Friday 1 February 2008

Sci-Fi Fan Letter Issue 18

The World's Biggest Bookstore's Science Fiction and Fantasy Newsletter
February 2008


Resenting the Hero
By: Moira Moore

Dunleavy Mallorough and Lord Shintaro Karish, Shield and Source, introvert and extrovert, whoever said opposites attract? Told exclusively from Dunleavy (Lee)’s point of view, we see what she truly thinks and feels, while her ever more frustrated partner hears only what she feels fit to tell, making for a hilarious novel.

Their bond means they must work together for the rest of their lives, channelling the energies that would otherwise cause natural disasters. And the disasters attacking the city they work in have just become, well, strange. Their bond also means that when one dies, so will the other. Which is a problem, since Karish’s older brother, a Duke, has just died. And it seems that someone doesn’t want Karish to inherit the position.

A great novel with an even better sequel, Resenting the Hero has a satisfying blend of humour and seriousness.

- Jessica Strider


At the Mountains of Madness
By H.P. Lovecraft

Precious little more needs to be said about Lovecraft these days and yet here we are. At the Mountains of Madness was my first foray into Lovecraft's writings and I have to say it is an excellent introduction. The exploration of the characters matches the reader's own journey into this strange new world of writing. The sterility of the Antarctic setting only emphasizes the austerity and the lack of warmth that Lovecraft uses when he tells his story. I can only recommend this book as it was truly a delight to read and an inspiration to read more of his works.

- Leeman

Moon Called
By: Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson is a mechanic in the Tri Cities area. She’s a walker, able to transform into a coyote and see ghosts. She was raised by the Marrok, the leader of the North American werewolves. Which is handy, since she needs his help.
The Alpha of the local pack, Adam, who lives next door, has been injured and his daughter kidnapped. Now Mercy needs to find out what’s going on. Because a young werewolf she helped is dead and it seems as if Adam’s pack is untrustworthy.

Unfortunately, the wolf the Marrok sends to help is none other than Sam, her first love, whom she ran away from when she was 16. And it seems that love dies hard.
- Jessica Strider

Breath & Bone
By: Carol Berg

We’re used to fantasy heroes being courageous princes, innocent ‘farm’ boys and cunning thieves. Valen is none of these. He is a liar. He is a deserter. He is a recondeur, a pureblood magician who has walked away from his responsibilities. He is an addict to a substance that changes pain into pleasure.

Yet, through the course of this duology, begun in Flesh and Ashes, Valen becomes so much more.
Detailing the last months of Valen’s 27th year, the books combine intrigue, murder, betrayal and the fantastic as the end of days approach. A fanatical priestess desires to purify the world with fire and blood while a small cabal of monks and nobles plan to salvage what they can of mankind.
Valen is rescued by the monks, carrying a manuscript that thrusts him into the heart of the cabal and events that will forge him into a true hero.

- Jessica Strider

Coming in March Hardcover:
Personal Demon - Kelley Armstrong
Tangled Web - Anne Bishop
Spider Star - Mike Brotherton
When the Tide Rises - David Drake
Elom - William Drinkard
The Dragon Done It - Eric Flint & Mike Resnick, Ed.
Truancy - Isamu Fukui
The Dreaming Void - Peter Hamilton
A World Too Near - Kay Kenyon
The Born Queen - Greg Keyes
Deluge - Anne McCaffrey & Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
The Stars Down Under- Sandra McDonald
Bone Song- John Meaney
Viewpoints Critical: Selected Stories - L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Crosstime - Andre Norton
The Ancient - R.A. Salvatore
Steward of Song - Adam Stemple
In the Court of the Crimson Kings - S.M. Stirling
Rolling Thunder - John Varley
Hidden City - Michelle West
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Sean Williams
Space Vulture - Gary Wolf

Trade Paperback:
Somnambulist - Jonathan Barnes
Anvil of Stars - Greg Bear
Wanderer’s Tale - David Bilsborough
Lachlei - M.H. Bonham
Golden Rose - Kathleen Bryan
Alchemist’s Code - Dave Duncan
Black Ships - Jo Graham
Tomorrow’s World - Davie Henderson
Ravenloft: Dominion - Ari Marmell
Mad Kestral - Misty Massey
Lord of the Spiders - Michael Moorcock
Heart of Stone - C.E. Murphy
The Man of the Ceiling - Melanie Tem & Steve Rasnic Tem
Shadowplay - Tad Williams

Mass Market Paperback:
BSI: Starside: Final Inquiries - Roger Macbride Allen
Belladonna - Anne Bishop
Forgotten Realms: Undead - Richard Lee Byers
Blackness Tower - Lilian Stewart Carl
Alliance Space - C.J. Cherryh
Antagonist - Gordon Dickson
Harp, Pipe & Symphony - Paul Di Fillipo
Starstrike: Operation Orion - Niles Douglas
Mother of Lies - Dave Duncan
The Boys are Back in Town - Christopher Golden
Wildwood Road - Christopher Golden
Something Magic This Way Comes - Martin Greenberg & Sarah Hoyt
Succubus in the City - Nina Harper
Planet of the Damned - Harry Harrison
Goblin War - Jim Hines
Echoes of an Alien Sky - James Hogan
Heart of Light - Sarah Hoyt
Right Hand of God - Russell Kirkpatrick
By Slanderous Tongues - Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis
Eberron: Darkwood Mask - Jeff La Sala
Word for World Is Forest - Ursula K. Le Guin
Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume 2 - George Mann, Ed.
Odalisque - Fiona McIntosh
Elysium Commission - L.E. Modesitt
Clockwork Heart - Dru Pagliasotti
Von Neumann’s War - John Ringo & Travis Taylor
Farseed - Pamela Sargent
Star Trek: Day of the Vipers - James Swallow
Blue War - Jeffrey Thomas
Judge - Karen Traviss
Titans of Chaos - John Wright

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