Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Death's Master by Tanith Lee
I've just discovered that Death's Master, winner of the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Fantasy Award, is to be reprinted next month by Norilana Books at £12 for the PB and £20 for the HB editions (go here for further information). This is good news, indeed. Death's Master is the second in the Tales from the Flat Earth series, "which, in the manner of The One Thousand and One Nights, portrays an ancient world in mythic grandeur via connected tales."
Norilana adds: "Long time ago when the Earth was Flat, beautiful indifferent Gods lived in the airy Upperearth realm above, curious passionate demons lived in the exotic Underearth realm below, and mortals were relegated to exist in the middle.
Uhlume, Lord of Death, second of the Lords of Darkness, King of Shadow and Pallor, makes an unusual bargain which sets in motion an intricate sequence of events that entangle men and gods, queens and kings, sorcerers and witches, and lowly wanderers. When the secret to immortality falls into human hands, dark magic and wickedness are unleashed, testing the bounds of mortal love and sanity, and questioning the nature and purpose of life itself.
Note: These are the definitive editions, revised and formatted as the author originally intended, containing a new original introduction by Tanith Lee, and a unique previously unpublished interior illustration. The cover image is a design by Tanith Lee's husband and artist John Kaiine, incorporating her own artwork in the center frame, which makes it a fan and collector's delight."
Further excellent news: Tanith Lee's The Birthgrave is due out on 1 November. I remember devouring these novels when they were first published.
Married With Zombies by Jesse Petersen
"Meet Sarah and David: Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they’re on the verge of divorce and going to couples’ counselling. On a routine trip to their counsellor they notice a few odd things -– the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counsellor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client’s throat.
Meet the Zombies: Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn’t mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don’t eat their brains, they might just kill each other.
Married With Zombies is a heart-warming tale of terror set during the time of the zombie uprising."
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
The Black Prism introduces a new world, a new magic system, and a new cast of characters -- plus the twists, turns, and reversals of fortune fans loved in The Night Angel trilogy.
Grasping for the Wind calls The Black Prism “an epic fantasy unlike any of its contemporaries… a truly visionary and original work.” And Fantasy Book Critic says: “The main flaw of The Black Prism is that it ends -- despite 600+ pages and a reasonable ending point, I still wanted another 600 at least!”
You can read a three-chapter excerpt here. And right now Brent is on a ten city tour reading and signing the book. If you live in the USA check in on the tour schedule here.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Coming this autumn is the latest from Stephen King. Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of four novellas, an area at which King excels. They are "1922", "Big Driver", "Fair Extension" and " A Good Marriage". Full Dark is published in November by Hodder at £18.99 (and probably as an eBook, too). Expect great things!
Blonde on a Stick by Conrad Williams
Reviewed by Peter Coleborn
Out now is Conrad Williams' foray into crime with Blonde on a Stick. The publishers say of Williams' dialogue: "it's razor sharp [and] peppered with the poetry of everyday profanity." That's something to live up to; fortunately for Williams (British Fantasy Society member and a writer more associated with horror fiction), he does a pretty good job.
The book begins with a prologue, in which the 'Four-Year-Old' arrives in London from Liverpool. He's a killer on a mission; and no sooner does he reach Euston he meets Linda -- and the inevitable occurs. It's described discreetly with no gross out, a trap into which a lesser writer may fall.
Then chapter one starts with a different character, a different story. Joel Sorrell is a private investigator, an ex-cop -- with a past. His wife has been murdered; his daughter is long missing. He loses himself in his work. Fortunately, he seems to be a detective who is able to dump his emotional baggage at the left luggage for most of the time. Sorrell is hired to find the missing brother of Kara; but he's only been gone for hours, a day or so at most. Things are not, naturally, as they seem. She really isn't Kara Geenan. He's beaten up; someone tries to kill him (others are killed); he has problems with the police. And then reluctantly, he has to return to Liverpool, his old stomping ground, to follow up the leads.
Part one ends and the next one continues with the story of the 'Four-Year-Old'. And I think, oh bugger, I'd forgotten all about him. Here, the killer moves through London; but the now is intermingled with the story of his past. Somewhere down the line Sorrell and the killer are sure to meet.
Blonde on a Stick is a fast-moving crime-noir, played on the streets of London and Liverpool rather than LA. It has a wise-cracking detective in Sorrell who gets beaten up a lot, rather like the Jack Nicholson PI in Chinatown. Williams' novel is bound to attract a large audience from both the dark crime and horror camps, and is sure to be a hit.
Hunter Prey: film review
Hunter Prey, directed by Sandy Collora
Reviewed by Peter Coleborn
There may be a few plot spoilers in this review, so be warned. After their space ship crash-lands on a barren desert planet, four bounty hunters chase after their escaped prisoner. For the first twenty minutes the hunters wear protective gear against the planet's climate, a costume that's part knight in armour, but mostly Boba Fett. During this period it's difficult to distinguish which of the hunters is talking. That is, until their bodies adjust to the external conditions and they can remove their headgear. And this is when we get the first 'shock' -- assuming you haven't already deduced it. The bounty hunters are the aliens, the fugitive the human.
One by one, the fugitive picks off his pursuers until there's only one alien left. For some reason, the man does not kill this lone bounty hunter when he has ample opportunity. Is he the noble savage in a strange land? And (you've guessed) they develop a kind of a bond, albeit one based on distrust and laced with lies. It turns out that the man is the last human being after his world was destroyed by these militaristic aliens. He must be captured alive so he can be persuaded (tortured) to divulge the co-ordinates of a space ship headed to their home planet, a ship that is, essentially, a world-destroying bomb.
Enough of the plot. What about the characters? The aliens possess little facial characteristics and so come across a bit emotionless. The man is more convincing. Some of the dialogue is corny: it seems that alien military uses the same sort of terminology, and is staffed by the same belligerent folk, as is ours. So is there any real difference between us and them? Probably not.
This movie takes its influences from a host of SF films, Star Wars in particular. It also is, of course, a huge nod and a wink to the John Boorman film Hell in the Pacific, starring Lee Marvin and Toshirô Mifune. You could say that Hunter Prey is a collage of homages. Did I enjoy the film? Once into the story, after confusing beginning was past, I found it strangely engrossing for the rest of its 88 minutes. Hunter Prey is released on DVD on 6 September by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Reviewed by Jan Edwards
Niffenegger’s previous novel, the SF romance The Time-Traveller’s Wife, and subsequent film, was a basic time-travel romp which, provided you could keep track of when the hero was, could be seen as a fairly simple story. You knew from the start what to expect and only the how was there for the telling. Her Fearful Symmetry, however, is more Gothic in style and content; it’s also far more subtle with far more tension, and with more than one twist to its plot.
A ghost story in every sense: Elspeth Noblin dies, having set up a series of life-changing diktats in her will, only to find that she has not moved on. As Elspeth’s twin nieces Valentina and Julia (daughters of Elspeth’s own estranged twin Edie) arrive from America to take up their inheritance, a plan gradually comes to her. Her flat overlooks Highgate Cemetery (where her body lies). In the flat above is the OCD Martin, desperate to overcome his agoraphobia so that he can follow his wife to her native Netherlands. In the flat below, Elspeth’s lover Robert mourns her death and writes his thesis on the cemetery and its inhabitants, of which his lover and her family are a part.
Death, love and obsession are the themes here, and there are plenty of all to go round. Valentina falls for Robert, and he for her, despite his still periodically masturbating over Elspeth’s possessions. Julia, jealous of her sister, attempts to fall for Martin, but fails. And Elspeth’s brooding spectre watches and guards her biggest secret of all until her ability to haunt the residents allows her to bring her self-obsessed plot to fruition. It’s impossible to say more without giving the story away.
A slow start to this book, it must be said, but once Niffenegger has finally set her scenes it is a genuine page turner with a macabre yet strangely satisfying end. It may be found on the general fiction shelf in Waterstones’ but make no mistake, this is romance of the paranormal – but not something you are likely to see alongside the standard paranormal romances. Her Fearful Symmetry is a ghost story with a genuine creep factor and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Realms 2. Stories from Clarkesworld
Realms 2 is copyright 2010 but I gather the stories originally appeared over a period from 2007 to 2008. For more information visit the Clarksworld and Wyrm websites.
Cinderella & The Unwritten: graphic novels
Also out now is the second volume of Mike Carey's The Unwritten. Subtitled Inside Man, the book is illustrated by Peter Gross and collects issues six to twelve of the monthly comic. The Unwritten is a complex story, about tales with tales, fiction within fiction -- and is quite engrossing. Published by Vertigo at $12.99.
Why Cinderella should cost an extra $2.00, I've no idea. Both books have roughly the same page count.
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