REVIEW: Myth - Understandings Ed. Ian Whates

Myth-Understandings ed. Ian Whates
Paperback: 219 pages
Publisher: NewCon Press; (Mar 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0955579127
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought from the Editor at Eastercon 2010

From the back of the book:
Featuring a World Fantasy Award winning story from Gwyneth Jones

Plus original stories from:
Pat Cadigan, Storm Constantine, Justina Robson, Tricia Sullivan, Freda Warrington, Liz Williams, Leigh Kennedy, Deborah J. Miller, Sarah Pinborough, Kim Lakin-Smith, Kari Sperring, Heather Bradshaw, Elizabeth Priest and Claire Weaver

Fifteen stories of science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and horror, from fifteen of the finest authors in today's speculative fiction marketplace... all of whom happen to be women.

Full contents:
Introduction - Ian Whates

Myth A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that servers to explain the worldview of a people.
Owl Speak - Storm Constantine
Seaborne - Kari Sperring
And Their Blood Will Be Prescient to Fire - Freda Warrington
Do You See? - Sarah Pinborough
Queen of the Sunlit Shore - Liz Williams
Heart Song - Kim Lakin-Smith
The Grass Princess - Gwyneth Jones

Understandings Accurate interpretations and comprehension of meaning through the use of intelligence.
Found in the Translation - Pat Cadigan
TouchMe(tm): Keeping in Touch - Heather Bradshaw
We Shelter - Leigh Kennedy
Dinosaur - Deborah J. Miller
Further Orders -- Elizabeth Priest
The Tollhouse - Claire Weaver
Body of Evidence - Justina Robson
The Ecologist and the Avon Lady - Tricia Sullivan

I am fast becoming a fan of the short story format and to find an anthology of women speculative fiction authors all writing on the theme of myths is a guaranteed winner for me. Chatting to a group of writers at the BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) stall while attending Eastercon 2010 led to this particular purchase, especially as Ian Whates was one of those authors - he was rather persuasive, even though I had already heard of this collection and was going to buy it anyway. I should have got him to sign the book! I had read  several of the writers included in Myth-Understandings before and had heard of some of the others, so I was looking forward to reading their short stories.

The anthology is divided into two sections: Myths is broadly fantasy and Understandings leans more towards science fiction. Communication, or the lack of it, is a strong theme throughout.

"Communication... Such a hazardous undertaking... So easy to be misunderstood"

For example, in "Seaborne" by Kari Sperring a unnamed spirit-type creature finds a barely alive human male cast from the sea into to her small patch of shore. By saving the man and caring for him as he recovers, she transforms from an innocent and carefree entity to one who feels pain, loss and despair; their communication being how she learns about emotions and feelings previously unknown to her. Another story, "TouchMe(tm): Keeping in Touch" by Heather Bradshaw, an amusing satire of modern life, explores the world of a call centre where the equipment provided by her company seems to be something more than a mobile phone: a personal device meant for communication between lovers that somehow sends touches by telephone.

My favourite story was "Do You See?" by Sarah Pinborough, a very creepy tale of whispered magic words and disappeared children that raised several questions about the narrator and her motivation. I also enjoyed "Further Orders", a beautifully descriptive début story by the teenage Elizabeth Priest which describes a 30-day period of waiting experienced by a young woman alone in a small meadow with only the trees, lake and various animals to occupy her time. The stories by Liz Williams [Queen of the Sunlit Shore], Gwyneth Jones [The Grass Princess] and Justina Robson [Body of Evidence] were sufficiently intriguing to make me seek out more by these authors.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Myth-Understandings. Yes, there were some stories that were stronger than others, but this is only to be expected from an anthology. Not all them were to my personal taste, though this would not prevent me from recommending this collection as an excellent introduction to many well-respected British speculative fiction writers and their work.

Overall 8/10

Myth-Understandings: BFS Awards 2009:

• Winner of best short story: “Do You See?” – Sarah Pinborough
• Shortlisted for best anthology: Myth-Understandings
• Shortlisted for best small press publisher: NewCon Press

REVIEW: The Noise Within by Ian Whates

The Noise Within by Ian Whates

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris (13 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 1906735646
ISBN-13: 978-1906735647
Copy: Reading Copy sent by the publisher
Reviewer: Yagiz

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning and innovative space-opera!

The previous generation had been born into a time of war, a time when every human territory had been caught up in a lumbering conflict which monopolised resources and attention. Towards the end, few people if any could remember what the War was about, it was simply a fact of life. Eventually the conflict ground to a stuttering conclusion, only one side dominated the 'unified' government: the United League of Worlds. Now, despite the peaceful years, the known universe is not the safest place, especially not for our protagonists who find themselves chasing after a rather special vessel.

The first pages of a book have always been very important for me. It is almost like the first impression that I get when I meet someone. And it is a great satisfaction to be gripped by a book from the first page and not being able to let go until the last one. The Noise Within was such a book. It has a great start, with the reader finding herself right in the middle of the action.

Not only The Noise Within starts fast but the author also manages to keep the pace of the story at a very high level throughout the book, which was glued to my hands. I pretty much read it in one sitting.

Another strong side of the book is its characters. I really liked the protagonists. Whates has created a number of very interesting characters who come alive through the pages. Divided in multiple threads, the story takes different flavors and fragrances with each main protagonist: Philip, Leyton, Kyle and Kethi.

I also found the setting very captivating. Not only the history of the known universe but also the various planets, various technologies such as AI or union of organic and artificial life tickle the reader's curiosity. The details such as wric (wrist-information center), shimmer suits, intelligent gun unit, computer generated reality and the concept of "partials" improve the story's sense of completeness and create a satisfying degree of background. The story never becomes absurd and the futuristic concepts remain still familiar and believable.

The Noise Within is one of the best sci-fi books that I've read in recent years. It ticked all the boxes for me and left me looking forward to the next installment. I'm expecting great things from this space opera series.

Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Style: 9

Overall 9.5/10