Spotlight:
Worlds Apart, Alexander Levitsky
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Kirkus Reviews:
"Stories, poems and novel fragments dating back to the 1700s, none written much later than the first half of the 20th century. Using broad definitions of fantasy and science fiction, Levitsky selects various tales of the supernatural and the absurd, utopias (usually in warm places, far from Russia's chill) and dystopias of the distant future, and some early stories of space travel. He draws on the work of such towering literary figures as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Turgenev and Zamyatin, as well as others less familiar to Western readers. The editor intersperses these choices with his own dry, jargon-loaded essays on the pieces' peculiarly Russian nature and their inspirations in folklore, philosophy and politics. Scholars of the fantastic with an interest in literary history will discover some curiosities and some genuinely fascinating, powerfully resonant works. Casual sci-fi fans in search of light entertainment-or contemporary Russian works of speculative fiction-will be disappointed and possibly bored."
Hardcover:
> Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters, John Langan
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Tales of Dark Fantasy, William Schafer
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Subterranean Press)
Paperback:
> Use of Weapons, Iain M. Banks
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band is Playing and Leviathan ’99, Ray Bradbury
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Warrior, Marie Brennan
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Elves of Cintra, Terry Brooks
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Invasive Procedures, Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Far Kingdoms, Allan Cole
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Other Times Than Peace, David Drake
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Lord Tophet, Gregory Frost
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> She, H. Rider Haggard
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Accidental Time Machine, Joe Haldeman
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Soul of Fire, Sarah Hoyt
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Scarlet Plague, Jack London
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Third Watch: Acorna’s Children, Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> A Companion to Wolves, Sarah Monette, Elizabeth Bear
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> It Dreams in Me, Kathleen O’Neal Gear
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Last Angel, Natasha Rhodes
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Cast in Courtlight, Michelle Sagara
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Last Colony, John Scalzi
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Love in the Time of Fridges, Tim Scott
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Filter House, Nisi Shawl
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> We the Underpeople, Cordwainer Smith
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Angels of Darkness, Gay Thorpe
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
In a world abandoned by its Creator, an ancient race with incredible powers once existed. Some consider them angels while others say they were demons. Rol Cortishane grew up in a small fishing village, unaware of the power of his blood. Accused of witchcraft and driven from his home, he seeks refuge in the home of two enigmatic characters who also share the blood of the ancient race, Psellos and the beautiful but deadly Rowan. Under their tutelage, he learns the diplomatic and assassin’s arts. Soon however, Rol will take to the seas to find his destiny.
The first thing you may notice about The Mark of Ran is that it has one of the most recognized tropes in fantasy: the farm/fisher boy, unaware of his true bloodline and must discover his destiny. It’s not exactly subtle I grant you, and the plot is a little thin, especially in the second half of the book, but for the most part you won’t notice the book’s drawbacks. Kearney’s prose and characters are fantastic as always. His world is also well realized and gives hints to something larger.
As always, Kearney is surprisingly succinct for an epic fantasy writer. A couple times I felt he skipped too much, yet he has a way of filling the pages so that you don’t really notice.Kearney’s world leans very heavily toward naval tradition and sailing and the story reflects this. A Mark of Ran has sailing and naval battles that equal anything in Master and Commander. There are many nautical and naval terms splashed throughout the book, though personally I didn’t have much trouble with that aspect of the book at all. I thought it gave the book a bit of unique flavor and besides, who can resist a book with a few pirates?
The Mark of Ran is a good book for all epic fantasy fans and a must-read for fans of Kearney. Recommended.
Rating: 8/10.
Hardcover:Stephanie Meyer’s The Host is back up three spots to number 4 in its eleventh week. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours barely hangs in its ninth week after falling 12 positions to number 35. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Paperback:
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road slips one point to number 7 in its 68th week on the NYT bestseller lists. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Kevin Anderson’s and Brian Herbert’s Sandworms of Dune is up a whopping seventeen ranks in its third week to reach number 8. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
R.A. Salvatore’s The Orc King is up an impressive nine points, also in its third week, to number 10. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union inches up two spots to stop at number 19 in its twelfth week on the list. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Spotlight:Synopsis:
In the sharp and powerful third Long Price novel, Abraham continues to explore the implications of his fantasy world, in which powerful elementals called andat are enslaved by poets to work for the city-states of the Khaiem. The ongoing struggles of familiar, aging characters-poet Maati, his ex-lover Liat, the mercenary Sinja, and Otah, now the reluctant ruler of his Khaiem city-occupy much of the story, but a new voice drives the plot. Gen. Balasar Gice, of the rival Galt Empire, is convinced that the andat are a threat to mankind and wants to eliminate them for good. As Gice's plan comes to fruition, everyone must confront changes in their world that go beyond anything they'd ever imagined.
Hardcover:
> The Time Engine, Sean McMullen
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Man With the Iron Heart, Harry Turtledove
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> By Schism Rent Asunder, David Weber
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Paperback:
> The Stranded, Mike Carey
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Escape from Hell!, Hal Duncan
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Inverted World, Christopher Priest
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Risen Empire, Scott Westerfield
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Hardcover:Stephanie Meyer’s The Host ends its tenth week on the charts down one to number 7. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours is down three spots to number 23 in its eigth week. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Naomi Novik’s fifth book in the Temeraire series,Victory of Eagles, makes it debut on the New York Times bestseller list at number 28. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Paperback:
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road climbs two spots to number 6 in its 45th week on the paperback list. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
R.A. Salvatore’s The Orc King is up a staggering sixteen positions in its second week to reach number 19. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union rounds out its eleventh week up one point to number 21. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Kevin Anderson’s and Brian Herbert’s Sandworms of Dune is up seven to number 25 in its second week. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Spotlight:Synopsis:
Caz and her best friend Lucy have a secret. Late at night, they break into strangers’ homes—not to steal anything, just for the rush. Then Caz gets caught in the act by elderly Mrs. Tranter, and before she knows it, the old woman has snapped a silver bracelet around her wrist. Caz can’t remove it, no matter what she does; and then it becomes part of her, sinking into her skin like a tattoo. Worst and most unsettling of all, it’s given her an unpredictable kind of ESP. She can see into people’s inner lives, whether she wants to or not.
Hardcover:
> Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, Eoin Colfer
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Paperback:
> The Dark Knight, Daniel O’Neil
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Hardcover:Stephanie Meyer’s The Host is down one spot in its ninth week to number 6. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours falls six ranks to number 20 in its seventh week on the list. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Laurell K. Hamilton’s Blood Noir rounds out week six at number 28, down three. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Paperback:
Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is steady at number 8 at the end of its 66th week on the NYT bestseller list. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union slips to positions in week ten to number 22. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Michael Reaves’ Jedi Twilight Coruscant Nights falls six spots to number 27 in its second week. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Kevin Anderson’s and Brian Herbert’s Sandworms of Dune makes it debut on the charts at number 32. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
R.A. Salvatore’s The Orc King also makes its debut at number 35. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
What if one day you woke up with the ability to fly or to run incredibly fast? This is what happens to five college friends in Madison, Wisconsin. Suddenly they have the separate abilities of super strength, super speed, invisibility, and telepathy. Initially, they do nothing, some freaked out by the powers they have gained, or some don’t want to share the secret with others. Soon though they decide to try and be a force for good even if it means going outside the law. It doesn’t take long however before the consequences of their powers begin to take it’s toll.
Anyone expecting a book about superheroes fighting supervillains will be disappointed with Superpowers. This book is about how ordinary people would deal and react to suddenly developing extraordinary abilities. The lack of a main plot means that the book seems to drag and meander at times, however, the character development is nicely done. I was a little concerned about how the events of September 11th would be incorporated into the story, but Schwartz handled it well, incorporating it into the bittersweet ending.
One thing I liked about how Schwartz wrote this book is that he not only described how superpowers could be used for good, but also the impact of having such powers might have on human bodies and minds that were never meant to handle them. Most people would love to have super strength, but how many have thought about how difficult it might be to no longer know your own strength and be a danger to those around you. How could one stay sane with no way to block all of the thoughts and emotions of those you? Perhaps having such abilities is not fantastic as everyone thinks it might be.
While Superpowers reads a little bit like the Teen Justice League with a “narrator” that comes off as a paranoid schmuck, it is a good book about the wonders and dangers of superpowers. Recommended.
Rating: 8/10.
Spotlight: Synopsis:
In the thrilling fifth installment of the bestselling Temeraire series, Novik returns to familiar themes of love, duty and liberty against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. When Napoleon's forces attack England, Temeraire, believing Laurence dead, decides to lead other uncaptained dragons to battle. When the two reunite, Temeraire uses his commander status to gain a voice in war counsels, demanding freedom and pay for dragons. Though the battles are impressive and the politics unsubtle but intriguing, the pièce de résistance is the quiet moment when Laurence faces the mad king he betrayed. This accessible vision of an English Regency with an air force raises the stakes without straining credibility. Followers of Temeraire's travels will be richly rewarded by the satisfying conclusion of his return to home ground, but may wonder where Novik can go from here.
Hardcover:
> Jhegaala, Steven Brust
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> The Grin of the Dark, Ramsey Campbell
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
Paperback:
> The Voyage of the Space Beagle, A.E. Van Vogt
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
> Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician, Daniel Wallace
(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)
There is little love lost between the countries of Sium and Mer. The last war was 17 years ago, but there is little doubt in Sium that Mer will one day continue its drive of conquest. The proof lies in none other than Josiah, whose dark skin betrays the truth of his Mer parentage. There is also upheaval in Sium itself as the Archivists, living recorders of history, come under attack from the ruling classes. When the Archivists seek sanctuary in Mer, Josiah jumps at the change to learn of his heritage. Meeting his family finally brings Josiah some measure of happiness, however, he soon realizes that he must come to grips with the flaws in both societies.
According to Crow is Ekaterina Sedia’s first novel and has the early ear-markings of her style, a condensed but well written story. The characters and plot take center-stage and are wholly fleshed out. Josiah tries to come to terms with the differences in two societies while trying to find his own path. The world building takes second place to the story and though I wish she fleshed it out a little more, it suffices for its purpose. Sedia also tends to use modern phrases and slang that are a little out of place in a fantasy novel.
According to Crow is the first fantasy book of a promising writer and it reads as such, yet it will appeal to Sedia and fantasy fans alike. Recommended.
Rating: 7/10.
Hardcover:Stephanie Meyer’s The Host slips two spots to number 5 in its eighth week on the charts. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Dean Koontz’s Odd Hours is also down two in its sixth week to number 14. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Laurell K. Hamilton’s Blood Noir finishes its fifth week down nine to number 25. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Paperback:
The ever popular Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is back up to number 8 in its 43rd week, up six from last week. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is down another two ranks to number 20 at the end of week nine. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Michael Reaves’ Jedi Twilight Coruscant Nights makes its debut on the New York Times bestseller list at number 21. Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Detective Inspector Chen of the Singapore Three police department specializes in cases of a supernatural and mystical nature. When a young girl’s ghost fails to arrive in heaven, instead ending up in hell, it’s Chen job to find out why. Seneschal Zhu Irzh is a demon working for Hell’s own police force and is ordered to find a wayward ghost. Soon Chen and the Zhu Irzh cross paths and realize there is something more going on than a missing ghost. They uncover a conspiracy leading to the depths of Hell all the way to the gates of Heaven itself.
I certainly liked the Asian flavor to Snake Agent. The world of ghosts, demons, and gods set in a futuristic Asian city was a welcome change to the normal urban fantasies about werewolves and vampires in Western cities. Heaven and hell are closer and more influential than the modern world would like to believe. In Williams’ universe, both sides have their own roles and good and evil is not always as clear-cut as you might think.
Snake Agent is some ways a little amateurish with a couple parts reading like something straight out of writing 101. Williams also gives some of the demonic characters a “flavoring” of good to make them greyer and more sympathetic, effectively making them humanized demons. Personally, I felt it didn’t quite work. However, allowances can be made for a first novel and for the most part the book is well written.
Snake Agent will appeal to all fans of urban fantasy, especially those who like books with a more exotic flavor. Recommended.
Rating: 7/10.
Worlds Apart, Alexander Levitsky
