The Assassination of Orange by Joseph Brassey
The Assassination of Orange is another short (only two hours in audio) “sidequest” in the FOREWORLD universe shared by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, and others. Like the other sidequest I read, The Assassination of Orange is strictly historical fiction — there are no supernatural elements. It stands alone, so you don’t need to have read any of the other FOREWORLD stories.
This story,
September 18th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Neal Stephenson | Audio, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Cult author Philip K. Dick’s 20th published science fiction novel, The Zap Gun, was first released in book form (Pyramid paperback R-1569, with a cover price of 50 cents) in 1967, after having been serialized in the November 1965 and January 1966 issues of Worlds of Tomorrow magazine under the title “Project Plowshare.” Phil’s previously published book had been The Unteleported Man, later expanded as the largely incomprehensible Lies, Inc.,
September 18th, 2013. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | Philip K. Dick | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The One-Eyed Man: A Fugue, With Winds and Accompaniment by L.E. Modesitt Jr
I am a big fan of Modesitt’s science fiction work, even when he gets on his political soap box for gender, socially progressive politics, and environmental issues. The One-Eyed Man is a solo novel that encompasses all of these topics, but this time there is almost a feeling of cynicism that I really enjoyed.
Paulo Verano is an idealistic Environmental Analyst who has just been taken to the cleaners. In a scene that is familiar to many,
September 17th, 2013. John Hulet´s rating: 2.5 | L.E. Modesitt_Jr | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey
Warning: This review may contain spoilers of earlier SANDMAN SLIM books.
I admire writers who can create fast-paced, intricately plotted stories that still have layered, complete characters. To me, that’s the prose version of juggling eggs and chainsaws at the same time. In Devil Said Bang, Richard Kadrey’s fourth SANDMAN SLIM book, he accomplishes this feat while tap-dancing and simultaneously playing blues harmonica.
When Devil Said Bang opens,
September 17th, 2013. Marion Deeds´s rating: 4 | Richard Kadrey | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Issue 84 of Clarkesworld begins with “Mar Pacifico” by Greg Mellor, which I found to be one of the two best stories in this issue. It’s hard to resist a story that starts, “A pale dawn spread across the Pacific as my dead mother emerged from the waves.” The first person narrator’s mother is formed by a bloom of algeron. Algeron developed from nanotech built by humans “to bring the carbon cycles back into balance and enhance the power of the oceans to absorb more carbon from the polluted air.” But as it evolved,
September 16th, 2013. Terry Weyna | James Patrick Kelly, Ken Liu, Nancy Kress | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Nightmare has made it for a year now: the September issue is the twelfth. Based on the quality of the magazine to date, I hope it manages to at least cube that number.
“Halfway Home” by Linda Nagata is the first original story in this issue. It’s a stunner set in the real world; no supernatural beings or powers are at work here, just human evil. It starts so prosaically that one is lulled into a false sense of security, even boredom. Two women are speaking to one another as their flight leaves from the Philippines for Los Angeles.
September 16th, 2013. Terry Weyna | Joe McKinney, Linda Nagata, Peter Straub | Horror, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
After decades of reading SFF, and after stuffing hundreds of fantasy novels under my middle-aged belt (it occurs to me that this is not the most attractive metaphor), it surprises me when I finish book eight in a series and am eager to acquire book nine. It rarely happens anymore. But, I’ve just finished Proven Guilty, book eight in Jim Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES and I’m eager to move on to book nine, White Night.
September 16th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Jim Butcher | Audio | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |
SIDEKICK by J. Michael Straczynski
For a few weeks I’ve been introducing you to some excellent new comics that are just beginning. Last week I talked about TEN GRAND by JMS (J. Michael Straczynski) and this week I’ll talk about his new comic SIDEKICK. There are four issues of TEN GRAND out so far, but only one issue of SIDEKICK; therefore, though I can say for sure that I’m completely sold on TEN GRAND, I’m less sure about SIDEKICK.
September 13th, 2013. Brad Hawley´s rating: 4 | J. Michael Straczynski | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
The Rose and the Thorn is the second book in Michael J. Sullivan’s RIYRIA CHRONICLES. Sullivan continues to share “the early years” of Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn.
The Rose and the Thorn takes place about one year after the events in The Crown Tower. The book opens, not with our two wandering thieves-for-hire, but with Reuben Hilfred. Reuben is soon to be made one of the royal guards in King Amrath,
September 13th, 2013. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Michael J. Sullivan | SFF Reviews | no comments |
I’m reading two of Tad Williams books right now, and enjoying both very much. The first is The War of the Flowers, a one-volume epic fantasy with marvelous imagery and an appealing protagonist, just the sort of thing we’ve come to know and love from this author. The other is The Dirty Streets of Heaven, the first in Williams’s urban fantasy series starring Bobby Dollar, an angel who gets caught up in a battle between good and evil without knowing what the heck is going on. It reminds me of Dashiell Hammett,
September 12th, 2013. Terry Weyna | Tad Williams | Thoughtful Thursday | 15 comments |
Thanks for the kind words, Ira! Much appreciated!
Fine review
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!