Fantasy Book Critic has posted Cindy’s Top 2009 Book List. James Barclay comes in at number five with the entire Chronicles of the Raven series of Dawnthief,
Meanwhile SFFWorld has posted their SF Review of 2009 and their Fantasy Review of 2009. Ian McDonald’s Cyberabad Days,
Keep ’em coming!
Even Even More Best of 2009 Read More »
Ryun Patterson of Bookgasm has posted his 5 Best Sci-Fi Books of 2009, and, as in past years, we’re very pleased with the number of Pyr books in (and in this case around) the list. Paul McAuley’s The Quiet War
Bookgasm: 5 Best Sci-Fi Books of 2009 Read More »
The love just keeps flowing it. And it is the season for giving…
Diving into the Wreck
“The pacing is perfect, the choices and decisions made by the major characters feel authentic and leaves readers looking for more.” –Monsters and Critics
Sasha (A Trial of Blood and Steel)
“Sasha is an excellent opening to A Trial of Blood & Steel. The interweaving of war, politics, religion, geography, family and a non-human race are skillfully done. Anyone who likes his or her fantasy to be as intellectually complex as it is entertaining would do well to pick up this book.”-SF Signal
“Sasha reads like a pleasant melding of The Lord of the Rings, medieval-style warfare and intrigue mingled with the political and religious wranglings of Dune. In fact, Sasha makes a nice parallel to Dune’s Paul Atreides. With a galloping plot and plenty of swordplay, honor, dishonor, treacheries, and victories, Sasha is a worthy addition to the heroic fantasy genre.” –Sacramento Book Review
“Sasha’s torturous path to maturity, complete with painful missteps, is sensitively conveyed, and while I definitely cheered for her, I also found myself arguing with her—and in a way, that’s a higher compliment to pay an author… The second book, Petrodor, will likely be on the shelves by the time you are reading this. Go pick it up—I know I will.” Realms of Fantasy
The Quiet War
“This is an impressive novel. More science fiction needs to be like this.” –Adventures in Reading
“Meanwhile, McAuley gives us three other point-of-view characters and does a professional job of melding all of them into a satisfying climax. He’s also left the door open for a possible sequel, and given how much I enjoyed The Quiet War, I hope he follows through. The book won’t change your world, but it’s more than just a by-the-numbers space opera, and fans of this neglected genre now have something to add to their collections.” –San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times
The Silver Skull (Swords of Albion)
“The scary nature of the Otherworld adds a nice edge to this well paced spy thriller that promises more jolly adventures in the Swords of Albion series as it pits humanity against the Faerie. This is a place where the things that go bump in the night are best left alone and the important issues of the day echo today’s headlines making for an interesting alternative reality read.”-Monsters and Critics
Starship: Flagship
“Read Starship: Flagship as a fitting end to the series and to mark the end and to mark the end of the human Republic in the Birthright universe time-line. Mike Resnick and Orson Scott Card breathe new life back into military sci-fi, and pay close attention to the seeds of a sequel put fourth at the very end… what will be the ultimate fate of the galaxy and man?” -AstroGuyz.com
The Martian General’s Daughter
“… a well-researched and engaging novel, with a vibrant milieu, and definitely worth a look.” –Strange Horizons
More Recommendations for Holiday Reading… Read More »
The Year-In-Review reports are starting to appear. Grateful to Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Book Review for choosing The Quiet War
Mad Hatter’s Best of 2009 Read More »
io9’s firs book club meeting is up, discussing Paul McAuley’sThe Quiet War.
io9’s Book Club Discussion Starts Read More »
io9 have announced that they are starting a book club, and choosing as their first selection, Paul McAuley’s Clarke award nominated The Quiet War,
The Quiet War explores the tensions between two factions in the solar system. The Outers, who live on the outer planets and their moons, are post-humanists by default. They’re reengineering their bodies and environments to make it possible for human societies to spread far beyond Earth. But the Earth governments of Greater Brazil want to stop the Outers’ blasphemy against pure, untrammeled Nature. Of course, the real threat is the Outers’ greater productivity, scientific innovation, and success as a society. A series of skirmishes escalate into a war, and that’s when things get explosive. We picked this novel because it’s packed with great ideas and fascinating science.
The book club will discuss the book online Thursday, October 8th, at which time io9 readers will be asked to provide questions for Paul McAuley for a special Q&A follow-up session. So if you were thinking of checking the novel out, now’s a good time!
io9 Book Club Selects The Quiet War for Inaugural Read Read More »
Paul McAuley’s brilliant novel of war (and anti-war), The Quiet War,
Coming in September…
“Shortlisted for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award, this sweeping interplanetary adventure is also a thoughtful examination of human nature. …McAuley (Cowboy Angels) moves deftly among five well-drawn characters in the thick of the action: a cloned spy, a hotshot pilot, a ruthless scientist, a bluntly independent biological engineer and an unscrupulous diplomat. They all, in different ways, must choose between the familiar and the new, struggling to reconcile conflicting desires. This compelling tale opens vast panoramas while confronting believable people with significant choices.” Publishers Weekly starred review
For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Quiet War Full Cover Spread Read More »
Not long now until the winner of this year’s Arthur C Clarke Award (the UK’s premier SF gong, as if you didn’t know) is announced. It so happens that I’ve reviewed all six of the titles in this year’s shortlist and weighed them against one another. [And they are: Song of Time, Ian R. MacLeod – PS Publishing; The Quiet War, Paul McAuley – Gollancz; House of Suns, Alastair Reynolds – Gollancz; Anathem,Neal Stephenson – Atlantic; The Margarets, Sheri S. Tepper – Gollancz; Martin Martin’s on the Other Side, Mark Wernham – Jonathan Cape]. My conclusion? The best of the bunch, by a clear margin, is Paul McAuley’s The Quiet War. This doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to win, and actually I don’t have a good record of predicting the Clarkes. But it does mean it’s a very very good piece of writing. For those of you Stateside who haven’t had the chance to buy it yet, I’d say Pyr’s edition can hardly come soon enough.
[PS: I’m not attending this year’s UK Eastercon, but my insider information is that the annual ‘Not The Clarkes’ panel, which discusses the shortlist, also ended up plumping for McAuley’s novel.]
2009 Arthur C Clarke Award Shortlist Read More »
Coming in September to US shores….
For Your Viewing Pleasure: The Quiet War Read More »
