MBR: The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Midwest Book Review
The Separated
Troon Harrison
Brown Barn Books
119 Kettle Creek Road, Weston, CT 06883
0976812614 $12.95 www.brownbarnbooks.com
The Separated: The First Tale Of Terre by Troon Harrison is the story
of young Vita, Giovanni, and Marina in the magical realm of Verde, and
the merciless power of the evil Lord Maldici. Readers will follow the
three adventurers as their destined pursuits ultimately draw them into
the chambers of the malignant dark evils of Maldici and his daughter. A
skillfully crafted novel of fantasy action/adventure, The Separated is
very highly recommended for its creative and magical world and tangible
vivid descriptions of battles of faith and revolution.
Sojourn
Jana G. Oliver
Dragon Moon Press
PO Box 1126, Norcross, GA 30091
1896944302 $19.95 www.janaoliver.com
Jana G. Oliver's unique time travel novel, Sojourn is the adventure
story of Jacynda Lassiter, a Time Rover sent on a mission to London in
the year of 1888 to prevent a missing 'tourist' from disturbing and
changing history. Featuring a deftly intertwining plot populated
mysterious and dangerous shape-shifters, Irish anarchists edging closer
to attacks on the Crown, and the murderous Jack The Ripper, Sojourn is
a riveting tale of Lassiter's persistent struggle to save the time line
necessary for the continued existence her own world of 2057, or perish
in her failure to protect it. An original and well crafted story,
Sojourn is very highly recommended reading for Sci-Fi buffs and clearly
document Jana G. Oliver as a gifted storyteller and a master of the
genre.
The Feast Of Catchville
Scott F. Falkner
Stone Garden Publishing
3851 Cottonwood Drive, Danville, CA 94506
1600760112 $6.99 www.stonegarden.net
The Feast Of Catchville by Scott F. Falkner is a grippingly written
horror novella depicting the tale of Seth and Anne Landon who become
involved with a peculiar and rustic hotel in northern Wisconsin as it
becomes the site of terrifying happenings. Carrying readers from late
March of 2007 to the end of November of 2008, The Feast Of Catchville
tells of a macabre adventure consuming the lives of Seth, Anne, and
their beloved friend, Maggie, who is the owner of the hotel and diner
where they first discovered the mystery. Documenting author Scott
Falkner as an original and talented writer, The Feast Of Catchville is
very highly recommended reading, especially for horror fantasy buffs as
an original and engaging tale of three intertwined lives.
Star Corps
Kevin A. Richard
First Books Library/Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
1410706729 $19.95 www.authorhouse.com
Star Corps: Book One by Kevin A. Richards is the first volume in a
series of action/adventure science fiction novels featuring Devin Phase
and an intricate futuristic universe in which a hell-bent collection of
merciless aliens demand control of the human galaxy as they consume
everything in their path -- including Devin's own planet. As the group
of mercenaries called Star Corps gathers to defeat the ruthless aliens
known as the Locuta, Star Corps carries its readers through the
engaging tale of deceit, espionage, persistence, love, and glory as
politics and jealousy-driven decisions bring Devin's galaxy through an
endlessly fascinating set of twists and turns from first page to last.
Star Corps Book One is very highly recommended to all science fiction
fans as a high-paced sci-fi thriller.
Perikles Publishing
PO Box 5367, Naperville, IL 60567
www.dropas.com
The first volume of "The Dropas" trilogy, Breaking Through The Walls
(0967257115, $11.95) by Scott R. Etters continues the courageous saga
of two brothers Scott and Timm, and their assistant Pockets, in a
determined attempt to create a public education in a troubled world of
the future. Taking place a mere six years after history's most
devastating war, Breaking Through The Walls carries its readers through
haunting memories, hardships, unexpected obstacles, a cast of memorable
characters, all set in the future of a world recovering from a war that
wiped out nearly two-billion people. A promising treaty and the
brothers' relentless efforts to aide their people in the fight to bring
down the evil Lord Ozone make for an engaging read from first page to
last. Transcendental Journey (0967257123, $19.95) is the second volume
of the trilogy and thoughtfully entertaining reading as Scott, Timm,
Pockets, and their friends must once again unite to expel evil forces
once again threatening darkness and destruction in the aftermath of
Lord Ozone's original defeat. Fate Of Eternity (096725714X, $TBA) is
the concluding volume to "The Dropas" trilogy as presents our heroes
with a powerful new enemy in the form of Arton and his powerful army
seeking to destroy Athena and her beloved paradise. The answer may be
the existence of a soul in Dropa that can overcome this new menace.
Scott R. Etters is a gifted storyteller who in "The Dropas" trilogy has
created and original, complex, and thoroughly entertaining world of
high adventure that will prove ideal reading for even the most
demanding fantasy buff.
Black Pockets
George Zebrowski
Golden Gryphon Press
3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802
1930846401 $24.95 goldengryphon.com
Black Pockets And Other Dark Thoughts by George Zebrowski is an
impressively entertaining collection of this accomplished author's
memorable short stories of horror gathered together under one cover,
and includes the novella "Black Pockets" which was written especially
for this anthology of dark fantasy. Combining metaphorical lore and a
born storyteller's skills, Black Pockets contributes works analyzing
personal, political, metaphysical, and vividly intimate stories ranging
from the dwellings of Gore Vidal in The Coming Of Christ The Joker, to
the mind of Tim and the mysterious girl in First Love, First Fear.
Black Pockets is very highly recommended reading, particularly for
horror fantasy enthusiasts for its deft authorship of original and
highly evocative tales that will haunt your dreams long after the
volume is finished and set back upon the shelf.
Horse Passages
Jennifer Macaire
Medallion Press
225 Seabreeze Avenue, Palm Beach, FL 33480
1932815120 $9.99 medallionpress.com
Horse Passages by Jennifer Macaire is the story Carl and Meagan Cadet
and the Federation, a group devoted to saving the beautiful and magical
horses who travel through galaxies. Readers will follow Meagan and Carl
as they choose to join forces with the Jeffries brothers and pursue
battle with the Raiders. Meagan and Luke Jeffries find themselves have
to escape from the captivity of the barbaric aliens, something that has
never before been done. An engaging novel taking place on a world far
away, featuring an intimately detailed plot, Horse Passages is very
highly recommended as action/adventure science fiction novel and an
altogether entertaining read.
Giant Lizards from Another Star
Ken MacLeod
Nesfa Press
PO Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701
1886778620 $25.00 www.nesfaparess.com
Ken MacLeod's a powerful hard science fiction writer who applied the
techniques of Hal Clement to cyperpunk ideas: GIANT LIZARDS FROM
ANOTHER STAR gathers his well known novellas 'Cyndonia' and 'The Human
Front' under one cover and adds four short stories, poems convention
reports, essays and more shorter pieces to round out the presentation.
While many of these have been published in smaller magazines, most will
be new even to MacLeod fans, and provide a comprehensive representation
of his many talented works under one cover. A 'must' for any MacLeod
fan or hard science fiction fan.
The Empire of Ice Cream
Jeffrey Ford
Golden Gryphon
3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802
1930846398 $24.95 www.goldengryphon.com
In 2002 Jeffrey Ford's first science fiction collection received much
critical acclaim; here's his second, THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM, to
provide a wonderful set of short stories diverse in subject and nearly
surreal in description. Indeed, it's Ford's lovely turns of phrase
which keep images solid in mind and lend to his whimsical, detailed
story of very different lives, from the boatman of Hell who decides to
go on vacation to the story of a young boy's coming of age in a town
trying to live with perceived violence.
Baen Books
PO Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
www.baen.com
John Ringo's KILDAR (1416520643, $26.00) tells of Mark Harmon, who
always wanted to be a SEAL but having angered every terrorist on Earth,
decides to buy a farm in a third world country. His time-traveling
adventures aren't over with home ownership however: His attempt to drag
some Keldara peasants into the 21st century before the Chechen put them
back in the 6th is complicated by romance, danger, and good beer. A
fun, fast-paced adventure typical of John Ringo's forte evolves. Eric
Flint's BOUNDARY is co-written with Ryk E. Spoor (1416509321, $26.00)
and combines dinosaurs, time travel and deep space in a wonderful blend
of fun and intrigue. A teen's find of a 'funny fossil' nobody's seen
before in the Montana badlands lends to high drama and a
paleontologist's journey to Mars for answers in this vivid drama
combining past and future. Eric Flint's GRANTVILLE GAZETTE II
(1416520511, $25.00) provides sequels to Flint's sensational 1632,
edited and created by Flint. From the story of the town's journey from
20th century West Virginia to 18th century Europe during the middle of
the Thirty years War to a tale of Indian future rulers who send an
ambassador to Grantville, and a new government's medical school despite
resistance from all manners of time traveler, short stories and novels
contributed by a range of writers receive Flint's leadership and build
on his fine alternate history theme.
River of Gods
Ian McDonald
Pyr
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024366 $25.00 www.pyrsf.com
It's 2047 - the hundredth birthday of India - and six very
different people, from a gangster and copy to a set designer, a
scientist and a dropout, will find their lives entwined in a country
set to see its greatest change yet. Social issues blend with futuristic
concerns in a weighty novel which uses India's culture and past to
build an engrossing story of a nation's uncertain future in a techo
world facing extreme shock and changes.
Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman
William Morrow
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022
006051518X $26.95 www.harpercollins.com
Charlie Nancy can't shake the name 'Fat Charlie', which his departed
father bestowed upon him - nor his other unwelcome gifts: a
good-looking stranger who might be his brother, and the discovery his
father was really Anansi, a trickster god embodying the spirit of
rebellion. Taking up where AMERICAN GODS left off, Gaiman returns a new
novel of intrigue, fantasy and a light touch of humor to provide a read
both adults and young adults will find compelling and vivid.
The Thirteenth House
Sharon Shinn
Ace/Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014
0441013686 $24.95 www.penguin.com
The first book of the "Twelve Houses' introduced the land of
Gillengaria: readers familiar with that novel and its warm yet troubled
country will relish a return to the scene in THE THIRTEENTH HOUSE, a
story in which Kirra returns to her home to learn her half sister has
been proclaimed heir to the land - and refuses to assume many of the
duties associated with her new role. When Kirra attempts to use her
shape-shifting talents to take her sister's place to keep up
appearances, she unexpectedly connects with old companions and faces
new dangers in her new guise - and falls in love.
Futureshocks
Lou Anders, Editor
ROC/NAL/Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014
0451460650 $14.95 www.penguin.com
Lou Anders oversaw the fine anthology LIVE WITHOUT A NET: his latest
compilation, FUTURESHOCKS, gathers new science fiction and horror
stories which have roots in biological, technological and sociological
change and feature works by seasoned authors, from Paul Di Fillipo and
Mike Resnick to Harry Turtledove and Louise Marley. Any who enjoy
speculating about the future's dangers will relish a collection which
gathers engrossing stories of future dangers.
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