Malfoy Dooms Mankind?

In an article from MTV, it turns out Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is in the latest Apes movie.

"When Caesar, our lead ape, gets too big for James Franco's character to look after anymore, they have to put him into a facility. Brian Cox, who plays my dad, owns it, and I work there. Needless to say, I'm supposed to be looking after the apes, but I really don't do that job very well. I don't get on well with them and I'm not that friendly with them. I'm kind of what instigates Caesar's revolt against humans. Before that, he only knew James Franco's character. He thought all humans were going to be friendly and nice. It's through my father and my character that he learns the perils of humanity and how bad we really are."

It is nice to see Tom Felton's career move on past the Potter films.

David Gemmell Awards 2011

The shortlist is out:

Legend Award - Best Fantasy Novel

BRETT, Peter V - The Desert Spear (Voyager)
HEITZ, Markus - War the Dwarves (Orbit UK/US)
JORDAN, Robert and SANDERSON, Brandon - Wheel of Time: Towers of Mi...
PEVEL, Pierre - The Alchemist in the Shadows (Gollancz)
SANDERSON, Brandon - The Way of Kings (Gollancz/Tor US)
WEEKS, Brent - The Black Prism (Orbit UK/US)

Morningstar Award - Best Debut
CHARLTON, Blake - Spellwright (Tor US)
HINKS, Darius - Warrior Priest (The Black Library)   
JEMISIN, N.K. - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (Orbit UK/US)
PEHOV, Alexey - Shadow Prowler (Tor US)
VICTORIA, Mary - Tymon’s Flight (HarperCollins Australia)

Ravenheart Award - Best Fantasy Art Cover

EINARSDOTTIR, Olof Erla - Power & Majesty

LOCKWOOD, Todd - The Ragged Man (Pyr)

NIELSEN, Cliff - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

SULLIVAN, Jon - Shadow King (The Black Library)

VICTORIA, Frank - Tymon’s Flight (HarperCollins Australia)

Congratulations to all the shortlist and we here at SBR wish you the best of luck.  Voting  for the DGA opens Monday 2nd May 2011.

A Dance With Dragons Is Slayed

It appears that George RR Martin has finally completed his highly anticipated fifth book, A Dance With Dragons, in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

From Martin's Not a Blog, blog.

Daily Science Fiction May Schedule

Daily Science Fiction has announced its May 2011 line-up of free stories:

• May 2: "The Old Man" by Chuck Rothman
• May 3: "Starlight Cantata" by Brian Lawrence Hurrel
• May 4: "R is for Raffle" by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, Greg van Eekhout
• May 5: "Barb-the-Bomb and the Yesterday Boy" by Julian Mortimer Smith
• May 6: "Values, Vision, and Mission" by James Van Pelt
• May 9: "Unveiled" by Ron S. Friedman
• May 10: "Facts about Gel, Gloop, and Other Semi-Viscous Substance You May Have Encountered Recently" by Michael Canfield
• May 11: "S is for Solipsism" by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, Greg van Eekhout
• May 12: "Can't Stop" by K T
• May 13: "As Fast As You Can" by Nathaniel Matthews Lee
• May 16: "The Instructions" by Amanda C. Davis
• May 17: "Say Zucchini, and Mean It" by Peter M. Ball
• May 18: "T is for Terpsichore" by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, Greg van Eekhout
• May 19: "They Do it with Robots" by Eric James Stone
• May 20: "A Study in Flesh and Mind" by Liz Argall
• May 23: "Shades of Orange" by Caroline M. Yoachim
• May 24: "Men of Wealth" by Ross Willard
• May 25: "U is for Ubiquitous" by Tim Pratt, Jenn Reese, Heather Shaw, Greg van Eekhout
• May 26: "To Soothe Ravaged Throats" by Allison Jamieson-Lucy
• May 27: "Cloaks and Gloves" by Patricia Russo
• May 30: "Remember" by Will Arthur
• May 31: "Just Enough Time" by Douglas K. Beagley

Ultimate Spider-man

Being in South Korea has its disadvantages. One thing is I am missing all the action going on in The Ultimate Spider-man series from Marvel Comics. While not a big fan of the title, I can tell you that I would be interested in the latest story line. Apparently Spider-man AKA Peter Parker has died. Someone else is now donning the tights and saving New York from the likes of Rhino and the Green Goblin. In addition to that the new Spidey is wearing a new costume which I have yet to decide whether or not I actually like (see below). The storyline continues into June with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #160, the story unfolds this month with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #153.

REVIEW: The Book of Jhereg (omnibus) by Steven Brust

The Book of Jhereg by Steven Brust
Publishing information: Paperback; 480 pages
Publisher: Ace Trade; 01 August 2009
ISBN 10: 0441006159
ISBN 13: 978-0441006151
Series: First three books in the Taltos series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book: "Vlad Taltos x 3! Three Steven Brust fantasy novels in one all-new edition-featuring intrepid assassin Vlad Taltos and his jhereg companion. A welcome addition to any fantasy fan's library, The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking assassin Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventures-Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla. From his rookie assassin days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellbound-and The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilations in fantasy.
--A pocket-sized dragon-what's not to love?
--A collectible 3-in-1 edition featuring one of science fiction's most memorable heroes"


When I found out there was a fairly famous series about an assassin I knew I had to run and grab a copy for myself. I love a good assassin novel. Unfortunately Taltos is not an assassin I will be returning to.

The book of Jhereg compiles the first three books in the Taltos series Jhereg, Yendi, and Theckla. While each is a separate story, I will give you a plot and then discuss the books as a whole.

Jhereg
Vlad Taltos, a mobster and assassin in the magical metropolis of Adrilankha, is given the largest contract of his career, but the job is even more complicated than he expects.

Yendi
Six months after he took control of his own territory in the criminal Organization, Vlad engages in his first turf war with a rival boss.

Teckla
Soon after the events of Jhereg, Vlad becomes embroiled in a struggle between the House of the Jhereg and a group of revolutionaries that his wife has joined.

Brust's world building is probably his strong suit. He has humans, dragons, and elves each with their own caste systems and clans. There is a rich history that is also brought up from time to time, but in this set we never get the entire picture just snippets here and there. The magic is also fairly decent. It is not mind-blowing or original but it works quite well in the world Brust has created. Most people can communicate mentally or can transport instantly to the destination of your choice.

Where I have a problem with Brust is his characters. They are all the same. Everyone is sarcastic. Taltos is very sarcastic and his familiar, a small jhereg, or dragon, which may have taken on his personality I can understand as they are nearly the same. But then so is everyone else in the books. The villains are sarcastic. Taltos' right hand man is sarcastic. The elves in a floating castle are sarcastic. No one was different it was one character just a different sex or profession. There was no distinction between characters, everyone was smarmy.

The plot was decent but not that imaginative for any of the stories. Each story is relatively short and the pacing was good. But I found myself not caring about any of the situations that Taltos found himself in. Mainly due to the fact that every character was the same. Brust did a great job keeping the endings a mystery as I had a hard time figuring out how Taltos was going to get out of the trouble he found himself in until he unfolded his master plan.

The Book of Jhereg did not live up to my expectations which may be why I did not enjoy the book but, the fact that the characters were very shallow did not help either.

Plot 4
Characters 4
Style 5

Overall 4/10

2011 Hugo Finalists

The nominees for the 2011 Hugo Awards are:

Best Novel
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

Best Novella
“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Magazine, Summer 2010)
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang (Subterranean)
“The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon” by Elizabeth Hand (Stories: All New Tales, William Morrow)
“The Sultan of the Clouds” by Geoffrey A. Landis (Asimov’s, September 2010)
“Troika” by Alastair Reynolds (Godlike Machines, Science Fiction Book Club)

Best Novelette
“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen (Analog, September 2010)
“The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s, June 2010)
“The Jaguar House, in Shadow” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, July 2010)
“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s, December 2010)
“That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog, September 2010)

Best Short Story
“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn (Lightspeed, June 2010)
“For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s, September 2010)
“Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com, November 17, 2010)
“The Things” by Peter Watts (Clarkesworld, January 2010)

Best Related Work
Bearings: Reviews 1997-2001, by Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)
The Business of Science Fiction: Two Insiders Discuss Writing and Publishing, by Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg (McFarland)
Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea (Mad Norwegian)
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Volume 1: (1907–1948): Learning Curve, by William H. Patterson, Jr. (Tor)
Writing Excuses, Season 4, by Brandon Sanderson, Jordan Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan Wells

Best Graphic Story
Fables: Witches, written by Bill Willingham; illustrated by Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)
Girl Genius, Volume 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, written by Phil and Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
Grandville Mon Amour, by Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse)
Schlock Mercenary: Massively Parallel, written and illustrated by Howard Tayler; colors by Howard Tayler and Travis Walton (Hypernode)
The Unwritten, Volume 2: Inside Man, written by Mike Carey; illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner)
How to Train Your Dragon, screenplay by William Davies, Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders; directed by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders (DreamWorks)
Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, screenplay by Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright; directed by Edgar Wright (Universal)
Toy Story 3, screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; directed by Lee Unkrich (Pixar/Disney)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Doctor Who: “A Christmas Carol,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who: “Vincent and the Doctor,” written by Richard Curtis; directed by Jonny Campbell (BBC Wales)
Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury, written by Rachel Bloom; directed by Paul Briganti
The Lost Thing, written by Shaun Tan; directed by Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan (Passion Pictures)

Best Editor, Short Form
John Joseph Adams
Stanley Schmidt
Jonathan Strahan
Gordon Van Gelder
Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders
Ginjer Buchanan
Moshe Feder
Liz Gorinsky
Nick Mamatas
Beth Meacham
Juliet Ulman

Best Professional Artist
Daniel Dos Santos
Bob Eggleton
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio
Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine
Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan, Sean Wallace; podcast directed by Kate Baker
Interzone, edited by Andy Cox
Lightspeed, edited by John Joseph Adams
Locus, edited by Liza Groen Trombi and Kirsten Gong-Wong
Weird Tales, edited by Ann VanderMeer and Stephen H. Segal

Best Fanzine
Banana Wings, edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
Challenger, edited by Guy H. Lillian III
The Drink Tank, edited by Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon
File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
StarShipSofa, edited by Tony C. Smith

Best Fan Writer
James Bacon
Claire Brialey
Christopher J Garcia
James Nicoll
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist
Brad W. Foster
Randall Munroe
Maurine Starkey
Steve Stiles
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2009 or 2010, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).
Saladin Ahmed
Lauren Beukes
Larry Correia
Lev Grossman
Dan Wells
Note: All Campbell finalists are in their 2nd year of eligibility.

The Prodigies

Not sure when this movie will make it to the States as it was suppose to be released in March but the full trailer looks really good. Sort of a X-Men meets Matrix feel to it with a revenge plot. However, I hope to see The Prodigies (aka La Nuit Des Enfants Rois) hit theaters soon.

Martian Chronicles Coming to the Big Screen?

According to the Hollywood Report Paramount Pictures has picked up the rights to Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. While no writers have been attached to the project Jon Davis of Predator fame is set to produce the picture.

Click here for the full story.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Not long ago the company released a few seconds of a realistic Ape with a look of evil intent. Now we have a full trailer for the movie and I have to say it looks pretty darn good. I didn't have much hope originally when I heard about the project but this trailer has me curious.

The film stars Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) as the rebellious ape Caesar, James Franco (Spider-Man) as the scientist.

Cover Art: Ashes of Candesce by Karl Schroeder

I know! We shouldn't judge a book by its cover. However, some cover arts are so exceptionally impressive that I can't help but buying a copy of the book in question immediately.

This is the case with the cover art of Karl Schroeder's next Virga novel, Ashes of Candesce. What an amazing cover! Stephan Martiniere is the talent who created it and I invite you to check the on-line gallery of his amazing work.

Ashes of Candesce is the award-winning Canadian author Karl Schroeder's new book in his Virga series. It follows Sun of Suns (2006), Queen of Candesce (2007), Pirate Sun (2008) and The Sunless Countries (2009). The first two books are also published in a single volume called Virga: Cities of the Air (2010).

Lil Thor

One good thing about living in Asia is Thor hits theaters a little earlier than in the US. As a huge Marvel and Thor fan I am very happy. That said, Little Thor a parody on the VW commercial had me laughing. Enjoy:

Game of Thrones Gets Second Season

According to George RR Martin and Winter is Coming. HBO has already decided to go ahead and renew Game of Thrones for a Second season. According to HBO's President, Richard Plepler, the second season will start "same time next year."

I happened to catch the first episode and thought it was decent. Fanboys (and fangirls) will really appreciate, although I found it rather slow in parts but I can see where it is building up to a much faster pace. 

HBO looks to recapture viewers since the Sopranos left the air and other networks picked up their audiences with new dramas. HBO will promote the heck out of this and Gaiman's American Gods when it hits the airwaves in 2013.

Orbit Launches Short Fiction

Orbit has started a a new program that will release short fiction by many authors in their stable.

The first scheduled releases have been announced:

Brent Weeks Perfect Shadow (forthcoming)
Jaye Wells Violet Tendencies
Jennifer Rardin Scouting Jasmine
TC McCarthy The Legionnaires 
Mira Grant Apocalypse Senario #683: The Box


The short stories will be available at all major US retailers at first and then branch out to other regions. A newsletter and Facebook link are also available to keep you informed of future releases at the end of the article.

It looks as if eBooks are going to be a big push for Orbit in the coming year and this is a chance to read some quick novellas of some of your favorite authors. I did not see a price for the short stories so, no idea what Orbit will set for the cost of these short stories. With many independent and small publishing firms setting their prices very low it may be interesting to see what happens.

REVIEW: The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel

The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel
Publishing Information: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co; 19 December 2009
ISBN 10: 0575084383
ISBN 13: 9780575084384
Series: The Cardinal's Blades (Book 1)
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book: "Paris, 1633. Louis XIII reigns over France ...and Cardinal Richelieu governs the country. One of the most dangerous and most powerful men in Europe, Richelieu keeps a constant, sharp eye on the enemies of the Crown to avoid their assassination attempts, thwart their spies and avert their warmongering. But he's up against people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even going so far as to forge alliances with France's oldest and deadliest enemies. Spain, and the Court of Dragons. The nobility keep tiny dragonnets as pets; royal couriers ride tame wyverns, and lethal man-shaped scaled dracs ropam the country. But the power rising from the Court of Dragons is anything but mundane; the Black Claw sect draws on dragons as they once were: ancient, terrible, utterly merciless ...and poised to move against France. Faced with the growing threat from Spain, Richelieu summons Captain la Fargue, an exceptional swordsman, devoted officer and brilliant leader. If he's to turn aside the Black Claw's schemes, La Fargue and his legenday company of swashbucklers and rogues must be persuaded to once again risk their lives, fortunes and reputations for Richelieu, and for France. It's the biggest challenge yet for The Cardinal's Blades - and they'll need to be sharp ..."

I have to admit that the final decision to purchase this book and it's sequel was based on their covers. The covers are gorgeous. Although other reviews have played a part in the decision to buy it. The Cardinal's Blades is the Three Musketeers with dragons. Plenty of political intrigue and swashbuckling adventure.

The characters that make up the novel are interesting and some are more than two dimensional. Although a few of them do fall a little flat and I do not know if this is due to the fact that they were written that way or if is due to the translation from French to English. The Cardinal, Richelieu is as you would expect all-powerful and the right hand of the king. He is a secret wrapped in an enigma. You do not know what his true agenda is but you can always count on him doing whatever he must to keep himself in power and on top. He is in charge of a secret organization of highly skilled soldiers/spies/assassins known as the Cardinal's Blades. A few of the Blades are written quite well and are interesting but, a few of them are nothing but puppets that are necessary to round out the group. La Fargue is the leader of this group and there are a lot of facets to him as he holds a lot of his plans close to the chest. He has a lot of trust issues and is not entirely sure of the motivation for the resurrection of his squad. He also knows that there is more to his return than what is on the surface. He was able to maintain my attention through out the book. The rest of the group has an interesting dynamic, but there were times when their reactions were unimaginative and left me shaking my head. For a feared and legendary group of capable soldiers some of their actions seemed at odds with their mystique. It is a minor point of contention.

The world is just as you imagine it would be in the 1600s, with the exception of dragons. There are wyverns that can be used as mounts and small dragons that are used as household pets and messengers. I was lead to believe that their existence in the world would have a larger impact on history but it is not the case. They are in the background and used as an interesting side note in history. The biggest difference is that some dragons have undergone a transformation. They are human in appearance and aside from their eyes and a few behaviors we would consider odd, they are human. They are a secret society known as the Black Claw and are headquartered in Spain and use the political landscape of the two countries to promote their own agenda. At this time they are attempting to branch out into France and subvert the monarchy. It is not exactly clear as to why they are doing this other than to expand their influence. Since they are a secret society you think this could be done without a giant target on their back but they are not exactly subtle about their arrival. It is the main plot of the story. It is highly disappointing as I was hoping for large dragons found in lore and I came to find their were only slightly different from humans.

The book moves at a fairly decent clip. There are only one or two slow sections in the novel that do not take long to get out of before you are thrust back into action and the various conspiracies. There is not a lot of infodumps as we are just to acknowledge the dragon's existence and the fact that they have changed their appearance. To be fair, Pevel does explain why they have changed shape but it was a little different and seemed kind of odd.

The Cardinal's Blade is a decent read, it just does not live up to the hype. The fact that the novel totes that dragons live alongside humans is a bit of a misconception. Although the book leaves a lot to be solved for later sequels the main plot point is wrapped up nicely. I will give the second book The Alchemist in the Shadows a chance but if that novel does not improve then it is probably a series I will leave.

Plot 7
Characters 7
Style 7

Overall 7/10

One Woman's Response to Some of Game of Throne's Negative Pubicity

Over at Tor.com Amy Ratcliffe, fights back against a negative New York Times review of the new HBO series by George RR Martin. A brief excerpt and a link to read the whole thing:

When I sat down tonight I intended to write about my experiences with the Game of Thrones food truck last week and meeting George R.R. Martin. Instead I clicked on a review from The New YorkTimes about Game of Thrones. It sidetracked me. The review by Ginia Bellafante feels like a direct slam against a woman like me. A woman that loves Game of Thrones. It feels like a flaming insult to geek girls. It was such a direct contrast of an article from Wednesday that Susan Young wrote for MSNBC about geek girls powering viewership for sci-fi/fantasy TV that I was jarred. Then Iwas angry.

Why did the article get my geek girl knickers in a twist? I encourage you to go read it, but I’ll pull out some highlights:

Click here for more.

Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight Flying to the Silver Screen

It looks as if Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern may be coming soon to the silver screen. According to the website HollywoodReporter.com, David Hayter of Watchmen and X-Men fame will pen the first draft to get the ball rolling.

David Hayter is half of Dark Hero Studios and plan to bring the movie to theaters in the future.

Dragonflight, the first in the Dragonriders of Pern series, features an elite group of warriors take to the skies on the backs of giant, fire-breathing, telepathic dragons to save the wondrously exotic planet of Pern from a terrifying airborne menace.

Dragonflight will be an international co-production, financed by several international distribution partners. Production is scheduled to begin early 2012. No director is currently attached.

Click the link for the complete story.

Welcome to the Dark Side.....We Have Cookies

This little girl went to Disneyland and decided Lord Vader had a better 401k than the Jedi.

Contest Reminder

Just a reminder, we have received several great submissions but we are still looking for reviewers. You still have time to join the SBR team. "Contest" ends on the 29th of April. Click here for more details on how to become a reviewer with Speculative Book Review.

REVIEW: The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
Publishing Information: Paperback; 336 pages
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co; 30 Sept 2010
ISBN 10: 0575088885
ISBN 13: 9780575088887
Standalone
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of Book: "Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy - from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to steal their thoughts, to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of the Moving Cities of Mars. Except that Jean made one mistake. Now he is condemned to play endless variations of a game-theoretic riddle in the vast virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons - the Dilemma Prison - against countless copies of himself. Jean's routine of death, defection and cooperation is upset by the arrival of Mieli and her spidership, Perhonen. She offers him a chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self - in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed ...The Quantum Thief is a dazzling hard SF novel set in the solar system of the far future - a heist novel peopled by bizarre post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy. It is a stunning debut."

A few months before The Quantum Thief was released much of the blogosphere was on fire about how great this book was. While not a huge Science Fiction reader (I mainly stick to fantasy), I decided to give him a shot. After all, it sounded like a similar concept to David Louis Edelman's Jump 225 series. I was wrong on all counts. Rajaniemi's debut is not like anything else I have ever read.

The first third of The Quantum Thief leaves you scratching your head. There are different races and factions, concepts and human history that is never explained. Rajaniemi could have taken a few minutes to pile on a large infodump or provided a history in the back of the novel so you would have something to help you. Instead he decides to throw you into the deep end of the ocean with some starving sharks and then continues his story.

By the time I reached the halfway point of the book I had no connection to anyone in story. Our thief, Jean La Flambeur, is in a pickle and I had no desire to see him worm his way out of it or see him get caught. I had no investment. The only character I found liking, yet still no connection was the young detective, Isadore. Although for all the complexity the author spun around his main characters I was able to deduce the connection between certain character well before I think I should have. The character development was lackluster and rather two dimensional. As I said before, with no emotional impact caused by the characters there was nothing to keep me reading other than to find out whether the book gets any better, which it never did. If anything it actually got worse.

While I think that The Quantum Thief will continue to get rave reviews, I will not be one of them. The book is front-loaded with a bunch of technobabble that will leave you cold and confused for a good portion of the book and the action and characters do not provide any payoff in the end. I can not recommend this book and if asked I would probably tell friends to stay clear of it.

Plot 6
Characters 5
Style 2

Overall 4/10

Star Wars Windows Parody

Presented without comment:

Green Lantern Trailer

A little late in posting this but things have been busy. When Worldcon happened WB delivered an extended cut of the Green Lantern movie which is expected to be released on 17 June 2010. Enjoy

Fictional Maps

The Website Tumblr has a large collection of fictional maps ranging from Legend of Zelda to Malazan.
Check it out.

From Critter Crunch

REVIEW: Pink Noise: A Posthuman Tale by Leonid Korogodski

Pink Noise: A Posthuman Tale by Leonid Korogodski
Publishing Information: Kindle/PDF; 192 pages
Publisher: Silverberry Publishing; 29 August 2010
ISBN 10: 0984360824
ISBN 13: 978-0984360826
ASIN:B004BLINMQ
Standalone
Copy: Provided by Author
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "One of the best brain doctors of his time, Nathi lost his own brain five centuries ago when he became a posthuman. He is now called upon to save a comatose girl. The damage is extensive, so he decides to map his own mind into her brain in order to replace the damaged part. But something unexpected awaits him within the girl's brain. She is a carrier of a Wish Fairy, an enigmatic sentient cyberbeing whose only purpose is to kill the Wish, a virus used to enslave all posthuman minds, including Nathi's. Liberated, Nathi forms a symbiotic union with the girl, discovers the true cause of her brain injury, and finds a way to break out of the Castle, their high-tech prison, and into the Martian polar night. But once outside, the real chase begins. It is a battle that must be fought both in the physical world and that of the mind."

Pink Noise is an interesting tale, but unfortunately one I found difficult to follow. It deals with the mind more than the body and a future that is very alien to one you would expect. With the United States finally going to Mars but quickly losing interest after they get there only to have the Africans colonizing the red world. As I read Pink Noise I had a hard time keeping up with the background and what was going on with the current story.

There is a lot of technobabble that takes some getting use to and the pdf copy that I was given had many concepts, descriptions, and guides in the margins of the book to help you stumble along as you read. Nathi was an interesting character as he is a brain stored in digital form and he continues to live well past the time most mortals would have lived. He does his best to save a comatose girl but along the way he gets much more than he bargained for. Nathi was easy to like but very difficult to decipher. You could tell that even though he was now a humanized computer program, he was lonely and looking for someone to share his existence with.

A lot of the story deals with Nathi saving the young girl but the reader must also pay attention to the clues that are given about the past. There is a war on in the universe and it is not like the wars that we are use to. The wars of the future are no longer just physical, they are now cyber and metaphysical. It is a war that has been waged for a few centuries. There are wizards who fight and command in the cyber/metaphysical world and then there are the warriors who are more traditional in that they fight in the physical plan. I liked this idea but admittedly. had a hard time comprehending the idea. It was mind-boggling to say the least and while Korogodski does a great job of explaining it, however, I still had trouble grasping the idea.

Pink Noise is a very short story but a very large concept that may or may not come to pass. It takes place several centuries from now and raises some issues about our current artificial Intelligence and just how long the human body could live for given the proper care. While I had trouble with some of the ideas that the author brought forth I can see where hardcore science fiction readers may have a blast with this story. It should be noted that the reason for the low score is due to the fact that I had trouble with the book, not because of the story itself.

Plot 8
Characters 7
Style 7

Overall 6/10

REVIEW: Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Pegasus by Robin McKinley


Publisher: Penguin Group, 2010.
Format: eBook, 586 KB
ISBN 10: 0399246777
ISBN 13: 978-0399246777
ASIN: 0399246770
Copy: Purchased on-line
Reviewer: Victoria


From the publisher. . .


Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pegasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But it's different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

New York Times bestselling author Robin McKinley weaves an unforgettable tale of unbreakable friendship, mythical creatures and courtly drama destined to become a classic.

As I have stated on far more than one occasion on this blog: I love Robin McKinley's work.  I have been reading her novels for almost twenty years.  Her work brings me back to my childhood.  It reminds me to suspend my disbelief once and a while and rejoice in the simple pleasures of a good story.  Forget about grittiness or realism, or strong language and maturity.  If you're looking for that, than this young adult novel is not going to be your cup of tea.  In fact, this book is probably more for the girl who enjoyed setting tea for her friends and menagerie of stuffed animals.


Oh, and beware, it ends at a complete cliffhanger.  There's still more to come.  


Pegasus is McKinley's newest novel, set in a far away land where humans share their space with monsters and the noble Pegasi.  Through the course of the story we learn that the alliance between the Pegasi and the humans is a fragile one and mainly one sided.  While the Pegasi know much about humans, humans do not know much about the Pegasi.  That is until the princess Sylvi is bonded with her pegasus, Ebon, but not everyone is as accepting.  Not everyone likes what they find out.


The story begins with the bonding of Sylvi and the young pegasus, Ebon.  The majority of Pegasus is about their growing friendship and how their lives become intertwined in more than they, or their kingdoms, ever bargained for.  This isn't a novel packed with action scenes, but a story that revolves around friendship and what it is made up of.  It is about understanding and respecting other cultures. All fabulous things for girls to read about (or those adults who're open enough to rekindle their inner child).


I do, however, have one small criticism that falls under the category of style: the narrative rambles.  It's a cute ramble.  It reminds me of a little brook tripping and trickling over and under stones, curling around rocks and plants, but it does ramble on a bit.  This novel is not the strongest of McKinley's work, stylistically.


Pegasus is a little gem of a story about friendship and courage.  While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I think a young girl between the ages of ten and fourteen would be best suited for it.  Stylistically, it is not McKinley's strongest, but the story and the message are absoloutely wonderful.


Plot: 8.5
Characters: 8
Style: 6.5


Overall Rating: 7/10

Harry Potter FX TV Show

IGN had a quick April Fool's Day joke directed at the world of Harry Potter:

REVIEW: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
Publishing Information: Hardback; 400 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; 18 May 2010
ISBN 10: 0399156356
ISBN 13: 978-0399156359
Series: Book 1 of The President's Vampire series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Inside the Book "Zach Barrows is an ambitious young White House staffer whose career takes an unexpected turn when he's partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the President. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant. Bound by a special blood oath, he is a vampire. Cade battles nightmares before they can break into the daylight world of the American dream, enemies far stranger-and far more dangerous-than civilians have ever imagined."

Blood Oath is the first in a series of action vampire novels that feature a vampire named Nathaniel Cade who works directly for the president of the United States. The book has a Hellboy like feel to it as the book opens up with the secret organization hiring a new young man who is going to take over as Cade's handler as his current handler is reaching retirement.

Nathaniel Cade is a true vampire, he does not glitter in sunlight, he has trouble containing his thirst, and he knows he is damned. With nearly every new chapter we learn more and more about the vampire in the universe as we get excepts of scientific research conducted on Cade that explores his abilities. Farnsworth did a great job of keeping with the origins of the literary vampire. They are not cuddly, they are an apex predator that unnerves people when they are in proximity to them. Vampires are suppose to be a scary creature and the author uses this to great effect. His new Handler, Zach, is also well written as he was fairly high in the president's inner circle for a young man and is now thrust into the deep end of a pool he had no idea existed and he was fairly believable as a character. As he goes from whinny know-it-all to a valuable asset in the black ops we see a lot of growth. The supporting characters are also well written, the enemies and co-conspirators all have a role to play and are used quite well.

While the characters are all great the best part of Blood Oath is that the action rarely lets up. The book reads really fast as you can't help but read just one more chapter, even though you really should be heading to bed. While the book does deal with vampires and other things that go bump in the night, it reads more like a Tom Clancy novel as there is plenty of intrigue and blood. There is not a lot of Lovecraftian mythos in this particular novel, but it would not surprise me if they appeared in future installments.

Blood Oath is a great escape from reality and a nice change of pace from the recent vampire novels that seem to be more popular. Farnsworth returns to what made vampires scary and added his own twist to the myth, as Cade has chosen to help America tackle terrorists and anything else that may threaten the land. It reads really fast and it is no wonder why it has been opted for a movie. Great escapism.

Plot 7
Characters 8
Style 8

Overall 8.5/10

REVIEW: Hammerfall by C.J. Cherryh

 

Hammerfall by C.J. Cherryh


Publisher:  Harper Voyager (July 2002)
Format: eBook, 464 pages.
ISBN-10: 0061057096
ISBN-13: 978-0061057090
Copy: Purchased on-line
Reviewer: Victoria


What is said. . .


Brought before the powerful ruler known as the Ila, the madman known as Marak receives a command to seek out the silver tower of his mad dreams and return with the knowledge of what the tower holds. Marak discovers, however, that reaching his destination is only the beginning of a greater and more dangerous journey. Cherryh's latest novel introduces a new universe of fallen technologies and warring interstellar empires, divine madness and world-shattering weaponry. The author of Fortress in the Eye of Time begins a new series with a powerful story that features a hero marked by his visions to save or destroy his world. - Library Journal






I was excited to read this book.  I have been reading a lot of C.J. Cherryh's work in the past year and have yet to be disappointed.   All of the previous work I have read by Cherryh was fantasy, so I decided to check out her science fiction.  While she has much longer science fiction series, I decided that Hammerfall would be the best choice, since it was the first book of a duology.  This way I was not locked into a long series that I may not like.  I have found from experience that not all authors have the capability of crossing genres, so while I might have liked Cherryh's fantasy, I might very well not like her science fiction.


First off, the story was incredible.  The landscape, the environment and the culture of the people in the novel were fully fleshed and lovingly created.  While I do not have any experience with deserts, the way in which Cherryh treated a desert people and their environment seemed realistic enough to me.  I was fascinated with the culture which permeated the story in such a subtle manner that made for smooth reading.  Not once was I confused, even when native terms and words were used.


From my previous experience with Cherryh's novels, I love her prose.  It is dense, yes, but it is littered with imagery to die for.  I was expecting the same here, but I found myself to be unfortunately disappointed.  This novel was ruined by massive chunks of description. Mind you, it was not description of the landscape that bothered me, but the constant description of characters' movements and going ons.  Cherryh decided to tell us about everything instead of showing us.  Consequently, there was hardly any dialogue or conversation between characters, which created a wall between them and me, the reader.  I never once really felt for any of the characters because I never got to know them.  I just knew that they got up onto their camel-like mount or down, or were thirsty or were having a mad fit.  I never got into their inner workings, their motives or their desires.  The characters really fell flat.


The world building and the story of Hammerfall are great and those are two aspects I really enjoyed.  Unfortunately, there was a sore lack of style and because of that the characters suffered.  I expected a lot from this novel and maybe that is why I feel so let down by it.  I will read the sequel, Forge of Heaven, for completion's sake, but not in the near future.


Plot:  8
Characters: 6
Style: 4


Overall Rating:  6.5/10

R.I.P. Diana Wynne Jones 1934-2011

Diana Wynne Jones, who died on March 26 aged 76, was a writer whose children’s fantasies won her a small but devoted following; in recent years, following the success of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books, she finally gained more popular success.

Diana Wynne Jones was born on August 16 1934 in north London, the eldest of three daughters of progressive schoolteachers who were neglectful and emotionally distant. On the outbreak of war the family was evacuated to the Lake District where they shared, with several other families, the large house which had once been home to the Altounyan children, upon whom Arthur Ransome based his Swallows and amazons stories. Ransome himself (“a small, tubby man with a lot of beard”) came round to complain about the noise the children were making; Beatrix Potter was more direct, smacking Diana’s younger sister for swinging on a gate.

Despite this unpromising introduction to literary figures — “up until then I’d thought that books were produced by machines at Woolworth’s” — Diana had, by the age of eight, determined to become a writer.

Her 40 or so books maintained a remarkably high standard in both inventiveness and the elegance of their prose. Among the most notable were Archer’s Goon (1984), adapted as a BBC television series in 1992; The Time of the Ghost (1981); Fire and Hemlock (1985); The Dalemark Quartet (1979-93); and Howl’s Moving Castle (1986) and its sequels, Castle in the Air (1990) and House of Many Ways (2008). The first of that series was filmed by the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki in 2004.

Diana Wynne Jones was cheerful, energetic and accident-prone, and often admitted to laughing out loud as she wrote. After the success of Harry Potter, much of her backlist was reissued by HarperCollins in paperbacks; there was also a conference devoted to her work in 2009. She received numerous awards, including a World Fantasy lifetime achievement award and, in 2006, an honorary DLitt from Bristol University.
Diana Wynne Jones is survived by her husband and three sons.

Jones was diagnosed with lung cancer in the early summer of 2009. She underwent surgery in July and reported to friends that the procedure had been successful. However in June 2010 she announced that she would be discontinuing chemotherapy, "which is serving only to make her feel very ill indeed." She stated at one point that she had regained her sense of taste and smell. Mid-2010, she was halfway through a new book, with plans for another to follow. She died on 26 March 2011 from the disease.

For more information click here.

Paul Kearney's Sea Beggars To Be Completed

Did you hear the news? This is a great one for all present and future Kearney fans: After a long struggle, it looks like Solaris has secured the rights in the existing two Sea Beggars novels and the upcoming third and final volume, Storm of the Dead. Finally we'll have the opportunity to read the completed Sea Beggars series. As a fan, I'd like to thank very much to everyone who made this possible. I don't doubt that the Sea Beggars omnibus will be as successful as the Monarchies of God omnibuses.

The only bad news about this is about the publication date: We're going to have to wait until late in 2012. But I'm sure it'll be worth it. I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing the Sea Beggars Omnibus.

Here's what John Jarrold (the agent) wrote about the deal:

Jonathan Oliver, commissioning editor of Solaris Books, has acquired UK/US rights in the two previously-published SEA BEGGARS novels by Paul Kearney plus a third and final volume, STORM OF THE DEAD. They will be published in a one-volume omnibus, following the success of Kearney’s MONARCHIES OF GOD books in this form with Solaris (who also publish his Macht novels, THE TEN THOUSAND, CORVUS and the forthcoming KINGS OF MORNING).
The book is due for publication late in 2012, and the agent was John Jarrold.
‘Paul and I are both delighted that this series will be completed and published in its entirety by Solaris,’ said John Jarrold. ‘He is a major talent and anyone reading this or his other novels will see that very quickly.’
‘It’s a great pleasure to welcome Paul back to Solaris,’ editor-in-chief, Jonathan Oliver, said. ‘Fans of Paul’s will be delighted that the SEA BEGGARS series is finally seeing completion and new readers will be bowled over by the work of this brilliant and intelligent fantasy writer.’

The Mark of Ran (Book 1)

In a world abandoned by its Creator, an ancient race once existed - one with powers mankind cannot imagine. Some believe they were the last of the angels. Others think they were demons.

Rol Cortishane was raised in a remote fishing village with no idea of his true place in the world. But in his veins runs the blood of this long-forgotten race and he shares their dangerous destiny.

Driven from home, accused of witchcraft and black magic, Rol takes refuge in the brooding tower sanctuary of the enigmatic Michael Psellos. There Rol is trained in the assassin's craft and tutored by the beautiful but troubled Rowen.

It's no accident that Rol and Rowen have been brought together, but the truth about their past is a secret they will have to fight to discover.

Now they've set their sights across the sea in search of the Hidden City and an adventure that will make them legends... if it doesn't kill them first.

You can read an extract from The Mark of Ran on the author's Web site.

This Forsaken Earth (Book 2)

Nothing moved in all that tangled mass of wreckage and shredded cordage and shattered spars. All along the decks, flesh, wood and iron had been beaten into one unholy, pulped mess from which trickled streams of blood that brightened the brown stains venting from the scuppers. The enemy vessel was a dead thing, which even the wind could no longer stir to life.

The Revenants stared around in wonder, as if uncertain as to who could have brought such a thing to pass. A silence fell, broken only by the weary creak and groan of seaborne wood, the death rattle of a tall fighting ship.

There was a moment almost of reverence.

'This," Rol said, 'is victory.'

But no one can outrun their past, as Rol Cortishane discovers when his old acquaintance in murder, Canker, King of Thieves, turns up unannounced to make Rol an offer that cannot be refused. To safeguard the hidden pirate city that has become his home, Rol must leave behind his beloved ship, Revenant, and take to the mountains of Bionar, where his sister, Rowen, is fighting for possession of the mightiest kingdom in all the world.

Amid siege, pitched battle and betrayal, Rol will discover that his world is not the place he thought it was, and he must relearn his assassin's skills in order to survive.

You can read an extract from This Forsaken Earth on the author's Web site.