Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
reviewed by Tammy Moore
Volstov has been at war with the Imperialistic Ke-Han for centuries; both sides have magic and both sides have armies,
but Th'Esar's Dragon Corps, a fourteen strong crew of magic-powered, mechanical dragons and their bonded riders, have
given Volstov the advantage. Ke-Han has no corresponding air-force. Unfortunately, the dragons do have their limitations: their range is limited
by the amount of fuel they can take on.
If the Ke-Han armies ever get their hands on a dragon they could reverse-engineer a flock of their own.
Shadowsong by Jenny Jones and Dreamcatcher by Stephen Bowkett
reviewed by Neil Walsh
These 2 stories begin a dark fantasy series of 6 from various authors, each one based
on an overall unified concept. Each detail the efforts of the Shadowman -- a sort of disgruntled Morpheus figure -- to extend his
nefarious reach from the realm of dream into the waking reality. Behind the contemporary setting of each book is
the influence of the myths and legends of the the applicable culture -- in the case of these 2: Greek, and Native American.
Dark Terrors 5 edited by Stephen Jones and David Sutton
reviewed by Lisa Brunetta
If you have a soft spot in your heart for horror and you enjoy the short
story genre, here's an anthology for you: the stories here are clever and
well selected. If you're in the mood to get freaked out, spooked, frightened
and creeped out, you could have a great time with this book.
Ghosts in the Snow by Tamara Siler Jones
reviewed by Hank Luttrell
A forensic medieval fantasy murder mystery. With ghosts. Magic of many sorts, not just ghosts, exists in this world. Most
magic has been banished or minimized during past conflicts, but magical influences
still lurk and threaten, and can't be dismissed. Normally, the scientific methodology of criminal forensic investigation would
routinely eliminate "the impossible," supernatural explanations, but this investigator doesn't have this option.
Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic by Terry Jones
reviewed by Margo MacDonald
Margo wonders how could anyone resist a
book that is a collaboration between Douglas Adams
(who brought us The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame? In this case, Terry Jones wrote
the novel based on a scenario by Douglas Adams.
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson
reviewed by Jim Seidman
Despite some sub-standard art, this book is one that every diehard Jordan
fan will want to have. While owning this book is certainly not necessary
to enjoy Jordan's books, it provides wonderful insight into the past
and the present of the denizens of The Wheel of Time.
From The Pest Zone: Stories From New York edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz
reviewed by Gabe Mesa
This collection contains the five stories H.P. Lovecraft wrote during the two year stint in New York City that
he would later refer to as his "New York exile." Lovecraft arrived in New York from his beloved Providence in 1924 with high hopes
for his new marriage and his future as a writer. He left the city two years later, wifeless, penniless and filled with an
abiding loathing for the metropolis that would accompany him the rest of his short life.
The Last Oblivion: The Best Fantastic Poems of Clark Ashton Smith edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Those of you who have read his delectable short tales of fantastic horror such as "The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis" or "The
Black Abbot of Puthuum" know already of the author's vocabulary-rich prose, his dark sense of humour and his ill-fated protagonists. If
you're not amongst those graced with a knowledge of his prose, then pick up the recent reissue of his best stories
in Emperor of Dreams. Certainly, Smith is not for everyone...
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The Shadow Out of Time by H.P. Lovecraft: The Corrected Text edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz
reviewed by Marc Goldstein
Often cited as pulp horror master H.P. Lovecraft's last major story (and some would argue, his greatest), it
has never been published as Lovecraft originally intended, until now. The introduction, by editors S. T. Joshi and
David E. Schultz, details the story's difficult path from conception to publication. Written between November 1934 and
February 1935, Lovecraft's confidence was so poor at the time that he refused to type a draft of the manuscript.
The Martian General's Daughter by Theodore Judson
reviewed by Stuart Carter
The book follows 45 years in the life of General Peter Justice Black and his illegitimate daughter, Justa, as civilization collapses back
into a pre-industrial mode, helped along more than a little by its supreme ruler, the Emperor Luke Anthony. It seems apparent that the book
is heavily based upon the fall of the Roman Empire some 2,000 years earlier.
Jupiter, Issue 25
reviewed by Rich Horton
Jupiter's issue XXV is subtitled Erinome. (As ever, these names of obscure Jovian moons make Rich
feel terribly mythologically ignorant!) The feel of the magazine remains constant (Fantasy is welcome, but SF, even
slightly old style SF, dominates), but Rich thought this was even better than the last issue, which he thought pretty good.
Jupiter, Issue 24, April 2009
reviewed by Rich Horton
Rich thought this was one of the better issues.
To begin at the end, with the shortest story, Gareth D. Jones offers an enjoyable snippet, a little character sketch,
in his Roadbuilder sequence, "Dog's Best Friend." Continuing from
the end, James McCormick's "If You Can't Beat Them ..." speculates on an accommodation reached by two crime
lords, one of whom has chosen biological enhancement, the other mechanical enhancement, to the point they've reached
a stalemate in their rivalry.
Jupiter, Issue 23, January 2009
reviewed by Rich Horton
Let's go story by story. Lee Moan's "The Weight of Shadows" tells of a young woman from Earth who has gone to another
planet to care for children orphaned by an ongoing war between the "watusi" and the "rifiri", rival races of aliens.
In Huw Langridge's "The Darken Loop" a group of freelance scientists is urged by an AI to make use of an unexpected means
of a sort of time travel to save the girlfriend of one of them.
Jupiter, Issue 22, October 2008
reviewed by Rich Horton
Here's the fourth issue of Jupiter for 2008. It maintains a regular quarterly schedule, very impressive
for a small press 'zine.
This issue is subtitled Harpalyke, as usual after one of Jupiter's many moons.
Jupiter, Issue 20, April 2008 / Jupiter, Issue 21, July 2008
reviewed by Rich Horton
The SF featured tends to have a slightly old-fashioned feel. As with many small press publications, the stories
are generally short. The presentation is simple but clean and attractive. As a special feature
for the fifth anniversary, issue XXI has a color cover, and rather a nice one, by Jesse Speak. There is typically
one poem per issue, and very occasionally another feature -- but mostly we're talking lots of fiction.
Jupiter, Issue 19
reviewed by Rich Horton
Rich's favorite story of the five plus a poem here is the longest, a novelette called
"O-Topper: The Musical", by Monte Davis. Much of what he likes is the weird presentation of what is a fairly familiar basic
story: time travel tourism, in this case rich men battling Huns. But the organizer of the tours insists on art -- he's a
cross-dressing clown and he dresses up his clients similarly. The tour itself has a shocking side
-- the tourists' mantra is "You can't kill what's already dead," but of course they are killing these people.
Jupiter, Issue 18
reviewed by Rich Horton
This is an SF magazine -- SF as in Science Fiction -- based in the UK. The
magazine's appearance is modest: A-size sheets folded in half and saddle-stapled, black and white cover and no interior
illustrations. But that's really not a drawback -- the presentation is very clean, the font nicely chosen and nicely
sized. The focus is heavily on fiction -- there are five stories, plus one poem and one brief book review.
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