The OLD Luke Reviews

The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 2: Power & Light

2010-11-05T05:39:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume 2: Power & Light was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

I was rather blown away with the first volume of NESFA Press’ six-volume reprint of the short works of Roger Zelazny. So when volume two appeared in the mail, I couldn’t wait to dive in. The second volume opens with introductions from Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Walter Jon Williams. As with the last volume, a large number of poems are interspersed in the collection, which work both as nice interstitial pieces, as well as strong works in their own right.

Major stories in this collection include “Lucifer,” along with the less well known but in my mind equally powerful “The Salvation of Faust,” “Passage to Dilfar,” the first Dilvish story, along with three others in that series, “Devil Car,” the first of the Jenny/Murdoch stories, “The Keys to December,” and “Auto-Da-Fé.”

Also included is the entire text of …And Call Me Conrad in its original magazine format, as serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The inclusion of this short novel is a unique opportunity to see the original version of the story, before it was expanded into the stand-alone novel version retitled This Immortal, which had a substantial amount of text added. Between the two parts of the novel is included the synopsis of part one written by Zelazny to proceed part two in the magazine publication, and which Zelazny turned into a bit of storytelling in its own right, letting his character give the synopsis, and adding more character building to it.

An essay and two speeches round out Zelazny’s part of the collection, while the collection as a whole is wrapped up with the second part of Christopher S. Kovacs’ “‘…And Call Me Roger’: The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny.”

Power & Light proves to be every bit as powerful as Threshold, if not more so. Traded in are the stories of Zelazny’s early beginnings, which are intriguing from a history of the genre standpoint, and in their place are stories from the period when Zelazny really began to hit his stride, turning out brilliant stories left and right. From just a story standpoint, this is by far the stronger of the two collections. …And Call Me Conrad is worth the admission price alone, but it stands with 28 other stories, which makes this volume a true value. Any fan of the genre needs to grab this book.

World Tree by Bard Bloom & Victoria Borah Bloom

2010-11-05T05:36:00.000-06:00

NOTE: World Tree was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Padwolf Publishing.

Normally, Luke Reviews only puts out reviews of novels, collections, anthologies, etc. However, Luke Reviews has been known to read a Role Playing Game book from time to time. When Padwolf Publishing sent me a copy of World Tree, along with Bard Bloom’s novel A Marriage of Insects, which is set in the World Tree game setting, I was quite curious to dive in.

World Tree presents players with a setting taking place entirely on a gigantic tree populated with anthropomorphic animals of all kinds. Players set out on adventures throughout the land, exploring cultures and dangers. Initially, I must admit I thought, anthropomorphic animals, this sounds like a kids game. However, when you read through the book, you find that, far from simply a children’s RPG, World Tree is a complex game. Complex not in its rules of play, which are actually quite easy to pick up, but in the complex, fully developed setting. Beyond just the world of the World Tree, the cultures, each generally simply the different species of anthropomorphized animal, are given a lot of space in the book to be fleshed out, and vignettes are thrown in throughout the volume that add to the cultural and historical setting immensely.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to the action junky looking for hard and fast, non-stop fights, although I think you could gear this game that way if you so chose. Instead, I would lead those who are looking for strongly story-driven games, that find their true richness outside of the fighting aspect, to World Tree. For those looking for a well developed fantasy setting that isn’t a D&D book, give World Tree a try.

The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale by Danielle Ackley-McPhail

2010-10-26T23:54:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

What do you get when you want to take something known for its rather pathetic nature (fairies/faeries) and turn that ideology on its head? The anthology series Bad-Ass Faeries is the first thing that comes to my mind. Now at three volumes (Bad-Ass Faeries, Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad, and Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory), the series is reinventing the modern conceptions of just what a fairy is and what one is capable of. One of the key workers at this renovation is Danielle Ackley-McPhail. In the series, each volume contains a tale of the ongoing saga of the Wild Hunt, and in The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale Ackley-McPhail has turned her first two stories, “At the Crossroads” and “Within the Guardian Bell,” into a short novel, with lovely illustrations by Linda Saboe, who did the illustrating work on Bernie Mojzes’ The Evil Gazebo.

So what are you getting into in Ackley-McPhail’s novel? Motorcycle riding, leather clad Lance Cosain, leader of the Wild Hunt motorcycle group, and faerie. However, his people come under attack from the dreaded Dair na Scath, and it is up to Lance to prove himself worthy of his role.

After a number of anthologies containing her work, I have become quite a fan of Ackley-McPhail’s science fiction, but I had yet to explore her fantasy side, nor had I come across any of her work set as far into the humorous vein as this one, so I had no idea what to expect. And what I got was a fast-paced adventure that was a lot of fun to read. At times the absurdity of the situation (I admit it, I saw “bad-ass faeries” as an oxymoron) got to me in a way I didn’t want it to, but overall Ackley-McPhail ran with this one and it was a blast. The handling of the story, as an adventure with humor, rather than necessarily a straight comedic fantasy, reminded me a bit of A. Lee Martinez’s work. This one is short, fast, and fun, and worth a read for anyone who is looking for a light tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The Best of Talebones edited by Patrick Swenson

2010-10-26T23:51:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Best of Talebones was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

In this field, there are a lot of magazines that come and go. Some leave a mark, and some pass on with little acclaim or notice. And sometimes some of them really take a hold and manage to pull together some great fiction before their eventual decline. One of these magazines is Talebones, headed by Patrick Swenson, who also happens to be head of Fairwood Press. And now, Fairwood has set out to collect some of the best stories to find homes in Talebones in their newest volume, The Best of Talebones.

The Best of Talebones is a generously-sized collection, topping out at 42 stories. Some big names and award-winning stories make it in here, as do a number of stories I had never encountered, but was glad to have fallen across.

With strong stories from names such as James Van Pelt, Paul Melko, Steve Rasnic Tem, Jack Skillingstead, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Ray Vukcevich, Jay Lake, Devon Monk, William F. Nolan, Aliette de Bodard, Tom Piccirilli, and Ken Scholes, along with a host of others, The Best of Talebones is a huge collection of strong authors, both established and up-and-coming. The volume proves to be a very nice sampler, as well, of authors to check out that you may not have come across before. Off the top of my head, I know Van Pelt, Melko, Skillingstead, Vukcevich, Lake, Mark Rich, Monk, Nolan, and Scholes all have at least one book out from Fairwood Press, if not more, and you will be sure to look them up after seeing what they can do here.

The Best of Talebones chronicles the highlights of a strong genre magazine, and gives a nice look at the start of some careers that deserve to really take off. Fans of genre fiction won’t be disappointed.

Dead to Rights by Patrick Thomas

2010-10-17T04:34:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Dead to Rights was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Padwolf Publishing.

I have been coming across more and more Patrick Thomas lately, it seems. I’ve been loving his short stories, and once you read some of them, you can’t help but want to dive into some of his series more, and return to the characters over and over (I’m looking at you Startenders; can anyone tell me if there are more than just the one story out there?).

I first encountered Agent Karver of the D.M.A. in Mystic Investigators, a collection of urban fantasy/paranormal mystery tales from Thomas. He featured in “Cardiac Arrest,” which I thoroughly enjoyed, so when a book collecting his tales arrived in my mailbox, I knew I needed to dive in soon.

Dead to Rights contains all of the agent Karver stories, seven of which have been previously published elsewhere, and four that are new to this collection. C. J. Henderson co-authors two of the stories, one of which is also co-authored by John L. French. Henderson’s Lai Wan and French’s Bianca Jones both make appearances.

So does Dead to Rights live up to the standard set by “Cardiac Arrest”? You better believe it. These stories of dark urban paranormal mystery are rich throughout. The settings are fleshed out nicely, Agent Karver gets a lot of depth, with his struggle to escape his own demons (literally and figuratively), and the plots whip along, each twist fitting perfectly into the narrative.

Not a single one of these stories will let you down, and more than a couple will stick with you for a while. Fans of evocative fantasy that rips across the page dare not miss this one.

So It Begins edited by Mike McPhail

2010-10-17T04:32:00.000-06:00

NOTE: So It Begins was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

In my quest to discover another side of military science fiction, I stumbled upon Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail, the first volume of the Defending the Future series from Dark Quest Books. When I received the second volume, I made sure to dive into the contents ASAP.

This second volume turned out to be even better than the first. Stories such as James Chambers’ “War Movies” ratchet up the emotion, while others, like “Junked” by Andy Remic (whose Kell’s Legend got a strong review here, and has the sequel out soon) play to the all-out, non-stop action. What the two stories share is a well-developed set of characters, and a plot that shows military science fiction is about far more than making ever bigger explosions.

Other great additions to this collection include Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s “First Line,” set in the Alliance Archives universe, which contains her usual mix of action and strong storytelling, with an emotional tug, and “Grendel” by military science fiction genius Jack Campbell (aka John G. Hemry), the story set in his acclaimed Lost Fleet series, the first book of which got a rave review here at the site. Campbell’s deft touch with military science fiction and the space engagements of fleets of ships are the best I have ever seen, and “Grendel” won’t let down his fans.

Also of interest is a piece by David Sherman, co-author of the Starfist and Starfist: Force Recon series, set in his Demontech universe. The piece, “Surrender of Die,” was to be the beginning of the unpublished fourth book, and is a fitting tribute to the series, as well as a nice capstone to a very well rounded anthology.

If you are looking for a diverse collection of stories that will show you all that military science fiction can do, look no further.

Mythic Memories by Alex Ness & Trent Westbrook

2010-10-12T14:48:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Mythic Memories was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Rogue Blades Entertainment.

Much of modern fantasy is deeply rooted in the mythic traditions of the past (The Lord of the Rings takes a lot of stories from Celtic and Anglo-Saxon tradition in particular, and retells them). However, many modern readers aren’t familiar with the long tradition of heroic literature in the myths of the past. Thus, I was really excited to see this book of Ness’ poetry coming out, which promised to address these Mythic Traditions.

The book is broken down into four sections, focusing on the myths of the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Celts, and the Norsemen. Mixing history and myth, Ness weaves tales of a number of heroes and battles. I thought that the Egyptian and Greek poems were good, but what really won it for me were the second two sections. Having just finished studying Celtic literature, it was neat to see what Ness did with it. And the Norse seem far too often overlooked by general mythology texts, so it was great to see this, especially “Storm of the Tupilak,” a long poem of a crashed ship and the spirit haunting the survivors of a violent crime.

One thing worth noting: not all of these poems would be easy for someone with no background knowledge to pick up on. Most people know the Greek myths, and the Egyptian myths aren’t too obscure, but I know I got a lot more out of the Celtic section from having recently studied it. Not being as well known, these may be a little more obscure to the reader who hasn’t explored them before. However, they are well worth exploring. One would be well off reading the Mabinogion, which has a number of tropes found in modern fantasy (including a certain ring that turns the wearer invisible). Also of import, although Anglo-Saxon instead of Celtic, is Beowulf, which is a true heroic epic regardless (and the Seamus Heaney translation is very readable), but it too carries over much into modern fantasy, including (again) The Lord of the Rings.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention all of the art by Trent Westbrook. Every poem is lavishly illustrated, both from pre-established art, and from Westbrook’s own hand, and all of it is very well done. His art adds a lot to the book.

For the reader willing to wax lyrical for a bit on the tales that enraptured nations, of heroism and courage, duplicity and danger, check out Mythic Memories. And don’t be too concerned if you don’t know much myth, Ness’ verse is sweet reading, regardless.

Now if I could only knock out a modern version of “The Battle of Maldon” before Ness beats me to it…

Boarding Instructions by Ray Vukcevich

2010-10-12T14:46:00.002-06:00

NOTE: Boarding Instructions was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

One thing I really like about Fairwood Press is that they put together some top notch collections by both authors I have heard of before, and authors that I’m glad I’ve found out about through their collections. I discovered the work of James Van Pelt through them, as well as Ken Scholes, and a number of others. And now it was time to decide if I was going to be adding Ray Vukcevich to the list of authors I was proud to own collections from.

As things turned out, I am very glad I was introduced to Vukcevich. His wonderful stories take the ridiculous, and while it disarms you with the funny, it works in a deep point that hits you out of the clear blue. It was there the whole time, and you never noticed.

In the 33 stories collected in Boarding Instructions, most of them only a few pages, you get tales from all over the gamut of speculative fiction, but each one retains a style very much Vukcevich. Clear prose with a smooth deliver makes these stories easy to read, and the impact behind them keeps them rattling in your head for a while.

Particular favorites include “The Library of Pi,” “Human Subjects,” and “Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Boy.” However, none of these will let you down.

Fans of good short stories need to take note of this collection. Go out there and get it.

Bad Cop, No Donut edited by John L. French

2010-10-12T14:45:00.002-06:00

NOTE: Bad Cop, No Donut was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

I read some mystery and crime fiction on occasion, but not often, and not nearly as much as I would like. Especially rare are original crime anthologies. So, when I received Bad Cop, No Donut, I dove at the chance to explore some new crime stories from the darker side of the genre.

What I found in Bad Cop, No Donut was a buffet of stories that were even better than expected. Editor John L. French’s “The Last Convention” was exciting from first word to last. C. J. Henderson’s “A Fine Officer” is up to his usual high standards as well.

However, there were two that really took the cake. Patrick Thomas’ “Dysmayed” took the “bad cop” theme straight to Hell, literally, with the return of his series character of Hell’s Detective.

The best of the batch, though, was the volume opener, James Chambers’ “Henkin’s Last Lies.” His characters felt perfectly real, the motivations true, and the plot twists were as believable as they were effective.

Not to say that there was a truly bad story in the bunch. You would be hard-pressed to find a new anthology out there that has as high a level of quality as this one. So if you are a fan of the rough side of crime fiction, of cops gone wrong, and noir fiction, give Bad Cop, No Donut a shot.

The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 3: The Saturn Game

2010-10-03T02:22:00.000-06:00

Note: The Collected Short Work of Poul Anderson, Volume 3: The Saturn Game was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

As I discovered when reading a previous volume of Poul Anderson’s short works, I was really missing out having not read much from this accomplished author. I got the chance to dive into more of his work with the brand new collection out from NESFA Press, The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 3: The Saturn Game.

The third volume of this series contains a number of classic works from Anderson, including “The Saturn Game,” a wonderful stand alone story, “No Truce with Kings,” and a personal favorite of mine, “Operation Salamander,” a follow up to “Operation Afreet,” found in the previous volume. Anderson’s characters, along with his scientific-feeling magic system, make for a wonderful story. Series characters Manse Everard, David Falkyn, and Nicholas van Rijn all make appearances.

Added to the stories, filling out the volume, are a string of limericks and songs that are quite fun, especially the last, which explains the problems an astronomer runs into while driving.

Anderson’s sense of Sherlockian mystery, consideration of all points of view, sympathy for antagonists, and broad imagination make this volume yet another worth diving into. Anderson is a true gem of the genre, and any fan should consider this a required course in their history of the genre.

Skein of Shadows by The Wandering Men

2010-10-03T02:18:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Skein of Shadows was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

Tie-in fiction for roleplaying games is a subgenre that is really taking off. The RPG Crown: City of the Fallen has gained a following, and has recently joined the ranks of branching out into fiction markets. What is also intriguing is that it takes a method similar to that in George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards series, that of a mosaic novel. In short, it takes a series of almost standalone stories and weaves its tale in and out of them, creating an overall picture and plot that is more than the sum of its parts.

Authors Nathan Ellsworth, Davis Riddle, Brannon Hall, Corey Blankenship, and Brannon Hollingsworth teamed up to give us a picture of Crown, a city of the edge of the sea, teeming with treachery, violence, and magic. The quintet of authors do a good job of mixing the elements of an RPG into a non-interactive story, minimizing the elements that feel too much like a transcript of an RPG adventure. The story flows together well, each of the stories moving in and out from one another in a way that works wonderfully.

I had no previous knowledge of Crown: City of the Fallen, and I found myself catching onto the world pretty quickly. The magic system seemed a little too oblique to me at first, but it began to make much more sense as the story went on. Different authors seemed to handle it better or worse, some of them making it feel more natural and less charts and numbers than others.

All-in-all, however, Skein of Shadows takes a very interesting approach to the media tie-in, and hits a homerun. The interwoven stories work well, and the overall plot is definitely one worth reading about. This is strongly recommended to fans of Crown: City of the Fallen, as well as those looking for a mash-up of a number of different subgenres, from more action-based fantasy to assassin stories, etc, and who are looking for a tale that shows you the city, not just one person’s view of it.

Diving Mimes, Weeping Czars and Other Unusual Suspects by Ken Scholes

2010-09-26T14:46:00.002-06:00

Note: Diving Mimes, Weeping Czars and Other Unusual Suspects was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

Ken Scholes can tell a good story. In his first collection, Long Walks, Last Flights and Other Strange Journeys, he blew me away with his storytelling gusto. He has since gone on to write the very well received Psalms of Isaak series, which began in the novel Lamentation. Fairwood Press and Scholes have teamed up to release a second collection of Scholes’ stories.

Fans of Scholes’ novel series will find a couple pieces of particular interest, as two stories take place in the same setting. Set well before the novels, “A Weeping Czar Beholds the Fallen Moon” sets up a number of engaging elements that make this a wonderful story, even for those who, like me, haven’t read the series yet. “Of Missing Kings and Backward Dreams and the Honoring of Lies” works as a follow up to “Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise” (found in the previous collection, Long Walks, Last Flights). The story is as brilliant as its predecessor, and shows the richness of the world Scholes was creating. Another must read.

Other top stories, in my mind, include “Four Clowns of the Apocalypse and the Mecca of Mirth,” “The Boy Who Could Bend and Fall,” and “There Once Was a Girl From Nantucket (A Fortean Love Story).” However, that isn’t to say that any of the stories are lacking. You would be hard pressed to find a non-great story in this volume. Fans of the genre must pick this one up.

Barbarians at the Jumpgate edited by Bruce Gehweiler

2010-09-26T14:44:00.000-06:00

Note: Barbarians at the Jumpgate was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Padwolf Publishing.

I’m slowly broadening my military science fiction reading from the big names and Black Library to the small presses. I took a look at the first volume of Dark Quest Books’ Defending the Future series, Breach the Hull, and I wanted to continue on that train of thematic relevance. Thus I picked up a new Padwolf Publishing release, Barbarians at the Jumpgate.

Barbarians at the Jumpgate turned out to be a simply excellent anthology. The theme of alien/human conflict played out wonderfully over the stories told. The stories range from John Sunseri’s “Biological Imperative,” with its wonderfully adaptable aliens, that shows that alien conflict can be just as richly imaginative, to the hilariously intelligent “Furlough,” where Patrick Thomas takes his Murphy’s Lore series into space. Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s “Building Blocks” took a sort of Weinbaum-ian look at aliens who are truly alien, in her tale of the slow offensive of an entire planet.

Other top stories include Robert E. Water’s exciting “Pest Control,” “The Hardest Glory” by co-conspirators C. J. Henderson and editor Bruce Gehweiler, the tale of a frontier planet, and “The Levee Song” by Bernie Mojzes, which keeps the mystical, mythical resonances from The Evil Gazebo, but placing them in an all new, science fiction setting.

Overall, there are very few stories in here that won’t grip you. The writers formed action-packed tales that don’t forget about plot, strong characters, and vibrant settings, and give you the feel of the science fiction of before, with a sense of wonder available to those looking for it. A very worth-while collection for all fans of science fiction to pick up.

Mystic Investigators by Patrick Thomas

2010-09-20T23:43:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Mystic Investigators was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

The whole urban fantasy/paranormal mystery scene isn’t one I am too familiar with. I know who Jim Butcher is, and thought about reading some of his books, but never have. Same goes for a couple others. For whatever reason, the genre just doesn’t really appeal to me. However, I’ve read some of Patrick Thomas’ work, and enjoyed it, and fans of his many series characters liked the book, so I gave it a spin.

If this is what the rest of the genre is like, I’m missing out. Thomas presents a collection of stories that is hard to beat. His tale of the Nightcriers (“Night Cries”) was a wonderful mystery of discovering the truth behind the legends, while stories like “A Stitch in Time” really resonated with the pulp-ish feelings. “Put Your Demon on My Shoulder” turned up the humor, yet stories such as “Working Girl” showed a slightly more series side (that still hits at some dark humor). There isn’t a dud to be found in this collection. Beyond the above stories, other standouts include “Tesque, Tesque,” which had a truly rich setting and wonderful main character, “Cardiac Arrest,” featuring Agent Karver of the D.M.A., and “Attack of the Trouser Snake,” featuring the ever-popular Terrorbelle. Those last two are also nice lead-ins to upcoming titles here at Luke Reviews, Fairy With a Gun: The Collected Terrorbelle and Dead to Rights: The D.M.A. Casefiles of Agent Karver.

Many of these stories tread the border between urban fantasy mystery and other genres, making them accessible to a very broad audience, and Thomas’ talent with words makes every story engaging. The characters resonate well, and you won’t be able to stop yourself for looking for other adventures they have. Don’t plan on picking this book up unless you plan on keeping tabs on Thomas’ work from here on out. A gem.

Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny

2010-09-13T01:59:00.000-06:00

The “Divided We Stand” storyline which ran through X-Men comics after Messiah CompleX (see Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand and X-Men: Legacy – Divided He Stands) lead to a new home and a new ideology. The “Manifest Destiny” storyline that ran in all of the books right after set up a new beginning. For the X-Men, we see this in Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny.

A prologue of sorts introduces readers who don’t follow New X-Men to Pixie, who begins to take her place as an X-Man. Then, the main storyline kicks in, with the X-Men now in San Francisco, celebrating their new beginning while struggling against a string of hate crimes against mutants, lead by the Hellfire Cult. Also, we see some short stories that explore a number of X-Men as they deal with Messiah CompleX, Divided We Stand, and Manifest Destiny.

Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny contains: Free Comic Book Day: X-Men 2008 (“Pixies and Demons”), Uncanny X-Men #500, #501 (“All Tomorrow’s Parties”), #502 (“Beginning to See the Light”), #503, and stories from X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1 (“Control”), #2 (“Good With the Bad” and “Flaw”), #3 (“Abomination” and “Uncheerable”), #4 (“Mercury”), #5 (“Dazzler: Solo”).

This volume feels a bit broken up, with a number of shorter, self-contained stories of sorts. Free Comic Book Day: X-Men 2008 gives us a story of Pixie at home in Wales, as she realizes that her town is overrun with demons. It is a fun, fast-paced tale, that does a lot for the character (who otherwise I would stare at incredulously, saying “Pixie?!”).

Uncanny X-Men #500 also feels more at home as a standalone. Gala celebrations, a rather racist art display, and the attack of the first villain the X-Men ever faced cap off the anniversary issue, as well as a subplot involving the High Evolutionary that seems to be a holdover from the last Eternals series, and one that gets no mention later in the volume.

The main story begins in Uncanny X-Men #501, with the X-Men exploring their new lives in San Francisco, and dealing with the Hellfire Cult, a group that is perpetrating hate crime after hate crime against mutants. It is a fast-paced and engaging tale.

This is followed by a string of short stories pulled from the miniseries X-Men: Manifest Destiny. These seemed like an odd inclusion, on some parts. Only some of the stories, not all, were bound into this volume. Others were included in the volume X-Men: Manifest Destiny, which focuses solely on the “Manifest Destiny” miniseries. It seems they should have been collected all together, but so it goes. They were pleasant reads, not much to most of them (the obvious exception being “Abomination,” dealing with one young characters abuse at the hands of his father), but a nice end to the beginning of the X-Men in San Francisco.

In the full view, this was a nice volume, likely a great jumping on point for new readers, and one that gives you a lot of little tidbits instead of one long story.

9/10

Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail

2010-09-13T01:55:00.001-06:00

NOTE: Breach the Hull was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

Military science fiction is a passion of mine. However, it seems I am getting it more and more from Warhammer 40,000, and not from much else. That isn’t to say there is anything wrong with Warhammer 40,000 (far from it!), just that I would like to see some new settings and new themes in my military SF. So, with that in mind, I picked up a copy of Breach the Hull, the first book in Dark Quest Books’ military science fiction anthology series, Defending the Future.

What I found was a bit hit-or-miss. While I think calling “Cryptic” by Jack McDevitt military science fiction is a bit of a stretch, it slammed a home run to start the proceedings, with a story of wonderful science fiction. It, along with other strong contributions such as Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s “In the Dying Light,” packed into the story a wallop of suspense and excitement, not just at the gunfights and violence, but weaving a strong story through the action. The stories worked on their own, not just as a vehicle for the action associated with the genre.

However, other stories seemed to not hit those high notes quite as well, such as editor Mike McPhail’s “Wayward Child,” which felt a bit flat throughout, lacking that engaging sense of suspense that made some of the other stories such winners. I found myself not finishing all of the stories, as the anthology lost momentum, instead skipping around a bit.

Not all is lost, however, with appearances by the brilliant Jack Campbell (under his real name, John G. Hemry), and the ever-popular Patrick Thomas, who has an entry into his 142nd Starborne series. All-in-all, this volume fills out well, not using many big names, but hitting a number of authors with a lot of work out from smaller publishers, and searching for the new breed of story to be found, not in the big publishers, but in the hands of authors and fans of the genre.

This isn’t necessarily the best anthology you will read, but in a subgenre dominated by a few big names, it is nice to see a fresh take at the stories that made the genre exciting to read. And even if they don’t all succeed, they serve as a platform to keep the genre alive.

X-Men: Powerless

2010-09-06T15:52:00.000-06:00

Going back a little while, I read the string of issues from late 1999/early 2000 that were being republished, in the volumes X-Men: The Shattering, X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 1: The Twelve, and X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse. That segment continues in a brand new volume, X-Men: Powerless.

After the stunning events of The Twelve and Ages of Apocalypse, the team is in shock. Cyclops appears to be dead, Jean Grey leaves the team, and everyone needs a break. The X-Men take a day off, only to receive a most unwelcome visitor, the High Evolutionary, who has drastic news: to save humanity, he has eliminated the ability to use the x-gene, thus turning all mutants into normal humans!

X-Men: Powerless contains: Uncanny X-Men #379 (“What Dreams May Come…”), #380 (“Heaven’s Shadow”), Cable #78 (“I Still Believe I Cannot Be Saved”), X-Force #101 (“Learning to Fly”), Wolverine #149 (“Resurrection”), X-Men #99 (“Oh, the Humanity!”).

One immediate downside: the main storyline is carried just in the X-men books. While Cable, X-Force, and Wolverine deal with the effects of the High Evolutionary’s blocking of mutant abilities, they have no real tie to the main story. Thus, after one chapter to kick off the event and start the main story, we leave that story for half of the book. That jump felt abrupt, and meant going a long time without any real meat to the plot, just more day in the life scenes. Also of note, the issue of Cable was more an epilogue to X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: The Ages of Apocalypse. The Powerless storyline doesn’t arrive until the very last page, in a full page panel. No other attachment. I imagine that these issues were included because, in order of least to most important, A) they do show the effects of the loss of powers, B) it fills out the book to a normal size of six issues, and C) it makes a nice capping point, before the Revolution event and the return of Chris Claremont.

On the plus side, the story is fun. The Cable issue drags a bit, but it was nice to see some closure from The Ages of Apocalypse. X-Force was a nice standalone piece that explored bullying, a common theme for X-Men comics. Wolverine was nothing but a robot slaughter, guest starring the New Warriors (including Nova, who has risen to some prominence lately). Action? Yes. I good story? Any real plot worth following? Not really.

The issues of X-Men and Uncanny X-Men tell the overarching story, and it is one that is much better than the three standalone pieces. The idea of blocking mutants to make everyone human raised questions of making the whole world white to stop racism, or to make everyone heterosexual to stop homophobia. This event made a nice parallel that was also explored in the issues by characters in dialogue. The pace was right, and the story a nice, fun, short one after the epic length and time scale of X-Men vs. Apocalypse.

The X-Men story is a plus, and the other three issues a not-so-much, but all-in-all this was still a fun volume. Consider just reading the X-Men issues. You won’t miss anything important to the story.

7/10

The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness by Poul Anderson – Part 2

2010-08-27T01:20:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

It is part 2 of my review of The Collected Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness out from NESFA Press. For those interested in a prelude to the review, as well as the reviews of the stories from the first section, please see Part 1 of this review.

“Brake”: After a spaceship mutiny, the ship’s captain must stop a group of fanatics from either taking over or destroying the ship, and put a stopping block in front of a much larger conspiracy. This story showcases Anderson’s ability to write near-perfect hard science fiction action/adventure stories. Completely wonderful in both its action and its characterization.

“The Burning Bridge”: Another tale of space, this one is a bit quieter, yet with deep ethical considerations, as a ship on the brink of reaching a new world has received a message from their old one saying they can come back home. Another very strong story, this one rooted in character as well as ethical drama that reaches new extremes in the world of space exploration.

“A World Called Maanerek”: A man living on a planet, among a more primitive society, knows that he is not the same as everyone else. However, after a victorious hunt, it takes a UFO to show him just how different he is, and what destiny awaits him. At first, this story felt a little slow, but once I got into it, the plot fell into place beautifully, working in the twists and turns, the losses, and yet creating a satisfying ending. A strong piece.

“The Pirate”: When a less-than-honorable man claims to have come clean, a galactic police force of sorts isn’t quite so sure, and what they find when they begin to dig is far more than anyone expected. Another tautly written story, that unwraps perfectly as you read along.

“To Build a World”: After a disaster on the moon as the terraforming project seems to flounder, a plot begins to unfold that might reveal a conspiracy against making the moon into a new Earth. Another well-thought-out future, with strong characters, and plenty of grey characters, rather than black and white.

“Say It with Flowers”: A fun story of a man who is captured while trying to deliver a message in war time, and how he manages to find a way to get the message out. Flowers is a fun character, and his adventure was quick-paced and engaging.

There are also two essays:

“Science Fiction and Science: The Hardness of Hard Science Fiction”: An interesting look at both the hard science fiction out there, as well as Anderson’s own thought processes as he sets out to create a believable, science-based world.

“Science Fiction and History”: A look at history’s lessons, and what they may mean for the future, and also a critique on both well-envisioned futures and those that skimp on thoughtful analysis. An interesting essay, an intriguing point of view, and well-written. This one would find fans outside of the genre for what it has to say about humanity’s time.

And the following poems: “Jennifer’s Song” and “Veleda Speaks.”

The second part of the collection was simply brilliant. Anderson displays his versatility at writing quieter stories of introspection, and following them up with tales of action and hard science. He displays a knowledge of societal interworkings and thoughtful explorations of science and humanity that make for top notch reading. The more I delve into Anderson’s work, the more I find to like. Truly, he is revealing himself to be a literary and genre treasure, and I cannot wait to finish this collection.

Fear the Alien edited by Christian Dunn

2010-08-24T00:33:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Fear the Alien was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by The Black Library.

After another lengthy absence from the world of Warhammer 40,000, I return again, this time with the upcoming anthology Fear the Alien. Prepare yourself for xenos/Empire conflict! The stories are as follows:

“Gardens of Tycho” by Dan Abnett: Abnett delivers a story of Magos Drusher, who teams with the local law to discover what is behind a string of brutal killings. But what seems like random slaughter may have a much darker rationale. This story is wonderful, flat out. The characters feel richly fleshed out, the mystery is genuinely engaging and suspenseful, and the plot is fun. If there are more Magos Drusher stories out there, I will be looking for them.

“Fear Itself” by Juliet E. McKenna: A group of soldiers hold a fort at a key placement protecting a bridge, fighting against wave after endless wave of tryanid, who take biological warfare to an extreme. McKenna’s tale is a blast, with strong action, great characters, and a grasp on conveying prolonged conflict that was truly well done. The ending felt a bit too deus ex machine for my tastes, but it was a small price to pay for an otherwise great story.

“Prometheus Requiem” by Nick Kyme: I have had trouble with other Kyme works (Assault on Black Reach: The Novel comes to mind), so I was leery with this one. And was I ever wrong. Kyme blew me away with this story of a group of Salamanders Space Marines exploring a dead ship with far more darkness inside it than they thought. Suspenseful, with strong characters and excellent action, this story is everything Warhammer 40,000 can be.

“Mistress Baeda’s Gift” by Braden Campbell: A tale of the dark elder, and what happens when they fall in love, this one didn’t work very well for me, falling flat and feeling over long.

“Iron Inferno” by C.L. Werner: Werner pleases, as usual, with this tale of orks and the mistake of trying to trick them using human standards. Werner address the ego-centric view that everything must think like us, while at the same time creating a tale without dialogue that thrills, is funny, and manages to do more for orks than any other book I have read on them.

X-Men: Legacy – Divided He Stands

2010-08-20T17:22:00.000-06:00

X-Men: Messiah CompleX changed a lot. The team’s old headquarters were destroyed, and they made a major move to a new home in Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand. However, even more changed for Professor X. His story is found in the newly-re-titled X-Men: Legacy, the first volume of which is X-Men: Legacy – Divided He Stands.

After what should have been a fatal injury at the end of Messiah CompleX, Xavier is on the brink of death when he is rescued by, of all people, the villain Exodus. Exodus uses his powers to repair Xavier’s broken body, but he needs the help of Xavier’s long-time friend and archenemy Magneto to repair Xavier’s fractured mind. And just as that situation seems to be resolved, Xavier discovers a dark secret buried in his past.

X-Men: Legacy – Divided He Stands contains: X-Men: Legacy #208 (“From Genesis to Revelations”), #209 (From Genesis to Revelations, Part Two”), #210 (“From Genesis to Revelations, Part Three”), #211 (“Sins of the Father, Part One”), #212 (“Sins of the Father, Part Two”).

While X-Men: Legacy isn’t the action fest that Uncanny X-Men is, Mike Carey’s story is incredibly gripping, as he weaves huge amounts of the X-Men’s and Xavier’s past into the story. Xavier’s quest to save his mind and rediscover his memories is one that leads to a lot of dark places in X-Men history, and each is explored in a wonderful tapestry that all fits back together into the frame narrative.

There is plenty of character exploration, and lots and background. The story is an excellent character piece about Xavier, and what he went through and accomplished as head of the X-Men, both good and bad. Solid work.

Things that might perturb readers: The story is definitely continuity-heavy, so some new readers may not get all of the references. This isn’t necessary to enjoy the story, but it may still bother some. Also, while all volumes of X-Men are part of a larger story, and those no true, definite “end” is ever there, the wrapping up of the current story provides that end piece. This volume ends mid story, so it isn’t the best for those looking for a one-and-done book.

9/10

Eight Against Reality edited by Dario Ciriello

2010-08-18T23:44:00.002-06:00

NOTE: Eight Against Reality was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Panverse Publishing.

Luke Reviews always has its eyes out for good new short story offerings, and a great place to look is among the smaller presses, which seem to take non-novel length fiction far more seriously than the big publishers do. Panverse Publishing made some waves with their first publication, Panverse One, and before the release of Panverse Two, the second in their novella anthology series, Panverse put out a new short fiction anthology, Eight Against Reality. After a very brief introduction from the editor, we dive into the stories.

“The Eminence’s Match” by Juliette Wade: A society grounded in a very distinct caste-system of sorts, this tale of a hard-to-please leader and his desire to control his servants, and the servant who just can’t seem to do things right, ends rather as expected, but getting there was a good journey. I found the plot less interesting than trying to figure out the society in the story, but still a good start to the anthology.

“Kip, Running” by Genevieve Williams: The story of a race through a future Seattle, where you do whatever it takes to be the first to reach the finish line, and worrying about laws is never among your thoughts, Williams’ tale was entertaining, although not as exciting as I had hoped. Perhaps it was a case of misplaced expectations. I thought it would be a story of action and excitement based on the beginning, but I felt it turned more into a melodrama of Kip’s inability to win the girl.

“The Lonely Heart” by Aliette de Bodard: An intriguing tale of China, child prostitution, and the evils that hide out in the open. This story read really smooth, with a flowing prose that worked perfectly for this tale. I had heard many good things about de Bodard’s work, but had yet to experience it, and this was a welcome pleasure.

“The Flying Squids of Zondor” by Doug Sharp: This movie script follows Commandrix Den Dron as she leads her crew to the planet Zondor, populated by sentient squids. I looked forward to pulp-ish adventure, but instead found an awkward, unenjoyable story. The attempts at comedy weren’t funny, the dialogue was stilted, and while it seemed at times to be on purpose, it failed at its attempt to satirize the earlier periods of the genre. The clunker of the volume.

“Spoiling Veena” by Keyan Bowes: A story of designer children in a world where any physical change can be achieved through surgery, where a couple’s daughter decides that she wants to be their son, instead. Well-written, but I’m not sure if I really found the underlining of the story plausible.

“Man’s Best Enemy” by Janice Hardy: One of the best stories of the volume, this one chronicles man’s struggle for survival in a future in which the world has gone to the dogs, to make a bad joke. It isn’t the first story to fill in that setting, and there is one story (“Fit for a Dog” by Howard L. Myers) that I think was slightly more effective than this one, but Hardy’s tale was still a very engaging one, with strong characters and a fun plot. I’ll be looking for more from Hardy.

“Love, Blood, and Octli” by T.L. Morganfield: A tale that worked myth into narrative in a brilliant way (too bad the Mythopoeic Award is only for novels), this story was great in almost every way. Aztec mythology meets a young girl enjoying her childhood, as she is swept up into a tale of gods and a future worth fighting for. Excellent.

“Dancing by Numbers” by Dario Ciriello: A woman learns that she can explore alternate dimensions from the safety of her own head, and starts to lose her own life in the process, in this tale from our editor. This was an engaging take on the alternate dimension story, one that humanized it while still exploring the infinity of possibilities. It wasn’t the best of the collection, but was still a nice way to wrap up the collection.

Eight Against Reality proves to be a strong new collection, featuring four new stories and four reprints, and bodes well for the future of Panverse Publishing. While not all of the stories worked for me, overall they were strong, and had a very large number that were of high-quality. Fans of science fiction and fantasy short stories should check this one out.

8/10

Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand

2010-08-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Continuing my exploration of X-Men, I finished X-Men: Messiah CompleX, which did much to really revolutionize the status quo of the series. Following on from that story, I will be picking up the threads with Uncanny X-Men and the newly retitled X-Men: Legacy, as well as occasional interlinked stories not from those titles, and of course work on building up the back catalogue. Lots of work ahead! To start down that road, I picked up Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand, which picks up the pieces for the X-Men team after X-Men: Messiah CompleX.

After the shocking events to close out Messiah CompleX, the X-Men are on a bit of a hiatus. Scott Summers and Emma Frost are in the Savage Land on vacation, while Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler are in Russia, trying to help Colossus get over the grief of the apparent death of his love, Kitty Pryde (over in Astonishing X-Men, which isn’t reviewed here), and Angel, Iceman, Warpath, and Hepzibah head out west on a mission that is rather mysterious. However, no one gets the full relaxation that they need, as old enemies try to take advantage of Colossus and his friends, while the team that headed to San Francisco meets a powerful mutant force that seems to have turned the city back into the sixties.

Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand contains: Uncanny X-Men # 495-499

After the big blow-out extravaganza that was Messiah CompleX, the X-Men needed some down time. That was one of the highlights of Claremont’s run, showing us some of the time off for the X-Men. However, in Divided We Stand things don’t work out quite as well. The Summers/Frost storyline quickly pulls back to San Francisco, where the whole flower-power scene gets a little old after a while. The storyline just wasn’t as engaging as I would have liked it. However, it does come to a satisfying conclusion that sounds the call for a new home for the X-Men.

The Wolverine/Colossus/Nightcrawler story was much more engaging of the two, with great dialogue and good action. The story as a whole felt rather unimportant as a whole to the furthering of the X-Men storyline, but it was fun, and worth the read.

All-in-all, this one isn’t the best of the collections out there, but it is worth a pick up for fans of the series.

8/10

The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness - Part 1

2010-08-15T13:23:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

It seems that NESFA Press is trying to educate me my genre of preference. No, it isn’t true that I haven’t read the classics. From Mary Shelley to Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the pulp era of Hugo Gernsbeck to John W. Capmbell, Jr., Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. van Vogt, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Ursula K. Le Guin, on to more recent figures, such as Joe Haldeman, Robert Silverberg, etc. I’m obviously missing a host of authors in this bunch, but such is the fate of any list of names like this. Yet, somehow NESFA Press has put up three books in a row that fit right into gaps in my genre education. First James Blish, then Roger Zelazny, and now Poul Anderson. Prior to this, I had a very brief introduction to Poul Anderson, in the form of a single short story and mention of him in I. Asimov, Isaac Asimov’s third volume of his autobiography. So, with the excitement generated from the previous two volumes of NESFA Press collections, I dove into this hefty tome, which I am breaking apart into three reviews, both to focus on the stories a bit more, and to let me get in more reviews for you.

The first third I’m looking at begins after an editor’s note and an introduction by Mike Resnick. The stories are as follows:

“The Queen of Air and Darkness”: Likely the most famous story of the bunch in this section, it was also the one I liked least. Go figure. After a slow start, this story of a world seemingly populated by creatures from fairy tales picks up a bit, finally reaching a satisfying conclusion. Not bad, but not my favorite.

“Industrial Revolution”: A wonderful story of a moment in time that led to a war between Earth and the citizens of the asteroids. Exciting, intriguing, and fast-paced, this one was a lot of fun.

“Operation Afreet”: Absolutely wonderful. In a modern world with magic bound by the laws of physics and an army of mythical, mystical creatures, a werewolf and a witch set out on a secret mission to stop the linchpin of an Islamic terrorist army’s plans. A great combination of magic as rationalized by physics, this story was engaging, with very fun characters.

“The Longest Voyage”: Another of the more famous stories here, and another that I didn’t love. Fast paced, with an interesting premise, this story of sailors and island natives who discover a messiah from the sky had a conclusion that I found imminently predictable. It reminded me of a Ray Bradbury story, “The Flying Machine” I think is the title, where a man discovers a wondrous new technology to a rather odd reaction from his emperor. Perhaps this one suffers from being immolated too often in the genre, but regardless, it was good, but predictable.

“Brave to Be a King”: Part of Anderson’s Time Patrol series, this story of a man trapped in the Iran of 2500 years ago was very fun and fast paced. This is one to keep you entertained, with a thoroughly explored plot and entertaining characters.

The section also contains one essay:

“Science Fiction and Science: On Imaginary Science”: An interesting look at how stories have used science, stretched science, and warped science, in the name of science fiction.

Also included are a number of poems: “Jennifer’s Lament,” “Cradle Song,” “Upon the Occasion of Being Asked at a Court of Love to Declare That About His Lady Which Pleases Him the Most,” “Midsummer Song,” and “Christa McAuliffe.” Anderson’s work in verse is quite well done.

At the end of this segment of The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Volume 2: The Queen of Air and Darkness, I’m having a lot of fun with this volume. The first story left me a little unsure, but the stories that came after were a lot of fun. I look forward to diving back into this one, and reading the second third, which has a number of stories that look appealing. So far, so good!

The Evil Gazebo by Bernie Mojzes

2010-08-12T23:25:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Evil Gazebo was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.

In between big books, I like to try and mix in some shorter stuff. I like longer works as much as the next person, but sometimes you need a breather. That, and I think, in the current market driven by novels (novels pay better than short works, and authors have to fill their belly somehow), especially gigantic, overstuffed novels, the shorter works need to see the light of day and a bigger audience. Thus, when a copy of The Evil Gazebo by Bernie Mojzes was slipped in my mailbox, I made sure to dive right in.

In a dreary house, two girls keep watch on the evil gazebo, and nothing ever happens. So when something does appear, they have to go find out what it is. They discover that this creature may be friendly, and may not bite, and they aren’t sure what to make of it. From this, an adventure of sorts grows, as the girls and their new acquaintance explore the girls’ house, and decide what to do about the thing.

That likely isn’t a very cogent description of the plot of the book, but to say any more would be to take away from the pleasant surprise that is The Evil Gazebo. The story seems to flirt with the line between children’s tale and the fairy tale for adults, playing with dark themes, yet in such a way that it is accessible to all ages, and certainly no more gruesome than the Brothers Grimm and their set of tales. Mojzes has crafted just such a story, and it fits the style of dark fairy tale well, without losing any of the style distinct to Mojzes. It reminds this reviewer very much of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, both in style and quality.

Also of note is the plethora of illustrations that round out this volume, adding a bit to each short chapter. They are sufficiently weird to fit the tale quite well, although they may be a little too odd for some peoples’ tastes.

This is a short read, but very much worth picking up. It won’t take long to read, but is a nice way to spend a bit of captured time one quiet afternoon. And it will be one of those books you will want to read again. Numerous times. If you enjoy fables, fairy tales, stories with a lot more going on than you might imagine and that capture the magic in words, don’t hesitate to pick up a copy of this book.

9/10

X-Men: Messiah CompleX by Ed Brubaker, Peter David, Craig Kyle & Chris Yost, and Mike Carey

2010-08-12T01:00:00.000-06:00

Luke Reviews just explored Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists as we get caught up with today’s X-Men. The Extremists builds up to a major event that sets up a new status quo that informs the stories for the next few years, up through the just-finished X-Men: Second Coming. That event is the birth of a new mutant baby, the first after the events depicted in House of M. Thus begins X-Men: Messiah CompleX.

In Alaska, a baby mutant is born. The Reavers (focused on more in the X-Men series written by Mike Carey) and the Purifiers (seen predominantly in Craig Kyle & Chris Yost’s New X-Men) make the Alaskan town a battle zone in a fight to recover the baby, with the Purifiers wanting to kill the child as an act of religious fervor, and the Reavers wanting to use the child to further their mutant-dominant agenda. The X-Men find out about the birth, but arrive too late to get the child, instead trying to save the people hurt during the battle. As things play out, all of the major X-Men teams come together to try and save the baby, and give mutants and humans alike hope for the future.

X-Men: Messiah Complex contains: X-Men: Messiah Complex one-shot, Uncanny X-Men #492-494, X-Men #205-207, New X-Men #44-46, and X-Factor #25-27.

Crossovers hold a rather infamous place in X-Men and comics history, frequently being nothing more than a way to sell extra books, and having rather pointless storylines that are confusing if you aren’t reading every single x-book out there. Messiah CompleX proved to be the exception rather than the rule. While it is obvious as you are reading through that things have been building up in the other comics (especially in X-Men and New X-Men, it seems, far more so than in Uncanny X-Men), the major points and bits of information are covered, leaving even new readers with a good understanding of what is going on. While some background is necessary to enjoy this, being totally up-to-date on every book isn’t required.

The story is fast-paced, working through a huge number of different plot threads, yet managing to tie them all back together very nicely at the end. Everyone gets some face time, each of the teams plays a role, and the story flows right along without a hitch. The large cast of characters may seem overwhelming, but it works out well in the end, and is a lot of fun.

Those looking for a crossover with actual implications will find it here as well. New X-Men ended, and spawned the short-lived Young X-Men, while X-Men changed its name to X-Men: Legacy. We see the creation of X-Force, which gets its own series, X-Force, and Cable returns to a prominent role, entering his own new series, Cable. The whole status quo is revamped, and things are all-new all over again.

If you are looking for a fast paced story that wraps up old plot-lines and starts new ones, this is the place to be. Although perhaps not the best book for first-timers.

8/10

Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists by Ed Brubaker

2010-08-12T00:56:00.000-06:00

Continuing the reading of X-Men, I finished Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire, which I loved. The ending left plenty still up in the air, with the team divided and the Shi’Ar Empire under new leadership. Those interested in following the story in space should check out the now out-of-print X-Men: Emperor Vulcan, then move on to X-Men: Kingbreaker, which is contained in War of Kings: Road to War of Kings, then move on to War of Kings and Realm of Kings. I moved on instead with the main X-Men group, and so continued on in Uncanny X-Men with Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists.

After an accident in the underground tunnels that are home to a group of grotesque and deformed mutants, one young mutant is kidnapped, while another barely survives, and makes his way to the home of the X-Men. His arrival leads to a team of X-Men, including “guest star” and returning X-Man Storm, heading underground to confront a secret mutant terrorist cult that wants to reassert mutants as a dangerous threat.

Uncanny X-Men: The Extremists contains: Uncanny X-Men #487-491

Brubaker follows up his epic-scale space opera with a much shorter tale that lies closer to home, featuring the return of a number of characters. This tale manages to be fun, although it also at times feels like a short tale to fill the space between Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire and X-Men: Messiah CompleX, working as a bridge that moves the different characters where they need to be for the next major confrontation.

Regardless of that, however, Brubaker delivers a tale that is fun and a fast read, and will leave you excited for the next installment.

8/10

Demons edited by Jason M. Waltz

2010-08-05T11:59:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Demons was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Rogue Blades Entertainment.

Editor Jason Waltz is turning his publishing house, Rogue Blades Entertainment, into a real go to source for strong modern sword and sorcery action fantasy. He runs a couple of lines of anthologies, the first being the yearly RBE Signature anthologies, which so far consist of Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth, which was reviewed here at Luke Reviews not too long ago, receiving a top notch mark. The second line he is introducing is actually one he has recovered from another publisher. Carnifex Press had a line of anthologies entitled Clash of Steel. However, after Carnifex Press had to close its doors, the series wound up in the hands of Waltz, a huge fan. He retooled the series, taking stories from the original volumes and mixing in new ones, and putting these newly redone anthologies back into the market. Thus, Clash of Steel: Demon, edited by Armand Rosamilia, became Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology, edited by Jason M. Waltz.

After acknowledgements from Waltz, and an introduction from the original series editor Armand Rosamilia, the stories begin:

“The Man with the Webbed Throat” by Steve Moody: When a bloody man enters a chapel, his discussion with the local priest leads to a startling revelation. An interesting thought piece on free will that seems to espouse a number of beliefs deeply held in the S&S genre, but not the best choice to open the anthology with in my opinion, being low on the “clash of steel” the anthology purports to be all about.

“Imprisoned” by Carl Walmsley: Walmsley’s previous tale, “Serpents beneath the Ice” in Rage of the Behemoth, wasn’t my favorite, and neither was this one. A man who keeps demons trapped in his mind loses one, and must fit to get it back. Walmsley’s style doesn’t engage me as much as a number of the other authors here, but the excitement is there for fans of Walmsley’s work.

“Toxic” by Steven L. Shrewsbury: When a woman comes to town with a demon in tow, who do you run to in hopes of being saved? The comedian?! A fun story that was humorous without going too far, and still contained action and a nice bit of ingenuity. A solid addition to the collection.

“Azieran: Bound by Virtue” by Christopher Heath: An engaging tale of a mage who summons a demon to combat another one on its way to kill him. Heath’s world of Azieran (which comes back later in this volume) seems to have some nice possibilities.

“Bodyguard of the Dead” by C.L. Werner: Shintaro Oba returns in this story of immortals and revenge. Werner presents one of the best stories in this volume, and one of the best stories from 2010 I have read so far.

“Kron Darkbow” by Ty Johnston: An engaging story of a man-for-hire seeking a magical artifact, Johnston has given another entertaining addition to the anthology.

“The Vengance of Tibor” by Ron Shiflet: Another solid story, this time of the lengths a man will go to kill the demon that slaughtered his family.

“The Beast of Lyoness” by Christopher Stires: A man with a troubled past sets out to save as city from a monster that is more than willing to fight fair, this one has a satisfying end that likely won’t be what you expected.

“Fifteen Breaths” by Phil Emery: Not what I was expecting in this anthology, but intriguing nonetheless, this story is of a man looking for something to believe in, and the price he pays to prove it. An interesting piece.

“The Pact” by Jonathan Green: A tale of epic war with Hell, this one had a “surprise” ending that I guessed before it appeared, but still was well-written and fun.

“Blood Ties” by Trista Robichaud: A prostitute and a mercenary set out on a unique rescue mission. A very fun tale with characters I would like to read more about.

“Zeerembuk” by Steve Goble: A demon makes the best of a bad situation in this tale from Goble, which is very engaging, with an ending that works perfectly for his story.

“The Fearsome Hunger” by Rob Mancebo: A Celtic-inspired tale of a man far darker than he seems, and an evil that plagues a town. Yet another great story in this volume.

“The Furnace” by Sandro G. Franco: Up there with Werner’s contribution, this is one of the highlights of the collection, doing a great job of presenting solid characters and an engaging plot. A man sent to hunt down a witch finds far more at stake when he enters a world overrun by demons.

“The First League Out From Land” by Brian Dolton: Not the best of the bunch, but still good, this story of a thief who may have bitten off more than she can chew moved a little slow at first for me, but picked up with a solid, if predictable, conclusion.

“The Sacrifice” by Jason Irrgang: A fast-paced tale of a last stand against the armies of Hell, Irrgang’s story is engaging, exciting, and pulled off a conclusion that was neither neat nor clean, thus perfect for the tale. Well done.

“Son of the Rock” by Laura J. Underwood: A story that seems set in a world the author may have further developed elsewhere, this story of a mage and a warrior exploring a mystery hidden in a deserted town was well written and, as so many of the stories here, very engaging.

“Into Shards” by Murray J.D. Leeder: A king haunted by his impending death seeks the help of a witch n this tale from Leeder, which wasn’t my favorite, but even the stories that don’t top this collection are still among the better half of what I’ve read from the year.

“Through the Dark” by Darla J. Bowen: A half-human woman sets out to rescue a kidnapped girl. Bowen paints an engaging setting and a tense plot.

“Joenna’s Ax” by Elaine Isaak: A brilliant story of one woman’s quest for revenge for her son, and her struggle against discrimination. Very well done; I will be looking for more from Isaak, who has other stories set in this world setting.

“The Lesser: A Sword of the Daemor Tale” by Patrick Thomas: Terrorbelle is given a very difficult choice between the lesser of two evils in this very well written tale from Thomas. Look back here for a review of Thomas’ Mystic Investigators, which contains another Terrorbelle story. A very fun story.

“When the Darkness Grows” by Frederick Tor: RBE’s house author gives us another tale of Kaimer, this time as he seeks down a secret cult that threatens all of Skovolis. An ending that, while it didn’t have the surprise effect I think was intended, was still very satisfying capped off another solid effort from “Frederick Tor.”

“Demon Heart” by Bryan Lindenberger: A knight and a wizard find themselves in competition for far more than the pride of a hunt in this story. Lindenberger gives us a very fun tale.

“Azieran: Racked upon the Altar of Eeyuu” by Christopher Heath: In my mind, this tale isn’t as engaging as Heath’s other Azieran tale in this volume, it still is a fun story of one man who sets out to unite the tribes against a future evil, and the toll fate plays on him. This one hits some metaphysical depths that are certainly intriguing, mainly that of the role we play in destiny.

“Born Warriors” by T.W. Williams: The typical “beware making bargains with a [insert bad bargain maker here]” is given the demon treatment. While this one held no surprises, it was well-written.

“Mistaken Identity” by Robert J. Santa: A story with some mixed roles reminiscent of Twelfth Night, this story of a man trapped in a demon’s body has very solid characterization. I would love to read more about these two.

“Box of Bones” by Jonathan Moeller: A great story of a demon hunter/ spoiled drunkard son was very well written, containing great action scenes. Moeller has created a character I think could carry a series (if he doesn’t already), and is a lot of fun to follow.

“By Hellish Means” by Bill Ward: My least favorite of the anthology happen to also be the last, in this tale of a woman setting out to save a world overrun by Hell. I found myself having a hard time getting wrapped up in this one, although it had exciting action scenes and a plot twist that is satisfying if a little expected.

After having viewed a couple of Rogue Blades Entertainment’s anthologies now, and seeing what they have on the horizon, I can say without hesitation that Jason Waltz and RBE are among the most important forces working in Sword & Sorcery today, if not on top of that list. Demons continues the trend of anthologies mixing well-known names with relative newcomers, and rounding out an anthology that is nothing short of stellar. No one agrees or loves every story in an anthology, but no editor has come closer to getting me to that mark than Waltz, and if he pulled it off it wouldn’t surprise me.

You can’t go wrong picking up an RBE book, and Demons is up there with the best. Also be sure to keep tabs on the other upcoming works from RBE, including Assassins, the next Clash of Steel anthology. After reading this one, you won’t want to miss the next one, and you will have a whole handful of new authors to check out. If you like Sword & Sorcery, heroic fantasy, fantasy in general, or fast-paced action stories of any genre, especially those that manage to be intelligent as well, don’t think twice about picking up Demons or any other RBE anthology.

9/10

Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire by Ed Brubaker

2010-08-05T11:48:00.000-06:00

As Luke Reviews fans know, I’m digging into X-Men, trying to get caught up to the current releases, and exploring the stuff I loved at a much younger age. My last stop was Ed Brubaker’s X-Men: Deadly Genesis, which was good, if not great, but seemed to do quite a bit to set up Brubaker’s run on Uncanny X-Men. After wrapping up Deadly Genesis, it was time to see the next title, Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire, Brubaker’s first under the Uncanny X-Men banner.

After the events of X-Men: Deadly Genesis, Vulcan flies out to space, intent on wreaking revenge on the man who killed his mother: D’Ken, the comatose former emperor of the Shi’Ar Empire. Professor Xavier doesn’t want to add more carnage to the wrath of his greatest mistake, so he gathers a team of X-Men consisting of Marvel Girl, Warpath, Nightcrawler, Havok, Polaris, and Darwin (introduced in Deadly Genesis) to race against time to warn Empress Lilandra that her Empire will soon fall under attack from one of the most powerful, and most dangerous, mutants alive.

Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire contains: Uncanny X-Men #475 (“Plan B”), #476 (“The Things They Left Behind”), #477 (“Vulcan’s Progress”), #478 (“Castaways”), #479 (“Double-Edged”), #480 (“Vulcan’s Progress (Redux)”), #481 (“Crossing the Rubicon”), #482 (“Imperial Rescue”), #483 (“Vulcan’s Descent”), #484 (“In Exile”), #485 (“The End of All That Is”), #486 (“Endings and Beginnings”), as well as sketches, a diagram of the ship used by the X-Men team, and an interview with Ed Brubaker and artist Billy Tan from an uncredited issue of Marvel Spotlight.

After the okay but not stellar performance in Deadly Genesis, I was a little hesitant about diving into this rather large story, but it turned out that I had absolutely no reason to be. Brubaker has created a fast-paced story that still maintains an epic scope. His storytelling is spot on, throwing wrenches into the plans of the X-Men at every turn, mixing action and solid plot together very well.

His characterization is also spot on. He reworks old character Warpath, and makes him a very engaging and exciting person to follow, and his work on new character Darwin is also top notch, making him a solid addition to the X-Men team, and very much an individual. His exploration of Vulcan gets a bit better, although it still felt a little weak for a villain taking up such a huge amount of the X-Men’s time.

Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’Ar Empire is space opera at its most fun, with an engaging cast of characters, plenty of space flight, and no lack of action and excitement. A very fun read.

9/10

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

2010-08-05T11:43:00.000-06:00

Fans of Luke Reviews know it: When it comes to Agatha Christie, I am a fan. She is a brilliant author, who can do so much in such a short number of pages, and really make every mystery one to draw you in. So why has it been so long since I last looked at her work? I certainly can’t think of a good reason for it. I set out to rectify this with the next of her Hercule Poirot books that I am reading through in order of publication, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

In a small country village, one person’s business is everyone’s business. So when a rich widow commits suicide, everyone knows about it, and speculates as to the reason why. And everyone wonders, does it have anything to do with her new paramour, Roger Ackroyd? However, when Ackroyd is found murdered after a mysterious phone call to the local doctor, it is up to Poirot to solve a case in which everyone seems to have had the chance, the motive…or both.

This one has all of the traits that make me love Christie’s work: strong characterization of everyone in the novel, very tightly written plotting, with no wasted verbiage and lots of plot details and twists, and the ability to piece together the crime and follow the clues, if you are quick witted enough to keep up with Poirot.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd also has what is likely to be Christie’s most controversial ending in any of her novels or short stories. It is one that readers will either love or hate, or in some cases (like with this reviewer), not be entirely sure how you feel about it. Christie pulls a trick out of her hat that is both brilliant and infuriating, and quite over the top. It is believable, well-explained, and yet to some will feel like a cheat. I certainly still don’t know what to think of it.

Despite that, or perhaps because of it, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd has become a classic of the mystery genre, and the novel that really sent Christie to literary fame. It is a fast paced, thoroughly engaging novel that readers will find hard to put down, and a cornerstone of a genre. Fans of great storytelling, mysteries, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shouldn’t miss this one.

9/10

The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff

2010-08-05T11:40:00.000-06:00

It has been quite some time since I have indulged in a horror novel, and I can never really figure out why I go so long without reading them, when I know I am a fan of the genre. Wanting to correct this, I pulled a book off my shelf I have owned for a little while, The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff, with the hopes of discovering a new author worth following in the horror genre.

Robin is staying at her dorm over thanksgiving break, because she can’t take going home to her alcoholic, emotionally abusive mother. She expects a long weekend alone, but in fact finds that four other students are staying as well. However, after a ferocious storm knocks out the pair, the five students begin a game that turns out to have very deadly consequences. And when the weekend ends, they realize that their terror has only just begun.

Sokoloff’s novel began a little slowly, with a bit of extreme angst, as Robin falls into a deep, suicidal depression, but after the first few chapters, the story really kicks in, and the pages fly by. The character’s are very fun, and all feel rather well fleshed out. The story also manages to play both as a ghost story, as well as pulling in some religious mysticism, and both elements work very well. The story alternates between researching the past to find out what the students are dealing with, and struggling with the paranormal entity.

Sokoloff’s debut novel is a thriller of a horror novel, and an absolute joy to read. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of the genre, but also to those interested in the genre but looking for a nice entry point. A solid short novel.

9/10

X-Men: Deadly Genesis by Ed Brubaker

2010-07-30T23:27:00.000-06:00

Everything is all about energy. So when millions of mutants with the power to alter and control Earth’s energies lose their abilities, where does all of that energy go? This was hinted at in the final pages of Brian Michael Bendis’ House of M, and Brubaker’s first story as scribe of the X-Men picks up right after House of M, with that same question, and its dark answer.

After the drastic change of the status quo of the Marvel Universe, a large wave of energy is released, the culmination of the powers lost by the former mutants. This wave tears into a space shuttle, killing everyone, but also has an effect less apparent at first. It hits a large mass in space, and awakens someone living inside it. Shocked at the date, he heads to Earth. The X-men, meanwhile, are still living with the realities of a post-House of M world, and things begin to heap upon them as ghosts of the past appear before their very eyes. After reading a strange energy source, a team heads out to find it, and finds far more, starting a fight that will tear open old wounds, expose betrayals, and set up a new era for the X-Men.

This volume collects X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1-6, which includes the main story, plus five back up stories that add more depth and character background to the new characters introduced, “Petra,” “Darwin,” “Sway,” “Kid Vulcan,” and “What Emma Doesn’t Know.”

Brubaker has gradually been garnering a name for himself in the comics world, so there was a lot of excitement when it was announced that he was moving to Uncanny X-Men. He wanted to start things out with a bang, shaking up the major mythos of the X-Men canon with his opening mini-series. While he has indeed done that, digging back to old storylines from decades ago, it wasn’t the smoothest work it could have been.

Vulcan comes across as a very flat villain, no real emotional rationale for his actions. He seemingly takes on all of the X-Men simply because he is angry with one person, and his plans seem a touch contradictory at times.

However, the story itself is fun, doing a good job of getting new readers up to speed, and reacquainting old readers with the status quo. The characters seem to stay in character, the action is fun, and there is plenty of drama to keep the story moving along, while at the same time introducing a number of new characters.

The story does end without a very solid conclusion, which works well to start the next installment, Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire, but means that this one doesn’t stand alone very well.

A fun story, and a nice introduction to a new run on Uncanny X-Men, although not the best work from that series. Worth a look to get started on the road to getting caught up.

7/10

House of M by Brian Michael Bendis

2010-07-30T23:18:00.000-06:00

Those of you who read my essay, “The Post-X-Men vs. Apocalypse X-Men,” will recall that this is where I proposed to start my project of getting caught up with X-Men. Many people seem to have low opinions of X-Men because of its status as a comic book, but it tells stories just as engaging and entertaining as most of the novels I read, and at times (such as the brilliant God Loves, Man Kills written by Chris Claremont) really reaches towards the best of storytelling, regardless of genre or format. So, with plenty of excitement, I dove into the event that in large part launched the last few years of X-Men comics, House of M.

Magneto’s daughter Wanda is slowly losing her grip on reality, and her powers are just enough that this is a big problem. The first time she lost her grip, three people died. Under control again, the X-Men and the Avengers join together to decide the fate of their friend and former hero. However, before they can make a choice, tragedy strikes, and in a flash of white, the world changes. Magneto is king of the most powerful nation in the world, mutants are the upper class, and the X-Men and Avengers don’t exist. However, one man remembers the truth, and sets out to overthrow an entire world, and set things back on the right path.

Brian Michael Bendis is a very solid storyteller, and he doesn’t falter here. His sweeping story manages to showcase the drastic new direction the world has taken, while at the same time giving us a cast of characters to follow. He manages to hit some interesting depths as well, including a discussion on the ethical “rightness” of destroying one world, even if it is artificially constructed, for the sake of returning things to the original world. Combining action and a great plot, Bendis makes this one a real winner, and a great jumping on point for new readers. A great start to my surge into the newer X-Men series.

9/10

A Cup of Normal by Devon Monk

2010-07-30T23:11:00.000-06:00

NOTE: A Cup of Normal was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

Devon Monk is a new author for me. I have seen a few of her books at the store from time to time, but not being much of a fan of urban fantasy, I never gave them a look. However, when I received a copy of her first short story collection, A Cup of Normal, it looked to be quite different than her novels, and, intrigued, I dove into the stories.

“Dusi”: This story of a mythological monster with a case of the lonlies was a light, fun tale, and a solid start to the collection.

“Beer with a Hamster Chaser”: Another light story, this time of a science experiment and an awkward guy, this one was also fun, but brief.

“Probe”: Machines and robots work to avert catastrophe in this solid tale.

“That Saturday”: A story of a girl, her undead dog, and living stone heads. Okay, but a little too much on the stupid side of silly for my tastes.

“The Wishing Time”: The first of a couple of anti-Santa Christmas stories, this one is of a troll who wants his family back. Okay, but the light and brief tale is starting to suffer from too much lack of depth.

“Bearing Life”: The best story of the volume, this tale explores a queen who is in an unwinnable war. Nice character depth and solid storytelling.

“Stitchery”: A good story, this quirky tale of a woman whose animal dies manages to be both fun and engaging.

“Last Tour of Duty”: A ghost war story, this one is another strong contribution to the collection.

“Oldblade”: The story of a sword held by an evil, undeserving man, this one seemed a little too excited about the concept of the sword’s point of view, and not enough of a full, good story, but wasn’t too bad.

“Skein of Sunlight”: While the vampire romance subgenre isn’t too much to my liking, this one managed to be just quirky enough to be endearing, and a fun story. Not my favorite denouement, but not bad.

“Stringing Tomorrow”: A story of a working man in the future, this one just didn’t grasp me much at all. Too little to like in this one.

“X-Day”: Another story that leaves Santa in a bad light, this tale of a girl and her cherished doll had too little detail to back up the “What?”s and “Why?”s to be much more than a forgettable if mildly entertaining short.

“Menders”: An odd little tail of aliens and slavery, this one was okay without ever hitting really good.

“Leeward to the Sky”: Her self-described “rhythmic fairytale” captured none of the magic of fairytales, and wasn’t an engaging story. Very short, but still one I decided wasn’t worth finishing.

“Fishing the Edge of the World”: A story that captured a neat style and mood, this post-death story of a suicide victim was, as became a trend, simply okay.

“Moonlighting”: A fun story in the midst of some downers, this was a welcome change up, and was an engaging story of a pixie and an ogre.

“Christmas Card”: Another okay one, this story of Christmas and a magical deck of cards didn’t do much for me.

“Ducks in a Row”: A good, almost Matheson-esque story of a kid at a carnival with a dark past was one of the most engaging in the collection.

“Singing Down the Sun”: This one flopped for me. A myth of sorts, on the origin of music, I couldn’t get through it.

“Here After Life”: Another after-death story, in a way, this one was engaging, and had an impact to it that I felt much of this collection was lacking.

“Falling with Wings”: Another story that I found too hard to get into, so I let it go. A weak end to the collection.

“When a Train Calls Lonely”: See the one directly above. Same thoughts for this one, verbatim.

This collection had some very entertaining stories, but they were far too few. Many of these pieces were just light fluff, and while that is good some of the time, too much of it made it suffer, similar to what happened when I read The Holler by Marge Fulton. There aren’t characters to connect with. There isn’t enough plot or detail to make the actions matter to me. And the ones that did have that had too weak of a story to make them very readable.

The biggest problem with this collection was that it simply suffered from being very okay, but not anything better overall. The layout was odd as well, with a lot of upbeat stories at the beginning, and closing out with a number of depressing tales that clashed badly with the opening pieces. All in all, this may appeal to people who are big fans of Monk’s novels, but I didn’t find enough here to recommend it to the average reader.

5/10

Sword of Justice by Chris Wraight

2010-07-26T21:43:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Sword of Justice was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library.

Warhammer Fantasy has a lot of famous characters: Gotrek & Felix, Malus Darkblade, The Blackhearts, etc. However, a number of characters from the game haven’t received much face time from Black Library, and they are working to alleviate that gap with their new series, Warhammer Heroes. Each book focuses on a major figure in the Warhammer Fantasy setting, and gives some more depth into their background and story. The first volume, Sword of Justice, follows Ludwig Schwarzhelm, champion of the Emperor. It looked like a neat idea for a series, and an exciting starting novel.

However, I jumped in and found it not at all to my liking. The beginning is an extended fight scene with no rationale. Why are the imperial warriors, gathered from the dregs of what was left with another army on campaign, at this location? Why was it critical to the war effort? Why were the beastmen attacking? These and a host of other questions left me baffled without answer, and it didn’t help that the beginning hardly featured Ludwig Schwarzhelm, who took his own time showing up, and didn’t make a huge splash.

This novel turned out to be not at all what I was expecting, and not much to my liking. Some reason for the huge violence of a story is necessary for me. I like fight scenes as much as the next person, but without some reason behind it, it becomes a pointless and meaningless part that doesn’t do much for me at all. I found this one unfinishable. Let it go, but keep your eyes peeled for the next one, by C.L. Werner, which has quite a bit of potential.

The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume One: Threshold by Roger Zelazny

2010-07-26T08:10:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume One: Threshold was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

The New Wave of science fiction was a movement that revolutionized the genre, moving away from the pulp and towards a new, highbrow literary style. Michael Moorcock’s work as editor of New Worlds really ushered in the movement, with authors such as Samuel R. Delany (Dhalgren), Brian Aldiss (Report on Probability A), Thomas M. Disch, Philip Jose Farmer, and Harlan Ellison (both as author and as editor of the core New Wave anthology, Dangerous Visions), among many others, contributing to this new mood in the genre. The movement rocked genre fiction, and changed the face of it permanently, even after its decline, when it was replaced with the new burst of Hard SF led by Gregory Benford, Greg Bear, and David Brin, and the cyberpunk movement epitomized by William Gibson’s Neuromancer.

One of the key figures of this era of science fiction was Roger Zelazny, who exploded on the scene, putting out classic stories early and often. NESFA Press has recently released a six volume set of the complete short works of Roger Zelazny, from his early beginnings through to the end of his career. Each volume contains a huge amount of content, and is a treasure trove of classic works. I jumped in right at the first volume. The stories begin after an editorial note and two introductions, “Out of Nowhere” by Robert Silverberg and “Before Amber” by Carl B. Yoke.

“A Rose for Ecclesiastes”: This was my introduction to Zelazny, as I was reading The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One. I was curious how it would hold up on re-reading, and it acquitted itself quite well. This tale of a poet on Mars is a very well-wrought piece.

“And the Darkness is Harsh”: The first of Zelazny’s high school tales, this one is quite forgettable. I can’t explain much without giving away all of this two page story.

“Mr. Fuller’s Revolt”: Another of the high school era tales, this one follows Mr. Fuller in a post-life utopia of sorts, and shows some of the depth and irony that would infuse later works.

“Youth Eternal”: Another high school age story, and another forgettable one. A rendition of the over-done “Them darn kids!” stories.

“The Outward Sign”: The only college-age tale of Zelazny (who was focusing on poetry at the time), this one also proves to be rather unimpressive, but the fable-like style of this story of a holy man turned to sin becomes important in later Zelazny works, such as Lord of Light.

“Passion Play”: Finally reaching Zelazny’s professional career stories, we get this tale of robots enacting a very unique religious celebration. It isn’t on the same level as many of the other stories, but it is still entertaining.

“The Graveyard Heart”: Another Zelazny classic, this story of cold sleep through the ages weaves an intriguing love story with a crushing ending through intense emotional responses to outliving what you created. A solid piece of work.

“Horseman!”: While almost overly-stylized at times, with incessant and uncontrolled metaphors, this story takes a nice twist to that of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, when a horseman arrives in town and can’t find his companions.

“The Teachers Rode a Wheel of Fire”: A very good story of aliens trying to teach another species about technology, and what they didn’t mean to teach him but did anyway. A nice tale with a nice ending.

“Moonless in Byzantium”: In the robot controlled future, one man feels the poetry in his heart, and may die for sharing it. This is a fun story, and a nice tip of the hat to William Butler Yeats.

“On the Road to Splenoba”: A fun combination of war in Russia and country vampires, this tale works on tying the two together, with an ending that worked quite nicely.

“Final Dining”: An artist uses a material that may be more than just the ground rock he thought it was, in this tale of betrayal and tragedy. Not my favorite of the pieces at first, the end makes up for some of the weaker points at the beginning.

“The Borgia Hand”: An intriguing tale with a nice twist that runs throughout, but may only be caught by a few readers before the notes at the end explain it, this tale does a nice job of combining the legend of the Wandering Jew and…a man not known for being a lover of Jews. Well written.

“Nine Starships Waiting”: To my mind, this was the low point of the Zelazny stories post-college. An at times overly obscure tale of a formerly-dead assassin who is sent to stop an uprising, this one just flopped. I can understand why this one was previously uncollected.

“Circe Has Her Problems”: A fun, fast, and flippant tale of Circe, post-Odyssey, who has moved into space and seeks to find a man who can overcome the curse of Sappho.

“The Malatesta Collection”: A very engaging tale of a future that is strangled by censorship, and finds that the works of the past may be too much for “modern” sensibilities. A nice combination of many literary names and titles and a bid against censorship.

“The Stainless Steel Leech”: A vampiric robot in a civilization of robots finds only one companion: an actual vampire. A nice story, although not as emotionally effecting as I had thought it could be.

“The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth”: For my money, this is the best story in the collection. Zelazny’s story is like a Moby Dick on a Venus of the pulp era, but manages to be all Zelazny at the same time. A man becomes obsessed with capturing an Ikky, the great sea beast of the seas of Venus. Exciting, engaging, and powerfully written, this one is everything that is good about Zelazny.

“A Thing of Terrible Beauty”: A being in the mind of a drama critic tries to discover the meaning of pity, as the clock ticks down on planet Earth. A tale that uses emotional depth, or lack thereof, to great effect.

“Monologue for Two”: The gimmick of using nothing but one person’s side of a conversation works well here, in this story of a woman who finds a doctor that owes her a spot of revenge. Very good.

“Threshold of the Prophet”: A tale of the poet Hart Crane in the future, this one was okay, but didn’t do a whole lot for me.

“A Museum Piece”: A man decides that, if his art doesn’t imitate life, then his life will imitate art. A bizarre story that was, again, okay but not great.

“Mine Is the Kingdom”: The story of the last man on Earth, an unwilling ambassador to the alien Puffy race. This story was engaging, but not the best.

“King Solomon’s Ring”: A man who has “the gift of tongues” goes out to meet and communicate with alien races, but finds his mental match. A good story, although I’m not sure that the extended letter pastoral style was the most effective way to put this story.

“The Misfit”: The story of a man conscious of the fact that he is trapped in his dreams, with an ending I loved. A nice story, neatly wrapped up.

“The Great Slow Kings”: A fun story of two ancient kings who live life at a very slow pace, and their sole subject: a patient robot. Nice humor makes this one a winner.

“Collector’s Fever”: The story of a man who finds a sentient rock. Okay, but not great.

“The Night Has 999 Eyes”: In all honesty, I didn’t really get this one. Overly dense, with a page-long sentence, this one did nothing for me at all.

“He Who Shapes”: A very long novella about a man who shapes dreams as a psychiatric technique, it manages to be the most densely crowded with allusions, metaphors, legends, etc., of the stories in this volume, but also, behind “The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of his Mouth,” one of the most engaging contained here. A very intricate plot makes this one resonate well when finished.

Intermixed with the stories are selections of Zelazny’s poetry. Volume one contains the following poems: “Braxa,” “Ecclesiastes’ Epilogue,” “Bok,” “Diet,” “Slush, Slush, Slush,” “The Agnostic’s Prayer,” “On May 13, 1937,” “The Cactus King,” “One Wintered Way Through Evening, and Burning Bushes Along It,” “In the Dogged House,” “Future, Be Not Impatient,” “Flight,” “Sense and Sensibility,” “The World of Stat’s a Drunken Bat,” “The Cat Licks Her Coat,” “From a Seat in the Chill Park,” “Rodin’s ‘The Kiss’,” “To His Morbid Mistress,” “Old Ohio Folkrag,” “How a Poem Means,” “Concert,” “Iceage,” “Hart Crane…,” “Southern Cross,” “I Used to Think in Lines That Were Irregular to the Right,” “Hybris, or The Danger of Hilltops,” “St. Secaire’s,” “In Pheleney’s Garage,” “The Black Boy’s Reply to William Butler Yeats,” “Rite of Spring,” “Decade Plus One of Roses,” and “See You Later, Maybe…” I’m not brilliant at explaining why I do or don’t like a poem, but I can say, without whys, that the poetry collected here is very enjoyable, and worth a read.

After the stories and poems, we have two articles:

“Sundry Notes on Dybology and Suchlike”: This essay doesn’t do a whole lot on the proposed subject of writing science fiction and fantasy, and is rather unimpressive, in all honesty.

“‘…And Call Me Roger’: The Literary Life of Roger Zelazny, Part 1” by Christopher S. Kovacs, MD: A very well done biographical piece that covers the same portion of Zelazny’s career as covered by the stories in this volume. A large number of references allowed for direct quotes of Zelazny to make up a nice chunk of the content, adding a lot to the otherwise well-researched and well written segment. The only downside to this that I saw was that it seemed to repeat content contained in the afterwards on occasion. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing on its own, having sat down to read through the book, it meant that those afterwards were still fresh in my mind, and thus I felt it detracted a bit from the otherwise good biographical segment.

Things are then wrapped up with a few “Curiosities”:

“Conditional Benefit”: The first part of the earliest Zelazny story on file, this one certainly reads like he was very young at the time, but it is still not a bad piece, nevertheless. An insurance man on Venus finds an interesting client.

“Hand of the Master”: Another fragment, this time concerning a dead man brought into a new body hundreds of year in his future. Not enough here to make any real judgment on it.

“The Great Selchie of San Francisco Bay”: Part of a script for a story about a selchie, or “sea-folk,” who has a love that visits a coffee house. Again, not much content to go on here.

“Studies in Saviory”: A long story about two monsters, Zlaz and Yok, who must stop Hell from unleashing its armies on the city of monsters above it. A very fun tale, indeed.

That is a lot of content to cover in one review, but here is the overall look: This is a collection that fans of the genre need. Not those who just like the occasional science fiction or fantasy, but those who are interested in the history of the genre, in the movements of it. Fans of Roger Zelazny will get a lot out of this as well, as the presentation of his stories in the order they were written and/or published gives a whole new perspective on Zelazny’s growth as an author. While there are stories above that I said weren’t too excellent, they really showed how the author was emerging, how he was taking elements of okay stories and tying them together to make great ones. There are lots of bits and pieces of his life tied in as well, which do a lot to add to his story as a whole.

Those looking for a fast-paced, exciting story won’t find that here. Zelazny piles on the references, allusions, subtleties, and detailed in-jokes to the extent that, even with the notes after each story (which were a godsend), I still doubt I got everything out of them. However, you don’t need to get all of the references (or any of them really) to enjoy the stories, in most cases. And with the notes, everyone can piece together even the most dense of passages. Zelazny wrote engaging, intriguing, thought provoking stories. One is likely to get the most out of this by reading these through over a longer period, enjoying a couple, then coming back, instead of over-indulging, although immersing yourself in his rich fiction has a joy all of its own. This is for those who are looking for the non-straight-forward, deep thinking science fiction and fantasy, ones that you may read a few times before you fully get it, but that reward you each time for the reading. Any collection of Zelazny is far more than the sum of its parts.

Pick up a copy of this, and see the birth of one of science fiction and fantasy’s most important authors. It won’t be an experience that you will soon forget.

9/10

Fragment by Warren Fahy

2010-07-23T22:39:00.000-06:00

Sometimes what you are looking for is a story rich with literary girth, exploding with allusions and metaphors. And that is exactly what I will be looking at next, with The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume One: Threshold. However, other times what you need is a thriller that gives you monsters and explosions. Novels like Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Meg by Steve Alten, or Arena by Matthew Reilly give you a mix of science (occasionally a very small amount, sometimes a lot), excitement, and a plot that keeps you from putting it down. Looking for something in that vein, I stumbled upon Fragment, which is new to mass market paperback.

The reality show SeaLife wants to blend science, exploration, and interpersonal conflict into a show that will capture viewers across the nation. So when the SeaLife ship Trident detects an emergency signal going off at a small and extremely isolated island, the producers think it is a dream come true. However, Henders Island is no normal island. Due to geography that keeps the entire island ecosystem contained, and its location 1400 miles from any other piece of land, Henders Island has had nearly half a billion years to explore a divergent evolutionary path, creating beasts that will test humanity’s strength, adaptability, and intelligence, if they hope to survive.

Warren Fahy’s novel was a blast. He drew in a lot of science, making the plot feel that much more possible, and explored some neat avenues and fields. Most people will likely come out of this one with a few new pieces of science trivia to wow their friends with. However, Fahy’s plot never seemed to struggle with the introduction of the science, except at the occasional lecture that was a little too convenient and long-winded to entrap realism.

The characters in the novel aren’t complex, by any means, but in this type of book, that isn’t always a terrible thing, as you can full-heartedly root for the good guys and relish the bloody deaths of the bad guys (although a very sudden romance that forms near the end seemed a little too forced and unnecessary). The plot clips along nicely, tying things together satisfyingly at the end.

This is a great pick for a summer read, and you will blow through it once you start. A very enjoyable science thriller.

9/10

Path of the Warrior by Gav Thorpe

2010-07-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Path of the Warrior was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library.

It has been a while since I last dove into the universe of Warhammer 40,000 (by my reckoning, it was on May 13th, with The Book of Blood, edited by Christian Dunn). I finally made it back, with a new novel from Gav Thorpe, Path of the Warrior, the first of his Path of the Eldar series, which is only the second novel from Black Library to be entirely from an alien perspective (the first being C.S. Goto’s The Eldar Prophecy). Intrigued, I began.

Korlandril is a sculptor of some renown on the craftworld of Alaitoc. However, when his best friend returns from a long time in space, his life takes a turn for the worse, leaving Korlandril with a rage he can’t control. Needing help, he has to turn to the one place he never wanted to go: the path of the warrior. Joining the Deadly Shadow shrine of the Striking Scorpion, Korlandril works to control his depthless rage, and to focus it on a constructive task: destroying the enemy of the elder.

This was quite easily one of the best Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read. Thorpe takes the character of Korlandril and fleshes him out fully, making him a complex character without ever turning him into an alien that is an exact mirror of humans. The aliens are alien, but complete and with their own logic that is neither better nor worse than humans, just different. His novel begins in a way that most 40k stories don’t, with a long period without war and violence, building his character as a sculptor, and while at first I was worried that this would flop, Thorpe pulled it off without a hitch, giving a deep emotional reasoning behind all of Korlandril’s actions that made the novel all the more powerful.

The exploration of the world and of the warrior system was also very well done, creating great depth without endless pontification on what each and every aspect was. The world and its culture was seamlessly woven into the plot, making it feel organic rather than stilted. The war scenes were exciting but not over the top, and they never felt thrown in simply for the sake of having a fight scene.

Thorpe’s novel has started a series of novels that I can freely say I am more excited about than anything else currently on the table in 40k. Many people bandy around Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill as the best of Black Library, and Aaron Dembski-Bowden has started to get mentioned in those circles as well, but with the publication of Path of the Warrior, it would be a travesty for Thorpe’s name to not be right up there as well.

10/10

Black Gate – Winter 2010 (Issue 14) – Part 3

2010-07-20T07:18:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Black Gate Issue 14 was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by New Epoch Press.

After looking at the first two parts of the latest issue of Black Gate, it is time to read the final third! The novellas really took the cake for the middle section, and had me really excited about the last part of this juggernaut of a magazine. This time around, we have six short stories, two poems, the book review section, and the Knights of the Dinner Table strip.

“The Lady’s Apprentice” by Jan Stirling: This story of a once powerful lady who is now old and poor was slow paced, with a conclusion that seemed like it could have been a little more developed, but it was well-written, which helped make it more readable.

“The Wine-Dark Sea” by Isabel Pelech: An assassin hidden behind a full body mask sets out to return a woman’s son to her. Not a bad tale, it had some intriguing images, but seemed to miss a bit of the zest of “Adventures in Fantasy Literature” that I was looking for in a magazine with that line on its cover.

“On a Pale Horse” by Sylvia Volk: This story of a girl who seeks to tame a unicorn is one that just didn’t grab me, and I ended up not finishing it. I suppose horse stories aren’t quite my thing, and this one just didn’t pull off the rest of the aspects to make me keep reading.

“La Señora de Oro” by R.L. Roth: This epistolary tale of a man out seeking gold to buy his farm from the bank is very engaging, playing with some nice horror themes, and really drawing out the protagonists character. The story races to a conclusion that was plenty rewarding. A nice piece after a couple of disappointments.

“Building Character” by Tom Sneem: An entertaining tale of a character being run through a novice writer’s series of stories, this one manages to be both engaging and funny. A nice piece to build towards the end.

“Broadcaster” by Arthur Porges: This poem builds a neat image, and flows quite nicely.

“Folie and Null” by Douglas Empringham: Another tale that just seemed to flop for me. In this case, a man on the run finds a hideout that is more than it seems, but the story didn’t do much for me at all.

“Spanish Dance” by Arthur Porges: Another nice piece by Porges. He certainly captures images nicely, and is a good fit for this magazine.

The book review section is hefty, which is a nice treat. Black Gate always has a wide variety of reviews, and this issue is no disappointment, giving reviews of a large number of books from all over the genre. The reviews are well-written, and certainly are nice to get a grasp on before setting out to buy new books, as well as introducing some volumes from smaller publishers that the average reader may not have heard about.

The volume wraps up, as usual, with a Knights of the Dinner Table: The Java Joint comic strip, in which one of the characters plans on confronting Neil Gaiman for stealing his ideas. The extra-long strip was a fun way to close such a large issue, and manages to be plenty funny.

All-in-all, the tail end of this issue was a bit of a disappointment, not giving me as many winners as I had hoped after reading the first two-thirds. However, the overall issue (please see reviews of Part 1 and Part 2 also) is a winner, giving you a lot of content, most quite good, for a decent price. Fans of fantasy are highly encouraged to grab a copy, or get a subscription, and support a magazine that is putting out some solid stories.

A Matter of Matter by L. Ron Hubbard

2010-07-18T03:58:00.001-06:00

NOTE: A Matter of Matter was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Galaxy Press.

I have enjoyed Galaxy Press’ rerelease of L. Ron Hubbard’s early stories in their Stories from the Golden Age series, particularly the short stories over the novellas, and so I was excited to receive another collection, this time the latest science fiction release in the series, A Matter of Matter, which contains four stories.

“A Matter of Matter”: Chuck Lambert is a little too given to flights of fancy, so when he sees an offer to buy his own planet, he goes for it without seeing the warning signs. After years of labor, Chuck is in for a surprise when he lands on Planet 19453X, his very own world, where things don’t seem to follow quite the same physical rules. Oddly, the title story for this volume is the weakest. Its playful nature didn’t work for me, the characters were flat, and the story felt more like an outline. Not bad, but not too memorable.

“The Conroy Diary”: The story of a man who set up humanity’s future in the stars by mocking it, this one gets a little too ridiculous at times, but is a fun tale with a twist that, while not a surprise like it wanted to be, is still satisfying.

“The Planet Makers”: In a future where planets can be designed according to blueprints, it is the job of people like “Sleepy” McGee to do the engineering. However, between someone set out to make the project fail, and Sleepy’s laidback nature, it doesn’t seem like the project will ever succeed. This story is quite a bit of fun. Sleepy is a fun character, and while he doesn’t show a lot of depth, you root for him to pull through, in part because you know he isn’t as out of the loop as he seems.

“The Obsolete Weapon”: The longest story of the volume, this tale follows an American soldier who slips back in time and fights in the gladiatorial arena of Rome. This one packs in the action and is a fun romp. The time travel angle is glossed over, so it may not be for those who need every plot point justified, but it is great for those who want a fun, fast, action-packed story.

This volume also contains the usual features of the series: the foreword, “Stories from Pulp Fiction’s Golden Age,” by Kevin J. Anderson, a preview of the next volume, Greed, a glossary of potentially archaic terms, the biographical “L. Ron Hubbard and American Pulp Fiction,” and a list of all of the stories to be released in the Stories from the Golden Age series.

This volume isn’t without its issues. Beyond those mentioned in the story comments above, there are two that spring immediately to mind. First, the racism found in the stories. “The Obsolete Weapon” can’t get over “the shiny black skin” of the African gladiators, and reiterates their skin color over and over. “The Planet Makers” has Barteber, the black cook, who also happens to be the only character in the story who speaks grammatically incorrect English, along with the usual phonetically-spelled mispronunciations, and who is the only character who has to call everyone “Mister [insert name]” instead of being on a first name basis.

“A Matter of Matter” sees the natives of Planet 19453X as simple savages who are only too happy to submit to Chuck Lambert’s self-proclaimed rule. He buys a planet that is already occupied and owned by the people who live there, asserts his own authority, strips the planet of its resources, takes the credit and the reward, and still claims to be the leader of his “subjects,” in what amounts to a rather despicable glamorization of a repeat of what happened in the American west between the native tribes and the European-American settlers. This in part crushed the story for me. As a fan of early pulp era work, the occasional derogatory racial remarks do come up, even among the greats of the era (e.g. H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, etc.), and you can try to rationalize some as being the feelings of the time, and the works as products of the time, but that works in cases with Lovecraft and Howard because they don’t frequently dominate the entirety of the story. In cases like “A Matter of Matter,” when that does happen, it just loses some of its appeal.

The second issue I would cite is the value for your money. For ten dollars, you get four stories that take up only 98 pages, and that is with separate title pages for each story, occasional illustrations (which are a nice touch, but also take up extra pages), and VERY large font size. This one won’t take long to read at all. The stories in here are fun, but for a few bucks less, you could pick up copies of The Year’s Best SF 15, The New Space Opera, Legends of the Space Marines, etc., and get far more content. If you aren’t interested in the best science fiction of 2009, space opera, or Warhammer 40,000, then obviously those volumes won’t be of interest, although there are a number of other volumes out there for the same mass market cover charge. If you are a huge fan of pulp era fiction, then you may be willing to pay the high entrance fee.

Judging solely on content, not price, the volume is fun, if short. It stars on a lower note, but picks up at the end, with “The Planet Makers” and “The Obsolete Weapon” being some of my favorite works by Hubbard that I have read so far. Fans of Stories from the Golden Age will find a lot to like in this volume, and it would be a good entry point for those just wanting to get a taste.

8/10

Flights of Eagles by James Blish

2010-07-17T00:08:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Flights of Eagles was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

I’ve been exploring James Blish recently, with the volume Flights of Eagles, and found a lot to my liking. Before I dive into thoughts on the four short stories contained within, I just want to remind you all that the reviews of the three novels in this collection can be found at the links below:

Welcome to Mars

Jack of Eagles

Get Out of My Sky

At the beginning of this volume, we are given an introduction by Tom Shippey that does a very nice job of placing the contents of this volume in the context of the genre as it was being produced, although it also gave a few minor plot points away, so it may be worth exploring after reading the rest of the volume, depending on personal preference. As to the stories:

“The Thing in the Attic”: Part of the same cycle of stories that includes Blish’s famed “Surface Tension,” this story features a group of people who live in the “attic,” a canopy above the forest floor. Honath is labeled a heretic, and sent to “Hell”: the forest floor. Tehre he must learn to survive if he is ever to return from his sentence. This is a solid story that is very engaging. A fun read.

“The Writing of the Rat”: A tale of interplanetary war unlike any other, this short story pulls off both a bit of action and some interesting thought, wrapped around a cryptographic clue that (while not at all integral to enjoying the story) is an intriguing puzzle in its own right.

“The Genius Heap”: A social experiment is set up with means that may not be as simple as they first seem in this tale that isn’t the strongest of the bunch, but is still fun. The ending thoughts on creativity and art as a necessity for society were surprisingly noncommittal.

“Tiger Ride” (with Damon Knight): Can too much protecting of humanity be a bad thing for them? The answer, especially to fans of science fiction, won’t be a surprise (John W. Campbell, Jr. in particular addressed this one quite well, making it the focus rather than the gimmick). The tale isn’t bad, but a little over-trodden, using a gimmick ending that didn’t add anything to the plot.

Taken as a whole, this volume was a wonderful trip through the work of an author far too important to the genre to be as close to forgotten as he now is. If you have read the classics of Blish, dig a bit deeper with this volume. If you are new to his work, this is a great place to start. Either way, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

8/10

Get Out of My Sky by James Blish

2010-07-16T00:03:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Flights of Eagles was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

After really liking the first two novels in Flights of Eagles, I was really looking forward to the third. As it turned out, despite being labeled a novel on the dust jacket description, it is more a novella than anything else, not clocking in at a very high word count. Regardless, I delved into Get Out of My Sky.

The planet Home has its problems: the two continents don’t get along, the rival political parties are quite truly at each others’ throats, and their world is almost completely water, not leaving much room for everyone. However, when they realize their twin planet, Rathe, which orbits with them in a binary planet orbit, is populated with another sentient race, war isn’t far off. Each feels threatened by the other, and they wind up in a stalemate of mutually assured destruction. So, when a chance for peace with Rathe offers itself, Aidregh, the First Minister of Thennen on Home, must risk the trip to the other planet if he hopes to save the future.

Blish manages to pile a lot of different story types all into one with this tale: two alien races with no humans, ESP, interplanetary struggle, mysticism. He meshes them all together quite well. What he turns out isn’t the best story in this volume (I would argue that it is “rare,” as the description states, in part because it isn’t Blish’s best work), it still is interesting. The pace is slow, and it felt like it could have taken off more than it did. This one might have worked better cut down into a short story, or fleshed out into a novel, but it just didn’t feel like it was right at this length.

However, it certainly wasn’t all bad. There were characters with plenty of potential, and an intriguing plot concept. Even the mystery brought up in the story had potential, although it went unresolved. The key problem, in my mind, was that it just tried to do too much with too little space. Cut back on some of the threads, or flesh them out. Explore them, and let them reach a conclusion. A longer novel could have been really good.

6/10

Jack of Eagles by James Blish

2010-07-15T00:14:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Flights of Eagles was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

One sub-genre that seemed to rise during the fifties was that of ESP and psi. While we frequently hear anything involving psychics and scream “Pseudoscience!” now, at the time it was a burgeoning area of exploration. John W. Campbell, Jr. was still a force, and his interest in just this sort of thing (he was an early backer of Dianetics, another attempt for a science of the mind, this time by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard; agree with it or disagree with it as you will, it is a historical occurrence, and very much a part of that time period’s trends and goals) meant that it popped up more and more. Classics of the genre include Slan by A. E. van Vogt (another Hubbard backer with Scientology, the continuation of Dianetics), Alfred Bester’s Demolished Man, and Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human. Those novels all went on to become science fiction classics. James Blish entered the fray near the forefront of the wave, with his first novel, Jack of Eagles.

Danny Caiden is about as average as you can get, working as a journalist who writes up articles about food, living by himself in a rather simple apartment. But he has a rather uncanny knack for finding things, even when there is no possible way for him to know they are there. And now he has started hearing things that haven’t happened yet, but when they finally do, he knows something is up. He approaches parapsychologists, psychic research groups, even a fraud of a medium, and embroils himself in a plot that involves the FBI, the mob, and the end of the world.

Jack of Eagles proved to be another fun adventure found in Flights of Eagles, the new James Blish collection out from NESFA Press. Like in the previous novel from this collection, Blish has the hard task of trying to overcome what may seem to be completely asinine and logic-free moments. When encountered with a bit of telekinesis, most people don’t immediately think, “By golly there must be a scientific explanation for this, and I bet it involves using a visualization of the electron cloud of every single particle that makes up the object I just moved, and then altering each ones’ subatomic structure in such a way that it causes it to lose any influence by gravity whatsoever.” Sounds ridiculous, but Blish somehow pulls it off. The novel reads very much like an action-thriller with a solid science background, rather than a pseudoscience meltdown. Blish builds Danny into a solid character (although some, like Marla, don’t get much depth). The plot twists abound, and no one is as they seem. A lark of a novel, but a fun one nevertheless.

7/10

Welcome to Mars by James Blish

2010-07-13T23:07:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Flights of Eagles was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by NESFA Press.

James Blish is a very important author in the development of the science fiction genre, so I was saddened that my only knowledge of his work was through the only two pieces one can find easily in print now, A Case of Conscience and “Surface Tension.” So when I received a copy of NESFA Press’ new collection of Blish’s work, I couldn’t wait to dive in. It contains three novels and four short stories. I’m treating it like an omnibus, giving the novels individual reviews, and adding reviews of the short stories to the book review as a whole.

Welcome to Mars is the first piece in this collection. As a foray into YA fiction uncommon with the author, as well as a piece of the foundation of Blish’s own future history, it is certainly an interesting piece for fans and those seeking curiosities, but I couldn’t help but wonder if it had perhaps been out of print for a long time for a reason. With that hesitation, yet my above excitement, I began the novel.

Dolph is hardly your normal 18-year-old. He doesn’t play outside as much as his stepfather would like, instead spending his time in the attic of his garage working on experiments. It is on one of those days that Dolph finds a means to nullify gravity, and begins his plans to travel to Mars. However, things certainly don’t go as planned, as Dolph manages to damage the one irreplaceable piece on his ship. His friend, Nanette, is on the way, and when she arrives, Dolph realizes that, far from solving his problems, they have just begun.

Welcome to Mars is, to put it simply, a very fun read. Like in Heinlein’s “juveniles,” and other YA gerne works from that period written by authors who primarily wrote for adults, Blish’s novel doesn’t suffer at all from the dumbing down of concepts. Blish tackles the science quite freely, but doing so in a way that flows perfectly into the story, interjecting the outlandish idea of a teenager discovering gravity-nullifying technology that allows him to build a backyard spaceship with hints of a realism that make things far more easy to swallow and credible.

At times, the novel shows its age a little. Blish, despite mourning the glacial pace of NASA and taking that into consideration in his extrapolations, still managed to give their pace too much credit (which says far more about NASA than Blish, which is an entirely different post). Also, some of the attitudes of the time can come across as quaint, for lack of a better word. I don’t think that, realistically, a man and a woman in their late teens, stranded on Mars with no way to contact Earth and no real chance to expect rescue or other surprise intervention, would ever utter the words “not what a proper lady is raised to talk about” (paraphrased) when discussing a life-threatening illness.

However, those little bits seem to do more to give the text color than to hurt the reading of it. The story moves along nicely, working hard to cover each bit with at least some scientific factualization. Both Dolph and Nanette manage to be fun characters who don’t do too poorly when in over their heads. All-in-all, this one is definitely a worthwhile read (more so than most YA science fiction out there today, I would wager), and a very nice start to the Blish collection.

8/10

Essay: The Post-X-Men vs. Apocalypse X-Men

2010-07-11T22:40:00.000-06:00

After really enjoying my current excursion back into the world of X-Men, I’ve decided to make it a more regular item. Hopefully at least once a month I can take a look into the ongoing saga. For those of you new to the whole concept, or those of you looking for a refresher, here is a rundown of the events that occur after what has just been reviewed here at Luke Reviews.

After the team is shaken up by the events of “The Twelve” and “The Ages of Apocalypse,” they are not given a chance to breath before encountering a new foe. This story is told in the upcoming X-Men: Powerless. There is a gap of about 7-8 issues for the two main comics, before we reach the next volumes, X-Men: Dream’s End, which pulls together a number of loose ends, and X-Men: Eve of Destruction, which acts as a coda to the series of sorts, before the upcoming changes in the franchise.

In July 2001 all of the core titles change. Famed comics scribe Grant Morrison takes over X-Men, and his appearance brings with it the title change to New X-Men. Joe Casey takes over the writing duties of Uncanny X-Men, while Chris Claremont, famed for his long run decades ago but who hasn’t hit the same highs since, is given a new, third core X-Men title, called X-Treme X-Men. Morrison’s ground breaking run, which became an instant classic among most fans, was collected in seven volumes: E Is For Extinction, Imperial, New Worlds, Riot at Xavier’s, Assault on Weapon Plus, Planet X, and Here Comes Tomorrow. These seven were later collected into a new, three-volume set. Joe Casey didn’t last as long, tanking quite readily in most of his storylines. Only one volume of his work was collected (Poptopia), and the rest have yet to be reprinted. Chuck Austen took over the title, finishing out the “Morrison years” with six volumes: Hope, Dominant Species, Holy War, The Draco, She Lies With Angels, and Bright New Mourning. Claremont’s series was always tied a little less tightly to the other two, forming more of a loose connection, more similar to other offshoot “X-books.” His series, along with a number of pertinent mini-series, were collected in nine volumes (1-8 plus a volume 1.5): Destiny, Savage Land, Invasion, Schism, Mekanix, God Loves, Man Kills, Intifada, Storm – The Arena, and Prisoner of Fire.

Morrison dominated this period of X-Men lore. Joe Casey floundered, and Chuck Austen (who I actually rather enjoyed) was widely panned, and Claremont sat somewhere off to the side. I read most of the New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men volumes from this period, and won’t be re-reading them for review anytime too soon, I would imagine. I thought that both the Morrison and Austen books were a lot of fun and are worth picking up. I didn’t read any of the X-Treme X-Men, and because of its position to the side of the other two, it wasn’t detrimental to miss them.

After Morrison’s tenure, Austen wrote both New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men for a couple months, leading into the “X-Men Reload” event, which wasn’t a storyline, but rather a total switch up of creative personnel. X-Treme X-Men was canceled, allowing Claremont to return to writing Uncanny X-Men, bringing with him a lot of characters and plotlines from his previous series. Austen was bumped from Uncanny X-Men, and took the reins permanently after a two month run on New X-Men, which switched its title back to X-Men. He took brought his cast and story arcs to his new title. The third core title slot was empty after the cancelation of X-Treme X-Men, and was filled with Astonishing X-Men, written by Joss Whedon. Austen’s time at X-Men was very limited, producing needing only one volume, Day of the Atom, to collect his complete work. He was replaced by Peter Milligan, whose work was collected in Golgotha, Bizarre Love Triangle, X-Men/Black Panther: Wild Kingdom, Decimation: X-Men – The Day After, and Blood of Apocalypse. For about the same span of time as Austen’s and Milligan’s combined runs on X-Men, Claremont was working on Uncanny X-Men, producing six volumes: The End of History, The Cruelest Cut, On Ice, House of M: Uncanny X-Men, End of Greys, and First Foursaken. During the entire extent of this time, and a little ways past, Whedon was working on Astonishing X-Men (at a very slow pace that frustrated many readers), producing Gifted, Dangerous, Torn, and Unstoppable.

The key event during this whole period was House of M. The main tale being told in a mini-series (which will be the next X-Men collection reviewed on the site), and the ancillary tales told both as story arcs in ongoing series or as mini-series themselves, this one set out to change the status quo of the X-Men universe, and it accomplished that very thing. The other collections from this era are either out of print or closing in on it, so I won’t be looking too closely, other than at House of M.

Following Whedon’s departure, Warren Ellis took over, producing Ghost Box and Exogenetic so far, and is still working on that title. The Astonishing X-Men cast also appeared in a number of mini-series through this time, including Phoenix: Endsong, Phoenix: War Song, Civil War: X-Men, World War Hulk: X-Men, and Secret Invasion: X-Men, as well as being the key team in House of M. When Milligan left X-Men, Mike Carey took over, and is still at work on the title. His work is collected in Supernovas and Blinded By the Light, then he contributed to Messiah Complex. After that, the title changed names again, this time to X-Men: Legacy. He continued on, writing Divided He Stands, Sins of the Father, Original Sin, Salvage, and Emplate (which brings us to the end of the current releases). After Claremont left, he was replaced by Ed Brubaker. He kicked off his run with the mini-series X-Men: Deadly Genesis, which lead right into his Uncanny X-Men run. He wrote Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire, The Extremists, contributed to Messiah Complex, and wrapped up with Divided We Stand. He was replaced by Matt Fraction, who has so far contributed Manifest Destiny, Lovelorn, Sisterhood, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia, and Nation X.

The current issues being released are focusing on a story called “Second Coming,” which purports to wrap up plots from House of M to today, forming a sort of trilogy with Messiah Complex and the Cable/X-Force-centric Messiah War. All of this will lead up to Marvel’s new rejuvenation of titles and changes of creative teams, the “Heroic Age,” which appears to be opening with an X-Men/vampires story I’m a little unsure about.

(Brief side note: For those of you interested in the full Vulcan character arc that began with Brubaker’s Deadly Genesis, it continues on into Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire, before exiting the main titles. It continues on in Emperor Vulcan, then moves into Kingbreaker, which works as a prologue to his part in War of Kings, one of the major cosmic storylines of the past few years, which closes the story arc of the third Summers brother.)

After looking at House of M, which is rather pivotal for all of the current storylines, I will be diving into Brubaker’s run on Uncanny X-Men. Uncanny X-Men is very much the key title in the saga, working as an umbrella title that all of the other series play within, and so that will be my focus (if I wanted to read all the series, I would be spending a rather handsome sum, indeed), starting with Deadly Genesis, working through his run and into Fractions, the goal being to get caught up and stay caught up, while at the same time picking up reprints of older stuff, like X-Men: Powerless, or even X-Men: Prelude to Onslaught.

Regardless, I hope this helps everyone get a better idea of both the series and saga as a whole, and how Luke Reviews will be exploring it. If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions, feel free to shoot me an email (lukehf@gmail.com, I won’t bite!)

X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse by Karl Bollers, Ben Raab, Alan Davis, Terry Kavanagh, Joe Pruett, Erik Larsen, and Joseph Harris

2010-07-10T23:37:00.000-06:00

Having read the first half of X-Men vs. Apocalypse, I knew I didn’t want to leave it at the cliffhanger ending for long, so I dove right back in with the second half, X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse.

The second book picks up where things were left at the end of X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 1: The Twelve, this book contains three major stories. The first follows those who were left behind after the fight to save wolverine, as they find that someone is hacking the databases and gathering information on killing the X-Men. Next, we see the “Ages of Apocalypse” storyline, where, after the end of Volume 1, the time stream has been distorted in an attempt to give Apocalypse the victory he has nearly in his grasp. The final story, “The Search for Cyclops,” deals with the after-effects of the battle with Apocalypse, months after the fact, as Phoenix and Cable try to save an X-Man.

X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse contains: X-51 #8(“Aftermath”), Uncanny X-Men #378 (“First & Last, Part 1”), Annual 1999 (“Utopia Perdida”), Cable #77(“Falsehoods”), Wolverine #148(“Same As It Never Was”), X-Men Unlimited #26(“Day of Judgement”), X-Men #98 (“First & Last, Part 2”), X-Men: The Search for Cyclops #1 (“Lost”), #2 (“Hunted”), #3 (“Am I Evil?”), #4 (“Found!”).

The storyline continues to be quite fun, although a little convoluted, in part due to the need to make two books similar in size that end at thematically appealing sections. The group left behind is hoping to make it to the main battle in Egypt in time, but based on the final chapter from Volume 1, we know they won’t. There is a months-long gap between the end of “The Ages of Apocalypse” and “The Search for Cyclops,” a time in which I know upcoming stories are set, making this one a little disjointed, if still an apt coda to the story. This book feels a touch episodic, with its three distinctly different storylines, rather than the two threads that were tightly inter-woven in the first book.

However, each manages to be entertaining in its own right. The members left behind manage a suitable series of battles in their attempt to race to Egypt, while the “Ages of Apocalypse” plays with a series of altered realities, both present and future, before wrapping up to tie back into the first storyline in this book, reuniting the team. The final portion narrows its focus to just a few main characters, and is interesting both in its tale of searching for a lost friend and in its eventual impact down the line in the X-Men series.

All in all, this is a fun book. It works as a satisfying conclusion to the plot arc, although it doesn’t maintain the suspense and epic plot of the first volume. It sometimes made it feel like the main climax was in the first book, with this just an extended denouement, but it does act as a nice in-between book, foreshadowing future events. This line of X-Men collections continues in X-Men: Powerless, released August 10.

7/10

Interview with Jack McDevitt

2010-07-09T23:12:00.001-06:00

Most fans of science fiction will be familiar with Jack McDevitt (I finally discovered his work through his novel Infinity Beach). He very kindly agreed to answer some questions for me.

Thanks for the interview, Jack!

Right off the bat, congratulations on your latest novel, Time Travelers Never Die (I’m looking forward to its October paperback release!) What made you want to revisit the story of "Time Travelers Never Die" almost a decade and a half later? Did you always know you wanted to return to it at novel length?

It's only within the last two or three years that I'd thought about going back to expand the original novella. Not sure why, except that I'd enjoyed writing it so much the first time around, and I kept thinking about things I could have done with it. There was one aspect I wanted to get rid of, though, and that was the time disruptions. They were a bit unbelievable, so I replaced them with the cardiac effect. Easier to get hold of and, consequently, easier for a reader to accept. As to the writing, I've never enjoyed writing anything that much. Whichever version we're talking about.

I know this is stepping back about ten years, but I just recently discovered your work through Infinity Beach. Can you tell us a bit about the genesis of that novel? A large part of that novel involves the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Are you involved in SETI at all, or just hold a deep interest?

I have a few friends who work with SETI, and I've had the opportunity to attend one of their conferences. I can remember when the organization was first set up, and I thought it would be only a matter of time before we heard something. But there's been a long silence, and that has undoubtedly had en effect on my science fiction. I have a marked tendency to write about universes that are virtually empty. Of course, things are spookier that way. Aliens tend to be much less interesting, in my view, when they walk on stage.

I'm not sure about the genesis of Infinity Beach, save that I've always been fascinated by the notion of hiding things in plain sight. And I had this ultimate kind of idea. No way I couldn't write it.

For those of us new to your series, can you tell us a bit about your Alex Benedict and Priscilla Hutchins novels?

Hutch is a star pilot, the centerpiece for the six Academy novels. Some years ago, I did management training seminars for the Customs Service. We staged problem scenarios, and broke the classes in groups of five who had to communicate with each other, meaning to listen and think, in order to survive. For example, we'd put them in a plane and drop the plane in the middle of the Arizona desert on a hot July afternoon. Eighty miles from the nearest town. And they have to start making decisions. Like stay with the crashed plane, or head for the town?

Sometimes we divided the groups by specialty, inspectors in one, import specialists in another, Customs Patrol people in a third. Sometimes we divided them by their Region, and so on. We never saw any serious difference in the way the various groups performed. Agents lived and died as often as the import specialists. There was only one area in which there was a marked difference: Gender. All female groups almost always survived. And who almost always died? Probably not who you think: The all-male groups did okay. Got back alive about half the time. But the mixed groups always died. We watched the same process happen over and over: In a mixed group, everybody fell into their traditional roles: the males became more aggressive, and the women more passive. Mindless aggression, of course, doesn't get the job done. I thought of it as the Testosterone Effect.

For the Academy novels, I wanted a female pilot who didn't allow herself to get caught up in the social tides. So Hutch became the character who specializes in bailing out her colleagues, both male and female.

Alex, unlike Hutch, lives in the distant future. While she's only two hundred years or so down the line, Alex operates in the twelfth millennium. He's an antiquities dealer who specializes in solving historical mysteries. What did the Tenandrome sees during its exploration mission that they're covering up, and what's its relationship to the war with the Mutes (the only other intelligent race, so far, in Alex's universe)? How did the crew and passengers of the Polaris vanish out of a starship in a distant system without using either their lander or their pressure suits? What happened to the two starships that took refugees fleeing Earth during the 27th century and vanished? (That, of course, is Seeker.) In The Devil's Eye, a well-known horror writer undergoes a brain wipe to eliminate an apparently traumatic experience. But there's no indication anything out of the ordinary happened to her.

Who and/or what are the biggest inspirations for your work, both literary and otherwise?

Primary literary inspirations are Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury. Maybe the major nonliterary inspiration was the planetarium at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It left me with a passion for astronomy, which fed my growing passion for SF. I should also mention Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. My father took me to see the serials when I was about four years old, and I fell in love with rocket ships and never recovered.

What have you read recently, in or out of genre?

Just finished reading Allen Steele's Coyote Destiny. I'm halfway through Joe Haldeman's Starbound. Waiting on my reading table are Rob Sawyer's Watch, and two books by Ben Bova, Able One, and the Sam Gunn Omnibus. Non-SF: I've just finished Idiot America by Charles Pierce, Louis Menand's The Metaphysical Club, Blind Man's Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew, and am now about halfway through Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. If I can find some extra time, I am also looking at a collection of stories by James Thurber, and Sherlock Holmes: The American Years, edited by Michael Kurland.

Your stories frequently fall into "hard" SF. Do you have a background in the hard sciences? If so, do you find that you have to work top put it in stories, or does it arrive there naturally?

I was an English major. I've no formal background in the sciences, but I think I've learned just enough to know what questions to ask. Fortunately, the experts are always willing to help.

Whats next for Jack McDevitt?

A fifth Alex Benedict novel, Echo, will be released in November. An adventurer who devotes his life to trying to find another alien civilization (other than the Mutes), takes a lot of criticism, is told he's wasting his life, and finally gives up and retires. A few years later, he dies in a boating accident. Forty years after his death, evidence turns up that he might have found what he was looking for. But if so, why did he keep it quiet?

Any final comments?

Writers are often portrayed as people who keep whiskey in the top drawer, who have to work too many hours, and who would be happier as greeters in the local market. I should probably confess that's a rumor we've tried to foist on an unsuspecting public to keep the competition down. I've never been involved in a more thoroughly rewarding kind of work. Even my years as a teacher don't approach writing. (I'm talking here about writing SF, by the way. I won't pretend to speak for the other stuff.)

X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 1: The Twelve by Erik Larsen, Joe Pruett, Terry Kavanagh, Alan Davis, and Fabian Nicieza

2010-07-08T23:08:00.000-06:00

After really enjoying X-Men: The Shattering, I knew I needed to pick up the next book in line, X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 1: The Twelve. It picks up right where the previous volume left off.

As the mystery of The Twelve and Death’s true identity deepen, this volume opens up focusing on a few plot threads that are new to readers of the previous volume. As Cable, a man from the future sent to the past to prevent it, is stalked by Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Wolverine is struck by his inner demons. After they get caught up to the beginning of The Twelve, we return to the X-Men from the previous volume, now joined by the others, as the entire plan, spanning the entire history of the X-Men, comes to fruition. All of the future is in jeopardy as a dark god of humanity’s past plays his part in the prophecy, and threatens to destroy everything the X-Men have ever fought for.

X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 1: The Twelve contains: Uncanny X-Men #376(“Filling in the Blanks”), #377(“The End of the World As We Know It”), Cable #73(“Pestilence!”), #74(“Mindgames”), #75(“Who is Worthy to Break the Seals..?”), #76(“In My Eyes”), X-Men #96(“The Gathering”), #97(“The End of the World As We Know It, Part Two”), Wolverine #145(“On the Edge of Darkness”), #146(“Through a Dark Tunnel”), #147(“Into the Light”), and two pages from X-Man #59.

Like its predecessor, this is a fun book. There is a huge cast of characters, which may be off-putting to some, but for the most part it is well handled. The beginning of the book, which strays from the original X-Men plotline, also can be a bit of an abrupt switch, but it does a nice job of telling a fluid tale that brings all of the important characters up to the beginning of the major storyline, “Apocalypse: The Twelve” (although it should be noted that one of the issues collected references X-Man #60, which isn’t included; that seems like an odd piece to leave out). Everything draws together quite nicely, taking a large number of plot threads and pulling them down into one major one, before branching out a bit at the end to two. The first half of this large story flows well, and really builds the tension for the second volume, X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Volume 2: Ages of Apocalypse. I won’t miss it.

8/10

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

2010-07-07T01:51:00.000-06:00

Since starting up Luke Reviews, I have come to respect the potential of tie-in fiction far more than I did previously, even though I thought I was pretty open-minded about it. However, there was a big franchise that I had yet to explore: Dragonlance. There was nothing against it, it was just that I wanted to read the “core” Dragonlance novels first, and they are the epic fantasies of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, and I have never been a huge epic fantasy kinda guy (I didn’t like The Lord of the Rings, for example). I like action/adventure fantasy as much as the next guy, but big quest-type stuff isn’t for me as much. However, the books kept drawing my eye, so I finally took a look.

After a 5 year separation, a group of friends gets together to discuss rumors of war throughout the land. However, after getting on the wrong side of the local political/religious leader, the group makes a run for it, taking along with them two people with a blue crystal staff, the root of their problems. In a search for answers, both for the staff and the upcoming war, the companions set out, travelling through woods of the dead, fighting slave caravans, and discovering that the dragons of myth may be more real than they ever dreamed.

At first, I was a bit unsure about this one. There are a lot of characters introduced right at the beginning (listing only the important ones: Tanis Half-Elven, Sturm Brightblade, Goldmoon, Riverwind, Raistlin, Caramon, Flint Fireforge, and Tasslehoff Burrfoot), and the story seemed pretty stereotypical.

Yet, the more I got into it, the more I realized that my fears were unfounded. Weis & Hickman manage to create 8 very well-developed characters, along with a plot that was comfortably familiar, yet subverting the over-used tropes with intriguing new ones. The story carries along very nicely, with no major hick-ups. This wound up being one of the richest tie-in fantasy novels I have ever read.

I will be following the continuing adventures of the Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy as soon as I can. Fans of fantasy, in particular epic fantasy, will find a lot to relish in this one. Yet, evidenced by my reaction, even those who aren’t quite as into epic fantasy will still find a lot to like here. This is a wonderful novel.

9/10

Mindjammer by Sarah Newton

2010-07-05T00:05:00.002-06:00

NOTE: Mindjammer was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Cubicle Seven Entertainment.

I was thoroughly impressed by Cubicle Seven’s science fiction roleplaying release Starblazer Adventures, which really grabbed the flavor of space opera and turned it into a game rich with setting and idea that was easy to play but not simple in plot and context. That one book alone gives you veritable tons of play potential. Thus, I was intrigued to see a supplement out, Mindjammer by Sarah Newton, focusing on a specific age of space-faring, and decided to check it out.

After nearly dying of stagnation, humankind is experiencing a renaissance of the space age, reaching out to find lost colonies, uncharted planets, and meeting aliens, friendly and hostile. It is up to you to explore this newly human-occupied space, and protect its denizens from threat—or take advantage of those who need that protection.

Newton has here presented a set of more detailed rules and (mainly) additions to what was originally set up in Starbalzer Adventures. The real pleasure to be found in this volume is the great detail that is given. A large number of planets get two or three page write ups with full specs, along with special abilities common to the era, rules modifications to make these new abilities less redundant, and a full campaign that is very nicely done. It manages to achieve a number of different genres (my favorite was the horror mystery) all in the science fictional setting.

If you are interested in delving into one segment of Starblazer Adventures, and reaping the rich rewards of fleshing out the details and making the setting come even more alive, then this volume will be perfect for you, especially with the full campaign added in as a bonus. A lot of play potential has been pushed between these covers.

8/10

Interview with William I. Levy

2010-07-04T02:43:00.001-06:00

I recently read William I. Levy’s second novel, The Starcrossed, and was really impressed. I got the chance to sit down and ask him a few questions.

Thanks for the interview, William!

Right off the bat, congratulations on getting your latest novel, The Starcrossed (out from BlackWyrm Books), published! I know this was your second novel, and ninth book, so how was the process this time around? How was working with the people at BlackWyrm?

Really great. Frankly, they took a bit of a chance on me, and I'm grateful. We're working hard to get the book out there, and Dave has done a lot to get venues, and not been shy about accepting suggestions from my own freelance experience.

Before we jump too much into The Starcrossed, can you tell us a bit about the other pieces of writing you have done?

I tend to run amuck across the genre landscape; done everything from a book about practical philosophy, several graphic and short story collections, an rpg, and even an erotic romance set in an alternate universe. Ideas don't stay in categories for me, always interested in almost everything. Which is reflected in what I write about. Start one of my stories, you may run into midget angels, bored warmechs, or living rollercoasters in love. But I try to keep it interesting.

Now, to The Starcrossed (I liked the double entendre of the title, by the way). It seemed to me that you were playing with everything from pulp science fiction to super heroes to modern military thrillers. Did you intend from the beginning to play with all of these genres, or did the story really develop beyond its original scope in the process? Were there any particular inspiration for certain elements, such as the Pact or the catmorphs?

Nifty that you noticed. Yeah, first I was digging into a 'real' version of hero, not the street gritty weirdness or the saintly pure, but an explanation that shows what drives people like Barret. More than human, but still very human without being a total neurotic.

Secondly, I was going for something between action and romance, an area we don't really explore much here in the US. The former is regarded as pure male, the latter pure female, and that's silly. Not to defy the grand and glorious market barons, but you CAN put elements of both together and the entire audience will enjoy it.

And inspirations? Well, I'm not exactly standard issue humanity. A convention organizer once described me as an oversized Klingon ogre disguised as Albert Einstein. Most of my life I've dealt with the consequences, good and bad, of being able to do more than anyone in the area. So you could say I'm an expert on the subject. And catmorphs?

Okay, so I had my hormones carbolyzed by Julie Newmar on the Batman tv show when I was entering puberty. (Let me tell you, I finally met her a few years ago, she's so sweet, smart, still sexy, and that hug was amazing!). So when I wanted a sweet, sexy, cute, alien female...

While we are on the topic of inspirations, who and what are the big ones for you and your writing?

The romance elements; pure and simple, Milady. Karen, my goddess, wife, partner, soul.

And she's gonna get so annoyed with me for saying that in print. Then she'll get all melty...

Other than that, I get so many ideas from the world at large, I don't think I'll ever run out. I read Mental Floss, Funny Times, The Week, and the papers to keep up on new stuff.

I hear you are already at work on the sequel. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Any idea of when we might see it in print?

The sequel is almost a third finished, and starts off with a glimpse of Paum and Col as children, on Preen. Then it moves to traumatic events back on Earth, as our characters and society in general try to come to grips with the ramifications of What is Human?, legally, morally, and medically. Readers will get a deeper look behind the curtain at the shadow players attempting to control the planet, and inklings of how something like the Holsai came to be.

Do you have any other works we will be seeing in the near future, or that are in the works as we speak?

Definitely. I work on multiple projects at the same time. That way when I run into a block, I drop it and go work somewhere else until I figure out a solution.

Right now I'm almost finished with an armageddon action fantasy called LORDS OF NEXUS about a plot by psycho ancient demi-gods to reboot the universe.

Also writing a serial called OUT OF SPACE which I post on Deviant Art about a not-so-secret philosophical invasion of Earth by a galactic civilization using cable television. (But it's for our own good, and quite friendly.)

A hardboiled hedgewitch series is coming along nicely, as is another about a cursed sorority house that randomly spews crazed superheroines out into the world.

And one about a ship full of rejected spys and cyber criminals, protecting a little girl.

Not to mention a mystery series about a stranded alien.

Gimme a couple of years...

What are you reading, in and out of the genre?

A lot of manga, especially some of the older stuff, Yen, and alternate comics. Tons of books; Terry Pratchett is my fave, but I've picked up on a lot of Tom Holt, Modessitt, Butcher, Weber, and a recently completed set of Strangers In Paradise. I read fast, at least a book a day. Darn near a drug habit.

Any final comments?

I couldn't do this without the feedback and support I've gotten over the years. I really appreciate it. I'll try to keep writing interesting stories.

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

2010-07-02T23:25:00.000-06:00

After reading William F. Nolan’s latest collection, Dark Dimensions, and finding it a bit lacking in my mind, I decided to give another horror stalwart a chance, this time picking up Stephen King, whose name came up a few times in the previous review. King has just had a new collection released, Blockade Billy, that collects two of his recent stories, “Blockade Billy” and “Morality.” Thoughts on each:

“Blockade Billy”: Blockade Billy is the greatest catcher no one remembers, possibly the greatest catcher ever, but he holds a secret in his past that is darker than any of his teammates could ever imagine. King’s baseball story doesn’t have the horror that is his trademark, but it has a style and flow that is incredible. This is a crime story in the vein of his Colorado Kid, a short, brilliant tale that is far more about people and characters than the crime committed. Very solid work.

“Morality”: When a priest near the end of his life decides that he wants to see blood flow, how will it change the life of the woman he hires to do the deed? Another solid tale from King that delves into his characters, as we see how their lives are affected before and after a crime. Another non-horror piece, but wonderful, and a nice step away from King’s usual work.

This is obviously a very short collection, and quantity-wise you don’t get a lot of bang for your buck. However, quality counts, and each of these tales have that in spades. This is a must for fans of King, but also for those who like stories more about character than anything else, and that have a writing style with a master’s touch.

9/10

Dark Dimensions by William F. Nolan

2010-07-01T00:37:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Dark Dimensions was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

William F. Nolan is a pretty big name among most genre-fiction readers. Most will recognize him as the coauthor of Logan’s Run, a classic that is sadly out of print. He plays in a lot of sandboxes, dipping his hands into science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, even some straight mainstream fiction. His latest collection, Dark Dimensions (out from Darkwood Press, an imprint of Fairwood Press), offers a bit of all of that. Below are notes on all of the stories, which begin after a brief preface from the author and introduction by Jason V. Brock.

“Horror at Winchester House”: It is a tricky thing to open a short story collection with a novella, especially when it is by far the longest story of the bunch. Stephen King pulled it off with “The Mist” in his collection Skeleton Crew, and it worked because “The Mist” is a powerhouse of a story. It draws you in, and when you’re done you are over a hundred pages into the collection, well on your way. It doesn’t work quite as well here. “Horror at Winchester House” tells the story of a haunted mansion and a paranormal investigator searching for his friend’s missing sister, and it is very much a so-so story. The pace wasn’t what I would have liked, and the investigative part was a letdown, especially having just read “The Natural History of Calamity” by Robert J. Howe from Black Gate issue 14. It seems that this one just couldn’t hold up to my recent experiences. I never felt the suspense, and I never felt tightly engaged.

“Getting Along Just Fine”: This short tells of a man coming to terms with the loss that surrounds him as he grows older, and it is an interesting stream of thought. As a story, I don’t think it did too much, but it was an engaging thought piece.

“Descent”: Back-to-back we get straight mainstream offerings from Nolan. The second, “Descent,” has more of a strong storyline, with a widower placed in a disastrous situation as his office catches flames. However, it lacked the emotional impact it should have.

“Vampire Dollars”: This mystery tale was just what I needed to revamp my interest in the collection. When a private investigator sets out to find a retired horror movie star’s daughter, he stumbles onto a much larger crime that happened years ago. The story roles right along, always entertaining, and seemed to possess the intriguing investigative aspect “Horror at Winchester House” was missing.

“At the 24-Hour”: A fun piece, this one felt like a Twilight Zone episode, with its simple setting and plot twist. A man in a late night dinner may end up having more than just that coffee he ordered. An entertaining tale.

“Zachry Revisited”: A sequel to Richard Matheson’s “The Children of Noah,” this one was entertaining, but I didn’t feel surprised by the attempted shock ending. It felt like it had been done too many times before. It did, however, make me interested in finding a copy of “The Children of Noah” to read. A couple go to the town of Zachry to find their missing brother, who disappeared a year ago.

“Child’s Care”: This was one of those tales where you saw who the evil character was from the very beginning, but it was a fun enough ride to the end that the lack of suspense was never an issue. When a busy single mom hires a new nanny, it seems that there is some subliminal evil in the works.

“The Man Who Stalked Hyde”: An author of gothic tales discovers that Robert Louis Stevenson is alive and well in Scotland, but with a terrible secret, in this short story. Again, the ending is never in doubt when the problem is explained, but the tale still manages to be entertaining, even if the entire life-threatening situation could have been avoided if he had just run Stevenson through with the sword before he turned into Hyde, or the fact that the villain’s downfall was unbelievably unsatisfying.

“The Pelican’s Brother”: A Batman pastiche, featuring an obvious copy of famous Batman-villain The Penguin, this tale has the Pelican escaping from jail and finding a bird of gold and jewels that he just must possess, if he can get past the guards, the alarms, and the Nightman. Nolan seems to be a fan of the caped crusader, as he mentions him a few times in this volume, and this one is a wonderful pastiche, from a point-of-view opposite of what we are normally used to. A very fun tale.

“A Woods Encounter”: A couple lost in the Maine woods finds a strange town that may not have been the best choice to stop. An okay short story, but the “vampire town in Maine” story has been done three separate times by Stephen King already (not to run the King name into the ground in this review with yet another glowing mention), and done to better effect.

“To Be With Amy”: A short science fiction tale in which aliens intervene to give a woman her dearest wish. This one never really grabbed me like I had hoped, but it wasn’t bad.

“Stabbed by Rob”: A first person account of the brother of a serial killer. It was an intriguing look at a point-of-view not seen often, even if I felt the protagonist may have changed in a way I found a little unrealistic.

“What Love is This?”: A short and enjoyable tale of a very odd love. A fun story, and the best of the science fiction ones in the collection.

“The Death of Sherlock Holmes”: The title gives you the gist of this one, a story of Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty that lacks the depth and engagement of Doyle. It felt rather superfluous and meaningless. A lame duck of an ending to this collection.

All in all, this collection suffered from a slow start and a bad ending, although the middle was certainly a fun set of stories. Fans of Nolan can find much better work from him in other collections. This one is for die-hard fans and completists.

6/10

2010 Mid-Year Review

2010-06-30T00:28:00.000-06:00

We are half-way through 2010, and it seemed like a good time to take a look at the first half of the year. 2010 has seen 87 posts (averaging a post every 2.1 days). There have been 7 “information” posts (such as Top 15 of 2009), 1 on a product catalogue, 10 posts of “FREE FICTION,” and 2 interviews. There was one piece of non-fiction read and 53 fiction books: 2 roleplaying games, 1 magazine, 3 novellas, 3 anthologies, 3 omnibuses, 8 single author collections, and 37 novels. The genres have been pretty diverse as well, with 1 historical fiction, 2 mainstream fiction, 2 thriller, 3 mystery, 7 horror, 23 fantasy, and 34 science fiction (science fiction and fantasy are much closer when you take out the graphic novels I counted for them, putting them on exactly equal terms). There have been 26 2010 releases reviewed so far (in order of review, with stand out titles in bold):

Sons of Dorn by Chris Roberson

Rynn’s World by Steve Parker

Explorer X – Alpha by L.M. Preston

Molly Fyde and the Land of Light by Hugh Howey

Gran’s Secret by Trevis Powell

Death & Dishonour edited by Alex Davis, Nick Kyme, and Lindsey Priestley

Call to Arms by Mitchel Scanlon

The Hualapai Cycle by Jason Walters

Friday Night in Beast House by Richard Laymon

The World House by Guy Adams

The Breach by Patrick Lee

Neverland by Douglas Clegg

The Holler by Marge Fulton

Flesh and Iron by Henry Zou

Zendikar: In the Teeth of Akoum by Robert B. Wintermute

Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

The Book of Blood edited by Christian Dunn

The Specific Gravity of Grief by Jay Lake

The Crossroads by L. Ron Hubbard

Gold and Glory by Brian Libby

Black Gate – Winter 2010 (Issue 14)

The Pack by L.M. Preston

The Starcrossed by William I. Levy

Bloodborn by Nathan Long

Swords from the East by Harold Lamb

Half Way Home by Hugh Howey

I look forward to sharing the second half of 2010 with all of you. I hope you keep coming back, and keep reading!

Half Way Home by Hugh Howey

2010-06-28T00:58:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Half Way Home was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Hugh Howey.

Regular readers of the site will recognize Hugh Howey’s by-line. He is growing quite a fan base for his Bern Saga, which began with last year’s Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, continues in Molly Fyde and the Land of Light, and reaches its penultimate chapter with this summer’s Molly Fyde and the Blood of Billions. Based on Hugh’s first two novels, I was very excited to check out his third, Half Way Home. This is his first non-Molly Fyde novel, and a bit of a departure for him, so I was intrigued.

In the future, countries send out ships full of unborn children to new planets. If the planet is deemed viable, the children are grown for a full thirty years, implanted with knowledge of their profession and their surroundings. If the planet is unviable, then the unborn are aborted. Yet, for one set of colonists, something else happens. Fifteen years into their growth, the abort sequence begins and then is terminated. Ninety percent of the colonists die in the ensuing debacle. Those who are left alive are trapped on their world, under their harsh AI task master, Colony. Yet, when Porter and a group of colonists set out to find freedom, a planet of striking danger and dark possibilities is discovered.

Initially, I was having problems with this novel. The first chapter, one of the longest in the book, breaks the tried-and-true “show, don’t tell” rule. Howey takes a very long time to tell us the background of his story, and it was like trying to run through mud. If he had worked these details into the story, letting them come up naturally, we could have gotten all of the information and none of the overbearing and slow introductory material. It was a very weak start that left me with doubts about the rest of the novel.

I also found myself frustrated with what I felt were a few logical lapses throughout the novel, most of them found in the very beginning. Frustratingly, one of them nullified the logic of the long and dry first chapter, thus making it necessary for story, but a breaking of story logic by its very need to exist. That likely makes no sense unless you have read the novel, but I don’t want to give details and spoil parts of the plot.

All of the above is a shame, because once Howey finally gets the story rolling, it becomes a very engaging novel. If you can get through the early chapters, past the background and the aborting of the mission chapters, then things finally begin to get good. Howey creates fun characters that readers will like to follow, and the relationships between characters are very engaging. The novel becomes the type of entertaining adventure that makes his other books so readable.

This one is certainly a bit of a change up for Howey, and it didn’t succeed on all levels. It is nice to see him expanding his scope, something necessary to long term success as an author, but I hope the next time he does so the results are a bit more like I had hoped for.

I ran into trouble on who to suggest this one for. I wouldn’t want new fans to begin this one, get mired in the lows, enjoy the highs, but not want to try more from a capable author. However, fans of Howey’s previous work will find this one a bit of a letdown. Thus, to any who choose to venture here, take the bad with a grain of salt: it’s not a typical turnout, and there is plenty of good to be found here. Relish the characters and the adventure in the later sections, because they are quite good. Skim through the beginning and the not-so-good parts, which can be derailing. If you are new to Howey, maybe try another of his books.

6/10

Black Gate – Winter 2010 (Issue 14)—Part 2

2010-06-26T00:20:00.001-06:00

NOTE: Black Gate Issue 14 was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by New Epoch Press.

I recently worked my way through the exciting first third of the newest issue of Black Gate, and now it is time to return to the magazine for part two of our three part journey. This time we will see 3 novellas, 3 short stories, and 1 poem, listed below with individual comments.

“Devil on the Wind” by Michael Jasper & Jay Lake: This tale of a witch heading to town to collect her coven’s “tax” on the citizens was one that fell entirely flat for me. I just couldn’t enjoy this one. After the level of enjoyment I took from my last Jay Lake piece, The Specific Gravity of Grief, this one was a major let down.

“The Price of Two Blades” by Pete Butler: A story-teller and entertainer sits down to learn a new story for his repertoire, and finds much more. This is an absolutely brilliant piece. The novella flew by, playing both with action fantasy and the art of telling stories. One of the best pieces of short fiction I’ve read from 2010, it would be an injustice for this one not to win some awards.

“The Girl Who Feared Lightning” by Dan Brodribb: A brief and wryly humorous tale of a security guard who has to deal with a rather supernatural problem. Brodribb presents a tale that works, but I wonder if it wasn’t as funny as it was supposed to have been.

“Wanted! A Clown Incognito” by Aamir Aziz: The first poem of the volume, this one wasn’t bad, although I have trouble giving a more substantial review of brief poetry than that.

“Destroyer” by James Enge: A tale of Enge’s popular character, Morlock the Maker. Morlock leads a family through hostile territory, trying to pass through a valley in the middle of a gigantic mountain range. With insect-like enemies on all sides, Morlock does everything he can to lead his charges to safety. This was my introduction to Morlock, and I will certainly be on the lookout for more, including both of Enge’s Morlock books out from Pyr.

“The Natural History of Calamity” by Robert J. Howe: The last novella of the collection is another winner. While I found this tale of a karmic detective in a case far deeper than she ever imagined to have an ending I didn’t find satisfying, the plot was very engaging, working as a mystery novella along with its fantasy trappings. I will be looking for more from Howe.

“Red Hell” by Renee Stern: In a steampunk-esque environment, criminals work off their debt to society as laborers. However, when one man is framed, he’ll do anything to escape. This one started of slow, but got better as it went along. It wasn’t one of the highlights of this issue, but it wasn’t too bad.

The second of the three sections proved to be even better than the first. Despite weak opening and closing stories, the novellas in particular stole the show. Stop back again in a couple weeks for the third and final part of my look at Black Gate issue 14, reviewing “The Lady’s Apprentice” by Jan Stirling, “The Wine-Dark Sea” by Isabel Pelech, “”On a Pale Horse” by Sylvia Volk, “La Señora de Oro” by R.L. Roth, “Building Character” by Tom Sneem, “Broadcaster” by Arthur Porges, “Folie and Null” by Douglas Empringham, “Spanish Dance” by Arthur Porges, an extended book review section, and a special 8-page Knights of the Dinner Table strip.

Swords from the East by Harold Lamb

2010-06-23T00:17:00.001-06:00

NOTE: Swords from the East was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Bison Books.

Adventure fiction comes in all shapes and sizes, and one of those is historical. Many authors have played with historical adventures, from Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe (Scott being more or less the inventor of the genre) up through today. One of the major authors to work in that genre, and who is sadly not well known today, is Harold Lamb. Writing a large number of pieces set all over the world, he captured the historical adventure tale in the era of pulp magazines. Editor Howard Andrew Jones is working with University of Nebraska Press and Bison Books to bring his fiction work back into print, with one of the newest volumes being Swords from the East, a collection of Lamb’s tales of the Mongols. Excited about the chance to dive in, I did, reading the forward by editor Howard Andrew Jones and the introduction by fantasy author James Enge. Below are thoughts on the stories, followed by overall thoughts.

“The Gate in the Sky”: Maak, a reindeer herder, spends a night in the camp of some traders, only to have his precious reindeer stolen. Maak sets out to find the thieves and recover his reindeer. This is an excellent beginning to the collection, giving us in a short space a character driven to stop the thieves, with excellent setting, plot, and action.

“The Wolf-Chaser”: Hugo, a former French count, has traveled into the mountains of central Asia in search of his brother, who had travelled there in an attempt to spread Christianity. After finding his brother had died, Hugo hangs around, and when a vast army comes to threaten the people he has been living with, Hugo leads a small group in the defense of a mountain pass that he must hold if the city of Kob is to be won back by its citizens. This is an exciting piece of a brutal last stand in the mountains, continuing Lamb’s excellent characterization and writing style.

The Three Palladins: A novel length tale of Mingan, a prince living in Cathay, who escapes an assassination attempt and flees to the Horde of Temujin, the future khan, to be known as Genghis Khan. The story begins at the death of Temujin’s father, and continues as Temujin struggles to create an empire in the Gobi, and becomes Genghis Khan. A very well-told and powerful story, this is one of the best historical novels I have ever read.

“The House of the Strongest”: Ermecin is the strong one, and comes to be the leader of his tribe. However, he can’t win the love of his wife, Cherla, until he sets out to find his kidnapped son. A brief tale, but one well-told.

The Road of the Giants: The second novel-sized tale in this volume follows Captain Billings, Russian cartographer, who is tasked to make a map of the lands in which the Mongols live. However, before he can even begin, he has a run in with a prince, and winds up a captive. As Billings is forced to travel with the horde to its homelands, he continues to make his map, but for a different master. Yet, when he discovers treachery afoot, he sets out to save the horde that imprisoned him. An exciting tale, this one doesn’t equal The Three Palladins in impact, but has even more action, and engaging characters.

“Azadi’s Jest”: Azadi, a member of the sultan’s harem, is known for her “little tricks.” However, when she sees a Cossack being tortured, she sets in her mind a trick that will set them both free. One of the lesser tales of the volume, but still entertaining.

“The Net”: This emotionally engaging tale of a blind fisherman and his adopted children who come against the whims of evil sailors is one of the highlights of the collection. Lamb is at his most powerful here.

“The Book of the Tiger: The Warrior”: This is the first part of Lamb’s retelling of the Babar-nameh, The Story of the Tiger. The Babar-nameh is the autobiography of Babar, the Tiger, a 16th century conqueror and the first of the Moghul emperors. “The Warrior” follows Babar from the death of his father and the assumption of his father’s role, through his fighting throughout central Asia, culminating in his repeated attempts at capturing and holding a city of his own. This is a very interesting piece, with a wonderful stylistic voice all its own. At times you can tell that this is a condensing of a larger work, as it feels a bit rushed or abbreviated, but it never stops being engaging. It ends on a very abrupt note, with some questions that don’t get answered, but it is a very fun piece.

“The Book of the Tiger: The Emperor”: The second part of Lamb’s retelling of the Babar-nameh, this one picks up as Babar is heading to take Kabul, and after struggles there moves on into India. Another tale in the style of the previous one, this one is also very engaging, although I felt suffered worse than the previous one in the area of occasionally feeling very much as a condensation of another work, at times feeling almost out-line-like. It is still, however, a very fun tale.

“Sleeping Lion”: An engaging tale of Marco Polo and a stolen ruby of tremendous value, this one sadly is missing a portion of the middle of the story, as it was printed wrong upon first appearance, and the original has disappeared. That absence hurts the denouement, but it is still an entertaining short piece.

After the stories, there is an appendix that reprints a number of letters that Lamb wrote that appeared in Adventure, the main source of publication of these stories. They are all much more than simple letters, however, but more essays, some on the historical context of a story, others on the history of central Asia in general. These are quite fascinating reading, and very engrossing.

This volume is large and dense, cramming a lot of content into its pages. Amazingly, it is almost all excellent, and the few that didn’t shoot fireworks for me still weren’t bad. The stories read very well, and don’t feel aged at all. The pace is quite fast, the action is invigorating, and the plots are brilliant fun. What Lamb has accomplished is rather wonderful. He has taken an area of history most readers, at least here in the USA, aren’t too familiar with, and made it feel very real and very comfortable, infusing them with rich culture that helps the plot along. The heroes are heroic, but they also don’t feel just like western heroes transposed into central Asia. This collection of stories is brilliant, and will definitely have me on the lookout for more Lamb. This volume is a good buy, both in quantity and quality. Fans of historical fiction, Asian history, and swift adventure shouldn’t miss Swords from the East.

9/10

Monster by A. Lee Martinez

2010-06-20T00:37:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, what you need is a fast-paced, over the top fantasy adventure, rather than a deep, dark, moody tale. One of the names that seems to be becoming more and more popular in that area is A. Lee Martinez. His adventure fantasies, filled with liberal dashes of humor, began with the publication of Gil’s All Fright Diner, and have continued on into his seventh book, Divine Misfortune, out now in hardcover. His latest paperback release is the paperback release of his novel Monster. It looked like fun, so I dove in.

When a stray dog is bothering you, or the local cat is looking a little rabid, you call animal control. But when you have a yeti problem, or trolls in your closet, you need someone a little different. It’s time to call Cryptobiological Containment and Rescue Services, and their best crypto-catcher, Monster. However, when Judy can’t seem to stop having problems, she and Monster realize that there is more at stake than either of them dreamed, and it may be up to them to save all of existence. If they can ever get along, that is.

Martinez has written a wonderfully entertaining story. Monster and Judy are a lot of fun as characters, are fully fleshed out, and set up plenty of laughs. All of the secondary characters work well, too, and help fill out the very entertaining plot. The novel easily moves from mild-animal control work to saving existence, and neither feels out of place or overly abrupt. The integration of the real world and the magical one is something that Martinez does very well here as well, laying the two on top of each other in a completely believable fashion rarely seen in fantasy. There is a whole lot to like here, and will certainly make you pick up another Martinez novel in the future.

9/10

Guest Review: Bloodborn by Nathan Long

2010-06-18T02:02:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Bloodborn was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library.

Everyone knows the old and grossly over-quoted adage, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Everyone also knows that that is nearly impossible to do. A book with a garish cover just isn’t as appealing as one with a wonderful cover, and when making a choice on a new author or book, most people won’t go with the garish cover. It’s neither good nor bad, just how it is. Another aspect of book covers is that they help identify genre and audience. That can be critical. If I see a book that has a man, in a bold stance, with shirt torn so that his unbelievably muscular chest can be shown to greatest effect, and who has a woman wearing a rather scantily-clad ensemble clinging to him, it can be called War in Space and I’m still going to be thinking it is a romance novel. So when I received Nathan Long’s newest novel, Bloodborn, I saw the Victorian-esque cover of a lone female vampire in the candlelight, and thought, “Not for me.” In an attempt to be a slightly better reviewer than that, I read the back, and realized that it seemed to be exactly the kind of book my fiancée likes to read, and in the interest of getting a review out there, I gave it to her to read and review. I hope you enjoy the first guest review here at Luke Reviews.

I, like many of my generation, have been caught up in the new vampire sensation created by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight. So when Luke suggested I read Nathon Long’s new Warhammer novel, Bloodborn, I could hardly refuse! What I found though was not a novel of fanciful vampire romance – it was much more than that.

Bloodborn follows a Warhammer character from previous books, Ulrika, who at the start of the novel has been unwillingly turned into a vampire by her captor. As she struggles between her new vicious nature and her humanity, her mistress, the Countess Gabriella - responsible for not only her life but modeling her into a vampire worthy of her coven - is called upon by her queen to bring an end to a series of murders against her fellow vampires in Nuln. Together they travel to the city, where Ulrika assists in the mystery, makes unlikely friends, and begins to understand who she is in a world of vampires, witch hunters, ghouls, and other strange supernatural beings.

It has been a long time since I was so completely caught up in a book that it took me a matter of hours to finish, that had me laughing and crying along with Ulrika at every turn. The only negative that I could possibly find with the book was all the Warhammer terminology and culture that eludes and distracts the new reader, but it quickly falls to the background. Long brings all the original elements of the vampire myths and blends them flawlessly into the Warhammer world to create one of the most fun, thrilling, even heart-wrenching tales I’ve read this year.

10/10

The Starcrossed by William I. Levy

2010-06-16T03:04:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Starcrossed was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by BlackWyrm Books.

Small press publisher BlackWyrm has been putting out some neat books, filling the void of short novels and novellas in the current market of thousand page behemoths and never-ending series. While I find them to be hit and miss at times, I really enjoyed a couple of their books, and was excited to receive their latest release, The Starcrossed, which seemed right up my alley.

On the first trip in space searching for alien life, humanity struck gold and found some. Cat-like humanoids, the beings are a couple years behind humans technologically. Barret and a group of soldiers arrive on the planet and act as ambassadors, but when Barret falls in love with Paum, one of the aliens, he tries to abort the mission, only to have his plans fall through. A year later, after finally being released from prison, Barret finds an exhausted and disoriented Paum on his doorstep, and opens his future to the machinations of an ancient evil that has ravaged both the catmorphs and humans before.

William I. Levy has crafted a wonderfully fun science fiction thriller, as Barret and his friends fight a renegade military group and a demonic-like evil to save Paum and the planet. The pace is fast and doesn’t let up, but it isn’t at the sacrifice of well-developed characters. All of the numerous characters Levy throws around are very fully formed, and are a lot of fun in their interactions.

I did find it a little odd that, while the aliens people weren’t too happy about the inter-species relationship, no humans actually spoke up against it. I found that a seemingly large gap in logic. Even friends might have concerns if their friend had brought back his new alien girlfriend, especially in the situation of first contact.

However, small flaws aside, there is a lot to like in this novel. For fans of fast-paced science fiction action, a smidgen of romance, and a wonderfully fun tale, go grab a copy of this (it isn’t in big bookstores, so head over to BlackWyrm’s site, found in my links section). You won’t regret it.

9/10

The Pack by L.M. Preston

2010-06-14T03:29:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Pack was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Phenomenal One Press.

After the surprise success of Explorer X – Alpha by L.M. Preston, I was looking forward to more of her work. Those of you who read the interview I did with her know that Preston has a number of books on the horizon, the next out being The Pack the first of a new duology out from Phenomenal One Press.

On the Mars of the future, a crime spree resulting in the kidnappings of a number of children have rocked the Martian police force, as they seem to be the targets of the attacks. Shamira, daughter of two members of that group, uses her training and the enhanced senses she has grown into after losing her eyesight to try and track down these kidnappers. However, after an emergency trip to Earth results in the return of her eyesight, her repeated run-ins with Valens, another young adult looking for the answer to the riddle of the missing children, and the kidnapping of her own brother, Shamira has to go past the point of no return if she is to save her brother and the other children of Mars.

The Pack, aimed at an older age group than Preston’s Explorer X series, definitely has a more mature feel to it. The setting and mood are much darker, as Shamira runs through the shady side of Mars to solve her brother’s kidnapping. However, Preston shows herself to be versatile enough to handle this drastic shift in the feel of her first two books, succeeding in making the dark environment feel natural. Shamira is certainly a well-developed character

I felt, however, that The Pack suffered from some things that didn’t hold up quite as well as in Explorer X – Alpha. Shamira, while she may be well-developed, I found at times to be frustrating as a character. That may have been part of the point, but her abrupt shifts in mood, and her need to be angry at everyone and everything but her brother, made her a bit grating at times. I didn’t feel like this one drew me in quite like Aadi and his friends did Explorer X – Alpha, and that it made this one a little less engaging.

The Pack fills a void in young adult literature, reaching out to the young adults right on the edge of that genre, and adulthood itself, and will be well-received by those readers. However, to see all that Preston’s capable authorship can do, I would point back to Explorer X – Alpha. That said, I still am excited about Preston’s next release, out in Spring 2011, Bandits.

X-Men: The Shattering by Alan Davis, Terry Kavanagh, Jay Faerber, and Mike Raicht

2010-06-12T00:18:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while, in a fit of nostalgia, I go back to look at the joys of my youth, so to speak. One thing that was ever present in my formative years were comics, in particular (and my favorite) X-Men. Now a days, collections of these comics are being put out, and finding some from when I was younger, I decided to pick up a collection and see how it read. X-Men: The Shattering is the beginning of a string of collections of consecutive comics, continuing in X-Men vs. Apocalypse Volume 1: The Twelve. Much of this volume works as a prelude to that next volume.

After a string of trying exploits taken them from one of their greatest upsets to the edges of space, our band of mutants return home, only to find their leader and mentor, Professor Xavier, has seemed to snap, disbanding the team. The group breaks into three pieces, each setting out on their own new adventures, only to find out that a common foe is behind the breakup of the team and their latest problems. But after one of their own is killed before their eyes, can the X-Men recover in time to stop a threat that may have catastrophic consequences for the entire universe?

X-Men: The Shattering contains: Uncanny X-Men #372(“Dream’s End, Chapter One: Rude Awakenings”), #373(“Beauty & the Beast, Part One: Broken Mirrors”), #374(“Beauty & the Beast, Part Two: You Can’t Go Home Again”), #375(“I am Not Now, Nor Have I Ever Been…”), X-Men #92(“Dream’s End, Chapter Two: Pressure Points”), #93(“Hidden Lives, Part 1 of 2: Open Wounds”), #94(“Hidden Lives Part 2 of 2: Pandora’s Box”), #95(“Do Unto Others”), Astonishing X-Men #1(“Call to Arms!”), #2(“The Trouble with Mannites”), #3(“In the Shadow of Death”).

The story is fast and fun. Despite the multitude of creators with hands in on this one, the story remains cohesive, and it is organized in this volume to give us the story in the smoothest possible way. A very entertaining volume. There are a lot of characters being handled in this one, some I wasn’t too intimately familiar with, but they were introduced and integrated into the story quite nicely, without too much trouble at all.

The only possible major drawback would be that, as stated above, this isn’t so much a stand-alone story as a prelude to the two volume X-Men vs. Apocalypse series. If you want a one volume complete story, this one won’t be for you. However, after finishing this one, I know that I can’t wait to dive into the next book. The Claremont era (the original one, at least) was over in X-Men, and with it some of the deep stories that delved into religion, racism, and the like. This volume doesn’t try to attain that, but instead is just geared to give a fun story, and in that regard, it certainly succeeds.

8/10

Interview with Brian Libby

2010-06-09T02:15:00.002-06:00

A couple days ago I put up my review of Brian Libby’s latest fantasy novel, Gold and Glory, and also reviewed his previous novel, Storm Approaching, a while ago. I thoroughly enjoy Libby’s novels, and was delighted to have the chance to sit down and ask him a couple questions.

Thanks for the interview, Brian!

First off, I want to congratulare you on your first novel, Storm Approaching. It has garnered some wonderful praise and solid reviews! I know you went through a bit of an extended process getting that first novel out there, from having it in the hands of publishers to deciding to publish it yourself. How was it trying to get your first book published?

Many say that getting an agent is harder than getting a publisher, but that was not true in my case. In 2004, after about a hundred query letters, I succeeded in getting a very good New York agent. (This did not result from the query letters, but, oddly, from his irritated response to a review of one of his authors that I posted at Amazon. But ‘a soft answer turneth away wrath;’ after an exchange of e-mails, in which I mentioned my writing, he asked to see my book; I made a number of changes along lines he suggested; he accepted it.) In 2005 and 2006 several fine publishers declined Storm Approaching. At one it was recommended for publication by the first reader, but then languished until mid-2008 (!), waiting for the supreme editor to read it. Whether or not she ever did remains a mystery; after a note in which I said I was planning to self-publish if nothing good happened soon, the last word from my agent (August 2008) was, “I don’t think she is going to do it. From what I gather, she started it but lost interest. And then she said she would try again. But she never does. So go self publish. We tried. I think it is a fine book. It’s just not where the market is in fantasy. With some exceptions the market for new authors is ‘urban fantasy.’ Vampires, zombies, and werewolves.”

So I decided to produce Storm Approaching as a print-on-demand book, its unfortunate lack of vampires, zombies, and werewolves notwithstanding.

I had already published a satirical novel about education, And Gladly Teach, in 2001, with AuthorHouse, so the POD process went as expected, although I used another publisher for Gold and Glory.

Who are the biggest inspirations for your work, both literary and otherwise?

Inspirations? In my high school and college days (the late 60’s and the 70’s) I read much fantasy: Tolkien, of course, and earlier writers (e.g. George MacDonald, William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E.R. Eddison), and many books in the fantasy series edited by Lin Carter. I largely stopped reading it in grad school and beyond. When I decided to write Storm Approaching I wanted to see what sort of fantasy was now popular, so I read many pages from contemporary authors, and many more reviews; I have to say that few of them inspired me. (I do not read much contemporary fantasy now; studying history provides enough blood, sex, and misery.)

Authors I admire for their style and brilliance include George F. Kennan, Telford Taylor, S.J. Perelman, Thomas Mann and Dostoevsky (in translation), Edward Gibbon, and Alexander Pope.

Now that the first two books of Mercenaries have been released, a kind of over-arching theme in the world around your characters is becoming apparent. Do you have plans for the rest of the series? Will it be something you want to be ongoing, or do you have a set beginning, middle, and end in mind?

I know that many readers, rightly irritated by series that never end—or whose authors seem to have abandoned them—are reluctant to start reading anything new until it is complete. Well, good news here: the first three volumes of Mercenaries is a trilogy (i.e. a complete story, not just three books), and I plan to publish the third volume later this year. There is a fourth, a stand-alone volume, set in the same world with some of the same characters.

Can you give us any hints on what the next Mercenatires novel will be about?

Resolution continues the story of the first two and brings it to a definite conclusion. I should not like to say more, as it might spoil things for the readers—myriads, I hope—who will be starting Mercenaries. :)

Do you have any non-Mercenaries or non-novel plans for the near future?

I have already published And Gladly Teach, a satirical novel about prep-school life. Most readers find it very funny. There is also Miscellanea, a small book of humorous pieces on various subjects such as education, the LOTR and Star Wars films, and the nutritional benefits of eggplant parmesan. I don’t have plans for any non-Mercenaries novels. I post essays (mostly humorous) on my blog.

Your series has a very strong sense of history to it. Have you drawn a lot of details from the past, in particular the middle ages? Does your background in history help you work with the large political and global struggles that are the underpinnings that create Andiriel's world?

I’m a historian; my fields are European diplomatic and military history. Without professional knowledge I could not have written the books. I have, for example, striven earnestly to present diplomacy as it actually works—not as the lying and backstabbing that some uninformed authors seem to think it is. Military matters (found more in Gold and Glory than in Storm) are mainly described from the Operational level—that of regimental commanders in small armies—which I think is something new, as it avoids both the vagueness of a merely strategic description and the dreary, repetitive homicide of minor tactics. (It strikes me as odd how some writers seem to feel an obligation, if not an obsession, to emphasize the brutality of small-unit combat, as though readers were unaware of it. I will leave incessant carnage to these masters; it has been done enough, and new authors are supposed to do something different. More interesting, perhaps, to see how battles are planned and fought and won, or lost, from the viewpoint of those in command.)

Certainly there are parallels between my books and historical events and situations. The New Empire, for example, has certain features of the Holy Roman Empire; the possible inheritance crisis is similar to the situation before the War of the Austrian Succession and involves an equivalent of Charles VI’s Pragmatic Sanction. However, the world I am trying to create has nothing directly to do with Europe at any particular time. The society contains features from early and late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and, I hope, many original things. Mercenaries is not historical fiction.

Any final comments?

Thanks very much for the opportunity to say something about my writing. I hope readers will be sufficiently intrigued to take a look at my blog, perhaps to get in touch, maybe even to take a chance and read something I wrote. Some print-on-demand books are better than others!

http://andiriel.blogspot.com/ http://www.blibby.com/

Black Gate—Winter 2010 (Issue 14)—Part 1

2010-06-07T02:42:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Black Gate issue 14 was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by New Epoch Press.

There are fewer and fewer successful genre magazines these days, and you would be hard-pressed to find a fantasy magazine out there better than Black Gate. It is a solid magazine with good content, and very much worth the entry fee. After a long period since Issue 13, Issue 14 was released, and it is a behemoth. Gigantic doesn’t begin to describe it. So, with that in mind, I am going to take a look at the newest issue of Black Gate over three segments, each covering (very) roughly one third of the magazine.

The issue starts with John O’neill’s always entertaining editorial, this time on “Tiny Empires” and his experiences with wargaming. We then get the letters section, before diving into the stories and articles.

“Dark of the Year” by Diana Sherman: In a world where children are taken by shadowy demons if they are unnamed, one man sets out to find a name for his orphaned granddaughter. I found the ending to be a bit predictable, but this is an entertaining story never-the-less. The quest of the grandfather was one that carried you right along.

“The Hangman’s Daughter” by Chris Braak: In a world of non-human but human-like sentient species, one little girl must face a childhood nightmare that is far more real than people want to believe. I found this one entertaining, with a bit of a slow start but a satisfying conclusion. The repetitive parallel paragraphing for the protagonist’s dreams didn’t work for me at all, but they luckily didn’t crop up too often.

“The Bonestealer’s Mirror” by John C. Hocking: Brand the Viking, along with his companions, stop to investigate a signal fire, only to find a town beset by a terrible creature that steals the bones from its victims’ bodies. Hocking proves, yet again, to be a top-notch storyteller worthy of the mantel of the next Robert E. Howard, yet he fills his tales with a sterling originality that would be done a gross disservice by labeling it anything other than purely Hocking. The plot, the characters, the setting: all are wonderful, and a joy to explore. The day a collection of Hocking’s Brand stories comes out is the day I wait in line to buy a copy.

“The Word of Azrael” by Matthew David Surridge: This tale of a man on a lifelong quest in search of the angel of death grasps the moody, mystical quality of both dream and myth, and weaves it throughout. The story carries you along without effort, and is certainly wonderful to read. It occasionally got a bit too slow and tried a little too hard to add poetics to its setting, but I still found it to be a solid story from an author I will be looking for more from.

“Back to the Future: Modern Reprints of Classic Fantasy” by Rich Horton: A wonderful essay from a man entrenched in the genre, Horton explores host of publishers who are bringing back some unjustly forgotten classics. While most will be familiar with some of these, few will be familiar with all, and the essay brings up both authors and books that I will be keeping an eye out for. A wonderful essay.

“The Mist Beyond the Circle” by Martin Owton: When slave-dealers kidnap their families, ten people set out to get them back, using a little mysticism, a little fighting of beasts of the dead, and a dab of murder. I had a bit of trouble getting into this one at first, but it got better as it went along.

“Freedling” by Mike Shultz: A middle-of-the-line story, not great but one that I feel I won’t think much about and will forget soon enough, this tale is of a young girl and an evil sorcer who are trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building.

“The Renunciation of the Crimes of Gharad the Undying” by Alex Kreis: A very short story, this one is an open letter to the people Gharad oppressed as their dictator, now that he has been defeated and thrown into prison. A fun piece of fluff, but without much to really impress me.

We then are given a 20 page gaming review section, covering a huge host of titles. I am very much of the opinion that the review sections are among the highlights of each issue of Black Gate, and I am not proven wrong this time around.

A solid start to Issue 14, stop by in a couple weeks for part two, which will look at “Devil on the Wind” by Michael Jasper & Jay Lake, “The Price of Two Blades” by Pete Butler, “The Girl Who Feared Lightning” by Dan Brodribb, “Wanted! A Clown Incognito” by Aamir Aziz, “Destroyer” by James Enge, “The Natural History of Calamity” by Robert J. Howe, and “Red Hell” by Renee Stern.

Gold and Glory by Brian Libby

2010-06-05T01:22:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Gold and Glory was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Brian Libby.

Last year, one of my best surprises was Storm Approaching, Brian Libby’s fantasy debut that introduced the world to Andiriel, orphan school-girl who becomes a government agent and a mercenary leader in a pre-gunpowder fantasy environment full of historical touches. Hot on the heels of that release is the second volume of the saga, Gold and Glory.

Following from the events of Storm Approaching, Gold and Glory picks up after a winter of training for the Pelicans mercenary regiment. Andiriel, along with her ever present sand fox, continues on as an atypical and very effective leader, joining an army of mercenaries led by General Demantius. After a couple of battles that Andiriel takes in stride, a unique offer from an odd source presents itself. Sarenia, enemy of the Empire, wants to hire the Pelicans, along with an army of other mercenaries, to fight in the Sarenian Succession War currently taking place. Andiriel accepts, and sets off on a whirlwind adventure in a strange, foreign environment.

Once again, Libby has presented us with a very fun adventure, although this one is in a very different vein than Storm Approaching. While Storm Approaching was a sort of coming-of-age story, Gold and Glory is the action epic, the heroic fantasy saga of the series so far. Filled with battles, Gold and Glory never lacks for action and adventure. Libby works very well at creating characters that are very memorable, both major and minor. The action is very exciting, and feels very real, yet also retains an interesting strategic aspect sadly absent from most action fantasies of the day, which follow the hack-and-slash method instead (not that that is bad, but the variety and uniqueness is nice).

The only thing that I felt detracted from the story at all was the fact that I never felt the Pelicans were in any real danger. Andiriel seemed to always be on top, and it seemed a little too easy or convenient at times. While that can be an issue, I never felt that bothered by it, as the crux of the story, despite all of the action, never was the action itself, but Andiriel and the other characters, and how they grow and develop. What Libby is writing feels different than most modern fantasy (and not just because of the lack of certain tropes), and it is a welcome and refreshing addition to any fantasy reader’s library. If you enjoy fantasy, action, history, or a good story with characters you can become deeply attached to, give Libby a try.

9/10

Starblazer Adventures by Chris Birch & Stuart Newman with David Donachie & Douglas Nicol

2010-06-02T01:13:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Starblazer Adventures was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Cubicle Seven Entertainment.

In an effort to explore deeper into the genre, I took a look at the roleplaying game 3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars. I wanted to keep that up by taking another look into science fiction roleplaying, with Starblazer Adventures, based on the British space opera comic.

In the future, humans are reaching out into the stars, finding intrigue, exotics, war, and greed. Flying through space, adventure is everywhere in a large universe full of planets, aliens, and dangers.

Starblazer Adventures is a huge book. At first glance, it can seem daunting. But when you dig into it, it is proven otherwise. The first 30 pages give you enough information to start throwing together an adventure to explore the cosmos. So what do the other 700 pages contain? All of the detail that turns this into an incredible setting worth having adventures in. The basic rules are given expansions, more fully fleshed out, but even more importantly the setting comes alive.

Starblazer Adventures isn’t overburdened with a complex rules system, but uses the FATE system seen in games such as Spirit of the Century. The system allows for more storytelling and less number crunching. However, each of the simple items you use to play are given huge amounts of potential and adaptability. Huge chapters detail attributes and skills your character can have, with amazing variety, and plenty of description that gives you an idea of just how far you might push your new traits. Small rules variations are given so you can control not just a player, but a spaceship, or even an entire space-faring system. Hosts of planets, each with detail on a large array of features, coupled with a large assortment of aliens and humans, spaceships, machines, traps and androids, give this one huge play potential.

The beauty of Starblazer Adventures is that with just this one book, you are given enormous information to set up and play. It would take years to play out all of the material contained within. Set up both for those who want to create their own settings and for those who want to use the hundreds provided, this system is perfect for gamers of all types. No supplements are needed, and very little looking up of rules during gameplay. For the price, you will be hard-pressed to find a book that gives you as much quantity and quality. There are very few new systems that are as self-contained yet adaptable as Starblazer Adventures. If you can only get one game book this year, make it this one.

9/10

Nova, Volume 1 by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

2010-05-30T02:40:00.000-06:00

This wonderful omnibus collects the first two volumes of Nova, and presents them as one continuous story. This works well, as the events of Annihilation—Conquest and Knowhere are very much two halves of the longer story. It is a fun introduction to the cosmic universe for those who missed Annihilation, and what seems to be a very handy prologue and companion to Annihilation: Conquest. The action and adventure is non-stop, but it never loses sight of the story or the characters. Based on this, and knowing Abnett and Lanning are heading up Annihilation: Conquest, I will make sure not to miss that event, or the continued tales of Nova in his own series, which picks up after Annihilation: Conquest in Nova, Volume 3: Secret Invasion. Take a look at the new series that is getting rave reviews from every comic reviewer out there.

8/10

Nova, Volume 2: Knowhere by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

2010-05-28T01:41:00.000-06:00

After the explosive start to the Nova collection, Nova, Volume 1, I dove right into the second half, previously published as Nova, Volume 2: Knowhere, containing issues 8-12 and the first annual. After the wrap up of Nova, Volume 1: Annihilation—Conquest, we dive immediately back into the story.

Trying to escape from the villainous alien race Phalanx, Nova goes too far and reaches the very edges of the universe, and among time storms and faults in the fabric of space, he finds Knowhere, an interdimensional meeting grounds between hosts of alien species, and now the site of an almost haunted house-like tale of darkness and the undead. Along with Cosmo, the talking dog, Nova has to stop the evil, or face the end of the universe. However, pursuers are right on Nova’s tail, and between travelling across the universe and fighting the infection ravaging his body, he barely makes it to the home planet of the species that created the Phalanx, in the hopes of finding a cure and a way to stop them.

Abnett and Lanning continue to create a very exciting and entertaining ongoing series that both fills in the gaps between Marvel’s first two new cosmic epics, Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest, but also leads right into the second event, playing pivotal roles in the outcome. This volume ends with Nova’s events right up to the climax and conclusion of Annihilation: Conquest, making it a solid lead in to the second saga. Each of the stories presented here work on their own, while tying into the main story arc that builds from the first volume and on through the second. Nova continues to be a well developed and engaging character, and the settings are outlandish yet well-fleshed out. The plot is wonderfully inventive, throwing out problems from every direction and giving Nova a story in the universe-wide struggle to come. Another solid addition to Marvel’s new efforts in their cosmic universe.

8/10

Nova, Volume 1: Annihilation—Conquest by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

2010-05-26T17:22:00.000-06:00

After I so thoroughly enjoyed all three volumes of Annihilation, I knew I wanted to keep reading the story being fleshed out in the cosmic Marvel universe. The next major ‘event’ is Annihilation: Conquest, but in between the two major sagas the ongoing series Nova cropped up, written by the duo responsible for writing Annihilation: Nova, Nova’s part in the original story. The new ongoing series follows Nova as he travels throughout the universe in an attempt to save it. The first 12 issues and the first annual are collected in Nova, Volume 1 (not to be confused with Nova, Volume 1: Annihilation—Conquest, which is only the first 7 issues), which covers everything from the end of the original Annihilation War up through Nova’s participation in the Second Annihilation War. Excited about the omnibus edition, I picked it up and dove in.

Nova, Volume 1: Annihilation—Conquest picks up after Annihilation, Book 3. Nova is now the sole member of the Nova Corps, a group of intergalactic peacekeepers and police officers. He overworks himself, seeking to stop all of the universes problems on his own, and returns to his home on Earth to recuperate. However, nothing is as it used to be. Finding himself no longer fitting in with his family, friends, or society, he has a final confrontation with Iron Man, and has to make a series of hard choices about his future. Nova heads off to help out a planet, and steps right into the path of the new Annihilation Wave, fighting both friendly and antagonistic forces in a struggle to stay alive, and avoid being infected by the alien Phalanx.

Abnett and Lanning have created a space opera that mixes both a solid science fictional background with a plot that stays true to both the character and the universe he lives in. Never does this come across as a “superhero story in space,” but as a story of a man deeply ingrained in his space-based ideals, who struggles to do what is right, finds he can’t go home again, and sets himself on the edge of a threat far too large for him to handle alone. The depth of character is well-wrought and fleshed out without taking away from the action, while the plot is rich, using said action to enrich it, rather than dominate or replace it.

This book is very accessible, not relying too heavily on the necessity of reading the three Annihilation books, although having read those will enrich your reading of this book. The cliffhanger ending sets things up for the next cosmic event, which is told both in the two Annihilation: Conquest books, as well as in Nova, Volume 2: Knowhere. I won’t be missing either of those.

8/10

Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt

2010-05-24T00:32:00.000-06:00

I really have been in the mood for some strong science fiction lately, and I hoped to fill that void with Haldeman’s Marsbound. I enjoyed the novel, but I wanted more. I had been sitting on some McDevitt novels for a few years now, seeing them on my bookshelves but not reading them, and decided to take the plunge. Rather than reading The Engines of God or A Talent for War and starting a series, I went with one of his standalones, Infinity Beach.

Dr. Kimberly Brandywine lives on the planet Greenway many hundreds of years in the future. In her role as a fundraiser for SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), she has to convince people that, after hundreds of years spent fruitlessly searching for intelligent life, there is still hope for finding some out there. However, it isn’t until she starts to unravel the mystery of her sister’s disappearance after the final manned SETI mission that she discovers that there might be more possibilities, and more at stake, than she ever dreamed.

McDevitt creates a novel that is just about as entertaining and excellent as it can be. All of our characters, from Kim, to the host of secondary characters, are all fully fleshed out and fully humanized. The setting is perfect, from the new world of Greenway to the times spent stuck in the ship in interstellar space. The plot tears along, weaving the complex mystery at the heart of the tale with strong science fiction concepts, even hints of horror, and deep suspense.

This is science fiction at its best. Do not miss this novel.

10/10

Marsbound by Joe Haldeman

2010-05-21T20:47:00.001-06:00

As a fan of science fiction, there are certain authors I just should have read. The list is gradually getting longer, but it includes names like Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. LeGuin, Larry Niven, etc. The list is rather large. But near the top of it should come Joe Haldeman, famed author of The Forever War, Forever Peace, “For White Hill,” and a number of others. Yet, somehow, I had never read anything by him. Not one sentence. So, having been in a space opera/hard science fiction mood lately, one of his newer novels, Marsbound, looked like a perfect introduction.

Carmen Dula is heading to Mars with her family and a small group of scientists and families. After all of the work she put into preparing to go, she is beginning to have reservations about the whole thing. Her knack for getting into trouble and an overbearing leader make for a stressful environment for Carmen, and she snaps, heading out on her own. But when she leaves herself in mortal danger, her rescuer is not quite what she expected.

Haldeman does a great job of creating an environment for his story that feels very real. He grounds everything in scientific detail, without making you feel like you are reading a textbook, simply incorporating it into the daily life of our characters and making the scientific marvels of tomorrow ho-hum devices that spark no surprise in our protagonist. He also manages to pull off some very well-rounded characters that feel human in all the right ways.

The novel isn’t perfect, however. Carmen gets in trouble a lot, as I mentioned before. At first, it seems like it’s just an endearing personality trait, but eventually it does reach the point of being unrealistic. An otherwise smart girl can only make so many extremely stupid choices before it all feels too coincidental. The novel also feels a little disjointed at times. There are three distinct sections to the novel, and the almost feel like three separate stories, interconnected but not of the same immediate tale. This can make for tough transitions.

That only detracts a little, however, from what is otherwise a very fun story. While it would seem this isn’t Haldeman’s best, it was more than good enough to have me looking for the sequel. A fun, short novel with engaging characters and an exciting plot.

8/10

The Crossroads by L. Ron Hubbard

2010-05-19T10:12:00.006-06:00

NOTE: The Crossroads was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Galaxy Press.

Galaxy Press continues its series of reprints of L. Ron Hubbard’s pulp stories, this time with a new collection of fantasy tales. Below are short bits on each story:

“The Crossroads”: A farmer decides to make a stand against the government’s policies and take his surplus food to town to sell. However, he reaches a unique crossroads, one that takes him to other dimensions. This light tale of a man in over his head, and who should be careful what he wishes for, is entertaining, with a humorous undertone that builds upon the increasing absurdity of the farmer’s predicament.

“Borrowed Glory”: A story I had come across previously (in Galaxy Press’ release of Fear by L. Ron Hubbard), I remembered enjoying it. I sat down wondering how this tale of an angel’s pulling of strings in one woman’s life would proceed on a second read. As it turned out, “Borrowed Glory” was just as much fun, and remains in my mind as my favorite of the Hubbard stories I have read.

“The Devil’s Rescue”: A man on the verge of death, afloat in the middle of the ocean, seeks salvation on a passing ship. However, there is a very dark history for the passing boat, and the desperate sailor may be farther from safety than ever before. This one wasn’t quite as engaging as the first two tales in this volume, although it does an interesting job of trying to wrap together a few of the genres Hubbard was fond of writing in, those being sea adventures, fantasy, and horror.

All-in-all, this new collection of Hubbard’s works is a mostly solid book. The first two tales, in particular, show Hubbard at some of his pulp fantasy best, and are, beyond anything else, simply fun to read. The Crossroads is a very short addition to one’s library, but it is a very fun one.

7/10

The Specific Gravity of Grief by Jay Lake

2010-05-17T15:15:00.008-06:00

NOTE: The Specific Gravity of Grief was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Fairwood Press.

While Luke Reviews generally focuses on books geared mainly for entertainment, occasionally a much more serious work comes along that I just can’t pass up. When a copy of The Specific Gravity of Grief by Jay Lake came to my mailbox, I was really looking forward to it. I hadn’t had the pleasure of working with Fairwood Press in a while, and that is always a positive experience. Jay Lake was an author I had heard wonderful things about, but had never had the opportunity of reading before. And I like novellas, especially after a series a longer books, or in this case final exam week. Jay Lake has been having his own battle with cancer, and so this semi-autobiographical work was very intriguing to dive into.

As a man, who shares a name with this work’s author, struggles with the onslaughts life has thrown at him, he explores his repeated fights with cancer, his daughter’s similar battle, and his marriage, along with his floundering writing career. This novella doesn’t contain elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror, or the other normal genres seen here at Luke Reviews, but is very much about an author of those works, and of people, which is what infuses all great works, genre or not.

Lake’s novella taps into the harshness of cancer, yet expresses it in beautiful prose, that is both gorgeously phrase and imminently readable. The collage he creates, mixing present events with those of his characters past, and long streams of internal monologue, makes a brilliant picture of grief, pain, and eventually, hope. It is hard to say much more about the story, as it is intricately woven and fits together tightly, thus giving one piece would reduce the impact of the rest, but this is a wonderful novella that reaches to depths not often explored in such a manner. Lake achieves all of that by writing a short novella that wastes no words, but gets to the point without excessive riffraff and hundreds of extra pages.

This one is coming out in a very limited edition, only 250 copies, and is likely the top novella I have read from 2010 so far. Don’t mess around, and get on top of ordering this one, because it shouldn’t be missed, and won’t be around long. This is a wonderful, powerful story.

9/10

Rage of the Behemoth edited by Jason M. Waltz

2010-05-15T15:03:00.007-06:00

NOTE: Rage of the Behemoth was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Rogue Blades Entertainment.

Sword and Sorcery is a subgenre of fantasy that seems to be on the periphery nowadays. Robert E. Howard helped us to define it, and Fritz Lieber, C.L. Moore, and David Gemmell took what Howard gave us and made it into what we have today, but it seems to have become a shrinking art form. I stumbled upon Black Gate not too long ago, and rejoiced at a magazine that is devoted to adventure fantasy, including a number of Sword and Sorcery pieces, but it also had a number of non-S&S pieces. There is nothing wrong with that, but it still only partially filled the void. So when I discovered Rogue Blades Entertainment, a publisher devoted to Sword and Sorcery, I knew I needed to give this a try.

Rage of the Behemoth is an anthology devoted, as the title implies, to beasts and the men who encounter them. Twenty-one stories of Sword and Sorcery are on the buffet, prefaced by a forward by Mark Finn and an introduction by Black Gate’s John O’Neill. Below are thoughts on each:

“Under Red Skies” by Frederick Tor: A story of Kaimer by RBE’s house author. Kaimer is captured and imprisoned, and only learns the truth of his situation when an egg larger than he is appears in the cell with him. Tor introduces a new series character, starting him off in a fast-paced, well-written story that will have me looking for more Kaimer tales in future anthologies.

“Portrait of a Behemoth” by Richard K. Lyon and Andrew J. Offut: A story of Tiana Highrider, first introduced in the War of Wizards trilogy. This tale is also the first of four in the section on “Depthless Seas.” Tiana, in the middle of a heist of historic proportions, is right in the middle of a war between two wizards, and has to fight to survive, all while making sure she escapes with at least some of the treasure. This is a very fun story. I thought the ending was a little corny, but it was still a good story overall, with plenty of excitement.

“Black Water” by Sean T.M. Stiennon: A tale of Shabak. Shabak sets out to save his kidnapped son, and finds an ancient enemy is behind the abduction. Stiennon has worked into his tale both plenty of action and a complex plotline that works wonderfully. A very rich story.

“Passion of the Stormlord” by Robert A. Mancebo: Asad al Din meets an insane sailor who leaves him with a gift that is very much a double edged blade. Can al Din and his crew survive the wrath of the djinn? A brief, fun tale, although lacking in some of the complexities of the earlier tales.

“The Beast in the Lake” by Kevin Lumley: A story of Crow Thiefmaster. A beast is killing all of a king’s heirs, and Crow sets out to kill this beast and repay a debt of honor he owes the king at the same time. An okay story, but not the most engaging of the volume.

“Serpents beneath the Ice” by Carl Walmsley: The first story in the “Frozen Wastes” section, this PEN Award nominated tale follows a wizard who is seeking to return to his home to conquer the beast that first forced him out. Entertaining, but not a stand-out from the anthology. However, in an anthology such as this, even the non-stand outs are very high quality.

“The Wolf of Winter” by Bill Ward: A bit of a change from some of the earlier stories, this tale is much more introspective, with a man seeking to meet his destiny in the frozen deserts, and exact revenge for the losses he has met with in life. A very solid tale, with a lot of depth.

“Nothing Left of the Man” by Jeff Stewart: A tale of Sigurd Grimbrow, this tale matches engaging characters with a fast-paced plot about a ton besieged by a ferocious bear, and riddled with a dark, violent incident in its past. An excellent story.

“Blood Ice” by Mary Rosenblum: Rosenblum rarely disappoints, and this tale of the Cold Rim continues that trend. A story of an ostracized young man and a royal family in need of his help flies through its plot, exploring a very deep setting with plenty of open areas for further exploration by Rosenblum, and wraps up with a crushing ending that is abundant with bittersweetness. Great story.

“Black Diamond Sands” by Lois Tilton: This first story from the “Scalding Sands” section follows one man who sets out into slavery and toil in the diamond mines to try and save his sister’s life. Further exploration of the world this was set in would have been nice, and plenty of hints are dropped but not much hard information, but it created a mood that worked well with this story.

“The Hunter of Rhim” by Martin Turton: Another story with a dark twist for an ending, this one follows Hunter Jon as he sets out to track and kill a species of monsters that is wiping out humanity. However, his last hunt looks to be more difficulty and more costly than ever before. Intriguing behemoths and a well-wrought environment help this story fly along.

“As from His Lair, the Wild Beast” by Michael Ehart: A tale of the Servant of the Manthycore, as first introduced in the author’s novel The Servant of the Manthycore. A woman and her mother try to escape an army that is searching for them, but do so through a swamp that is the home grounds for an ancient, gigantic beast. An okay tale, although not as engaging as many of the others in this anthology.

“Stalker of the Blood-Red Sands” by A. Kiwi Courters: When a beast in the desert is slaughtering people and threatening villages, a group, led by their new princess, set out to stop it. But can even the might of the Elephantine warriors stop the mythic beast? An entertaining tale, it had strong characterization for some and weak for others, but all-in-all was entertaining.

“Poisonous Redemption” by Kate Martin: The first story from the section on “Mysterious Jungles,” this is a tale of Rica. When Rica sets out to find redemption, it comes at the cost of facing down a ferocious beast hiding in the middle of a dense jungle. But she must kill it in order to reclaim her identity. An average story, not great, but not bad.

“Yaggoth-Voor” by Bruce Durham: The best story in the anthology, a tale of Mortlock the Footman, this one focuses on a wrecked ship, an injured little girl, and a beast that seems to be toying with the crew. Wonderful dialogue, spot-on characterization, and a fast-paced plot, all wrapped up with a style that works perfectly for this type of story, makes this a true gem, and one of the best fantasy shorts I have read this year.

“Runner of the Hidden Ways” by Jason E. Thummel: A story of a man seeking revenge for the death of his people, but finds something far different.

“Beyond the Reach of His Gods” by Brian Ruckley: A tale of Rhuan the Exile. A group seeking treasure finds that, instead of using the guide, it may be the guide using them.

“The Rotten Bones Rattle” by C.L. Werner: The first piece in the section on “Ageless Mountains,” and a tale of Shintaro Oba, follows the Conan-of-Japan style Shintaro Oba as he seeks to fight off ninjas, save his liege, and crush a hidden mining operation.

“Vasily and the Beast Gods” by Daniel R. Robichaud: A tale of Voyvodin, in this one Robichaud brings not one, but two beasts to the fray in a zinger of a tale, mixing evil magic and ferocious action.

“Thunder Canyon” by Jeff Draper: This tale of redemption follows a man seeking near-suicidal revenge, and who finds that what he needs is in fact far different. A bit of a change from the straight up action of the anthology, but not out of place.

“Where the Shadows Fall” by T.N. Williams: A tale of John Humble, and one which I didn’t quite get to (see below).

It should be noted that the last couple stories in “Ageless Mountains” didn’t get quite the focus that the first 19 did, as I was in the middle of moving, and that is always a hectic time. However, giving one a skim, and looking forward to reading the other, I can still make a fair assessment of the whole of the anthology, being only one story shy.

What editor Jason M. Waltz has done in Rage of the Behemoth is what I hope is the beginning of a revolution in heroic adventure fantasy. Rage of the Behemoth is a well-rounded anthology that captures a huge variety of settings, gathers a collection of strong characters, and then explodes with action and tight plots. From the better known authors to those who were new to me (most of them), there wasn’t a true dud in the mix. With a lot of content, both large in quantity and quality, Rage of the Behemoth isn’t just a solid heroic adventure fantasy anthology, but an excellent anthology of fantasy without the sub-genre trappings, and worth a look even for the non-fantasy fans among us. This is one of the best anthologies I have read in a long time. After really enjoying Death & Dishonour out from Black Library, I was wondering how this one would hold up. There is no question that Waltz has created the far superior anthology.

I wondered whether the wide variety of stories following series characters (as noted in the individual story notes) would be problematic and difficult to get into, but far from that, there were no problems, and I will now be looking out for a number of these authors in the future, especially Durham and Stewart and a couple others. Don’t hesitate; go get a copy of this book now, and then keep checking back for the next anthology from Rogue Blades Entertainment and editor Waltz to be released. If it lives up to this one, it is a guaranteed winner.

9/10

The Book of Blood edited by Christian Dunn

2010-05-13T14:51:00.009-06:00

The Black Library just last month put out their new Print on Demand line of books. Releasing at least one new book each month, the total now stands at four. I wanted to take a look at how this worked out, and so I bought a copy of their new reprint anthology, The Book of Blood, an anthology of Blood Angels stories, and dove in. This is a very large book with a lot of content. A look at all it contains:

Bloodquest: The Eye of Terror Trilogy by Gordon Rennie: The complete trilogy following a group of exiled Blood Angels as they seek to redeem their honor. The complete series contents:

Bloodquest: Book One follows Leonatos as he recounts his last struggle against the orks, and the disgrace he found there in losing an ancient relic. Leonatos and a small group of loyal marines set out to track down the ork warlord who has the sword, in the hopes of recapturing it and regaining Leonatos’ honor.

Bloodquest: Into the Eye of Terror continues immediately from the previous book, as Leonatos and company head into the Eye of Terror and face down a host of demonic fiends in their quest for the sword.

Bloodquest: The Daemon’s Mark finishes the trilogy. Cloten and Lysander head back to the Eye of Terror to find their lost captain, Leonatos. Yet, when the track down the army that captured him, they find that the enemy may not be quite as foreign as they expect.

“Bloodquest: Red Secrets” caps the saga with a prequel that looks into Cloten’s history before the fateful quest began.

The saga is very engaging. You are quickly drawn into the story, which mixes the action with plot and characterization very well, and flows by. The art is well done as well, especially in the second two sections. The reproduction into this book format and into black and white was well done (although I had a couple of pages that weren’t well done, two that were shrunk and had ridiculously tiny font, and two that were blown up and extremely wavy, rendering them unreadable; this al occurred in the first book, and things were fine thereafter).

Space Hulk: The Novel by Gav Thorpe: Despite the title, this is a novella, based on the Space Hulk game. Blood Angels Space Marines enter a space hulk and try to destroy the genestealers, aliens who have overrun the facility. Very fast-paced, although a little lacking in characterization. Much better than the other Warhammer 40,000 “game novel” I read, Assault on Black Reach: The Novel. An engaging thriller.

“Crimson Night” by James Swallow: First appeared in the magazine Inferno! We follow a group of marines trying to solve the mystery of what is going on with the planet’s population, and discover a dark secret that may implicate a fellow chapter. Swallow creates an interesting tale that works in mystery and suspense, along with the usual action.

“The Blood of Angels” by C.S. Goto: First appeared in the magazine Inferno! This story of a marine who goes too far, didn’t grip me, and I ended up skipping the last few pages. Not the best of the book.

“Heart of Rage” by James Swallow: The prose version of the Heart of Rage audio drama.

“At Gaius Point” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden: From the upcoming anthology, Legends of the Space Marines, also edited by Christian Dunn.

“Blood Debt” by James Swallow: From The Blood Angels Omnibus.

I didn’t read the last three stories. The Book of Blood is a large book, and while it is enjoyable, a don’t find the Warhammer 40,000 short stories quite as engaging as the novels. Maybe I just haven’t been in a short story mood lately. Regardless, I want to get to them sooner or later, and will be hitting “At Gaius Point” when I read Legends of the Space Marines, so keep an eye out. All that said, I didn’t need to read the last hundred pages or so to know that this is a solid collection of space marines fiction. You get a lot of content, and only one piece of it was lacking. The print-on-demand format is a little more expensive, but it is worth it for this title.

8/10

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

2010-05-10T14:44:00.007-06:00

I enjoyed the Harry Potter series. I thought that, as the series went on, it never achieved the greatness of the earlier books, but I still read them all and enjoyed them. So I knew that eventually I wanted to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, where Rowling has created a book from her fictional universe. It is a book of fairy tales, a fascination of mine, so I finally picked it up and gave it a look. The tales, with brief comments about them:

“The Wizard and the Hopping Pot”: When a kindly wizard who helps his neighbors dies, the neighbors discover that his son is not quite as kind-hearted. However, it seems that the late wizard planned for this eventuality. A rendition of the story of an external conscience that makes a bad character good, but a rendition that adds nothing to that thematic lineage, and is rather dry and unoriginal.

“The Fountain of Fair Fortune”: Four strangers seek a magical fountain that will more-or-less give them what they want/need. Three witches and a knight all set out, meet obstacles along the way, and arrive at the fountain, only to find they may not need it as much as they thought. The “surprise” denouement at the end was extremely predictable, and the story perpetually unsurprising.

“The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”: The best story of the collection, this tale of a man who wants to stop himself from going silly with love, and who learns the price of this, has a very dark ending that didn’t seem to fit the rest of the stories. Hearts torn out of chests and pools of blood didn’t seem to jive with the other, very PG stories.

“Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump”: A magic-obsessed king seeks to learn its ways, and a liar pretends to teach him. However, when an actual witch gets involved, things go awry. Very much a tale of “be careful what you wish for,” and very much forgettable.

“The Tale of the Three Brothers”: A story of outwitting death that is basically verbatim from the final book of the Harry Potter series, this story loses much of its power when it stands on its own, rather than as part of the final novel’s plot.

Each story is concluded with remarks from Albus Dumbledore, which sadly don’t feel much like the Dumbledore you come to know throughout the series. They are sometimes better than the stories themselves, but not by much.

This collection of fairy tales from the world of Harry Potter fails substantially to live up to the rest of the series. The other two ancillary texts in the series, the two textbooks, managed to keep the feel of the series, the magic and the style. The Tales of Beedle the Bard fails in that respect. It feels nothing like the series. The book has gigantic margins and spacing, making its scant 110-or-so pages carry even less text than it would seem. Die-hard fans may enjoy this one, and at less than an hour’s reading time it won’t be unengaging for long, but this is one you will forget about very quickly.

4/10

3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars by Gregor Hutton

2010-05-08T12:00:00.001-06:00

NOTE: 3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Cubicle Seven Entertainment.

Frequently the target of both adoration and derision, with die-hards on both sides, there is one thing that no one can deny: Dungeons & Dragons, and the roleplaying game explosion it caused, revolutionized the science fiction and fantasy genre. Ever since, roleplaying games have been a pivotal aspect of the genre. Wanting to explore this side of the genre a bit, I took a look at Chaosium’s Basic RolePlaying, one popular game system. However, I didn’t get to delve too much more into it, as prices can be prohibitively high at times. But that means it is even more important that you know what you are getting, and that it is worth it, before you lay down all your hard-earned cash. So Luke Reviews will be featuring a number of Cubicle Seven Entertainment’s titles, giving you a broad range of genres and choices. I started off 3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars, a military science fiction game.

In the world of the far future, humanity has moved past Earth, and is continually expanding. However, this also means running into aliens. These non-humans may not be friendly, so to save time and protect the species, groups of soldiers are sent out to take over the planets and clear them for human life. It is up to you to protect the species while you move up (and down) in the ranks, gaining greater and greater responsibility.

With the stereotype (that once again was created by Dungeons & Dragons, its influence continues) of fantasy roleplaying games, I was excited to get the chance to look at a thoroughly military science fiction one. The core rule book for 3:16 is very short, making it an easy one day read, and one go through is all you need to get started. The rules system is very simple, in a way that lets you get into the game, but doesn’t prohibit more advanced play. Without constant referencing of stats, you can get into the gist of the story. The book has all you need to play, and includes a sample mission that helps to clarify any of the rules that may not have quite clicked for you.

It isn’t perfect. The story is very simple (and while I can understand the author suggesting just giving in to the violence of the setting, it still felt like it could have been given a little more depth), and it occasionally felt like Warhammer 40,000-lite. Seeing that Hutton pulled inspiration from Warhammer 40,000 didn’t surprise me one bit. It also would have been nice to have a couple of ready-made scenarios or missions in the book, letting you test-drive the setting before creating your own.

However, at the very small size, you get all of the rules without a huge price. And when you are looking for a game that you can jump right into and can be explained quickly, it is an excellent choice. It won’t have the most depth you have ever gotten out of a roleplaying game, but if you want some high-octane action and violence without the need to think too deeply, this game is perfect for you. Fans of military science fiction, and those who enjoy Warhammer 40,000, should give this book a look.

7/10

Courage and Honour by Graham McNeill (paperback edition)

2010-05-06T16:12:00.020-06:00

NOTE: Courage and Honour was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library.

One of the first books that was reviewed here at Luke Reviews when I started out was the original hardcover edition of Graham McNeill’s fifth Ultramarines novel, Courage and Honour. It went on to be one of Luke Reviews’ Top 15 Books of 2009. With the paperback edition coming out in about a month, I thought a retrospective look might be nice. Below I have appended the original review, as well as McNeill’s comments on being a Top 15 book.

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW OF COURAGE AND HONOUR BY GRAHAM MCNEILL

After my mixed review of the previous book in Graham McNeill's Ultramarines series, I was both hesitant and eager to see how his next journey into the saga would be. Would it be more of the action that dominated the last two-thirds of the book, or more of the slow, drawn out beginning? I am more than happy to report that it worked out wonderfully in this volume, mixing action with the plot better than The Killing Ground did.
After leaving the Eye of Terror, Uriel and Pasanius traveled to Salinas, where they fought the planets dark, twisted past. After a run-in with some higher powers in the Empire of Man, they returned, and finally headed back to the homeworld of the Ultramarines, heading for what they hoped would be a warm welcome.
That is where Courage and Honour picks up, with Uriel and Pasanius arriving home. After arriving there, the two space marines discover that they aren't as safe as they thought, with their chapter requiring them to undergo numerous tests to prove that they are without taint (even though this was also seemingly done last book as well). After these tests, Pasanius requires to do penance, and sits out the rest of the novel. Uriel leads the 4th Company back to a planet that had already conquered, in a desperate bid to protect the planet from invading Tau.
While I was disappointed about Pasanius' removal from the book, as I felt his interaction with Uriel was truly one of the best parts of the former novel, another sergeant, Learchus, does an okay job replacing him as a sidekick, flagging only in that the close history isn't there. The action in the novel never flags, and in this novel McNeill does a magnificent job of starting things off with lots of action, while using flashbacks to build the backstory, all done in clumps that are short and intriguing. The novel contains many secondary characters, including other space marines, imperial guard soldiers, as well as members of the Planetary Defence Force, that all feel very well fleshed out, that act believably, and can create emotional attachments.
I must say that, far from how I was after The Killing Ground, I absolutely cannot wait for the next Ultramarines novel. His books are getting better and better.
8/10

GRAHAM MCNEILL ON COURAGE AND HONOUR AND ITS BEING A TOP 15 BOOK OF 2009

This was a fun book to write, as it was a chance to get back to basics with the Ultramarines. I'd taken them off to the Eye of Terror in Dead Sky, Black Sun and left them there for a while, as I went off and did other projects, but they were always itching to get back to Ultramar. I knew right away that I couldn't just have them turn up at the gates of their Chapter Monastery and say, 'Hi, we're home...' so that entailed The Killing Ground, a novel about the steps on the way home. Like DS, BS, it was a novel that took the Space Marines out of their comfort zone and had them doing very un-Space Marine-like things, so with Courage and Honour, it was time to rectify that.
I wanted this to be the book that reminds the reader why Space Marines are the premier fighting force in the galaxy. The Imperial Guard may number in the millions, but it's the Space Marines that do the really hard work, the missions that absolutely cannot be allowed to fail. This was going to be a war novel, a book that had the Space Marines doing what they did best, killing their foes with complete and utter dedication and professionalism. I wanted Courage and Honour to be a simple story, and when I say that I don't mean without complexity, I mean that is showed the Ultramarines--and Uriel--in the most classic Space Marine light possible.
These weren't Space Marines operating outside the Codex Astartes, these were warriors who fought with their Primarch's holy tome as their guide, and were winning with it at their side. Of course, I wanted elements that weren't exactly codex, which is what led to Learchus going behind enemy lines and learning what had driven Uriel to make the choices he made. It's a book with plenty of action, from all levels of the conflict, and I hope shows the brutality of warfare in the 40K universe, while also highlighting the heroism and horror that can come out of such desperate conflicts.
It's an honour to write about such an illustrious Chapter, and to have Courage and Honour chosen as one of the fifteen top books of 2009 by Luke gives me the pleasant thought that I did something right. Let's just hope that the follow up book, The Chapter's Due is similarly well received.

One Year (May 3rd)

2010-05-04T16:10:00.001-06:00

As of May 3rd, 2010 (a few days ago), Luke Reviews officially hit its one year anniversary. To celebrate, I hope you all will take a look back at some of the many reviews that have gone up since I first began this site, and give me advice on where you want the future of the site to go. Tell me your thoughts! I hope you enjoyed the first year of Luke Reviews, and are ready to dive in for more!

Interview with L.M. Preston

2010-05-02T15:41:00.003-06:00

Not too long ago, Luke Reviews took a look at L.M. Preston’s debut novel, Explorer X – Alpha, an enjoyable new YA science fiction novel. With her next book, The Pack, on the way, I decided to sit down and ask her a few questions.

Hello, L. M. Thank you for doing an interview for us here at Luke Reviews!

To start things off with, you have a new novel coming out right at the beginning of August. Can you tell us a little bit more about The Pack? Is it the start of a new series or stand-alone? Is it aimed for the same group of readers that Explorer X - Alpha is?

There were several things that influenced the idea of The Pack. I had originally planned for this character to be a male. I had told my beta team (my kids and husband) about this idea I had about a blind vigilante that organizes a group of misfit kids to fight against a major crime organization on Mars.

My daughter told me that she wanted me to write about a female main character. That it would be cool to have a girl in the role. I smiled and Shamira’s face appeared in my mind’s eye.

I decided that her mission would be to save missing kids, because I wanted to write about missing kids escaping from captivity. Every day at my job, I passed a board of missing children. My heart went out to them, and I always hurt for their loss. Once a former colleague who’d been a police officer told me of a horrible case where he had located missing kids that were captured and being used in despicable ways by their captors who had enslaved them for years before disposing of them. These sad facts were the makings of The Pack.

It is a two-book series that I truly enjoyed writing. It’s aimed at kids 14yrs and up. It has adventure, twist and romance all in one. The true adventure is the building of trust and true friendship that empowers Shamira to become the champion she was meant to be. The Explorer X series was aimed at kids 12yrs old and up.

You have another novel, Bandits, due out next spring. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Bandits, the first in a two book series, is about a teenaged boy who was raised as a thief and mercenary by his renowned father. His relationship with his father was strained due to his father’s refusal to continue his role as a leader of the Zukar. With his father’s murder, he discovers that his father snatched then hid a treasure that is not only worth killing for – but holds a power beyond mortal control. He sets out with his brother and friends to find the treasure before his father’s murderer does. His time is running out as the killer closes in, and the price to stop the inevitable destruction of his world becomes higher than he could ever pay.

Your first novel, Explorer X - Alpha, just came out a few months ago, and I have been hearing nothing but good things with it (and really liked it myself!). Congratulations! Since you said you are wrapping up the sequel, Explorer X - Beta, can you tell us a little bit about the sequel, and where the series is headed? Do you know how long the series will end up being?

Lol! Explorer X-Beta is the second book in the Explorer X series and will be full of surprises. The world I created for this book has me excited. This will ultimately be a four book series that will come to a climatic end that is so unpredictable yet powerful. I can’t wait. I’ve outlined the entire series and am finishing up the first draft of Explorer X-Beta, which is scheduled to come out Fall of 2011. In Explorer X-Beta, Aadi realizes that it’s okay to make mistakes, that leaning on your friends make you stronger, and that people are not always what they seem. I’ll give you a hint, he’s on his way to save Dakota and Carter, but in doing so, unveils something about the species in which he and the others were created from. The depth of the deception of TECRC becomes more obvious, and the burgeoning power of each character comes to the surface.

What authors/books/non-authors/books have most influenced your writing?

I’ve always loved reading horror, adventure, science fiction, true crime and romance. There’s not much I haven’t read. However, I love the style of James Patterson. He never, ever bores me. I also loved Dean Koontz’s earlier novels. I realized that in order for me to finish a book, I personally have to be excited about writing it.

You write YA science fiction. What do you think of the state of the genre?

I believe YA science fiction is a growing genre. Funny thing is, when I was younger, I skipped the books focused on my age group and read adult novels. Now though, times have changed and adults are seeking out YA novels because they are fast-paced.

What is in the future for L. M. Preston? Beyond your first four novels, what comes next? Do you think you will ever write outside the YA science fiction area, or have you found your home their?

Well, to be honest I have at least ten more series that I’m dying to write. This year though, I’ll be finishing up The Pack (Retribution) and Bandits. Next year I’ll be able to delve into my growing list of book ideas. As far as YA Science Fiction – I’m definitely home.

You write for Phenomenal One Press. Their goal is to write fiction that empowers teens and helps them get through difficult times, which I thinks is a wonderful goal. Is Phenomenal One Press your brainchild, or a publisher you just stumbled upon? What is it like working for them?

Phenomenal One Press, is the brainchild of my husband. I went through several months – okay almost a year – of sending out queries and getting rejected. I take rejection well for the most part, because engineers always have to work then rework an idea that has been critiqued. However, I must be honest - I was getting frustrated. I still didn’t give up and got an offer from a small publisher. I was this publisher’s only young adult author. After receiving the contract, and looking at some of the proposals they made regarding representing my work, I regretfully declined their offer. I knew that my book was part of a four book series. I would write many more books for this publisher, but I didn’t want to give my work away to someone that wasn’t going to properly promote it.

Then I discussed this frustration with my husband. I told him that now I have the writing bug, I can’t stop. That my one and only desire was to share my books with others, and making money doing it would just be gravy. He'd been an owner of several business before and stated that he would be a better publisher to me than one I declined. At that point on, knowing him as I do, I told him sure.

The benefits of working with Phenomenal One Press, a Small Press “Indie” publisher is that I get to have a voice. My hands, feet and body get dirty as I work with my publisher on every aspect of the business. I also get to see the future possibilities of my work that I'd never even considered as an author who'd just started this journey. When I look over any contract regarding the publishing business, I now have the ability to negotiate with the full knowledge of what I'm asking for and what the publisher will and can do for me. I understand the true cost of their investment and what that investment will gain me beyond the vision of my first book. With a small 'indie' publisher, if they don’t agree with the author's proposed changes, they usually state why. I have input in the cover design, marketing, event planning and every aspect of the promotion of my book. For me, a control freak, who was also a business major in school - this was wonderful!

This year my publisher is running a contest for authors that will allow their short stories to be placed in Bandits. It’s the beginning of growth for Phenomenal One Press and I can’t wait to see what the future has to offer. The company has an event coordinator, editor and interns who desire to learn the business. The goal being to teach, educate and empower not only our readers but writers who want to be a part of Phenomenal One Press.

Before we go, any final words?

I want my readers to know, that as a young person you have your entire life in front of you. Even when things look bad, you still have the ability to fight through to make it better. Always blaze your own path and never get discouraged while you are becoming stronger through the battles of life. Imagine yourself as the hero that you are, and you will do amazing things despite your challenges. How do I know this? Well, because I have and I know you can too.

Thank you once again for the interview, L. M. Good luck with your future endeavors!

Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden

2010-04-30T03:00:00.002-06:00

NOTE: Helsreach was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library.

Aaron Dembski-Bowden has been getting some very spectacular praise lately, and quickly is becoming one of the favorite authors in Black Library’s stable. He burst on the scene with Cadian Blood, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and then started a new series of Space Marine novels. Now he has become the second author of the new line of books from Black Library, Space Marines Battles, which depict famous battles in the history of the Empire that involved Space Marines.

On the planet Armageddon, the citizens are recovering from a past ork attack on their ravaged planet, but are met with terrible news: another onslaught is on its way. They build up their defenses as best they can, and aid rushes to the planet, including the Black Templars Space Marines. The contingent on planet, lead by Grimaldus, are sent to Hive Helsreach, where the fight a seemingly never ending army of the greenskins, struggling, not to win, but simply to survive.

After my second Dembski-Bowden novel, I’m starting to wonder, can Dembski-Bowden write a bad book? Once again, he delves deep into his characters, from Grimaldus, who is mentally tormented at the loss of a father-figure, and at being sent to die in Helsreach, to the marines who rally around him, and the Imperial Guard that fight alongside them. Every character is full of depth, and very few are completely good or likable. Grimaldus is tempestuous to the extreme, with a very detached attitude at times, but at other times he reveals truly honorable characteristics. He is a fully formed character, rare in fiction. There is an occasional switch between third-person and first-person that I found odd at first, but as the book went on it made for a nice melding.

The war is sufficiently draining, as any siege warfare should be, but you never feel that all of the characters are safe. There are no fights that you know will be won without a price, and even at the end every thread of the plot may not end up happily. The full breadth of emotion is on display, played with in the brutal and violent setting to its maximum potential. For a very strong novel exploring the depth of war and the complex characters that fight it, this is an excellent place to go.

9/10

The Black Library Previews Catalogue May-August 2010

2010-04-28T02:37:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Black Library Previews Catalogue May-August 2010 was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by The Black Library. However, they are always free of charge at Games Workshop locations, so go out and snag a copy.

Just like an earlier Previews Catalogue I received from The Black Library, this one is full of excerpts from upcoming books, and is a nice way to peek into each. It is also a fun way to while away an hour, and learn more about the exciting things up for the offering from The Black Library. Below I append the schedule so you can see what is to come. Look for all of these to appear here at Luke Reviews:

MAY

Redemption Corps by Rob Sanders (an Imperial Guard novel) [Warhammer 40,000]

Legends of the Space Marines edited by Christian Dunn (an anthology) [Warhammer 40,000]

Helsreach by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (a Space Marines Battles novel) [Warhammer 40,000]

Brunner the Bounty Hunter by C.L. Werner (a Brunner omnibus) [Warhammer Fantasy]

“The Dark King” & “The Lightning Tower” by Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett (a Horus Heresy audio drama) [The Horus Heresy]

JUNE

Courage and Honour by Graham McNeill (the fifth Ultramarines novel) [Warhammer 40,000]

The Chapter’s Due by Graham McNeill (the sixth Ultramarines novel) [Warhammer 40,000]

Bloodborn by Nathan Long (the first Ulrika the Vampire novel) [Warhammer Fantasy]

“Fireborn” by Nick Kyme (a Salamanders audio drama) [Warhammer 40,000]

JULY

Path of the Warrior by Gav Thorpe (the first Eldar series novel) [Warhammer 40,000]

Sword of Justice by Chris Wraight (a Warhammer Heroes novel) [Warhammer Fantasy]

Enforcer by Matthew Farrer (a Shira Calpurnia omnibus) [Warhammer 40,000]

AUGUST

Grimblades by Nick Kyme (an Empire Army novel) [Warhammer Fantasy]

Nemesis by James Swallow (the fourteenth Horus Heresy novel) [The Horus Heresy]

“Throne of Lies” by Aaron Dembski-Bowden (a Night Lords audio drama) [Warhammer 40,000]

Zendikar: In the Teeth of Akoum by Robert B. Wintermute

2010-04-26T00:29:00.000-06:00

Quite a number of years ago, I had an interest in Magic: The Gathering. I collected the cards, but my favorite aspect was reading the novels. I read a number of them, and then moved on to other hobbies. However, as I have been looking at tie-in fiction since I started up Luke Reviews almost a year ago, and enjoyed some Forgotten Realms novels (published by Wizards of the Coast, same as Magic: The Gathering is), I decided to give it a go again. I picked up the brand new release and dove in.

The world of Zendikar is one infused with magic, and its inhabitants draw magic from the land. However, Nissa Revane, an elf from Zendikar and powerful with magic, and her town are under attack by strange creatures she has never seen before. As Nissa and a group of warriors press the creatures retreat, they are attacked again, and everyone dies except for Nissa, who is saved by a mysterious human. Accompanied by a vampire slave, the trio sets out to stop these creatures from destroying all life on the planet.

The premise of the novel is entertaining, and the characters aren’t bad. While every once in a while something grabbed me as a problem common to first novels, all in all what I read wasn’t bad. However, I didn’t finish the book. Why not? The back cover.

The plot of the book hinges on a couple of secrets. The bad news: these secrets are spelled out for you on the back cover. I don’t know if these count as spoilers, since I found them out from the back cover and not the novel itself, but there is the warning, just in case you don’t want to finish this paragraph: What is the secret that people try to warn Nissa about that involves the mysterious human? Why does he have an affinity for the vampire? Why does he smirk when Nissa cracks on vampires? Because he is, as the back describes him, an “ancient vampire” himself. So much for that surprise. Why does he know so much about these creatures? What is the secret of his past? According to the back once again: “He was among the original jailers of the æther-borne scourge.”

End of “spoilers,” if they are truly such. While the book isn’t bad, the back cover gives away the suspense that is meant to carry the reader along. It is hard for a story to recover from that. Not finishing the book wasn’t the story’s fault, so I’m not going to give it the low rating it would normally receive. And I will keep my eye out, both for future Magic: The Gathering novels, and work from Wintermute, who shows lots of promise.

My advice to you: If you are interested in this book, there is a lot to like, so give it a shot. Just don’t read the back first.

Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, Volume One by Chuck Dixon

2010-04-24T15:50:00.000-06:00

It seems like it is my week for “[Author]’s [Title] by [Different Author].” This time around, it is Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, Volume One by Chuck Dixon. Dixon wrote this novel as an adaption of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, a novel originally credited to Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson, but now credited solely to Koontz. This graphic novel is the first volume of a series that adapts the first novel in the Frankenstein series. As a fan of Koontz, the original novel by Mary Shelley, and graphic novels, I dove in.

In New Orleans, a chain of murders has detectives O’Conner and Maddison left with a puzzle, and things get no simpler when Deucalion arrives in town. It turns out that Deucalion has some ties to a famous monster, and that his creator is residing in New Orleans, looking to repeat his experiment. But when another creature goes on the loose, O’Conner and Deucalion may have to team up to stop the wave of murderers.

When it comes to adaptations of prose works into graphic novel form, the results vary. The graphic novel version of The Hobbit, also done by Chuck Dixon, was engaging, while Orson Scott Card’s Wyrms was okay in parts but wasn’t the greatest graphic novel to reach my shelves. So I was curious how this would turn out.

In this case, I hit the jackpot. Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, Volume One is one of the best adaptations since George R. R. Martin’s The Hedge Knight, also put out by Dabel Brothers Publishing, that time for Marvel, this time for Del Rey. From the moment you pick this book up, it is hard to put down. Dixon’s story flows through the pages with excellent art from Brett Booth, and the stories weave together wonderfully. The plot twists are masterfully executed, as I would expect from Dean Koontz, the characters are well-rounded, and the story is fun.

As a bonus, there is a short graphic story from Koontz, a look at a failed experiment from Victor Helios’ past. It is entertaining, if light fair.

This book will leave you begging for the sequel. If there is any single aspect of this work you think you could find yourself liking, go out and grab a copy. You won’t regret it.

10/10

Gary Jennings’ Apocalypse 2012 by Robert Gleason and Junius Podrug

2010-04-22T02:54:00.000-06:00

With all of the furor that has arisen over 2012 in the media lately, the thriller genre has taken the opportunity to put out a number of books that play with that theme. Among those is Gary Jennings’ Apocalypse 2012 by Robert Gleason and Junius Podrug. I had wanted to dive into Gary Jennings’ Aztec series, and never had the chance, so when I saw this new novel, I decided to give it a try.

In 1001, Coyotl is a slave who was found as an infant. He is on the way to being a sacrifice when a group of Toltecs attack the camp, and set him free. The party, along with Coyotl and another slave, Desert Flower, set off for the great city of Tula, which is on the brink of breakdown during the middle of a terrible drought. In the present day, a group has gathered to face an upcoming disaster. Could the two be related?

While the premise of the novel is entertaining, the execution is terrible. The large portions of the book are about Coyotl and his story, and they are dry and unengaging. I never would have imagined that ritualistic human sacrifice could be so dry and unaffecting. Desert Flower is a blank character who does nothing but get scared and act very stereotypically female, while the two named Toltecs, Stargazer and Smoking Shield, and the only ones with a hint of depth.

And then we flash to the modern day, where we are given a point-of-view character who is a perfect example of political vileness. She is, without an explanation, violently against anyone and anything that doesn’t think as she does, to the point of verbally assaulting over and over a man who she simply disagrees with. We are expected to revel along with her as she acts vile.

I might have been able to hold on and keep looking at the dry historical tale, in the hopes that it would get better, but after a couple of flashes of my modern day protagonist, there wasn’t nearly enough in the historical section to keep me reading.

While Jennings’ name is attached to the book, I hope that it isn’t remotely like what he actually wrote. This seems to be yet another example of people wanting to tack onto an author’s legacy, and wind up smearing it instead. Avoid this novel.

1/10

200!

2010-04-20T15:07:00.000-06:00

It seems like not too long ago that Luke Reviews hit its 100th post, but here we are again, with another hundred posts done. I really appreciate how this has been running along, gathering more and more speed. I’m picking up new publishers and keeping with old ones, and looking at even more books than ever. As always, thank you to the publishers and authors who trust me enough to send me copies of their works to be reviewed, and to all of the readers who keep coming back. I hope that some of you have found something on here that you didn’t know about or never would have picked up, and ended up giving it a try and loving it. Let me know what can be done to make Luke Reviews even better than before. My email is to the side, and don’t be afraid to use it! I hope you stick around, because there are some really exciting things on the horizon. Come on back, and tell a friend!

Flesh and Iron by Henry Zou

2010-04-18T21:58:00.000-06:00

NOTE: Flesh and Iron was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by the Black Library

After the excitement that was built with Emperor’s Mercy last year, which earned him a Top 15 of 2009 spot, and the cliffhanger ending for one of the main characters, I couldn’t wait to dive into the sequel and see what was in store. Thus, I was a little disappointed to find out that the second novel in Zou’s Bastion Wars series was not a sequel, but a prequel novel. However, still excited, I dove into Flesh and Iron.

On Solo-Bastón, a local insurgency led by a group known as the Dos Pares is attacking the Imperial cities, and the Imperial Guard is called in to deal with the situation. However, Solo-Bastón has very little Imperial presence, and the insurgency is able to dig in and set up the best circumstances for their war. It is up to Colonel Baeder and the 31st Riverine to take a key gun emplacement and let the rest of the Imperial Army get into the mainland and root out the rest of the forces. However, as darker undersides to the fight begin to rise, the question of which side is right becomes murky.

The first novel in Zou’s series was very much in the vein of Inquisition novels, so it was a bit of a jump in the second to have what basically amounts to an Imperial Guard novel. However, Zou shows that he is just as adept at this segment of the Warhammer 40,000 milieu as with the Inquisition. He creates characters that feel very much alive, and he doesn’t just give one side. We see human characters fighting for both causes, and especially towards the end he drums up some substantial questioning of who is in the right, and the effects of corruption on those in power.

I couldn’t help feeling that this one was a little less engaging than Emperor’s Mercy in some way, but I couldn’t point to a cause of this. The action was hard and fast, and it didn’t let up. The only major issue I had was that the main storyline ended 100 pages before the novel did. The book kept on from there, in effect using the last 100 pages to tie this novel into the previous one and throwing twists at the characters. While that isn’t bad, the person who picks this up without reading the first book may not get much out of the end.

Pick up Flesh and Iron and it will be a fun ride. I wouldn’t suggest it quite as readily if you haven’t read Emperor’s Mercy, but I still think it would be enjoyable. One of the top Imperial Guard novels.

8/10

The Savages Tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard, Part 1

2010-04-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

I am a fan of Robert E. Howard. He single-handedly pushed Sword and Sorcery out of the shadows and into broad daylight. He created a number of characters still heard about today, and with Conan, one that is commonly a household name. Del Rey is publishing “The Robert E. Howard Library,” a set of trade paperbacks that collects Howard’s fiction. The volumes are very nice, fully illustrated and well presented. As released, the volumes (so far) are:

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (the first of three volumes collecting the complete Conan stories)

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane (the complete Solomon Kane stories)

The Bloody Crown of Conan (the second volume of Conan stories)

Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (the complete Bran Mak Morn stories)

The Conquering Sword of Conan (the final volume of Conan stories)

Kull: Exile of Atlantis (the complete Kull stories)

The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 1: Crimson Shadows

The Best of Robert E. Howard, Volume 2: Grim Lands

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard

El Borak and Other Desert Adventures (non-supernatural adventure stories)

Dark Agnes and Other Historical Adventures (coming out Spring 2011)

I picked up the second volume of the Robert E. Howard Library, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. I had read a few Kane stories previously, but this seemed like a good time to invest in the complete collection. As this is a substantial book, I decided to take a look at it in two parts. After a foreward by Gary Gianni, the illustrator, and a reprinting of “In Memorium: Robert Ervin Howard” by H. P. Lovecraft, we dive in. The stories reviewed in Part 1:

“Skulls in the Stars”: Solomon Kane is met with a trail that is haunted by a creature that lets no one passed. To stop it and allow passage, Kane must discover the secret evil behind the creature’s genesis.

“The Right Hand of Doom”: A man boasting of his capture of a necromancer is in store for a bit of revenge.

“Red Shadows”: Kane discovers a girl ravaged by the evil Le Loup and his band of thieves and marauders, and swears vengeance, following him all the way to Africa, facing both a tribe of men convinced that he is the evil one, and a primal evil that escapes the jungle.

“Rattle of Bones”: When Kane and a companion reach an inn for the night, Kane finds out the hard way what it is like to be surrounded by thieves and murderers.

“The Castle of the Devil”: A fragment that gives us the beginning of a tale, in which Kane meets a new companion and heads to fight an evil baron.

“Death’s Black Riders”: A very brief fragment in which Kane runs into a dark, ghostly rider.

“The Moon of Skulls”: The longest Solomon Kane story by quite a bit, this tale follows Kane as he journeys back to Africa, finding an ancient hidden city filled with people who worship a dark god, and have taken captive an innocent girl. Kane must stop the entire city if he is to rescue Marylin.

“The One Black Stain”: A poem in which Kane witnesses the execution of Sir Thomas Doughty, and sends Francis Drake a less than subtle message.

The first half of The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane proved to be a very compelling and exciting read. I will return soon to this volume and the world of the Puritan warrior, and I am sure it will be just as exciting.

The Holler by Marge Fulton

2010-04-15T12:29:00.000-06:00

NOTE: The Holler was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by BlackWyrm Books.

BlackWyrm has been batting .500 for me. Gram’s Secret was a wonderful fantasy tale, while The Hualapai Cycle just didn’t do it for me. However, the very short stories making up Marge Fulton’s collection of Appalachian horror stories, The Holler, looked very interesting, and I wanted to give them a look. Short bits on each story:

“Black Santa”: A girl’s stolen toy deeply influences her adulthood.

“Preying Hands”: A new “fat camp” that takes people into space is headed for some trouble of its own.

“Blood Bank”: ATMs begin giving far more than money.

“The Flock”: A dream-like tale of flight and job-hunting.

“In Line at Kingdom Come”: Plagued by guilt over his daughter’s death, a man waits in line to get into Heaven.

“At the End of the Day”: An old man gets revenge on the granddaughter of his abuser.

“Black Eyed Susan”: A marriage on the rocks meets Bigfoot.

“Bobble Head”: A small, human like creature helps a girl’s mother.

“People Eaters”: A victim of alien abduction tries to live a normal life.

“Blue Lips”: A dead wife refuses to go without some revenge.

“Recycling Ruth”: With a double-meaning title, this story follows Ruth, a recycling over-doer.

“Gather Round”: Art, cooking, and a near-death experience.

“Little Secrets”: A lady “adopts” the son she never knew she had.

“Mandy’s Mercantile”: A cheating husband becomes of more value to the store.

“Eye Box”: An artifact shows one woman a whole new world.

“Splinter”: The cost of stealing just went up.

“Wick”: One woman finds her soul mate selling candles.

“Bubby’s Brain”: Government conspiracy at the free clinic.

“Gunfight at the Goodwill”: One boy’s curiosity brings the Goodwill store to life.

“The Chosen”: The trees are tired of being abused, and one father pays the price.

“Hot to Trot”: A dead girl saves the living.

“Scary Perry”: A disturbed man explains how he didn’t kill his uncle, although if he had it wouldn’t have bothered him.

“Sow Belly”: A knife is the trigger to escape.

“When Your Ship Comes In”: One girl tries to leave her boyfriend behind and steal an alien spaceship.

These stories average 3-4 pages. In a way, they reminded me of The Twilight Zone, short glimpses into a world like our own, but altered in some subtle way. The good in that: each story was a neat little blip of something wrong, something under the surface of the world that was angry and ready for change. The bad: there isn’t space to get attached to characters, nor do most of the stories have much in the way of plot. Many of them are more scenes, a day-in-the-life style look at a crazy, Kafkaesque universe. Some of the stories are brilliant (i.e. “At the End of the Day,” my favorite of the collection), and some are odd and unaffecting (“Scary Perry,” my least favorite).

This book was a nice montage of steps out of the norm, away from a happy reality, and I think it was effective in some part because the collection itself is quite short. A large assemblage might have been too much of what Fulton is presenting, but this length worked perfectly for her short-shorts and short stories. There is an underlying mood throughout, as well as a lot under the surface of things that might take a second read to completely parse out. Easily read in an afternoon, and a bit of a change up from the usual horror genre in a sort of literary, highbrow way, this is worth sitting down and exploring, although if some of the stories don’t do much for you, I imagine that is the name of the game. I would be curious to see what Fulton would do with a longer piece, and extended narrative with characters in need of developing and a plot that needs to push things along. But until then, this piece of images into a darker parallel was a nice diversion.

7/10