The Radio Magician & Other Stories by James Van Pelt

A few years back, I read James Van Pelt’s novel Summer of the Apocalypse, and found it to be an incredible reworking of the tropes of post-apocalyptic fiction. Since then, I have been meaning to pick up one of his collections of short stories, and just never had, until I received a copy of his newest collection, The Radio Magician & Other Stories. I had high expectations as I began the book, and read past Carrie Vaughn’s introduction.

“The Radio Magician”—This beautiful tale of one boy’s unquestioning belief in magic pulls at the heartstrings, and draws the reader in. Van Pelt has crafted a true gem.

“Where Did You Come From, Where Did You Go?”—An interesting proposition, that is hard to explain without giving away the story. Two teenage girls encounter a tale of “What if?” that will change their lives forever.

“The Light of a Thousand Suns”—An intriguing take on the anti-nuclear weapon tale, with a touch of fantasy that is both unexpected and yet fit brilliantly.

“Of Late I’ve Dreamt of Venus”—A story of trying to terraform Venus, and one woman’s selfish struggle to witness perfection. A tight tale, with characters who felt perfect for their roles.

“Different Worlds”—This story took a little while to figure out just what was going on, but once you did, the entire beginning took on a new meaning that was even darker than you had originally thought. The ending scene is also highly ironic, in a wonderful way.

“The Small Astral Object Genius”—A very fun story of a kid searching the stars, from the comfort of his bedroom. While initially this story seemed fun, if not more, the emotional depth became apparent, and added immensely to the plot.

“Tiny Voices”—An odd, out-there sort of story, about one dying woman who lives through sense-receptive equipment throughout her room. I left this one with mixed feelings, but overall positive.

“Lashwanda at the End”—A sweet story of struggle and love on an alien planet, between a man in his prime and a woman who is on the edge of death. One of the best stories in the volume.

“Where and When”—A very neat story, even if the premise (you can’t effect the past) uses an example that I figured out a bit before I think the reader was supposed to. This time travel romp flashes back to some very neat points in history.

“One Day, in the Middle of the Night”—An odd tale about two brothers who hate one another passionately, and how they attempt to commit murder in space. While not badly written, this story was just a little to unaffecting for me.

“Echoing”—A story about parallels, and how people’s lives are interconnected, even if they have never met. The ending was predictable, but I can’t see as how that really hurt this well-written story.

“The Inn at Mount Either”—A great addition to this collection, this bit is about a man who loses his wife in a hotel of infinite proportions, and his quest to get back to her. The settings are well done, and the panicked searchings of a distraught husband were spot on.

“The Ice Cream Man”—Another top story, as The Radio Magician continues to impress. As people struggle against mutant creatures, one man works to supply people with what they want, and to remember joy, showing us in the process just who the bad guys really are.

“Sacrifice”—An interesting tale, with a premise similar to James Blish’s “Surface Tension,” about a culture that built up after a space ship crash lands on another planet. Good, yet the ending left me feeling like there could have been a more satisfactory way to have done it.

“The Boy Behind the Gate”—Two tales intertwine here, one of a modern day father searching for his son who was kidnapped, another of a man from 1879 who is trying to rid himself of his seemingly evil son. The ending of this one was spectacular. An excellent tale.

“The Last Age Should Show Your Heart”—A short bit on two robots who out survive the rest of the galaxy, and their love story. Short, sweet, but in the end not all I had hoped for.

“Origin of Species”—A wonderful love story, about one boy who happens to be a werewolf, and the girl of his dreams, who is falling for a troll.  Literally.  A fun piece that shows off Van Pelt's ability to work with teenage protagonists exceptionally.

“The Saturn Ring Blues”—A race around Saturn's inner ring, a lost love, and the blues create the impetus for this short but entertaining story.

“How Music Begins”—A true gem, to say the least.  The Radio Magician & Other Stories wraps up with this brilliant, if heartbreaking, story of a man and his junior high band, abducted and left with nothing to do but create great music.  This story flies along, and each moment is powerfully worked, all the way to the crushing ending.

James Van Pelt's newest collection is full of wonderful pieces of fiction.  Almost every one was packed with believable characters that you care for, ache for, and rejoice for, settings that feel impeccably real, and plots that are tight, fast, and worked down to the finest point.  There are no duds in this collection.  James Van Pelt is one to keep an eye on.

9/10

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

Book of Secrets by Chris Roberson

When it comes to conspiracy thrillers, I can be hit or miss. I used to think that I loved them, finding books such Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco, Domain by Steve Alten, a number of Atlantis books (especially Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias), and many other sorts of conspiracy theory/secret history novels lots of fun.

However, lately they have just been missing for me. Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons didn’t do much for me (although I didn’t get very far, and it might get better, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt) as well as Christopher Forrest’s The Genesis Code (see review) flopped. So, it was with some trepidation that I picked up my copy of Chris Roberson’s new novel, Book of Secrets. Roberson’s novel worked for me for the most part, but let me down a bit at the end.

Spencer Finch is a reporter, mucked down in a case about one J. Nathan Pierce. He receives an anonymous tip, and following up on it leads to the greatest adventure of his life. At the same time, Finch learns of the death of his grandfather, who helped raise him after the death of his parents, and his inheritance: a box of pulp magazines and seemingly random stacks of paper, along with a wooden chest without a key to its lock.

From here, Roberson mixes the elements of an action-thriller with pastiches of pulp-era crime and western stories, and succeeds incredibly. His short stories contained within this novel are fun and wonderful. The story of Finch moves along at a very nice pace as well, with plot elements popping up left and right. As the book flew along, leading to a bigger and bigger puzzle, I couldn’t be happier with how this book was going along. It was lots of fun.

Then I reached the end. I was significantly let down. Not necessarily by the ending itself, but by how it was done. In a very long monologue, we are explained how everything was connected, all this after a very sudden jump from the storyline to a new segment that felt entirely out of place. Not only is the novel wrapped up with a world-class info-dump, but the fate of certain characters is never discovered, leading you unsure if they even lived or died. The whole last section of the book felt rushed and incomplete, like it had a good plot that was forced into too small a space or too short a time. It was a vastly disappointing end to an otherwise wonderful book.

Roberson’s novel creates some fun, interesting ideas that use the conspiracy thriller in unique ways that I enjoyed, and the short stories threaded into the novel are nothing short of wonderful. However, the ending detracts from the book, and doesn’t leave the reader with much. Pick this one up for the pulp pastiches; they are great. So is the story of Finch, if you can get past an abrupt, awkward, hurried ending.

7/10

G.I. JOE: Above & Beyond by Max Allan Collins

I grew up with G.I. Joe. It was huge. When I saw that Transformers seemed to be making a come back, with a live-action movie, my first thought was, I really hope they do G.I. Joe. And they have! Waiting with extreme excitement for the new movie, G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, I had to pick up the new prequel novel, G.I. JOE: Above & Beyond, written by Max Allan Collins, famous for his graphic novel Road to Perdition. I picked this one up, hoping for an action-packed thriller that was lots of fun. I can freely say that this novel was all that and more.

Conrad Hauser--know as Duke to his friends--is head of a top notch squad of American soldiers, who go in on missions that only the best can succeed at. Duke, along with his best friend Ripcord, go on mission after mission, saving the world in secret. However, on a mission to Uzekurkistan to rescue scientists held to work on weapons manufacturing, events are set in motion that lead to San Sebastiao, a small South American country in the midst of civil turmoil, as Duke and his Able Team try to stop a military coup from shattering the country.

Meanwhile, secreted away in the Pit, G.I. JOE, a multi-national group of soldiers, works to keep world peace viable, working undercover and invisible to save people from threats they don't even know exist. Hawk, head of G.I. JOE, sends out a crack team of soldiers to shadow Duke and his squad, to both protect them and to recover advanced weaponry that has fallen into the wrong hands.

The book moves fast, flipping between the American squad and the G.I. JOE unit, as both work to protect San Sebastiao from civil war. Collins quickly creates a group of very likeable characters, and builds some emotional attachment, all while playing to the desires of fan boys to see their favorite G.I. Joes in action (used to be G.I. Joe, all caps for the movie). The book is fun, light, and tightly written, with no dead space and no wasted dialogue.

Collins has built a novel that is fun, fast, and light to read, yet has a solid plot, intelligent action, and made me even more excited for the movie. Finding a copy of Collins' novelization of G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, is high on my to do list.

9/10

Harbinger by Jack Skillingstead

While Jack Skillingstead has created quite a stir with his well-received short fiction, his novel writing talents have never been on display before (to this reviewer's knowledge, at least). Many authors well known for short stories don't make the transition to novel form well, either never putting out a solid novel, or taking a few before they hit their stride. With that in mind, I entered Skillingstead's new novel Harbinger, out in a month or two from Fairwood Press. To say that my initial fears were a waste of worry is a massive understatement.

Ellis Herrick is a young man, struggling with the difficult emotions of losing a mother and brother, and having a father who can't seem to keep things together. He falls in love with a girl named Nichole, and she nearly kills him in a car crash. After suffering grievous injuries, Ellis is hospitalized, yet he heals at an incredible rate, beyond what anyone should be capable of. Ellis goes on to become something of an icon, not aging and healing from every wound. He tries to come to terms with his seeming immortality, and is met with yet more grief that follows from outliving everyone you know.

Ellis is very often the tragic hero. As he struggles to live well, everyone he cares about dies, and he is perpetually seen as an object, not a person. He is used as an organ doner, and turned into a messiah, yet all he wants is some sanity.

Harbinger runs along at a solid pace, mixing action with hints of romance, philosophy, cultural movements, and much about life, family, and love. Skillingstead seems to effortlessly mix his action filled, quick moving plot with deep questions that leave a lot of thinking to be done after the book is set down. While this novel contains far more than its slight size indicates, it is first and foremost a story of living life and finding love, no matter the struggles and despite all of the mistakes you make. Ellis' tale is at times depressing, poignant, and beautiful.

Skillingstead has created an incredible novel, full of power, containing fully-fleshed settings, difficult questions, and characters that you care for. Harbinger is a wonderful book, and I hope that Skillingstead returns to the novel form soon.

9/10

The Killing Ground by Graham McNeill

Things got really busy both at work and at home around the Fourth of July holiday, thus the delay (sorry!) but I am back, with a brand new novel of the Ultramarines from the Warhammer 40,000 universe!

As I stated in my previous review of a Warhammer 40,000 novel, I had read some of the books that really focus on the space marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. However, I had never gotten around to Graham McNeill's Ultramarines series before. It was one of many established series that I was going to one day start by picking up an omnibus, but just wasn't on my radar screen yet. However, when I received my copy of The Killing Ground, I gave it a try, even though it was the middle of the series, and overall I am quite pleased.

After the events depicted in McNeill's The Ultramarines Omnibus, Uriel Ventris and his companion Pasanius are on their way back home to their chapter, having completed their Death Oath and fulfilling their task required to return from exile. Flying without aim, they crash on Salinas, along with a group of the Unfleshed, nightmare creatures transformed by the forces of Chaos, but innocent at heart. However, Salinas itself is a world of turmoil, and the arrival of two space marines only adds fuel to the fire.

After a very intriguing prologue, this novel hits a wall, and slows down incredibly. The pace seems to move down more than just a few notches, with lots of imagery, and some backstory for those of us new to the series. While the backstory inserted in this novel was helpful, and made this novel a great jump on point for those interested in joining the series without reading the back catalogue, it just felt like there had to be a better way to address it, instead of slowing the story to a crawl.

That said, once the story picks up, it really does, and the novel becomes stellar. All of the great storytelling I had come to expect from the other McNeill work I read (review) appeared. The action is fast, the plot is tight, and things fly along. All of the many threads of story are deftly woven together, and I came to really have to struggle to put this novel down. Uriel and Pasanius are characters that are really easy to care about, and their struggles are perfectly written.

I struggled on what to rate this, and decided on the higher 8 and not the lower 7, because, after this book picks up pace, it is excellent, and it really leaves me excited for the next book, Courage and Honour, which will be reviewed here in the not too distant future. Get through the beginning, and the rest will leave you begging for the sequel.

8/10

Slights by Kaaron Warren

Horror takes many forms. Sometimes it is big and foreboding and gruesome. Other times, it is small and quiet and all the more deeply disturbing because of it. In Kaaron Warren's novel Slights, we are presented with one of these quiet, terrible horrors. This book is certainly not for those easily put off, as its dark attitude pervades the entirety of this gripping work.

Steve is a girl who lives through a dark life. The novel starts out with her wrecking her car, resulting in the death of her mother, and her father is already dead, shot while in the line of duty as a police officer. Steve's life focuses on death, an odd juxtaposition indeed. She follows death, and it seems to follow her. As the years progress, Steve learns more and more about the dark room she enters every time she nears death, but each time she manages to come back to life before leaving it for good. She digs in her backyard, finding trinkets, and she deals with her family and her sister-in-law's family, neither of which seems to take a great interest in her, with few exceptions.

The crux of the book is the room Steve enters when she dies, but that isn't the horrific part. Steve is the part that grips you, and she is the part that scares you, as you can't look away while her life seems to spiral out of her control to a point where she can't get it back. With each new year, Steve finds a new pain to experience, and her magnetism towards these events is far too painful to bear, yet bear it you do with the hopes that she will somehow correct her life, get it back on track, and find something to live for instead of living to die.

Warren creates a vivid, realistic character, one with a sad life that is falling apart more each day. The character grasps onto you, and doesn't let you go. For each pain she goes through (and there are many), you go through them with her, wanting things to end up okay, for Steve to have a happily ever after, even if you have the haunting feeling that you just don't think Steve can ever get there. The novel, far from being about the horrible life after that Steve experiences, is about Steve herself, and there are few character novels that do it better. This novel can be painful to read, but only because of how much you come to care and hope for the main character.

While not for the faint of heart by any means, and certainly not something your emotions could survive through is you read it back to back, over and over, after finishing this book (and feeling drained in that "it hurt so good" way) I can't not be reminded of it frequently. This book has a power to it, one that is not to be missed.

10/10