Book Review: A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

(part one of the Shadow and Betrayal Omnibus)

Pros: lots of intrigue, complex characters, fantastic world building

Cons: characters make disappointing choices

Otah Machi, sixth son of the Khai Machi, gives up his chance to become a poet and leaves the training school he was sent to without a brand, in order to make his own way in life.  Years later, one of Otah's pupils, Maati, comes to Saraykeht to apprentice with its poet.  Poets keep Andat, spirits made flesh who perform particular tasks.  Saraykeht's Andat, Seedless, helps with the cotton trade.  The Andat does not wish to be a slave and has plotted to bring his poet down.

Otah has built a new life for himself in Saraykeht, with a powerful trading house and a woman he loves.  But everything changes when the overseer of the house finds out about Seedless's plot.

This is a very complex book.  There are plots within plots and it's hard to know what will happen next.  I loved all of the characters.  Each one felt like a real person, with problems and strengths.  In fact, when Maati makes a decision that would normally have angered me, in this book, it worked.  I felt sorry for the characters involved and understood their complicated emotions when things went wrong.  

The world also felt real.  Abraham created a complex vocabulary of hand gestures meant to explain one person's rank in relation to another's, to ask questions, to give thanks.  There's a flourishing bath culture for escaping the heat of the day as well as for doing business and learning gossip.  The court ceremony and trade bureaucracy are intricate and time intensive.  Though the greater politics between nations is only touched on in this volume, I expect it to show up more in later books.

Seeing the characters as real people made the ending difficult as I didn't like some of the choices they ultimately made.  The good thing about having a two in one volume is that it's natural to keep reading, where I might otherwise have stopped, having enjoyed the book but not being sure I want to learn what happens next (as I suspect it will be bad).

New Author Spotlight: Brett Patton

New Author Spotlight is a series designed to introduce authors with 3 books or less in the different SF/F subgenres.

 Today's spotlight shines on Brett Patton! Brett's debut novel is Mecha Corps published by Roc. Here's the cover copy...

Matt Lowell is in hell-and there's no place he'd rather be. At a training camp on the backwater planet of Earth, he and his fellow cadets are learning to ride Mechas: biomechanicals sporting both incredible grace and devastating firepower. Their ultimate aim is to combat the pirates of the Corsair Confederacy, but before they survive a battle, they have to survive their training. Because every time Lowell and his comrades "plug in" to their Mechas, their minds are slowly being twisted and broken by an unseen power that is neither man...nor machine.

If you like military SF that uses mechanized armour, check out these other books:

• Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (Ace)
• Armor by John Steakley (DAW)
• Germline by T.C. McCarthy (Orbit)

Movie Review: Lifepod

This review deserves some background.  I remember seeing this made for TV movie when I was in highschool, and liking it a lot.  A few years ago I decided it would be fun to watch it again but couldn't find it on DVD, used or new, so I forgot about it.  I recently placed an order with an online store and on a whim checked for Lifepod and found it.  Yay!  I watched the film knowing it would likely be cheesy and not at all worth owning.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well it held up.

Director: Ron Silver, 1993

IMDB listing

Pros: suspenseful, decent acting, some good SF ideas

Cons: dated special effects

When their space cruiser blows up, a small group of survivors find themselves sharing close quarters on a badly equipped lifepod.  As the days pass, it becomes apparent that what happened to the cruiser wasn't an accident, and the saboteur is still with them.

This film is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat, set in space.  A group of people, living in a tight space, all suspecting the others of horrible crimes in a life or death situation, is something that's been done in many horror movies and thrillers.  The formula works, and was used in Lifepod to good effect.  Each character had a reason for sabotaging the ship they were on and only a few of them are sympathetic.  Their paranoia and fear are palpable, as the actors give pretty good performances.  

I like the idea of a Tooli (played by Ed Gale), a person with one mechanical arm designed to use all the tools necessary to keep a ship running.  And the politics of the time, dealing with Venus and its colonies, added to the setting.

The special effects are dated, but as they're sparingly used this isn't really a problem beyond the first 20 minutes.  The plot focuses on how people survive in adverse conditions and who the saboteur is.

If you can find a copy, it's a fun way to waste a few hours.

Book Review: The Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle

Pros: lots of intrigue, very interesting characters, great plot and pacing, limited use of magic

Cons: 

Down on his luck Maliverny Catlyn is very surprised to be offered a commission as bodyguard to the skrayling ambassador.  Like most Christians, he has heard that the skraylings are demons from the New World, and magic users.  But he needs the money to keep his insane twin brother in decent accommodations at Bethlem hospital.

Meanwhile, a troupe of actors, Suffolk's Men, are building a new theatre in which to perform a play for the ambassador, something not everyone in London is thrilled about.

With a lot of political intrigue, spies and plots, The Alchemist of Souls has something for everyone.  There's even a touch of romance (both gay and straight).  The book's opening reminded me very much of Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, due to the setting and the mismatched friendship between Mal (nigh on penniless but son of a gentleman) and Ned (clerk and sometimes swindler).  The book quickly diverged from this pair and broadened in scope, adding more actors and political players, for which I was grateful as the relationship in Swordspoint annoyed me (I couldn't understand what St. Vier saw in his lover, as all he seemed to do was act sullenly and get St. Vier into fights to defend him).

Indeed, at times the number of offers to betray the ambassador Mal received - and the cross dressing Coby - put me in mind of Lev Rosen's All Men of Genius, though The Alchemist of Souls is by no means a comedy.  It does have a playfulness and I had to remind myself that treason had serious consequences, and that Mal's life was endangered each time he received such an offer.

The characters are fascinating, from Mal who must learn quickly how to maneuver as a spy to Coby's attempts to not let her sex be known and Ned's run in with ruffians.

The book is very accurate with regards to Elizabethan times, though it is definitely alternate history (Queen Elizabeth marries Robert Dudley and has two sons, and the skraylings are an imagined race).  Lyle uses archaic words sparingly to give a sense of place and time to help immerse you in the world she's recreated.

Magic is used very sparingly and really comes into play only at the end of the book.  Given the beliefs at the time I was impressed that some of the skrayling 'magic' was passed off as advanced learning in medicine and technology.  The limited use of real magic helped keep the world real, despite the skrayling race.

The skraylings themselves were well defined, with their own beliefs on the afterlife, way of dress, traditions, language, etc.  They really feel like a different species.

The cover makes it look like a book with either assassins (there are some, but not your traditional fantasy variety) or swashbuckling action (there's some of this, but not much).  If you're looking for a lot of fight scenes, look elsewhere.  If you like good fantasy or historical fantasy, pick this book up!

Geek and Sundry

In case you haven't seen this yet, there's a new youtube channel starting today called Geek and Sundry.  It's a combination of shows by people like Felicia Day (Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek TNG).

Geek & Sundry offers a diverse lineup of shows that create a hub for fans of comedy, gaming, comics, music, and literature around the world.  Through compelling content and its powerful social media presence, the channel cultivates a thriving community amongst its viewers, allowing them to immerse themselves in nerd culture and connect with each other both online and off.

The shows in their line-up are:

The Flog: Hosted by Geek Goddess Felicia Day, The FLOG is a spirited, eccentric and quirky adventure through life.  Join Felicia each week as she explores new hobbies and experiences, curates links from across the web, and connects with her favorite people: her fans!

Sword & Laser: The popular podcast Sword & Laser can now been seen as well as heard on the YouTube screen! Hosts Veronica Belmont and Tom Merrit bring you the latest in tech, geek and entertainment news and engage in often irreverent, always dynamic discourse in this community-driven science fiction and fantasy-themed book club.

Table Top: Wil Wheaton hosts this fun, lively show where “Celebrity Poker” meets table top board games! In each episode, Wil plays a different game with celebrity guests from film, TV, and YouTube. Filled with witty banter and cheeky camaraderie, Tabletop introduces viewers to the best of tabletop gaming.

Dark Horse Comics: The nation's largest independent comic-book publisher brings a selection of their most popular titles to the video screen with Dark Horse Motion Comics. Using never before-seen motion graphics techniques, watch some of the comic world's most iconic characters spring to life.

Learning Town: Nerd music duo Paul and Storm bring their harmonies and smartly offbeat humor to this new comedy musical. The learning curve is steep when the two are tasked with reviving the flagging educational show of their childhoods in the face of villainous hipsters, ghosts who give bad advice and flammable puppets.

Written By A Kid: Stories told by 5-9 year olds are put in the hands of some of today's coolest online directors including Rhett & Link, Dane Boedigheimer, Daniel Strange and more! All ages will love this visually stunning, often hilarious anthology series that brings the madness and magic of a child's imagination to life.

And The Guild!  For more information, here's their website, press release, and youtube channel.  And the trailer:

New Beginnings

After much deliberation I've finally come to a decision about what to do with my blog. If you've been following me, you know I've had questions about what you, my readership, would like to see here as well as where I think this blog is heading.

I've been reading a lot of older SF, dystopian YA and fantasy recently and enough is enough. After combing through the hundreds of emails about what you want to see I've decided to change the focus of my blog.

It's time for me to grow up. To read LITERATURE. Work that's better received by the greater public.

Towards that end, from now on I'll only be reviewing romance novels. Yes, you read that right. Romance. The more semi-naked torsos on the covers, the better.

These will be the next three books I review on my blog:

 Happy April Fools!

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Coming in May 2012

As usual, this list comes mostly from the Chapters/Indigo website and reflects Canadian release dates for the books.  

Hardcover:

The Lost Fleet Beyond the Frontier Invincible – Jack Campbell

The Monster Hunters – Larry Correia

Deadlocked – Charlaine Harris

Myth and Magic: A Gallery of Tolkien and Other Fantastical Images – John Howe (reprint)

False Covenant – Ari Marmel

Damia's Children – Anne McCaffrey (reprint)

Princeps – L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

2312 – Kim Stanley Robinson

The Sourge of the Betrayer – Jeff Salyards

No Going Back – Mark L. Van Name

Trade Paperback:

The King's Blood – Daniel Abraham

The Paths of the Dead – Steven Brust

The Land That Time Forgot Omnibus – Edgar Rice Burroughs

THe Devil's Looking Glass – Mark Chadbourn

A Thief of Nightshade – J. S. Chancellor

Eye In The Dky – Philip Dick

The Man Who Japed – Philip Dick

The Zap Gun – Philip Dick

Orb Sceptre Throne – Ian Esslemont

The Other Log of Phileas Fogg – Philip Jose Farmer

What I Didn't See – Karen Joy Fowler

The Black Opera – Mary Gentle

The Mandel Files – Peter Hamilton

Queen of Kings – Maria Dahana Headley

The Killing Moon – N. K. Jemisin

The Bone House – Stephen Lawhead

The Skin Map – Stephen Lawhead

The Killables – Gemma Malley

Fire Logic – Laurie Marks

Darksiders: The Abomination Vault – Ari Marmell 

Ultramarines, the Second Omnibus – Graham McNeill

By the Blood of Heroes – Joseph Nassise

Man-Kzin Wars XIII – Larry Niven, Ed.

The Sunless Countries – Karl Schroeder

Store of the Worlds – Robert Sheckley

War of the Spider Queen Omnibus II – Lisa Smedman

The Shadowmage Trilogy – Matthew Sprange

Free Radicals – Zeke Teflon

Aurorarama – Jean-Christophe Valtat

The Moon Moth – Jack Vance

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories – Jeff Vandermeer, Ed.

Mass Market:

Flandry's Legacy – Poul Anderson

The Janus Affair – Pip Ballantine

Bleeding Out – Jes Battis

Dark Jenny – Alex Bledsoe

alt.human – Keith Brooke

The Devil's Nebula – Eric Brown

Naamah's Blessing – Jacqueline Carey

Forgotten Realms: The Rose of Sarifal – Paulina Claiborne

Out of the Waters – David Drake 

The Primarchs – Christian Dunn

Casket of Souls – Lynn Flewelling

Threshold – Eric Flint

The Minority Council – Kate Griffin

The Impossible Cube – Steven Harper

Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris

Year's Best SF 17 – David Hartwell, Ed.

Star Trek: Plagues of Night – David George III

Cursed – Benedict Jacka

Night's Engines – Trent Jamieson

Under Suspicion – Hannah Jayne

Going Interstellar – Les Johnson and Jack McDevitt, Ed.

Star Wars: Deceived – Paul Kemp

Bloodsworn – Nathan Long

Dragon's Time – Anne McCaffrey

The Walls of the Universe – Paul Melko

A Blight Of Mages – Karen Miller

Wizard Undercover – K. E. Mills

Honeyed Words – J. A. Pitts

Toxicity – Andy Remic

All Spell Breaks Loose – Lisa Shearin

Shadowborn – Alison Sinclair

The Council of Shadows – S. M. Stirling

Roadside Picnic – Arkady Strugatsky

Shadow Raiders – Margaret Weis

E-books (Carina Press)

The Bewitching Tale of Story Gale – Christine Bell

Hunting the Shadows – Alexia Reed

YA

Unfamiliar Magic – R. C. Alexander

Starcrossed – Josephine Angelini

Falcon Quinn and the Crimson Vapor – Jennifer Boylan

Beauty Queens – Libba Bray

The Demon's Covenant – Sarah Rees Brennan

Tempted – P. C. Cast

The Girl in the Steel Corset – Kady Cross

Nightspell – Leah Cypess

Crusade – Nancy Holder

Hereafter – Tara Hudson

Dancing Jax – Robin Jarvis

Die For Me – Amy Plum

Siren – Tricia Rayburn

Cryptic Cravings – Ellen Schreiber

Love Bites – Ellen Schreiber

The Warlock – Michael Scott

Ocean of Blood – Darren Shan

Shift – Jeri Smith-Ready

Linger – Maggie Stiefvater

Angel Burn – L. A. Weatherly