Steelhands by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Owen Adamo, a former Chief Sergeant of the Dragon Corps,now a professor of strategy at the university of Volstov, learns that Esar,
the ruler of the capital, has a covert agenda to bring back magically powered sentient robot dragons, despite
the likelihood of this action starting a new war. Adamo's confederates, the gay magician Royston, and the
former corpsman, Balfour, would like to stop Esar's risky ambitions, but have to watch their step.
The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson
reviewed by Dominic Cilli
The book takes place in the same world as the Mistborn Trilogy, but this time the story is
about 300 years into the future. Guns, railroads and skyscrapers exist and electricity is just becoming
commonplace. Kelsier, Vin and the rest of the gang have long since faded into the mists. As far as the plot goes, it
has echoes of an old
Sherlock Holmes novel and the author has created his own allomantic version of Holmes and Watson with Waxillium
and Wayne, our two protagonists.
Faking It by Keith Brooke
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
In recent years, Keith Brooke has been writing superior science fiction and fantasy novels such as
Genotopia, The Accord and The Unlikely World of Faraway Frankie.
His considerable skills were first honed writing juvenile novels and short science fiction in
the late 80s and 90s. Faking It collects nine of those short SF stories (including one never before published),
all of which are set in a common near future.
Sky City: New Science Fiction Stories by Danish Authors edited by Carl-Eddy Skovgaard
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Every few years, international science fiction appears to be spotlighted by an American editor, whether it is the
excellent SFWA European Hall of Fame edited by James and Kathryn Morrow in 2007 or Tales from Planet Earth
edited by Frederik Pohl and Elizabeth Anne Hull twenty years earlier.
Here we have Sky City, with stories selected by Carl-Eddy Skovgaard and published by Science Fiction Cirklen, an
anthology of Danish Science Fiction originally published in 2007 and 2008 with new translations into
English.
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
an audiobook review by Sarah Trowbridge
At first glance, the little village of Claysville may appear to be just like any other middle American town of its
size: families grow and blend, and everybody knows one another and pitches in when someone needs help. If it seems
that the Claysville way of life is somewhat sheltered or removed from the hustle and bustle of contemporary American
life -- well, that's to be expected in any small country town, even in the 21st century. But there are certain
laws in Claysville, both the official kind and ones that go mostly unspoken.
Germline by T.C. McCarthy
an audiobook review by Dale Darlage
This non-stop military techno-adventure is set in the middle of a war in Central
Asia in the 22nd century. Russia and the United States are fighting over the resources of Kazakhstan. It turns out
that the country is rich in rare metals that are needed for the 22nd century's technological devices. They have
to be mined deep in the mountains of Kazakhstan and the mines, countryside, little villages and cities of
Central Asia become battlefields.
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
Mark London Williams has written about his life here as a middle-aged single dad. His readers's tolerance for the use of
that "material" here is appreciated, by the way, but increasingly, he has become
aware of how this affects his life as a comics-reader -- and an ostensible reviewer.
So with DC working on new back stories now, he has been reading the new
Animal Man, the Demon relaunch, the new Swamp Thing (his eldest
became a huge fan after reading his collected Alan Moore editions) and the surprising Aquaman.
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Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
reviewed by David Maddox
Imagine a future not so far away and not so fantastic, where humans are so dependant on robots that we hardly give
them a second thought. They're in our homes, cars, phones, and work places. They clean out house, cook out food and
take care of the dangerous and tedious work we don't want to do. And what would happen if they all turned against us?
Aftermath by Ann Aguirre
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Sirintha Jax saved the human race from the horrifying menace of the flesh-eating Morgut, but only by crippling
interstellar travel for everyone. Worse, she may have stopped most of the Morgut, but a few ships still slip
through, enough to devastate the planet of New Venice and kill several of her friends, a cost for which she'll never
forgive herself. In the wake of her actions, it's time to pay the piper, and so Jax embarks upon a new phase
of her life: war criminal and traitor.
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Volume Two: Adjustment Team (1952-1953) by Philip K. Dick
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
The second volume of this new edition of the collected stories of Philip K. Dick contains some 26 stories from
the early period of his career. Written in 1952 and 1953, they represent an astonishing outpouring of talent.
This kind of productivity was by no means unique for scriveners of the period. Writers working for the last of
the pulps and newly burgeoning digest fiction magazines, especially those mired in low-end markets, had to
produce at a frantic pace if they hoped to earn even a marginal living at their craft. The alternative was
to keep a day job and write in stolen moments.
Watching the Future
a column by Derek Johnson
Recently, Derek attended a podcast on the "essential" science fiction films. What
should every fan see? What are the linchpins of the genre? He served with a distinguished
panel, and everybody mentioned so many different titles that after the discussion the moderator
suggested the possibility of extending the topic. For example, could we name the worst science
fiction movies? How about the best hard sf movies? What about science fiction movies from
other countries? Maybe science fiction anime? Blends of science fiction and noir? He lost count but...
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Latest arrivals to the SF Site office include new and forthcoming works from James Barclay, David Drake, Greg Keyes, James Lovegrove, Justina Robson, and many others.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Rick enjoyed the first fifteen minutes. The rest not so much. He was bored by the rebellious
teen. The pretty girl who knows science and the adorable pre-teen were OK. None of the dialogue
sounds like anything a human being might say in similar circumstances. But characterization is not
what people tuned in to Terra Nova to see. As well, Rick gives us a list of what SF is on TV in October.
A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
reviewed by Katherine Petersen
Rosalinda Fitzroy wakes up from 62 years of chemically-induced stasis in a forgotten subbasement to a
kiss. Normally, her mother wakes her up from stasis to a champagne brunch and a warm welcome, so her awakening
is as jarring as the world which has self-destructed and put itself back together in the time she's been
gone. She may have lived for over 100 years, but she's still a 16-year-old girl, frightened, knowing no one
and recognizing little from the time she left behind.
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