Pandemonium by Warren Fahy
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Pobedograd is a large underground city located deep beneath the Ural
Mountains, carved by slave labour on the orders of Stalin during the Cold War. The city includes windows onto an entire subterranean
ecosystem, the primary feature of which is an enormous lake that is home to bizarre species which have survived undetected, until
now. Into this sunless world come newly married biologists, Nell and Geoffrey Binswanger. The pair
are lured by the promises of Russian billionaire Maxim Dragolovich, and the chance to observe first hand the scientific wonders
that he now owns. Stalin thought it was Hell, but the place is now called Pandemonium.
Beyond The Doors Of Death by Robert Silverberg and Damien Broderick
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This is an interesting little experiment in publishing that pairs a classic story by Robert Silverberg with a
sequel by a less well-known Damien Broderick. The Silverberg story is "Born With The Dead," a 1974 novella that first appeared in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Damien Broderick's "Quicken" is an original story, picking up almost to
the day where "Born With The Dead" left off.
The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Leo Novikov is a technologically adept kid in a family full of scientific whizzes, which occasionally leads to some rather
high expectations. His quest to produce a really interesting project for the Manhattan Polytechnic Academy's science fair leads
him to the unique institution known as the New York Circulating Materiel Repository, a library which collects objects rather than books.
Though his true dream is to build a time machine, Leo figures he can't go wrong in researching historical robots.
New Arrivals
compiled by Neil Walsh
New books, including the latest from Naomi Novik, Paul McAuley, Mark Hodder, Sarah Pinborough, Richard Kadrey, Scott Lynch, and many others!
The Good, The Bad, and the Infernal by Guy Adams
reviewed by David Maddox
The Old West. A time romanticized by many; wide-open plains of adventure, hardship, murder, heroes, and villains. A world
very similar to our own, yet slightly askew. The legendary town of Wormwood is rumored to reappear, very soon. And many
people are going to meet it, some whether they want to or not.
The title alone is enough to tweak any cross-genre fan's interest.
Iron Bloom by Billy Wong
reviewed by Sandra Scholes
There aren't many strong female characters in fantasy novels these days, but it is good to see that Billy Wong has included
one in his novel From the first few pages, Rose, the heroine is faced with a hulk of a man who doesn't
only intend to hurt her; he also has an interest in raping her.
The story is a reminder of those video games where the hero or heroine has to wield their way through several hostile
enemies. There is a great amount of blood and gore in this...
Titanium Rain by Josh Finney and Kat Rocha
an audiobook review by Dale Darlage
Titanium Rain is a near future military adventure story about a group of physically enhanced American and British fighter
pilots and their missions against an Imperial Chinese government over mainland China. This AudioComics production
is an adaptation of the 2010 publication of volume one of a graphic novel series of the same name.
|
|
Watching the Future
a column by Derek Johnson
Rotten Tomatoes' has posted a list of the 50 greatest fantasy movies ever made. Derek Johnson is a chronic list maker,
and often gravitates to best lists for a variety of reasons. He was keenly interested in how many he might have missed, to say
nothing of how much it stretched the definition of "fantasy." He also hoped it proffered movies that compelled
discussion. It got a reaction from him, but probably not the reaction its makers hoped.
So he decided to offer his own list of great fantasy movies as a companion piece rather than
offering his own ten-best.
Man of Steel
a movie review by Christopher DeFilippis
For many filmgoers, Superman movies are cinematic comfort food -- you walk in knowing what you're going to get, and there are always
familiar elements to enjoy, even if the overall film is subpar. But while Man of Steel contains every single one of those familiar
elements, it presents them in a (literally) skewed light that subverts your super expectations and gives you something wholly
unexpected: A Superman film that's surprisingly fresh and challenging.
Babylon 5.1
TV reviews by Rick Norwood
Has there ever been a month with so little genre television? Did Rick miss some shows? If he did, please
let him know. Meanwhile, he plans to spend August playing Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, according to some
the hardest computer game ever.
Pacific Rim
a movie review by Rick Norwood
Most of Rick's friends enjoyed Pacific Rim more than he did, and they freely admit that what they enjoy is watching hours of
giant robots fighting monsters. If that's what you like, Pacific Rim is the movie for you.
The Wolverine
a movie review by Rick Norwood
This is an intelligent superhero movie. One might wish it had more emotional impact, but one can be thankful for what's here.
A plus for the film is that in place of the voice-overs that are typical of many recent action-adventure films, the writers show rather than
tell.
Nexus Graphica
a column by Rick Klaw and Mark London Williams
Instead of being at Comic Con this year Mark London Williams was in Israel. He was attending a conference for Jewish teachers that was
held in there, so that attendees could see first hand the terra firma where so much sacred (and
often contentious) Western and Monotheistic lore began, and what that land was like now.
He was up and down the country during the conference, from Tel Aviv and the Negev on one end, to a Kibbutz near the Golan
Heights, on the other. In the middle, was Jerusalem.
American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-1964 by John Wells
reviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
For most of us born in the 50s, the early 60s was our golden age of discovery, the birth of our sense of wonder. For many,
that meant comic books and science fiction. For those of us now sixty-something, it was a magical and memorable time.
This first volume in a planned series to the entire history of the American comic book, from the 1940s onward,
represents a very promising start to the series. Wells presents
a comprehensive year by year overview of all of the comics published in the 10/12/15/25-cent format. He provides minimal critique
but does provide information on their relative popularity.
Channel Zilch by Doug Sharp
reviewed by Dave Truesdale
NASA fired astronaut Mick Oolfson following an unauthorized flying stunt he pulled during the landing of his (soon to be) last
shuttle flight. Mick now fertilizes crop fields with cow manure from his old DC-3, barely keeping the wolf from the door and his
plane flying. Enter one Manuel Chin, fabulously wealthy businessman with global contacts, who convinces Mick (with a ton of
money) to pilot a spacecraft into orbit where Chin and his beautiful daughter Heloise (nicknamed appropriately "Hel") will launch
an orbiting television station devoted to a special brand of Reality TV.
|
