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/08b/bb302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT In case you've forgotten, childhood is hard, mean and nasty. Although sometimes it's also a lot of fun. And, sometimes, it's all of those things put together. Billy is a little boy who lives in a world of imagination. It might be his imagination. It might be Terry Bisson's. But it's certainly a place where lots of interesting things happen. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/rw302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Sometimes fate has an dark way of fulfilling wishes. The young scholar Pazel Pathkendle wanted nothing more than to follow his lost father onto the waves as a sailor; he never knew fulfillment of that desire would cost him what was left of his family, his city and his freedom. Saved from the slaver's block at the last instant by the intervention of his Arquali "uncle," the doctor Ignus Chadfellow, Pazel was sent to sea as a tarry instead, a bond servant to be traded on his master's whim like a loaf of bread. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/ca302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Slash (named for the "/" in such archetypal pairings as "Kirk/Spock") is one of the more curious of contemporary literary phenomena. It consists of writers taking pairs of characters from popular series (Kirk and Spock from Star Trek, Aubrey and Maturin from the Patrick O'Brian novels) and producing further non-canonical stories around the pair. These stories generally involve, or often centre upon, sexual encounters involving the pair. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/bs302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT His fantasy is very much "blood and guts" fantasy, some may call it dark fantasy or Noir fantasy, but one thing is for sure, it's certainly not for the squeamish. If you're looking for the tale of a knight in shining armor who saves a princess, it's probable that you're not going to like his writing. If you like tales of betrayal and vengeance, laced with violence, sex and dastardly deeds, you're going to love Best Served Cold. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/sw302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Jane is a skinwalker, an ancient Cherokee supernatural being that has the ability to take the shape of any animal she chooses. A vampire hunter by trade, Jane nearly lost her life killing the blood family of a rogue vampire in the Appalachian Mountains, now she has accepted a new assignment in New Orleans. A rogue vampire has attacked numerous tourists and cops, and Katherine (Katie) Fonteneau has hired Jane on behalf of the Vampire Council, to hunt it down. There's more to the assignment than tracking a rogue though. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/mf302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Han Solo's YT-1300 Freighter is more than just a space ship, it's a full-blown character that the Star Wars Universe couldn't exist without. Over the original trilogy and through countless Expanded Universe stories, it has surpassed itself in travel and saving its owners time and time again. But what of the ship's personal history? Is there a story behind its many voyages? http://www.sfsite.com/08b/nc302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Ragnarok is almost upon us, and an army is being forcibly recruited to fight for Asgard. Selection is limited to those who carry a trace of Odin's blood. The main problem for the recruits is that in order to join the army they have to die first. This is where Mist, and her supernatural Einherjar minder, Grimnir, come in. Mist used to be Kathy Castillo, until she was murdered and returned to life as a Valkyrie. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/bl302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT It is possible to buy Black Static purely "for the articles." By which Jonathan means the non-fiction elements. The magazine features interesting and engaging columns from Christopher Fowler, Stephen Volk and Mike O'Driscoll as well as fascinating interviews with Ellen Datlow and Thomas Ligotti. However, the real stars are Tony Lee's enthusiastic DVD round-up and Contributing Editor Peter Tennant's magnificent book reviews. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/tt302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Annual "best of" short story anthologies are a long-standing tradition within the science fiction publishing community. Audio fans are encouraged to see this same tradition being embraced by science fiction audio publishers such as Infinivox. This year, Infinivox editor Allan Kaster has made his selections from science fiction prose originally written in 2008 including two Hugo Award winners. No doubt about it, there's something here for any science fiction fan to appreciate and enjoy. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/da302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT The beginning of a new era comes to a close in part three of the first book of the high fantasy saga, The Demon Wars. The demon, Dactyl, has awakened and puts together an army to destroy the land of Corona. Once the villagers and townsfolk experience for themselves the devastation brought on by armies of goblins, powries and giants, they realize the warnings about evil returning to their land are true. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/cc302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT It is hard to think of a more appropriate title for a China Mieville novel. It has always been the city. He started in his adopted home of London but burrowed underground to find the hidden city, cacotopically transformed this to create New Crobuzon, struck out for the sea but found a floating city waiting for him before trekking back through the desert to New Crobuzon and then jumping back to another London, again made strange, made un-London. Now he has moved East. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Of Robert E. Howard's many heroic creations, Solomon Kane ranks among Rick Klaw's favorites. The fighting Puritan's single-minded purpose, conflicted spirit, and often delusional zealotry combined with poetic violence and sundry supernatural elements resonated to a childhood dominated by heroes, monsters, and sports. Rick looks at the history in comics of Solomon Kane. http://www.sfsite.com/lists/yb-sf-volume07.htm#26 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT In 1984, Gardner Dozois gathered together what he thought was the best short science fiction of the previous year. He scrutinized as many of the magazines, collections and anthologies published in 1983 that he could get his hands on and chose those which he felt best represented the science fiction field. Jim Frenkel published it as part of his Bluejay Books line (for three years) and it has been produced every year since then (by St. Martins's Press). Volume 26 has been added to the lists compiled by author, by title and by volume. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Recently arrived at the SF Site are the latest works from Ben Bova, Jennifer Fallon, Terry Brooks, Mike Resnick, as well as some collected classics by Ray Bradbury, J.G. Ballard, and much more besides. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/ti302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT The Time Traveler's Wife is a very good example of mundane science fiction. The boundary between genre science fiction and mundane science fiction is nebulous and getting vaguer all the time, but on one side you have 1984, Brave New World, and, more recently, The Road, which get reviewed in The New Yorker, and on the other side you have I, Robot, Starship Troopers, and Rainbow's End, which don't. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Space travel is back. Moon, by Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker, is about an astronaut on a mining outpost on the far side of the Moon. The other new space travel story in a visual medium is the television series Defying Gravity by James D. Parriott. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/co302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT For the last forty years, fans of every genre of SF, fantasy, anime, movies, art, comic books and anything else pop culture has managed to work into the public mindset have been able to gather once a year at the San Diego Convention Center to revel and enjoy the experience that is the San Diego Comic-Con. This year, the 40th anniversary of the Con's inception saw the biggest turnout of fans that have ever attended, close to 125,000! http://www.sfsite.com/08a/sh301.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT John Berlyne's Powers: Secret Histories is so much more than just a bibliography of Tim Powers' stories -- it's a unique insight into the writing life of one of the most respected fantasy authors around. The project has been a huge undertaking for Berlyne, taking nearly a decade to complete, and here he is joined by the book's artist Dirk Berger, the publisher Pete Crowther and Tim Powers himself to discuss how the book came into being, the problems with designing it, the artwork, the bodies buried in the garden and spilling beer. http://www.sfsite.com/08b/jt302.htm Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT When James Tiptree, Jr., first appeared in the March 1968 issue of Analog with the short story "Birth of a Salesman," he might have been regarded as just one more of the hundreds of writers who have popped up in the science fiction field, attracted a certain amount of attention, and then disappeared back into the big world of bankers and bakers, factory workers and chemists and schoolteachers from which we storytellers emerge. But Tiptree did not disappear. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/sh301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT John Berlyne's Powers: Secret Histories is so much more than just a bibliography of Tim Powers' stories -- it's a unique insight into the writing life of one of the most respected fantasy authors around. The project has been a huge undertaking for Berlyne, taking nearly a decade to complete, and here he is joined by the book's artist Dirk Berger, the publisher Pete Crowther and Tim Powers himself to discuss how the book came into being, the problems with designing it, the artwork, the bodies buried in the garden and spilling beer. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/cy301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT At the heart of this book is a story called "The Little Goddess." It is, perhaps, the best story in the collection, the mid-point of the book, but more than that it is the piece that captures, better than any of the other stories, better even than the novel, River of Gods, to which this volume is a welcome pendant, exactly what it is that makes Ian McDonald's vision of near-future India so exciting and so right. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/nc301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT In a world where humans have to co-exist with demons, half-demons and mages, a dead vampire in a stinking alley doesn't really merit a 2AM wake-up call. Not in OSI-1 Tess Corday's opinion anyhow. Only this dead vampire turns out to be anything but routine, in fact, it might just be the tip of the supernatural iceberg. With her job on the line, Tess has to deal with vampire politics, overly helpful necromancers, over-protective guardians and angry teens before she can get anywhere near the truth. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/cp301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Inside the cover of Clockwork Phoenix 2 there's a list of blurbs about the first volume of the anthology series. Among them is a phrase taken from Mario's review. (Although the publisher didn't deem it necessary to mention his name.) It says that the book contains "top-notch fiction irrespective of genre labels." Can one make the same statement concerning the second volume? Yes and no. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/fa301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT This is a visually impressive film, even if it isn't very informative. There are better documentaries about what led to the Apollo program, how the moon landings were accomplished, and so forth. Setting out an official history of NASA's accomplishments isn't the goal here. Instead, this is a film about what it felt like to ride rockets into space, journey to the moon, walk on the surface, and then return home. It's a film about the tremendous thrill of spaceflight itself. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/audio301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Recent audiobook releases received by SF Site include works by Simon R. Green, David Weber, R.A. Salvatore and Richard Matheson. At times it's more convenient (and enjoyable) to hear the latest in science fiction and fantasy. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/hh301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT A very rich man on the edge of life wants to find if there is life after death. The perfect place to prove this is the notorious Belasco House, known as Hell House. Two different groups of people have visited Hell House before to explore the haunting and only one person has survived. The house's original owner, Emeric Belasco, was know to throw parties in which all party-goers reveled in evil. All manner of sin is said to have occurred and many people died in the house during these parties. Belasco's body was never found and his evil is said to destroy all who enter the house. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/st301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT The story begins in a post-9/11 New York City where a Boeing 777 has landed at JFK airport. The landing is perfect and without event, however, once the plane begins taxiing, it just merely stops and loses all power. The air traffic controllers need the strip for other planes to land and, after repeated attempts at communication, send a baggage cart out to investigate. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/jw301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Sigmund Ausfaller is an Agent for the U.N. More specifically, he is a highly valued Agent of the Amalgamated Regional Militia (A.R.M.). What makes him so valuable is that he is a Paranoid. Sigmund is perfect for rooting out conspiracies because he sees conspiracies in everything. The U.N. has several paranoids that are used to uncover conspiracies, but they achieve paranoia through the use of drugs. Sigmund is naturally paranoid, and that's what makes him unique and actually better at the job. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/rd301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Set ten years after the events portrayed in Wrath of a Mad God, the book introduces yet another cataclysmic threat to Midkemia. A lost tribe of elves, the taredhel or people of the stars, are facing annihilation by a demon horde. Just in time, they find a way back to the place they consider to be their ancestral home; Midkemia. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Highlights from the newest of the new and forthcoming books to arrive at the SF Site include the latest from Terry Brooks, Mark Chadbourn, Paul McAuley, Karl Schroeder, Harry Turtledove, Robert Charles Wilson, as well as new editions of old classics from F. Paul Wilson, Ian McDonald, Tanith Lee, plus much more. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/cl301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT The anthology is not themed, except in being a sequel to the much-lauded Clockwork Phoenix; the stories themselves defy straight-lacing as obvious as "fantasy," "science fiction," or "horror," though many would certainly be comfortably filed under any of those headings. The chief accomplishment of this anthology is its showcasing of sixteen unique voices that manage nevertheless to harmonize into a sort of choir of the uncanny singing in the key of beauty and strangeness. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Most people watch television to move themselves painlessly a few hours closer to death. There was a time when television could produce the same excitement, delight, or deep contentment found in music, books, movies, and games. Then came incessant pop-up commercials. Rick offers his thoughts on Torchwood, Children of Earth, Doctor Who, Planet of the Dead, Warehouse 13 and the Eureka episode, "Your Face or Mine." http://www.sfsite.com/08a/hp301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Rick has seen the new Harry Potter movie twice, but he's still not sure whether it deserves four stars or three. It's an excellent film, fun to watch the second time around. The attention to detail is amazing. The three young stars have grown into their roles. Acting, direction, script, and special effects are all first rate. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/dg301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT A writer, Peter Leland, has settled in a Southern farm house along with his attractive wife, in order to concentrate his efforts on composing a book. At first this seemingly idyllic setting is ideal, but soon things start to sour. They go from bad to worse, and eventually -- please forgive the partial spoiler! http://www.sfsite.com/08a/fm301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT There are very few academic critics of science fiction whose style is immediately identifiable. There's a critical language to be used that mitigates against an individual style. But you could probably give Paul, sight unseen, a page from one of Frank McConnell's papers and he would know instantly from whom it came. No-one else, Paul thinks, in the world of sf academe threw off papers with such bravura flair, such a cavalier disregard for the minutiae of critical disputes, such a range of references, such a love of good puns and bad jokes. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/ar301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Look at the cover of the book you've been reading. Chances are you'll see an illustration that evokes the novel within the cover. There is also a good chance that if you look on the back cover or the title page, you won't be able to find the name of the artist who created the work of art which may have caused you to pick up the book in the first place. http://www.sfsite.com/08a/um301.htm Sat, 1 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT Justin Cord, a multi-billionaire from our own time, used his wealth to develop a working cryogenic suspension device. When he is taken ill, he uses the device to freeze himself and is revived three hundred years later in a world where governments hardly exist and society is run almost entirely by corporations. Even individuals in this new society are incorporated, and most people spend most of their lives trying to acquire enough of their own stock to have control over their own economic lives. 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.