Kaleidotrope, Issue 3, October 2007
reviewed by Rich Horton
This is another small 'zine, physically resembling for example Electric Velocipede: 8.5"
by 14" paper folded and saddle-stitched, with cardboard covers. It features quite a few stories, but most of them quite short,
and a large selection of poems.
There is also an article about Doctor Who, and a parody horoscope column, and lots of art, including a comic strip.
Thoughts Of God by Michael Kanaly
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The greatest threat to children in America? Anyone who has investigated the
situation will answer, without hesitation, the sexual predator. This is one
reason why God deems this planet, according to his divine observations and
lab notes, to be a major disappointment.
The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy by Paul Kane
reviewed by David Maddox
"We have such sights to show you."
Chilling words from one of the most haunting, gruesome and enduring horror series ever filmed. Through the decades, there have
been horror icons, from Bela Lugosi's Dracula up through Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger. But never have there been such grotesquely
visceral yet strangely alluring creations as Clive Barker's Cenobites, their leader Pinhead and the denizens of the Hellraiser universe.
Star Wars: Darth Bane - Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn
reviewed by David Maddox
In Darth Bane - Path of Destruction, a young man named Dessel created the modern Sith legacy by wiping out all rivals and
taking command of the Dark Side's destiny by invoking the Rule of Two. This tale picks up where the other left off with the rescue of
a confused, frightened and angry young girl named Zannah from the war torn battlefield left from the clashing forces of the Jedi
Army of Light and the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness. Bane sculpts her as his apprentice and prepares to bring his plan and ideals to pass.
Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn
reviewed by David Maddox
Amidst the turmoil and ongoing war with the Old Republic and the Jedi, an angry, lone miner on the planet Apatros named Dessel finds his
destiny. Son to an abusive father, trapped in never-ending debt to a faceless corporation, Des has become hard, mean and vicious to
survive in the Outer Rim. Although he has always had precognitive senses, a violent turn of events with a Republic ensign puts
him on the run.
The Arthurian Companion by Phyllis Ann Karr
reviewed by William Thompson
Growing out of and originally researched for a role-playing game, the
original edition of this companion was "godfathered... into print" by the
game's creator. Even in this second edition, at times the author's
extrapolations of certain figures, actions and behaviours read as if taken
from a role play manual. While the book is not without merit, true
Arthurian scholars will certainly raise their eyes from dusty study,
shouting loudly foul.
All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger by Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn
reviewed by Chris Donner
This is not a how-to book for independent filmmakers. instead, it is a book that
explains how to BE one, from the attitude and lifestyle to the mistakes
and lucky breaks that allowed Troma Studios not only to exist for so many years but to thrive.
The Fair Folk edited by Marvin Kaye
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is a collection six, novella-length stories, by well-known writers including Tanith Lee, Megan Lindholm, Kim Newman,
Patricia A. McKillip, Craig Shaw Gardner, Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder. There is no connecting thread
between them, other than their genre and the editor's requirement that each story feature at least one elf.
The Dragon Quintet edited by Marvin Kaye
reviewed by Steven H Silver
Here we have an original anthology consisting of "In the Dragon's House" by Orson Scott Card, "Judgment" by Elizabeth Moon,
"Joust" by Mercedes Lackey and "King Dragon" by Michael Swanwick.
Hawkwood's Voyage by Paul Kearney
reviewed by William Thompson
Threatened from the East by the armies of Shahr Baraz and the Merduk
sultanates, the kingdoms of the West are faced not only with invasion from without, but possibly an
enemy from within, one whose true identity may remain hidden beneath the trappings of piety and
faith. The Inceptine Order has installed a new pontiff, one who seeks to establish the Church's
primacy not only over affairs religious, but secular. To assert his power, he has begun a
campaign against heresy directed at all suspected of dweomer and the practice
of "dark" magics.
The Second Empire by Paul Kearney
reviewed by Neil Walsh
If you've been following series so far, you'll find that this fourth volume is more of the same.
More intricately crafted and exciting story. More scenes of martial heroics. More moments of
rug-pulled-out-from-under-your-feet treachery.
More triumphs. More setbacks. More tragic moments, senseless deaths, fear, brutality, relief, love,
joy of life. More of the author's thoroughly human characters -- from the salt-of-the-earth peasants,
soldiers and monks, to the nobles, officers and higher orders of the clergy who direct their lives.
The Iron Wars by Paul Kearney
reviewed by Neil Walsh
Characters walk some very fine lines, risking everything to juggle such
issues as power and prestige, high treason and fervent patriotism, heresy
and true faith. There's politics, magical manipulation,
emotional frailty -- everything you could ask for in a good solid work of fantasy.
The White Circle and Y. Cheung Business Detective by Harry Stephen Keeler
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Generally categorized as a mystery writer, the author certainly wrote some of the largest and weirdest
mystery novels to grace the English language. He's has been compared to Ed Wood and Weird Al Yankovic, though
in the former case, it was pointed out that he, if quirky, was at least talented and successful. A quick scan
of links releated to the author will yield one an enumeration of all of his literary quirks, along with why these
very quirks work in his "wild and woolly world."
Dominion by J.Y.T. Kennedy
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Gilna is an apprentice "perfumer" -- an expert in the mixing of medicines, incense and scented oils. After studying in the
plains city of Nenaril Jad, she returns to her home village of Rehinau in the foothills to continue her apprenticeship. But
her studies are far from complete when the village is devastated -- first by a plague that kills the majority of her
people and then by barbarians who slaughter the survivors and take their children captive.
Strange But Not A Stranger by James Patrick Kelly
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Looking for a good gift for the science fiction reader on your holiday shopping list? You could do much worse than
this story collection. Adorned with a gorgeous cover painting by Bob Eggleton, the book
is further proof that, outside the magazines, Golden Gryphon Press is the pre-eminent publisher of short stories in the science fiction field.
There are even two Christmas stories included. The first, "Candy Art," is a fine example of the author's main strength as a writer, the
revealing of human emotional responses underneath the surface gloss of a high-tech future. "Fruitcake Theory,"
besides celebrating the classic holiday confection, explores another common theme in the collection, an encounter with aliens whom
the protagonist is never quite able to understand.
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Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology edited by James Patrick Kelly & John Kessel
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
We have been in a "post-cyberpunk" period for longer than cyberpunk lasted. At least, we have if you take a strictly
chronological understanding of the term. But "post-cyberpunk" has only really been bandied about for the last year or so, and
the closest we have to a definition of the term is this particular anthology. Looking at this, one might say
that "post-cyberpunk" bears pretty much the same relationship to "cyberpunk" that "postmodernism" bears to "modernism."
Feeling Very Strange edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This may be the most self-conscious anthology to come along since Mirrorshades, the definitive
cyberpunk anthology. And despite Annie Savoy's self-awareness observation in Bull Durham,
that's not necessarily a bad thing. Creative expression requires some degree of self-consciousness,
an artist needs at the least an internal idea from which to work. What sets it apart is the proclamatory
nature of its self-awareness, the editors and writers contained within are consciously searching to create something new,
something that doesn't fit within the usual publishing conventions.
Feeling Very Strange edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
reviewed by David Soyka
This is the second "please don't call us science fiction or fantasy" anthology of the summer. Unlike
the "new wave fabulists" in Paraspheres, this collection is more firmly rooted in the genre; the editors
are well-recognized SF&F authors in their own right, as are most of the anthologized writers. Moreover,
the subtitle employs a term originated by Bruce Sterling back in 1989. This is "The
Slipstream Anthology," though the stylistic variations among the selections don't help to clarify exactly what slipstream
is. The editors themselves note that they weren't sure "there was such a thing as slipstream."
Southland Tales: Two Roads Diverge by Richard Kelly & Brett Weldele
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
The story centres around Boxer Santaros, a world famous actor who is found alone in the Nevada desert, without any
ID and unable to remember who he is or how he got there. By chance, Santaros is rescued by professional gambler Fortunio Balducci,
who recognises the star and sees an opportunity. Balducci knows Krysta Now, a porn starlet with ambitions way above her apparent
station, and the contacts to get the trio visas for crossing the border into California.
Shadowrun: Crossroads by Stephen Kenson
reviewed by Don Bassingthwaite
Don't let the giant ant on the cover of this book throw you. This not a book about the insect shamans.
There is one, but he is quickly, efficiently, and heroically dispatched in the opening pages as we
meet the main character. Talon is a shadowrunner in the cybermagical Awakened world of
2060. He's a streetmage, a rough and tumble wizard who came into his power in the damp concrete and rusty
steel of the toughest parts of Boston.
Shadowrun: Technobabel by Stephen Kenson
reviewed by Alexander von Thorn
This is a striking novel of intrigue and mysticism -- a must-read for
Shadowrun fans, and a very good example of the narrow sub-genre of
cyber-fantasy. Babel is a techno-shaman who interacts directly with the
Matrix, the global computer network, summoning the sentient spirits of the
cyber-world...
The Clone Alliance by Steven L. Kent
reviewed by Michael M Jones
In the far future, war has broken out across the arms of the Milky Way Galaxy, as the Unified Authority fights against the
secessionist Confederate Arms Treaty Organization and the fanatically religious Morgan Atkins Believers (or Mogats). Caught
in the middle of this galaxy-wide conflict is former UA soldier and occasional war hero, Wayson Harris, the only Liberator-series
clone known to still be alive. Wayson, fully aware of his clone status unlike the millions of other clones populating the UA
armies, has, over the course of his adventures, become a rebel and a wild card.
A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Titus Quinn is back in the world of the Entire, the neighboring universe which exists contemporaneous with our own. This time,
he has an unwelcome companion, Helice Maki, the ambitious scientist/corporate executive who has gained great influence and power.
Quinn's mission is two-fold, prevent
the Tariq, the strange, powerful beings who rule the Entire from destroying our universe in order to provide energy for their
own, and to find his daughter Sydney, who is living with aliens known as the Inyx. Helice, nominally along to help him, has
plans of her own.
Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
When a physics experiment with anomalous results drives an AI insane, the door is opened to the possibility that Titus Quinn may
not be crazy after all. Quinn had disappeared with his family, in a spaceship, only to found later, his wife and daughter missing,
and little memory of what had happened to him. Convinced he had been gone for years, tests showed he was the same age as when he left.
Tropic Of Creation by Kay Kenyon
reviewed by Donna McMahon
On a routine galactic mission, Captain Eli Dammond stumbles across the crew of a human warship that has been
marooned on an uncharted planet for 3 years. Although the war is over (humans sued for peace with the ahtra
a year ago, and an uneasy armistice is holding) it is Dammond's duty to search for evidence of mutiny or
desertion. His investigation, however, turns up something far more interesting. This desert planet is riddled
with underground tunnels -- excavated by their enigmatic enemy, the ahtra.
Lord Brother by Carolyn Kephart
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Life is miserable and dangerously chaotic for the noble Ryel. His father lies
dead. The city of his apprenticeship faces a grim fate. Now Ryel must go out into the world to face the daimon
Dagar, who is determined to destroy Ryel and wreak havoc on the world. Everything Ryel holds dear is at risk and
his powers may not be enough to overcome the daimon. His own life may be part of the price he will pay for losing the battle.
Wysard by Carolyn Kephart
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
Magick and mystery and ghosts aside, this is a struggle for a young man to fulfill his destiny and become a true
leader. It's as much a coming of-age tale as a fairy tale. Ryel, the wysard of the title, is on a quest to save
his homeland, and, just possibly, the world. Something is sapping the very magic from the air at Markul.
Winter On the Plain of Ghosts by Eileen Kernaghan
reviewed by Donna McMahon
This may be the only historical fantasy novel that's ever been written about the ancient city of
Mohenjo-daro (in what is now Pakistan). This strange, atmospheric setting with its unfamiliar culture makes an entirely fascinating
backdrop to a strong narrative.
The Alchemist's Daughter by Eileen Kernaghan
reviewed by Donna McMahon
The setting is Elizabethan England under threat of invasion by the Spanish Armada, and our heroine is Sidonie,
the bookish daughter of an impractical and largely unsuccessful alchemist. Always convinced
that the transformation of base metal into gold is imminently within his reach, Simon Quince has begged financing for his
experiments from Queen Elizabeth, in return for a promise of gold to finance her war efforts. And Sidonie is
terrified. What will happen to them if he does not succeed?
The Snow Queen by Eileen Kernaghan
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Gerda leads a comfortable, sheltered life in Victorian Denmark, but her world is turned upside-down when her
boyfriend, Kai, is ensnared by a powerful sorceress. None of the adults seem to understand the danger or be willing
to pursue the Snow Queen and rescue Kai, so she sets out by herself -- naive and utterly unprepared for the rugged trip ahead.
The Snow Queen by Eileen Kernaghan
reviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," this is a fast-paced,
adventure-laden story of the contrasting lives of two 19th century girls, one raised in the "civilized" portion of
Scandinavia, the other the daughter of a shaman and a robber-baron of Lapland. Together they must confront the
Ice Queen, sorceress of the icy Northern wastes.
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