Reviews

Killswitch: Thoughtful and Action Packed!

Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review on Joel Shepherd’s final Cassandra Kresnov book, Killswitch:

“This year it already feels like I’ve read more sci-fi than I did in the whole of last year and this is mostly down to my having had the good fortune of getting stuck into Joel Shepherd’s ‘Cassandra Kresnov’ books. The bottom line is that I think they’re brilliant and incredibly easy to get sucked into, the most fun I’ve had with sci-fi in a long time…Placing all three books together shows how well the author has done at plotting a story that goes on for longer than one book. There’s a real sense of progression throughout the trilogy and, for the most part, everything is wrapped up neatly in the closing chapters. There’s scope for more adventures here and I’d certainly pick up more ‘Kresnov’ books if they were ever written…an intelligent and engaging read that will appeal to anyone who likes their sci-fi thoughtful and action packed at the same time. Highly recommended by me! Nine out of Ten.”

Killswitch: Thoughtful and Action Packed! Read More »

On Books: The Multiverse

Norman Sprinrad’s latest On Books column for the April/May edition of Asimov’s, “The Multiverse“, is a direct response to a piece by Bruno Maddox appearing in Discovery Magazine,Blinded by Science: Fictional Reality,” in which Maddox hauls out the tired old argument that in helping to build the present, science fiction is now obsolete. The article actually appeared back in July, 2007, and Norman’s response was composed then (and kindly forwarded to me at the time, which is how it ends up quoted in the forward to Sideways In Crime),but Asimov’s has taken their time getting around to publishing it.

In the meantime, the SF is Dead nonsense has cropped up again, in io9.com’s “5 Reasons to Stop Reading Science Fiction.” To be fair, io9 isn’t so much making this claim, as aggregating five other sources who complain about the problems of writing SF in the SFnal world we inhabit now, the mainstream colonization of SF tropes, the intrusion of fantasy, the graying of fandom, and the disappearance of mass-market distribution.

But to them, and to Maddox, Spinrad offers this brilliant, elegant, and ultimate rebuttal:

Picture the sincere writer of serious science fiction—someone really trying to do the job—as standing in the bow of a boat in a moment we might call the present. The boat is human history and all scientific knowledge available in that moment, and the waters that the boat is sailing through is the ocean of time. The science fiction writer is riding the vessel of all that knowledge, and his or her mission is to peer ahead from that vantage into the fog-bank of the future ahead of the boat utilizing all the knowledge upon which he or she stands, “stands on the shoulders of giants,” as this sort of thing is often put.

Thus, while the accumulation of scientific and other forms of knowledge as well as the profusion of technological innovation may be accelerating as the boat sails forward through the sea of time, no matter how fast it goes, no matter how much cargo is accumulating in the hold, the science fiction writer is always standing in the bow of the boat looking forward.

That is why it is impossible for science, technology, evolution, or history to render science fiction obsolete. There are all too many ways that a civilization can end up destroying science fiction as a commercially viable literature or even as a visionary mode of thought, but the necessary visionary function performed by science fiction in a progressively evolving civilization can never be rendered obsolete. If nothing is performing that visionary function, it is the civilization in question that in the end renders itself obsolete, as has happened many times in world history.

That, in an of itself, is enough to make me kiss Norman’s feet. But he goes on from there, in a response to Jim Gunn’s assertion that Neuromancerwas the last work of science fiction to introduce a truly “big idea.”

As counterpoint, Norman offers too big ideas that have emerged recently, the “Singularity” and what may “prove also to be its dialectic antithesis” – the Multiverse. He then makes a case that the notion of the Multiverse has moved from a literary construct to the frontline thinking in quantum phyisics, and in so doing, should be moving to the forefront of science fictional concern as well.

…quantum physics is now telling us is that the Multiverse is the ultimate reality, and not merely a literary construct. That a multiplicity of separate universes or realities must exist because of quantum indeterminacy.

…It is science which has fed science fiction an enormous morsel to attempt to chew on this time, and not the other way around. The Multiverse, it would appear, is not merely subjective perception, but the way things really are, the way our selves really are, our alternate selves, the truth of all existence on a quantum level.

To deal with this fictionally with anything like rigor, let alone convey it to the reader on an experiential and emotional level, is one daunting and even frightening task. But it is also a rich vein of thematic and speculative material only beginning to be mined on that level.

And then he goes on to look at three books that are mining it on just the level he describes.

One of them is Justina Robson’s Keeping It Real,the first in her Quantum Gravity series, which Norman describes as, “Fantasy written as if it were science fiction. Like alternate-history fiction.” He ties her book into multiple worlds theory when he says:

But whether Robson consciously intended to declare it or not when she titled the novel, keeping it real is just what Keeping It Real does, the “it” being that this Multiverse is literarily science fiction, not fantasy. Each of these alternate realities has its own more or less rigorous physical laws, call what’s going on magic or not.

Justina and I corresponded about this article recently, and she graciously grants permission for me to share her response here:

In case you wondered, the thing that he’s talking about actually always was the point of the QG series, and I thought at the beginning I’d get to lay it out much sooner, but I’ve got 3 books down and still no sign of Quantum Bob (“But, Professor, how do these shattered worlds fit together?” “As you know, Bob, the nature of reality is the infinity -1 range of the external and internal worlds…”)…

The reason for the fantastical nature of the few realities experienced in QG is down to the explosion of the internal into the external. The Quantum Bomb rendered, briefly, the distinction between internal (individual consciousness/mass consciousness) and external (physical, transphysical, temporal) irrelevant. In fact, that was more a revelation than an action as they probably always were interconnected to a much higher degree than contemporary views of reality (like the Dawkins’ view) would ever countenance.

Which takes her a lot closer to what Norman is talking about when he talks about the need to convey the Multiverse to the reader “on an experiential and emotional level,” something he says that Kathleen Goonan’s In War Timesbegins to do when it uses the metaphors of jazz to portray shifting realities in her novel of alternate 1940s worlds. Norman says:

Kathleen Ann Goonan can’t overtly broach that concept in In War Times, since this is a period piece the maintenance of whose grounding in this wartime and early post-wartime past is absolutely essential for the novel to work. But she herself, writing in the present, does seem to comprehend it at least up to a point, and sidles up to it, using the progressive jazz of the period as an extended musical metaphor for the physics and metaphysics of the Multiverse.

Which brings us to Ian McDonald’s Brasyl, which Norman says is able to take that last step and which confirms Ian McDonald as:

…one of the most interesting and accomplished science fiction writers of this latter-day era. Indeed, maybe the most interesting and accomplished, and certainly the most culturally and musically sophisticated—the Frank Herbert, William Gibson, or arguably even Thomas Pynchon of the early twenty-first century, if only the early twenty-first century would allow such a writer to reach that kind of eminence.

Norman asks if it is even possible to “use language to actually create the virtual experience of multiversal reality in the human mind,” and, in examining Brasyl, he concludes that:

Ian McDonald actually does it. He succeeds in putting a human face on, putting a human consciousness within, the naked quantum Multiverse, the infinite multiplicity of universes branching out fractally from every moment of time, with the infinity of her alternate selves exfoliating within it, and delivering the experience to the reader.

The result, he says, is “A science fictional dialectic… for what other mode of literature can even begin to approach such material?” and also “the opening act of the science fiction of the twenty-first century.”

Thank you, Norman, for reminding us that far from being dead, science fiction may only just getting started. For what are the few decades behind us in the face of a literal infinite array of possibility.

On Books: The Multiverse Read More »

A Strong, Compelling Voice

Sandy Amazeen reviews Theodore Judson’s The Martian General’s Daughteron Monsters & Critics. She writes that “This is not a fast-paced action tale but a more cerebral sci-fi that follows the corruption that comes with absolute power and one man’s attempt to live through it on his own terms. Justa delivers the tale with a strong, compelling voice that belies her lowly status as she moves from an embarrassment to trusted advisor. Certainly this could be taken as a cautionary tale for, as it has been observed, ‘Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'”

Meanwhile, I see the book is already shipping from Amazon, I’ve gotten my copies (gorgeous!), and I expect it will be in stores soon. Get ’em while they’re hot!

Update: Booklists Regina Schroeder says, “Judson’s handling of the fall of empire is most remarkable, given the slimness of the volume, and in Justa he forges a character compelling enough to keep readers from getting lost in the detail.”

There’s that word “compelling” again.

A Strong, Compelling Voice Read More »

Metatemporal Detective:

Robert M. Tilendis calls Michael Moorcock’s The Metatemporal Detectivea “series of delightful burlesques of Conan Doyle, noir detective fiction, the American Western (with special mention for the Masked Buckaroo, who rapidly became one of my favorite characters), spy thrillers, and of Moorcock himself” in a piece for Green Man Review.

His conclusion: “These are light fare compared to the bulk of Moorcock’s work, although the connections are certainly there for those who are concerned with such things. They are, however, for those who appreciate things like Flash Gordon, a lot of fun.”

Metatemporal Detective: Read More »

Mercenary: Fast Paced and Entertaining

Rob H. Bedford posts his review of Mike Resnicks’s Starship: Mercenaryover on SFFWorld. He writes: “Mercenary follows quickly on the heels of the previous novel (Starship: Pirate),with the same interesting mix of alien characters, not the least of which are the eccentric and humorous David Copperfield and the Space Pirate Queen Val. While the novel is fast paced and entertaining, Copperfield’s character adds a great deal of humor and comedic relief to the story and grows into more than strictly comic relief by the novel’s end…. So the bottom line is this: if you’ve enjoyed the first two Starship novels, there is no reason not to continue on with the story.”

Mercenary: Fast Paced and Entertaining Read More »

A World Too Near – Fascinatingly Complex

Paul Di Filippo reviews Kay Kenyon’s A World Too Near: Book Two of The Entire and The Rosefor SciFi.com’s Sci Fi Weekly. He found the book suffered from “middle volume syndrome”, so affixed a minus to it’s A grade, but he points out that it does a few things “brilliantly right.” As he says: “First off, all the characters continue to be fascinatingly complex…… Also, every minor character is endowed with exceptional depth and reality. Secondly, the artificial universe known as the Entire remains a great conception and playground for adventure.”

His conclusion? “But I’ll certainly be back for the next installment, hoping for more aspects of the Entire to emerge.”

A World Too Near – Fascinatingly Complex Read More »

A Load of Catching Up to Do

Here’s a whole handful of things worth passing on.

Michael Moorcock is interviewed on ActuSF. He talks about the genesis of the Sir Seaton Begg character from The Metatemporal Detective,as well as the challenge of envisioning Hitler as a character: “I’m interested in political understanding, not what is correct. In fact you HAVE to look at these things if you are doing your job as a writer. You have to ask the unasked questions!”

Kay Kenyon’s A World Too Near,just out this month, gets a marvelous review courtesy of Jackie Cassada in the Library Journal: “Kenyon’s sequel to Bright of the Skydelves deeper into the personalities of her characters. This volume by a strong storyteller with a fresh new approach to fantasy and sf belongs in most libraries.”

Meanwhile, Kay’s previous novel, Bright of the Sky, was chosen as a staff selection for the Book Group Buzz: A Booklist Blog which makes recommendations (and offers sample discussion questions) for book club. They say, “Kenyon has done a masterful job of world building. Her setting is worth reading about. Her characters are believable. Her plot is intriguing. The tone is somber and mean, and there is little that happens in this first book that is redemptive. Conflict is constant and some of the violence is hard to look at. Did I understand all the science? No. Was that important to me? No. This novel is so accomplished that a reader little interested in the mechanics of the world can still enjoy the universe Kenyon has created.
Would I read the next book in the series? You bet!”

Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review takes a look at the first of Joel Shepherd’s Cassandra Kresnov novels, Crossover,His conclusion: “I think the hype has been totally justified…I loved Crossover and haven’t had as much fun with a sci-fi book in a long time.”

Finally, Of Science Fiction takes a look at Justina Robson’s Selling Out.TexasBlueBoy apparently hates series, but he likes this one despite himself: “Ms. Robson’s blending of pretty hard sci fi with classic fantasy elements is flawless. Her characters are all flawed in very human ways and therefore approachable if not downright likable. I really hate to admit it, but Pyr has brought out yet another great speculative work that deserves to be read.”

No shame in admitting that, now, surely!

A Load of Catching Up to Do Read More »

Some Strange Place in the Universe

Love this review! Margaret Cannon is reviewing crime fiction for The Globe and Mail. She says she remembers “the utter delight of mysteries set in a perfectly realized alternative universe,” but apart from a story by Robert J. Sawyer, hasn’t found anything else to scratch this itch. Until now, that is, and Michael Moorcock’s The Metatemporal Detective,which is a “wonderful collection…Seaton Begg and pathologist Taffy Sinclair, of the Metatemporal Investigation Department of the British Home Office, are pure imagination at its finest.”

I knew this book would appeal to mystery aficionados, and it’s great to see how well it worked for Margaret, who I gather has never heard of Elric, whom she calls “the beastly aristo Zenith the Albino, from some strange place in the galaxy,” but who catches all the homages “to everyone from Dashiell Hammett to the nearly forgotten Sexton Blake.”

Her conclusion? “For pure fun, this alternative universe is the place to explore.”

Some Strange Place in the Universe Read More »

City Without End takes Silver Spectrum Award

A huge congratulations to Stephan Martiniere, whose cover illustration for the third book in Kay Kenyon’s ongoing space opera quartet entitled The Entire and the Rose, the forthcoming City Without End, just won the Silver Spectrum award in the book category. All of Stephan’s covers in this series have been amazing. Book one, Bright of the Sky,made the Spectrum annual the year it was released, and we’re hearing good things about A World Too Near– which just hit shelves this week. (For a look at these two covers side by side, see Kay’s website.) And now, unveiled here for the first time, the winning cover of City Without End. This is my favorite of the three “Entire” pieces, and maybe one of my favorite Martiniere illustrations ever.

What do you think?

Meanwhile, long as we’re talking about The Entire and the Rose, I’ve just spotted some very thoughtful, articulate (and spoiler ridden) reviews of Bright of the Sky and A World Too Near up at SF Reviews. Of book one, they say, “If what you crave in your SF is a fresh and dynamic approach to world-building, wed to epic storytelling with believably flawed heroes and vividly imagined alien cultures, and you’re frustrated that nobody seems to be bloody doing it, odds are you’ve been skipping over the Kay Kenyon novels every time you go to the bookstore.” Meanwhile, looking at book two, they say, “…it must be said that at the end of the day, this series, exciting as it’s turning out to be, is in many ways pure fantasy formula — just tricked out in the most gorgeous production values imaginable. But who cares if it’s formula as long as the entertainment value is blowing your doors, right? A World Too Near is sweet, splendid entertainment. Kay Kenyon will have you solidly hooked with this series, and if you’ve never had her name down on your reading list before now, it’s way past time you added it.”

City Without End takes Silver Spectrum Award Read More »

Erudite, Intriguing, Perceptive & Disquieting

Publishers Weekly, on Theodore Judson’s forthcoming The Martian General’s Daughter:

“Despite its pulpish title, this erudite and intriguing novel is more in the tradition of Robert Graves than Edgar Rice Burroughs. …Judson (Fitzpatrick’s War) chronicles the last glories of the empire as viewed by Black’s illegitimate daughter, whose own rise from unwanted embarrassment to valued adviser and aide parallels her father’s career. The story might be familiar to today’s readers from the film Gladiator, but the parallels it draws between Roman and American cultures are both perceptive and disquieting.”

Erudite, Intriguing, Perceptive & Disquieting Read More »

Scroll to Top