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/10b/fo330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The story is told as a narrative tapestry, switching points of view between key characters to present a global tale of workers' rights and economic gamesmanship. With such a large cast of characters and such an intricate plot, this novel could have quickly become a complicated mess, but each sections flows from one to the next, and the narratives nicely mesh with one another, forming a whole that spans the globe. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/wk330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The Way of Kings, the first of ten in The Stormlight Archive, is a multi-layered tale told predominately from the perspective of three characters. Dalinar is the assassinated king's brother and uncle to the current king. He is a legendary war leader whose advancing years and strange visions causes him to rethink all he knows. Kaladin grew up an educated son of a surgeon and is now a healer who tries to always protect those around him, but this path of honor leads to his betrayal. Shallan is a young noble and a scholar who is her family's last hope for survival. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/tf330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT It's strange but Sandy has confessed that she frequently smiled to herself while reading The Fall. It's a dark and horrific story that invokes a suitably serious response overall but, quite often, she says she was smiling underneath. Why? For three reasons she claims. The first one comes out of her preference for evil vampires. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/df330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Patient Zero is a tightly written Clancyesque techno-thriller with super secret government organizations, jihads, Machiavellian businessmen, well executed violence, plausible science and zombies! It was a gripping read and that's the only complaint John had. There were very few pauses in the action where he could set the book down and get some sleep. Then he started The Dragon Factory. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/mz330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Seventy-five boys have been imprisoned in a football field-sized glade surrounded by stone walls. Outside of the glade, one on each side, are mazes. At the same time every morning and evening, the stone gates to the mazes rumble open and shut. At night, the walls within the mazes change their positions. Once a month, an elevator from nowhere which is located in the middle of the glade opens up and spits out one human boy. Our sixteen-year-old Thomas arrives that way. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/fsf330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Starting with the Films section by Lucius Shepard where he looks at Alice in Wonderland, moving on to stories like Heather Lidsley's "Introduction to Joyous Cooking, 200th Anniversary Edition" and Ramsey Shehadeh's "Epidapheles and the Inadequately Enraged Demon," theis issue features some of the most readable fantasy and sci-fi literature around. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/en330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT As we outgrow our childhood, we say goodbye to many fun traditions. No longer do we believe in the Easter Bunny or hope that the Tooth Fairy will bring us gifts in the night (although some financial assistance for crowns and wisdom teeth extractions would be nice). With adulthood, we stop reading books that begin with "Once upon a time..." But, some days, when work is, well... work, and newspapers are filled with stories about the bad economy, a fairy tale seems like the perfect escape from the real world. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/sw330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT At the midnight edge of 13, two boys -- Bill Halloway and Jim Nightshade -- discover that the carnival which has just rolled into town has dark designs on the residence of Green Town, Illinois. The freaks have supernatural powers, and the carousel can travel a person through time, making them older or younger depending on how it runs. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/as330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT After losing her husband Elbryan (who was a ranger trained by the elves), Jilseponie settles into her role of Baroness of Palmaris, glad to be serving the people. Leaders of the Abellican Church realize that her talent of creating powerful magic with the holy gemstones could be put to better use for both the church and the people of Palmaris if she becomes a Bishop of Palmaris. The king of Honce-the-Bear has other plans -- he wants her to become his wife and queen. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/fh330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Any culture can be looked at from two perspectives within fiction -- that of the native, and that of the outsider. For a long time, readers in the West have enjoyed stories of expatriates abroad in Asia, whether they be Marco Polo-esque adventures on the Silk Road or more modern travellers' tales. We also love tales of lost worlds, and in some ways Hong Kong satisfies both these needs. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/lm330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The story kicks off when Max August is summoned by a dying friend, in the hope that he can save Dr. Pamela Blackwell from whoever is trying to use magic to kill her. Blackwell's research is something that has the potential to save the lives of millions, and that has accidentally put her in the sights of a clandestine organisation called the FRC. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/an330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT This is a selection of stories from a writers' organization, The Write Fantastic, and as such the concern that the writers, already essentially granted a slot, might fob off trunk stories or fragments or failed experiments on us. Not to worry: these are all seasoned professionals, and moreover the objective of the group, in essence to promote Fantasy as its own subgenre, separate from SF, argues in favor of its members putting their best feet forward. http://www.sfsite.com/books/new330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT We're looking at plenty of Zombie fiction in time for Halloween, as well as the latest from Larry Niven, Stephen Donaldson, Joe R. Lansdale, James Barclay, Kelley Armstrong, Terry Brooks, Robert Rankin, Connie Willis, and many others. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/derek330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Halloween is once again almost upon us, and once again some of us will want to prepare by tripping the dark fantastic. In that spirit, Derek has decided to list ten movies that he feels are truly worthy of being part of the video library of those who enjoy this season. There are, of course, disclaimers. Derek has tried to avoid any of the movies out of Universal's classic period, since that list would be far too easy. For that same reason, he has also avoided most of the great movies in Hammer's horror canon. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Mark London Williams hasn't been in NY in awhile, so Comic-Con went on without any Nexus Graphica presence, but he received a press release on the eve of its opening, touting the debut of a "mixed reality" comic. Mark wondered what was mixed reality? That kind of describes his day-to-day life. But what does it mean in a comic? He decided to find out. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Rick has been watching a lot of television this month, as hehas done every Fall since he was a child. He always hopes that the new Fall tv season will produce new delights, and usually it does. But not this October. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/mw330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Toby Dexter, a bookshop sales assistant, has for some time has been quietly besotted with Gayle, a woman of flawless beauty, who just happens to catch the same train home as himself. Toby admires her from a distance, never quite working up the courage to speak, until one night when he witnesses her walking through a door that he knows did not exist the day, or even the minute, before. Intrigued, Toby follows. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/tr330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The Road is perhaps the most desperate post-apocalyptic science fiction Dan has read. It's more like post-post-apocalyptic. A father and his pre-teen son are trying to make their way south with hope that is it warmer there. Everywhere the sky is dark and gray, the sun never shows its face, it rains or snows constantly, there is always ash in the air and it's cold. Everything is gray as all living things, plants and animals, are dead. The forests are dead and, as the dead trees can find no nourishment, their roots lose hold and they fall in thunderous crashes. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/hl330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The novel's protagonist, also named Charles Yu, lives his life in a small time machine with the company of his AI, TAMMY, and an "ontologically valid" non-real dog, named Ed. Although he has minor contact with other characters, notably those who need time machines repaired, his only other relationships are with his AI boss, Phil, and his mother, who is caught in a time loop of her own devising. http://www.sfsite.com/10b/ie330.htm Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Like many of her kin, Ivy is a princess whose mother died in childbirth and who was left with a father who had lost his mind from grief. Due to his mental absence and her disinclination to listen to her nursemaid, Ivy grew up as something of a wild child, fond of running around with her friends and much less interested in being a quiet princess as her nursemaid would prefer. Then she discovers the terrible secret of the kingdom. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/dh329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT A bird turns in the thermals rising from a sprawling, clangorous waterfront city, spread so far below that the details of its inhabitants cannot be seen. Ian McDonald may have read John Dos Passos's 1925 novel, Manhattan Transfer as both writers chose exactly the same image to open their novels, and to exactly the same effect. The remote, aerial viewpoint is distancing and depersonalizing: the individuals rushing about below are, in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant, just cogs in the vast, impersonal machine that is the city. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/bb329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Like the editors's previous YA oriented original anthologies such as The Green Man and The Faery Reel which have preceded this year's entry, these are very enjoyable collections, each on a loose fantasy theme. In this case, the theme is "animal people" aka shapechangers. As with the other books, this is a top-to-bottom very readable, engaging, book. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/ta329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh Newman, find themselves in a world of hurt when they befriend a seven-hundred-year-old Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. While in his bookstore, they are attacked by Golems, men created out of mud, that are controlled by the infamous Dr. John Dee. As they come to Flamel and his wife's support, they save the day by inadvertently providing the opportunity to fight another day. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/ba329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The collection doesn't include any misfires, the quality of the stories is consistently top notch, but some material is absolutely superlative. "The Bullet That Grows in the Gun" is the intriguing, tense, extraordinary report of a scientific experiment involving an apparently absurd theory about materialization. An unforgettable tale graced by excellent storytelling and superb characterization. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/sg329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT This is the story of ordinary American teenager DeDe Christopher, who has an extraordinary destiny. DeDe dreams of winning the National Gymnastic Tournament and dating the school quarterback. Until she begins to develop powers strangely similar to those of a fictional superhero named Sky Boy. DeDe enlists the help of her best friend and comic book geek, Jason Shewstal, to discover her true destiny. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/ea329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Sometimes good things come in smaller packages. One is an old-fashioned science fiction adventure story, the other a thoroughly modern take on life in the near-future Midwest as seen through the lens of an alternate history. Both are the work of a writer who, over the years has explored issues of gender, politics, and social structure. In both books, she does much the same, while also displaying a sly wit and a talent for creating likable characters who are, in their own way, quietly subversive. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/ms329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Mindswap is a 1966 novel by Hugo and Nebula nominated author Robert Sheckley. An absurdist tale that is a precursor to Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this zany novel tells the tale of one Marvin, a dreamer and poor college student who only wants to see the universe. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/wi329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT In the city of Bangkok, in the kingdom of Thailand, sometime in the future, a dizzying array of characters serving a most unlovely tangle of masters and agendas seethe and simmer in a stinking, humid cesspool of misery and failure. This seems to be the final, decaying remnant of human history on planet Earth. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/mo329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The Rosey Plague is wreaking havoc in the land of Corona, especially in the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear. The Abellican Church has ordered all of its abbeys to be shut and the monks to stay within the walls to prevent them from catching the plague. King Ursul has ordered the same for all baroneys, leaving the common people to fend for themselves. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/tc329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Keeping faith with pulp fiction of the early 1940's, Galaxy Audio brings three tales from the pen of L. Ron Hubbard to life with a full-cast audio production. Re-creating these stories in sound gives a new dimension to adventures first published in Unknown Fantasy Fiction and Unknown Worlds. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/bk329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The catalogue description of this short novel refers to the book as a restaging of mankind's fall from grace in the form of a steampunk fable. Any deeper symbolic meaning in this book takes a back seat to the fact that it is simply a hell of a good read. There is more story and setting stuffed into this short volume than in many full length novels, http://www.sfsite.com/10a/rt329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT In this new novella, the author returns to the extraordinary Fantasy realm he first introduced in his 1993 novel The Innkeeper's Song, and proves once again that his prose style is unmatched for wit and grace. But despite its familiar setting and distinguishing technique, this is a somewhat atypical offering -- perhaps most remarkable for the fact that the story in and of itself will probably have very little bearing on whether you choose to buy the book. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/tw329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The story is set on Earth (perhaps), far in the future, as the climate is failing. The dominant "city" is called Spearpoint -- a vertical city, spiralling around a structure that seems to extend all the way to space. As the levels in Spearpoint increase in altitude, there is also an increase in what technology works. From the top comes Quillon, a posthuman renegade who discovers that his former masters are sending newly modified angels to kill him. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/graphica329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT "The Uncanny Un-Collectibles" began percolating soon after the publication of the two-part "Geek Movies NOT on DVD." Inspired by Glenn Erickson's always interesting annual Movies Not on DVD list at the entertaining DVD Savant, Rick Klaw decided reach out to his cadre of writers, critics, and artists to compile a similar geek-centric film list. The feature garnered tons of interest and remains one of the most popular in the site's nearly 10-year history. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/booknews329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Tom Lloyd gets devious talking about his latest Twilight Reign novel, The Ragged Man; and David Wellington updates some traditional myths in his new werewolf novel, Cursed. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/derek329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Vampires are having a good year. From the publication of both the second in Guillermo Del Toro-Chuck Hogan Strain trilogy and the first in Justin Cronin's Passage trilogy, to the release of Let Me In, Matt Reeves's remake of Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In, and the soap opera shenanigans of the Twilight movies, there are so many bloodsuckers to shake a stake at, that one could be forgiven for feeling a tad overwhelmed by the undead... and for wondering why similar love isn't being shown for the vampire's shaggier pop culture cousin, the werewolf. Derek thinks he knows. http://www.sfsite.com/columns/rick329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Rick watched the premiere of the tenth and final season of Smallville, and while the writers try very hard, only a few seconds really thrilled him. On the other hand, a few thrilling seconds are better than an hour of mild entertainment. He also gives us a list of what SF is on TV in October. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/lc329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, Issue 25 is filled with inspirational fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that will open up the reader's mind to a whole new experience in writing. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/mi329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Look behind you! A three-headed monkey! The clever distraction ploy has been used time and time again by stalwart protagonist of the Monkey Island game series, Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate! Now fans can rejoin the adventurer on his latest excursions as TellTale Games, in association with LucasArts, returns the inept swashbuckling hero to gaming consoles in the five-part Tales of Monkey Island. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/wg329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The Windup Girl takes place in Thailand, in and about Bangkok. Huge retaining walls have been built to keep the sea out. Water is pumped back into the sea with coal driven machines. Petroleum is non-existent. People are starving the world over. The population of the world has been greatly reduced by a virus called cibiscosis which continues to mutate and cause more death. Crops suffer from attack by mutant viruses. In the midst of all this, the Thai people seem to be sitting on a seed bank. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/cm329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT Sian Derwyn leads a fairly humdrum life of work and hanging out with friends until Ryan Ackley, a photographer comes to her Welsh village to take pictures of the numerous stone circles in the area and brings her to life. She doesn't understand it, but she feels a strong connection to this man and feels she understands him far better than she should for the short time they've known one another. http://www.sfsite.com/10a/sc329.htm Fri, 1 Oct 2010 11:00:00 GMT The story tells the tale of a colony of Tent Caterpillars named Fur who have somehow developed a group mind and are befriended by Auja, the tree in which they live. Auja explains to the Fur that trees can talk to each other as long as they are connected. But, thanks to the efforts of humans, many trees groups have been cut off as the humans cut them down to replace them with their habitations. 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.