Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
reviewed by David Soyka
This short story collection is quite inexplicably
classified as juvenile fiction. Though the author is perhaps closer to Angela Carter (to whom she is often compared) than
Ray Bradbury, they do share the same strange landscapes just once removed from everyday reality, frequently seen through the eyes
of an adolescent narrator, or involving an adolescent protagonist. But, like Bradbury, the subject matter is hardly limited
to adolescence and one suspects that those who consider this "juvenile" fiction "safe" for
younger readers probably haven't read it.
Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle
reviewed by Alma A. Hromic
The book is a neat little magical mystery tour through Celtic myth and legend, taking a detour through the realms
of True Love and True Love Thwarted and True Love Lost, a story of choices and of what they mean for other people and not only
the chooser. There is mysticism and whimsy, following the lives of three American women with vastly different reasons to be
in the weird little Scottish town of Appleton.
Singer in the Snow by Louise Marley
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
The frozen world of Nevya experiences summer but once every five years, with the coming of a second sun known as the Visitor. The
Nevyans are therefore dependent on quiru, the magical fields of light and heat generated by Singers. Mreen has just qualified as
a Cantrix, and will shortly travel to the House of Tarus, where she will provide quiru for the inhabitants. Her quiru are
exceptionally strong, such that a nimbus of light surrounds her constantly, but she is mute.
Starship: Mutiny by Mike Resnick
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Commander Wilson Cole is witty, arrogant, sarcastic, entertaining as hell and almost always right. The book
is filled with potshots at the military, particularly dealing with
internal politics and public relations. It's also the story of a war hero, hated by his superiors, loved by the public; a man
demoted for his success at ignoring stupid orders in order to save the day. Wilson Cole carries his mantle brilliantly, a soldier
fighting the "bad guys," while trying to avoid being hamstrung by his superiors.
The Wizard Lord by Lawrence Watt-Evans
reviewed by Rich Horton
The single characteristic of Lawrence Watt-Evans's books that has strikes one most insistently over time is the way he features
basically ordinary people in heroic roles. This doesn't mean nebbishes or
losers: for the most part his heroes are fairly heroic, but they are heroic for reasons that make sense for regular
people. The Wizard Lord is a practically perfect example of this.
Sexy Chix Anthology of Women Cartoonists edited by Diana Schutz
reviewed by Hank Luttrell
There definitely should be more anthologies of comic book stories, especially if the high standards of this new book can be equaled.
The Amphora Project by William Kotzwinkle
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
The book is set unimaginably far in the future, when mankind has spread across the stars and is contemplating immortality and Earth
is not even a distant memory; yet city scenes are described in terms of plate-glass windows, lifts, muzak, store fronts and
the like. Cars fly, but they are described and treated just like the cars on our roads. The author tricks his novel out with
all sorts of futuristic paraphernalia, aliens and robots and spaceships, but then layers them over a world that, visually
and socially, is indistinguishable from late twentieth century America. Of course, all of this could be ironic.
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A Conversation With Hal Duncan
An interview with Jakob Schmidt
On modernism:
"Well, the way I always think about modernism is that in the 18th and 19th century you've got two big, warring
aesthetics: rationalism and romanticism. And to me, modernism is where these two come together. It's the
battleground between these two aesthetics. Even Wells' fiction was rationalist romance. The writers Wells,
Jules Verne and, to some extent, Edgar Allan Poe can be seen as romanticists. But at the same time, you can see them as
rationalist. Or think of H.P. Lovecraft: a lot of people read Lovecraft and think of his "Elder Gods" as
supernatural beings. But Lovecraft himself was a complete nihilist. He made a point of the fact that he did
not believe in God. "
The Children of the Company by Kage Baker
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
The Company novels, beginning with In the Garden of Iden, are among the best examples in current science fiction
of a series of individual works that taken together add up to a larger, more comprehensive whole. This one
is a look below the shiny surface of the Company and its time-travelling agents seeking lost historical artifacts into the life
of one of the immortals, Executive Facilitator General Labienus, and his quest for power.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Well, there's quite a teetering stack of new and forthcoming books in the SF Site office right now, including the latest from Charles de Lint, Morgan Llywelyn, Justina Robson, Naomi Novik, Steve Cash, Steven Erikson, and many more.
Rabid Transit: Menagerie edited by Christopher Barzak, Alan DeNiro and Kristin Livdahl
reviewed by David Hebblethwaite
This book is the fourth in the Rabid Transit series of anthologies. If you haven't encountered the other
three, you may not be sure what to expect; but the cover blurb promises that the stories "show different
ways to break out of the conventions of the shopworn story." This should interest you in seeing what the authors had come up with.
X-Men: The Last Stand
a movie review by Rick Norwood
The third X-Men movie is the best so far, which is saying a lot considering how good the first two were. You may be afraid
the new director and writers would not maintain the quality -- as has happened with other threequels -- but have no
fear, true believer. The writers know their Marvel comics. They pick the best stuff from hundreds of issues and weave
it into a seamless whole.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick offers his thoughts on watching old TV series like Twilight Zone and Laugh-In
versus today's series. He also gives us a list of what to watch on TV in June.
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
reviewed by Michael M Jones
As the Napoleonic Wars rage on, the captain of the British ship, HMS Reliant, one Will Laurence accidentally gets swept up
in events far greater than his own everyday experiences could ever have anticipated. The capture of a French frigate yields
up a truly extraordinary prize: an unhatched dragon egg of unknown origins. When the egg hatches en route to a friendly
port, the dragon within chooses to bond with Will, creating an unlikely partnership and the beginnings of a legendary friendship.
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