Prince of Storms by Kay Kenyon
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
From early on in The Entire and the Rose series, a terrible choice has loomed before Titus Quinn. Our
universe, the Rose, is home to family and friends. But his life in the Entire has brought with it new family and
friends, and has given him a position of power and influence. What everyone now wonders is how Titus will use that
power. If confronted with the choice of saving the Entire or the Rose, which will he choose?
Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The setting is 1926 New York, in an alternate reality where there are coal-powered cars, and biplanes take off
from standing starts atop skyscrapers, using primitive rocket boosters. The USA is engaged in a Cold War with
the British Empire, which still covers half the globe, and the British have only just buried Queen Victoria,
whose life was artificially preserved to the age of 107. Targeted murders are occurring across New York,
the victims all found with pristine Roman coins laid on their eyelids after death.
Katja from the Punk Band by Simon Logan
reviewed by Martin Lewis
We meet Katja -- accessorised with drooping Mohawk and plastic tracheotomy tube -- as she arrives late for work
at a diner, having just murdered her boyfriend. She has killed him to take possession of mysterious vial which
offers the possibility of a way off the island. Unsurprisingly, others would seek to acquire the vial just as
violently as Katja did.
Evolve: Vampires Stories of the New Undead edited by Nancy Kilpatrick
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
I know what you're thinking: "please, not another anthology of vampire stories!".
We have read so much vampire fiction in the past that by now everything seems to have been already said about that
topic. However, it appears that vampires are no more what they used to be: they're changing habits, adapting
to the rules of modern life. In other words, they are evolving.
Bone and Jewel Creatures by Elizabeth Bear
reviewed by Rich Horton
Bijou is an aging Wizard -- she has been a Wizard of Messaline for eighty years. Her specialty is making
creatures out of bone -- a sort of mechanical variety of magic. Her one remaining human friend is Brazen, another
Enchanter. Brazen has long failed to convince Bijou to take an apprentice. Then one day he drops off a forlorn
creature -- a child who has been raised by jackals.
Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey
an audiobook review by Sarah Trowbridge
Shortly after the turn of the 21st century, the dead started coming back. There had always been a few dead souls who
returned, here and there, of course -- but this wholesale rising was something new and troublesome. The situation
offered a silver lining of sorts to Felix Castor and others like him: natural exorcists, born with the knack of
laying dead souls to rest. What had previously been useful only as a quirky hobby or a party trick became a
profitable and sought-out profession.
Warbreaker, Part 3 by Brandon Sanderson
an audiobook review by Ivy Reisner
This is the finest, as well as the final, installment of the trilogy of
audiobooks. Brandon Sanderson proves to be a master at hiding things in plain sight. He managed to hide an
entire mythical army right out in the open. He also hid the true enemy, the force behind all of this, and when
that enemy is revealed, it is both logical and surprising.
Lifeblood by P.N. Elrod
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
Once again, P.N. Elrod has created a delightful read in the second installment of The Vampire Files, with
Lifeblood. What makes these books fun is that they are not just another book about vampires, but they are the
film noir of vampire novels. Did you ever read any of the old detective magazines with stories about a private
investigator of sorts cracking the case?
One Was Stubborn by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
an audio review podcast by Gil T. Wilson
Galaxy Audio has gathered all the short stories and novellas written by L. Ron Hubbard during the 30s through the 50s
and have been releasing them as audiobooks. There are also paperback "pulp" versions for those who prefer print rather
than audio. This audiobook is a collection of three stories from the golden age of pulp fiction.
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The World House by Guy Adams
reviewed by Seamus Sweeney
It is a rollercoaster of a story set in a world within a box -- a world-within-a-world that is
itself a Divine Comedy. For the box is, for most of those inside, a kind of after-life -- those humans who
enter the box do so at a moment of imminent death in this world -- and it is certainly more an Inferno, or
at best a Purgatorio, than a Paradiso. This is a world created out of the nightmares and fears of humans
themselves, contained inside a box that is in fact a prison, with a very special prisoner.
News Spotlight -- Genre Books and Media
a column by Sandy Auden
Guy Gavriel Kay mixes fantasy and Tang Dynasty history to create a heady cocktail of war
and strife in the 8th Century; while John Meaney blends science fiction and history
into a long refreshing tale of spies and deep-seated desires for power...
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
So we're following up -- expanding upon? -- the last column's thoughts about Kick-Ass, both the movie,
and -- to a certain extent -- the comic. The first question might be: does Mark London Williams mean his last column, a month ago,
or Mr. Klaw's?, and the answer might be both.
His was more specific, then Rick took the reins to survey the live action superhero comic in the modern
film-and-digital era. Which kind of brings us back to Kick-Ass.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
This time we're looking at the latest from China Miéville, Robin Hobb, Ian McDonald, Peter S. Beagle, Cory Doctorow, Alan Fenton, Adam Roberts, and many others.
Robin Hood
a movie review by Rick Klaw
Everyone knows the legend of Robin Hood. Emerging from the depths of Sherwood Forest, Robin and his band of merry
men steal from the rich of Nottingham and give to the poor. His tales of cleverness and daring-do feature archery
and swordplay, competition and romance define the very essence of exciting adventure. Too bad no one bothered to
remind the makers of the lackluster Robin Hood of these necessary elements.
Iron Man 2
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Is Iron Man 2 a romantic comedy or an action thriller? Actually, it's a four-star romantic comedy and a
three-star action thriller. It is long enough to be two movies, and yet Rick was always entertained. But he liked
it best when Tony Stark wasn't wearing tin underwear.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
According to the IMDB, 2010 will see the release of 83 science fiction films
and 64 fantasy films, most of which you don't really want to know about. For example,
there's Mars, by Jeff Marslett, whose previous work includes
Milton is a Shitbag. Here are some that look interesting.
Red Planets: Marxism and Science Fiction edited by Mark Bould and China Miéville
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
There is an oddly symbiotic relationship between science fiction and Marxism.
One of the necessary conditions for the emergence of science fiction was the idea that the world might be
changed, that a material difference could be made to one's own circumstances, not after death or in some
fantastical Cockayne, but here and now. Such a notion developed during the Renaissance.
How To Defeat Your Own Clone by Kyle Kurpinski and Terry D. Johnson
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
Chances are, when it comes to the future of biotechnology and cloning, bad science fiction and under-informed news
articles have you preparing for one of two possible futures: a dystopian Earth brought to post-apocalyptic ruin
thanks to "ultraintelligent überclones" run amok; or a disease-free paradise where "Every child rides to school
on a genetically engineered unicorn."
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