New Arrivals - early November '07

I'm showing no respect for chronological continuity, I know, but as I was compiling the list of the last couple of weeks' worth of incoming books for the next UKSFBN Books Received item (during the England match on Wednesday, and my musings on that utter bloody fiasco are here, if anyone's even remotely interested...) I re-spotted a few titles that first caught my eye when they came in a couple of weeks ago:

The Family Trade by Charles Stross

'The Family Trade' by Charles Stross - Click for ordering info from Amazon.co.ukYears ago I had an idea for a fantasy saga about a clan of merchant adventurers, which - what with me being a somewhat feckless lad and possessing little actual skill at prose-crafting - I never actually got around to writing. Still, the whole merchant adventurers concept has continued to intrigue me and I think there's some definite mileage in it. Having said that, Raymond E. Feist rather fouled it up in Rise of a Merchant Prince, but I'm hoping that Charles Stross will have made a better fist of it...

This is part one of the Merchant Princes series, and it's taken a while to come out in the UK, as Orbit have preferred to focus on Stross' science fiction, but Tor UK have finally taken the plunge. And so, on to the 'to-be-read' shelves it goes.

Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis

'Black Magic Woman' by Justin Gustainis - Click for ordering info from Amazon.co.ukOkay, this one's got an intriguingly neo-noir cover by Chris McGrath, for starters. The chap in the shadows is presumably Quincey Morris, supernatural investigator, and I'm guessing that the lass in femme fatale mode is Libby Chastain, white witch, and - in the first of what will presumably grow into an ongoing series - they're trying to free a family from the curse of a practitioner of the dark arts.

Sounds familiar? Well, it probably does, because there is a lot of this stuff about at the moment, obviously. But I am partial to a bit of the old supernatural detectivery à la Jim Butcher, so if this one turns out to be anywhere near as well-written and entertaining as The Dresden Files then I'll be happy to add another to my growing list of authors to watch out for. All depends on how soon I get the chance to give it a proper perusal...

Martin Martin's On the Other Side (UK Proof) by Mark Wernham

'Martin Martin's On the Other Side' by Mark Wernham - Click for ordering info from Amazon.co.ukOkay, this one has come right out of left-field. Ignoring the fact that the book is dis-graced with what has to be one the worst book covers I've seen in many a long year (I don't know what effect the designers at Jonathan Cape were aiming for, but they seem to have hit 'self-published crap' smack, bang on the head...) the premise sounds like it might have a bit of entertainment potential.

The story is set in an anarchic and dystopian near-future, a government spy is ordered to infiltrate a sinister cult. What ensues is apparently "an astonishing and crazed debut" that "breathes new life into the dystopian tradition ... a skewed and frightening vision of the not-too distant future, but also an unforgettably funny one." The prologue (just read it, only a page and a half) is suitably mysterious as well.

Okay, I'll bite. No idea when, but I'll give this one a go at some point, see what happens. Why not?

November 24, 2007 | Filed Under Books | Leave a Comment 

New Arrivals - late March '07

Another month, another batch of great new books that I really, really wish I had time to read...

'Fragile Things' by Neil GaimanFragile Things by Neil Gaiman

I realised the other day - when this paperback edition of Gaiman's second (third) short fiction collection arrived - that I'm shockingly far behind with my Gaiman reading - I still haven't set aside time for American Gods, and I haven't even bought a copy of The Wolves in the Walls yet, nor much of his recent graphic novel output.

So, given my love of Gaiman's short fiction, and my (increasingly rash-seeming) vow to read more short fiction this year, I might have to bump this one up the list...

'The Execution Channel' by Ken MacLeodThe Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod

This is one I definitely want to read sooner rather than later, not least because my good friend Joe Gordon had some very good things to say about it when we were chatting by email a couple of weeks ago. I also want to read it while it's still topically speculative, instead of historically retrospective... well, hopefully things won't get quite so bad as Ken is forecasting in Execution Channel but then you just never know. After all, George Orwell's prediction of a Big Brother-obsessed mindless drone-society was only 20 or so years out... Mind you, I've never watched the TV series, so I don't know how faithful an adaptation it is...

Have also received hardback copies of The Intruders by Michael Marshall Smith, and Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box - both of which I've read and thoroughly enjoyed already - as well as John Meaney's Bone Song, which is right up there on the to-be-read list (which I really need to update sometime).

April 2, 2007 | Filed Under Books | 2 Comments 

New Arrivals / Recommended Reading - late Jan '07

No fewer than four must-read new titles came in at the back end of last month, which threatened to throw my to-be-read list into fresh disarray. As it happens though, I've already finished one of 'em(The Intruders - highly recommended!) and started another. Hmmm. So, perhaps not so much 'disarray' as 'temporary abeyance'...

'The Intruders' by Michael MarshallThe Intruders by Michael Marshall

Michael Marshall (Smith) fans are going to love this one. It's a classic MM(S) tale: the protagonist, Jack Whalen, is basically an ordinary guy with a background in taking care of himself - in this case he's an ex L.A. cop - who finds himself flung into having to deal with an extraordinary situation, and with little idea of how big a situation he's landed in, or how deep the trouble goes.

In this case events are triggered by the disappearance of his wife, Amy, with whom he's very much in love, and the re-appearance of an old high school acquaintance, Gary Fisher; the golden jock who went off the rails following a suicide by a secret admirer and has since wound up practising law, and who is now dealing with a rather odd-feeling last will and testament.

But of course, nothing is ever quite as it seems in an MM(S) novel, and The Intruders is no exception. I'll say no more, to avoid spoilerage - although speaking of which, if you're planning on reading The Intruders, then do not read the blurb on the back of the book as it contains a moderate spoiler that could damage the narrative tension of a particular segment - but suffice to say it's full of all the MM(S) hallmarks: rich prose, great characterisation and an absolutely wonderful observational eye. No other writer I've encountered to-date is quite as good at summing up the intricacies of human relationships in so few words. And dammit, he writes a damn good shoot-out as well...

'Black Man' by Richard MorganBlack Man by Richard Morgan

And, having finished a contemporary conspiracy-plot thriller, I've launched myself straight into a high-tech, futuristic techno-thriller by another of my very favourite authors: Richard Morgan. Black Man is, as far as I can ascertain so far, set in the same milieu as Morgan's earlier Takeshi Kovacs novels, although I think it might be set in a much earlier time-frame; I'd have to check back with the earlier books to find out for sure.

I'm only a few chapters in so far, but already the book has the classic Morgan hallmarks; special agents running more or less amok, hard-pressed police detectives having to deal with far out-of-the-ordinary cases (in this case a downed spacecraft that crashes in the Pacific Ocean en-route from Mars) and a dark, gritty atmosphere that you can taste in the back of your mouth.

I'm looking forward to losing myself in this one over the next couple of weeks and I'll let you know how I get on, of course...

'Ysabel' by Guy Gavriel KayYsabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

For years now, I haven't met a Guy Gavriel Kay novel that I haven't instantly liked; well, not since his debut trilogy outing, The Fionavar Trilogy, which frankly I wasn't too keen on at all (the author and I have exchanged emails on the subject at some point, and apparently I'm not alone in the hate/love thing... although he did explain that there's a fair bit more to the series than I first read into it... but I was only 17 or so at the time, so we can blame the callowness of youth...)

Anyhow, Ysabel is a rare outing for Kay, in that it's set in a contemporary environment, albeit one in which the mythical past seems to be magically impinging. In his last few novels he's established an alternative version of our own world's Iron Age and Medieval histories and has written about various time periods within this new timeline. I'm intrigued to find out whether this new novel represents a blurring of the boundaries between our own world and this alternate universe, or whether the 'contemporary' setting of Ysabel actually turns out to be the modern-day equivalent in that world all along... if you follow me.

I'll be reading this one before too long, I expect, so again, I'll report back as and when.

'The Terror' by Dan Simmons title=The Terror by Dan Simmons

Now, this one looked highly intriguing when it turned up, but I have to confess to being somewhat worried by the daunting 784 page-count. Plus, whilst I enjoyed the artistry of Ilium - Simmons' re-mix of The Iliad - I probably didn't get as much out of it as I should have, given the rave reviews it received elsewhere. So, my initial reaction to The Terror was coloured by the worry that I might suffer the same fate here - and at a considerable investment in precious time as well.

Then I had a coffee with the esteemed John Berlyne, proprietor of The Works of Tim Powers and UK reviews editor for SFRevu, and he said that it was an absolutely wonderful book. In fact, he went as far as to say that it's one of the best three books he's ever read... and this from the guy who's one of the world's leading authorities on Tim Powers (you can read his review on SFRevu).

So now I'm really going to have to read it. Although I might wait until the end of October and take it away on my hols to read by the pool. A chilling tale of terror set in the Arctic ice fields might be just the antidote to all that Maltese sunshine I'm planning on soaking up...

February 15, 2007 | Filed Under Books | 3 Comments 

New Arrivals - mid Jan '07

A couple of items of particular interest turned up this week, which I reckon are well worth bringing to your attention:

'Albion' by Alan Moore, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Shane Oakley, George FreemanAlbion by Moore, Moore, Reppion, Oakley and Freeman

Ever wondered what happened to all those classic British comics characters when their publications went under, merged, or just gradually faded away? Well, this is your chance to find out. A real cornucopia for the Brit-comics fan-boy and fan-girl, and a good, old-fashioned jailbreak romp for anyone else.

And I do rather have to admit that I was stuck firmly in the second camp; my childhood comics reading was pretty much limited to The Beano, a dash of Whizzer and Chips and a smattering of The Dandy, with a foray into the re-launched version of Eagle in the '80s, then Battle / Action Force and finally 2000AD (I'm still a subscriber to the latter, as it happens). As a result, I can't count myself amongst the lucky few who will be able to pick up on the majority of the character references and cameo appearances in Albion. And I'm sure there must have been dozens here.

Still, it was an enjoyable read and one I'm glad I made time for. I just wish I'd spent more of my childhood leisure time with my nose stuck in a comic book...

'Bone Song' by John MeaneyBone Song by John Meaney

Now this is an intriguing little number, and no mistake. Simon Spanton of UK publishing house Gollancz has sent me this 'ere proof in a quite deliberate, pre-meditated attempt to disrupt my 'to-be read' list... and I do believe he may have succeeded, too.

With Bone Song John Meaney takes a tangent away from his previous space-opera-esque outings to present a crime / horror cross-over... or a baroque future-fantasy... or maybe a space-grand-guignol (I'm not sure quite which it is yet, but I'm itching to find out...) set in Tristopolis, a city powered by its own dead, who lies neatly stacked in necroflux generators in vast catacombs below ground.

It seems to be a mystery tale, anyhow; possibly even a police procedural. Not too much given away in the blurb (which makes a change...) so I think the only way to discover more will be to give it a go. I'll report back when I know what's what...

January 19, 2007 | Filed Under Books, Comics & GNs | 2 Comments 

New Arrivals - end Dec '06, early Jan '07

Three new items came in recently that have particularly caught my eye. All proof copies of forthcoming UK titles:

'Heart-Shaped Box' by Joe HillHeart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

I'm going to have to fight Jo for first-reading rights to this one. We both loved Joe Hill's debut short fiction collection, Twentieth Century Ghosts and have been looking forward to getting our hands on his debut novel ever since it was announced.

Heart-Shaped Box promises to be "...the best debut horror novel since Clive Barker's Damnation Game twenty years ago... A genuinely scary novel filled with people you care about; the kind of book that still stays in your mind when you turn over the final page." And those are Neil Gaiman's words, not mine.

Published by Gollancz in the UK in March, folks. More information on Amazon.co.uk.

'The Court of the Air' by Stephen HuntThe Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

Mr Hunt is the webmeister of the long-running and highly popular genre 'zine SF Crow's Nest, and The Court of the Air is not his first novel to be published. His debut was For the Crown and the Dragon, which won the WH Smith New Talent Prize way back in 1994 (I'll be dropping Mr Hunt a few interview questions for UKSFBN a bit closer to publication date, so I'll see if we can find out about the hiatus).

The Court of the Air looks to be as a quasi-Victorian adventure / melodrama - so it should appeal to fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell et. al. - starring Molly Templar and Oliver Brooks; two orphaned children who must flee from ruthless enemies in the company of outlaws, thieves and spies.

It sounds like a rollicking adventure yarn and a thoroughly good read; the only thing that's making me slightly wary is the rather hefty page-count (582 in the proof), although the page margins and font-size are both generous. One for the list and see if the mood takes me, I reckon...

'Ink' by Hal DuncanInk by Hal Duncan

This is the follow-up to Hal Duncan's much talked-about 2005 debut, Vellum [Amazon]. I have to confess that I was one of the weak-willed, lilly-livered, namby-pamby types who gave up halfway through the first volume, so it's unlikely that Ink will be troubling my 'must read' list anytime soon, not until I've had the chance to gird my loins and re-tackle Vellum with renewed determination.

But I did read enough first time around to recognise that Hal Duncan is an intelligent and intriguing writer with the potential to produce a great deal of very fine work in the future. I'll be keeping an eye on the reaction to this second volume; I'm interested to see what folks make of it, now they think they might have an idea what to expect (although somehow I doubt that it will turn out to be quite what anyone expects...)

There's a good interview with the author over at Fantasybookspot in which he talks about the relationship between the two books, which might give you a couple of clues.

January 10, 2007 | Filed Under Books | 2 Comments 



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