order Neverwhere Greetings and Spooze fellow Sapiens. We wave tenstacles in almost all of your directions with regret. Little did we know that your primitive computing devices would not handle a laser pulse of data. When we submitted our thoughts we crashed Sawicki’s system. He was not happy with this although he covered it well by attempting to teach us a number of new Earther words. We misinterpreted however, and replied with another pulse of the laser. This seemed to quiet him down. We have now rectified the situation but we are disgraced that our words to you, which we know you hunger for, are late. We have ejected one of our kind for each day that our thoughts could not reach you. Luckily we fixed the problem before the last of us met the cold of space. Luckily too that we are a budding species so it is not that big a deal to lose parts. We will grow again.
We have had great response to our archived states and so we shall continue to see that our work exists for your constant edification. Simply grab your mouse, shout SPOOZE! and click here.
order DeepdriveDeepdrive, Alex Jablokov, Avon Eos Hardcover, ISBN 0-380-97636-6, $14.00 ($19.00 Canada), 311 pgs.
I’m a big fan of Jablokov’s writing. From the disturbing and socially painful A Deeper Sea to the politically taut River of Dust, Jablokov consistently weaves complex stories revolving around people. Deepdrive continues, and in some ways surpasses, this melding of hard science and social issues. The book is about mystery. The mysteries inherent in alien races who have the technology to travel between stars and who will not share it. The mysteries inherent in all human relationships, particularly where affairs of the heart are concerned. The mysteries of who we are as beings and how we become. And the mysteries of all the little things which can make interactions either go so good or so terribly wrong.
At the heart of all this is Jablokov’s main character, Soph. This is, I believe, the first time Jablokov has used a female protagonist in a novel. Soph is a bit of an opportunist who is driven by self-created demons from her own past. She becomes part of a team put together to rescue an alien who has landed on Venus and who is willing to give up the secret of the DeepDrive. Things go terribly wrong and pretty quickly at that. It turns out that Soph is not the only one with a problematic family past.
This theme of family and how it haunts our lives plays a central part in the book with the hard science providing the driving impetus moving the action along. There is one Tiber who has been raised by aliens and is either just plain strange or a device of their making. There is Ambryn, outcast from her family, living on Venus, reading fortunes and delving into alien remains. There is Elward who is so warped by who he is that only pain gives him relief. And there is the alien Ripi who has betrayed not only all aliens but his daughter as well.
The book is not so much about the search for the DeepDrive as it is about the search for self and just how damn difficult that is. It is only through the interactions of the characters with each other that any of them begin to catch glimmers of not just how they have evolved but where hope might lie in their future.
Jablokov has taken themes which have surfaced in previous works and moved them to the next stage with this latest offering. Strong characters with major flaws struggling against a background of barely comprehensible alien actions and technology combine to make this one book that you simply must read this year. This book should win awards although it is probably too character centered to generate the kind of excitement needed.
If you have not read Jablokov before then this would be an excellent place to start. Quite simply one of the top ten books to have read in 1998.
All tenstacles raised in frenetic affirmation.
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, Avon paperback, ISBN 0-380-78901-9, $6.99, 388 Pgs.
It should be noted that this book is jacket listed as fiction. It is most certainly a fantasy though. This is not Gaiman’s first book, nor is it his first excursion into the writing arena. Gaiman is best known for the Sandman comic book series published by DC. The Sandman series along with Gaiman’s sense of the absurd, sets the stage for not only his entire career but lays the groundwork for this novel as well.
Neverwhere is set in London, England, and it is set in the normal London, England, at least in the beginning. The book follows one Richard Mayhew, who, through a single act of kindness, changes his entire life. Mayhew is leading a pretty idyllic life; successful businessman, engaged to a beauty, moving up in the world. And then he stumbles upon a young girl bleeding on the sidewalk. This is Mayhew’s first introduction to the London Underground. All of a sudden, Mayhew’s life begins to unravel. He is sucked into the world below London, a strange place of differing culture and social norms. A place where even the simple act of crossing a bridge can be a life or death event. It is a place where one’s one dreams and nightmares exist side by side. It is also a place where one can find oneself, assuming one even wants to look.
Gaiman populates his underworld with strange and enticing characters. There are the pair of murderous villains, Croup and Vandemar, who go about their tasks with a sense of poetry and purpose. There is the Paymaster who is behind much of the mayhem and chaos spreading throughout the land. There is the Marquis who is at times quite evil and at others quite urbane. And there is Richard who must somehow transform himself if he is to survive.
This is a powerful book full of fun events and great characters. Gaiman has created a very unusual world here and has filled it with characters in the true sense of the word. The hardcover came out to rave reviews and now the paperback makes the story accessible to everyone.
On a final note, the American edition is a bit thicker than the original British because Gaiman wanted to go back and make sure his American readers would understand British references and the significance of British landmarks. This extra padding does slow the pace a bit and if you can handle not knowing every detail or if you are aware of Britain and its places, then you would be best served to get the British edition instead of the American one.
Regardless of which edition you get, you’ll be well served by the story and by the plotting as well as by Gaiman’s tight pacing and quirky characters. This is what Gaiman is best known for; developing characters who are a bit off and a bit odd but quite engaging none-the-less.
All tenstacles upright and quivering.
The Centurion’s Empire, Sean McMullen, Tor Hardcover, ISBN 0-312-85131-6, $24.95 ($34.95 Canada), 383 pgs.
This is a time travel story with a bit of an odd twist. It seems that back in Roman times it is discovered that an individual who has a tolerance for cold, can, with the assistance of an elixir created from plants and insects collected from cold climates, enter a state of suspended animation. A group of Romans, the Temporians as they call themselves, have taken to pulling the strings behind the creation of empires. They pop in and out of freezing as needed. Unfortunately the awakening is not a sure fire thing and involves complicated processes so as time passes the old ones die. Besides this process which makes the story possible, there is the character of Vitellan, a Roman Centurion, who we follow a bit in Rome and who we then follow again in the 14th century as he leads the fight against the northern barbarians.
Nearly half the book is Vitellan’s story in Rome and the 14th Century. The second half of the book is Vitellan’s adventures in the twenty first century where a whole cult industry has grown up around not only him but other sleepers who have been discovered.
This is pretty interesting stuff. It has to be interesting because McMullen’s pacing is a bit slow. We spend a bit too much time in Rome and a bit too much time in 1300’s France. This book could have easily been shortened by 80 pages with little ill effect. The only other big problem is that Vitellan’s Nemesis, the man who has followed him through the centuries, just up and does something not only incredibly stupid but incomprehensible in terms of plot.
It may seem like there are some big flaws here but I should point out that they exist in the secondary story. Vitellan is an interesting character and the worlds around him are mostly interesting as well. This drives us forward and past those few spots where we begin to waver. We recommend it with nearly all tenstacles raised.
Scent Of Magic, Andre Norton, Avon Eos Hardcover, ISBN 0-380-97687-0, $23.00 ($30.00), 361 pgs.
The latest offering from the Grande dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy is a poignant story of a young girl coming into her own. This is the story of Willadene, orphan, mistreated scullery wench and possessor of a strong and unusual magic. It is not long before Norton has her young heroine thrust fully into the clutches of court intrigue, murder, mystery and black magic. Willadene must choose to ignore what lies before her to partake in a dangerous quest to set thing aright.
As with much of Norton’s writing, the action is character centered and there is as much internal discovery as external interaction. This is a book not only about the quest to right wrongs but the quest know yourself. It is a quest that is particularly frightening for Willadene and Norton sets the stage well for the choices her character must make.
Norton has created a world of deep textures, full of layers and intrigues and rich in the senses. Long time fans will be drawn once more to Norton’s word crafting as our world fades and Norton’s takes over. The master writes once more.
Tenstacles uplifted in salute.
order Babylon 5 Security Manual
Babylon 5 Security Manual, Jim Mortimore, Del Rey trade, ISBN 0-345-42453-0. $18.95 ($26.50 Canada), 159 pgs.
This book contains lots of information you probably never knew you needed to know about Babylon 5. Frankly we are a bit put off by this place as we have never had occasion to visit it. Must in an out of the way sector. In any case, we are concerned that you Earthers publish this kind of detailed material. What if it fell into evil hands? Within these pages are overviews of the station with all the differing levels; details on communications, details on security including both internal and external; local space security and external defense; information on all the major races; and a final section on the secret agencies like the Psi Corps and the Black Omega Squadron.
As if that weren’t enough this book is copiously illustrated and full of pictures of all kinds of things. Page after page contains not only interesting text but accompanying blueprints, diagrams and photos. Why, there are things here that are not even on the show? This is way too much detail. We are sure that not only will Earthers purchase this but that galactic sales will be huge.
order Star Wars Guide To Planets
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Planets And Moons, Daniel Wallace, Del Rey Trade, ISBN 0-345-42068-3, $18.95 ($26.50 Canada), 203 pgs.
There are, to quote one of our sage philosophers, gazillions and gazillions of stars. Many of these have planets. Many of those have moons. Way to many to visit in a lifetime, never mind during a short vacation. This must explain why nearly all of the planets and moons listed in this book are new to us. An exact 100 bodies are detailed here and you get a drawing as well as some info on local life, local flora and fauna and some sense of how the place fits into the general scheme of this whole Empire/Rebellion thing. Each planet/moon gets two pages for pictures and text. There’s also a Bibliography in back so you can place the settings against the books/films within which they were mentioned. While we did find ourselves wishing that the planets were in color, (Pea green seas make us really queasy), we found we were well served by the other info contained within. Interesting and eye catching.
After reading this from cover to cover we have decided to keep our eyes open. Some of these places look like interesting vacation spots.
BIG IMPRESSIONS!!!
Bug Park, James P. Hogan, Baen Books Paperback, 0-671-87874-3, $6.99 ($8.99 Canada), 405 pgs.
We wanted to like this book. It had bugs, it had strange science, it had a neat cover and it used the slogan ‘size matters’ long before that other bug came along. Unfortunately what it did not have was a story worth telling. Page after page we turned in search of plot and character. Page after page greeted us with staid dialogue and stagnant pacing. Wait, we reasoned, it’s because it has teenagers as protagonists. Then we remembered that lots of SF has teens as main characters. Maybe it’s because the science is kind of obscure. We never really grasped physics you know. But if that’s the case we’d be struggling with lots of other books too. Finally we figured out that we just didn’t care.
Fling.
Spriong!!!
Straight into the disintigrator.
Full Tide Of Night, J. R. Dunn, Avon Eos Hardcover, ISBN 0-380-97434-7, $14.00 ($19 Canada), 312 pgs.
The universe whispered to us about this book. It has passion. It has plot. It has bold ideas. It had such a confusing opening 60 pages that we had to read them twice. We almost never do this as there is so little time (even as a superior very long lived species) and so many little words. It is not good to ignore the universe though so we read them again. We remained confused. This is a book about the Erinye who were once human but are not anymore and have taken on a virtual existence as tormentors of man. Earth is destroyed and one ship sails free. They head to an ice planet. Time passes and rebellion happens. More stuff happens but we didn’t care at this point because we did not have a clue. We had become confused once more. It is not easy to confuse us, everything else considered (we have hyper-light drive, DNA replicators, 15 kinds of processed cheese, etc.) Still, Dunn manages this quite nicely. An army of them and you could conquer the universe. Well, they’d be conquered after they woke up.
Let’s see, this is a hardcover. Four tenstacles on the fling and......
It’s up.
It’s over.
Clang, dent, clang dent.
The rare double. Most satisfying. Let the universe hear that.
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