considered to be the best of it. This is your chance to have your say. The same rules apply as in previous SF Site Readers' Choice Awards: if you read it, you liked it, and you want to vote for it, go nuts. If you've forgotten what you chose in previous years, you can find them all linked at Best Read of the Year including The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which was the top choice last year. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/sk287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT "What is steampunk?" asks the jacket blurb header, and it's a reasonable question that has kept plenty of fans and pundits busy since the style's recent renaissance. Like any other genre definition, it's going to be contentious (has anyone actually settled on a satisfactory definition of science fiction itself yet?); personal taste is always going to come into play when deciding what is canon and what is not. While plainly setting out to answer the question from the informed perspective of the editors, this anthology is also a trifle schizoid in that it's not entirely clear who they're trying to answer the question for. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/bm287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT By its title, one could intepret this to be a collection of bright spots out of three decades of writing. But the worth of these stories has already been judged. Out of the twenty-one stories in the collection, there's a Theodore Sturgeon Award winner, a World Fantasy Award winner, and five, count 'em, five, Hugo Award winners. The Best of Michael Swanwick is, on its own terms, a pretty convincing argument that when it come to short fiction, the best of Michael Swanwick is synonymous with the best in the field. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/as287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT The good news: There's intelligent life out there, and they've come to Earth to meet us. They're friendly, and eager to get to know us. The bad news: They resemble gelatinous cubes, and communicate amongst themselves by means of odor. In short, they're ugly and smelly. And they've familiarized themselves with our popular culture, and let's face it, the "good" aliens never look like ambulatory Jell-O or smell like wet dog farts in summer. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ak287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Surrealism is a literary mode that looks like an easy option, but if it is done well, it is far from easy. The most obvious characteristic of surrealism is the absurdist leap from one moment to the next as if it forms a perfectly coherent connection. Yet this does not mean that you can simply throw in any weird idea at any time and hope to get away with it. Because at the end of the day the story has got to convince us that it really is coherent or we won't recognise it as a way of subverting our notions of the real, but simply think it is stupid. The line between using the absurd and looking silly is very fine indeed. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/mm287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT As the Borg continue their relentless, unstoppable assault upon the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation and its allies examine every possible solution in the hopes of preventing an otherwise-inevitable extinction. Entire worlds are dying, and the clock is ticking, while Starfleet's finest ships desperately pursue various avenue. The U.S.S. Enterprise, as usual, is at the forefront of the action, with Captain Picard determined to hold the line against the invading Borg. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/gl287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Ben Gould is a young man who falls and hits his head on the ice, and is supposed to die, but doesn't. Ben's ghost -- who is supposed to help Ben transition into the afterlife, and clean up any of his unfinished business -- is therefore somewhat stranded, and the Angel of Death isn't being particularly helpful; he tells the ghost just to hang out until they can figure out the "glitch" that resulted in Ben's non-death. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/mf287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT In the Star Wars universe, there is no vessel more famous and revered than the Millennium Falcon. Yet how much do we really know about the circumstances that led to her pivotal role in the greatest conflict in the history of that long-ago, far-away galaxy? In Star Wars: Millennium Falcon, that story is finally told. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ma287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote his first novel, A Princess of Mars, in 1911, publishing it in All-Story magazine as a serialized novel between February and July of 1912. This was 14 years before Hugo Gernsback founded the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, and coined the term "scientificion," which was later changed to "science fiction." Science fiction, as a recognized publishing genre, was not established while Burroughs was writing his earlier novels. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/af287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Picking up two years after the events in the book, Furies of Calderon, our hero, Tavi, lacks the ability to control the furies, making him a "freak" in Alera. Studying to become a cursor, or messenger, for the First Lord (Emperor) of Alera, Tavi learns the job also requires becoming a spy and a warrior. As his studies near their end, a new danger comes to the capitol of Alera, where the First Lord resides and where the home of the academy Tavi is attending is located. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/fl287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT The book spans 32 years in the lives of a group of people initially thrown together as hostages in a near-future Spain that has collapsed into sectarian civil war. When the group emerge from their basement, they find a world experiencing dramatic rises in ocean levels. Before long, members of the group are witnessing the flooding of London and the shattering of New York's glass skyscrapers by a hurricane that fills the air with broken glass, instantly rending apart all those unlucky enough to be caught outside. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/wl287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Following a series of dramatic events which started with the destruction of a passenger ship and ended with the downfall of the corrupt Farwan Corporation, grimspace jumper Sirantha Jax is out of a job, broke, and infamous. When the interplanetary government known as the Conglomerate offers Jax the opportunity to lead a diplomatic mission to the planet Ithiss-Tor, she's smart enough to recognize it for the type of request that it is. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ic287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Greg Egan's first novel in several years is as dizzying a piece of speculation as we have come to expect from him. But, like several of his novels, it doesn't fully connect at a human level, and for that matter the speculation -- dizzying as it is, and quite fascinating -- isn't as thematically profound as in his best stories. Though that's not quite fair... http://www.sfsite.com/01a/bn287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Enhanced by the usual list of genre books and movies from the previous season, news, obituaries and addresses of interest to horror fans, here's the annual collection of the allegedly best horror stories published during the year. For the nineteenth volume in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror series, editor Stephen Jones has assembled twenty-six stories penned by a number of distinguished genre writers. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ch287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT There is a set of stories best described as "guy stories," a category that contains such notable tales as Easy Rider, City Slickers and Deliverance. In such a story a group of young males decide to set them selves to some inconsequential task. The journey is filled with adversity, strife, joy and tragedy as the men struggle to finish their quest. In the end the characters discover who they really are. This is one of these stories. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/ks287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This issue features a wide selection of stories -- generally quite a few short-shorts but this issue has a larger proportion of longer stories. There was less nonfiction this time but there is the quite amusing horoscope column and the contributors' bios. Add quite a few poems, and lots of artwork, and this remains a varied and interesting publication. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT As Mark London Williams so elegantly announced last time, the Nexus Graphica brain trust have compiled our very own top ten graphic novel or comics-related publications lists of 2008. Mark began this shindig, so it falls to Rick Klaw to introduce the final five selections. Even with the economy crashing down around them, publishers produced enough excellent books for each of them to create diverse lists. Outside of their three identical selections, Mark and Rick managed to generate unique groups of astounding quality. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Happy new year, and welcome to the new and forthcoming books of 2009! Some of the highlights this time are the latest from Peter F. Hamilton, Ian McDonald, Kelley Armstrong, John Meaney, Catherynne M. Valente, James Morrow, plus revisited classics from Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock, and plenty more. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT Rick has some conclusions on how the first half went now that we measure out our television in half seasons. He also gives us a list of what SF is on TV in January and a hint of what February has to offer. http://www.sfsite.com/01a/sm287.htm Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:00:00 GMT This is the story of Clay, a man of our time who is inexplicably thrust far, far, far into Earth's future, to an era when not only is our civilization forgotten, but our whole species is no longer even a memory. Humankind has moved on, several times, creating new species. Clay travels across a dreamlike landscape in company with a handful of the Skimmers who are one variant of the latter-day "sons of men" where he meets other iterations of the human meme, like a pink sphere inside a shining cube of a cage and the regressed and grotty Goat-men; he becomes other kinds of human: he is himself a Skimmer for a while, as a female as well as a male; he becomes a squid-like Breather and then spends a timeless period as an Awaiter, a sapient carrot stuck in the earth, and more. 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.