REVIEW: The Companions by Sheri S. Tepper

The Companions by Sheri S. Tepper
Publisher: EOS
Format: Mass market paperback, 549 pages.
ISBN 10: 0060538228

ISBN 13: 978-0060538224
Reviewer: Victoria
Copy: Purchased on-line.

On the Back of the Book. . .

Three planets in deep space were named by their human discoverers to reflect their environments: lush and foreboding Jungle, which swallowed up an exploratory team; Stone, phenomenally rich in rare ore; and Moss, the most enigmatic - and dangerous - of the trio.

Joining her half-brother Paul, the famed linguist, on a two-person scientific expedition, Jewel Delis has come to Moss to observe the phenomenon of dancing light and to help decipher the strange musical "language" that accompanies it.  But there are other mysteries alive on this exotic world covered in ever-shifting vegetation - and something more than illumninations has enticed her away from a disastrously overpopulated homeworld to seek answers at the universe's unexplored edge.  For Jewel herself is a question mark with a radical agenda that will put her at perilous odds with her planet's ruling powers - and with the inscrutable alien races she encounters - as she risks all for the justice of the endangered beasts of the Earth.

Sheri S. Tepper has a wonderful way with prose.  It's efficient,  lucid and beautiful.  Her world-building is superb, and in The Companions she provides us with a dead future Earth, social disintergration, and a glimspe of what what we as a species can become if we continue certain practices which singlemindedly harm our planet.

Jewel lives on a Earth that contains only algae farms and humans.  Three hundred storied towers coat the surface of the planet, and in them, humans struggle for space to live in and air to breathe in.  In public, Jewel dons the robe and veil that all humans wear on Earth.  This getup is to keep everyone anonymous and safe, and to keep aggression and violence to a minimum.

Jewel, originally brought up on Mars with her artist parents, struggles to eke out an existence by working at a shelter for dogs run by the secretive group called the Arkists.  The Arkists are a political group who firmly believe in preserving native flora and fauna that haven't been driven to extinction.  Opposing them, however, is the majority, who, out of an instinctual bid for life, believe all other life should be exterminated so that there is more air for humans.  Humans were made in God's image, they say.  Not dogs.  Not cats, nor any other form of animal.

Another major theme of the novel is language.  Tepper explores the subtlties of language and the very basic building blocks that form language and words.  Colours, scent and movement are all aspects of language which she plays with.

The first three-quarters of the book were intoxicating.  I soaked in every word.  The ending, however, felt flat for me.  It was a little too deus ex machina for my liking.  The use of dimensional shifts and planes felt a little too contrived.

All in all, it was an enjoyable book, the worlds Jewel visited were well fleshed out and real.  Her characterization was consistent and her style is to die for.  The ending got a little too mushy and convaluted for my tastes, but if you like 'softer' science in your fiction, you should be fine.

Plot:  7 (It's this low because of the ending.  It would have been higher if it weren't for that.)
Characterization:  9
Style:  9

Overall Rating:  8

REVIEW: The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke

The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke
Publishing information: Paperback; 692 pages
Publisher: Orbit; 01 March 2010
ISBN 10: 0316069159
ISBN 13: 9780316069151
Series: Book 1 The Stormlord Series
Copy: Gift
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book "Shale is the lowest of the low-an outcast from a poor village in the heart of the desert. In the desert water is life, and currency, and Shale has none. But he has a secret. It's the one thing that keeps him alive and may save all the cities of the Quartern in the days to come. If it doesn't get him killed first...

Terelle is a slave fleeing a life as a courtesan. She finds shelter in the home of an elderly painter but as she learns the strange and powerful secrets of his art she fears she may have traded a life of servitude for something far more perilous...

The Stormlord is dying in his tower and there is no one, by accident or design, to take his place. He brings the rain from the distant seas to his people. Without a Stormlord, the cities of the Quartern will wither and die.

Their civilization is at the brink of disaster. If Shale and Terelle can find a way to save themselves, they may just save them all. Water is life and the wells are running dry..."

Not long ago I was challenged by Bryce AKA Seak over at Only the Best Sci Fi/Fantasy and Seak's Stamp of Approval to read a book by an author I had never heard of or based on it's cover. A longer while ago I was given this book by my mother as she thought that I would enjoy it. So, with Seak's challenge being issued I figured that this would be the book I would read to fulfill his decree.

The Last Stormlord is similar to a lot of other fantasy novels. The most powerful being (Stormlord) is dying with no heir apparent. We then meet Shale who has an natural affinity towards water but due to his social status has never been considered for formal water controlling abilities. The book was a bit too straight forward about Shale's future which drew me away from the story.

We also have Terelle who is kind of a wild card in that she has a bit of mystery to her. Her background is alluded to in the beginning of The Last Stormlord and later we get the answer but that does not solve her problems only adding to it. Terelle is the only character that I found to be interesting. We have a lot of knowledge about her character and a little bit about her background, but we do not have the full picture. She is the only enigma in the entire book and the only one of two characters that I found interesting.

The only other character that I had any inkling of liking was Rainlord/Highlord Taquar. The only reason that I enjoyed reading about him is that he was able to make hard choices and while many of his motivations were hidden they made sense when they were revealed. I assume that he is suppose to be the big bad guy in the series but, I found him to be the only one with any common-sense so I think the author failed to make him evil enough for me to abhor him.

Most of the supporting characters were two dimensional and their dialogue was boring and downright cliche. We never get any real dialogue and the book's massive 600+ pages tends to skip major portions of our protagonist's lives. When Terelle and Shale finally meet we are told they have a natural bond. I say we are told as we do not read it, we must take it at the author's word.

While there is only one Stormlord there are several Rainlords and other smaller water sensitives. They are the true rulers of the various cities and communities or quaterns. As the rain stops coming in the amounts they are use to, they must make the hard decisions as to who gets the clouds to come to the areas and provide the sustenance to keep the city going or choose to ignore the citizens and create a drought which will kill thousands.

The concept of water being the life blood of civilization in this novel is an interesting idea but it fails to stir anything as I read it.

The heart of The Last Stormlord is attempting to find a new Stormlord before the knowledge is gone from the world when the current Stormlord passes away. With desperation gnawing at the rainlords they start to look in the less noble areas of their cities for new recruits and with hope to return with a new Stormlord.

There is also an attempt at political intrigue as one of the rainlords is attempting to circumvent that powers that be. I do not want give too much away, but I will say that the intrigue that Larke attempted to include in her novel was just obvious and I felt less inclined to continue reading as the big reveal happens two-thirds into the book which then left another one-third for me to read with not much really happening other than to set things up for the second book in the series.

The biggest problem with this novel is that it is one gigantic set up. The Last Stormlord could have had at least 100 pages edited out. There is a decent amount of action, but it is lost in all of the world building and plot set ups. The book resolves some plot points but leaves us with more questions and cliffhangers and I doubt that I will be around to see the story's conclusion even though I am told that the second book, Stormlord Rising, has better pacing and an overall feel. The end result was that it was a lackluster start to a series that felt cliche and nearly every corner. It also is a story that could easily be confused for Young Adult. While not an awful book it had nothing that made it stand out either.

Plot 6
Characterization 6
Style 5

Overall 5.5/10

REVIEW: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: DAW (5 Nov 2009)
ISBN-10: 0756405718
ISBN-13: 978-0756405717
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought online

From the back of the book:
The world of Faerie never disappeared: it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own. Secrecy is the key to Faerie’s survival – but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, these second-class children of Faerie spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Or, in the case of October “Toby” Daye, rejecting it completely. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating into a “normal” life. Unfortunately for her, Faerie has other ideas.

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose, one of the secret regents of the San Francisco Bay Area, pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening’s dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby is forced to resume her old position as knight errant to the Duke of Shadowed Hills and begin renewing old alliances that may prove her only hope of solving the mystery… before the curse catches up with her.

Rosemary and Rue is the first in a promising new Urban Fantasy series from Seanan McGuire, newly announced winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (Hugo Awards, 2010). Instead of the usual vampire or werewolf type novels in this sub-genre, this features the world of Faerie which exists parallel with our own world. As I love anything related to the Sidhe and similar Celtic mythology I was immediately attracted to this book. Knowing, from the cover blurb, that it was also a murder-mystery increased it’s appeal.

October “Toby” Daye is a half-human, half-Daoine Sidhe changeling. Looked down upon as a half-breed by the Sidhe and obliged to hide her Faerie features from humans, Toby has some issues with her identity. Events some 14 years prior to the main storyline (told in the Prologue) have led her to reject her Faerie heritage and hide away in the human world of San Francisco, living a lonely nocturnal existence as a supermarket. The brutal murder of the Countess Evening Winterrose of Goldengreen pulls Toby back into Faerie as she is bound by a powerful spell to investigate her friend’s death. This forces Toby to renew her alliances in the world of Faerie and resume her former career as a private investigator, something she had hoped to avoid.

From the outset we are thrust into the hidden world of Faerie and Seanan McGuire has created a detailed society, complete with its own traditions and culture which draws heavily from existing Celtic mythology. There are varying ‘races’ in Faerie, the Daoine Sidhe being the aristocracy and rule fiefdoms within San Francisco from their ‘knowes’, under the overall control of the Queen. We also encounter Cait Sidhe (cat shapeshifters), Undines (water spirits), Selkies and Kitsune, amongst others. The worldbuilding is excellent and, for me, enhanced the murder-mystery plot, giving it a additional dimension.

Toby’s investigation into the murder of Evening Winterrose was very well done – I didn’t guess who was behind the killing at all, though with hindsight there were several clues along the way. It served as an excellent introduction to several characters who I suspect will feature heavily in future novels in this series. Toby is a liege of the Duke of Shadowed Hills, Sylvester Torquill and his wife, Luna, is an endearing and sympathetic character. Their daughter, Rayseline is married to Connor, a Selkie who has some possible romantic history with Toby. My favourite of all is Tybalt, King of the Cait Sidhe, whose disdain for Toby is very apparent, yet he also seems to care for her wellbeing. Although only a minor role in Rosemary and Rue, my guess is that we will see a lot more of Tybalt in future novels.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading Rosemary and Rue and Toby is a strong, yet troubled lead. The quality of writing and style is better than many current urban fantasy offerings and Seanan McGuire shows much promise as a writer to watch, this view being supported by her recently receiving the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (Hugo Awards, 2010) As the first in a series, much of the book was setting the scene and providing us with basic history of the various characters and locations as well as introducing us to the hidden world of Faerie, it’s culture and mythology. I have now ordered the next two October Daye books and look forward to reading more of her adventures and exploring the world of Faerie further.

Plot: 7
Characters: 8
Style: 8

Rating: 8/10

2010 Hugo Award Winners

Presented at: Aussiecon 4, Melbourne, Australia, September 2-6, 2010

Toastmaster: Garth Nix

Base design: Nick Stathopoulos with laser etching by Lewis Morley and incorporating the Aussiecon 4 logo by Grant Gittus

Awards Administration: Vincent Docherty, Kate Kligman

Best Novel: TIE: The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK); The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)

Best Novella: “Palimpsest”, Charles Stross (Wireless; Ace, Orbit)

Best Novelette: “The Island”, Peter Watts (The New Space Opera 2; Eos)

Best Short Story: “Bridesicle”, Will McIntosh (Asimov’s 1/09)

Best Related Book: This is Me, Jack Vance! (Or, More Properly, This is “I”), Jack Vance (Subterranean)

Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Moon Screenplay by Nathan Parker; Story by Duncan Jones; Directed by Duncan Jones (Liberty Films)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who: “The Waters of Mars” Written by Russell T Davies & Phil Ford; Directed by Graeme Harper (BBC Wales)

Best Editor Long Form: Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Best Editor Short Form: Ellen Datlow

Best Professional Artist: Shaun Tan

Best Semiprozine: Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan

Best Fan Writer: Frederik Pohl

Best Fanzine: StarShipSofa edited by Tony C. Smith

Best Fan Artist: Brad W. Foster

And the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (presented by Dell Magazines): Seanan McGuire

Congratulations to all winners and nominees from Speculative Book Review.

REVIEW: Flood by Stephen Baxter

Flood by Stephen Baxter
Publishing Information: Hardback; 490 pages
Publisher: Roc; 05 May 2009
ISBN 10: 0451462718
ISBN 13: 9780451462718
Book 1 in a series
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Inside the book: "Four hostages are rescued from a group of religious extremists in Barcelona. After five years of being held captive together, they make a vow to always watch out for one another. But they never expected this...

The world they have returned to has been transformed by water-and the water is rising. As it continues to flow from the earth's mantle, entire countries disappear. High ground becomes a precious commodity. And finally, the dreadful truth is revealed: before fifty years have passed, there will be nowhere left to run..."

While the polar ice caps melting and raising to engulf many coastal towns and villages is nothing new to science and science fiction, Baxter's Flood goes in an new direction with the idea that water trapped in the mantle of the Earth is far greater than we imagined and that it surpasses the water we currently have in the oceans.

Flood starts us off with a lot water having already rising past scientific expectations as our protagonists are hostages that are released during the first chapter. Conveniently, most of the individuals being held are crucial to the catastrophic events that are happening around the world. 

Not long after their release things go from bad to worse as London is hit by a powerful storm that it never recovers from. The setting in Flood switches constantly as the players move to stay ahead of the water surges. There is lots of talk about the various land masses and when they are engulfed by the water. 

The characters in Flood are interesting as they have a lot of interaction with one another and their environment but some situations take an act of faith to believe. The character of Kristie really bothered me as she gets into an argument with her mother knowing full well that disaster is a constant and refuses to speak or visit with her. Going so far as to deep six her satellite phone. I know that in a global disaster I would want my family to communicate with at all times. Her actions were such a disappointment I lost all interest in her and when she was up against nature rooted for nature. So, there were times in the novel where people's actions did not add up. I would have also liked to have learned more about civilization in general. As the Earth's livable habitats quickly disappear there should have been more wars and riots. While a few were mentioned in passing, humanity seemed to go on without much panic which I would think would be the exact opposite of how we would react. Especially considering how Baxter told us that the majority of countries had their governments break down early in the catastrophe.

Another issue I had with the Flood was that splinter groups and nut jobs that retreated to the hills acted far to rational and friendly when they encountered refugees. The refugees were quickly brought in and cared for or allowed to leave without being hassled or eliminated. As resources become scarce more military and militia action would have been expected and was not really represented in the novel.


As land and therefore trees are swallowed by the oncoming tide of water, oxygen would have also become scarce, while plankton may create oxygen, I don't think that it would have been sufficient for the human population that was on Earth. Especially when you consider all of the manufacturing and other construction that was taking place in the final years that take place in the novel. While some may be able to survive the depleted oxygen in the world I doubt the many survivors that were depicted in the book would have been able to function as well as they did in Flood.

While reading Flood I could not help but think that at times the story was dragging on and that a few minor scenes could have been removed from the novel. Another issue that I had with the book is that the afterword in the back of the book claims that there were maps for the story but, I never found any maps. Had Flood contained maps for each section of the book it would have added to the impact of the book. I kept trying to find out what happened to my hometown of Seattle and it was never mentioned. There were a few times where the Northwest Territories, Oregon, and Idaho were mentioned, but as Washington state is a coastal state I never learned of its fate. In a global disaster book, every reader wants to know what happens to their residence and Flood never got around to tell me about my state or hometown. 

The plot of Flood is interesting, while I think that the water under the mantle is a threat, I highly doubt it would lead to anything such as this, but it does make for one heck of a story. Flood leaves us with several unanswered questions that will probably be answered in the sequel Ark. I will more than likely read the sequel once I find some space to put it on my shelf. Flood had a lot of flaws, but for all the issues that did not add up, the premise and where the story seems to be going is enough for me to continue to stay with the author and the series. 


Plot  8
Characters  8
Style  7


Overall  7.5/10

REVIEW: The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells

The Uncrowned King by Rowena Cory Daniells
Publishing Information: Paperback; 448 pages
Publisher: Solaris (5 Aug 2010 - UK, 27 Jul 2010 - US & CA)
ISBN 10: 1907519041
ISBN 13: 978-1907519048
Series: 2nd book of King Rolen's Kin
Copies: Provided by the publisher (Yagiz); Out of pocket (Tyson)
Reviewers: Yagiz and Tyson

Thirteen year old Piro watches powerless as her father’s enemies march on his castle. A traitor whispers poison in the King’s ear, undermining his trust in her brother, Byren.

Determined to prove his loyalty, Byren races across the path of the advancing army, towards the Abbey. Somehow, he must get there in time to convince the Abbot to send his warriors to defend the castle.

Meanwhile, the youngest of King Rolen’s sons, Fyn, has barely begun his training as an Abbey mystic, but he wakes in a cold sweat, haunted by dreams of betrayal...

Yagiz

Solaris did a great job in publishing King Rolen's Kin books back to back with only 4 weeks of waiting time in between installments (The King's Bastard: 8 July 2010, The Uncrowned King: 5 Aug 2010, The Usurper: 2 Sep 2010 in the UK). Therefore, if the reader likes The King's Bastard, as I think most of you would, you don't have to wait long before the next book becomes available in your favorite bookshop. There's also no need to worry about the ever-slipping publishing dates.

The story and the events of The Uncrowned King continues from the same point corresponding to the end of The King's Bastard. It is obvious that the installments are not meant to be read as standalones, which is also confirmed by the very close release dates. It feels like a one big continuous story that is broken into three pieces.

The Uncrowned King is considerably shorter than the first volume. Without the introductory type of chapters, it comes across like a faster and more action-packed book. However the plot has less twists and turns that surprise the reader. During our chats with Tyson, we both agreed that the most intriguing character of the book was Lord Dunstany. Without giving any spoilers, let's say that his motives are not clear so we are in for some surprises in the last installment of the series.

Usually it is easy to get disappointed with the second book of a trilogy as the excitement of the beginning and the curiosity of the conclusion are not there. But Daniells delivers a strong second book that is as enjoyable as the first one. If you liked The King's Bastard, this book won't disappoint you. And at the end, I am sure you will want to order your copy of The Usurper.

Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Style: 8

Overall: 8/10

Tyson

The second book in the King Rolen's Kin series is a quick and fast read. I really enjoyed book one and The Uncrowned King picks up right were the first book leaves off and it hits the ground at a sprint.

With the first book out of the way and the plot set up, The Uncrowned King has a chance to settle down and tell a story. We have a few new developments for some of our main characters that I do not really want to spoil but it does have a nod to A Song of Ice and Fire to a certain degree. We also gain more insight into the enemy. There is political intrigue at every turn.

My favorite character in this novel was Lord Dunstany. His motivation is unclear and just where he fits in the "Game of Thrones" is unknown. He seems to be much more than our average magic welder and he seems to have a better understanding of what is going on more then anyone else in the novel. Every time he was in a scene in the book he surprised me with his ability to command and delve into the truth of the matter and glean information that no one else in the room could. He will be the one I watch when the series comes to a close in the next installment.

I was expecting the book to be similar to most second installments in a trilogy with everything looking bleak and as dark as possible but by the end of The Uncrowned King there is light at the end of the tunnel for many of the players. That does not mean all is well, but there is hope for some. A lot has yet to be resolved and I look forward to seeing how that comes about. Daniells has managed to create a light version of A Song of Ice and Fire. Lots of political intrigue, constant backstabbing, large packs of wolves, a kingdom and realm in turmoil, and limited magic in a snow covered world. Best of all, the trilogy is complete so you don't have to wait the better part of a decade for things to come to a close. The Uncrowned King and the opening book in the series, The King's Bastard have their flaws. But it is a series that does what it is suppose to do - entertain you. It is a light read that looks to be coming to a spectacular close. Stay tune as we will bring you the review for the final book in the series soon, The Upsurper.

Plot: 7.5
Characters: 9
Style: 8

Overall: 7.5/10

Free eBook Arkfall by Carolyn Ives Gilman

Phoenix Picks’ September’s Free EBook is Carolyn Ives Gilman’s outstanding novella, Arkfall.

Arkfall was nominated for the Nebula this year (but lost out to The Women of Nell Gwynne’s by Kage Baker).

Carolyn Gilman is a not a prolific author, but nearly everything she writes get outstanding reviews. Her novel Halfway Human is an outstanding study of gender issues and her novellette, The Honeycrafters won the Nebula in 1993.

Stephen Leigh, who’s book Dark Water’s Embrace was our free ebook of the month for August is a fan of her works as well.

The Coupon Code for September is 9991426. Instructions and download link at:www.PPickings.com.

The new book will be available from September 2 (not September 1) through September 30th.