Ask Steven Erikson

If you have been following Tor.com they (Bill Capossere and Amanda Rutter) have been doing a re-read of Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon. The first book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. They are just about to wrap up the book and are fortunate to be able to interview Erikson. But they need some help. They will post their final article on Gardens of the Moon if you want to ask the author a question you can do it by placing a comment after the article.

So if you are dying to ask him something about, well, anything stop by and maybe he just might answer your question.

Tor.com article to follow:

Questions for Steven Erikson on Gardens of the Moon? Start asking!

BILL CAPOSSERE AND AMANDA RUTTER

Next week we will be wrapping up Gardens of the Moon in our Malzan reread with a look at the last chapter and epilogue and then a broad reaction to the book as a whole. The following week Steven Erikson will be here answering selected questions.

Selected from where, you ask? Why, from here, of course! From you few, you happy few, you band of rereaders... So think of what you’d like to ask Steven (just Steven on this one, Cam will do the same at the end of our Night of Knives discussion) and put the question in the comments here or in this Wednesday’s coming reread discussion thread.

We’ll compile them all, weed out any repetitions, then send them along to Steven for his answers (or non-answers as may be the case—you know these author types). So start the questions coming; the sooner the better.

REVIEW: Archangel by Sharon Shinn

Archangel by Sharon Shinn
Book 1 of the Samaria trilogy
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Voyager; (18 Nov 1996)
ISBN-10: 0006482570
ISBN-13: 978-0006482574
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought secondhand

From the back of the book:
The great god Jovah has overseen peace on Samaria for five hundred years. Each year, a member of every clan and every race must attend the 'Gloria' to sing praise to the heavens in a show of forced unity. Every twenty years, a new Archangel is appointed to lead the peoples of Samaria - a figurehead to revere, an example to everyone.

That, at least, is the idea. The cynic, some might say atheist, Raphael faces the end of his reign: now it's Gabriel's turn. But first he must find his bride, his Angelica, allotted to him by Jovah.

But Raphael is contemplating the unthinkable, and Rachel, the slavegirl destined to become Angelica, has absolutely no intention of marrying a snobbish arrogant angel like Gabriel. And if the Gloria isn't sung, Jovah's anger will know no bounds...

Although marketed as a fantasy romance, there is a lot more to Archangel than the difficult relationship between Rachel and Gabriel. Firstly, there is a science fiction element: the Oracle is a high-tech link (computer interface?) to an orbiting armed spaceship. Secondly, there is a strong religious theme: not in a moralistic sense, but more a basis for the society and culture of Samaria. And thirdly there is an exploration of the discrimination against the Edori, a travelling people who do not conform to the religious beliefs and have their own traditions. Being the first in a trilogy, Archangel raises more questions than it answers, leaving the reader eager to find out more in the subsequent books. At least, this is how I was left feeling when I finished the novel.

On the surface, Archangel is the story of the relationship between Gabriel and Rachel. At the beginning of the book, he is to assume the role of Archangel in six months time and needs to find his ‘Angelica’, a wife/partner selected for him by the Oracle which is supposedly the voice of Jovah, the god of Samaria. Rachel is the chosen one, but Gabriel has to find her and make the connection before the six months are up and the ‘Gloria’ is to be sung. She is resistant to accepting the role of Raphael’s Angelica. The purpose of the Gloria is to present a unified and peaceful Samaria to Jovah. But things are not as straightforward as they seem… Rachel is no longer in the location specified by the Oracle so Raphael first has to find her and then win her over; there are undercurrents of dissent within the tribes of Samaria, centred around the Janisai, which threatens the peaceful unity and risks the wrath of Jovah; and the current Archangel, Gabriel, is reluctant to give up his position of power and his belief in Jovah is foundering. These strands all combine to produce a well written and fascinating novel, which can be read as a standalone, but really creates a world that demands further exploration.

While I enjoyed the story of Gabriel and Rachel, I was more impressed by the land of Samaria and how, culturally, it was shaped by the religious aspect. The angels are at the top of the hierarchy but the cities have their own elite. Political intrigue and corruption feature in the novel, and there is also a heretical element, in that some of Samarian society resent the control imposed by the Jovan religion. I was also curious to know why there was a heavily armed warship orbiting the planet that was linked to the people via the Oracle. In addition, everyone in Samaria had an acorn-sized crystal high-tech implant.

“Like almost every child born on Samaria, he had been dedicated to the god when he was only a few days old… The Kiss of the God was embedded in Gabriel’s flesh, grafted to the bone, to remain there until he died, and to be buried with him. It was through the Kiss that Jovah acknowledged the existence of all his children, tracked them through their lives, knew if they were ill or unhappy or dying.”

I expect more of this high-tech aspect and it’s link to the worship of Jovah will be revealed in subsequent novels, and certainly I am keen to discover how Samarian society developed and where it originated from. I suspect this will draw from the more familiar planet colonisation tropes in science fiction.

Another theme in Archangel was one of difference and the discrimination faced by those who do not conform to society’s norms. In this case, the tribe of Edori - a nomadic people broadly analogous to Romanies or Gypsies in Europe - are persecuted and despised by the settled communities, both urban and rural. They do not adhere completely to the religion of Jovah and have their own culture, beliefs and traditions. Yet they may hold the knowledge of the history of Samaria and of the purpose of the orbiting spaceship. I think we shall see more of the Edori in future books, when their role within Samaria could become more clear.

I first read Archangel several years ago, but after finding the next two books of the Samaria trilogy in a secondhand bookshop, I decided to re-read it before starting on Jovah’s Angel, the second in the sequence. I hope that the questions I have about the world of Samaria are answered, especially regarding the orbiting spaceship… that has really got me curious about it’s purpose and I wonder what the history of Samaria really is. Overall, Archangel is a good start to a promising trilogy (and there are now 2 further books set in the same world) and I look forward to reading more of Sharon Shinn’s imaginative and intriguing fiction.

Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Style: 8

Rating: 8/10

RIP Ralph Vicinanza

Ralph Vicinanza, the longtime literary agent of Stephen King and a stalwart representative of prominent science fiction authors, has passed away at the age of 60 from a brain aneurysm. "In the science fiction community, Ralph was one of the preeminent agents, and over the course of his career represented  everyone from Philip K. Dick to Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Peter Straub," said Vince Gerardis, who partnered with Vicinanza in the production company Created By. While Vicinanza helped his authors get movie deals for many years, he and Gerardis formed Created By to set up scifi projects for his authors.  Among the company's credits are Jumper (based on the Steve Gould novel), the TV seriesFlash Forward (based on the Robert Sawyer novel) and the upcoming HBO series adaptation of the George RR Martin fantasy series Game of Thrones. "He was a great partner, mentor and friend," Gerardis said. Vicinanza's New York office will continue and there will be a memorial service Friday in Yonkers.

REVIEW: Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publishing information: Paperback; 612 pages
Publisher: Pan Macmillan; 4 July 2008
ISBN 10: 0230704131
ISBN 13: 9780230704138
Book one in a series Shadows of the Apt
Copy Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson


Back of the Book: "Seventeen years ago Stenwold witnessed the Wasp Empire storming the city of Myna in a brutal war of conquest. Since then he has preached vainly against this threat in his home city of Collegium, but now the Empire is on the march, with its spies and its armies everywhere, and the Lowlands lie directly in its path. All the while, Stenwold has been training youthful agents to fight the Wasp advance, and the latest recruits include his niece, Che, and his mysterious ward, Tynisa. When his home is violently attacked, he is forced to send them ahead of him and, hotly pursued, they fly by airship to Helleron, the first city in line for the latest Wasp invasion.Stenwold and Che are Beetle-kinden, one of many human races that take their powers and inspiration each from a totem insect, but he also has allies of many breeds: Mantis, Spider, Ant, with their own particular skills. Foremost is the deadly Mantis-kinden warrior, Tisamon, but other very unlikely allies also join the cause. As things go from bad to worse amid escalating dangers, Stenwold learns that the Wasps intend to use the newly completed railroad between Helleron and Collegium to launch a lightning strike into the heart of the Lowlands. Then he gathers all of his agents to force a final showdown in the engine yard ..."


This book has been receiving a lot of praise from bloggers and after finally getting around to reading it I have to agree. The first book in the Shadows of the Apt series is a solid debut for Tchaikovsky. The concept of Empire in Black and Gold is an interesting one as the inhabitants of the world have insect like qualities. I have to say that I also really liked the UK cover. It is simple, while the "mysterious hooded figure" is present it seems to work. The US cover (see below) is also great but, just a bit too busy for me. But it does do a much better job at catching your eye. The one concern I have with the UK edition, which is the one I purchased is that with 10 minutes the binding started to fail. The 612 pages should not have affected the binding. In any case, I had to tread lightly at first to avoid pages from falling out. After the halfway point this was no longer a factor but, it did make me angry as the book was brand new and should not have had this defect. I hate when my books are not the way they should be whether it is a bent cover or faulty binding.

As we begin to read Empire in Black and Gold we learn that the people that live in this fantasy world are human in shape they also exhibit insect like qualities. Each person represents a certain Kinden. A kinden is a type of insect. In this book we learn of a few of them: The Wasps, Beetle, Fly, Moth, Butterfly, Thorn, Dragonfly, and my personal favorite, the Mantis. The kinden or race gives each group certain abilities. for instance the Beetle are slow and stead and lumber around when they walk, but have an engineers mind. The Moth stick to the shadows and have excellent night vision and are rather mystical. The Mantis are quick moving and have a thick skin perfect for battle and wetwork. Some, like the Fly, Wasp, and Dragonfly kinden can fly. Some more graceful than others.  


This ingenious idea made for some interesting dynamics as the characters themselves really acted as if the various bugs took on human form. Many of the races co-exist peacefully, but not all of them. There is also a lot of racism and distrust with certain kinden groups. If you are unlucky and the offspring of two different kinden your life is full of hardship as we see with a few of the characters. There is a lot of characters featured in the first book of the series and from what I can tell there are a lot of different kinden that we have yet to encounter as Empire in Black and Gold mentions a few more but are not featured in the novel.

The world in Empire in Black and Gold is relatively small. The action takes place in an area called the Lowlands. The book does make several mentions of other lands and places but the novel focuses on just a small portion of the world. This leads me to believe that the world is actually quite massive, we just haven't got to that point in the story yet. While the heart of Empire in Black and Gold is sword and sorcery there is a bit of steampunk thrown in as the engineers to build some impressive machines. While this inventions are a part of the book, they do not distract or take away from the story. In fact, I only really noticed them as I was preparing my review.

Tchaikovsky's pacing and story telling is pretty impressive. While there are a few infodumps that are fairly lengthy he does his best to pick up the action and intrigue back up as quickly as he can after he gives us some long winded background. The ideas and plot contained in the series are massive. There is a lot of story to be told and since this is the first book in the series he has to get it out as soon as he can to set up the rest of the books. With that in mind he does it well. One one or two moments in the book had me hoping to get back into the story and when it did I was not disappointed. There is a lot of interweaving of the characters and many of them are great literary characters that I look forward to seeing what happens to them. 


There were a few times while reading Empire in Black and Gold where I felt like this was a Dragonlance novel, only much deeper. It starts out with the gathering of adventures and then the adventure begins with a few encounters and stumbling blocks along the way. This is not a bad thing as I have fond memories of my Dragonlance days. However, as I continued to read I found the book far deeper, grittier, and darker than any Dragonlance book. While it is rather paint-by-numbers fantasy that does not detract from the experience. Empire in Black and Gold is a solid debut of fantasy with a lot of twist and turns that will have you up all night reading far longer than you had planned to. The book leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions and I plan to get back to the series soon as I have found another great series to dig into.


Plot  7
Characters  7
Style  8


Overall 8/10

HULK News

From the website Blastr:

Mark Ruffalo will be more than Banner: He's playing the Hulk, too!

If you've been following the casting of Bruce Banner in the upcoming Avengers movie, you already know: Ed Norton is out, Mark Ruffalo is in. But that's not all. Ruffalo isn't just playing Banner. He's also going to show that it's easy being green by taking on a second role ... as the Incredible Hulk himself.

Both Norton, in the 2008 Incredible Hulk movie, and Eric Bana before him, in the 2003 movie Hulk, played the scientist on the run. However, in both movies, the gamma-irradiated monster wasn't portrayed by painted, padded actors (or Lou Ferrigno) but was merely a post-production special effect.

This time, though, according to Ruffalo:

"I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly, they've always done CGI. ... They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun."

You know what else is fun? The Avengers will be filmed in 3-D, so when the Banner hulks out, he'll be all up in our faces.

Literally.

Book Challenge Review: A Shadow on the Glass, by Ian Irvine

A Shadow on the Glass, by Ian Irvine
Format: paperback
Publisher: Aspect (Warner Bros.), ©1998
ISBN: 0-446-60984-6
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: PeterWilliam

From the back cover:
THE TALE OF THE FORBIDDING
In ancient times the Way Between the Worlds was shattered, leaving bands of Aachim, Faellem, and Charon trapped with the old humans of Santhenar. Now Llian, a Chronicler of the Great Tales, uncovers a 3,000-year-old secret too deadly to be revealed - while Karan, a young sensitive, is compelled by honor to undertake a perilous mission. Neither can imagine they will soon meet as hunted fugitives, snared in the machinations of immortals, the vengeance of warlords, and the magics of powerful mancers. For the swelling deluge of a millennial war is rising, terrible as a tsunami, ready to cast torrents of sorcery and devastation across the land...

From 1998, this is Irvine's debut, and it shows. The first third to half of the book leaves one with the impression that the author had a vast, massive idea in mind, but didn't know how or where to begin. The means by which the various characters encounter, or know of, each other seems rather contrived. In other words, it read as though the author were 'trying too hard.'

Early segments of dialogue were very strained and incongruous to extant circumstances, and read very awkwardly. Characters, who barely knew each other, would heatedly argue as though they had known each other for many years one moment, and then immediately apologize - returning to the semi-formal, rather polite, dialogue usually employed between relative strangers.

The plot consisted, mainly, of perpetual peril. Our main characters, Llian (bard, of the spoken word variety) and Karan (a sensitive empath, who can affect others with her emotive feedback) escape peril, become assailed and/or captured, nearly come to permanent harm and escape again throughout the tale. It is an element to fiction that certainly works, but not if there is nothing else within the tale with which to contrast it.

The tale does have a long, shadowed past, however. Indeed, one of the key plot points is that Llian has, in his research, discovered a 3,000 year old secret. It appears that the key story in the history of the world, at the pinnacle of the last age, is something which has been misrepresented for three millenia. This particular element kept my interest throughout the tale, as each person, race and locale had some relevance to the distant past. As a result of the history revealed thus far in this debut, it is clear there is a great deal more to be known - not only to the reader, but key characters as well. It is this aspect alone that convinces me to continue onward into the next book of this series, at some future date.

Characters - 5
Plot - 7
Style - 6

Overall - 6/10

R.I.P. Jennifer Rardin (1965-2010)

It is with great sadness we report that Jennifer Rardin passed away on Monday, September 20th. Jennifer was a remarkably talented writer and our heart goes out to her family and friends.

The 7th book in her Jaz Parks series (Bitten in Two) will be out this November. The final book in the series was completed before her passing and will be out in June 2011.

Taken from Rardin's website- www.jenniferrardin.com

REVIEW: Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven Book 1) by James Barclay

Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven Book 1) by James Barclay
Publisher: Gollancz; 13 November 2008
Format: Paperback 496 pages
ISBN 13: 9780575082755
ISBN 10: 0575082755
Series - Book 1 in a trilogy. 2 trilogies in all
Copy Provided by me
Reviewer - Tyson

Back of the Book "The Raven have fought together for years, six men carving out a living as swords for hire in the war that have torn Balaia apart, loyal only to themselves and their code. But when they agree to escort a Xesteskian mage on a secret mission they are pulled into a world of politics and ancients secrets. For the first time the Raven cannot even trust their own strength and prowess, for the first time their code is in doubt. How is it that they are fighting for one of the most evil colleges of magic known? Searching for the secret location of Dawnthief; a spell that could end the world? Aiming not to destroy it but to cast it. DAWNTHIEF is a fast paced epic about a band of all too human heroes."

James Barclay's Dawnthief is good old fashion sword and sorcery with a lot of depth. The land of Balaia is split between the Western barren lands home to the less civilized and the East which is made up of several different factions that have not seen eye to eye for centuries. With four magical colleges looking to one up each other they will have to find a way to work together if they are to defeat their old foes.

The Ravens are a mercenary band of heroes that are thrust into the middle of the chaos and they live up to their reputation. Each Raven has a distinct personality and quirks that make their struggles personal and keep the reader on their toes. They are all well liked and that does become a problem as some do not make it very far in the novel. For a trilogy (and a sequel trilogy) you expect the protagonists to survive. This is not the case in Dawnthief. James Barclay has no problem killing off his characters which adds a whole new dimension to the story as no one is safe.

The setting of Dawnthief is another world with half of it covered in an inhospitable desert and wastelands with a few cities sparsely connected together but where the forces of evil are gathering. While the East has a lush landscape with all of the resources to prosper. An uneasy peace between the kingdoms who must also maintain a constant vanguard against the possible threats from the West.

As you read Dawnthief you get to learn and cheer for the Raven as they truly are a impressive bunch of mercenaries who go up against impossible odds and find a way to overcome their struggles. The problem is as you start to have a connection with a few of them Barclay shocks you by killing them off. So, you are forewarned that your some of your favorites will not make it beyond the first book.

At the heart of Dawnthief is an amazing hack and slash sword and sorcery novel but Barclay manages to go beyond the Conan-type story lines and tells an impressive thriller. It is a story of valor, self-sacrifice, and magic. Everything you want in a fantasy novel and more.

Plot 8
Characters 9.5
Style 9

Overall 9/10

REVIEW: The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Usurper by Rowena Cory Daniells
Publishing Information: Paperback; 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (2 Sep 2010 - UK, 31 Aug 2010 - US & CA)
ISBN 10: 1907519068
ISBN 13: 978-1907519062
Series: 3rd book of King Rolen's Kin
Copies: Provided by the publisher (Yagiz); Out of pocket (Tyson)
Reviewers: Yagiz and Tyson

Now a slave, Piro finds herself in the Merofynian Palace where, if her real identity is discovered, she will be executed.

Meanwhile, Fyn is desperate to help his brother, Bryen, who is now the uncrowned King.

Bryen never sought power but now he finds himself at the centre of a dangerous resistance movement as the people of Rolencia flee vicious invaders. How can Byren defeat the invaders, when half his warriors are women and children, and the other half are untrained boys and old men?

Yagiz

The beginning of the book is just like the reader would like it to be: dropped into the action straight-away. This third book of the series continues from the point where The Uncrowned King left off.

Daniells' style is still pleasant and The Usurper is a fast-paced and easy-to-read book, just like the previous books. However because this is the last book of the trilogy, I expected some surprises, plot twists, revelations about the setting but unfortunately I was left unsatisfied on various points.

I'm going to try to give an example without spoilers: At this point in the book, we know that an Affinity seep is bad a thing but we don't know what happens to the infected. This remains a mystery. We know the infected becomes evil but there is no specific information about it, no anecdotes told by characters, no references to any historical figures, etc. The reader is hoping to find out more about it in The Usurper, it being the last book. In the story, when one of the secondary characters might be infected, the expectation builds up but this thread dies off without any explanation or elaboration. To tell you the truth the same story thread ends abruptly, as if it had an awkward editor's cut.

I was also disappointed with the end. It gave the impression that it was rushed out. I was hoping for a more imaginative ending. Even though it may seem absurd to talk about realism, it is important, in general, to remain true to the setting. Especially towards the end, the plot and the details left me hoping for better.

The character development follows the same lines drawn by the first two books. I'm surprised that the characters didn't show any further development. My favourite characters were Piro and Fyn however I can't qualify them as memorable.

The King Rolen's Kin trilogy is a fast-paced and easy-to-read trilogy. The best word that comes to my mind qualifying these three books are "affordable". I don't doubt that they are going to please to a great audience: mature as well as young adult. However, readers looking for epic fantasy with realistic battles, detailed settings and memorable characters would be disappointed.

Plot: 6
Characters: 6
Style: 8

Overall: 7/10

Tyson

I was hoping for quite a lot more than what I received when I finished The Usurper. The book left me with a lot of questions and very few answers. Yagiz managed to bring most of them to light without containing spoilers and the other "holes" would spoil things so, I will not be bringing them up.

However, while I enjoyed books 1 and 2, I did not like this finale like I thought I would. The entire book felt disjointed and rushed. While there were a few characters I was dying to know more about, Dunstany, being the one I wanted the most background information for. Once I found out, I was no longer interested in things. There were as Yagiz points out, no twists. Everything comes to a close and it is done about as tidy as one could hope for. For all of the series' build up it was rather anti-climatic. A huge disappointment. It was as if Daniells had a maximum word count she was allowed and stuck to her quota.

The book does leave us with a cliff hanger of sorts as it is open for sequels to see how things unfold after the ending of The Usurper. However, the way things ended, I highly doubt I will be interested in returning to this world. The series was fairly impressive in its early stages but by the conclusion it seemed to stumble on its own feet and fell flat on its face. What was turning out to be a lite version of A Song of Ice and Fire turns out to be nothing like what I was hoping for or expecting. A major bummer.

Plot:  6
Characters:  7
Style:  5

Overall:  5/10

REVIEW: Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Orbit (7 Nov 2002)
ISBN-10: 1841491411
ISBN-13: 978-1841491417
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought online

From the back of the book:
Lou is different to ‘normal’ people. He interacts with the world in a way they do not understand. He might not see the things they see, but he also sees many things they do not. Lou is autistic.

One of his skills is an ability to find patterns in data: extraordinary, complex, beautiful patterns that not even the most powerful computers can comprehend. The company he works for has made considerable sums of money from Lou’s work. But now they want Lou to change – to become ‘normal’ like themselves. And he must face the greatest challenge of his life. To understand the speed of dark.

This is a surprisingly powerful novel, one that gives the reader considerable insight into what it might be like to be autistic. Told in the first person, we learn about Lou’s life in detail; his work, his friends, his routine, his likes and dislikes, his coping mechanisms, his hopes and fears, his extraordinary ability to see patterns. Lou is a fascinating character, unique, complex and very endearing. His quiet and orderly life is disrupted when a new senior manager, Crenshaw, arrives at his workplace and wants to change things. This is closely followed by Lou receiving a clipping of a journal article about research on reversal of autistic-like symptoms in adult primates. The two events are not unrelated and ultimately Lou has to make the decision: should he undergo the treatment to become ‘normal’.

The supporting cast in Speed of Dark provide context to Lou’s narration. His work colleagues, Cameron, Linda, Dale, Bailey, Chuy and Eric are also autistic and have their own issues, but they are supportive of each other in their own individual ways. Pete Aldrin is their sympathetic manager who goes up against Crenshaw to protect their working environment. Outside of work, Lou has his own social life, centred around his fencing group. He keeps this activity secret from his psychiatrist, Dr Fornum

“because she would worry about violent tendencies. If laser-tag was enough to bother her, long pointed swords would send her into a panic.”

At the fencing group is Marjory, the woman Lou hopes will one day be his girlfriend, another secret he keeps from Dr Fornum. Marjory is a key figure in the book, as is Tom, the fencing group leader who is a real friend to Lou, one of the few ‘normal’ people who truly accepts him for who he is. I really liked Tom and he remained consistent in his support and respect for Lou right through to the end. Another member of the fencing group is Don, a nasty piece of work.

What is so fascinating about Speed of Dark is the detailed insight into Lou’s thought processes. There is little plot as such, but this does not really matter as instead we get a full picture of a man with autism who has a decision to make. Lou knows what is expected of him and he plays this game very well, hiding his real feelings, though we know his inner dialogue through his narration.

“I try so hard and it is still not working. I wear the same clothes as the others. I say the same words at the same times: good morning, hi, how are you, I’m fine, good night, please, thank you, you’re welcome, no thank you, not right now. I obey traffic the laws; I obey the rules. I have ordinary furniture in my apartment, and I play my unusual music very softly, or use headphones. But it is not enough. Even as hard as I try, the real people still want me to change, to be like them.”

Lou isn’t dangerous or deviant just different. Like all of us, he just wants to be accepted for who he is. For me, acceptance of difference is the theme of the novel. Why should he be pressured to undergo experimental treatment so that he fits into what society deems ‘normal’? And what is ‘normal’ anyway? Lou is clearly a genius, and his mental exploration into the speed of dark (as opposed to the speed of light) was very well done and added to the complexity of the character.

Speed of Dark is written in the present tense, possibly to avoid giving away the ending. I enjoyed reading about Lou’s daily activities and interactions, all of which contributes to the decision he finally reaches about the medical treatment. This works very well, giving us a thorough understanding of what it is like to live in Lou’s world and the difficulties he faces. What I was disappointed in is the ending… it feels rushed and incomplete. Despite this, I know I will return to Speed of Dark as I think a further reading of the book will give me more insight into why Lou chose the path he did.

Plot: 7
Characters: 9
Style: 8

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: Fortress in the Eye of Time by C. J. Cherryh

Fortress in the Eye of Time by C. J. Cherryh

Publisher: Eos
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 784 pages.
ISBN 10: 0061056898
ISBN 13: 9780061056895
Copy: Purchased on-line
Reviewer: Victoria

On the back of the book. . .

Deep in an abandoned, shattered castle, an old man of the Old Magic muttered almost forgotten words.  His purpose- to create out of the insubstance of the air, from a shimmering of light and a fluttering of shadows, that most wondrous of spells, a Shaping.  A Shaping in the form of a young man who will be sent east on the road the old man was too old to travel.  To right the wrongs of a long-forgotten wizard war, and call new wars into being.

Here is the long-awaited major new novel from one of the brightest stars in the fantasy and science-fiction firmament.  C. J. Cherryh's haunting story of the wizard Mauryl, kingmaker for a thousands years of Men, and Tristen, fated to sow distrust between a prince and his father.

A tale as deep as legend and as intimate as love, it tells of a battle beyond Time, in which all Destiny turns on the wheel of an old man's ambition, a young man's innocence, and the unkept promise of a king to come.

This novel marks my first foray into the work of C. J. Cherryh.  Her work had been recommended to me again and again, year after year, but I had never touched it.  I do no know why I never went off to the bookstore with Cherryh in my mind, but I never did.  Until last February.  Last February, I picked up the first two books of the Fortress series.  They sat on my shelf for a long time.  Until two weeks ago when I decided it was time, and I began to read.

I was immediately charmed with the main character, Tristen.  When Mauryl Shapes him, he flinches, and Tristen is not called as he should be.  Instead of a man full of memory and thought, Mauryl Shapes Tristen, a fully formed young man who does not know how to speak, walk, know that a candle's flame is hot, what rain is, snow, autumn. . .  He is a new born babe in a man's body.  But things come to him.  When a Word is spoken, it will Unfold within him, and all that the word entails will wash over him.  Sometimes, when he learns of more than one Word at a time, it overwhelms him, and he must sleep for a few days.

Tristen's child-like wonder is refreshing in a main character.  Even as he grows, ventures into the world of Men, and becomes embroiled in politics, he still maintains a sense of the ideal, and he loathes to break it.  His naivety, or his willful naivety, is wonderful to read about.  A character like this allows you to marvel at the mundane.

Cefwyn, the king, is the complete opposite of Tristen.  He is a man who must put politics first, being what he is, so the mundane, with him, is exactly that.  Cefwyn has no time to wonder or ponder.  Where Tristen's chapters and point of view is full of adventure (whether it be discovering snow or battling evil) Cefwyn's parts of the novel are all politics.  This man defines the word.  I did find that his point of view contained a lot of political exposition that I could have done without.  A catalogue of banners filing in behind the king bores this poor reader to tears, but there are plenty of good folk out there who enjoy that sort of thing.

Cherryh's writing style is highly complex.  Her sentences utilize compounds, punctuation, conjunctions and every other grammatical form there is.  This is a book for a veteran reader.  A beginner would find this novel overwhelmingly dense and its wandering phrases hard to follow.  But once you get past that, and once your eyes and mind get used to the minuscule font and seemingly endless sentences, the prose flows.  It is beautifully constructed. 

What I found so wonderful about the style of this novel is in how Tristen's points of view began with more simple language, but as he learned and grew the narrative grew with him.  Cefwyn's narrative is always complex, and stays a bit more so than Tristen's ever gets, but it sets off a nice structural contrast between the two characters.

Fortress in the Eye of Time was a fresh, beautifully structured novel.  Tristen is an immersive character, and I must say, a very interesting idea.  Cefwyn's points of view have a little too much political exposition or, dare I say it, infodumps, than I usually go for, but Tristen keeps my attention.  I will be finishing this series.

Characterization: 8.5
Plot: 9
Style: 9

Overall Rating: 8.5

REVIEW: The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Publishing information: Hardback; 629 pages
Publisher: Orbit; 26 August 2010
ISBN 10: 184149903X
ISBN 13: 9781841499031
Series: Lightbringer #1
Copy Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Inside the Book: "Power, Strength and riches are his. but the cost is life itself.

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he’s willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart."


It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. I read fantasy in junior high school up through high school and when I hit college, when I found time to read, it was books with more of a historical leanings. It was not until Brent Weeks came out with his Night Angel trilogy that I finally returned to reading fantasy, horror, and science fiction. When Brent Weeks announced that he had a new series coming out I jumped at the chance and placed my pre-order nearly half a year in advance. There have been some detractors to Weeks' first trilogy and I had hoped that The Black Prism would send them away packing, I just do not feel as if this will be the case.

The Black Prism has a interesting magic system. We meet the Prism, an all-powerful magic welder who does his best to keep balance to the various colored magics that are available to use by others ability to detect and manipulate the colors of the visible spectrum. The Prism can use every color while others can use either a single color, two colors or for the very few three colors. Training to become a magic user takes time and money and magic users are held in high esteem and in some cases fear. Each kingdom (based on color) finds someone to finance the training of anyone who shows an affinity towards magic. It is an interesting magic system with a lot of potential.

Training to become a magic user cost money so the social aspects are also quickly established as a work for education caste system is created. It was brought up and force on one of the main characters but the system was not fully developed which I found slightly irritating considering how it is used in the story, I would have liked to have had more background information to fully understand it and its implications.

There are a few points of view that we bounce around to in The Black Prism and I thought they were all very well done. The Prism also known as Gavin Guile, Kip, Liv, and Karris are our main view points and aside from a huge twist that we encounter at the half-way point of the story. Were all rather bland. Their is a lot of background story told throughout the book which does not bog you down, but the book failed to capture my interest. The most interesting characters were supporting characters. Liv's Father General/Master Danavis and the Blackguard Captain, Ironfist. They had a lot of personality and made for an interesting read. I would rather read a story about them and their adventures than about the struggles of the Prism and his charge.

The world featured in The Black Prism is fairly peaceful. Each of the nations represent a certain color in the spectrum and they rule to the best of their ability. One nation has been the focus of The Prism War where Gavin Guile finally secured his place as the Prism has been strangled for all of its riches and resources and it is where a young upstart proclaim himself king. The self-proclaimed king has given shelter to the magic users that have gone beyond their limits with their magic and has "saved" them from the "freeing." The freeing is when magic users have come to the end of their ability to use the colors for magic and now threaten to fracture and go insane from their power usage. They are detected by a halo in their eyes, which also has the become unpredictable and mad. The Prism has the ability to free those who have gone beyond their limits and saves them from themselves. It was an interesting concept that may have some wondering if there was another way to free the magicians.

By all accounts, The Black Prism should be a hit. However, I had a hard time staying with it. I was barely entertained as I read it and longed to read something else up until the last 200 pages were I finally enjoyed the pacing of the novel and had enough action to keep me reading. While I will continue with the series simply because Brent Weeks won me over with the Night Angel trilogy, I did not find this book all that I expected. A lot of open threads are yet to be solved and will be resolved in the next two books.

I do not know whether my expectations were too high or something else entirely, but I was not fond of this book. It was average at best. There is a lot of potential here but sadly and with great regret it never shined.

Plot 7
Characters 6
Style 6

Overall 7/10

The Allure of the Short Story

Introduction
There are occasions when concentration is poor or time is short and settling down to read a novel is not an option. This is when I turn to my collection of short stories, when I can read a complete piece of writing in a relatively brief period. This is a recent development for me, not having considered short stories much in the past, but thanks to Short Story Month earlier this year at Nextread’s blog I have become a fan. Since then I have acquired a number of themed anthologies, some author collections and found several useful online resources. The world of short stories is a veritable treasure trove of good writing, imaginative fiction and occasional surprises. Here I will share some of the stories that have made an impression on me and recommend anthologies and collections that now sit proudly on my shelves.

Author collections

Many authors began their writing career with short stories, especially in America. There has long been a tradition of this format in magazines such as Weird Tales in the 1950’s. Such esteemed names as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury and Fritz Leiber have all strong reputations as short story writers. Indeed, there are award-winning authors whose output is largely confined to this format, for example, Ted Chiang or Kelley Link.

Science fiction: Many of my favourite authors have written science fiction short stories, often in the early stages of their writing careers. It is a good way for a new writer to attract the attention of publishers and, sometimes the short story can be a useful exercise in developing new concepts or ideas. Isaac Asimov’s famous works, the Foundation series and the Robot series both began life as short stories, and in 1968 the Science Fiction Writers of America voted "Nightfall" the best science fiction short story ever written.
Although Marion Zimmer Bradley is probably best known for her fantasy novel The Mists of Avalon, she has written some quality science fiction short stories, published as a Best Of collection about 20 years ago. Some are set in her Darkover world, others involve alien invasion, but all have a leaning towards gender politics in varying degrees, similar to Ursula Le Guin or Sheri S Tepper. Ian McDonald’s Cyberabad Days, set in the future India of River of Gods is another notable collection.

Fantasy: The master of epic fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien has two collections of short stories, both set in Middle Earth. Personally I love The Silmarillion which gives us insight into the history and mythology prior to the time of The Lord of the Rings. More modern writers, such as Kelley Armstrong continue the tradition of short stories and I have enjoyed two of her collections, Men of the Otherworld and Tales of the Otherworld. Another favourite collection is Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, a retelling of fairy stories more akin to the originals than the sanitised Disney versions. Neil Gaiman is also a great short story writer, Fragile Things being an excellent collection.

Horror: There are a number of authors who are particularly known for their short story writing and of these, probably H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe are the earliest exponents of the format. I haven’t read any Lovecraft (yet) but am well aware of his lasting influence on horror and ‘new weird’ writing. My own favourite is Edgar Allen Poe, whose Selected Tales I read many years ago. The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher are classics but it was The Pit and the Pendulum that had a lasting impact on me. Descriptions of the evil nature of the Spanish Inquisition and the terrible torture inflicted on its victims terrified me as a teenager and I continue to use this story as a benchmark for all horror short stories. Stephen King has also written short stories, some of them excellent, all with a twist. Recommended collections include Night Shift and Four Seasons. His son, Joe Hill, has carried on the tradition of short story writing in his collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

Anthologies
For me, anthologies are an excellent way to discover new authors without committing to buying a novel. I enjoy dipping into an anthology, reading one or two stories, then leaving it for another day. I particularly enjoy collections of stories, from a range of authors all centred around a theme. There seems to be a growing number of these available today and I admit my collection is growing steadily. Many of these cover the range of speculative fiction, the uniting feature being the theme of the title.

Emerald Magic: This is described as “great tales of Irish fantasy” and includes authors such as Ray Bradbury, Jacqueline Carey, Charles De Lint, Tanith Lee and L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Other Earths: “11 original stories about the different paths our world might take if certain events never occurred” this is a collection of alternative history, or ‘what if…’ stories by a range of authors; Gene Wolfe, Lucius Shepard, Jeff Vandermeer, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds have all contributed to this anthology.

Songs of the Dying Earth: “stories in honour of Jack Vance” intrigued me when I first saw it, and includes stories from Robert Silverberg, Tad Williams, Howard Waldrop, Elizabeth Moon and George R. R. Martin.
Future Primitive: “The new Ecotopias” is edited by Kim Stanley Robinson and contains stories from Ursula le Guin, Terry Bisson, Pat Murphy and Ernest Callenbach who wrote the classic novel Ecotopia which provides the theme.

Sympathy for the Devil: “Thirty-five stories, from classics to the cutting edge, exploring the many sides of Satan, Lucifer…” is a very recent acquisition with short stories from Stephen King, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Stross, Kelley Link, China Mieville, Holly Black and Mark Twain amongst others.

Dead Souls: "contains twenty-five stories that will only ensure the darkness without enfolds you in its cold embrace" This is another recent purchase, prompted by the amazing cover and a story from the talented Kaaron Warren.

Online resources
SciFiction
This is an archive of short stories that were previously published on scifi.com. I haven’t read many of them yet, but have found some gems including Passing of the Minotaurs by Rjurik Davidson and The Ugly Chickens by Howard Waldrop (as recommended by @kevmcveigh on Twitter). There is a wide range of authors who have stories published here and this is an archive I can spend several hours reading a mix of science fiction, fantasy, horror and just plain strange short stories.

Free Speculative Fiction Online
Here is another extensive archive of short stories. Many stories, novelettes and novellas are available in PDF and/or eReader formats or podcasts as well as standard HTML webpages. It includes recent award winning pieces such as One of Our Bastards is Missing by Paul Cornell and Palimpsest by Charles Stross. The range of authors is extensive and thankfully the search facility is good.

Conclusion
As evidenced by the large number of well known authors listed in this article, the short story is a popular form of writing. With the wealth of stories available I hope to see more anthologies appearing on the shelves and online. I am starting to really appreciate short stories and see myself continuing to explore this format further as there is something very satisfying about reading a complete work of fiction in the space of 30 minutes or less. I hope you agree. If you know of any good collections, anthologies or online stories, please add your recommendations to the comments section below.

Book Challenge UPDATE: Here Be Demons by Esther Friesner

Ryan over at Battle Hymns has posted his review for the book Here Be Demons by Esther Friesner. It appears that he has not found the book up to par. Check out his review at the link:

If you have accepted the book challenge and want to link your review, send us an email with the title of your book, a synopsis, and the link. We look forward to seeing your challenge soon.

REVIEW: God of War by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman

God of War by Matthew Stover and Robert E. Vardeman

Publishing information: Paperback; 301 pages

Publisher: Titan Books LTD.; 28 May 2010

ISBN 10: 1848567189

ISBN 13: 9781848567184

Copy: Out of pocket

Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book: "The first official tie-in novel to the hugely successful God of War series of action-adventure video games. This is an epic adventure set in the world of Greek mythology. This novel takes the mega-successful God of War franchise to a new level! Kratos is the new god of war, but the other gods refuse to welcome him as one of their own. Zeus kills him, but he is saved by the goddess of the earth, Gaia. She sends him back to Mount Olympos - where, once again, he will challenge the might of the gods...Written by Matt Stover, the hugely popular, bestselling writer of many Star Wars adventures, gaming fans should not miss this brand-new God of War story!"

As a huge video game player and fan of the God of War series I was really looking forward to the latest adaption of the game by Matthew Stover. However, after a few chapters in I realized that I was not going to get what I was hoping for.

All of the players are accounted for. We have Zeus, Poseidon, Ares, and Athena as well as a few other gods. We also have the Ghost of Sparta, Kratos, our hero. with all of the Dramatis Personae accounted for this should be one rocking adaptation of God of War. However, it falls flat. All of the personalities are as they are represented in mythology (for the most part) and in the game. but they never go beyond what we have seen in the video games. A book is always far better than the movie, or in this case the game and this is the first time that it has not been true. 

The setting is Ancient Greece during the height of the Greek gods rein. Ares is no longer content with the status quo on Mt. Olympus and has started to stir things up and cause trouble for his sister Athena and his father Zeus. This altercation draws in the other gods as each side attempts to garner support for the others downfall. A decree by Zeus that no god may slay another god brings Kratos front and center as he will be Athena's secret weapon and ultimately Ares' downfall.

The story is, as far as I can recall from playing the original game just that, the original God of War. There are no deleted scenes or additional elements to improve the plot. If you have played the game and made it to the end, then you have read God of War. The journey that Vardeman takes you on is boring as we have been there, seen it, and bought the t-shirt. The entire book reads as if someone started playing the game and then just wrote down the dialogue and rehashed what was happening on the screen. The reason I have to say that Vardeman has taken us on the journey is because it reads nothing like all of the Stover novels I have read in the past. Stover always has great characters, narration, and action sequences. This book did not. The opening sequence does draw the reader in which leads me to believe that it may have been written by Stover. But once you get past the opening scene you are bogged down until the last page. By the time I reached the end, it was painful. 

While not a die-hard fan of the God of War franchise, I am a fan. Even with that background behind me the novelization of God of War was unbearable. I was reading what I had already played years ago. With Kratos well-known to gamers they had a lot of ways to take the character and the authors never bothered to do it. Instead we find ourselves reading something we have already seen and experienced. I am not even sure if someone who was not familiar with the series would enjoy this book as the action sequences are sub-par. Kratos is one of the most violent and action worthy video game protagonists and in this book he could not keep my interest. This book is a disgrace to the franchise. Unless you are dying to read a book based on the God of War series I recommend staying far away from this one. This has to be the worst book I have read this year and may even be one for the record books.

Plot  4

Characters  4

Style  2

Overall  1/10 

REVIEW: Century of the Soldier by Paul Kearney

Century of the Soldier by Paul Kearney

Paperback: 814 pages
Publisher: Solaris - 2 Sep 2010 (UK)
ISBN-10: 1907519084
ISBN-13: 978-1907519086
Copy: Reading Copy sent by the publisher
Reviewer: Yagiz

The time of the wolf is at hand...

Struck down in his moment of victory, Hebrion's young King Abeleyn lies in a coma, his city in ruins and his fiancée and former lover vying for the throne.

Corfe Cear-Inaf, now a colonel, is given a ragtag command of ill-equipped savages and sent on a hopeless mission by a jealous King who expects him to fail.

Richard Hawkwood and Lord Murad return bearing news of horror on a savage new continent, with something terrible lurking in the hold.

The Church is tearing itself apart, even as the champions of truth fight to bring peace between Ramusian and Merduk; but in the far West, a terrible new threat is rearing its head...

The Century of the Soldier collects the final three books in Paul Kearney's explosive The Monarchies of God series, revised and expanded for this edition: The Iron Wars, The Second Empire and Ships From The West.

It felt great to go back to The Monarchies of God. I loved the first volume called Hawkwood and the Kings and I was really looking forward to this volume containing the last three books of the series.

"If I break faith with you then may the seas rise up and drown me, may the green hills open up and swallow me, may the stars of heaven fall on me and crush me out of life for ever" - The ancient oath of the mountain tribes

The book starts with a short recap section called "The Story So Far". Even though the two volumes are not published much apart, it's good to have such a section at the beginning. It can even be useful for future re-reads. The prologue that comes after is rather poignant and with the first chapter the reader gets introduced to a new character: Princess Isolla. Her character develops and promises good things for the rest of the book while King Abeleyn lies in a coma.

"A warrior's end for the last of the warrior kings. When you are gone, all the little men will come out from under the stones" - Golophin

The first book concentrates mainly on Corfe and his men-at-arms. We also read about the monks Albrec and Avila as the importance of their overall role starts to become more obvious. At the same time the court of Abrusio in Hebrion becomes the scene of intrigues during the unexplained absence of the King. The arrival of Princess Isolla, the sister of King Mark, adds a great twist to the story. The lovers of court intrigue and war scenes and manoeuvres will be delighted with this third book of the series.

"Soldiers die - that is what they do. They do not expect to fall, and so they keep going. But in the end that is what happens. Men who have no hope of life, they either cease to fight, or they fight like heroes. No-one knows why, it is the way of things."

While the third book talks only about the Old World, the forth book takes us back to the New World. It starts with Hawkwood and his companions.

An old prophecy from and old church man: "And the beast shall come upon the earth in the days of the Second Empire of the world. And he shall rise up out of the west, the light in his eyes terrible to behold. With him shall come the Age of the Wolf, when brother will slay brother. And all men shall fall down and worship him."

This forth book is probably my favourite in the series. Its end is so strong that my heart was stuck at my throat the way that I thought only Guy Gavriel Kay could do.

"When men have faith in themselves, Father, they do not need to have faith in anything else."

The first four books cover the events happening during a year. Whereas the fifth book's prologue jumps 9 years ahead. The prologue is followed by another jump in time, 6 years this time, with the start of the first chapter. Therefore the reader is carried 15 years in the future in the last book of The Monarchies of God. The concluding book of the series is different than the rest. It has a different tone.

A quick note about the extended sections: Because this is my first time reading the series, I couldn't compare the first publication with this one.

Throughout the series, especially towards the end, in various sections, I expected Kearney to write more but he knows how to get to the point and follow the main plot without stretching the sub-plot endlessly. I appreciated this side of his style.

One of the colourful things of The Monarchies of God is the secondary characters that are torn between good and evil, duty and moral, moral obligations and social pressure such as Aras and Betanza. Kearney's characters are extremely well worked out but even in these secondary characters he does a great job. Their dilemmas keep the reader on the edge.

One of the major differences between Kearney's characters and those of other authors of great epic fantasy stories such as Steven Erikson and Joe Abercrombie, is that Kearney's characters feel real. Reading Erikson or Abercrombie, I can find dozens of memorable quotes throughout the book, because their characters are wise in their own way. These great quotes lift the reader's spirit and create an aura around the character whom the reader attaches herself to. However Kearney's characters don't have that extra layer. They are just men and women like us, pushed to the front by the twists of fate or made heroes for some and cursed by others.

The second omnibus containing the last three books of The Monarchies of God delivers what was hoped after a great first volume and satisfies the expectations raised very high. Every page of this great series was an extreme pleasure to read and it was hard to turn the last page over memorable characters who are going to stay with me for the days to come. If you like epic fantasy such as G. R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire or Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, do yourselves a favour and read The Monarchies of God.

Characterization: 10
Style: 9
Plot: 10

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

The Truth About Young Adult Fiction

The Truth About Young Adult Fiction

It has always amazed me when adults dismiss a book as YA.  By dismissing a book and not bothering to give it the time of day because it is marketed toward the 12-14 age group is like only eating two of the major food groups.  There are a lot of gems out there.  Not to mention, it's only marketed to young readers.  Just because the publisher decides to put a book in the Young Adult track does not mean that the author wrote with teens in mind.

In the nineteenth century there was no classification of Young Adult, but many novels were written that were deemed acceptable for both young and old readers alike.  Some of these may even surprise you.  Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and Great Expectations were common reading material for young readers, as well as Little Women, The Jungle Book, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Count of Monte Cristo.

The marketing classification of Young Adult did not emerge until after World War II in the late 1940s and the early 1950s, depending on where you live.  In this era J.D. Salinger presented the world with Catcher in the Rye, William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, and Robert A. Heinlein published Tunnel in the Sky and Citizen of the Galaxy.   In 1957 the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, was founded in order to "advocate, promote and strengthen library service to [young readers]. . . and to support those who provide library service".

A little later, in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published.  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle was published shortly after in 1962.  In 1963, the Canadian author Farley Mowat published Never Cry Wolf  which is still standard reading in grade nine classes around his native country - alongside the books I already mentioned by Salinger and Golding.  Oh, and do not forget George Orwell's dystopian satire, Animal Farm, and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

In the 1970s, Stephen King writes Carrie, Judy Blume tackles menstruation in a different way with Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret and V.C. Andrews tells her sordid tale of incest and abuse in Flowers in the Attic.

In current YA there is a trend to move towards themes such as sexuality, pregnancy, teen mother/fatherhood, rape, abuse, suicide, drugs, and alcohol.  And I'm just naming a few.

So, what am I saying here?  Just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't judge it by its marketing classification.  Young Adult fiction is full of well written, provocative reads.

- Victoria