WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Blind since birth, teenage mathematical genius Caitlin Dector has compensated quite well for her lack of sight,
embracing life online as her way to communicate and keep up with the world. Blessed with a supportive
family, she's doing quite well for herself, even though she's currently adjusting to a recent move from Texas to
Toronto. But now a unique opportunity has presented itself, in the form of a revolutionary new technology
developed in Japan. If successful, a surgically-implanted device would help to process the signals
received by her eyes, granting her sight at last.
Thirteen Orphans by Jane Lindskold
reviewed by John Enzinas
Imagine if Mahjong were not just a
game, but also cleverly disguised mystic system which could be used to bind mystic forces to do your bidding. How
did this happen? Well several generations ago, a group of power magicians fled to our world from a mystic China
to protect their emperor. They used their powers to develop the enhanced Mahjong game to protect themselves.
Star Wars: Order 66 by Karen Traviss
reviewed by David Maddox
The Clone Wars nears its conclusion. Kal Skirata and the members of the Null ARC squad are making their choices on
whether to stand with the ever changing GAR or set off on their own as Mandalorians. Will Darman find out about
the son he didn't know he had? Will Fi recover from his grenade injury? Will Scorch lose it? And what of Niner,
Jusik, Ordo and the rest? Have no idea what any of this means?
Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Cassandra Palmer has accepted the mantle of Pythia, making her the world's most powerful psychic, able to see the
future and travel through space and time. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see the power go to
someone more easy to manipulate, and so the mages of the Silver Circle are out to kill her. Worse still, the
previous Pythia died before teaching Cassie the ins and outs of the job, leaving her to figure it out by
trial and error.
Star Trek
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Emotionally, Rick was caught up in the whole experience. It hit all the right notes, from the
action filled beginning to the closing credits. Captain Kirk looked like Captain Kirk. Rick loved Scotty. Rick
didn't even mind the Romulan who was thoughtful enough to bring along a bladed weapon, just to give Sulu
somebody to fence with.
Battle for Terra
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Rick really wanted to enjoy this 3-D animated science fiction movie. It is a real sf film, not in that increasingly
common genre of animated movie he thinks of as "guinea pigs in space." It has a good heart, and some cute characters.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
a movie review by Rick Norwood
There was a time when most science fiction movies and all superhero movies were badly written. There were
fewer writers in those days, so even bad writers could get a job writing B-movies. There may not be
more great writers now than there were then, but there are a lot more good writers. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
is a well-crafted entertainment.
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
an audiobook review by Sarah Trowbridge
In Charles de Lint's world, the skin between the mundane business of everyday life and the realm of magical mischief is
always thin. Passing from one to the other is effortless and can take but a moment. Often, his characters are deep into
the doings of the world beyond before they begin to notice or admit that anything unearthly is going on. Some of
de Lint's characters acknowledge and embrace the other realm that lies just on the other side of that thin and
permeable barrier, while others clasp their skepticism close, denying the evidence of their senses for as long as they can.
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
an audiobook review by Jennifer McCann
In an alternate Atlanta, Kate Daniels is on a mission. Kate, a magically adept mercenary, is hunting for the person
or persons who brutally murdered her guardian, Greg. As an investigator for the Guild, an organization meant to
police the supernatural beings of Atlanta, he was working a case involving missing shape shifters. Into the picture
arrives the "Masters of the Dead," a group of necromancers that "drive" vampires much like puppets.
The Demon Awakens by R.A. Salvatore
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
The story begins as the demon Dactyl awakens after spending an eon encased in stone. The sound effects used to
reflect his coming back to life are extremely well done and the audio engineers at GraphicAudio deserve lots of
credit for creating an attention-grabbing opening scene.
Or click on the link to get the MP3 podcast review.
Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
Things just never get easy for Harry Dresden. The White Council, who always had it out for him, has recently
made Harry a Warden for the White Council (basically the police force for the wizarding community). You'd think
with this promotion, the intrepid wizard/private investigator would be more accepted. But at the beginning of this
book, a trial is being held for a young man that has used magic to influence the mind of a human.
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Cosmocopia by Paul Di Filippo
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Payseur & Schmidt publishes more than just books; they publish high-quality multi-media art events. Cosmocopia
is a fine example. It's not only a short novel by Paul Di Filippo, it's also a 513-piece jigsaw puzzle and colour
poster with artwork by Jim Woodring -- the whole delightfully packaged.
Let's begin with The Origin of the World, dating back to 1866...
Eclipse Two edited by Jonathan Strahan
reviewed by Steven H Silver
The early years of the twenty-first century are a time of resurgence for non-themed anthologies, pointing to a resurgence
in short fiction, from which science fiction has traditionally garnered its biggest names. Jonathan Strahan has
now published Eclipse Two, the second of his non-themed anthologies. The joy of this sort of anthology is
in the discovery of authors or stories otherwise unknown to the reader.
Sorrow by John Lawson
reviewed by Stuart Carter
Faina is a young girl sent to the rich and privileged land of Vestiga Gaesi ostensibly as part
of her education, but actually as a hostage against the debts of her unfortunate parents. Faina lives -- or
rather, is tolerated -- at the decadent court of Viscount Palus and his Mercurial wife, the Viscountess
Chrysanth. However, this previously peaceful land is under threat from the depredations of a master assassin
known only as Sorrow.
Spell Games by T.A. Pratt
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Spell Games, the fourth novel in the ongoing saga of Marla Mason, like all its
precursors is a self-contained adventure. Having said that, it definitely helps to know what has gone before. Marla,
for the uninitiated, is the chief sorcerer of Felport, who operates like a benevolent crime boss among the magical
elite, cracking heads together when necessary and protecting the city from all eldritch dangers. It's a job for life,
with plenty of perks and an equal amount of danger, both for Marla and those in her immediate circle.
News Spotlight -- Genre Books and Media
a column by Sandy Auden
Two exciting new series begin for science fiction and fantasy fans alike: Tony Ballantyne introduces us
to the robot infested planet of Penrose as it descends into war in Twisted Metal; and Juliet McKenna
takes us behind the scenes of Irons in the Fire as rebellion causes chaos in the dukedoms of Lescar.
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
Remember those funky Star Trek comics from the late 1960s/early 1970s published by Gold Key that never
seemed to get things right? The ones with flames coming out of the Enterprise's nacelles. Well they
weren't alone. At the same time that Gold Key was publishing its infamous series, other, equally
bizarre, Star Trek stories were being published on the other side of the Atlantic.
Mark London Williams has engaged the talents of guest columnist Alan J. Porter to give us a glimpse of
how Star Trek fared as a comic in the UK.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Some of the hottest new titles to arrive on our doorstep include the latest from Kage Baker, China Miéville, Karl Schroeder, Jacqueline Carey, David Gunn, Alan Dean Foster, and many more!
The Fantastic Horizon by Darrell Schweitzer
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
The most striking aspect of this volume is the author's ability to write serious criticism that is accessible,
personal in nature, and that speaks directly to its audience. At the same time, Darrell Schweitzer shows respect for his
subject matter and for the reader without condescending to either.
Eternity: Our Next Billion Years by Michael Hanlon
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Call it the anti-apocalypse book. Here, the author cuts across the grain
of popular future disaster and end-of-the-world scenarios and argues that what the universe will be like and what
might be going on billions of years from now is worth thinking about. Because we could very well be there.
A Hideous Bit of Morbidity edited by Jason Colavito
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
A non-fiction anthology assembling a number of critical essays and commentaries on horror and supernatural literature
published between 1750 and 1917, the present volume provides an interesting overview of how that genre's body of
work was critically received at the time of its first appearance in print.
The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction by Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr.
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
What makes this book significant is that it marks a necessary, if belated, corrective to the orthodox Marxist view
of science fiction that has been the more or less default academic response to the genre since at least the work
of Darko Suvin. As such, The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction is likely to become the central point of sf
criticism for some time to come.
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