A Conversation With Tom Lloyd
An interview with Sandy Auden
On developing the white-eye species:
"Well I started with the image of the deserted palace but very little beyond that, so I sat and just began to jot ideas
down. I've always loved the parts of ancient mythology where the gods are active in the world and meddle as much as
they can. I started with almost a Norse mindset of deities; squabbling, argumentative and lacking any form of
subtlety. From that, it seemed reasonable that their chosen mortal representatives would be similar; principally
be built to fight and overawe the people they're going to be ruling, so white-eyes became these oversized figures
of supernatural strength and speed."
Schrödinger's Bookshelf
a column by Michael M Jones
Michael is reading short fiction and young adult titles and he has some thoughts. This time, he looks at
Millennium 3001 edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Russell Davis,
Novel Ideas: Fantasy and Novel Ideas: Science Fiction both edited by Brian M. Thomsen.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Some of the highlights from our most recent crop of new arrivals include the latest novels from David & Leigh Eddings, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Robert Carter, Sean Williams, and Christopher Moore, as well as the latest collections from Paul Di Filippo, George Zebrowski, Philip José Farmer, and SF poet Mike Allen.
Electric Velocipede #9
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
This is a 'zine with a quiet reputation for printing some of the best short fiction from the
odder corners of SF and fantasy, and this issue continues to uphold that reputation. The craftsmanship of most of the work
here is enviable. More remarkably (or maybe just plain odd), nearly all the titles in this issue define their stories'
main characters.
A Game of Perfection by Élisabeth Vonarburg
reviewed by Donna McMahon
In Dreams of the Sea, an accident stranded human colonists on a planet they named Virginia, and the few survivors had to
struggle to live until the next colony ship arrived. This novel opens much later, after the active colonization
of Virginia is over and millions of humans have been living on the planet all their lives.
But they still have not solved the mystery of what happened to the alien race that inhabited the planet centuries before and then
suddenly disappeared, leaving all their cities intact as if everybody had just stood up and walked away.
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
reviewed by Matthew Cheney
We begin with a city: vast, mysterious, a good place for the living dead to hang out while they wait to be forgotten. In
this cosmology (apparently inspired by a vague mix of African and Asian mythoi) purgatory is urban, and the spirits
or souls or somethings of the dead inhabit it until they are no longer remembered by the living, and then they cross over to an
unknown realm, truly dead and truly gone, their history lost with their names.
K-Machines by Damien Broderick
reviewed by Rich Horton
Sequel to Godplayers, this novel continues the story of August Seebeck, an ordinary Australian man who is
suddenly brought to realize that he is part of a family, all named after the months, August has been told that he and his family
are "Players in the Contest of Worlds," battling foes known as the "Deformers" for -- for what?
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Genetopia by Keith Brooke
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
In the distant future, the world is saturated in "changing vectors," bio- and nano-technological agents that alter those who come
into contact with them in unpredictable ways. The clans of "True" humanity guard the purity of their genes jealously: babies showing
signs of being affected are left out to die from exposure, and the purebreds want nothing to do with "Lost" humans. But there's a
thriving slave trade in "mutts," individuals so drastically transformed that they are regarded as animals.
Firebirds edited by Sharyn November
reviewed by Amal El-Mohtar
Amal was really, really excited about this anthology when it came out, and even more excited by the prospect
of reviewing it. She offers this by way of apology for any indulging in school-girlish glee on her part while describing its
contents. She offers also the testimony of her sister's puzzled looks, occasioned by giggles, shocked exclamations and occasional
teary effusions while reading, in proof of the fact that this will be a fairly gushy review.
One Million A.D. edited by Gardner Dozois
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
This is an anthology of six original novellas of the very far future, commissioned by the Science Fiction Book Club,
in a departure from their usual reprints-only policy. The authors are all well-known:
Robert Reed, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Alastair Reynolds, Charlie Stross, and Greg Egan. Plus a nice introduction
by super-editor Gardner Dozois. A stellar lineup!
Blade: The Series
a promotion
BLADE: THE SERIES premieres on June 28. Spike TV's two-hour series premiere opens with Blade
setting up shop in Detroit, investigating the vampire house of Chthon. Along the way he forms an uneasy alliance with Krista
Starr, a former military veteran who becomes entrenched in the world of vampires while investigating the murder of her twin brother.
Enter the contest to visit the set where the series is filmed at http://www.bladetv-contest.com/.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers his thoughts on the announcement of Star Trek XI coming in 2008,
how Christopher Eccleston is beginning to win him over in the role of the Doctor Who
along with what to watch on TV in May.
Silver Screen by Justina Robson
reviewed by David Soyka
The title refers to the black and white cinema of the mid-twentieth century when movie stars were literally larger than life depictions back in the
days before Internet circulation of celebrity sex tapes shrunk them down to size. The analogy is that the interface
between human and machine intelligence mimics the quality of these films in that they are seemingly real, but at the same
time obviously not. It also underlies a conceit where avatars projected by the machine to interact with humans appear
as classic screen idols such as Humphrey Bogart and James Dean and, of course, the symbolic baggage they carry.
A Rumor of Gems by Ellen Steiber
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Lucinda, has always lived in the cosmopolitan port city of Arcato. A strikingly beautiful woman, she works as a model for the
exclusive clothing designer, Tyrone, a flamboyant tyrant who is also her only friend. Angry and fiercely defended, Lucinda uses
and discards men before they can hurt her.
Although she keeps to herself, Lucinda has heard rumours of odd happenings in Arcato.
Those charming, quirky miracles are occurring amid other, darker supernatural events.
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