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/sd310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT This collection is notable, compared to other first books, for its brevity -- only 8 short stories, some 80 pages. This may be a wise choice -- start with something of a taster, a sample. It's not that the author has used up all the good stuff either as two of those appearing in Rich's year's best anthologies are included here. The book does represent her style and concerns very well. It's also representative temporally -- a couple of her earliest stories are included, and a couple from 2009, including one new to this book. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/pr310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT College student Sophie Bangs has no idea what she's getting herself into as she wraps up research for her term paper about a literary heroine named Promethea. Discovering that this enigmatic woman has appeared in poetry, comic books, and urban legends since the 18th century, Sophie is convinced this is no coincidence and is determined to learn the true identity of Promethea. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/qm310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT A "Queen Mab Courtesy" is when a favour is given and received and neither party has a full understanding of the repercussions. It creates a web of guilt and obligation that ties the giver and receiver together for better or, more frequently, for worse. Tito, is a Denver Dwarf, suffering from a birth defect caused by a bioterrorism incident. He falls in with a fixer named Charlemange Skeezer who is a trader of courtesies and has more than one Queen Mab on his hands. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/at310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Anne Rice is best known for her Vampire Chronicles, including the most popular, Interview with the Vampire. But any Rice fan knows she's written more than just tales of vampires, so it should be no surprise that her latest novel is about angels. What is surprising is how she explores the topic by telling a story of an angel who "hires" a modern-day contract killer to defend the Jews of 13th century Norwich, England. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/np310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Captain Rex is back -- the clone squad leader who distinguished himself in the first Clone Wars novel. Anakin Skywalker has decided to take a brief break from combat to visit his secret wife, Padme Amidala. He leaves Ahsoka, his young Padawan, in Rex's care. Summoned to the newly refitted Republic assault cruiser Leveler, helmed by Captain Gilad Pellaeon, Rex, Ahsoka, and six untried new clone troopers go for what is meant to be a three-day routine training exercise. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/da310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Continuing on with R.A. Salvatore's Demon Wars saga, this installment begins book three of the seven book series. Once again, the magical production skills of GraphicAudio seamlessly transport you back into the world of Corona. Elbryan Wyndon, the Nightbird, travels north to take back the Timberlands with the help of Bradwarden the Centaur and Belli'mar Juraviel the elf, while Pony moves south to the city of Palmaris for reasons of her own. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/sr310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT A sequel to the acclaimed Retro Pulp Tales, this new anthology, where Joe Lansdale teams with his son Keith to edit more stories in the old pulp tradition, assembles eleven brand new pieces of imaginative and thrilling fiction aimed to entertain, astonish and, most of all, make us forget for a while the dullness of daily life. While it may be beneath the scope of great literature (the purpose of which is supposedly also to educate and to elicit lofty thoughts and feelings), but it is one of the main properties of good fiction. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/aw310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Subtitled "A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories" this is a collection of short fiction, from the best-selling author of The Abhorsen Trilogy. The title is misleading, as the Abhorsen herself never actually appears and no one crosses the Wall into the Old Kingdom. In fact, only the first story "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case" is set in the same world as Sabriel. In total, there are thirteen unconnected works here and most demonstrate why Nix is the recipient of such critical acclaim. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/sz310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT A scientific detective novel, it begins with the arrival of the main character on the research station. She has been hired as an Ethnobiologist, someone who looks at the interactions of creatures and attempts to understand what drives them. She is also a very angry person and carries a chip on her shoulder that the slightest breeze could disturb. Thankfully on a orbital station, the breezes are few and far between. http://www.sfsite.com/12b/ts310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Heroes can be so complicated these days. Their motives are smudged in ever darker shades of grey while their angst-ridden lives seem less than rewarding. Are you ready for a hero without all that emotional baggage? Then look no further than Tom Strong. Tom Strong has what it takes to keep the citizens of Millennium City safe from an assorted menagerie of villains. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Another long, fast, strange and lively year, Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams complete their round-up of work that struck them most profoundly, left the most lasting impressions. As Rick noted last time, in Part I, neither of them carry the conceit that this list is an objective "absolute best." Which is to say, there were doubtless other projects -- comics, graphic novels, web comics, etc. -- worthy of making the countdown. But theirs is comprised of the stuff they've actually read. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/booknews310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT December is traditionally a time for looking back and reflecting on the changes of the last twelve months. For John Lenahan, magician, comedian and actor, there's been the release of his debut novel Shadowmagic; for comic artist and writer Dave West there's been success with his first complete webcomic and first graphic novel of collected stories; and for authors Len Maynard and Mick Sims, they've signed with an agent and they're dipping their writing toes into adventure thrillers for the first time. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick310.htm Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Time magazine picked Battlestar Galactica as one of the ten best television series of 2009, and the Dollhouse episode "Briar Rose" as one of the best episodes. But for these shows and others, the number of viewers fell off rapidly as episodes aired. There are a lot of people who want to watch good science fiction, but television isn't giving them what they want. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/li309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT 15-year-old Haly is a clerk in the Libyrinth, a vast underground library of Earth lore and knowledge brought long ago to this colony world. From her earliest memories, Haly has been able to "hear" the Libyrinth's books. They speak to her, reciting their contents, as lively and full of personality, from warm and comforting to stodgy and pedantic, as any family you might imagine. But not everyone treasures this repository of ancient knowledge. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/fe309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Ask most people who don't read or watch much science fiction what it's all about and they'll probably mention spaceships and aliens, massive explosions and techno-babble speaking geeks, not necessarily in that order. Stories set in an interstellar space filled with competing civilizations have long played a part in SF of all kinds, whatever its format. That's the kind of science fiction celebrated here and the stories do a good job of illustrating just how wide a range of stories can be built around such a common theme. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/sa309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT The title story, by Alan M. Etheridge, is a dark novella, which turned out to be good and on the whole, very well written. It is a modern gothic tale of incest, murder and possession, the first part of which is really enticing and very effective, graced with a steady and captivating narrative pace. By contrast, the second half of the novella becomes less accomplished. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/hu309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Hum takes place on a world that was colonized and then ignored. The world was capable of supporting human life, but something caused 80 percent of the colonists to be struck permanently blind. At first, the sighted cared for the blind, but then they became resentful and made the blind their slaves, justifying it through their physical superiority. The slaves rebel and leave to set up their own villages of the blind. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/audio309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Recent audiobook releases received by SF Site include works by Mike Carey, R.A. Salvatore, Mercedes Lackey, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. At times it's more convenient (and enjoyable) to hear the latest in science fiction and fantasy. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/dt309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Set just a few years before the events in Star Wars: A New Hope, this stand-alone novel follows the events surrounding the prison ship Purge. Purge is carrying a load of prisoners to an Imperial prison planet. When it becomes stranded, it seems a boon that the crew happens upon a seemingly derelict Star Destoryer. But the Empire had its reasons for leaving the massive ship floating in space. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/dc309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Auron is a gray dragon, scaleless and without the hunger for treasure that plagues other dragons. His lack of armor makes him more vulnerable but also more adept at blending into his surroundings. After a fierce battle for primacy immediately post-hatching, Auron is the only male offspring left to his parents. He's bright and inquisitive, but his world is mostly limited to the confines of the cave in which he was hatched. All of that changes on the day his cave is invaded by murderous dwarves. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/wd309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT The authors continue to explore the Dune Universe which is filled with opportunities to discover side stories or fill in gaps between the original novels, and they have done a fine job without taking anything away from the original stories. In fact, they have added more depth to the series, creating adventures that seem as though they were there from the beginning. The Winds of Dune begins after the events of Dune Messiah, jumping back and forth in time from before Paul Atreides came to Dune to the events during Paul Maud'dib's Jihad. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/qw309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT For quite a few years now, Paul McAuley has been publishing stories set in the aftermath of the Quiet War, a war between Earth and the Outer Planets of the Solar System. Earth won the war, but the stories suggested that their victory would prove ambiguous. These stories have been largely first-rate, some of the best hard SF of recent years. With The Quiet War, he has finally written the story of the war itself. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/sp309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Spirits in the Park is the sequel to Gods of Manhattan and is a direct continuation of the original story, set just one month later. It starts with an attempted assassination via poison slug. From there on, it's straight into the guts of the story, setting up another adventure for Rory Hennessey, the last Light of New York City. As before the story flits between the mundane world, and the unseen layer of spirit world that is Mannahatta. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/ar309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Both stories showcase some of Alastair Reynolds's best features: the ease with which he creates interesting characters in strange settings; his ability to blend space opera with other generic forms (mystery in "Thousandth Night," bildungsroman in "Minla's Flowers"); his knowledge of current physics and technologies that, while consistent with what might be possible, never read as flat or arid. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/ad309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT The story starts off with a carefully orchestrated political incident. This leads to the breakdown of a relationship between Earth and its closest alien supporter. This is happening in parallel with the eradication of a genetically modified breed of sheep needed by these aliens as part of a governmental confirmation ceremony. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Rick Klaw has cleaned the house, shelved the books, and chilled the bubbly so it must be time to announce the Nexus Graphica best graphic novels/comics/funny books of the year. As with last year, Mark London Williams and Rick each picked the top ten titles that they encountered over the past year or so. The back half of our countdown (10-6) falls on Rick's shoulders. Since they have different tastes and don't always read the same books, their lists tend to differ greatly. For this initial part, just one title ranks on both lists -- in the same place, oddly enough, since they determine their lists independently. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Highlights this time include the latest from Robert J. Sawyer, Elizabeth Moon, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Joe Hill, and plenty more. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT As the first half of another TV season winds to a close, Rick offers his thoughts on what he was watching and what caught his attention. He also gives us a list of what SF is on TV in December. http://www.sfsite.com/12a/am309.htm Tue, 1 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT Set against a world in which Irish Queen Aine Lasairiona Devereaux rules over a fractious England, the story concerns Commander Adrian Dee, who is sent on a mission to Montenegro to seek out Anglian activists. We follow Dee as he crosses Europe and must not only find the cell of Anglians but also figure out who the traitor is among the Queen's court. 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.