Cover Art | Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)

Here's the cover for Alastair Reynolds' next novel, Terminal World, due out from Gollancz this coming October.

Spearpoint, the last human city, is an atmosphere-piercing spire of vast size. Clinging to its skin are the zones, a series of semi-autonomous city-states, each of which enjoys a different - and rigidly enforced - level of technology. Horsetown is pre-industrial; in Neon Heights they have television and electric trains . . .
Following an infiltration mission that went tragically wrong, Quillon has been living incognito, working as a pathologist in the district morgue. But when a near-dead angel drops onto his dissecting table, Quillon's world is wrenched apart one more time, for the angel is a winged posthuman from Spearpoint's Celestial Levels - and with the dying body comes bad news.
If Quillon is to save his life, he must leave his home and journey into the cold and hostile lands beyond Spearpoint's base, starting an exile that will take him further than he could ever imagine. But there is far more at stake than just Quillon's own survival, for the limiting technologies of the zones are determined not by governments or police, but by the very nature of reality - and reality itself is showing worrying signs of instability . . .

Sounds good and I'm hoping this one will be back on form after the disappointing House of Suns. It'll be on my shelf once it hits the stores :)

Review | The Accord by Keith Brooke (Solaris)

Title: The Accord
Author: Keith Brooke
Publisher: Solaris
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 442
Release Date: March 2nd 2009

The Accord, a virtual utopia where the soul lives on after death and your perceptions are bound only by your imagination. This is the setting for a tale of love, murder and revenge that crosses the boundaries between the real world and this virtual reality.

When Noah and Priscilla escape into the Accord to flee Priscilla’s murderous husband, he plots to destroy the whole Accord and them with it. In revenge they arrange to have him assassinated but their success comes at the price of giving him the keys to the virtual kingdom. How can they hope to escape their stalker when he can become anything or anyone he desires and where does the pursuit of revenge stop for immortals in an eternal world?

So, the Accord, a virtual heaven to download your memories into when you die. This is an idea that has been done before, and I'm sure it will be done again. But that's not the point, it's how the idea is handled that can set a novel apart from the rest - The Accord can stand out from the crowd, but too infrequently to really make a difference.

The story is a mix between the technological aspects of the Accord and its protocols (for example the way a consensus within it will govern how reality will run), the story of Noah and Prescilla and their love affair, and the hostilities between Elector Jack Burnham (Prescilla's husband) and his quest for revenge against Noah. The Accord is the backdrop for this story of love and revenge rather than the focus, although the sections where it is explored are great and very enjoyable.

Noah is the inventor of the Accord and as such knows the protocols inside out. While many believe that it's a one way ticket, he has back doors that he can leave through to come back to the real world, using them to continue his research to move the Accord into the quantum fabric of the universe. This leads to others discovering the shortcuts and Elector Burnham, assassinated and ending up in the Accord via his last memory back-up, managing to return to the real world by occupying the body of his accused murderer. This opens many new topics with the Accord now validated as feeling no less real than everyday life. What it really does is cement the hostile relationship between Noah and Elector Burnham, overflowing now into the real world.

Of course, once you're in the Accord you can't die, simply being re-created each time and continuing to live in a never ending existence. However, live and die aren't quite the right words to use, after all it is simply your memories that are existing, not your physical self. This is one of those topics that I find very interesting and enjoy reading about, but the Accord didn't seem to address the situations as much as I hoped. One of the problems I had with it was the fact that everything was described as going on as normal - the landscape still as it is, services seemingly unaffected, work carrying on. I can tell you quite honestly, if I died and ended up in the Accord the last thing on my mind would be working. Hell, I'd want to enjoy myself to the fullest, something which I'm pretty sure most people would do. This is where the breakdown started for me, seeing the little details that were missing. If there was an explanation for this I missed it as most of the sections focusing on the Accord and the way it runs were from a technical viewpoint, not an everyday one.

Regardless of these things, the main plot of love and revenge was handled nicely and the first half of the book was extremely readable, it was towards the end that things started to fall down. To put it simply, I felt rushed. The jumps forward, although relevant, didn't work for me. I found myself asking what had happened in the meantime and how had life in the Accord managed and grown. The suggestions at the start pointed to a novel that I thought would focus a little more on the impact on civilisation in general with characters showing this rather than turning into a tightly focused story of three individuals. Disappointed I may have been, but the ending tied things together very nicely and finished on a high note - I just wished that the poorer second half of the novel had lived up to the expectation laid down in the first half.

The Accord is a good novel, but the smaller scale of a character focus hurt it in the long run, especially when there was such a rich and fertile topic waiting in the background in the effect of such an advancement on humanity as a whole. The Accord is a story of love and revenge set against a science fiction back drop, and it does it quite nicely. I would recommend it, but not without reservations.

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Interview | Toby Frost

Toby Frost is the author extraordinaire of the excellent Space Captain Smith novels, comedic science fiction of the highest order! Since reading the first book, Space Captain Smith (review), last year and then the excellent follow up with God Emperor of Didcot (review), I'm hooked. Wrath of the Lemming-Men, the third book in this series, is released in June and if it delivers half of what we've had so far we're all in for a treat!

Toby kindly gave up some of his time to answer some questions, enjoy!


Many thanks for taking the time out of your undoubtedly busy schedule to answer a few questions. First off, could you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to write - and why science fiction?

For me a lot of the appeal about writing is creating things and seeing them come alive, and I think this is most clearly seen in science fiction and fantasy, where not just individuals but whole worlds can be created. There’s something very appealing about being able to zoom from an entire galactic empire down to a few people arguing on a spaceship - although it’s not easy to pull off. On and off I’ve been writing since I was about 10, but it’s only quite recently that I’ve seen it as anything other than a hobby.

What books and authors have influenced you and your writing?

Oddly, for someone who writes comedy, I’ve found George Orwell and Raymond Chandler to be great sources of inspiration. Their writing has a simple clarity that is very hard to achieve, and is often overlooked. I also love H.G. Wells’ science fiction - The Island of Doctor Moreau is one of my favourite books.

Do you still find time to read, and if so anything in particular?

Just about. I read quite a bit of history, as well as novels. I don’t go for one genre in particular: recent reads include Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household, which is intense and sinister, and The Peshawar Lancers by S.M. Stirling - good fun.

How do you go about your writing - are you a meticulous planner, make it up as you go or somewhere in between?

A bit of both. You have to know where you’re going and where you are, to ensure consistency and create a working plot. But you can become too inflexible, and it’s easy to waste time over-planning.

Do you have a specific routine when you’re writing?

Not really. I tend to write in the evenings, as I have a full-time job, but at weekends I write whenever it’s possible to do so.

Without giving away too much can you briefly outline Wrath of the Lemming Men?

Certainly: the fearless - and somewhat foolhardy - lemming men of Yull have started a vicious war against mankind, leaving the British Space Empire fighting on two fronts. Colonel Vock, a disgraced leader of the lemming men, has sworn to kill Smith’s crew in order to regain his name. When Smith is sent on a secret mission to stop the Ghast Empire acquiring a deadly bioweapon, he finds himself facing not just a horde of enraged lemmings but his old enemy, Commander 462.

Can we expect anything more from Isambard Smith and his crew in the future?

I certainly hope so! There are still a lot of aliens out there needing to be civilised, and plenty more adventures for Smith and his crew. I’d like to do something about the war in space, as well as adventures on planets: gunboat diplomacy with spaceships.

I know it’s a question that most authors hate, but where did you get the initial idea for the Isambard Smith books?

I don’t mind the question at all! It came out of a conversation with a friend: I had an image of a Victorian spaceman, sitting in his club and demanding more gin from the alien servants. I wrote a few scenes about him - more sketches than short stories - my friends thought I should continue, and it grew from there!

The books have a unique feel to them and read so easily, the British Empire in space theme working extremely well - I’m sure many readers can relate to Smith and his ways! Why did you decide to use this as the basis for a science fiction novel?

For one thing, the Victorian imperial mentality lends itself well to colonising space and makes adventure virtually inevitable. That spirit of discovery and adventure (and the duty to “civilise” the world) translates very well to an SF setting. Britain seems to produce a lot of eccentrics, which historically has worked in its favour, and such people are always fun to write about.

It’s pretty clear that you’ve been influenced by many things within the genre that you have referenced in your novels, from a semi-parody on the predator films with Suruk to the War of the World-esque Aresians. How easy (or hard!) do these references come?

Parodies tend to crop up in the story: I’m careful not to alienate readers who aren’t party to the joke. I try to keep things accessible - if an amusing parody crops up, great, but I wouldn’t want to make the stories a sci-fi in-joke. But what is this “Predator” thing of which you speak?

Will you be doing any signings or appearances for the release of Wrath of the Lemming Men? If so, where will these be held for any readers that want to go along?

I will: I’ll certainly be doing signings for Wrath over the summer, and I hope to be able to do a few more conventions, time permitting. Details are still being sorted out, but I’ll put the dates on the Space Captain Smith website and facebook group as soon as I know for sure, at www.spacecaptainsmith.com.

What do you think your strengths are as a writer and storyteller?

Tricky one… I think I’ve got a good eye for characters and a good imagination, and quite a clear prose style. I’m very opposed to the idea that a book is only clever if the readers can’t work out what’s going on.

And any weaknesses or areas that you feel you need to work on or improve?

I’m always keen to improve, and I feel that the books have got better as they’ve gone along. I think it’s dangerous to sit back and think that you don’t need to improve. A good comedy is a good novel with jokes, so the same standards of writing have to apply.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Only to say thanks for the interview, and to add that Wrath of the Lemming Men will be out in this June - keep watching the skies!

Cover Art | The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time)

Remember that crapilicious cover art for The Gathering Storm that we were all told was not the final one:


Well, here is the final one:


Is there an improvement on the pants-o-meter? I think not. Why does such a huge release come with the most god-awful miserable excuse for cover art? Well, I guess they have to continue the tradition:


All I'll say is that I'm extremely pleased that the UK release will look a hell of a lot better:

Review | The City and The City by China Miéville (Pan Macmillan)

Title: The City and The City
Author: China Miéville
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Pages: 312
Release Date: May 15th 2009

When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Besźel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger.
Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. It is a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen, a journey to Besźel's equal, rival, and intimate neighbour, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma.

I've not read much by China Miéville before, only managing to get about half way through Perdido Street Station, but I've heard so many good things about his writing and stories that it was with great anticipation that I jumped into The City and The City. I knew not to expect the normal weirdness that Miéville is so well known for, but this was an even better reason to try a more straightforward and mainstream novel from him. Did it work for me? Well, not entirely.

Basically, when it comes down to it, The City and The City is a whodunnit? That much is clear, but it's the way that the investigation takes place that makes the story a more interesting variant on the norm. With both cities essentially occupying the same physical space, with interference between the two (i.e. stepping from one city to another, talking to a person in another city) highly illegal. Breach, the people that deal with instances of this law breaking, act hard and fast when such things happen. With the way the murder is set up, and the initial investigation by Borlú, some interesting facts come to light that throw what could be a fairly straightforward inquiry into one of strange secrets.

The cities themselves - the old city of Besźel and the vibrant city of Ul Qoma - are described remarkably well. The atmosphere and vision that is given from the pages is extremely vivid, at least when they are described individually. I found that when the descriptions were of the two cities together, for example 'unseeing' one city while in the other, the clarity faltered. This isn't down to the writing, but more like the idea's fault. The main problem is that this is a story that would fit excellently into a full fantasy novel, but has been forced into a more normal world.

While I did struggle at times because of the above, the characters were able to carry the plot well. Borlú was a good character and has interactions throughout the novel, through both familiar colleagues and one off encounters, were fully believable for an investigator. The methods employed were logical and I didn't once feel that he, or any other character, were misplaced. There was a weakness in the characters in the fact that none of them were overly memorable, rather the idea and the cities stood at the forefront and were the priority.

All in all I have no problem at all with the general premise of The City and The City, but the execution of the story failed to get me going at the start. I felt the slow build up took too long and when it did get going it never quite hit the right note. This could have been an excellent novel if it were based in a pure fantasy setting, but it just didn't work enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it.

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Review | Torchwood: The House That Jack Built by Guy Adams (BBC Books)

Title: Torchwood: The House That Jack Built
Author: Guy Adams
Publisher: BBC Books
Format: Hardback
Pages: 256
Release Date: 25 June 2009

Jackson Leaves - an Edwardian house in Penylan. Built 1906, semi-detached, three storeys, spacious, beautifully presented. Left in good condition to Rob and Julia by Rob’s late aunt. It’s an ordinary sort of a house. Except for the way the rooms don’t stay in the same places. And the strange man that turns up in the airing cupboard. And the apparitions. And the temporal surges that attract the attentions of Torchwood. And the fact that the first owner of Jackson Leaves in 1906 was a Captain Jack Harkness…

Like Doctor Who, I'm a casual watcher of Torchwood. Not a huge fan, but I like the adult feel it has to it rather than the more family friendly Doctor Who. This translates well into novel form, keeping the fast pace of an episode while adding the extra depth that you get from a written story rather than a filmed one.

Jack, Ianto and Gwen are as expected from the show and Guy Adams has hit them exactly right. The supporting cast introduced also work well with the story and each feel real enough to like or dislike, whichever the reason. I particularly liked Alexander, an associate of Jack's that he brings in for some help when events start taking the expected weird turn. What I enjoyed about Alexander is the way we never quite know what he's going to do, what the history is between him and Jack and just what his back story is. He's certainly a character I'd like to see again.

The story itself, the house that seems to have a dark history that has suddenly flared up again, is quite interesting. Some of the 'accidents' that start to happen are sufficiently freaky and make you want to turn the pages to find out more. The big point, this being occupied first by Captain Jack, helps to flesh out his character a little more and provide some of his back story. I enjoyed these sections as they gave a different view to some of the events in the house's past and allow a bit of exploration beyond the normal haunted house type scenario.

I don't really have any issues as such with the book and providing you know what you're getting you shouldn't either. I came to it expecting a quick and fun read and that is exactly what I got. The book is essentially a Torchwood episode in print, and if you like Torchwood then you'll enjoy this enough to whiz through it - I certainly did!

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Review | Sly Mongoose by Tobias S Buckell (Tor)

Title: Sly MongooseAuthor: Tobias Buckell
Publisher: Tor
Format: Hardback
Pages: 320
Release Date: August 19 2008

Welcome to Chilo, a planet with corrosive rain, crushing pressure, and deadly heat. Fortunately, fourteen-year-old Timas lives in one of the domed cities that float 100,000 feet above the surface, circling near the edge of a monstrous perpetual storm. Above the acidic clouds the temperature and pressure are normal. But to make a living, Timas like many other young men, is lowered to the surface in an armored suit to scavenge what he can.

Timas’s life is turned upside down when a strange man crash-lands on the city. The newcomer is fleeing an alien intelligence intent on invading the planet and discovering the secret hidden deep inside the perpetual storm — a secret that could lead to interplanetary war.

As the invaded cities fall silent one by one, Chilo’s citizens must race against time to stop the enemy. And Timas will find out what kind of man he has become in the harsh conditions of Chilo’s surface.

If you've read Buckell's previous two novels, Crystal Rain (review) and Ragamuffin (review), then you'll know what to expect from a third book in the same setting. If you're new to Buckell and wondering what you'll get between the pages then the answer is simple: an action packed, well plotted and delivered story with interesting and likable characters. Of course, that can describe many books nowadays, so why is this any different? Well, the whole setting is based on the descendants of the Caribbean Islands and the culture that comes along with it is fascinating and enjoyable. You've also got kick-ass characters. Oh, and space zombies.

Chilo is a great setting for this story. It brings both the space opera element of Ragamuffin and the steampunk feeling from Crystal Rain to create a distinct novel in its own right. The difference between the floating cities shows the separation in wealth and technology, with the poorer cities relying on outdated and constantly repaired equipment while the richer societies are augmented and connect through the lamina all around them.

These differences bring an interesting point to the novel. While the poorer aspects give a familiar feeling, it's the rich society that I found myself drawn to. The society acts be majority decision by a voting system that all resident are included in. This essential gives a perfect society that will always be in the interests of the majority of the population. It also comes into play when delegates visit the other cities on Chilo with the delegate being the eyes and ears for those watching and listening at home. Through this system the delegates decisions are always based on what the majority of citizens want, giving some interesting situations.

The characters carry this story well and aside from the ever enjoyable Pepper there are no returning ones. Timas, one of the main focal points of the story, is a very good character to follow. Timas is one who must travel down to the surface in aging pressure suits to search and mine for the resources that the city needs - it is a dangerous job done in equipment designed for his enhanced ancestors. The ride he is taken on is much our as it is his. We find out more about his city and that of the relationship with others and the views each share. In all honesty, the whole set up was believable and enjoyable with a set of characters that bought it to life effectively.

Now for the part of the novel I was looking forward to the most: space zombies! But seriously, I was very interested to see how this could be a realistic and believable part of the story. It works great, something that I was very pleased about, but it just wasn't featured enough. We get the excellent action scenes between the zombies and Pepper early on and the feeling of dread as their plans come to light, but the threat then shifts into the background and it never feels quite as exciting as I hoped for. It still works, don't get me wrong, I only wish that we focused on them a little more throughout the story.

Apart from that one little personal niggle I found Sly Mongoose to be highly enjoyable. It's certainly the best book to date in this setting and shows just how versatile a writer Tobias Buckell is. Although this is a stand alone book I would recommend reading the first two before heading into this one - and it won't be a chore either, they're both great!