REVIEW SUMMARY: Provides an interesting look behind the scenes of video game development, not such a strong story.

MY RATING:

SYNOPSIS: After years of drifting through post-college life Russell joins Black Arts, a video game developer founded by friends of his from high school. He is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role and forced to solve the mystery behind a bug that could ruin the new game and have more far-reaching consequences besides…

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Written by someone with experience in the field; gives a sense of appreciation for things largely taken for granted in video games.
CONS: Nostalgia is expected to carry much of the book; very little conflict; uninteresting and shallow characters; confusing format and perspective shifts.
BOTTOM LINE: There is probably enough decent material here to fill a movie, definitely not enough to float a 400 page novel. There’s too much nostalgia and not enough substance.

You get a package in the mail from SF Signal. You rip it open, it’s Christmas in May! Inside is a hardbound copy of Austin Grossman’s latest novel, a fictional look inside the world of professional game makers. You’re excited to begin reading it. You haven’t read Austin’s Soon I Will Be Invincible but it sits on your overflowing shelf. You’ve seen some great review for Austin’s latest, comparing it to Ready Player One by Ernest Clines and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. You have read (and loved) The Magicians and The Magician King, books written by Austin’s brother Lev Grossman. You are anxious to begin and so you curl up on the hideous burnt orange couch in the living room and start reading…
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The contents of Interzone #246 (with Cover Art by Jim Burns) have been posted:
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REVIEW SUMMARY: Wesley’s Chu’s debut novel is fast-paced, clever, and leaves you longing for the next installment.

MY RATING: 

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen Tan woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it.

He wasn’t.

Wesley Chu’s debut novel follows tubby everyman Roen Tan on his quest to become something more than a single, overweight, low-level code monkey. What’s special about this story is that Tan’s evolution isn’t voluntary. He may end up saving the world, but he’ll have to be dragged into it. You see, there are these aliens, and they’re using our bodies as vessels to carry them around while they engage in a civil war…
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REVIEW SUMMARY: The May issue of Lightspeed features two new and two reprint stories in both the science fiction and fantasy categories. This review covers the four stories being published for the first time in this issue. In addition to the short fiction, Issue 36 includes feature interviews with authors Karen Russell and Gregory Maguire and cover artist Giuliano Brocani.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The fantastic original fiction offerings in this issue of Lightspeed emphasize relationships set against the backdrop of mythology, end of the world, and parallel universe scenarios.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Unexpected outcomes; familiar story ideas examined through a new lens; satisfying endings; imaginative world-building.
CONS: The focus on relationships over science fictional or fantastical concepts may not be to every reader’s liking. One of the original works has some potentially disturbing imagery.
BOTTOM LINE: The May 2013 issue of Lightspeed, from an original fiction standpoint, is quite good and comes highly recommended from this reviewer. The authors do not shy away from weighty issues while offering up interesting backgrounds against which they allow their dramas to unfold. As these stories become available on the website it would be a shame to pass them up.

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It’s almost a given these days, especially with fantasy books–you open up the front cover and an enormous map sprawls out before you, denoting various continents, kingdoms, murky forests, coastal ports, and all the other bits and jots composing the world. Sometimes these locales have colorful names, such as Shadowlands of the Dark Lord, Bottomless Pit of Apathy, and Do-Not-Go-Here-istan. Other times, they’re a gibberish of glottal coughs and apostrophes.

However they’re named, though, so often these maps and representative lands are simply indicative of where the story happens rather than what the story is about. They’re just a reference point for those readers who dearly want to know if the heroine’s quest to save a hapless prince from a dragon took her through the pleasant town of Orcsg’utyo’u or not.

What if we tried a different perspective? Let’s strap on our Boots of Anti-Blistering, grab a wizard’s walking stick, and head off across worlds where the geography is as integral to the plot as the main characters themselves.

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Note: this review originally appeared on the blog of Starship Reckless, as part of a series in which Athena Andreadis discusses works of the contributors to The Other Half of the Sky.

by Athena Andreadis

Cat Rambo’s recent collection, Near + Far (Hydra House, $16.95 print, $6.99 digital), is a tête-bêche book containing 2×12 stories of wildly different lengths that previously appeared in such venues as Abyss & Apex, Clarkesworld, Clockwork Phoenix, Crossed Genres, Daily SF and Lightspeed.

Before I discuss the stories themselves, I’ll mention two secondary but important aspects of the book. One is the attention paid to the presentation; as one example, the text ornaments are almost distracting in their beauty. The other is that each story has an afterword in which Rambo gives its backstory and worldpath. Personally, I greatly enjoy such fore/afterwords (I still fondly recall Harlan Ellison’s needle-sharp, needling introductions) and find that they invariably deepen my understanding and appreciation of the tale – provided that the writer knows their craft. Which brings us to the content of the collection.
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Susie Hufford is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College & a freelance writer.

Lauren Beukes’ new novel The Shining Girls is a repulsive, and yet strangely addicting, read. It can’t be denied that Beukes has talent, and her talent shines brightest in moments when she engages the psyche of serial killer, Harper Curtis, as he grotesquely pulls the wings off a bee or contemplates stabbing out a child’s eyes. Shining Girls is pitched by the publisher as a combination of The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but it’s not clear if those two excellent books ever should have combined forces.
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What would you do to make yourself smarter? Take a mix of illegal drugs, preferably injected straight into the cerebral cortex? Implant your skull with all sorts of black market tech that might burn out your gray matter and leave you drooling on the upholstery? Total brain transplant?

Funny thing is, if any those dubious intelligence enhancement techniques actually worked and you were lucky enough to survive the procedure, you’d likely look back and think to yourself, “Well, that was dumb.” 

But superior smarts do provide for a lot of fun and games, especially when it comes to dealing with alien overlords, tyrannical governments, and pranking tech support. Here are three stories where the main characters achieve superhuman IQs through various means and then go on to steer human evolution and generally make things difficult for the powers-that-be.

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REVIEW SUMMARY: A satisfying conclusion to the Chaos Knight Trilogy.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Vidarian rallies his allies to oppose the monstrous plans of the Alorean Import Company, with the world’s fate in the balance.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Worldbuilding; well-conceived ending to the series; well done reveals of major aspects of the world.
CONS: Pacing issues, although less problematic than previous books, persist; some character motivations remain murky; some elements from earlier in the trilogy seem lost.
BOTTOM LINE: A conclusion to the Chaos Knight Trilogy that pays the promise of the first volume.

In Lance of Earth and Sky , Vidarian Rulorat, the Tesseract, found himself with new challenges and a burgeoning adversary — the Alorean Import Company. A corporation powerful enough to shape a world, the Company set in motion some truly horrible plans, even as Vidarian struggled with his own nature, his relationship with Ariadel, and more. Now, things have gotten only more complicated. Two kingdoms still stand perilously close to the brink of war. The return of magic to the world is still disrupting everything and everyone, unmaking old social structures and upending long held traditions and beliefs. It’s not easy for Vidarian to be the Chaos Knight, the Tesseract. And even greater sacrifices might be needed on the part of him and those who would follow him, to stop the truly monstrous plans of the Alorean Import Company from coming to pass.

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REVIEW SUMMARY: A strong continuation if the Eternal Sky series, building on the already considerable strengths of Range of Ghosts.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Prince Temur and allies seek to rescue the woman he would make Queen, who may not even need rescuing, even as the plans of a death cult threaten the fate of all of the Kingdoms on the Celadon Highway,

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Amazing worldbuilding; character growth and development from the main characters; excellent through line.
CONS: Some secondary characters get a bit of short shrift; book does not conclude so much as end.
BOTTOM LINE: Bear’s foray into Epic Fantasy continues to be a highlight of the subgenre.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: This week’s Short Fiction Friday looks at the three original works of fiction featured in the May 2013 issue of Clarkesworld.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The first two works of original fiction in this issue explore vengeance, a dish best served after long and meticulous planning. The third story looks at mankind’s colonization attempts on Mars and eventual discovery of sentient life through the eyes of the beings that are in turn discovering humanity.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Two stories with a similar theme act as an interesting comparison study; story of mankind discovering life on Mars has an engaging viewpoint; all three stories handle plot tension with skill.
CONS: One story is far too short to be satisfying; another tries too hard to be clever and perhaps falls short due to cultural barriers.
BOTTOM LINE: The three stories in the May 2013 issue of Clarkesworld were quick reads, a description that can be either complementary or critical depending on the value the reader feels he/she has gained from the experience.  One satisfying, well-written story shines above the rest and another has great potential for being a much longer, richer story but is slightly marred by its abrupt, mysterious ending.

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REVIEW SUMMARY: An eclectic, enjoyable mix of fiction and nonfiction suffering only from one or two significant absences.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: 17 remarkable stories and four insightful essays all dealing with our simian cousins.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: The strength of the fiction included in the anthology, from groundbreaking genre classics such as Leigh Kennedy’s “Her Furry Face” and Pat Murphy’s “Rachel in Love” to lesser-known tales such as Gustav Flaubert’s “Quidquid Volueris”; interesting essays from Jess Nevins and Scott Cupp on apes in literature and comics, respectively.
CONS: Odd if understandable exclusions; one or two obvious inclusions; the editor’s own contribution on apes in cinema a bit too brief.

If one wanted to get technical, any story featuring a human being is an ape story; zoologist Desmond Morris even identified us as such in his 1967 book The Naked Ape.  So our fascination with gorillas, chimps, and orangutans, among others, in ethology and in popular culture, should come as no surprise; after all, our nearest genetic cousins share so many of our features that we cannot help but feel kinship and awe.  We gaze into these alien faces and of course see ourselves.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: Bound to appeal to fans of zombies and superheroes alike!

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The apocalypse has come and gone, the undead roam the streets of L.A. and superheroes like Mighty Dragon, Zzzap, Cerberus, Gorgon, and Stealth must protect what few living remain.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Cool heroes; original explanation of zombie virus effects and origin; good use of both genres; exciting action; flashbacks flesh out characters; cool setting.
CONS: Too many interchangeable regular people; somewhat boring villain; over too soon.
BOTTOM LINE: Ex-Heroes is a fun genre mash-up that pits superhumans against ex-humans. If ever a book had the potential for a Hollywood blockbuster, this is it.

How has Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines not been adapted for film yet? Really, I want to know? There’s no reasonable excuse I can imagine. Given the enormous popularity of superheroes and zombies, the major success of Marvel’s shared world movies and AMC’s The Walking Dead, it seems like a no-brainer (ha ha) that Ex-Heroes would make the ultimate Box Office killer. Someone call up the studios, I’m about to earn a commission.
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MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Charles Manx is a serial killer who abducts children and takes them in his Rolls-Royce Wraith to Christmasland, a nightmarish place that exists only in his imagination. Victoria McQueen uses her imagination to find lost things, and is the only person who can stop the madman.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Creepy, entertaining story with well-rounded characters.
CONS: Final, extended action sequence feels a little like overkill at times.
BOTTOM LINE: After two great novels, Joe Hill delivers his best.
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Kate Onyett lives and works in Oxford, UK, doing her bit for the NHS and the sick of England. When not nursing a doctor’s ego, she can be found reading and reviewing speculative fiction, and is open to suggestions and submissions for such (gizmomogwai at hotmail dot co dot uk). Her interest in the speculative found full flowering at university, when she talked her tutors into letting her write first about vampires, and then about pirates. Yarr.

It is 1972, and Poppy Munday travels down from South Shields in North England to seek her fortune and make something of herself in the Big Smoke that is hip and happening London. Supported by an older, worldlier cousin and a motherly landlady, Poppy overcomes homesickness and near tragedy (her favourite glam rocker survives being shot at while on stage) to win a competition to meet that same idol, Vince Cosmos. Foiling a second assassination attempt plunges her into Vince’s world of intergalactic adventure and intrigue. She joins forces with him and the strange little man from the upstairs flat to stop Martians taking over the world, one sequinned boot-step at a time.

Vince Cosmos is a funky, lively mix that harks back directly to the comfy, cosy adventures of late 70s, early 80s sci-fi adventures at tea time (the era of my own youth), and there is more than a whiff of classic Doctor Who about the style and tone of the play. This is not surprising, given that it is the brainchild of Paul Magrs, a respected fantasy and sci-fi author who has written for Doctor Who, and whose books are quirky gems, written with a humorously light touch. This is not grand, epic space opera, nor a grinding, angst-filled dramatic ‘event’. But it is a lot of fun, with an appealingly innocent sensibility. These are adventures where nothing so awfully terrible happens that the heroes cannot save the day, and where more potentially dangerous events are exciting instead of intimidating, leaving the heroes undeterred and unscathed. A theatre may be blown up, and a hotel suite shot up, but no one is killed. Baddies escape to make trouble for another day and death and grief are quite ‘alien’ to this nostalgic tale.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: The latest issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction contains one novella, two novelettes, and two short stories as well as poems, book reviews, a guest editorial and Robert Silverberg’s latest “Reflections”

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The June 2013 issue of Asimov’s is what every fan of short fiction hopes to find: a beautiful cover housing a handful of well-written, interesting and emotionally satisfying stories showcasing the strength of the medium.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Each story functions well within the parameters of its length; endings that satisfy and don’t leave the reader feeling cheated; characters that draw the reader in; wide variety of story type and setting.
CONS: Fans wishing for “science” in their “science fiction” may find little to excite their interest in the four shorter works.
BOTTOM LINE: This issue of Asimov’s is a study in genre-defying contrasts: aliens that come to Earth not to invade, but to negotiate for help; would-be assassins with well-reasoned morality concerns; the beauty to be found in a life filled with tragedy.  My high expectations for authors Robert Reed and Kristine Kathyrn Rusch, long-time favorites, were mostly met and three new-to-me authors offered up equally effective stories.  This was one issue of Asimov’s that was hard to put down, leading me to read it in one very enjoyable sitting.  It is on shelves now and worth owning for the cover image alone.

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MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Four police officers investigating a mobster’s death are sucked into the arcane and hidden world of London.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Excellent police procedural elements; believable and realistic portrayal of what such individuals would do with such a gift.
CONS: A couple of the breaks in POV away from the officers, especially a flashback sequence, don’t feel as strong as the remainder of the book; subject matter may not suit certain readers.
BOTTOM LINE: An extremely strong, page-turning novel.

Being a undercover police detective (UC) or an analyst in the London police force is not easy. If it’s not dealing with mobsters and the lowlifes in the department, there’s corruption, bureaucratic incompetence and rigidity, and the general daily grind of what it means to be a police officer. So when an unlikely encounter gives you the ability to see ghosts and other otherworldly things, it’s just one more problem for you to have to deal with. It’s disconcerting, if not bloody terrifying, and it reveals that there are things that do go bump in the night. So, as an officer in the London police force, what do you do?

You keep calm, carry on, and do your bloody job. Even if your remit is now wider, and stranger, than you could possibly have ever imagined.

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MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Emilie, running away from a bad home situation, accidentally winds up on a research vessel headed into the depths of the Hollow Earth.

MY REVIEW:
PROS: Strong female characters; interesting Hollow Earth world; imaginative worldbuilding.
CONS: Book feels much more middle grade than YA in tone and complexity
BOTTOM LINE: A good introduction to Martha Wells, especially for younger readers.

With a repressive home life with her aunt and uncle, is it any wonder that Emilie would decide to run away, seeking to reach her cousin and a berth in the school she runs? However, her attempt at running away goes wrong. No, her aunt and uncle do not hire a hedgewitch to track her down. Instead, she stows aboard the wrong ship — a research ship destined to head into the depths of the earth, to the strange and foreign Hollow World, to seek a missing scientist. An unwitting passenger she might be at first, but Emilie quickly learns that her talents will be needed if they are to ever return to the world above.

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REVIEW SUMMARY: Extremely strong debut, flintlock fantasy at its best.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The Vordanai Colonial regiment believes their miserable time in Khandar to be coming to a close – that is until a clever new Colonel arrives with a batch of reinforcements. With a force only 4,000 men strong, the Colonel intends to reclaim the city of Ashe-Katarion from a numerically superior force of rebels, raiders, and religious fanatics.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Excellent action scenes that display a wealth of military knowledge; unexpectedly strong female presence; clever world building; good characters.
CONS: If martial fiction isn’t your cup of tea you might not want to crash this party.
BOTTOM LINE: Wexler’s debut will appeal to fans of fantasy and fans of military fiction. I cannot wait for the next book of The Shadow Campaigns.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: A detailed, definitive biography on the life of Robert Heinlein.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The first of two volumes of Robert Heinlein’s life.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Detailed; exhaustive.
CONS: Volume 2 is still in the works.
BOTTOM LINE: A comprehensive and serious look at an author’s life and legacy.

I received a copy of Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve following its publication in 2010, intending on reading and reviewing it then. After cracking it open and starting it, I… stopped. There’s no good reason for this; it’s detailed, interesting, and does much to shed light on a very notable author in the science fiction community. But, it’s a dense read, and not really something that’s conducive to sitting down and reading cover to cover. I set the book aside at one point, intending to return shortly thereafter, and the break stretched out.
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