For the Win by Cory Doctorow
reviewed by Jason Erik Lundberg
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.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
reviewed by Dominic Cilli
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.
The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
reviewed by Sandy Auden
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.
Patient Zero and The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry
reviewed by John Enzinas
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.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
reviewed by Dan Shade
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.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August 2010
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
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.
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
reviewed by Julie Moncton
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.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
an audiobook review by Ivy Reisner
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.
Ascendance, Part 1: The Demon Wars by R.A. Salvatore
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
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.
Directive 51 by John Barnes
an audio review podcast by Gil T. Wilson
The year is 2024 and many factions are tired of America's slothfulness and reliance upon technology. Terrorists,
both foreign and domestic, band together in a movement called Daybreak. They decide to attack the United States
all at the same time, threatening not only society's creature comforts, but the Constitution of the United States itself.
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Tales from a Fragrant Harbour by Garry Kilworth
reviewed by Kit O'Connell
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.
The Long Man by Steve Englehart
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
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.
Anniversaries: The Write Fantastic edited by Ian Whates
reviewed by Rich Horton
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.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
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.
Watching the Future
a column by Derek Johnson
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.
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
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.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
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.
Drinking Midnight Wine by Simon R. Green
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
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.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
reviewed by Dan Shade
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.
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
reviewed by Steven H Silver
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.
Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore
reviewed by John Enzinas
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.
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