The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008: Twenty-First Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
Most of you should already know, by now, that the twenty-first volume of The Year's
Best Fantasy and Horror represents the swan song of this fortunate, long lasting series that the publisher
has decided to discontinue.
No doubt a great loss for fantasy and horror lovers who will miss a yearly volume providing an exhaustive overview
of what happened in the two genres during the previous year, in terms of fiction, poetry, movies, comics, etc.
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007: Twentieth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Who said the short fiction market was in trouble? This volume contains
41 stories and poems, and lists a further 834 titles in the Honourable Mentions. That's not far short of 900 works culled
from the fantasy output of just one year, and presumably that's still some way short of the total published. A short fiction
marketplace that can sustain such an output in what was not a particularly special year can't be doing too badly.
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link, and Gavin J. Grant
reviewed by Chris Przybyszewski
It is a stunning anthology of short fiction from a variety of authors both well known and the not so well known.
It also offers summation on the facets of fantasy and horror, presented by the editors. Of particular interest are the
Media of the Fantastic: 2003; Comics and Graphic Novels: 2003; and Music of the Fantastic: 2003. Clearly, the editors wish to make
inclusive the various mediums by which artists in this modern day work. Artists work best in a community, and publications like
this can draw the various elements together, forging new alliances that lead to creation.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 edited by Ellen Datlow
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
At some point in the not too distant past, when we probably weren't really paying attention, the Science
Fiction Writers of America, which presents the Nebula Awards, became the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America. All the way through this forty-third annual anthology of Nebula Award winners and nominees there
is an uneasy awareness of this shift in focus. Perhaps Brian Stableford and John Clute were right, you only have to
look in the bookshops to see fantasy is in the ascendant so maybe science fiction has indeed run its course.
Poe edited by Ellen Datlow
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
The 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe is the occasion for the renowned editor Ellen Datlow, to assemble
another anthology of nineteen original stories somehow inspired to Poe's life or work.
Under such a broad label, the tales display an enormous variety of styles and genres,
where anyone can find something to like or to dislike.
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The first story, Jason Stoddard's "The Elephant Ironclads" features an alternate version of Navajo civilisation,
where scientists are searching for uranium, and two native boys are fascinated by armoured elephants of legend.
Elizabeth Bear, who is undoubtedly a top quality writer, delivers "Sonny Liston Takes the Fall," which
offers an new slant on the famous clashes between Liston and the then Cassius Clay.
Spider-Man 2 by Peter David
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
It has been two years since Peter Parker first donned the Spider-Man
costume. Two years of fighting to protect the innocent and capture the guilty, while maintaining the guise of a normal human
being -- one who doesn't dare reveal his secret identity, even if it means lying to his professors, his bosses, his best
friend, and the two people he cares about most in the world: sweet old Aunt May, and dynamic, gorgeous Mary Jane (MJ) Watson,
the woman he loves but can never have, for fear of making her a target for every bad guy who hates Spider-Man.
Knight Life by Peter David
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
The author began his novel-writing career with this book, originally published in 1987, a humorous tale that turned
Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court on its head by positing an Arthur transported forward into our
time. It became something of a cult classic over the years, much in demand by his fans. Now it's been re-published in a beautiful
hardcover edition, revised, updated and expanded (by 20,000 words) by the author.
Star Trek: New Frontier: Fire on High by Peter David
reviewed by Alexander von Thorn
A new Star Trek novel by Peter David is always a good bet, and
this one meets the standard for strong writing that he has shown in past efforts.
Footprints of Thunder by James F. David
reviewed by Leon Olszewski
Strange objects falling from the sky, disappearances over the Bermuda
Triangle, people spontaneously bursting into flame. Current science has no
explanation. But what if these events all tied together, and a single
cohesive theory could explain the phenomena? James F. David
postulates such a theory, and shows what happens...
Adventures in Unhistory by Avram Davidson
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Avram Davidson's heyday probably stretched from the late 50s to perhaps the early 70s. By the time of his death in 1993,
however, his star had slipped from the SF firmament. He was a writer's writer, indeed right to the end other authors would
extol his work, but for the last twenty years or more of his writing life he made little substantial impact on the reading
public. Since his death, however, Tor have made sterling efforts to bring his work back to public attention.
Kiss It Away by Carol Anne Davis
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Blazing a path of devastation through the lives of everyone in this book is the steroid-powered Nick. A textbook example
of antisocial personality disorder at his best, the ex-con is a bomb that continues to go off time and again as his consumption of
anabolic steroids escalates out of control. When Ben has the misfortune to cross paths with Nick it sets off a series of tragedies
that have the police in overdrive. To Ben's horror, he finds that the focus of their investigation is himself.
Noise Abatement by Carol Anne Davis
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Oozing, slimy, mutant monsters don't scare Lisa anymore. It's the human monsters among us that keep her constantly
wary. These hidden killers are the actual horror that lashes out every day -- and the author knows it. No wonder
hers is among the most terrifying fiction in existence; it could just as easily be true. And that ought to
scare the hell out of anyone.
Safe As Houses by Carol Anne Davis
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Not every person who falls victim to a serial criminal makes a fatal
mistake. But if you're still parking next to vans in dark parking lots, or
getting just a little bit closer to give that stranger directions, you
haven't been paying attention. Crack the cover of this book and you'll never
make that mistake again. You'll also never feel completely secure again,
because this book is frightening in a way that Silence Of The Lambs could never be.
Honour Among Punks by Guy Davis and Gary Reed
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
The Victorian Age hasn't really died, but the punk and gothic movement are in full swing, creating a subculture that
clashes against the Victorian world they all live in, and Baker Street is in the centre of it. Medical student Susan Predergrast
has taken an apartment with a pair of punker girls. It is soon apparent that she's really a less daffy Dr. Watson,
playing to her new roommate and employer Sharon Ford's less acerbic Holmes. She is an ex-cop with an irreverent attitude that
helped get her kicked off the police force.
Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Some days, you just can't win. That's the attitude Evangeline Hollis had adopted ever since she was dragged, rather
unwillingly, into a complex world full of monsters and violence. How was she to know that an inexplicable
episode of indiscretion with a mystery man in a stairwell would brand her with something called the mark of
Cain, or that it would transform her into a super-powered demon-hunter?
Resurrection by Arwen Elys Dayton
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Easing into this world may be a bit unsettling at first. There are flashbacks, flashforwards,
several flashsideways, and, Lisa thinks, a flashdiagonal. But persevere; once you find your way it's well worth the momentary
confusion. This tale of planets, civilizations, and alternate histories offers some theories you probably never
considered. It's a look into past, present, and future that seems strangely... probable.
Blue Bamboo by Osamu Dazai
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
This collection of delightful short fantasies by a major Japanese author of the post-war era are
certainly not what one would expect of modern Western post-Tolkienian fantasy, but neither are they the traditional
Japanese tales of ghosts and spirits one finds retold in Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan. While several are inspired
by older Japanese, Chinese and even European folktales, the author retouches these tales, adding and substracting his own
elements, to present his own commentaries on life and human interaction.
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Dead Like Me
a TV series review by Lisa DuMond
You can undoubtedly tell from the title of this new TV series that it has a lot to do with death. What you might not know yet is that
it has much more to do with life, and what we do with ours, than it has to do with dead bodies,
cemeteries, etc. Even with a brilliant cast playing some of the most memorable characters in years, the star of the show
is humanity and how we deal with death -- from both sides of the grave.
Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary by Pamela Dean
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
A brooding foreshadowing of doom, deep and compelling relationships between
the characters, and their near irrational rationalizing away of all the
weirdness popping up around them -- all this kept Margo reading long after
the plot had failed to hold her interest.
Steeldriver by Don DeBrandt
reviewed by Jean-Louis Trudel
The author glories in assembling a gallery of vivid characters. He spices up the action with some
fine instances of tall tales including his aliens' ability to incorporate bones and tools within
their own bodies. The stories DeBrandt draws from that are worth the price of the book alone.
Dinosaurs in Fantastic Fiction by Allen A. Debus
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Dinosaurs have fascinated the public imagination since they were first identified in the nineteenth century. In this thematic
survey, the writer traces that fascination from its earliest days to the
present. In effect, he has written eight essays, each of which can stand alone, but when taken together form a
chronological overview of his topic, starting with a focus on Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and
continuing on to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park.
Conan the Liberator by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter
reviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Numedides, King of Aquilonia is mad. In his madness and desire for immortality he heaps cruelty upon cruelty on the heads of his
people. He and the wizard Thulandra Thuu have been kidnapping maidens, torturing them and taking their blood to complete the ritual
that will grant them eternal life. Them, in that the wizard has no intention on using the ritual to help the king... no, the
king is merely a guinea pig.
Dragon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido
reviewed by Michael M Jones
Welcome to Cliff's End. It's the sort of city where sooner or later, everyone passes through and everything happens, and someone has to
clean up the resulting mess. When legendary hero and adventurer Gan Brightblade is murdered in a seedy tavern, it's up to Castle Guards
Danthres Tresyllione and Torin ban Wyvald to investigate. All evidence points to magic, but who could kill one of the world's
greatest heroes, and why?
The Art of Arrow Cutting by Stephen Dedman
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Contributing Editor Steven H Silver thinks this novel is
fast-moving with likable heroes.
Slave Ring by Tim Dedopulos
reviewed by Steve Lazarowitz
Theo, the protagonist of the story is a vampire. This is not particularly unusual, as any Anne Rice fan can tell
you. However, this particular vampire is a black man, who was once a slave in America's deep south.
Moreover, Theo is an Archon, a vampire that enforces Vampire laws. Think of him as a one man SWAT team.
The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
an audiobook review by Gil T. Wilson
The story begins in a post-9/11 New York City where a Boeing 777 has landed at JFK airport. The landing is
perfect and without event, however, once the plane begins taxiing, it just merely stops and loses all
power. The air traffic controllers need the strip for other planes to land and, after repeated attempts at
communication, send a baggage cart out to investigate.
Time On My Hands by Peter Delacorte
reviewed by David Soyka
Here, the author lets us see what might happen if we ever had a chance to go back and do it
differently -- and the moral is that no matter how many second chances we might
get, the likelihood is that we'd continue to screw things up.
The Fall of the Towers by Samuel R. Delany
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
What made this book different when it first appeared? The characters, so much more ambiguous and unpredictable,
following science fantasy traditions in one place and totally overturning them elsewhere. A plot with false leads, unexpected
twists, quirky characters with unusual qualities, keeping the reader not entirely sure of himself and not always sufficiently
informed to know quite where things are headed, without being so confused as to abandon the story.
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
reviewed by David Soyka
In the moonlit woods, a man with ugly hands who claims to be 27 years old but looks 16, encounters (well,
more than just encounters, copulates with) a woman distinguished by a scratch down her lower leg. She leads
him to the discovery of a chain of prisms that he wraps around himself.
The man does not remember his name or much of his past. Upon his arrival in Bellona, a city in which the rules
of modern American life have been discarded, he receives a sort of welcoming gift, a wrist band from which seven
blades protrude, called an orchid. There is no need of money. A sort of hippie communal lifestyle prevails, for
those who wish to partake of it.
Nova by Samuel R. Delany
reviewed by David Soyka
If contemporary readers might wonder what the big deal is, it is only
because they've grown accustomed to trails that were being newly blazed by this book. On its face, it
would seem to be a traditional Space Opera, pitting a good guy against the forces of evil in an intergalactic setting. But
if Space Opera is your thing, you might find yourself a bit puzzled. Discussions about "fitting in," about the nature of
storytelling, about art, about, of all things, the Tarot. There is more discourse than battle here.
Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning
reviewed by David Maddox
It has been a little over five years since the Battle of Endor. Han Solo and his new bride Leia Organa Solo are on route to
Tatooine to recover one of the last surviving relics of Alderaan, a unique moss-grown painting called Killik Twilight. But sinister
forces plot to claim the painting for their own and Leia must travel down a dark path that will lead to a new revelation about
her father... before he became Darth Vader.
Lester Dent's Zeppelin Tales by Lester Dent
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
From the acid-crumbled pages of early depression era pulps comes, count 'em, not one, not two, but five pulp tales of dirigibles
by the creator of the pulp icon Doc Savage. If you're looking for plausibility, subtlety, or deep insights
into the human condition, you've come to the wrong place. This is pulp fiction, action for the sake of action, swell young dames
mostly present to be saved by brawny pistol-in-the-fist heroes, and the usual complement of nefarious and sadistic villains of
various non-Anglo-Saxon ethnicities.
Laughin' Boy by Bradley Denton
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
"Laughin' Boy" (aka Danny Clayton) is a sad, unlucky weirdo who typically
finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong moment. Set in USA in the year 2000, the story starts with
a shooting among a crowd attending an outdoor music festival in Wichita, Kansas.
While the terrorists responsible for the massacre remain initially undetected, the public attention is drawn to a
young man who, unharmed, is accidentally videotaped in the midst of the carnage, appears to be "laughing his ass off."
Lunatics by Bradley Denton
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
Margo explains how the book moves so quickly that
before you blink you are half way through it.
New Horizons edited by August Derleth
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
Billed as Arkham House's first ever SF anthology, this is also
Derleth's last, assembled sometime in the 60s and only discovered in
manuscript after his death in 1971. Readers familiar with Derleth's
previous anthologies and Arkham House's usual "weird" output won't find
the territory all that strange.
For The Time Being by Marie DesJardin
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
On an unknown planet, surrounded by beings straight from a B-Movie festival,
fifty years into the future, what is a gang of geniuses supposed to do? Easy answer: build a
time machine.
The Seraphim Rising by Elisabeth DeVos
reviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
What would you do if six angels descended to Earth and proclaimed Howard Stern to be God?
Wayne MacLaurin has a look at a provocative debut novel of the Millennium by newcomer Elisabeth DeVos.
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