Review | Thrall by Steven Shrewsbury (Seventh Star Press)

Title: Thrall
Author: Steven ShrewsburyPublisher: Seventh Star PressFormat: Paperback
Pages: 288
Release Date: November 2010

Reviewed by: Andy Venn

Buy from: Seventh Star Press

For Gorias La Gaul, Deliverance Will Come…

Set in the mists of ancient times, Thrall tells the story of Gorias La Gaul, an aging warrior who has lived for centuries battling the monstrosities of legend and lore. It is an age when the Nephilum walk the earth, demonic forces hunger to be unleashed, and dragons still soar through the skies … living and undead. On a journey to find one of his own blood, a young man who is caught in the shadow of necromancy, Gorias’ path crosses with familiar enemies, some of whom not even death can hold bound.

Thrall is gritty, dark-edged heroic fantasy in the vein of Robert E. Howard and David Gemmell. It is a maelstrom of hard-hitting action and unpredictable imagery, taking place within an incredible antediluvian world. In Gorias La Gaul, Thrall introduces an iconic new character to the realms of fantasy literature. Thrall invites the reader to go on a perilous journey where it is not a matter of whether one has the courage to die, but whether one has the courage to live.

Set in one of those indeterminate ages, this novel tells the story of Gorias La Gaul, an ancient warrior and slayer of dragons. On a trip to visit his grandson he comes across a plot to bring Carlato Wyss, a necromancer of dark renown, back to life for the information that he has in his head. He is persuaded to put an end to the cult and stop an ancient book being rewritten. But two forces are converging. An army intent on conquest led by a general with a soul not his own. And a horde of barbarians dead set against them.

Just to cap it all a dragon has been reborn with another soul not its own.

Both armies are aiming to get to the foundry of Syn to arm themselves with steel weapons before the other. But the foreman, Mitre Stillwell, has plans of his own.

Gorias manages to persuade the barbarians to help him get into the foundry to end Mitres plans and free the slaves held there. The barbarian children are used to get in through the sewers were they overwhelm the ogre guards with their numbers and their diminutive size. Meanwhile Gorias grandson, masquerading as Gorias himself, leads the adult barbarians against the invaders. Gorias is off to kill the dragon…

There is a lot happening in a short novel. And it is quite short having less than 300 pages. But it is a good story. It has mighty thewed warriors, necromancers, beautiful maidens and dragons. It also has a pretty good plot, but…

Too many bits seem to have been left out. Gorias seems to be quite an interesting character, with a back story and history. But we don’t really get to hear it. The story tends to jump from plot item to plot item, it doesn’t flow, almost as if Steven was in a hurry to get it finished. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but I would have enjoyed it much more if there was a little more. Gorias is a hero with a dark past, a hero in the mould of Conan or Druss, but the dark past could make him a little more interesting. I would like to see a follow up novel, one that is a little wider in its scope that explains more of the history of Gorias. If it gets written and published I will certainly buy it and read it.

A short review for a short novel. A good read, if a little disappointing. Buy it, read it, look forward to the next one. Hopefully.

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About Andy Venn
I'm Andy Venn, aka Giant68 due to being 6'8" tall. I have been reading science fiction for 35 years since picking up the Lensman series. And fantasy since I pinched "Lost Worlds" by Clarke Ashton Smith from my uncle. I read both in, pretty much, equal measures. I write a blog occasionally, containing the whimsical, or bad tempered, meanderings of my mind at http://giant68.blogspot.com. Go and have a look, you'll find out all about me, and Lord knows I need the followers! Or email me at andy.venn@gmail.com.

Review | Queen and Country Def. Edition Vol 2 Greg Rucka (Oni Press)

Title: Queen and Country - Definitive Edition Vol 2
Author: Greg Rucka
Publisher: Oni Press
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 2008

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

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

Queen & Country, the Eisner Award-winning and critically lauded espionage series from acclaimed novelist and comic book author Greg Rucka, is back in a new series of definitive editions collecting the entire classic series in just four affordable soft covers. In this second collection, SIS field agent Tara Chase is put through the ringer as she must contend with espionage of the industrial kind, ghosts from her director's past, and politicians eager to use the service to their own ends!

This collected edition of the Queen and Country comic series from Oni press collects three trade paperbacks worth of stories involving Tara Chace. She is an operative of SIS and we see her getting involved in all manner of espionage games at home and abroad. The first mission, Operation Blackwall is a very personal one for Tara which see her visit France and try to get to the bottom of a blackmail case that involves one of her friends who was filmed in a very compromising situation. Unfortunately this person is merely a pawn and it is her father who is being blackmailed. Tara is sent in to find out what is going on, who is involved and to clean it all up before the information goes public. Whilst Tara is away we also find out a bit more about her private life and the cost of being an agent and what she has to personally sacrifice to get the job done. As ever Tara is tough, efficient and very cold when she needs to be. But there are no stereotypes here. She is not a frosty ice-maiden who hates men. At times she has to cover herself in armour to survive, to do the job and get results. Both stories in fact show us a bit more about Tara as an individual and all that she is capable of.

The second operation focuses on a mission abroad with a new recruit and it also analyses some of the politics at home. There are so many factions and internal groups all bickering and vying for power, I'm amazed anything ever gets done. Bureacracy and people who put their own self interest ahead of the greater good are everywhere it seems. As ever Greg Rucka tells it exactly how it is and this is definitely not a comic for those who always want a happy ending. Things go wrong, missions fail, people die and the strangest of weird coincidences sometimes conspire to spoil what should be a simple plan. I'm being careful not to spoil it, but in short Tara find herself in a very sticky situation and is forced to improvise to dig herself out. Unlike an action star in a movie or James Bond, she doesn't gun down thirty guys, run twenty miles and then sit in a hotel suite sipping martinis until she is extracted. Reality is a lot tougher and more harsh and the world a lot more cruel. But Tara is not alone. She works for a larger organisation that has been doing this for a long time and she falls back on the system, as well as using her own ingenuity, to try and get clear.

All three missions in this collection are very different and each exposes the audience to a facet of being a spy in the real world. I suspect the stories are also a lot closer to reality than most TV shows and the movies, possibly with the exception of Spooks which is equally brutal at times. The other thing that really stood out for me with Queen and Country is that there is not a plethora of fancy gadgets or computer wizardry. Most of the time the problems are solved by the agents, not a DNA swap, or a computer virus, or even a listening device. Sometimes these props might be used, but at the end of the day they are merely tools and it is up to the individual. They must become whatever the situation requires and sometimes this does mean playing a part like an actor, becoming someone else, and at other times forgetting who you are and just focusing on doing the job. I suspect it is the only way to survive and get through some incredibly difficult and stressful situations. I also suspect it's why so many of the characters seem to drink or smoke, to ease the grief, guilt, pain and blur the memories of what they've done for Queen and Country. It made me think about what I would be willing to do to protect my country.

You can just read the stories on the surface and enjoy the action and drama, but the more time I carry them around in my head, the more they make me think. I enjoy espionage TV shows and films and was a big fan of espionage TV shows like Alias, but it was rare it made me think about what it must be like to be a real spy. Part of that is because the show is not even slightly close to reality, but also because at the back of my mind I always knew the good guys would win and everyone would be fine after forty five minutes. There are no such guarantees in Queen and Country. If that sounds bleak, well, it is a little, but the book is also not without humour which I think is another essential requirement for survival in the business.

There are so many reasons why this series is an Eisner-award winning comic, but for me the primary reason is the writer. Each mission in this collection has a different artist, and it also varies in other missions in other collections, but the constant is Greg Rucka. Each artist brings something new to the table but it is his characters that are so real I would not be surprised if I passed them in the street. Greg Rucka has created something unique for those interested in espionage comics, just as Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have done for crime and noir comics. An excellent series and well picking up in the collected definitive editions which are also great value for money.

Review | Superman Earth One by JMS and Shane Davis (DC comics)

Title: Superman: Earth One
Author: Joe Michael Straczynski
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Hardback
Release Date: November 2010

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

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

J. Michael Straczynski joins forces with rising star artist Shane Davis to create this original graphic novel that gives new insight into Clark Kent's transformation into Superman and his first year as The Man of Steel. This is the first in a new wave of original "DC Universe" graphic novels, featuring top writers' and illustrators' unique takes on DC characters.

This is a new independent Superman comic book that is aimed at a new generation of comic readers and fans. It is the first volume of hopefully many and they will build into an epic ongoing story. You don’t need to have read any Superman comics ever before to read this, and it doesn’t connect to any others out there, past or present. But it does assume you have a vague idea of who Superman is and what he can do. Rather than starting with the traditional destruction of his planet as a baby, the story begins with Clark Kent as a young man coming to Metropolis in search of something. The story is told in a non-linear fashion and it moves back and forth at times, dipping into his childhood and then back to the present. We witness his birth parents and all that they did for him, and there are also several important and defining moments with his human parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent. So even if you only knew the name of Superman, you can read this and still follow the story without any difficulty.

Clark is special and always has been, not just because of his powers but because he genuinely wants to help people. The tagline most commonly associated with Superman is Truth, Justice and the American Way. In this first volume it takes the character more time than you might expect to get to that place in his mind. He is still a good person, but certain events in this new version of the story are slightly different to the original. The result is a young man whose priorities are the same, but without spoiling it, he feels more responsible for certain people in his life and he has a duty of care to look after them and see that they are well provided for. It also means that his path in life is not as clear as before. He explores different options that are open to him and goes for a series of interesting interviews which hint at his vast potential. Some of which I actually forgot about because 99% of Superman stories focus on his physical attributes and what he can accomplish with them. I also tend to forget who his parents were and how he was actually saved as a child.

Most often I associate Superman with big battles, saving the world from intergalactic super villains and fighting his nemesis, Lex Luthor. Of course that’s only half of the story. As Clark Kent he also fulfils the red, white and blue tagline, by relentlessly tracking down the truth as a reporter, exposing criminals and seeking out those who think they are above the law and immune. No one is beyond his notice and because he is someone who cannot be bought off or manipulated into burying a story, this often gets him into trouble. Being invulnerable at this point obviously helps, as they can’t silence him by giving him concrete shoes and putting him at the bottom of the river. This makes for a dangerous and implacable person and the kind of reporter that criminals grow to hate.

JMS, the writer, used to be a reporter himself so he knows first hand about the job and he knows newspaper photographers and how ferocious they can be. We’ve all seen the tabloid photographers shoving giant cameras into people’s faces, chasing them down the street and even running after cars to try and get the best shot. Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s best pal, is usually painted as bit of a damp rag and someone who needs to be saved on a regular basis. In this story we have someone who is perhaps a little closer to reality. Jim is a bit of a daredevil. Someone who will do almost anything to get that brilliant photo, because he knows what it’s worth and that pictures are often more powerful than the text printed beside them. He and Lois Lane are a good team and we see them in action during the course of the story.

Another point worth mentioning, but I’ll dodge around the details a little so as not to spoil it, is that it would be easy to stick to the usual formula and have Lex Luthor show up early as the villain and main antagonist. There is no sign of him at all in this first volume, and in fact there is a brand new villain who is tied into Superman’s home planet of Krypton. JMS suggests a different cause for something that until fairly recently was usually glossed over, because it was a trigger that led to other things that were more exciting. Here, JMS goes right back to the very beginning before Clark was even born and pokes at his origin. He offers an alternative cause for this cataclysmic event and then twenty-something years later, we see the repercussions on Earth when Clark comes to Metropolis.

Apart from this, there are a few other mysteries that have been set up, including shadowy figures lurking in the background and pulling strings. There is a new antagonist as well, someone who doesn’t believe that someone can be so powerful and yet just wants to help other people out of the goodness of their heart and doesn’t want something in return. I believe people in general are a lot more cynical than when Superman was first created. We’re far less trusting and a lot more suspicious. So, in some ways this new doubting character is the voice of the everyman in 2010 and that makes it both realistic and kind of depressing. If someone were to turn up now that claimed to have superpowers we would wait for it to be debunked, look for the CGI, strings, or wait for the masked magician to reveal how it was done.

I doubt there are many people, besides children, who would stare up at a man who could fly with open mouthed wonder and just marvel at the sight of it. Some of this attitude of the twenty first century has trickled into Clark, but he was still raised by the Kents, who are the solid foundation on which his personality was built. In some ways he’s Superman because he can see the potential in human beings and he is able to rise above the cynical attitude of others. Some people want to end the world. He wants to give us, as a species, the opportunity to become something greater and the symbol on his chest has become synonymous with hope, or more specifically, hope for the future. As you can probably tell, reading this first volume stirred a lot of old feelings that stretch all the way back to my childhood.

By the end of this first volume Clark is still finding his way, but he is now on the right path. His voice is still one that is heavily guided by his father’s wisdom, Jonathan Kent, so he is still a little unsure of himself, which is common in young men, but a little strange to see in Clark Kent who is normally so self assured when he is not playing a bumbling boob. But we all have to start somewhere. There were a couple of times when I felt as if JMS strayed and it pulled me out of the story a little. I felt that it was him telling me these things and not Clark or Jonathan, but that is my only criticism and it is not a major one.

Overall I found the writing to be solid and interesting because of the unexpected changes to the story. For once I didn’t feel as if I knew exactly what was going to happen next and what each character would say or do, like I do with films I’ve seen dozens of times before. Clark, Jim Olsen, and Chief Perry White all surprised me, it was only Lois that seemed no different. The art throughout the book is excellent, it reminds me of Gary Frank at times, and there are really some great artistic touches. All of the characters look like real people as well. Not every single man has a six pack and all of them are not the same height and build. The colourist, Barbara Ciardo really makes the art pop right of the page. It’s so bright, so vibrant and so wonderfully Superman. A great read, I am going to go back and read it again now, look at the artwork and eagerly await the next one which is probably going to be due out towards the tail end of this year.

Cover Art | New cover style for China Mieville

Last night Tor UK held a little gathering to unveil new covers for China Mieville's books, including his upcoming SF novel Embassytown. Unfortunately I couldn't attend, but the covers quickly popped up on the web (A Dribble of Ink, Floor to Ceiling Books). However, as these were photos of either posters or postcards at the event I wanted to wait until the good quality images hit the web, and today they did via Julie Crisp, editor at Tor UK.

So, without further ado, here they are in original publication order:









All the covers have been done by Crush Design and I think they've done a really good job here. I always prefer an author to have an identity that can easily carry across all their novels, so it's nice to see that happening for China Mieville. Of course, that's not mentioning the fact that they are awesome with my favourites being The Scar and The City and The City.

What do you think, and which (if any) are your favourites?

Review | Brayan's Gold by Peter V Brett (Subterranean Press)

Title: Brayan's Gold
Author: Peter V Brett
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 88
Release Date: January 2011

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

Return to the world of The Warded Man and The Desert Spear in an illustrated new novella by Peter V. Brett.

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction. Each night, the world is overrun by demons—bloodthirsty creatures of nightmare that have been hunting the surface for over 300 years. A scant few hamlets and half-starved city-states are all that remain of a once proud civilization, and it is only by hiding behind wards, ancient symbols with the power to repel the demons, that they survive. A handful of Messengers brave the night to keep the lines of communication open between the increasingly isolated populace.

Arlen Bales is seventeen, an apprentice Messenger in brand new armor, about to go out for the first time alongside a trained Messenger on a simple overnight trip. Instead Arlen finds himself alone on a frozen mountainside, carrying a dangerous cargo to Count Brayan’s gold mine, one of the furthest points in the duchy. And One Arm, the giant rock demon, hunts him still.

But Brayan’s Gold may offer a way for Arlen to be free of One Arm forever, if he is willing to wager his life on the chance.

I think it's a fairly well known fact that I'm a sci-fi reader that dabbles in fantasy from time to time. Back in 2009 I read a debut fantasy from Peter V Brett called The Painted Man (The Warded Man in the US), and instantly became a fan. There was just something about it that ticked the right boxes for me - the setting, the history, the magic, the demons, the characters - all of these worked extremely well together. While waiting for the sequel, The Desert Spear, to be released Subterranean Press announced that they were going to be releasing a limited edition novella called The Great Bazaar. This was very welcome news, and when the limited edition I bought arrived I couldn't help but drool over it. The quality was awesome, the art excellent, and the story and extras it contained well worth the money.

And then I read The Desert Spear and settled in for the long wait for the third book in the series, The Daylight War. Just when I thought all hope was lost Subterranean Press announced that they would once again be releasing another limited edition novella from Brett, this one called Brayan's Gold. It was time to rejoice! I got my order in straight away and it finally arrived at the end of January. It looked so good I was hesitant to open the book and ruin it, but I bought it to read and that's exactly what I did...

Brayan's Gold is the story of Arlen during his apprentice messenger days and his his first overnight journey with a trained messenger. The cargo is an expensive load of explosives for Count Brayan and his mines, and despite the regular messenger having been unable to take this run, a new one steps in and off they go. But when they are stopped by bandits and his mentor flees Arlen is left to stand his ground, not allowing the cargo to be stolen. And then he is alone, determined to travel the long road to the gold mine and deliver the cargo in one piece.

This is a short story, and providing you understand that then there is nothing that you should be disappointed with. As with The Great Bazaar, it's really nice to see Arlen's messenger days before he became the infamous Painted Man, and this time we see another part of the world that hasn't been explored in the main novels. The setting is great, the snowy mountains and cold nights really add a nice atmosphere to the story and the characters that we meet are as interesting as they can be given the limited length of the story.

As a fan of Peter V Brett's Demon Cycle this one hit the right notes, was a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read, and works perfectly to serve the purpose of filling in some of Arlen's back story. While it could be read as a stand alone, it's really one for those that have already read and enjoyed Arlen's world. I hope this isn't the last short excursion to some of Arlen's history as they're such fun and work so well within the larger body of work. Awesome.

Review | Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes (Gollancz)

Title: Tome of the Undergates
Author: Sam Sykes
Publisher: Gollancz
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 2010

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

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

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they're not insulting each other's religions they're arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don't go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates - a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don't want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out.

Lenk leads a band of adventurers, the lowest of the low. People who fight not for a cause but for their own monetary gain and gratification. This means the main cast are very unpleasant for the most part with bad attitudes, bad language and loose morals. When the going gets tough they demand more money or they walk away. These are not burly heroes who will stand against a monstrous horde of enemies because it’s the right thing to do. The world of Tome is painted with a hundred shades of grey.

The ship the adventurers are travelling on is attacked and I have heard some people describe what follows as a 200 page battle. This is not completely accurate but it does feel drawn out because in order to learn about each of the characters we are meeting for the first time, we see the battle from several points of view and this sometimes robs the battle of its momentum. There is no time for the characters to meet up at a tavern and gently swap stories about their shared lives. Instead the action comes thick and fast and it was a bold choice by Sykes to start in the middle of things. This means there is also no world building beyond what the characters can see from the deck and what they reflect on in passing or mention through dialogue.

The group of adventurers hate each other and constantly bicker and argue. Some of it is understandable, but as the story moves on and the danger escalates, it started to irritate me and also some of it stopped making sense after a while. Some of the differences between the characters are long-standing racial barriers which are not easily forgotten and the attitudes on both sides are so deeply ingrained I wouldn’t expect them to disappear overnight. One of the characters is a Shict, a notch-eared archer who despises humans for all that they’ve done to her people. In turn the humans view her kind as smelly savages and there has been a lot of bloodshed between the two races. Within that setting it was fascinating to see a growing friendship between a Shict and a human, with each analysing and agonising over the growing feelings they had for each other. At other times the bickering felt out of place as even in the thick of a battle when they are fighting for their lives, they had time to complain, which felt unnatural to me. If I was fighting for my life, the last thing I would have time for is thoughts or snappy comebacks about someone else. All of my energy and thoughts would be on my opponent and staying away from the pointy end of their sword.

Kataria, the Shict, is an interesting character, but if not for a fascinating and mostly hidden aspect of his personality, the main character Lenk is rather forgettable. He is the main narrator and central point of view, and all of the other characters look to him, sometimes, for guidance, but I’m not sure why as he is rather ordinary. The special quality becomes more apparent as the story progresses, at which point I wanted to know more, but up to that moment I was more interested in the Shict and dragon man who were unique creations. I also didn’t connect or warm to the rogue who runs at the first sign of trouble and has no problems with stabbing people in the back. There are hints at something more, a terrible tragedy, other times where he lived as someone else, but these breadcrumbs were too few and far between for me. So I judged the character by his actions in the present and found him lacking. I don’t think you have to like characters to enjoy reading about them, but you do have to care about or connect with them on some level and I didn’t have this with two of the main characters.

The overall story itself is not complicated, which is not a bad thing at all, but the actual novel is well over six hundred pages long, making it feel bloated and the pace lurches at times. The reason for this is that the story is told from several points of view, perhaps a few too many, and the result is a lot of repetition. The reader is told something they already know and, in my opinion, the author needs to trust the audience more, which would strip out some of this material making it a punchier.

Tome of the Undergates could be called blunt force trauma fantasy, as it is brutal, bloody and with plenty of severed limbs. It’s an enjoyable fantasy action romp from an author that has a lot of interesting ideas. Some of the later scenes in a temple were creepy and unpleasant and I felt as if Sykes was starting to get into his stride at this point. While the story also includes some traditional character archetypes (an archer, a priest, a rogue, a wizard) Sykes takes them and turns them into something very much his own. The combat is savage and there is a certain glee in some of the carnage to the point of comedy, which the characters are not unaware of. There was even a moment reminiscent of Legolas and Gimli killing orcs and keeping score. As a result I found myself laughing along with some of the characters at the worst possible moments and Sykes’ sense of humour is apparent throughout the story. The battles are well written and they feel realistic as there is no grace or poetry, just a lot of struggling and plenty of luck to ensure survival.

I think this is an interesting but uneven fantasy debut. I hope the sequel is a tighter and leaner book as I am keen to find out more about what has been hinted at and uncover some of the secrets that were teased. Sign me up for the next bloody adventure.

Review | Never the Bride by Paul Magrs (Headline)

Title: Never the Bride
Author: Paul Magrs
Publisher: Headline
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 2007

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

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

Brenda has had a long and eventful life, and she has come to Whitby to run a B&B and enjoy some peace and quiet. She and her best friend Effie like nothing better than going out for tea and keeping their eyes open for mysterious goings on in town.

And what with satanic beauty salons, roving psychic investigators and the frankly terrifying owner of the Christmas Hotel there's plenty to watch. But the oddest thing in Whitby may well be Brenda herself. With her terrible scars, her strange lack of a surname and the fact that she takes two different shoe sizes, Brenda should know that people as, well, unique as she is just aren't destined for a quiet life.

This book is a delicious mix, a blend of the Ladies Detective Agency and a gothic comedy. I flew through it in a few days because it was so easy to read also just a lot of really good fun. The book is split up into several smaller connected stories featuring the adventures of the mysterious Brenda and her friend Effie. Magrs has picked a wonderful location for such a weird and sometimes spooky story and he uses it to its full, with many a nod to its associations in literature.

My favourite character has to be Brenda. She is a fascinating woman and wonderfully written as a very lonely and tragic figure who has lived for a long time and accomplished so many wild things it would probably make Hugh Heffner jealous. But now she’s much older and she wants a quiet life. And most of all she just wants to be left alone and not noticed by anyone because there is much that is unusual about her. I won’t spoil the surprise, although you can probably guess from the synopsis above, but once her real identity is known you realise there is so much to play with and so many areas that could be explored. The story does dip into the past on occasion as Brenda reminisces on her birth and some of her more interesting encounters, but in the main, the narrative is very much set in the present. Even without her unique history Brenda reminds me of many women I’ve seen and met; mature women who have a no nonsense approach to life. They’ve seen it all and nothing shocks them anymore. She is tough and outspoken and takes no prisoners, making her the perfect person to tackle the supernatural and the unpleasant happenings in Whitby. She is Buffy as a tough old biddy, if you like.

She treats people as individuals and judges them by their actions not what others tell her, making her someone we should all aspire to be. There are subtle messages about minorities and treating everyone as equal, but I never felt the author’s voice intrude as Brenda is a unique and used to being an outsider. Perhaps it Brenda’s attitude that makes the incredible easier to swallow and the fact that the setting is very ordinary and where the highlight of the main character’s day could be a pie and peas dinner.

Every other character in the book, from Brenda’s apparently plain and nosey neighbour and friend Effie, to the waitress at the local hotel, feel incredibly real. Throughout the course of the story all sorts of secrets are revealed about them and gradually all of the stories and characters criss-cross until you feel as if you know the town and all of the people. Some of these secrets are spectacular and others more mundane, but the message was clear to me. All of us have secrets but also our first impressions of people can often be hasty and it can take months or even years before you really know someone.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that despite some of the hairier and darker moments in the story it is extremely funny. The mundane meets the magical and sometimes the latter is promptly told to sit down, shut up and wait its turn. There is also a very funny pastiche of a well known TV show where they visit supposedly haunted houses and a medium attempts to speak to the dead. This is the sort of show where they film everything in the dark on night vision so it appears green and white and zoom right up peoples noses. Where they play spooky music and get themselves worked up by nothing more than their active imagination, as week after week they apparently encounter spirits. But like so many things in this book, nothing is what it appears to be on the surface.

I am very happy to say Never the Bride is the first book in a series and without giving anything away, it very effectively establishes the landscape for the future, and it leaves a few plot threads dangling on the larger story to be picked up later. This is a wonderful, entertaining and enjoyable book and I absolutely will be picking up the next ones, and I think Paul Magrs has created something unique and rather special.

Review | The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin (Tor)

Title: The Unincorporated Man
Author: Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin
Publisher: Tor
Format: Paperback
Pages: 496
Release Date: April 2010

Reviewed by: Daniel Burton

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

The Unincorporated Man is a provocative social/political/economic novel that takes place in the future, after civilization has fallen into complete economic collapse. This reborn civilization is one in which every individual is incorporated at birth, and spends many years trying to attain control over his or her own life by getting a majority of his or her own shares. Life extension has made life very long indeed.

Now the incredible has happened: a billionaire businessman from our time, frozen in secret in the early twenty-first century, is discovered and resurrected, given health and a vigorous younger body. Justin Cord is the only unincorporated man in the world, a true stranger in this strange land. Justin survived because he is tough and smart. He cannot accept only part ownership of himself, even if that places him in conflict with a civilization that extends outside the solar system to the Oort Cloud. People will be arguing about this novel and this world for decades.

A brilliant industrialist named Justin Cord awakes from a 300-year cryonic suspension into a world that has accepted an extreme form of market capitalism. It's a world in which humans themselves have become incorporated and most people no longer own a majority of themselves.

Justin Cord is now the last free man in the human race - owned by no one and owning no one.

It’s a premise that Ayn Rand would love and a character that she might have created; a world recovered from the excesses and failures of government she predicted in Atlas Shrugged, at the apex of human achievement due to the capitalist system she loved and trumpeted in her egoist philosophy. And that civilization is at a turning point, due to the extreme nature of this future society’s form of capitalism: individual capitalism.

Justin Cord wakes from a cryogenic sleep to a world where each individual is incorporated at birth, their shares traded on the open market. Using the capital raised through sale of shares, individuals finance their education, business ventures, homes and investments. Corporations—real companies, not just individuals incorporated—are more powerful than governments, produce and regulate their own currency, and control the lives of the individuals in whom they own stock.

And that’s the rub for Cord. For while he is and was an avid defender of capitalism in the 21st century, incorporation of the individual strikes him as a form of slavery. Despite the unprecedented wealth and technological progress it has created, Cord can’t help but see injustice in the system of ownership of others. As he pushes back, fighting against the giant corporations that want to own a piece of him, he begins to reveal cracks and fissures that will lead to systemic change and revolution.

Ostensibly science fiction, The Unincorporated Man makes deft use of futuristic technologies. We see a world of “haves,” who own luxurious homes constantly and fluidly reshaping to the whims of their owners, and “have-nots” who live in “fixed” dwellings of wood and steel and who are lucky to own a small percentage of themselves. Virtual reality has not only been developed to an apex as good and better than reality, with some horrifying results. Artificial intelligence is an integral and essential part of daily life, as is physical mutation by biological manipulation. Death is all but conquered, and even taxes are merely a portion of a person’s share that is allotted to the government at birth. It is, without a doubt, an amazing world.

Without a doubt, in taking principles of market capitalism to their extreme, combined with the most fantastic of futuristic technology, the Kollin brothers have hit upon an idea that is mind-popping in scope. I consider myself to be both very politically active and an ardent fan of the free-market system, but the Kollins kept me guessing, questioning, and reconsidering my assumptions and conclusions about democracy, capitalism, technology, and power. It is a libertarian world they want, and they never shy from promoting that world.

Indeed, if there are any critiques of The Unincorporated Man, it is the message in the novel, not even slightly transparent. The Kollins clearly consider the modern state of government with contempt, especially the “giving something for nothing” that modern government, in the Kollins’ eyes, seems intent to do. Their argument is that of the libertarian: by providing more freedom, more choice, and more capital, they argue, we can create more wealth, not just for the upper echelons of society, but for everyone. When people have incentives to create, they do. When given something for nothing, they do not create. When too much power is accrued to one person or entity, liberty is restricted and destroyed.

This is reinforced when the near utopian society of the far future, rather than continuing on to further glory, begins to fracture under the hubris and weight of unscrupulous and corrupted corporate bureaucrats faced with, as the premise states, one man “owned by no one and owning no one.”

The plot itself wobbles under the clear eyed idealism in the Kollins message. Nothing bad ever seems to happen to Cord. He always comes out on top, losing nothing in the process. Despite being the protagonist, the problems and obstacles that the Kollins set up for him feel almost contrived. As Cord overcomes each, I began to feel like he was like Midas, that everything he touched would turn to gold. He is, as the saying goes, lucky in love and life, and nothing in the story seems to slow that feeling. As a result, the novel occasionally seems to lack the tension that builds and creates tension in the plot and characters.

In spite of the heavy handed message and lack of serious plot tension, the creativity and speculation with which the Kollins create their world gives the novel wings. It’s a world that is alive, vibrant, interesting, and, as science fiction is supposed to be, thought provoking and, occasionally, mind blowing. Most importantly, I enjoyed reading it, and I enjoyed talking about it. I recommend it without reservation.

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About Daniel Burton
Dan Burton lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he practices law by day and practices everything else by night. You can follow him on his blog lawafterthebar.wordpress.com where he muses on the law, current events, books, and ideas. He can be contacted at dan.burton@gmail.com.

Review | The Lost Fleet: Fearless by Jack Campbell (Titan Books)

Title: The Lost Fleet: Fearless
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Titan Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Release Date: 28 January 2011

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

The Alliance fleet continues its perilous

Outnumbered by the superior forces and firepower of the Syndicate Worlds, the Alliance Fleet continues its dangerous retreat across the enemy star system. Led by legendary Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, the Alliance is desperately trying to return home with its captured prize: the key to the Syndic hypernet.
Now in a brand new trade paperback edition.

I really enjoyed the first Lost Fleet book, Dauntless, and thought the series had a lot to offer with the premise that was set up. I jumped straight into Fearless wondering whether it would be more of the same, or whether Jack Campbell would give further reason to continue reading about the journey to Alliance space.

Fearless continues straight after the events in Dauntless with no break in proceedings. This works extremely well in showing that this is one big story, allowing the break between the first and second volume to happen when it feels right rather than being forced. As the Alliance Fleet enter Sutrah we're immediately reminded of the sheer stubbornness of some of the fleet captains who ignore orders and take their ships on charging runs at the Syndic ships. Of course, this leads them to the inevitable trap lying in wait for them, but also shows that Geary has a lot to do before he can get his officers to understand the futility in all-out charges at the enemy. It's a topic that much emphasis was put on during Dauntless and continues to be the case throughout Fearless.

The Sutrah star system has a surprise for Geary and the Alliance fleet - a prisoner of war camp on one of its planets. We see the discussion between the fleet over this and the reaction of certain officers to Co-President Rione becoming involved with negotiations to save these Alliance prisoners, once again going to show the differences between Geary's time and now where the military has no respect for government involvement in their actions, either directly or indirectly. Campbell is able to play these tensions out well between those opposed to Geary's every decision and Geary himself. Even his supporters are hesitant on Rione's involvement at Geary's request.

With the Alliance personnel rescued yet another surprise is delivered to Geary - Captain Francesco 'Fighting' Falco, an arrogant yet charismatic 'hero' of the Alliance. His history shows neglect for any of his subordinates during battles, sacrificing ships in order to claim a great victory for the Alliance. His nature of honourable all-out fighting means many officers believe him to be the rightful leader of the fleet, but Geary is not letting that happen and the conversations between him and Falco are some of the best in this book. However, Falco's return prompts many officers unhappy with Geary to conspire against him, ultimately leading to a mutiny of forty Alliance ships heading on their own course regardless of Geary's orders.

We once again get a good amount of development of Geary's character, how he is adjusting to this time and the mentality of the fleet. This also leads to a physical relationship with Rione, the one person in the fleet he can have such a relationship with. This also means that Rione has more page time and development, and seeing the two of them come together is not entirely unsurprising and it helps explore both characters a little more. I also really like some of the other captains in the fleet, Duellos and Cresida being the main ones, while others such as Numos and Faresa are just as frustrating and annoying as ever. It's good to see the fleet conferences that Geary holds just for the discussions that go on and they're one of the best aspects.

The military approach that Campbell employed in Dauntless is present once again here with battles carried out in superb technical detail and the descriptiveness employed giving a really good overall look at the situation. Geary employs different tactics in Fearless, mixing in a little caution and a little boldness, but his reasoning is as sound as ever in the hopes to avoid a major conflict with the Syndics. It makes you wonder just how long this will go on for before he finds himself in the situation he's desperate to avoid, but I can't fault any of the decisions he makes or how he performs. It all just works.

So, Fearless is another page-turner adding a more to the series and getting the fleet that little bit closer to home. There is a sense of wonder involved, but also a sense of isolation, and with the action and intelligent plotting going on there's no doubt that I'll keep on reading. Sterling stuff.

Review | Grandville: Mon Amour by Bryan Talbot (Jonathan Cape)

Title: Grandville: Mon Amour
Author: Bryan Talbot
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Date of Publication: December 2010

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

The Badger is back! Set three weeks after the finale of Grandville, Grandville Mon Amour pits Detective Inspector Archie LeBrockof Scotland Yard against an old adversary and ruthless urban guerrilla, Edward “Mad Dog” Mastock, - a psychotic serial killer whose shocking escape from his execution by guillotine at the Tower of London begins this fast-paced, Hitchcockian steampunk thriller. LeBrock, still racked by remorse for his failure to prevent the death of 'the Divine Sarah' and working outside the law after resigning his post following a blazing row with his superior officer, embarks on a quest to redeem himself by tracking down Mastock and bringing to an end his horrific murder spree. Aided by his adjunct and old friend, Detective Roderick Ratzi, he follows the trail of carnage to Paris. Otherwise known as Grandville, it’s the largest city in a world dominated by France, a city used to violence following the years of terrorist bombings by the extreme fanatic wing of the British resistance during the occupation, the notorious Angry Brigade, of which Mastock was the sadistic leading light. With his customary tenacity, LeBrock stalks his prey through a world populated by anthropomorphic animals, an underclass of humans and automaton robots where advanced steam technology powers everything from hansom cabs to iron flying machines. It’s a trail that leads to the demimonde of Parisian prostitution and an atrocity perpetrated twenty-three years ago. With a range of new and fascinating characters and a mix of Holmesian deduction, knowing humour and edge of the seat action, Grandville Mon Amour continues the vein of high-octane adventure begun in the first volume. Can even LeBrock escape the past or do heroes have feet of clay? Follow the badger!

This is the second graphic novel by British writer and artist Bryan Talbot about Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard. The story is set in a steampunk, anthropomorphic world with an alternate history and while the majority of the population are animal based, there is the occasional human or dough-face, who are essentially second class citizens. Without giving away too many spoilers for the first story, this second adventure starts with LeBrock in a very bad place and then one of his worst nightmares comes true. A renowned murderer who he hunted down and arrested has somehow managed to escape on the day he was due to be executed for his crimes. This sends LeBrock into a rage which gets him into trouble with his superiors and as a result he ends up suspended. Of course this tiny detail isn’t going to stop the relentless LeBrock from pursuing the killer to France where he has started murdering prostitutes, seemingly at random.

What unfolds is a gritty crime story and a mystery with lots of plot twists that keeps you guessing right up to the end. LeBrock is determined to find the killer, put a stop to his latest murder spree and also uncover how he escaped. There is also the larger mystery of why he fled to France and what he is really after, as there seems to be a method to his madness for once. LeBrock uses his detective skills and tries to walk on the right side of the law at all times to get to the bottom of it, but being suspended does have its advantages. Unfortunately it also means he has to dodge the local authorities and a confrontation is inevitable.

Don’t let the bright colours or gorgeous artwork distract you, this is not a comic for children by any stretch of the imagination. The pages are not dark and moody like Sin City, but it is still full of murder, grisly characters (both to look at and their personalities) as well as some mind boggling sex scenes and unusual animal pairings. Personally I’m not a fan of steampunk as I normally feel that the elements don’t gel together and I find them jarring, but in this situation it works very well. Perhaps it’s because of the alternate history which is further explored in this second volume.

We also find out a bit more about LeBrock as a young freedom fighter and about the war, as well as some of his childhood heroes. The world, its characters, and its history is fully realised, and for those who are paying attention there are a number of Easter eggs. In the first volume there was a smoking camel, Rupert the Bear and many others and in this volume I spotted a few, but I am certain there are more I missed. I previously attended a talk by Bryan Talbot at the 2009 Birmingham International Comics Show (BICS) where he talked about the history of anthropomorphic characters which has added real depth and another level of understanding to my reading of both volumes of Grandville. If you are in the UK and see him doing a signing session and Grandville talk in your area, it is definitely worth attending.

Overall this was an excellent encore and I was very pleased to hear that a third volume is in the works. Bryan Talbot is a renowned British comics creator who has had his work translated into many languages and Grandville is available in a wide selection of countries around the world. Grandville: Mon Amour is a really good crime and adventure comic with an interesting main character and I can’t wait to read the third volume whenever it comes out.

Review | Small Favour by Jim Butcher (Orbit)

Title: Small Favour
Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Orbit
Date of Publication: February 2009

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Harry Dresden is feeling happy. No one's tried to kill him in nearly a year, and the worst problem he's had lately is trying to remove the stains his apprentice bungled into his carpeting. The future looks fairly bright. Unfortunately, the past isn't nearly so optimistic. An old bargain placed Harry in debt to Mab, faerie monarch of the Winter Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness. Harry still owes the Winter Queen two favours, and it's time to pay one of them off. It's a small favour that he really can't refuse, but it will trap Harry between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, stretching his skills and loyalties to their very limits. It figures. Everything was going too well to last.

This is book 10 of the Dresden files and will contain some spoilers for the previous books. As with many of Dresden’s cases, the story starts with something fairly simple. Mab, the Winter Queen, asks Dresden for a favour, and because he owes her two favours and she is one of the most powerful Sidhe around, who could freeze his blood in the blink of an eye, he can’t really refuse. The only problem is he’s been asked to find and save Gentleman Johnny Marcone, a Chicago mobster who is a thoroughly ruthless and unpleasant man who Harry has run into several times in the past. He doesn’t like Marcone, he finds what he does deplorable, and now Mab has told him Marcone has been kidnapped and Harry has to save him to wipe away one of the favours.

Harry now has an apprentice, Molly Carpenter, and previously she got herself into a huge heap of trouble. Harry stuck his neck on the line for her and in the end his efforts paid off, but in the process he upset a lot of people, including the Summer Court, Mab’s opposite number. However Harry also has some friends on that Court, so once again he finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, with enemies on all sides and no clear path to doing the right thing. If Mab had asked him to save an innocent woman he would not blink at the idea of going up against being much more powerful and dangerous than him, but for Marcone it’s a lot harder for Harry to motivate himself. Nevertheless he’s a man of his word and he realises there is a larger game being played and once again he finds himself a pawn. How much of a cat’s paw he turns out to be would be big spoiler, but some of the alliances and secrets that are trickled out in this book were startling and eagerly awaited.

The series has a great cast of characters that rotate in and out of the books and Small Favour saw the return of a couple of favourites of mine. Harry himself is perhaps the most interesting but only by a whisker. Over the years Harry has built up a small circle of good friends that he knows he can rely on in a sticky situation. These are people that know about magic and all the things that go bump in the night. Some of them were born to it, some stumbled into it, some had no choice and were cursed, and some were chosen by a higher power. But all of them have worked with Harry on one occasion or more and he has saved their lives and now, in one of his darkest hours, they are there for him. This book more than any others, for me at least, is about family. These are not just the people you are connected to by blood, but those who come into life and stay there, never drifting away regardless of distance or a change in circumstances. These are the people you don’t have to remind yourself to call, email or text, you just do it because not having them in your life wouldn’t feel right. So for these people to be in Harry’s life, you know that each and every one of them is good in a fight, is dependable and has an x-factor about them that makes them remarkable in some way.

Despite being made an orphan, despite a horrible upbringing and despite being thought of as one sneeze away from going over to the dark side and becoming an evil wizard bent on slaughter by certain people in high places, Harry continues to prove them wrong. What I like best about him is that he isn’t the most powerful wizard, or the strongest or the fastest, or even the most clever, but he is perhaps the toughest. He is utterly relentless, totally driven and once he puts his mind to something nothing will deter him, not demons or black magic, or gruffs.

The trademark humour is there throughout the book, making the bleak moments seem less horrific, but they also keep Harry grounded. Looking back at some of the nightmares and monsters Harry has gone up against I was reminded again while reading Small Favour, not for the first time, that all of his success is not down to bumbling luck. As well as being a survivor Harry is actually pretty damn powerful and more than that he’s resourceful and is constantly adding to his bag of tricks. He never sits still, never relies on one method of defence or offence, and as a result he has learned a lot, making him a very adept and flexible wizard. He might not be White Council material, not yet anyway (although weirdly given his history, I suspect that is where he will end up one day), but he’s on the right lines, as he has been recognised as a force to be reckoned with by some pretty impressive characters. Sometimes I get the feeling that they are meddling with him just to see how he reacts and once again we’re back into the idea of conspiracies and larger forces pulling strings behind the curtain which is explored in this story.

I’ve said this before, and am probably starting to sound like a broken record, but this was a fantastic book. It is my favourite urban fantasy series to date and Butcher is becoming one of my favourite authors as well. Normally I would be flagging by this point in any other series and would be desperate for it to be over. There are half a dozen series I’ve been waiting years and years to finish, just so that I know how it ends and can have some closure. This is the exception to the rule for me. I don’t want it to end. I also think it’s the longest running series I’ve ever read. I’m up to book 11, 12 is currently out in hardback and 13 is out later this year. All in all a great well paced read that is jammed packed full of interesting characters, exciting action, oodles of magic and plenty of humour.

Review | The Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell (Titan Books)

Title: The Lost Fleet: Dauntless
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Titan Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Release Date: 28 January 2011

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

The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find himself heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.

I'm always on the look out for new-to-me military SF stories and series, it's one of those sub genres that I almost always enjoy. I came across the Lost Fleet series written by Jack Campbell (the pen name of John G Hemry) last year as I looked for a completed series to get my teeth into. In truth I just didn't know what to expect, but I soon discovered that I had been missing out big time. Although I read the series on its entirety last year, it was a personal, non-review read. However, it's a series that I just couldn't stop thinking about and, with the UK releases hitting our shores this year, I decided to re-read the books to review them, just to let you all know what you're missing!

The story starts off with the Alliance in the Syndic home system, having acquired a Syndic Hypernet key through an apparent turncoat. When they arrived they found that this turncoat betrayed them and a huge Syndic force awaits them, trapping them and demanding surrender. When all senior Alliance personnel head to the Syndic flagship to agree to terms of surrender they are killed without discussion, and the Alliance fleet told to surrender to become slaves of the Syndic or be destroyed. However, before his departure from the Alliance Flagship the fleet Admiral gave command of the fleet to Captain John 'Black Jack' Geary, a legendary hero from the first battle of the war a hundred years ago, thought dead and only recently saved from survival sleep by the Alliance Fleet. Much has changed since his time, war having a disastrous effect on both sides of the conflict, and only he can use the tactics of old to save what remains of the fleet and return them to Alliance space. And then the journey begins...

The Lost Fleet: Dauntless is very much the start of a tale of a retreat home through enemy territory with the odds stacked against them. What is a welcome breath of fresh air here is that the setting in which the story takes place is familiar yet unknown, with strong characters and a very good foundation in worldbuilding that brings it all alive. The story is very much military SF, and Campbell's past as a naval officer comes through on every page, from the characters and their interactions to the way fighting takes place. It all works well in building the story from a single event and manages to explore the situation between the Alliance and Syndicate Worlds in detail without being over done.

While FTL is possible in this setting, the ways and means involved in such travel give both a sense of wonder because of the expanse of humans across a vast distance, and a hard reality check with solid physics involved for the in-system slower than light journeys. Each system has a jump point to another star at which a ship equipped with a jump drive can use, this taking anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and is a very limited method. The second FTL method is using the hypernet, a system of gates that allow much quicker travel to any point in the system, but can only be used if a ship has the right hypernet key on board their ship.

It's the above method of FTL travel that plays a huge role in the story, but not the only one. With the war between the Alliance and Syndicate Worlds going on for a hundred years the loss of life to each side has meant that much of the old style of fighting has been lost, they now fight in all out combat against the enemy no matter the odds. It's this honour and pride of the fleet that is an interesting device used within the story, but also one of the more frustrating aspects.

On the frustrating side there is some suspension of disbelief required to believe that despite a space fairing society used to war that nobody would consider applying a strategically tactical mentality to battle. However, much of the reasons behind this relate to the stand that Geary made during the first surprise attack by the Syndics. Faced with overwhelming odds he held off the enemy to allow much of the fleet he was with and his crew to escape, staying on until the end and only barely escaping himself. After this he was held up as a hero, a shining example to face an enemy head on regardless of the odds, and it's a mentality that has been used since then, with any small traces of tactics being lost or forgotten. With his rescue he is shocked that this stand has been taken dramatically out of context and expanded upon to the state things are now.

Taking over, Geary uses his knowledge to command the fleet in the ways he was trained and have since been lost - it's this aspect that makes Dauntless one of the best military SF books I've read. This direction to a fleet not used to doing anything other than all out attack brings about arguments from the other ship captains, long since used to discussing and voting on courses of action and bickering between themselves. By taking direct command Geary introduces the fighting ways of old, the use of the jump points to a fleet used to hypernet travel, and just how efficient and effective these can be when used right. It's a really interesting aspect and a thoroughly enjoyable one, bringing the characters to life during interactions and exploring the how and why of the current situation, with half the fleet worshipping the returning hero and the other half wary of just what he will do.

What also makes Dauntless such a compelling read is the characters. John Geary is the hero of legend, dropped into a desperate situation and trying to come to terms with what has happened since his time, and through all of this having to deal with the treatment he is getting, from hero worship to constant questioning and near insubordination. As the story is told from his point of view we get a lot of detail about Geary, know what he's thinking and properly get inside his head - it's difficult not to enjoy any aspect of this personal journey. We also have the captain of Dauntless, Tania Desjani, one of those that believe him the saviour of the alliance, but she's more than that, and she learns more about the old ways of fighting through Geary, slowly but surely learning that the current way is not the best. There's also Co-President Rione, an Alliance senator and the only one left in the fleet after event sin the Syndic home system. She's ruthless and cold, but there appears to be more to her than first meets the eye, and she acts very much as a conscience to Geary despite her fear that he'll be just as the legends told and lead the fleet to death in a blaze of glory.

While there was much to enjoy about The Lost Fleet: Dauntless, one of the aspects I wasn't convinced about was the constant referrals to distances and the time spans involved with communication limited to light speed. It's an understandable inclusion and one that should be there, but perhaps not every other page. On the other hand, because of these same limitations the battles must also follow the laws of physics. These were also constant when battle took place, but I found they added an extra layer to the story, treating the reader as an intelligent person be letting the battles play out in their entirety rather than a general description. It won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it.

Dauntless is the first book in a six book series, so don't expect many resolutions to take place here, or an immediate jump into the meat of the story. The build up takes a while and works in favour of the story, allowing Campbell to really get you involved and committed to what is going on. This is certainly one of the best examples of Military science fiction I've read and look forward to getting back to the rest of the books in the series

Review | The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz)

Title: The Dervish House
Author: Ian McDonald
Publisher: Gollancz
Format: Paperback
Pages: 480
Release Date: July 2010

Reviewed by: Andy Venn

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

In the CHAGA novels Ian McDonald brought an Africa in the grip of a bizarre alien invasion to life, in RIVER OF GODS he painted a rich portrait of India in 2047, in BRASYL he looked at different Brazils, past present and future. Ian McDonald has found renown at the cutting edge of a movement to take SF away from its British and American white roots and out into the rich cultures of the world.

THE DERVISH HOUSE continues that journey and centres on Istanbul in 2025. Turkey is part of Europe but sited on the edge, it is an Islamic country that looks to the West. THE DERVISH HOUSE is the story of the families that live in and around its titular house, it is at once a rich mosaic of Islamic life in the new century and a telling novel of future possibilities.

The new SF epic from Ian McDonald does for Turkey what BRASYL did for Brazil.

Istanbul 2025. A City that bridges the gap between Asia and Europe. This novel follows the inhabitants of Dervish House over the course of a week.

Meet Can Durukan, a young boy with a heart defect that means that any sudden noise or shock could kill him. On the first day there is a suicide bomber on a tram. Can hears the sirens of the emergency vehicles and sends his “toy” BitBots to investigate. The BitBot is one robot made from many, they can configure themselves into different forms, bird, snake, rat or monkey. Can uses all the forms of the remote controlled robot to get his vision close to the scene of the bomb and see what has happened. But the naturally curious young boy has now got problems. Another robot is watching. A chase across the rooftops leads the other robot to fall from the roofs. Can turns investigator to find out who owns the other robot.

Necdet is travelling on the tram. He sees the woman stand up and detonate the bomb. He sees her head explode. Over the next few hours Necdet starts to see things. Misty shapes swirling through the air, Djinn. Other creatures from Asian myth. He can talk to these creatures and they talk back. But it turns out that Necdet is an unwitting player in a terrorist game. He is kidnapped and fears for his life until he sees a small robot snake peering at him from behind a vent.

Georgios Ferentinou, a retired economics professor. Asked to join a government sponsored think tank to discuss national security issues. He is a friend to Can and treats him, almost, as a grandson. The stories he has told Can have led the young boy to be more curious about the explosion and the other robot than is, probably, good for him.

Ayse runs an antique shop. She is visited by a man seeking a mystical object. The Mellified Man of Iskendrun. The story says that the mollified man is the body of a man mummified and preserved in honey, it bestows special powers on those that eat the honey. Making them immortal, impervious to wounds, wise. And now someone is going to pay her a million euros just to find it. How do you find something that is mythical?

Adnan, a trader in commodities. He is planning a scam to make money by selling gas that he doesn’t own. He knows that he can reroute a supply and sell it before any one is any the wiser. On the trading floor he watches as the price goes up and up, sell now! 5 million euros made in seconds, for him and his accomplices. Who will ever know?

Leyla is held up by the tram on the Monday morning. She is on the way to a job interview and is now going to be late. But she is lucky. The job is hers, probably because she is a distant relation. She now works for a company that is looking for investment, and Leyla is the one to get it. The company is developing a way to store data in DNA, memories, music, video whatever, it is revolutionary and everyone is going to want it. But the investment is difficult to find as ownership of the company is vague. Leyla must find ½ of a token that proves ownership.

All these lives are linked this week for five days. Money will be made and people will be hurt.

I have never read any Ian McDonald before and as I started to read this book I was unsure whether I would read any in the future. When I pick up a book I do so for enjoyment. If it does not entertain me in the first 50, or so, pages I will put it down and not bother. This book nearly got away from me. It didn’t have any impact on me until the imagery in Ians writing started to sink in. By the time I had reached 100 pages I could smell Istanbul, I could feel the heat from the sun on the back of my neck.

The way that all the characters are linked is cleverly woven into the story. Each has their own tale to tell and as the story unfolds you start to spot the links. From subtle beginnings it develops into a quite exciting finale. The characters, themselves, have a depth to them that had my heart racing as I followed Can Durukan around Istanbul.

The science fiction is very subtle as well, a little too subtle for me. I like my sci fi to be quite blatant with starships and lasers etc. But with this style there is a good chance that people who wouldn’t normally read this genre could enjoy this book, if they can bring themselves to ignore the geek/nerd stigma sometimes associated with the genre.

I may even read this book a second time, purely in case I missed something the first time. But probably not for a while.

Read it. You will probably enjoy it, but don’t expect to finish it in the same afternoon. It may take a while.

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About Andy Venn
I'm Andy Venn, aka Giant68 due to being 6'8" tall. I have been reading science fiction for 35 years since picking up the Lensman series. And fantasy since I pinched "Lost Worlds" by Clarke Ashton Smith from my uncle. I read both in, pretty much, equal measures. I write a blog occasionally, containing the whimsical, or bad tempered, meanderings of my mind at http://giant68.blogspot.com. Go and have a look, you'll find out all about me, and Lord knows I need the followers! Or email me at andy.venn@gmail.com.

Review | Kraken by China Miéville (Pan)

Title: Kraken
Author: China Mieville
Publisher: Pan
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 2010

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

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

Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears? For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god. A god that someone is hoping will end the world.

I’m in a bit of an unusual, and perhaps lucky situation, because Kraken was only the second China Miéville novel I have ever read. The first was The City & The City. I knew it was a departure from his normal style, so I had no preconceptions of what to expect and measured it only against other crime novels. With Kraken, I pretty much went in cold. I’ve been aware of Miéville for a couple of years, and had a rough approximation of his style, but just hadn’t got around to reading anything by him. So this was a whole new world to me.

The short pitch is that a giant squid is stolen from the Natural History Museum, which leads its curator, Billy Harrow, to delve into a weird and scary version of London, one he’s never seen before, in an attempt to recover it. The sheer impossibility of moving something so big in a giant tank of preservative fluid without anybody noticing, immediately raised a lot of questions in my mind. Then I thought about Miéville, and what I knew about his stories, and I realised the answer would not be simple or traditional.

This is not a crime thriller in the normal sense, even though part of the story involves the recovery of a lost icon and god, the squid, making it a long way from The City & The City. Labelling Kraken as a particular genre is pointless in some ways - dark urban fantasy, or horrific thriller don’t really cover it. Weird fiction is probably the best label because it’s generic enough to cover almost anything. The book is very disturbing in some places, feels like a police procedural in others, and made me think of Lovecraft at some points, but it also made me laugh out loud a few times because it is very witty and culturally aware. Bill Harrow gets into all kinds of trouble and the villains are never what you would expect, in the way they look or behave.

Creating realistic characters, in amidst the insanity of the city and the many cults, factions, gangs, groups and faiths we encounter, is a definite strength of Miéville. People react realistically, they cry, complain, whine, moan and do all the things you would do when confronted with the insane and the impossible. But denial only works for so long, and you either face up to what is really happening, or hide in a corner and wait for it to be over. Billy and another character find themselves in this situation and they rise to the challenge in a way that is never jarring and never made me want to throw the book across the room. Billy doesn’t jump from museum worker to high-kicking kung-fu fighter and magician in five minutes, but the longer he spends in that other world that most people never see, mixing with the weird and the wonderful, the more he picks up and gradually there is a blossoming of his character over a period of time into someone new.

The sheer level of inventiveness in Kraken is quite astonishing and at some points in the story there is so much it starts to choke the plot, but it never stops it from being interesting. There are lots of different faiths introduced in this book, new religions with their own set of beliefs, rituals and language, and each has a very distinctive way of looking at the world. Surprisingly, if you ignore some extremes like the insane Chaos Nazis, there are some new belief systems in the book that make more sense to me, and are more appealing, than current worldwide faiths followed by millions. Some of them are organic, and you can see how they could have developed over time, whilst others are broken pieces of old faiths sewn together into something new and horrific, more terrifying in fact than some of the cults that exist today.

To me this demonstrates not only Miéville’s incredible awareness of religion and its impact on society, but also his remarkable ability to understand the nature of the human heart. People need comfort, they need to belong to something bigger and feel connected, and while technology and the internet can bring people together with others of a similar mindset where normally it wouldn’t be possible, religion and a formalised structured belief system can be a transcendent experience like no other. Without spoiling anything, I saw characters unashamedly enveloped by their faith, letting it guide them, shore them up in dark places and give them strength when they thought it was the end and they couldn’t go on. I didn’t expect the book to have a spiritual message, and perhaps it doesn’t for other people, but for me it merely reinforced my notion that faith is a very personal thing, it is powerful, and belief can be a positive force in a person’s life.

The other creative element I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that runs throughout the book, and again without spoiling anything about the plot, is magic. This book is saturated by it, with notions of urban magicians able to tap into distinct energies, create unique mystical snouts and bloodhounds, and bend the rules of nature to their will. There again, there is a logical rhythm and functional set of rules that underlies this fantastical principle, so that no one can just wave a hand and kill all of their enemies in an instant. There might be a way to do something like that, but the physical and mental cost to the magician would likely be devastating, so they would never attempt it. It also comes down to energy and creating a balance with nature and the environment. I was very glad to see that magic is never used as a mcguffin or skeleton-key to get the characters out of impossible situations. It is a functional tool or skill set some people possess to assist them, but it never solves their problems completely.

At its core Kraken is about the city of London itself - its history, its culture and the people - as much as the quest to find what was stolen. This could be me projecting, but I think there is a lot of love in the story for London because it is a city like no other in the world. It has a rich and layered history. Its diverse cultural heritage and ever changing landscape has created a city that is incredibly dense. Although some elements of the London in the story are fictional, I still felt that the city was tolerant and accepting, where people could believe whatever they wanted to, no matter how outlandish, and that there was room for them. For all the unpleasant events in the story, it painted London itself in a very positive light.

It’s not a major spoiler to say that at some point the stolen squid turns up, but that’s not the end of the story because it is only a piece of the puzzle. As well as sometimes being a mystery, the story is also a fantasy quest for the truth to find out the Who and the Why. But our plucky heroes are not sword wielding warriors, but a curator and a member of the Krakenist cult. As you can see by all of the above, Miéville has to keep a lot of plates spinning in this story, and the fact that he does so with aplomb and great delight, whilst weaving his story, is a testament to his remarkable skill as a writer. His sheer creative brilliance is utterly unmatched and after reading this book I am most definitely a fan.

This book is very culturally aware, layered with geek references and wry comments on modern society. It’s funny, disturbing, incredible inventive and is a meaty read and not something you can look at with only one eye on the page. There is a lot going on and I suspect on re-reading it I would pick up a lot of details, and plot clues, I missed the first time around. It shows you a version of London you’ve never seen before, one rich in magic, religion and occult history that most people don’t even know about. It’s engaging, clever and funny throughout and it also demonstrated to me that Miéville is in a totally different class to most other writers. Kraken is an exceptional and exciting piece of weird fiction.