Official Mark J. Ferrari WebsiteOrder “The Book of Joby” HERE
Read Excerpts HERE
Despite a great love for fantasy literature (J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, Ursula K. Le Guin, Orson Scott Card, Lois McMaster Bujold, John Crowley, T.H. White, et cetera) and writing, Mark J. Ferrari instead pursued a career as a professional artist, doing freelance illustration for such clients as Lucasfilm, Lucas Arts Games, Industrial Light & Magic, Electronic Arts, Tor, Ace, New American Library, The Science Fiction Book Club and so on. After seventeen years working as a fantasy illustrator, Mr. Ferrari decided it was time to embrace his other passion as a writer, completing his marvelous first novel “The Book of Joby”, which, with apologies to Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” and David Anthony Durham’s “Acacia”, could be the fantasy debut of the year…
While the Old Testament’s Book of Job has been modernized before—Robert A. Heinlein's “Job: A Comedy of Justice”, James Morrow’s “Blameless In Abaddon”, David Adam Richard’s “Mercy Among the Children”—it’s a story that never gets old, and Mark J. Ferrari’s “The Book of Joby”, not only does the original justice, but it adds its own spin to the mythos. For those unfamiliar with the classic tale, Job was a prosperous and righteous man whose faithfulness in God was tested by Satan who stripped Job of his wealth, family and health. In Mr. Ferrari’s debut, the story takes place in a contemporary setting, but follows a similar outline—God and Lucifer make a bet on the virtue of humankind with Joby the unfortunate candidate; Lucifer and his minions are given free reign, short of death that is, in trying to force Joby to renounce God, and proceed in making Joby’s life a living hell. Of course the author has taken some liberties with the story, such as God and Lucifer being quite active in the affairs of man, even going so far as disguising themselves as everyday people and ‘shooting the breeze’ in restaurants or bars. The bet itself is apparently a common occurrence, having taken place over ten thousand times before, but this one is a little bit different as the stakes have been considerably raised. In short, if Lucifer were to win the wager, then all of creation would be remade according to his instructions. The biggest departure from the original tale however, is the strong Arthurian theme that runs throughout “The Book of Joby” and the way King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Mordred, Merlin and the Holy Grail are integrated into the whole “Heaven vs. Hell” plot is quite clever and entertaining. Throw in a charming coming-of-age tale, a heartbreaking love triangle, archangels, demons, a magical hidden town, stimulating philosophical/moral explorations of faithfulness, justice & free will, and a compelling portrayal of the human spirit and you have the basic recipe for Mark J. Ferrari’s fine debut.
As interesting as the story is though, I have to say that I was most impressed with the writing, in particular the characterization and Mr. Ferrari’s prose. While the book is obviously Joby’s tale, the viewpoints rotate between a bunch of different characters—Joby, Ben, Laura, Lucifer, Gabriel, Solomon, Hawk, Michael, etc—and the author does a wonderful job of distinguishing each personality. Dialogue is especially sharp, most notably the witty banter with the interactions between God & Lucifer having the best repartee in the book. Also well done are the different emotional states that Joby & company go through, including happiness, compassion, love, despair, rage and so forth, which are all vividly captured. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself bursting out in laughter one moment, and fighting back tears the next. “The Book of Joby” after all, is quite an emotional roller coaster made all the more potent by the author’s gift for conveying what his characters are feeling. As far as the prose, Mark J. Ferrari reminds me of a cross between Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman and J.K. Rowling with some Guy Gavriel Kay mixed in, but to be honest, I’m not sure that’s an accurate description. Basically, the author’s style is quite accessible, but mature, and seems to shift from being whimsical to humorous to solemn with surprising dexterity. On top of all that, “The Book of Joby” possesses a fairly swift rhythm, and despite weighing in at almost 640 pages, it’s easy to finish the novel in a short amount of time.
In conclusion, I had been looking forward to “The Book of Joby” ever since I first read about the novel, and as much as I was anticipating it, the book far exceeded my every expectation. It’s a shame though that the novel hasn’t enjoyed nearly as much fanfare as some of the other fantasy debuts that have come out this year, because “The Book of Joby” definitely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” and David Anthony Durham’s “Acacia”. In fact, I strongly believe that Mark J. Ferrari’s debut has the potential to be very successful, especially in the long run considering its wide-ranging appeal and accessibility. Apart from a few choice cuss words, I would give “The Book of Joby” a PG-rating and feel that young readers will enjoy the novel just as much as adults. Best of all though, “The Book of Joby” is a fantasy epic that is resolved all in one book! While it’s sad to think that Joby’s adventures are over, I’m very satisfied with the way “The Book of Joby” ended and I’ve already set my sights on Mr. Ferrari’s next fantasy, which will be another standalone novel. Until then, let me once again say how great a novel “The Book of Joby” is, and I truly hope that readers will give the book a chance since it’s one of the more surprising and delightful fantasies that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in years…
While the Old Testament’s Book of Job has been modernized before—Robert A. Heinlein's “Job: A Comedy of Justice”, James Morrow’s “Blameless In Abaddon”, David Adam Richard’s “Mercy Among the Children”—it’s a story that never gets old, and Mark J. Ferrari’s “The Book of Joby”, not only does the original justice, but it adds its own spin to the mythos. For those unfamiliar with the classic tale, Job was a prosperous and righteous man whose faithfulness in God was tested by Satan who stripped Job of his wealth, family and health. In Mr. Ferrari’s debut, the story takes place in a contemporary setting, but follows a similar outline—God and Lucifer make a bet on the virtue of humankind with Joby the unfortunate candidate; Lucifer and his minions are given free reign, short of death that is, in trying to force Joby to renounce God, and proceed in making Joby’s life a living hell. Of course the author has taken some liberties with the story, such as God and Lucifer being quite active in the affairs of man, even going so far as disguising themselves as everyday people and ‘shooting the breeze’ in restaurants or bars. The bet itself is apparently a common occurrence, having taken place over ten thousand times before, but this one is a little bit different as the stakes have been considerably raised. In short, if Lucifer were to win the wager, then all of creation would be remade according to his instructions. The biggest departure from the original tale however, is the strong Arthurian theme that runs throughout “The Book of Joby” and the way King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Mordred, Merlin and the Holy Grail are integrated into the whole “Heaven vs. Hell” plot is quite clever and entertaining. Throw in a charming coming-of-age tale, a heartbreaking love triangle, archangels, demons, a magical hidden town, stimulating philosophical/moral explorations of faithfulness, justice & free will, and a compelling portrayal of the human spirit and you have the basic recipe for Mark J. Ferrari’s fine debut.
As interesting as the story is though, I have to say that I was most impressed with the writing, in particular the characterization and Mr. Ferrari’s prose. While the book is obviously Joby’s tale, the viewpoints rotate between a bunch of different characters—Joby, Ben, Laura, Lucifer, Gabriel, Solomon, Hawk, Michael, etc—and the author does a wonderful job of distinguishing each personality. Dialogue is especially sharp, most notably the witty banter with the interactions between God & Lucifer having the best repartee in the book. Also well done are the different emotional states that Joby & company go through, including happiness, compassion, love, despair, rage and so forth, which are all vividly captured. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself bursting out in laughter one moment, and fighting back tears the next. “The Book of Joby” after all, is quite an emotional roller coaster made all the more potent by the author’s gift for conveying what his characters are feeling. As far as the prose, Mark J. Ferrari reminds me of a cross between Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman and J.K. Rowling with some Guy Gavriel Kay mixed in, but to be honest, I’m not sure that’s an accurate description. Basically, the author’s style is quite accessible, but mature, and seems to shift from being whimsical to humorous to solemn with surprising dexterity. On top of all that, “The Book of Joby” possesses a fairly swift rhythm, and despite weighing in at almost 640 pages, it’s easy to finish the novel in a short amount of time.
In conclusion, I had been looking forward to “The Book of Joby” ever since I first read about the novel, and as much as I was anticipating it, the book far exceeded my every expectation. It’s a shame though that the novel hasn’t enjoyed nearly as much fanfare as some of the other fantasy debuts that have come out this year, because “The Book of Joby” definitely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” and David Anthony Durham’s “Acacia”. In fact, I strongly believe that Mark J. Ferrari’s debut has the potential to be very successful, especially in the long run considering its wide-ranging appeal and accessibility. Apart from a few choice cuss words, I would give “The Book of Joby” a PG-rating and feel that young readers will enjoy the novel just as much as adults. Best of all though, “The Book of Joby” is a fantasy epic that is resolved all in one book! While it’s sad to think that Joby’s adventures are over, I’m very satisfied with the way “The Book of Joby” ended and I’ve already set my sights on Mr. Ferrari’s next fantasy, which will be another standalone novel. Until then, let me once again say how great a novel “The Book of Joby” is, and I truly hope that readers will give the book a chance since it’s one of the more surprising and delightful fantasies that I’ve had the pleasure of reading in years…
8:58 PM | 
Posted by
Robert |
Official Brandon Sanderson WebsiteOrder “The Well of Ascension” HERE
A couple of years ago author Brandon Sanderson impressed me with his debut novel “Elantris”, a standalone fantasy that flashed a lot of promise and had me looking forward to his next offering “Mistborn: The Final Empire”. Without a doubt, Mr. Sanderson turned it up several notches in the opening chapter of his Mistborn Trilogy, delivering one of my favorite books of 2006.
What immediately grabbed my attention in “Mistborn: The Final Empire” was the magic system Allomancy/Feruchemy, which is by far one of the most innovative concepts that I’ve ever seen in fantasy. By definition, Allomancy is “a mystical hereditary power involving the burning of metals inside the body to gain special abilities” while Feruchemy uses metals outside the body to store attributes. In other words, by using a certain metal (iron, steel, pewter, tin, etc.) an Allomancer or Feruchemist can enhance abilities such as increased strength, speed, sight, hearing and other extraordinary powers. Those who can use Allomancy are divided into two groups—Mistings who are born with only one ability (Coinshot, Thugs, Soother, Tineye) and the much rarer Mistborn who can burn all of the metals, while Feruchemy is limited to the Terris Keepers who mainly use their power to store & safeguard knowledge. Suffice it to say that the Mistborn, and to some extent Feruchemists, are extremely powerful individuals, and the highlight of the book is seeing them in action, especially in battle, which reminded me of something you might see in a comic book, videogame or animation. Secondly, the world of Mistborn is a pretty fascinating place to explore. Essentially, the Lord Ruler has reigned over the Final Empire for a thousand years, replacing “individual kingdoms, cultures, religions & languages” with a social class that is divided between nobles and skaa (peasants basically), all governed by the frightening Steel Ministry, which consists of Obligators & Steel Inquisitors who are a different form of Mistborn. And because of the ever-present Mist, the Final Empire is a depressing world where such concepts as a blue sky and green plants are foreign. Finally, the story is an intriguing one, based on such questions as, “What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge?” Incorporated into that is some good ol’ fashioned caper fun—think Scott Lynch’s The Gentleman Bastard novels or the Ocean’s 13 films—with revolution and religion also playing an important role. In short, I absolutely loved “Mistborn: The Final Empire” and was left breathless in anticipation for its follow-up “The Well of Ascension”. As much as I enjoyed reading the sequel though, I have to admit that I was somewhat let down by “The Well of Ascension”, partly because I had such high expectations for the book and partly because of the so-called “middle-volume syndrome”.
“The Well of Ascension” is set a year after “Mistborn: The Final Empire” and once again takes place in the city of Luthadel which is located in the heart of the Central Dominance. The main storyline deals with Elend Venture, an idealistic young noble who has taken the throne and is facing numerous threats both within and without the walls of Luthadel, including assassins, a parliamentary council that doesn’t want Elend as king, and not one, not two, but three armies intent on conquering the city. Meanwhile, Vin has her own hands full trying to protect Elend without any of the precious Atium left, learning about a 12th alloy called Duralumin (previously it was thought that there were only ten allomantic metals), dealing with the mysterious Mistborn called Watcher (as well as an ominous mist-spirit), figuring out which of her friends might be a kandra spy, and having her love for Elend tested to the breaking point. Other subplots include the Mist starting to appear during daytime and killing people, and solving the thousand-year mysteries behind the Hero of Ages, the Well of Ascension, and the Deepness…
As you can see, there’s a lot going on in “The Well of Ascension”, but thankfully I never had any problems staying on top of things since Mr. Sanderson has such a good grasp on the material. Of the actual story though, I thought the book was a little hit or miss. On the positive side, Allomancy once again steals the show, as does Feruchemy, and we get to learn more about kandra and koloss, two highly unique species, the former of which can ingest a creature’s dead body, using their own flesh to create an almost perfect duplicate. Furthermore, I liked how the author played around with a bunch of standard fantasy truisms including prophecy, “mythological saviors/monsters”, and in particular, what happens after you defeat the evil ruler which, as “The Well of Ascension” demonstrates, is much more difficult than actually beating the bad guy. Unfortunately, the book isn’t cliché-free. There’s a love triangle between Vin, Elend and an unnamed third party that is pretty formulaic, a character that is revealed to be related to one of the main characters, and the whole “imposter in our midst” subplot was fairly transparent, at least for me since I figured out who it was early on. Also, I really missed the caper elements that were prevalent in “Mistborn: The Final Empire”, getting instead a heavy dose of politicking which I didn’t find nearly as compelling. Still, despite whatever issues I may have had with the story, when you combine complex plotting and high-flying action with themes of love, trust & faith, as well as shocking revelations and unexpected betrayals, it makes for undeniably entertaining reading.
Character-wise, “The Well of Ascension” once again follows Vin who continues to develop her Mistborn powers, while still dealing with issues of trust, friendship, and now love. Replacing Kelsier from the first book is Elend, who’s not as captivating as Kelsier was, but it is fun to see Elend evolve from a timid, scholarly type into a commanding, authoritative figure. Sazed, a Terris Keeper facing matters of faith & his own problems with love, provides the third narrative and is my favorite character, partly because of his Feruchemy abilities and partly because of his personality. OreSeur, a kandra contracted to serve Vin is one of the more interesting secondary characters, while the remaining viewpoints rotate between Straff Venture—Elend’s father and one of the book’s chief villains—, the Soother Breeze, and the mysterious Watcher. Sadly, Kelsier’s ‘crew’ (Ham, Clubs, Spook, and especially Dockson) are relegated to minor roles in “The Well of Ascension”, which was disappointing since they were such an entertaining part of “Mistborn: The Final Empire”. Moreover, I wish that Marsh, Kelsier’s brother who infiltrated the Steel Ministry, and Inquisitors in general, had been in the book more, but I think that will be remedied in the final chapter of the Mistborn Trilogy. As a whole, the characterization was a bit lacking, particularly when characters start dying off since I didn’t seem to care about who lived or died.
Regarding the “middle-volume syndrome”, let me first clarify that “The Well of Ascension”, like its predecessor, stands well on its own even though the books are obviously connected. Despite that, “The Well of Ascension” does suffer from a few middle-volume maladies, such as leaving questions unanswered—How and where did Kelsier discover the eleventh alloy Malatium?—, spending too much time on setting up events for the third book in the trilogy, and ending “The Well of Ascension” on a cliffhanger note. Truthfully though, these were minor issues for me, and for the most part Brandon Sanderson does a good job of addressing this problem area, which is common in a lot of trilogies.
In the end, I had very high hopes for “The Well of Ascension”, and while the book did not live up to my expectations, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth the time and effort. Sure, characterization is an area that Brandon Sanderson needs to work on, the pacing of the book was uneven—particularly when the story got bogged down with government politics—, and the plot suffered from a few clichés, but as long as the author’s fertile imagination remains in play (Allomancers, Feruchemy, kandra, koloss, etc.) and he’s making an effort to break down conventional fantasy trappings, then it’s easy to overlook such imperfections. Of course, if Mr. Sanderson’s flaws ever catch up with his strengths, then the author will definitely be a force to reckon with. For now, Brandon Sanderson is still a work-in-progress, but he’s easily one of the most exciting new voices in fantasy and I think his next few releases, which includes “Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians” (October 2007-Scholastic), the conclusion to the Mistborn Trilogy (“The Hero of Ages”-Summer 2008), and “Warbreaker” (Spring 2009), will go a long way in determining just how much of an impact the author will have in the genre…
What immediately grabbed my attention in “Mistborn: The Final Empire” was the magic system Allomancy/Feruchemy, which is by far one of the most innovative concepts that I’ve ever seen in fantasy. By definition, Allomancy is “a mystical hereditary power involving the burning of metals inside the body to gain special abilities” while Feruchemy uses metals outside the body to store attributes. In other words, by using a certain metal (iron, steel, pewter, tin, etc.) an Allomancer or Feruchemist can enhance abilities such as increased strength, speed, sight, hearing and other extraordinary powers. Those who can use Allomancy are divided into two groups—Mistings who are born with only one ability (Coinshot, Thugs, Soother, Tineye) and the much rarer Mistborn who can burn all of the metals, while Feruchemy is limited to the Terris Keepers who mainly use their power to store & safeguard knowledge. Suffice it to say that the Mistborn, and to some extent Feruchemists, are extremely powerful individuals, and the highlight of the book is seeing them in action, especially in battle, which reminded me of something you might see in a comic book, videogame or animation. Secondly, the world of Mistborn is a pretty fascinating place to explore. Essentially, the Lord Ruler has reigned over the Final Empire for a thousand years, replacing “individual kingdoms, cultures, religions & languages” with a social class that is divided between nobles and skaa (peasants basically), all governed by the frightening Steel Ministry, which consists of Obligators & Steel Inquisitors who are a different form of Mistborn. And because of the ever-present Mist, the Final Empire is a depressing world where such concepts as a blue sky and green plants are foreign. Finally, the story is an intriguing one, based on such questions as, “What if the hero of prophecy fails? What kind of world results when the Dark Lord is in charge?” Incorporated into that is some good ol’ fashioned caper fun—think Scott Lynch’s The Gentleman Bastard novels or the Ocean’s 13 films—with revolution and religion also playing an important role. In short, I absolutely loved “Mistborn: The Final Empire” and was left breathless in anticipation for its follow-up “The Well of Ascension”. As much as I enjoyed reading the sequel though, I have to admit that I was somewhat let down by “The Well of Ascension”, partly because I had such high expectations for the book and partly because of the so-called “middle-volume syndrome”.
“The Well of Ascension” is set a year after “Mistborn: The Final Empire” and once again takes place in the city of Luthadel which is located in the heart of the Central Dominance. The main storyline deals with Elend Venture, an idealistic young noble who has taken the throne and is facing numerous threats both within and without the walls of Luthadel, including assassins, a parliamentary council that doesn’t want Elend as king, and not one, not two, but three armies intent on conquering the city. Meanwhile, Vin has her own hands full trying to protect Elend without any of the precious Atium left, learning about a 12th alloy called Duralumin (previously it was thought that there were only ten allomantic metals), dealing with the mysterious Mistborn called Watcher (as well as an ominous mist-spirit), figuring out which of her friends might be a kandra spy, and having her love for Elend tested to the breaking point. Other subplots include the Mist starting to appear during daytime and killing people, and solving the thousand-year mysteries behind the Hero of Ages, the Well of Ascension, and the Deepness…
As you can see, there’s a lot going on in “The Well of Ascension”, but thankfully I never had any problems staying on top of things since Mr. Sanderson has such a good grasp on the material. Of the actual story though, I thought the book was a little hit or miss. On the positive side, Allomancy once again steals the show, as does Feruchemy, and we get to learn more about kandra and koloss, two highly unique species, the former of which can ingest a creature’s dead body, using their own flesh to create an almost perfect duplicate. Furthermore, I liked how the author played around with a bunch of standard fantasy truisms including prophecy, “mythological saviors/monsters”, and in particular, what happens after you defeat the evil ruler which, as “The Well of Ascension” demonstrates, is much more difficult than actually beating the bad guy. Unfortunately, the book isn’t cliché-free. There’s a love triangle between Vin, Elend and an unnamed third party that is pretty formulaic, a character that is revealed to be related to one of the main characters, and the whole “imposter in our midst” subplot was fairly transparent, at least for me since I figured out who it was early on. Also, I really missed the caper elements that were prevalent in “Mistborn: The Final Empire”, getting instead a heavy dose of politicking which I didn’t find nearly as compelling. Still, despite whatever issues I may have had with the story, when you combine complex plotting and high-flying action with themes of love, trust & faith, as well as shocking revelations and unexpected betrayals, it makes for undeniably entertaining reading.
Character-wise, “The Well of Ascension” once again follows Vin who continues to develop her Mistborn powers, while still dealing with issues of trust, friendship, and now love. Replacing Kelsier from the first book is Elend, who’s not as captivating as Kelsier was, but it is fun to see Elend evolve from a timid, scholarly type into a commanding, authoritative figure. Sazed, a Terris Keeper facing matters of faith & his own problems with love, provides the third narrative and is my favorite character, partly because of his Feruchemy abilities and partly because of his personality. OreSeur, a kandra contracted to serve Vin is one of the more interesting secondary characters, while the remaining viewpoints rotate between Straff Venture—Elend’s father and one of the book’s chief villains—, the Soother Breeze, and the mysterious Watcher. Sadly, Kelsier’s ‘crew’ (Ham, Clubs, Spook, and especially Dockson) are relegated to minor roles in “The Well of Ascension”, which was disappointing since they were such an entertaining part of “Mistborn: The Final Empire”. Moreover, I wish that Marsh, Kelsier’s brother who infiltrated the Steel Ministry, and Inquisitors in general, had been in the book more, but I think that will be remedied in the final chapter of the Mistborn Trilogy. As a whole, the characterization was a bit lacking, particularly when characters start dying off since I didn’t seem to care about who lived or died.
Regarding the “middle-volume syndrome”, let me first clarify that “The Well of Ascension”, like its predecessor, stands well on its own even though the books are obviously connected. Despite that, “The Well of Ascension” does suffer from a few middle-volume maladies, such as leaving questions unanswered—How and where did Kelsier discover the eleventh alloy Malatium?—, spending too much time on setting up events for the third book in the trilogy, and ending “The Well of Ascension” on a cliffhanger note. Truthfully though, these were minor issues for me, and for the most part Brandon Sanderson does a good job of addressing this problem area, which is common in a lot of trilogies.
In the end, I had very high hopes for “The Well of Ascension”, and while the book did not live up to my expectations, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t worth the time and effort. Sure, characterization is an area that Brandon Sanderson needs to work on, the pacing of the book was uneven—particularly when the story got bogged down with government politics—, and the plot suffered from a few clichés, but as long as the author’s fertile imagination remains in play (Allomancers, Feruchemy, kandra, koloss, etc.) and he’s making an effort to break down conventional fantasy trappings, then it’s easy to overlook such imperfections. Of course, if Mr. Sanderson’s flaws ever catch up with his strengths, then the author will definitely be a force to reckon with. For now, Brandon Sanderson is still a work-in-progress, but he’s easily one of the most exciting new voices in fantasy and I think his next few releases, which includes “Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians” (October 2007-Scholastic), the conclusion to the Mistborn Trilogy (“The Hero of Ages”-Summer 2008), and “Warbreaker” (Spring 2009), will go a long way in determining just how much of an impact the author will have in the genre…
Hello readers. No news updates today unfortunately. I’m still busy with the move, which is going very well and hopefully by next week we’ll be living in the new place! In the meantime, new posts might be a little infrequent, so to tide you over here’s a little update on the books that are in my review pile, interviews I hope to conduct and a couple of giveaways. As far as the pic above, those are mainly the books that I’ve recently purchased, some personal favorites and copies that I’ve received from publishers/authors since starting Fantasy Book Critic. The rest of my collection is in storage or at my parent’s house :D. Anyways, should be some good stuff coming up in the months ahead and I look forward to spreading the joy! Thanks for reading and much love & respect…
BOOK REVIEWS:
Brandon Sanderson – The Well of Ascension (August 21, 2007)
Mark J. Ferrari – The Book of Joby (August 21, 2007)
Jeff Long – Deeper (August 21, 2007)
Joseph Finder – Power Play (August 21, 2007)
Terry Brooks – The Elves of Cintra (August 28, 2007)
Charlie Huston – The Shotgun Rule (August 28, 2007)
Karen Miller – The Innocent Mage (September 1, 2007)
Lilith Saintcrow – The Devil’s Right Hand (September 1, 2007)
Chelsea Cain – HeartSick (September 4, 2007)
Lian Hearn – Heaven’s Net Is Wide (September 7, 2007)
Brian Ruckley – Winterbirth (September 10, 2007)
David Farland – Worldbinder (September 18, 2007)
Jennifer Lee Carrell – Interred With Their Bones (September 20, 2007)
Jon Courtenay Grimwood – End of the World Blues (September 25, 2007)
Joe Abercrombie – The Blade Itself (September 30, 2007)
Tara Bray Smith – Betwixt (October 1, 2007)
Gary Gibson – Stealing Light (October 5, 2007 UK, October 1, 2007 USA)
Joe Schreiber – Eat the Dark (October 16, 2007)
Michael Reaves / Steve Perry – Stars Wars: Death Star (October 16, 2007)
BOOK REVIEWS:
Brandon Sanderson – The Well of Ascension (August 21, 2007)
Mark J. Ferrari – The Book of Joby (August 21, 2007)
Jeff Long – Deeper (August 21, 2007)
Joseph Finder – Power Play (August 21, 2007)
Terry Brooks – The Elves of Cintra (August 28, 2007)
Charlie Huston – The Shotgun Rule (August 28, 2007)
Karen Miller – The Innocent Mage (September 1, 2007)
Lilith Saintcrow – The Devil’s Right Hand (September 1, 2007)
Chelsea Cain – HeartSick (September 4, 2007)
Lian Hearn – Heaven’s Net Is Wide (September 7, 2007)
Brian Ruckley – Winterbirth (September 10, 2007)
David Farland – Worldbinder (September 18, 2007)
Jennifer Lee Carrell – Interred With Their Bones (September 20, 2007)
Jon Courtenay Grimwood – End of the World Blues (September 25, 2007)
Joe Abercrombie – The Blade Itself (September 30, 2007)
Tara Bray Smith – Betwixt (October 1, 2007)
Gary Gibson – Stealing Light (October 5, 2007 UK, October 1, 2007 USA)
Joe Schreiber – Eat the Dark (October 16, 2007)
Michael Reaves / Steve Perry – Stars Wars: Death Star (October 16, 2007)
Robert McCammon – Speaks the Nightbird / The Queen of Bedlam (October 23, 2007)
Robert Liparulo – Deadfall (November 6, 2007)
Catherynne M. Valente – The Orphan’s Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice (TBA)
J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Peter David – Darkness of the Light
Jay Lake – Mainspring
Emma Bull – Territory
Kim Harrison – For A Few Demons More
Steven Erikson – Reaper’s Gale
Steven Erikson – Blood Follows, The Healthy Dead, The Lees of Laughter’s End
Tim Willocks – The Religion
Ian McDonald – Brasyl
Kay Kenyon – Bright of the Sky
Sean Williams – The Blood Debt, The Hanging Mountains
William Gibson – Spook Country
Justin Allen – Slaves of the Shinar
Conrad Willliams – The Scalding Rooms
Will Shetterly – The Gospel of the Knife
Richard Taylor – The Haunting of Cambria
…and a bunch that I can’t remember at the moment, sorry!
INTERVIEWS:
Brandon Sanderson
Douglas Clegg
David Gunn
Joe Abercrombie
Brian Ruckley
Catherynne M. Valente
Joel Shepherd
GIVEAWAYS:
ONE set of Sarah Monette's books including "Mélusine", "The Virtu" and "The Mirador"
ONE set of Douglas Clegg's The Vampyricon Trilogy including "The Priest of Blood", "The Lady of Serpents" and "The Queen of Wolves"
FIVE copies of David Gunn’s “Death’s Head”
Robert Liparulo – Deadfall (November 6, 2007)
Catherynne M. Valente – The Orphan’s Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice (TBA)
J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Peter David – Darkness of the Light
Jay Lake – Mainspring
Emma Bull – Territory
Kim Harrison – For A Few Demons More
Steven Erikson – Reaper’s Gale
Steven Erikson – Blood Follows, The Healthy Dead, The Lees of Laughter’s End
Tim Willocks – The Religion
Ian McDonald – Brasyl
Kay Kenyon – Bright of the Sky
Sean Williams – The Blood Debt, The Hanging Mountains
William Gibson – Spook Country
Justin Allen – Slaves of the Shinar
Conrad Willliams – The Scalding Rooms
Will Shetterly – The Gospel of the Knife
Richard Taylor – The Haunting of Cambria
…and a bunch that I can’t remember at the moment, sorry!
INTERVIEWS:
Brandon Sanderson
Douglas Clegg
David Gunn
Joe Abercrombie
Brian Ruckley
Catherynne M. Valente
Joel Shepherd
GIVEAWAYS:
ONE set of Sarah Monette's books including "Mélusine", "The Virtu" and "The Mirador"
ONE set of Douglas Clegg's The Vampyricon Trilogy including "The Priest of Blood", "The Lady of Serpents" and "The Queen of Wolves"
FIVE copies of David Gunn’s “Death’s Head”
Order “A Betrayal In Winter” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
It was because of a glowing cover blurb by George R. R. Martin (A Song of Ice & Fire) that I picked up a copy of Daniel Abraham’s debut novel “A Shadow In Summer” (2006), but the reason why I enjoyed the book so much and have been anticipating its sequels squarely rests on the shoulders of Mr. Abraham. A graduate of the Clarion West workshop, Daniel Abraham cut his teeth on numerous short fiction including the Nebula-nominated / International Horror Guild Award-winning “Flat Diane” (2004) and the GRRM/Gardner Dozois-collaborated “Shadow Twin” — has been expanded into the novel “Hunter’s Run” which is due out September 3, 2007 for the UK (Voyager) and early 2008 for the US (EOS) — before venturing into novels with his series The Long Price Quartet, which began in last year’s “A Shadow In Summer” and continues with “A Betrayal In Winter”.
Fifteen years have passed since tragedy hit the port city Saraykeht at the end of “A Shadow In Summer” and changed forever the lives of Otah Machi & Maati Vaupathi. Unfortunately fate has not yet finished with them for in the northern city of Machi, the Khai is dying and according to custom, his sons must fight one another until only one remains to take the throne. As the sixth son of the Khai, Otah was sent away as a child to follow the ways of a poet—before he turned his back on that life and decided to pursue his own path—and thought he was free of his family’s duties. Because of an ambitious plot involving his bloodline however, Otah has been inadvertently caught in the middle of the succession, forcing him to face his past, including Maati who was ordered by the Dai-kvo to investigate Otah’s possible collusion in the conspiracy. Also tangled up in this complex web of political intrigue, lies, and betrayal are Cehmai Tyan, Machi’s poet who controls the andat Stone-Made-Soft, and the Khai’s daughter Idaan…
Much like its predecessor, “A Betrayal In Winter” features an intricate plot driven by complicated characters and their emotions such as love, greed and loyalty. For fantasists, the story is not exactly fast-paced or brimming with lots of sword-and-sorcery action—in fact, as understated as the magic was in Mr. Abraham’s debut, it’s even less in “A Betrayal In Winter”. Instead, the emphasis is once again on the scheming going on, mysteries to be solved, and all of the Shakespearean drama. While some of the plot devices are familiar—doomed love triangles, fratricide, male-dominated hierarchies, et cetera—the story remains compelling and much of it has to do with the characterization, which for the most part, is rich and fulfilling. Getting to reconnect with Otah & Maati and seeing how they have evolved is especially rewarding, but I did think Cehmai & Idaan were a bit conventional, and there’s definitely no one in “A Betrayal In Winter” who was quite as interesting as Seedless from “A Shadow In Summer”. Speaking of which, while “A Betrayal In Winter” works well as a standalone novel, I’d highly recommend reading “A Shadow In Summer” first, largely so you can get a better understanding of what Otah & Maati have gone through and how it relates with their present situations. Additionally, the life of a poet, what an andat is, and other aspects of the world that Mr. Abraham has created, are better explained in the debut. In fact, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to learn more in “A Betrayal In Winter”, given that the Cities of the Khaiem are just a small part of a much larger world according to the accompanying map. In particular, I thought there should have been more info on the Galts who play such an important role in the books but are strangely absent most of the time. And from a personal standpoint, I wish there had been more magic utilized, especially since the concept Mr. Abraham uses is so interesting. I guess I can’t complain too much though. After all, the oriental-flavored setting is quite stylish, reminiscent of Lian Hearn’s superb “Tales of the Otori” series, and the writing itself continues to be elegant and refined.
Overall, each novel has its share of strengths & weaknesses—I felt “A Betrayal In Winter” had a better constructed plot, slightly weaker characters, more confident writing, a less impressive climax—and I ended up enjoying “A Betrayal In Winter” about as much as I did “A Shadow In Summer”. Truth be told, my expectations for the next entry in the series, “An Autumn War” (TBA 2008), are much higher and I sincerely believe that Daniel Abraham will be able to deliver. In the meantime, pick up a copy of “A Shadow In Summer” if you haven’t already, be sure to read its sequel “A Betrayal In Winter”, and keep an eye out for Daniel Abraham who I truly believe is an author on the rise…
FYI: Daniel Abraham is also working on a couple of comic book projects including adaptations of George R. R. Martin’s “Fevre Dream” and his novella “Skin Trade” through Avatar Press.
Fifteen years have passed since tragedy hit the port city Saraykeht at the end of “A Shadow In Summer” and changed forever the lives of Otah Machi & Maati Vaupathi. Unfortunately fate has not yet finished with them for in the northern city of Machi, the Khai is dying and according to custom, his sons must fight one another until only one remains to take the throne. As the sixth son of the Khai, Otah was sent away as a child to follow the ways of a poet—before he turned his back on that life and decided to pursue his own path—and thought he was free of his family’s duties. Because of an ambitious plot involving his bloodline however, Otah has been inadvertently caught in the middle of the succession, forcing him to face his past, including Maati who was ordered by the Dai-kvo to investigate Otah’s possible collusion in the conspiracy. Also tangled up in this complex web of political intrigue, lies, and betrayal are Cehmai Tyan, Machi’s poet who controls the andat Stone-Made-Soft, and the Khai’s daughter Idaan…
Much like its predecessor, “A Betrayal In Winter” features an intricate plot driven by complicated characters and their emotions such as love, greed and loyalty. For fantasists, the story is not exactly fast-paced or brimming with lots of sword-and-sorcery action—in fact, as understated as the magic was in Mr. Abraham’s debut, it’s even less in “A Betrayal In Winter”. Instead, the emphasis is once again on the scheming going on, mysteries to be solved, and all of the Shakespearean drama. While some of the plot devices are familiar—doomed love triangles, fratricide, male-dominated hierarchies, et cetera—the story remains compelling and much of it has to do with the characterization, which for the most part, is rich and fulfilling. Getting to reconnect with Otah & Maati and seeing how they have evolved is especially rewarding, but I did think Cehmai & Idaan were a bit conventional, and there’s definitely no one in “A Betrayal In Winter” who was quite as interesting as Seedless from “A Shadow In Summer”. Speaking of which, while “A Betrayal In Winter” works well as a standalone novel, I’d highly recommend reading “A Shadow In Summer” first, largely so you can get a better understanding of what Otah & Maati have gone through and how it relates with their present situations. Additionally, the life of a poet, what an andat is, and other aspects of the world that Mr. Abraham has created, are better explained in the debut. In fact, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to learn more in “A Betrayal In Winter”, given that the Cities of the Khaiem are just a small part of a much larger world according to the accompanying map. In particular, I thought there should have been more info on the Galts who play such an important role in the books but are strangely absent most of the time. And from a personal standpoint, I wish there had been more magic utilized, especially since the concept Mr. Abraham uses is so interesting. I guess I can’t complain too much though. After all, the oriental-flavored setting is quite stylish, reminiscent of Lian Hearn’s superb “Tales of the Otori” series, and the writing itself continues to be elegant and refined.
Overall, each novel has its share of strengths & weaknesses—I felt “A Betrayal In Winter” had a better constructed plot, slightly weaker characters, more confident writing, a less impressive climax—and I ended up enjoying “A Betrayal In Winter” about as much as I did “A Shadow In Summer”. Truth be told, my expectations for the next entry in the series, “An Autumn War” (TBA 2008), are much higher and I sincerely believe that Daniel Abraham will be able to deliver. In the meantime, pick up a copy of “A Shadow In Summer” if you haven’t already, be sure to read its sequel “A Betrayal In Winter”, and keep an eye out for Daniel Abraham who I truly believe is an author on the rise…
FYI: Daniel Abraham is also working on a couple of comic book projects including adaptations of George R. R. Martin’s “Fevre Dream” and his novella “Skin Trade” through Avatar Press.
Order “The Mirador” HERE
Because of Jay Tomio I decided to take a chance on Sarah Monette’s debut novel “Mélusine” (2005) and while the book started out slow it ended up being a very rewarding read, partly due to its imaginative milieu, but mainly because of its unforgettable characters Felix Harrowgate & Mildmay the Fox. While I didn’t enjoy “The Virtu” (2006) as much as its predecessor, that didn’t stop me from looking forward to “The Mirador”, the third book in the author’s four-volume series which, according to Larry’s (Of Blog of the Fallen) excellent interview with Ms. Monette HERE (Part I) + HERE (Part II), is called The Doctrine of Labyrinths. Sadly, I was a little disappointed with “The Mirador”, but before I get into that, let me just warn you that SPOILERS are ahead…
In “Mélusine” and “The Virtu”, our protagonists suffered a lot—Felix losing his sanity, being declared a traitor for breaking the Virtu, having his powers used for evil by the vile Malkar Gennadion, enduring a tumultuous love life, etc. Meanwhile, Mildmay had a lover that was murdered, was crippled by a magical curse, tortured by the aforementioned Malkar, and basically bonded in slavery to Felix, his half-brother, by the obligation d’ame. So while life has somewhat returned to normal in the two years that has lapsed since the end of “The Virtu” and the beginning of “The Mirador”, everything is definitely not peachy.
For one, while Felix is basically back to where he was before the shit hit the fan, the number of his enemies has grown, his latest relationship, this time with Gideon Thraxios, is on the rocks, things between him & Mildmay are no better, and even though his nemesis has been defeated, he’s still haunted by Malkar’s ghost. With Mildmay, it’s hard adjusting to life with a disability, especially compared to when he was a legendary kept-thief/assassin, plus he’s still broken up by the death of Ginevra and has plenty of other demons to deal with, not the least of which is Felix. Then there’s Mehitabel Parr, a governess first introduced in “The Virtu”, who is now an actress for the Empyrean theatre with her own set of baggage. With all three characters, Ms. Monette comprehensively explores what makes each of them tick, painting quite a vivid portrait of the human psyche, which has sort of become the author’s forte. Unfortunately, as fascinating as this aspect of Ms. Monette’s books has been, I just thought there was too much of it in “The Mirador”. After all, as the saying goes, ‘you can have too much of a good thing’.
In this instance, sure, there are plenty of subplots going on in “The Mirador”—Felix trying to discover a way of preventing Malkar from coming back to life; Mildmay looking into Ginevra’s murder (Who ratted them out? Who ordered the hit?) and getting caught up with his past; Mehitabel’s dark secret and how it will affect her actions in the book; Steven Teverius, the Lord Protector remarrying for political reasons; the unexplained death of Amaryllis Cordelia; the Bastion’s offer of amnesty to the Mirador court; and so on. However, the meat of the book mainly focuses on the characters and their internal struggles, with the actual plot plodding along until literally the very end of the novel where events finally pick up and we get some satisfying revelations that go back all the way to “Mélusine”. As rewarding as this was, I just felt it took too long to get this point and that the climactic events were somewhat rushed. Additionally, some of the more interesting concepts that had been introduced in the previous novels—the Khloidanikos, Oneiromancy, Sibylline cards for divination, obligation d’ame, labyrinthine magic, mikkary, etc.—were forsaken a bit in favor of the penetrating characterization, which sometimes became either too redundant or too melodramatic. As a whole, I just wish there had been more of a balance between the characterization, the worldbuilding and the story.
Speaking of which, another bone I have to pick is that the entire book takes place in the city of Mélusine, and mainly in the Mirador. Obviously that’s expected given the novel’s title and the nature of the story, but some of my favorite moments in “Mélusine” and “The Virtu” were visiting different locales such as the Gardens of Nephele and the Bastion. Don’t get me wrong, Mélusine is a wonderful creation, but it was already superbly introduced in Ms. Monette’s debut, and since we don’t really get to see any different aspects of the city in “The Mirador”, I didn’t find Mélusine to be quite as compelling this time around. Thankfully, the fourth and final book in the series looks to take place in areas we haven’t explored yet so I look forward to seeing what extraordinary backdrops Ms. Monette comes up with next.
Despite the faults I had with “The Mirador”, I can’t help but be impressed with what Sarah Monette is accomplishing as a writer. The Doctrine of Labyrinths is easily one of the most original fantasy series that I’ve read and I recommend it for several reasons. 1) Felix & Mildmay. Told through first-person point-of-views, the half-brothers are distinctly unique, not just their personalities & backgrounds—Felix is an ex-prostitute, homosexual, aristocratic wizard; Mildmay a scarred, no nonsense assassin & thief—but also the way Ms. Monette writes them, which is quite dynamic. Mehitabel is a nice addition—her narrative comes across somewhere between Felix & Mildmay and the stage-acting life she embraces is realistically realized—but to be honest, she’s not quite as captivating. 2) The world. Whether it’s the Mirador, Pharaohlight, the Lower City, the Bastion, etc., the world that Ms. Monette has created is alluringly strange and it’s hard not to get caught up in its dark beauty. 3) The magic. I can’t say that the concepts Ms. Monette uses are exactly original, but they are stylish, mysterious and fit in well with the tone of the series. 4) The story. While the plots sometimes get overshadowed by other elements, they are still fairly complex, unpredictable and daring. And finally, the writing. I’ll admit that it took me a little while to get used to Sarah Monette’s prose, but once you do it’s pretty obvious that you’re in capable hands.
In the end, give Sarah Monette’s The Doctrine of Labyrinths a try. Sure, it’s definitely not mainstream fare, meaning a lot of people may not be able to enjoy it, and the series does suffer from its share of weaknesses, and yes, I was disappointed by “The Mirador”, which I didn’t think was as strong as its predecessors, but I guarantee you haven’t read anything quite like The Doctrine of Labyrinths and that in itself, is well worth the effort…
FYI: The fourth and concluding volume to The Doctrine of Labyrinths is called “Summerdown” and comes out in 2008. Before then, you can ease the wait with Ms. Monette’s “A Companion To Wolves” (October 16, 2007-Tor), which was written with Elizabeth Bear. Finally, check out Larry’s review HERE for a second opinion.
In “Mélusine” and “The Virtu”, our protagonists suffered a lot—Felix losing his sanity, being declared a traitor for breaking the Virtu, having his powers used for evil by the vile Malkar Gennadion, enduring a tumultuous love life, etc. Meanwhile, Mildmay had a lover that was murdered, was crippled by a magical curse, tortured by the aforementioned Malkar, and basically bonded in slavery to Felix, his half-brother, by the obligation d’ame. So while life has somewhat returned to normal in the two years that has lapsed since the end of “The Virtu” and the beginning of “The Mirador”, everything is definitely not peachy.
For one, while Felix is basically back to where he was before the shit hit the fan, the number of his enemies has grown, his latest relationship, this time with Gideon Thraxios, is on the rocks, things between him & Mildmay are no better, and even though his nemesis has been defeated, he’s still haunted by Malkar’s ghost. With Mildmay, it’s hard adjusting to life with a disability, especially compared to when he was a legendary kept-thief/assassin, plus he’s still broken up by the death of Ginevra and has plenty of other demons to deal with, not the least of which is Felix. Then there’s Mehitabel Parr, a governess first introduced in “The Virtu”, who is now an actress for the Empyrean theatre with her own set of baggage. With all three characters, Ms. Monette comprehensively explores what makes each of them tick, painting quite a vivid portrait of the human psyche, which has sort of become the author’s forte. Unfortunately, as fascinating as this aspect of Ms. Monette’s books has been, I just thought there was too much of it in “The Mirador”. After all, as the saying goes, ‘you can have too much of a good thing’.
In this instance, sure, there are plenty of subplots going on in “The Mirador”—Felix trying to discover a way of preventing Malkar from coming back to life; Mildmay looking into Ginevra’s murder (Who ratted them out? Who ordered the hit?) and getting caught up with his past; Mehitabel’s dark secret and how it will affect her actions in the book; Steven Teverius, the Lord Protector remarrying for political reasons; the unexplained death of Amaryllis Cordelia; the Bastion’s offer of amnesty to the Mirador court; and so on. However, the meat of the book mainly focuses on the characters and their internal struggles, with the actual plot plodding along until literally the very end of the novel where events finally pick up and we get some satisfying revelations that go back all the way to “Mélusine”. As rewarding as this was, I just felt it took too long to get this point and that the climactic events were somewhat rushed. Additionally, some of the more interesting concepts that had been introduced in the previous novels—the Khloidanikos, Oneiromancy, Sibylline cards for divination, obligation d’ame, labyrinthine magic, mikkary, etc.—were forsaken a bit in favor of the penetrating characterization, which sometimes became either too redundant or too melodramatic. As a whole, I just wish there had been more of a balance between the characterization, the worldbuilding and the story.
Speaking of which, another bone I have to pick is that the entire book takes place in the city of Mélusine, and mainly in the Mirador. Obviously that’s expected given the novel’s title and the nature of the story, but some of my favorite moments in “Mélusine” and “The Virtu” were visiting different locales such as the Gardens of Nephele and the Bastion. Don’t get me wrong, Mélusine is a wonderful creation, but it was already superbly introduced in Ms. Monette’s debut, and since we don’t really get to see any different aspects of the city in “The Mirador”, I didn’t find Mélusine to be quite as compelling this time around. Thankfully, the fourth and final book in the series looks to take place in areas we haven’t explored yet so I look forward to seeing what extraordinary backdrops Ms. Monette comes up with next.
Despite the faults I had with “The Mirador”, I can’t help but be impressed with what Sarah Monette is accomplishing as a writer. The Doctrine of Labyrinths is easily one of the most original fantasy series that I’ve read and I recommend it for several reasons. 1) Felix & Mildmay. Told through first-person point-of-views, the half-brothers are distinctly unique, not just their personalities & backgrounds—Felix is an ex-prostitute, homosexual, aristocratic wizard; Mildmay a scarred, no nonsense assassin & thief—but also the way Ms. Monette writes them, which is quite dynamic. Mehitabel is a nice addition—her narrative comes across somewhere between Felix & Mildmay and the stage-acting life she embraces is realistically realized—but to be honest, she’s not quite as captivating. 2) The world. Whether it’s the Mirador, Pharaohlight, the Lower City, the Bastion, etc., the world that Ms. Monette has created is alluringly strange and it’s hard not to get caught up in its dark beauty. 3) The magic. I can’t say that the concepts Ms. Monette uses are exactly original, but they are stylish, mysterious and fit in well with the tone of the series. 4) The story. While the plots sometimes get overshadowed by other elements, they are still fairly complex, unpredictable and daring. And finally, the writing. I’ll admit that it took me a little while to get used to Sarah Monette’s prose, but once you do it’s pretty obvious that you’re in capable hands.
In the end, give Sarah Monette’s The Doctrine of Labyrinths a try. Sure, it’s definitely not mainstream fare, meaning a lot of people may not be able to enjoy it, and the series does suffer from its share of weaknesses, and yes, I was disappointed by “The Mirador”, which I didn’t think was as strong as its predecessors, but I guarantee you haven’t read anything quite like The Doctrine of Labyrinths and that in itself, is well worth the effort…
FYI: The fourth and concluding volume to The Doctrine of Labyrinths is called “Summerdown” and comes out in 2008. Before then, you can ease the wait with Ms. Monette’s “A Companion To Wolves” (October 16, 2007-Tor), which was written with Elizabeth Bear. Finally, check out Larry’s review HERE for a second opinion.
Official Matthew Jarpe WebsiteOrder “Radio Freefall” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
Read Praise HERE
My passion for music is just as strong, if not stronger than my love for reading and writing. So when I first heard about Matthew Jarpe’s debut novel “Radio Freefall”, I was instantly intrigued by its proposed blend of rock n’ roll and science fiction. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the author was going to make such a combination work, but he did, and “Radio Freefall” could end up being one of my favorite SF novels of the year.
In a nutshell, “Radio Freefall” takes place in the early 2030s, revolving around Walter Cheeseman, head of WebCense which started out as a product to police the World Wide Web for parents and grew into Earth’s most ‘powerful transnational bureaucracy’ by controlling the flow of information. Mr. Cheeseman’s ultimate goal though is world domination, and the first step towards realizing that dream is Unification—one government, one language, one currency, etc. Playing the part of ‘hero’, are a couple of unlikely protagonists: Aqualung, an overweight musician in his early-fifties who’s just as talented with a guitar as he is with technology; and Quinn Taber, a brilliant computer nerd who is obsessed with getting revenge against Walter Cheeseman. Other characters and subplots include the band Snake Vendors and their meteoric rise to fame; Molly, an illegal AI (artificial intelligence) who is Taber’s partner-in-crime; Nationalists who oppose the Unification; a sentient virus called the Digital Carnivore that controls the entire web; crime lords & hitmen; a superintelligence developed by a company on the Moon; and Freefall, a massive space station that plays a key role in the overall story.
All in all, the future Earth that inhabits “Radio Freefall” is vividly rendered by Matthew Jarpe, especially the technologies—AIs, uplinking, reprogramming, holograms, memes that compel a human to commit suicide, engineered viruses used as recreational drugs, living on the Moon, Individual Identification Numbers, etc.—even though a lot of the concepts have already been explored in some variation or other by such authors as Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and William Gibson just to name a few. Partly because of that, but mainly because of my record industry background, I thought Mr. Jarpe’s futuristic music ideas were the most fascinating characteristics in the book, some of which included an underwater arena, Aqualung’s Machine which uses sound to manipulate the moods of a crowd during a live performance, a Feedback movement where bands give the people what they want by altering their music to match the peoples’ tastes & dispositions, an orbital concert, and gigs where individual band members from all across the globe can perform together through holographic projections. Besides the technological aspects, Jethro Tull, Buddy Holly, Les Paul, Kurt Cobain, Spin magazine, Woodstock, and so on are referenced; song lyrics are prominently featured throughout the novel; the fascination between rock stars & death is wittily explored; and other music-related topics are incorporated.
Of course there’s more to “Radio Freefall” than just rock n’ roll and science fiction; there’s a bit of crime noir injected into the mix—Who’s Aqualung? What’s his story? Where did the Digital Carnivore come from?—and a compelling political statement regarding individuality / diversity. As far as the writing, I was pretty impressed by Matthew Jarpe. The pacing was electric, the plot handled pretty smoothly apart from a few lackluster revelations, and I loved the main characters, especially Aqualung who I hope to see in future sequels, which is a strong possibility considering how the book ended ;) In short, I had a lot of fun with “Radio Freefall”, which melded music & science fiction in ways I had never imagined, and I truly believe that Matthew Jarpe is well on his way toward becoming a big-time writer…
FYI: Aqualung is actually the name used by the talented British singer-songwriter Matt Hales, whose most recent album “Memory Man” was released this year. For fans of anyone who likes intelligent, indie-pop…
In a nutshell, “Radio Freefall” takes place in the early 2030s, revolving around Walter Cheeseman, head of WebCense which started out as a product to police the World Wide Web for parents and grew into Earth’s most ‘powerful transnational bureaucracy’ by controlling the flow of information. Mr. Cheeseman’s ultimate goal though is world domination, and the first step towards realizing that dream is Unification—one government, one language, one currency, etc. Playing the part of ‘hero’, are a couple of unlikely protagonists: Aqualung, an overweight musician in his early-fifties who’s just as talented with a guitar as he is with technology; and Quinn Taber, a brilliant computer nerd who is obsessed with getting revenge against Walter Cheeseman. Other characters and subplots include the band Snake Vendors and their meteoric rise to fame; Molly, an illegal AI (artificial intelligence) who is Taber’s partner-in-crime; Nationalists who oppose the Unification; a sentient virus called the Digital Carnivore that controls the entire web; crime lords & hitmen; a superintelligence developed by a company on the Moon; and Freefall, a massive space station that plays a key role in the overall story.
All in all, the future Earth that inhabits “Radio Freefall” is vividly rendered by Matthew Jarpe, especially the technologies—AIs, uplinking, reprogramming, holograms, memes that compel a human to commit suicide, engineered viruses used as recreational drugs, living on the Moon, Individual Identification Numbers, etc.—even though a lot of the concepts have already been explored in some variation or other by such authors as Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and William Gibson just to name a few. Partly because of that, but mainly because of my record industry background, I thought Mr. Jarpe’s futuristic music ideas were the most fascinating characteristics in the book, some of which included an underwater arena, Aqualung’s Machine which uses sound to manipulate the moods of a crowd during a live performance, a Feedback movement where bands give the people what they want by altering their music to match the peoples’ tastes & dispositions, an orbital concert, and gigs where individual band members from all across the globe can perform together through holographic projections. Besides the technological aspects, Jethro Tull, Buddy Holly, Les Paul, Kurt Cobain, Spin magazine, Woodstock, and so on are referenced; song lyrics are prominently featured throughout the novel; the fascination between rock stars & death is wittily explored; and other music-related topics are incorporated.
Of course there’s more to “Radio Freefall” than just rock n’ roll and science fiction; there’s a bit of crime noir injected into the mix—Who’s Aqualung? What’s his story? Where did the Digital Carnivore come from?—and a compelling political statement regarding individuality / diversity. As far as the writing, I was pretty impressed by Matthew Jarpe. The pacing was electric, the plot handled pretty smoothly apart from a few lackluster revelations, and I loved the main characters, especially Aqualung who I hope to see in future sequels, which is a strong possibility considering how the book ended ;) In short, I had a lot of fun with “Radio Freefall”, which melded music & science fiction in ways I had never imagined, and I truly believe that Matthew Jarpe is well on his way toward becoming a big-time writer…
FYI: Aqualung is actually the name used by the talented British singer-songwriter Matt Hales, whose most recent album “Memory Man” was released this year. For fans of anyone who likes intelligent, indie-pop…
Not too many updates today and that’s mainly because my wife & I finally closed on our first home this past Wednesday—a 4-bedroom (plus a den), 2-car garage, new construction with a tiny backyard, which is just the way I like it since I hate mowing the grass ;) Anyways, because of our schedules it’s a little difficult finding the time to get everything we need done, so all of our spare time is pretty much being devoted to the house, with our sights set on being fully moved by August 20th. So, just a FYI in case updates seem a little slow the next few weeks…
News & Tidbits:
First off, for any Lian Hearn fans out there, I recently learned that the winner of the Tales of the Otori GIVEAWAY will get a nice little bonus—some signed bookplates courtesy of Ms. Hearn herself! I’m not sure how many bookplates there are, or which ones, but it definitely makes a great prize even better. So sign up HERE for the giveaway and look out for my review of the last book in the series “Heaven’s Net Is Wide” later this month (hopefully). And following up on my REVIEW for Joe Haldeman’s “The Accidental Time Machine”, there’s now an extract from the book HERE thanks to the author.
In other book related news, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is hosting a couple of giveaways that I’d recommend signing up for, including a copy of Daniel Abraham’s “A Betrayal In Winter” (Sign Up HERE), which is another book I hope to review soon, and “Sandworms of Dune” by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson (Sign Up HERE). Regarding the former, FantasyBookSpot has their own giveaway going HERE for SIGNED copies of “A Betrayal In Winter”.
Newsarama has been keeping busy with a number of interesting articles including an INTERVIEW with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane that was conducted for the Write Now! magazine issue #16, an INTERVIEW with Austin Grossman, the author of the debut novel “Soon I Will Be Invincible”, NEWS on Wonder Woman and Batman animated DVDs, the latter of which would take place between the films Batman Begins and the forthcoming The Dark Knight, and over at the blog, there is this interesting piece HERE on 44 things said at the Warren Ellis Comic-Con panel. Newsarama also got an exclusive scoop HERE on a Darkchylde motion picture. I’m sure not many have heard of the Darkchylde comic book, but it was a pretty cool indie back in the day that was probably best known for its titillating artwork :D
In film adaptation news, artist Michael Hauge’s (The Wind In the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit) upcoming graphic novel “In The Small” has been picked up by Warner Bros. Pictures. According to Variety, Universal has gained the rights to Daniel Silva’s bestselling series of spy novels featuring recurring character Gabriel Allon, the latest of which was just released on July 24, 2007—“The Secret Servant”. Variety also reports that Guy Walks Into A Bar has acquired the rights to the first-person shooter videogame “Painkiller” from DreamCatcher Interactive. Another videogame, id Software’s (Doom, Quake) Return To Castle Wolfenstein, has been secured by producer Samuel Hadida (Silent Hill, the Resident Evil franchise) with Roger Avary (Beowulf, Silent Hill) writing & directing. And Virgin Comics in cooperation with New Regency (The Fountain, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is turning the comic book Virulents into a movie with John Moore (The Omen, Behind Enemy Lines) directing. Finally, just how desperate is Hollywood for material? First, I hear that Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) is involved in a movie based on the popular board game Monopoly, and then Disney recently purchased the rights to “The Dangerous Book For Boys”, basically a nostalgic compendium “covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age old question of what the big deal with girls is…” Doesn’t exactly sound like blockbuster fare, but then again I didn’t think Disney could make a successful movie based on a theme park ride (Pirates of the Caribbean) and look how that turned out :)
In other news, Universal is remaking the Japanese ninja film “Shinobi” (2005), which is based on the book, “The Kouga Ninja Scrolls” (1959) by Futaro Yamada. There’s actually an anime based on the novel as well called “Basilisk”, which I’ve seen and is pretty interesting. The remake is supposed to be a modernization of the story according to Variety. Also being remade is the film Death Race 3000 (1975) that starred Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, Rocky) & David Carradine (Kill Bill, Kung Fu), with the updated version to be directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, AvP) and starring Tyrese Gibson (Transformers, Waist Deep).
Finally, IGN has a couple of exclusive movie trailers to check out: The Nines starring Ryan Reynolds (Smokin’ Aces, Van Wilder) & Hope Davis (The Matodor, The Weather Man) HERE, and Gabriel HERE, which is about warring angels and looks like a cross between Underworld & The Matrix.
News & Tidbits:
First off, for any Lian Hearn fans out there, I recently learned that the winner of the Tales of the Otori GIVEAWAY will get a nice little bonus—some signed bookplates courtesy of Ms. Hearn herself! I’m not sure how many bookplates there are, or which ones, but it definitely makes a great prize even better. So sign up HERE for the giveaway and look out for my review of the last book in the series “Heaven’s Net Is Wide” later this month (hopefully). And following up on my REVIEW for Joe Haldeman’s “The Accidental Time Machine”, there’s now an extract from the book HERE thanks to the author.In other book related news, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist is hosting a couple of giveaways that I’d recommend signing up for, including a copy of Daniel Abraham’s “A Betrayal In Winter” (Sign Up HERE), which is another book I hope to review soon, and “Sandworms of Dune” by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson (Sign Up HERE). Regarding the former, FantasyBookSpot has their own giveaway going HERE for SIGNED copies of “A Betrayal In Winter”.
Newsarama has been keeping busy with a number of interesting articles including an INTERVIEW with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane that was conducted for the Write Now! magazine issue #16, an INTERVIEW with Austin Grossman, the author of the debut novel “Soon I Will Be Invincible”, NEWS on Wonder Woman and Batman animated DVDs, the latter of which would take place between the films Batman Begins and the forthcoming The Dark Knight, and over at the blog, there is this interesting piece HERE on 44 things said at the Warren Ellis Comic-Con panel. Newsarama also got an exclusive scoop HERE on a Darkchylde motion picture. I’m sure not many have heard of the Darkchylde comic book, but it was a pretty cool indie back in the day that was probably best known for its titillating artwork :D
In film adaptation news, artist Michael Hauge’s (The Wind In the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit) upcoming graphic novel “In The Small” has been picked up by Warner Bros. Pictures. According to Variety, Universal has gained the rights to Daniel Silva’s bestselling series of spy novels featuring recurring character Gabriel Allon, the latest of which was just released on July 24, 2007—“The Secret Servant”. Variety also reports that Guy Walks Into A Bar has acquired the rights to the first-person shooter videogame “Painkiller” from DreamCatcher Interactive. Another videogame, id Software’s (Doom, Quake) Return To Castle Wolfenstein, has been secured by producer Samuel Hadida (Silent Hill, the Resident Evil franchise) with Roger Avary (Beowulf, Silent Hill) writing & directing. And Virgin Comics in cooperation with New Regency (The Fountain, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) is turning the comic book Virulents into a movie with John Moore (The Omen, Behind Enemy Lines) directing. Finally, just how desperate is Hollywood for material? First, I hear that Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) is involved in a movie based on the popular board game Monopoly, and then Disney recently purchased the rights to “The Dangerous Book For Boys”, basically a nostalgic compendium “covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age old question of what the big deal with girls is…” Doesn’t exactly sound like blockbuster fare, but then again I didn’t think Disney could make a successful movie based on a theme park ride (Pirates of the Caribbean) and look how that turned out :)
In other news, Universal is remaking the Japanese ninja film “Shinobi” (2005), which is based on the book, “The Kouga Ninja Scrolls” (1959) by Futaro Yamada. There’s actually an anime based on the novel as well called “Basilisk”, which I’ve seen and is pretty interesting. The remake is supposed to be a modernization of the story according to Variety. Also being remade is the film Death Race 3000 (1975) that starred Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, Rocky) & David Carradine (Kill Bill, Kung Fu), with the updated version to be directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, AvP) and starring Tyrese Gibson (Transformers, Waist Deep).Finally, IGN has a couple of exclusive movie trailers to check out: The Nines starring Ryan Reynolds (Smokin’ Aces, Van Wilder) & Hope Davis (The Matodor, The Weather Man) HERE, and Gabriel HERE, which is about warring angels and looks like a cross between Underworld & The Matrix.
The Accidental Time Machine
The story would have been a lot different if Matt's supervisor had been watching him when the machine first went away.
The older man was hunched over his oscilloscope screen, staring into the green pool of light like a tweedy and corpulent bird of prey, fiddling with two knobs, intent on a throbbing bright oval that wiggled around, eluding his control. Matt Fuller could have been in another room, another state.
Sleet rattled on dark windows. Matt put down his screwdriver and pushed the RESET button on the new calibrator, a shoe-box-sized machine.
The machine disappeared.
He stared for about one second. When he was able to close his mouth and open it again, he said "Dr. Marsh! Look!"
Dr. Marsh pulled all of himself reluctantly from the round screen. "What is it, Matthew?"
The machine had reappeared. "Uh ... the calibrator. For a moment there, it ... well, it looked like it went away."
Dr. Marsh nodded slowly. "It went away."
"I mean like it disappeared! Gone! Zap!"
"It appears to be here now."
"Well, yeah, obviously. I mean, it came back!"
The big man leaned back against the work table, tired springs on his chair groaning in protest. "We've both been up a long time. How long for you?"
"Well, a lot, but--"
"How long?"
"Maybe thirty hours." He looked at his watch. "Maybe a little more."
"You're seeing things, Matthew. Go home."
He made helpless motions with his hands. "But it--"
"Go home." His supervisor turned off the 'scope and heaved himself up. "Like me." He took his thermal jacket, a bright red tent, off the hook and shrugged it on. He paused at the door. "I mean it. Get some sleep. Something to eat besides Twinkies."
"Yeah, sure." Look who's giving dietary advice. Maybe it was the sugar, though, and the coffee, and the little bit of speed after dinner. Cold French fries and a chocolate-chip cookie and amphetamines; that might make you see things. Or not see them, for a moment.
He waved goodnight to the professor and sat back down at the calibrator. It was prettier than it had to be, but Matt was funny that way. He'd found a nice rectangle of oak in the Miscellaneous storage bin, and cut out the metal parts so they fit flush on top of it. The combination of wood with matte-black metal and glowing digital readouts pleased him.
He always looked kind of scruffy himself, but his machines were another matter. His bicycle was silent as grease and you could play the spokes like a harp. His own oscilloscope, which he had taken apart and rebuilt, had a sharper display than the professor's, and no hiss. Back when he'd had a car, a Mazda Ibuki, it was always spotless and humming. No need for a car at MIT, though, and plenty of need for money, so somebody back in Akron was despoiling his handiwork on the Mazda. He missed the relaxation of fiddling with it.
He ran his hand along the cool metal top of the machine, slightly warm above the battery case. Ought to turn it off. He pushed the RESET button.
The machine disappeared again.
"Holy shit!" He bolted for the door. "Professor Marsh!"
He was at the end of the hall, tying on his hat. "What is it this time?"
Matt looked over his shoulder and saw the calibrator materialize again. It shimmered for a split second and then was solid. "Uh ... well ... I don't guess it's really important."
"Come on, Matt. What is it?"
He looked over his shoulder again. "Well, I wondered if I could take the calibrator home with me."
"What on Earth would you calibrate?" He smiled. "You have a little graviton generator at home?"
"Just some circuit-board tests. I can do them at home as well as here." Thinking fast. "Maybe sleep in tomorrow, not come in through the snow."
"Good idea. I may not come in either." He finished putting on his mittens. "You can e-mail me if anything comes up." He pushed open the door against a strong wind and looked back, sardonic. "Especially if the thing disappears again. We do need it next week."
Matt went back and sat down by the calibrator and sipped cold coffee. He checked his watch and pushed the button. The machine shimmered and disappeared, but only the metal box: the oak base remained, a conical wood-screw hole in each corner. It had done that last time, too.
What would happen if he put his hand in the space where the box had been? When it came back it might chop him off at the wrist. Or there might be a huge nuclear explosion, the old science fiction version of what happens when two objects try to occupy the same space at the same time.
No, there were plenty of air molecules there when it came back before, and no obvious nuclear explosions.
It shimmered back and he checked his watch. A little less than three minutes. The first disappearance had been about one second, and then maybe ten, twelve seconds.
His watch was a twenty-dollar dimestore Seiko, but he was pretty sure it had a stopwatch function. He took it off and pushed buttons at random until it behaved like a stopwatch. He pushed the button on the watch and the RESET button simultaneously.
It seemed to take forever. The rattle of sleet quieted to a soft whisper of snow. The machine reappeared and he clicked the stopwatch button: 34 minutes, 33.22 seconds. Call it 1, 10, 170, 2073 seconds. He crossed over to the professor's desk and rummaged around for some semi-log graph paper. If you took an average, it looked like the thing went missing about twelve times longer each time he pushed the button.
Do the next one, about six hours, at home. He found a couple of plastic trash-can liners to protect the machine, but before he wrapped it up he put a cardboard sleeve around the RESET button and fixed it in place with duct tape. He didn't want the machine disappearing on the subway.
It was one unholy bitch of a night. The sleet indeed had turned to snow, but there were still deep puddles of icy slush that you couldn't avoid, and Matt hadn't worn boots. By the time he got on the Red Line, his running shoes were soaked and his feet were numb. When he got off at East Lexington, they had thawed enough to start hurting, and the normal ten-minute uphill walk took twenty, the sidewalks slippery with ice forming. Wouldn't do to drop the calibrator. He could build a new one in a couple of days, if he could find the parts. Or his successor could, after he was fired.
(All the calibrator was supposed to do was supply one reference photon per unit of time, the unit of time being the tiny supposed "chronon": the length of time it takes light to travel the radius of an electron. Nothing to do with disappearing.)
He managed to take off a glove without dropping the machine, and his thumbprint let him into the apartment building. He trudged up to the second floor and thumbed his way into his flat.
Kara had only been gone for a couple of days, and most of that time he'd been in the lab, but the place was already taking on bachelor-pad aspects. The stack of journals and printouts on the coffee table had spilled onto the floor, and though he had sorted through it twice, looking for things, it hadn't occurred to him to stack it back up. Kara would have done that the first time she walked through the living room. So maybe they weren't exactly made for each other. Still. He put the calibrator on the couch and stacked the magazines. Half of them slid back onto the floor.
He went into the kitchen and didn't look in the sink. He got a beer from the refrigerator and took it into the bathroom along with the new Physical Review Letters. He ripped off his shoes and ran a few inches of hot water into the tub and blissfully put his feet in to thaw.
There was nothing in Letters that particularly interested him, but it let him pretend to be doing something useful while he was mainly concerned with thawing out and drinking beer. Of course that made the phone ring. There was an old-fashioned voice-only in the bathroom; he leaned over and punched it. “Here.”
“Matty?” Only one person called him that. “Why can’t I see you?”
“No picture, Mother. I’m on the bathroom phone.”
“I’m sending you money so you can have a phone in the bathroom? I wouldn't mind a phone in the bathroom.”
“It was already here. It would cost extra to take it out.”
“Well, use your cell. I want to see you.”
“No, you don’t. I look like I’ve been up for 36 hours. Because I have.”
“What? You’re killing yourself, you know that. Why on Earth would you stay up that long?”
“Lab work.” Actually, he was disinclined to come home to the empty apartment, the empty bed. But he’d never told his mother about Kara. "I'm going to sleep in tomorrow, maybe not even go to the lab." He kept talking and pushed the HOLD button down for a moment. "Call coming in, Mother. Buzz you tomorrow on the cell." He hung up and raised the beer to his lips and there was a perfunctory knock on the apartment door. It creaked open.
He wiped his feet inadequately on the bathroom throw rug and stumbled into the living room. Kara, of course; no one else's thumb would open the door.
She was pretty bedraggled, pretty and bedraggled, and had a look that Matt had never seen before. Not a friendly look.
"Kara, it's so good -- "
"I finally stopped trying to call you and came over. Where have you been since yesterday morning?"
"At the lab."
"Oh, sure. You spent the night at the lab. Forgot to route to your cell. With the secret number even I can’t call."
"I did! I mean I didn't." He spread his arms wide. "I mean I spent the night at the lab and they don't allow you to route calls there."
"Look, I don't care where you spent the night. Really, I don't care at all. I just need something from the bathroom. Do you mind?" He stepped aside and she stomped by him, dripping. He followed, also dripping.
She looked in the medicine cabinet and slammed it shut. Then she looked at the tub. "You're taking a bath in two inches of water?"
"Just, uh, just my feet."
"Oh, of course, of course, your feet." She jerked open a drawer. "You're weird, Matt. Clean feet, though. Here." She pulled out a baby-blue box of Safeluv contraceptive discs. "Don't ask." She pointed a finger into his face. "Don't you dare ask." Her face was flushed and her eyes were bright with held-back tears.
"I wouldn't -- " She pushed her way past him. "Won't you just stay for a cup of coffee? It's so bad out."
"Someone's waiting." She stopped at the door. "You can take my thumb off the door now." She paused, as if wanting to say something more, and then spun into the hall. The door closed with a quiet click.
Order “The Accidental Time Machine” HERE
As far back as I can remember time travel has been used as a plot device in everything from literature (H.G. Well’s “The Time Machine”, Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, Michael Crichton’s “Timeline”) to movies (the Terminator franchise, Back To the Future, Timecop), to television (Doctor Who, Quantum Leap), videogames (Chrono Trigger, Legacy of Kain, Prince of Persia), comic books, and so forth. During that time I thought I had seen pretty much every variation there was on the topic, but leave it to someone like Joe Haldeman—multiple award-winning (five Hugos, five Nebulas, a John W. Campbell Award, a World Fantasy Award, etc.) author of science fiction for more than thirty years—to add a new wrinkle or two.
“The Accidental Time Machine”, as the title suggests, is about a time machine that was ‘accidentally’ created by MIT research assistant Matt Fuller. How the machine actually works is touched upon only briefly—something to do with gravitons/photons, five-dimensional membranes, etc. All we really need to know is that the machine only goes forward in time, that it will only take items enclosed in a metal ‘faraday cage’, and that each successive jump is around twelve times longer than the previous one. In other words, the first few jumps into the future are only seconds long, but extrapolate the numbers out and you have the following: 34 minutes, 6h 48m, 3.34 days, 39.54 d., 465 d., 15 years, 177.5 y., 2094 y. and so on.
While the scientific principles behind the machine are pretty interesting, it’s the human elements that define “The Accidental Time Machine”. After all, who could resist using a time machine, especially someone like Matt whose life was going nowhere—dumped by his girlfriend for a former student, job lost to that same ex-student, no social life, an exasperating mother, should I go on? As one might expect, the temptation is just too great for Matt, but the consequences end up being even greater, and what started out as an experiment to prove the existence of time travel—with visions of winning a Nobel Prize dancing in his head—becomes a race against the future as Matt tries to find a way back to his time period to try and make things right. Whether or not our hero accomplishes that goal is just one of the book’s major questions, but more importantly is the journey itself, which might just teach Matt a thing or two about love, knowledge and what it means to truly live…
As far as time travel stories go, “The Accidental Time Machine” doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but Joe Haldeman comes up with enough unique trappings to make the book stand out on its own. For one, the novel starts out in the year 2058, making it a little bit more plausible that a time machine could be created in the first place. Secondly, I really liked how the machine would only jump forward in time, and in increasing intervals, which offered some intriguing dilemmas throughout the book. Thirdly, some of the future Earths that we get to visit are quite a sight, particularly one where a reborn Jesus walks the land and technology is banned; and another where everyone is born rich, governed by artificial intelligences. I do wish that we might have explored some of these futures in greater detail, but that’s just me nitpicking ;) Writing-wise, Joe Haldeman is an old hand, so no complaints from me—the story is concise, fast-paced and thrilling; the characters well-developed and likable; the plot is easy to follow, but will make you think; and the overall tone of the book is actually pretty humorous, almost satirical. In short, “The Accidental Time Machine” is a fun and engaging science fiction treat that is vintage Joe Haldeman—in other words, another gem from one of the masters of the genre…
“The Accidental Time Machine”, as the title suggests, is about a time machine that was ‘accidentally’ created by MIT research assistant Matt Fuller. How the machine actually works is touched upon only briefly—something to do with gravitons/photons, five-dimensional membranes, etc. All we really need to know is that the machine only goes forward in time, that it will only take items enclosed in a metal ‘faraday cage’, and that each successive jump is around twelve times longer than the previous one. In other words, the first few jumps into the future are only seconds long, but extrapolate the numbers out and you have the following: 34 minutes, 6h 48m, 3.34 days, 39.54 d., 465 d., 15 years, 177.5 y., 2094 y. and so on.
While the scientific principles behind the machine are pretty interesting, it’s the human elements that define “The Accidental Time Machine”. After all, who could resist using a time machine, especially someone like Matt whose life was going nowhere—dumped by his girlfriend for a former student, job lost to that same ex-student, no social life, an exasperating mother, should I go on? As one might expect, the temptation is just too great for Matt, but the consequences end up being even greater, and what started out as an experiment to prove the existence of time travel—with visions of winning a Nobel Prize dancing in his head—becomes a race against the future as Matt tries to find a way back to his time period to try and make things right. Whether or not our hero accomplishes that goal is just one of the book’s major questions, but more importantly is the journey itself, which might just teach Matt a thing or two about love, knowledge and what it means to truly live…
As far as time travel stories go, “The Accidental Time Machine” doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but Joe Haldeman comes up with enough unique trappings to make the book stand out on its own. For one, the novel starts out in the year 2058, making it a little bit more plausible that a time machine could be created in the first place. Secondly, I really liked how the machine would only jump forward in time, and in increasing intervals, which offered some intriguing dilemmas throughout the book. Thirdly, some of the future Earths that we get to visit are quite a sight, particularly one where a reborn Jesus walks the land and technology is banned; and another where everyone is born rich, governed by artificial intelligences. I do wish that we might have explored some of these futures in greater detail, but that’s just me nitpicking ;) Writing-wise, Joe Haldeman is an old hand, so no complaints from me—the story is concise, fast-paced and thrilling; the characters well-developed and likable; the plot is easy to follow, but will make you think; and the overall tone of the book is actually pretty humorous, almost satirical. In short, “The Accidental Time Machine” is a fun and engaging science fiction treat that is vintage Joe Haldeman—in other words, another gem from one of the masters of the genre…
Order “The Dreaming Void” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
It’s been twenty years since Peter F. Hamilton first started writing science fiction and during that time the author has established himself as Britain’s number one science fiction writer, as well as acquiring a massive worldwide following for such books as the Greg Mandel series, the bestselling Night’s Dawn trilogy, “Fallen Dragon”, and various short fiction. “The Dreaming Void” is the start to Peter F. Hamilton’s brand new The Void Trilogy, which is set in the Commonwealth Universe that began in 2002’s “Misspent Youth”, and was continued in The Commonwealth Saga (“Pandora’s Star”, “Judas Unchained”). “The Dreaming Void” is my first Peter F. Hamilton novel, and it’s easy to see why the author is such a respected and popular voice in the genre.
For starters, the book is fairly lengthy, weighing in at 647 pages. Sure, it’s not the largest novel I’ve ever undertaken, but “The Dreaming Void” definitely requires a certain commitment. Thankfully, it’s not hard to commit to the book since the story is so engrossing, even if it is a bit complicated. Here’s the simple version: “The Dreaming Void” is set in the year 3589—1500 years after The Commonwealth Saga—and focuses mainly on the Void, an artificial event horizon located at the very heart of the galaxy, which supposedly houses an entire universe within its core that is billions of years old. Because of the Dreamer Inigo, humankind has been shown that there is a way to enter the Void, thus attaining an ‘absolute pinnacle of evolution’. The downside is that the Void has been slowly expanding, consuming the galaxy star by star, and many feel that if anyone were to try and enter the Void, it would trigger a devourment phase that could destroy the galaxy. Based on this premise, the majority of “The Dreaming Void” centers on the many different factions that either oppose or support a Pilgrimage into the Void, and is told through multiple viewpoints including the following characters:
1) Aaron—a secret agent with no memory of who he is, who he works for or what his goals are except finding the missing Dreamer Inigo.
2) Troblum—a brilliant physicist, obsessed with the Starflyer War, who’s been hired to work on the starships that will lead the Pilgrimage.
3) Araminta—an aspiring entrepreneur, who will play a key role in the Pilgrimage even though she doesn’t know it herself.
4) Edeard—an apprentice eggshaper with powerful farsight/telekinesis abilities who will discover his destiny.
5) …and various supporting characters such as the newly elected Conservator Ethan who is leading the Pilgrimage, The Delivery Man, Marius, and a few familiar faces from The Commonwealth Saga which I’ll leave as a surprise to those who’ve read the books :)
For me, the characters and plotlines were a bit hit or miss. For instance, I enjoyed Edeard’s story the most, probably because it reminded me of many fantasy coming-of-age tales—a young hero with extraordinary powers starts out as a lowly nobody, experiences tragedy & growth, journeys into the larger world, and eventually becomes ‘the chosen one’. A close second was Aaron’s narrative, which read more like a spy thriller and had the best action sequences in the book. Troblum’s and Araminta’s accountings were slower and not as interesting, with the former dealing with political intrigue and revisiting the Starflyer War, while the latter dealt with economic issues, although there were some very intriguing sexual ideas explored involving multiple humans—‘one personality shared between several bodies.’ There were a few other characters that I wish had had more face time, but I think we’ll see more of them in the next two volumes of The Void Trilogy. Speaking of which, since “The Dreaming Void” is just the beginning of a trilogy, don’t expect to get a lot of answers at the end of the book, and in fact you might want to prepare yourself for a few cliffhangers. Just something to think about in case you’re one of those readers who doesn’t like to wait ;)
Aside from the labyrinthine plot and the numerous characters, there’s a ton of other details to process as well: futuristic technological concepts and jargon (biononics, u-shadow, gaiafields, farsight, telekinesis, re-life, ultradrives, etc.); different levels of humanity (Advancer, Higher, ANA); alien races (Raiel, the Ocisen Empire); political factions (Greater Commonwealth, ANA:Governance, External Worlds, Central Worlds, Protectorates); social, economic, philosophical & religious ideals; and so much more. In short, “The Dreaming Void” can be quite a handful, but it’s definitely well worth the time & effort.
Now since “The Dreaming Void” is the first book that I’ve read by Peter F. Hamilton, I think that gives me a unique perspective. Obviously, I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to comparing this book with the author’s previous works, and of course the elements that were carried over from the previous Commonwealth novels had little impact on my appreciation of “The Dreaming Void”. On the other hand, I went into this book with virtually no knowledge of the author, and thus, no expectations. So in this regard I can’t say if “The Dreaming Void” is better or worse than other Peter F. Hamilton novels, or if longtime fans of the author will enjoy this book as much as his previous ones, or if there is another novel that is a better starting point for readers new to Peter F. Hamilton. What I can and will say is that I was thoroughly impressed with “The Dreaming Void”, that I thought it was one of the most challenging & rewarding science fiction novels that I’ve read this year, that I would highly recommend the book to anyone who calls themselves a SF fan, and that I absolutely cannot wait for The Void Trilogy to be completed…
NOTE: Exclusive, limited signed boxed editions of Peter F. Hamilton’s “The Dreaming Void” are available for purchase HERE via Pan Macmillan. Also for the month of August only, Pan Macmillan is offering a 20% discount on selected SF & Fantasy titles, including works from Peter F. Hamilton, Neal Asher, Lian Hearn, Hal Duncan, Greg Keyes, etc. You can check out the full listing HERE.
For starters, the book is fairly lengthy, weighing in at 647 pages. Sure, it’s not the largest novel I’ve ever undertaken, but “The Dreaming Void” definitely requires a certain commitment. Thankfully, it’s not hard to commit to the book since the story is so engrossing, even if it is a bit complicated. Here’s the simple version: “The Dreaming Void” is set in the year 3589—1500 years after The Commonwealth Saga—and focuses mainly on the Void, an artificial event horizon located at the very heart of the galaxy, which supposedly houses an entire universe within its core that is billions of years old. Because of the Dreamer Inigo, humankind has been shown that there is a way to enter the Void, thus attaining an ‘absolute pinnacle of evolution’. The downside is that the Void has been slowly expanding, consuming the galaxy star by star, and many feel that if anyone were to try and enter the Void, it would trigger a devourment phase that could destroy the galaxy. Based on this premise, the majority of “The Dreaming Void” centers on the many different factions that either oppose or support a Pilgrimage into the Void, and is told through multiple viewpoints including the following characters:
1) Aaron—a secret agent with no memory of who he is, who he works for or what his goals are except finding the missing Dreamer Inigo.
2) Troblum—a brilliant physicist, obsessed with the Starflyer War, who’s been hired to work on the starships that will lead the Pilgrimage.
3) Araminta—an aspiring entrepreneur, who will play a key role in the Pilgrimage even though she doesn’t know it herself.
4) Edeard—an apprentice eggshaper with powerful farsight/telekinesis abilities who will discover his destiny.
5) …and various supporting characters such as the newly elected Conservator Ethan who is leading the Pilgrimage, The Delivery Man, Marius, and a few familiar faces from The Commonwealth Saga which I’ll leave as a surprise to those who’ve read the books :)
For me, the characters and plotlines were a bit hit or miss. For instance, I enjoyed Edeard’s story the most, probably because it reminded me of many fantasy coming-of-age tales—a young hero with extraordinary powers starts out as a lowly nobody, experiences tragedy & growth, journeys into the larger world, and eventually becomes ‘the chosen one’. A close second was Aaron’s narrative, which read more like a spy thriller and had the best action sequences in the book. Troblum’s and Araminta’s accountings were slower and not as interesting, with the former dealing with political intrigue and revisiting the Starflyer War, while the latter dealt with economic issues, although there were some very intriguing sexual ideas explored involving multiple humans—‘one personality shared between several bodies.’ There were a few other characters that I wish had had more face time, but I think we’ll see more of them in the next two volumes of The Void Trilogy. Speaking of which, since “The Dreaming Void” is just the beginning of a trilogy, don’t expect to get a lot of answers at the end of the book, and in fact you might want to prepare yourself for a few cliffhangers. Just something to think about in case you’re one of those readers who doesn’t like to wait ;)
Aside from the labyrinthine plot and the numerous characters, there’s a ton of other details to process as well: futuristic technological concepts and jargon (biononics, u-shadow, gaiafields, farsight, telekinesis, re-life, ultradrives, etc.); different levels of humanity (Advancer, Higher, ANA); alien races (Raiel, the Ocisen Empire); political factions (Greater Commonwealth, ANA:Governance, External Worlds, Central Worlds, Protectorates); social, economic, philosophical & religious ideals; and so much more. In short, “The Dreaming Void” can be quite a handful, but it’s definitely well worth the time & effort.
Now since “The Dreaming Void” is the first book that I’ve read by Peter F. Hamilton, I think that gives me a unique perspective. Obviously, I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to comparing this book with the author’s previous works, and of course the elements that were carried over from the previous Commonwealth novels had little impact on my appreciation of “The Dreaming Void”. On the other hand, I went into this book with virtually no knowledge of the author, and thus, no expectations. So in this regard I can’t say if “The Dreaming Void” is better or worse than other Peter F. Hamilton novels, or if longtime fans of the author will enjoy this book as much as his previous ones, or if there is another novel that is a better starting point for readers new to Peter F. Hamilton. What I can and will say is that I was thoroughly impressed with “The Dreaming Void”, that I thought it was one of the most challenging & rewarding science fiction novels that I’ve read this year, that I would highly recommend the book to anyone who calls themselves a SF fan, and that I absolutely cannot wait for The Void Trilogy to be completed…
NOTE: Exclusive, limited signed boxed editions of Peter F. Hamilton’s “The Dreaming Void” are available for purchase HERE via Pan Macmillan. Also for the month of August only, Pan Macmillan is offering a 20% discount on selected SF & Fantasy titles, including works from Peter F. Hamilton, Neal Asher, Lian Hearn, Hal Duncan, Greg Keyes, etc. You can check out the full listing HERE.
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