Reviews

The Metatemporal Detective: The Intersection of History and Fiction

Rob H. Bedford, over on SFFWorld, reviews Michael Moorcock’s The Metatemporal Detective.Rob says, “While each entry is a story in its own right, they do fit together to give an overall tapestry of Moorcock’s multiverse. Stories range from turn-of-the 20th Century England to The Wild West of the 1800s to Nazi-era Germany. Though each of these time frames for the stories have an air of familiarity, each takes place on a world parallel to our own with slight differences. The Nazis in one world don’t quite escalate to power the way they did here, the United States of America isn’t so United in another. This is how Moorcock’s multiverse works, the worlds resemble our own but really aren’t. It is a neat trick and one of the strong points of much of Moorcock’s fiction – the intersection of history and fiction. Two elements, that when in the hands of a deft writer like Moorcock, makes for a very good story.”

I was particularly gratified to see that Rob’s favorite story was “The Mystery of the Texas Twister,” since I have a history with that story predating this collection. It might be my favorite as well, tied perhaps with the final entry in the book. Meanwhile, Rob concludes that, “The strengths of these stories are many. The twisting plots, the quippy dialogue between Begg and Taffy, the interactions between Begg and Zenith, and the cool settings to name just a few. The stories are entertaining and range across the spectrum of Moorcock’s wide canvas. This book will appeal to Moorcock’s many fans as well as fans of dashing, pulpy stories and will fit very comfortably alongside and within Moorcock’s Eternal Champion saga.”

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Moorcock: Always a Big Deal!

Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review proclaims that Michael Moorcock’s The Metatemporal Detective“manages to capture perfectly the ‘pulp feel’ of the authors that Moorcock has affection for. Hard-bitten detectives, beautiful women, gun fights and car chases sit within these pages and some of the double crossing kept me guessing right up until the end of each story… All in all, a very entertaining read that made my daily commute go very quickly. A good one for fans, who are looking for their favourites, as well as the casual reader who may be looking to try Moorcock for the first time.”

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A Different Brand of Military SF

With Starship: Mercenaryjust released, Paul Raven has a very thoughtful review of Mike Resnick’s previous book in the series, Starship: Pirate,up on SF Site, which he recommends as “a story that moves very fast and covers a lot of ground within a very small page count.”

Paul discusses the way that Resnick’s work is “a deliberate attempt…to subvert a genre that, while viscerally thrilling, rarely addresses the deeper implications and ethics of conflict in a universe that isn’t painted black and white. There is much to be lauded in this approach — a more mature and thoughtful way of presenting the classic hero figure.”

He notes that while Resnick’s hero, Wilson Cole, manages to avoid going in “guns blazing” by applying intelligence beforehand, that “That’s not to say nothing happens, though. Far from it; almost all the narrative is subsumed by dialogue –- dry, witty dialogue at that –- and the prose has the feel of being almost cinematic, or perhaps televisual, in that there is almost zero reliance on a third-person narrative point of view, and the characters banter and back-chat with the easy familiarity of sit-com scenes.”

He concludes by proclaiming that Starship: Pirate is “a surprisingly thoughtful novel dressed in the clothing of classic SF adventure,” and wondering if it’s uniqueness will be a handicap in finding an audience. Fortunately, we already know beyond a shadow of a doubt that that isn’t the case!

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Two Great Gift Recommendations

Lisa Tuttle, of The Time’s Online, has recommended Ian McDonald’s Brasylas part of The Times Christmas choice: science fiction / fantasy. She says, “Brasyl is the best novel yet by Ian McDonald, who deserves to be much better known. Audacious in scope and style, the story he tells is very human, full of vividly realised characters. It is a magical alternative history of Brazil and a mind-expanding intellectual adventure in prose bordering on the hallucinogenic.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Vandermeer, of Amazon’s Omnivoracious blog, recommends Michael Moorcock’s The Metatemporal Detectiveas part of Four Great SF / F Gifts. He says, “Put out in a gorgeous hardcover edition from Pyr, featuring the art of World Fantasy Award winner John Picacio, this collection of short fictions will entertain anyone who loves wild imagination wedded to impeccable storytelling, along with liberal doses of humor and suspense. Detailing the exploits of Seaton Begg and his companion Dr. “Taffy Sinclair” as they solve mysteries in alternate universes, The Metatemporal Detective ranges far and wide, from 1960s Chicago to the wild west to Paris and points unknown. Another example of the range and depth of Moorcock’s prodigious talent.”

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Escape from Cubicle 17

Mel’s Take, a review segment on the podcast Escape from Cubicle 17, launched with a review of Alexis Glynn Latner’s Hurricane Moon.

“The characters are very well-developed. It’s a very interesting premise and a very good story…. I found it impossible to put down, once we got to Planet Green. …there’s a very good human story and a romantic element to this novel.” 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

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Hard SF with a Heart

“Hard SF with a heart is an apt description of Hurricane Moon. Latner serves up generous portions of space science, biology, ecology and theology without ever losing sight of her characters. They talk, argue, make love and fall in love–and readers will believe in them… Atmospheric, haunting and evocative, Hurricane Moon is not to be missed.” –Penny Kenny, Starlog

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Killswitch: A Kinetic Thrill-Ride

Ryun Patterson of Bookgasm reviews Joel Shepherd’s latest, Killswitch,third in his Cassandra Kresnov series. Ryun has been a big supporter of the previous two books, so it’s good to hear that Killswitch is, in his opinion, “another remarkable effort that remains true to its predecessors and shows Shepherd’s evolution as a writer. His strengths are on full display: Action is electric and infused with the rough-edged reality of warfare, the characters are multifaceted and introspective, and the sexy quotient is once again high. Kresnov as a character has matured in a delicious way, staying hot and ultra-bad-ass while keeping the self-examining, self-reliant emotional core that makes her such an appealing heroine…”

I’m also always very gratified to see when cover art makes it into a discussion of a book, as our genre has a unique history of illustration that deserves much more attention than it historically gets. In this case, Ryun says, “So many times when you get books with covers as great as Stephan Martiniere’s, the contents are a letdown, but the kinetic thrill-ride of the Pyr covers really captures the essence of what’s great about this series.”

Update: Calico Reaction reviews Killswitch, as well as previous book Breakaway. Her overall impression: “Overall, this has been a pretty enjoyable trilogy. It’s ambitious and intellectual, action-packed but yet intimate. Shepherd’s greatest strength are characters you can really emphasize with and the amazing level of his diverse, culturally relevant world-building. Also enjoyable is the fact he really does have some strong, heroic women leads, and multiple leads at that, which is really awesome.”

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Lucky Number 600

I just logged the 600th Pyr review.

Here it is, a review of Brasyl:

“Flashy, rhythmic, kaleidoscopic writing characterizes McDonald’s slick novel of the past, present and future, set in kinetic Brazil…[It’s] full of mind-bending ideas, psychological insight and imaginative flights of fancy. The complex characters will have you rooting for their better sides, and the colorful atmospheric details of each timeline intrigue and dazzle.” –Portsmouth Herald/SeaCoastOnline.com, NH, October 14, 2007

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Crossover: A Very Angry Thing Running Fast

2 Comments /

Chris, of the Book Swede & His Blog, has some nice things to say about Joel Shepherd’s Crossover,including:

  • “….a short, snappy writing style which makes the story always seem to be hurtling along at the speed of a very angry thing running very fast indeed.”
  • “In a book filled with action and drama, Joel Shepherd still managed to inject humour into situations at just the right moments…”

and

  • “Breakaway(Book 2) is certainly on my must-read list.”

He gives the book 9 out of 10.

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Thoughts on The Blade Itself and Infoquake

3 Comments /

Four stars for Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itselfup on SF Signal. JP writes, “The Blade Itself is Joe Abercrombie’s first novel, and it’s a darn fine one at that. And as a self-professed fantasy hater, that’s saying something.” He praises the action and the pacing, and adds, “Each one of these characters is well thought out and well presented and each one has a role to play in the story. While you may not be sympathetic to them all, Abercrombie has a knack for creating believable characters.”

Meanwhile, Calico Reaction isn’t sure what she thinks of David Louis Edelman’s Infoquake,but is intrigued enough to want to know more: “I’m interested in the world, the situation, and where the story might be going. No doubt, it’s complex, and while this volume has its own story arc, it does not even begin to answer every question raised. Which is why, of course, I’m looking forward to the sequel, to learn what’s really happening, even if some of it flies over my head. 🙂 Boardroom SF, people. Who knew? I think Edelman has definitely made a splash in the genre, and I think those interested in the worlds and technologies found in Charles Stross’s works and Vernor Vinge’s (mind you, I’ve only read Accelerando and Rainbows End respectively) will be entertained by this book, which–for the record–will be re-released as a Solaris mass market paperback this June, a month before Pyr’s release of the sequel, MultiReal.”

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