Letters from the Flesh by Marcos Donnelly
reviewed by Chris Przybyszewski
Beware oh readers. There do be devils in some of these books we read. One of our favorite types of books is the subversive
kind, those books that take commonly held beliefs and stick an wedge into those beliefs. The reader's only reactions are to throw
the book on the bonfire or to think about the book's content.
Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue
reviewed by Glen Engel-Cox
Connecting fairy tales together is not new but Donoghue strings hers together like a strand of pearls.
Glen found the technique quite refreshing, as it forced Donoghue into unlikely territory for fairies.
More than anything else, the author's fantasy resembles life, and that's an accomplishment.
The Chronological Adventures Of Detrius Thesper by N.E. Doran
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Detrius Thesper is nobody's notion of a hero. Self-centred, cowardly, inept -- he's
more like the bungling sidekick who has to be rescued every other chapter. He's a
menace to his own safety and to anyone within a kilometre radius.
Really though, with a visitor from the future you ought to be able to expect more.
Thylaxene by N.E. Doran, Stuart Newman and Craig Wellington
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Recognize the word? Thylaxene. No, you wouldn't. Unless you were familiar
with the history of Australia -- its flora and fauna. Why does this
collection of chilling stories succeed where others have failed? Maybe
because there hasn't been a partnership this smooth in recent memory. These
3 authors could be the best parts of one mind.
A Paradigm Of Earth by Candas Jane Dorsey
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Imagine if the first aliens to walk among us didn't come in conveniently labelled packages, the kind of
clear-cut models our more narrow-minded citizens can handle comfortably. What if, instead, they were as
maddeningly non-partisan and as sexually ambiguous as some of our own "troublemakers" here on Earth? Even
worse, what if these rare and precious aliens were introduced to humanity by some of the least mainstream
of our people?
Black Wine by Candas Jane Dorsey
reviewed by Alexander von Thorn
Alexander felt that the author wrote with Gibsonesque authority, simply
displaying her world without bothering to explain things that her characters
take for granted. Black Wine is a powerful story which will
change the world view of many readers.
The Sacred Pool by L. Warren Douglas
reviewed by Regina Lynn Preciado
This is not really a fantasy novel. It's a history book, set in a time of change, when
Romans clash with Gauls, and Christians merge with pagans. Magic is math and time is mutable and as our heroine
Pierrette observes, many complicated concepts become "self-evident, once you know about zero and infinity."
Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear by Terry Dowling
reviewed by Mario Guslandi
The collection doesn't include any misfires, the quality of the stories is consistently top notch, but some
material is absolutely superlative.
"The Bullet That Grows in the Gun" is the intriguing, tense, extraordinary report of a scientific experiment
involving an apparently absurd theory about materialization. An unforgettable tale graced by excellent storytelling
and superb characterization.
The Jack Vance Reader edited by Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan
reviewed by Dustin Kenall
3 books. 3 introductions. 1 author. Jack Vance. Normally, that should be enough to make any collector
happy. So perhaps that's what the editors were counting on when they collected
three of Vance's shorter novels (or longer novellas) into a compact trade cover, slapped on a preface about
the "planetary adventure" subgenre, and apportioned a separate introduction for each book by Robert Silverberg,
Ursula K. Le Guin, and Mike Resnick -- Jack Vance admirers and masters in their own right, one and all.
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
As you take these volumes out of their slipcase to review them, you may find yourself admiring the admirable job
done in putting this new annotated package together. It is possible you will be momentarily caught by surprise when noting the slipcase trumpets
this as a 150th anniversary edition, and then the realization that this refers to William Sherlock Scott Holmes's birth in 1854.
The Stars Asunder by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
reviewed by Rich Horton
This is an exciting and colourful adventure story, set in a universe where high technologies
interact seamlessly with what appear to be magical powers. The 6th in the series, this one
is set some 500 years prior to the others, mostly in the Mageworlds, prior to their contact
with the worlds of the Republic.
Go Mutants! by Larry Doyle
an audiobook review by Susan Dunman
It's tough being a teenager. It's even tougher being an unappreciated alien living on Earth. And when, like J!m,
you're both of these things at the same time, there's enough adolescent angst to nuke the planet. In fact, nuking the
planet is exactly what humanity did years earlier in order to defeat an alien invasion led by J!m's father. Now,
J!m and his mother live in a run-down section of town and try not to attract attention.
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Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
reviewed by Rich Horton
Jack Vance is a writer whose influence on the field has been quite noticeable. The Dying Earth itself is an
obvious inspiration for such a major work as Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. One might add
less significant but still worthwhile work also set in what is either explicitly the Dying Earth
or what seems closely derived from same. Countless other writers have used similar milieus, some quite openly.
Indeed, many of the contributors to this book are Vance's heirs to some degree or another.
The New Space Opera 2 edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
reviewed by Rich Horton
The New Space Opera differs from the Old Space Opera
mainly in displaying a generally more cynical political attitude, in being better written, and (often) in having
slightly more rigorous scientific underpinnings. Which is to say, really, that it's Space Opera written from the
perspective of SF writers of our time. Perhaps the only difference with Old Space Opera is that sometimes
writers took it less seriously than their usual Science Fiction.
The New Space Opera edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Many have always regarded space opera as science fiction's guilty pleasure.
It's not the sort of stuff you'd recommend to a non-SF reading friend, because they'd just not get it. There's something
almost juvenile in it, the sort of loud, garish, wide-screen pleasures that turned us on when we were younger and busy
discovering the illicit thrills of SF.
You certainly don't turn to space opera for literary respectability, for fine honed characters, for searching insights,
for any sort of subtlety.
Isaac Asimov's Solar System edited by Gardner Dozois & Sheila Williams
reviewed by Peter D. Tillman
This anthology takes us on an SFnal tour of our home system, with a story for each planet, plus one for the
Sun. It's a solid collection, with no really weak stories, and a couple of outstanding ones. All are reprinted
from Asimov's SF magazine.
Isaac Asimov's Werewolves edited by Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
The selection of stories presents a wide gamut of stories and approaches to the werewolf.
Certainly for the monster fiction fan this is a keeper, with stories that are both good werewolf stories
and well written literary (as opposed to pulpish) pieces. So pick up a copy and have a howling good read!
Isaac Asimov's Detectives edited by Gardner Dozois and Sheila Williams
reviewed by Kim Fawcett
Remember as a child, hiding under the blankets with a flashlight and
a book, trying to read just one more story before bed? Well,
this anthology is a book that will reawaken that youthful hunger
and keep you reading well past your bedtime.
Roads Not Taken: Tales of Alternate History edited by Gardner Dozois and Stanley Schmidt
reviewed by Mark Shainblum
This is a fine little anthology of American alternate history
stories, all but one originally published within the last 10
years. Mark was quite excited to be able to snag it for review.
Strangers by Gardner Dozois
reviewed by Trent Walters
Joseph Farber is a graphic artist, rendering the planet Weinunnach to the folks back home on Earth. What he didn't count on was
stumbling upon Liraun, a native Cian whom he "falls" in love with. Or is it pushed into love by pulling him away from?
His comrades from Earth are hardly supportive, glaring and slandering his choice of mate. The Earth liaison strictly forbids
it. The Cian liaison forbids it unless -- to allow the union of aliens -- Farber changes his karyotype. What could be more incentive
than to do the thing people tell him not to?
Drag Me to Hell
a BluRay review by David Newbert
In this movie we see Alison Lohman get
tackled, punched, slammed into walls, and dangled in midair; she has an arm shoved down her throat,
is vomited upon, has to fight for her life in drowning mud, and is forced to wrestle with the same
corpse not once, but twice. Oh, and she gets her hair pulled -- several times. Combine that with
the little-noticed fact that horror movies tend to allow good actors to go from zero to sixty over
a wide highway of emotions, and it's a very impressive performance that Ms. Lohman gives us.
Full Moon Bloody Moon by Lee Driver
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
This novel sees the welcome return of investigator Chase Dagger, his partner Sara, and
the mismatched bunch that completes the force. Once again, they are after a criminal that shouldn't exist, but
does. This time, though, the killer may be more than Dagger's team can handle. If so, they will lose much more than
their perfect record; they will lose one of their number.
The Good Die Twice by Lee Driver
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Hasn't the horror market seen enough supernatural detective tales? No, not if the next entry into the market is this
savage and stylish mystery from Lee Driver. It may be a crowded field, but you will want to make room for private
investigator Chase Dagger and his offbeat crew, especially Sara Morningsky, able assistant and shape-shifter.
A Mage of None Magic by A. Christopher Drown
reviewed by John Enzinas
Neil, a young man on the cusp of adulthood thinks he knows what his life has in store but his journey
is disrupted by as he discovers that he is the Apostate, a prophesied mage of none magic who will change
the world. To assist him in his new journey he has his band including the reformed assassin, the
charismatic leader and the gruff yet surprisingly intelligent fighter.
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