The Door Gunner and Other Perilous Flights of Fancy by Michael Bishop
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Back in the mid-70s, in the first volume of an original anthology series that never saw volume two, Paul
came across a novella called "On the Street of the Serpents" by Michael Bishop. It was, along with fictions
by Samuel R. Delany and James Tiptree, Jr. whose work he was also discovering at that time, a story that
helped to change the way he read science fiction. He didn't realize how new Bishop was as a writer,
but he was doing something sophisticated, original, and challenging with the form, and it caught Paul's imagination.
The Gathering of the Lost by Helen Lowe
reviewed by Katherine Petersen
This second novel re-introduces us to Derai characters from The Heir of Night as well as the two Heralds
but also shows us the southern lads from the city of Ij to the Northern March of Emer, and acquaints us with a whole
range of new, well-developed characters. Malian and Kalan have separated, since anyone searching for them would seek
a boy and a girl, and are set on different paths. Assassins attack a House of Heralds in Ij which sets off a lot of
tumultuous events. Everyone seems to have his or her own agenda and treachery abounds.
In Memoriam: 2011
a memorial by Steven H Silver
Science fiction fans have always had a respect and understanding for the history of the genre.
Unfortunately, science fiction has achieved such an age that each year sees our ranks diminished. Deaths in 2011 included
Anne McCaffrey, Darrell K. Sweet, Glenn Lord, "Rusty" Hevelin, Les Daniels,
William Sleator, Philip Rahman, Martin H. Greenberg, Joel Rosenberg and Jeffrey Catherine Jones.
The Best of Stephen R. Donaldson by Stephen R. Donaldson
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
The author specializes in placing protagonists that are damaged physically and/or mentally into intense situations
where morality plays a key role. Thomas Covenant is a leper whose self-doubt and self-loathing make him a unique
and unlikely anti-hero unlike most other protagonists in high fantasy fiction who must struggle with great moral
issues. His best short fiction follows the same structure, and it is a tribute to his immense storytelling
skill that these protagonists are sympathetic and their morality tales compelling.
Veiled Alliances by Kevin J. Anderson
reviewed by Trent Walters
His Saga of Seven Suns is a monument of epic science-fictional imagination, of
galactic politics fluctuating allegiances between humans, aliens (some extinct, some formerly extinct, and some
who will be), and "abandoned" robots -- a monument so grand that it took seven books to bridge them. Now
in Veiled Alliances, he has returned to his saga to tell of its origins in preparation for a
new series that picks up where the last left off.
Six-Guns Straight from Hell edited by David B. Riley and Laura Givens
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
This anthology is a volume of twenty
stories that feature science fiction, horror and the wild, Wild West. In these settings, cowboys, sheriffs and
other humans have to fight off countless monsters in the guise of vampires, wizards, alchemists, zombies and
other dark-hearted devils.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November/December 2011
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction gets straight to it with a tasty novelette, "Under Glass" by
Tim Sullivan; who sees everything with a writer's vision of the future we have never known yet or at least until
it is too late.
This issue concentrates on Carolyn Ives Gilman's novella "The Ice Owl," with the front cover (by Kent Bash) depicting
the arid, saffron landscape perfectly.
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Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The central character is Peter Grant, a young, mixed race British PC, who encounters something supernatural during the course of his
duties; specifically, a talking ghost. Taking this in his stride he is soon immersed in a world where magic is real,
and supernatural critters a fact of life. So far, not much different to a dozen other titles, you may think. However,
as with the majority of fiction, the difference is not in a well trod theme, but all about the skill and imagination
displayed in its execution.
The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1 by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
reviewed by Seamus Sweeney
Virginia Woolf famously said that throughout history, the author "Anonymous" was usually a woman. An equal if not
greater case could be made that Anonymous was usually more than one person. While the pendulum of scholarly
opinion as to whether there really was a historical individual called Homer who wrote the epics now attributed
to that name goes back and forth, there can be little doubt that many of the classics we enjoy were collaborative efforts.
Penumbra by Eric Brown
reviewed by David Maddox
In the future, humanity has scattered amongst the stars to colonize new worlds, and spread their influence across
the galaxy. Back home, to accommodate all this transport, everyday folks are required to pilot shuttles, transport
cargo, and maintain the multitude of orbital platforms that circle the earth. That's what Josh Bennett does
and he really doesn't wish for too much more in life.
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
The legendary Jean "Mœbius" Giraud has died.
Like many of his generation, Rick Klaw first encountered his incredible works in the pages of Heavy Metal. A sharp
contrast to the inferior Kirby-clones that dominated American comics of the 70s and early 80s, Mœbius'
organic, elegant art promised a wide range of emotional experiences from wonder to despair; hope to terror; and
nearly everything in-between. Rick shares some of his personal "Mœbius" memories.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
Newest arrivals to the SF Site include the latest from Charles de Lint, Sarah Pinborough, James Barclay, Erin Hoffman, Alan Dean Foster, Juliet E. McKenna, Paul Kearney, Naomi Novik, and many others.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Every year about this time, Rick gives his picks of the
upcoming sf and fantasy films, based on the writers. How did he do last year? His picks were:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,
X-Men: First Class,
Captain America: The First Avenger,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two and
The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn. This year his choices are...
John Carter
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote ten novels set on the planet Barsoom, starting with A Princess of Mars in 1912. There
is an eleventh book in the series collecting two shorter works, one by ERB, the other by his son John.
Andrew Stanton has written some of the greatest animated films of modern times, including Finding Nemo,
Toy Story III, and Wall-E.
The Stormlord Trilogy by Glenda Larke
reviewed by Dominic Cilli
In tone and quality, Glenda Larke's Stormlord Trilogy is the closet thing Dominic has read to
Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy in a long time. The setting, characters, world-building, theology
and plot are all done with exceeding care and all come off without a hitch. The magic system also deserves to
be mentioned. It's all based on water, not all that original, but Larke uses it in some very imaginative ways
with a clearly defined set of rules.
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