Charlie Huston is the author of the Henry Thompson trilogy which includes the Edgar-nominated “Six Bad Things”, the Joe Pitt Casebooks, the Los Angeles Times bestseller, “The Shotgun Rule”, and the recently relaunched Marvel comic book, Moon Knight. Charlie is also a badass writer and one of my favorite new authors outside of the fantasy genre :) So I was quite ecstatic when Mr. Huston agreed to an interview which talks about his new Joe Pitt book, “Every Last Drop”; his upcoming standalone novel, “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”; movie adaptations; comic books, and much more…
Q: To begin with, for someone who has never read a Charlie Huston novel, how would you describe your writing style and where would you recommend they start?
Charlie: I think my prose is very direct. There’s a writer’s voice, and I have a style that’s meant to keep things moving, but the stories are delivered without much in the way of decoration. Dark, violent and profane are all apt adjectives. But the ultimate goal of just about everything I write is to ultimately break the reader’s heart. Happy endings don’t come naturally to me, even when I shoot for one I end up with something that’s 95% cocoa bittersweet. Start at the start, “Caught Stealing” was my first novel and is probably still the most user-friendly.
Q: “Every Last Drop”, the fourth book in your Joe Pitt series, is coming out September 30, 2008 here in the US (Del Rey), and March 2009 in the UK (Orbit). Could you give us a preview of "Every Last Drop"?
Charlie: At the end of the previous book Joe Pitt, our “hero” left Manhattan for the Bronx. So, we’ll have some chaos in the Bronx, get a look at what Vampyre life is like up there, and Joe’s gonna have to figure a way back to Manhattan. As with all the books, this one moves the series plot forward while telling a self-contained story. That said, this close to the end of the series, it’s not the best book to jump in on.
Q: One of my favorite aspects about the Joe Pitt novels is your original take on vampires. Where did your inspiration for the different Clans and your vision of vampires originate from?
Charlie: I wish I could say that Joe’s world was crafted and mastered before I started writing the novels, but the truth is that it’s largely a process of evolution. I started with the idea of a single power block that controlled Vampyre life on Manhattan: The Coalition. The Clans evolved when I started tinkering with the idea of a small underground. It became more interesting to think in terms of several power blocks in contention. Their philosophies evolved as well. I did do a brief series bible (parts of which are on pulpnoir.com), but much of that information never went into play.
Q: I believe the Joe Pitt series was planned as five volumes. Is this still the plan?
Charlie: I planned a series, but I didn’t know it would be five books until I had finished the second. At one point I envisioned an ongoing series, but that became boring before I even started. Doing a terminal series forces you to make hard choices that change your characters. Compressing what I’d thought would be a six or seven book series down to five intensified everything. Very little gets teased out. You introduce a conflict make a choice as to how to resolve it and get on to the consequences.
Q: In a recent interview that I did with Steven Erikson HERE, the author talked about how 'heroes ain't what they used to be' and what happens when the 'good guys are just as bad as the bad guys'. Naturally I was reminded of Joe Pitt :) So with this series, are you satirizing good vs. evil in any way, and what kind of a hero is Joe?
Charlie: Joe is not a hero. He’s a protagonist. I’m not trying to say anything about the current state of the hero, I just wanted to write about someone badass. As I dug into Joe I discovered that he wasn’t just badass, he was mean. Joe’s perspective is simple: “I’m a son of a bitch. I was a son of a bitch before I got turned into a Vampyre and I’m still a son of a bitch. Being turned didn’t make me into the kind of person who will drink blood to survive, I was already that kind of person.”
Q: Well Joe is definitely badass…and mean :) But isn’t protagonist just another word for ‘hero’? After all, Joe possesses some noble qualities, especially towards his girlfriend Evie…
Charlie: No, it’s not the same. A protagonist is merely the lead character, the one to whom things happen and who instigates action on his/her own. A hero may be defined in those terms, but it’s not the primary definition. And I feel almost certain it’s not what Erikson was getting at. When we talk about heroes we’re almost always talking about noble figures, the righters of wrongs. They may be sullied, but they are still heroes, working in the bets interest of others rather than themselves. Joe may care for Evie and show her a degree of tenderness, but, from what I hear, Hitler liked dogs, that didn’t qualify him for hero status.
Q: Okay, good point. So “Already Dead”, the first Joe Pitt novel, was optioned by Phoenix Pictures (Pathfinder, Zodiac). What's the progress report on the film adaptation and will you be involved in the production in any capacity?
Charlie: I’m not involved in the movie adaptation of “Already Dead” at all. Which is as it should be. Phoenix still has the option. They also have a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg. Their approach, and Scott’s execution, are aimed toward a large scale franchise.
Q: So you don’t think a writer should be involved with an adaptation to preserve the integrity of their vision?
Charlie: If they wrote a novel in order to see it turned into a movie, then, yes, by all means, they should protect that vision. I don’t write my books working toward the final step of a movie version. When the book is done, the story I wanted to tell is done. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the idea of seeing some of them as movies, but I’d much rather see someone else’s interpretation of my book than try to reinterpret a story I already told.
Q: Has anything else of yours been optioned for adaptation?
Charlie: “Caught Stealing” was optioned in the past, but nothing ever came of it.
Q: Do you have a dream adaptation?
Charlie: I’ve told my stories and don’t have any particular vision for how they should/could be retold in other forms. It’s not that I don’t want sell a few more options and see some movies made, I just don’t have a dream adaptation. Having said that, and while it’s not a dream, I do love Brad Anderson’s movies and think he would be a perfect writer/director for translating anything I’ve written.
Q: You’ve already branched out into comic books so would you be interested in writing original screenplays for television for film?
Charlie: Probably not originals. Most any original story idea I might have I’d rather tell as a novel. I’d be far more interested in adapting other work. And probably not TV. Working on a series is a tremendous time commitment.
Q: Speaking of comic books, you’ve worked on the relaunched Moon Knight series—which you are still currently assisting with I believe, Ultimate Annuals 2, and the “X-Force Special: Ain't No Dog” one-shot through Marvel. What do you feel are the biggest differences between writing a novel and a comic book, and what are the positives/negatives of each format?
Charlie: Briefly, comics have pictures, most novels do not. To write for comics you have to try and think visually, let the art tell the story and keep the words out of the way. Frankly, I’m not very good at it.
Q: What do you think of the cross-pollination today between different formats such as films, novels, comic books, television, et cetera? Do you think it’s more advantageous for a writer like yourself to be producing works in different mediums?
Charlie: It serves a number of purposes for a writer to be active in various forms. At the most base level, it helps to spread awareness of your work. From a creative point of view, it forces you to use different muscles. Not only is the writing itself different in all of these disciplines, but the processes are different, as well as the business and social cultures. Working in multiple fields forces you to stretch you skill set. That’s always going to improve your work.
Q: After “Every Last Drop”, your next novel to be released is “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”, which is currently set to drop January 13, 2009 (Ballantine). What can you tell us about this book and how does it compare to your other novels?
Charlie: This is the first in a proposed long-running crime series. Something I could return to every year or two. The inspiration was a combination of moving to LA and wanting to write something set here, and a desire to get a little lighter, and wanting to tackle a detective book. As always, nothing turned out as I expected. Though the body count is much lower than my average book, the story is, in many ways, the darkest I’ve told so far. Web Goodhue is a slacker, a guy with something gone wrong in his past, and he takes a job as a crime scene cleaner. On one of his first jobs he meets the daughter or a wealth Malibu suicide, and shit gets all fucked up.
Q: In a recent interview HERE, a character by the name of Elizabeth “The Whacker” Borden was mentioned. Apparently she appeared in a couple of short story anthologies, but could you tell us a bit more Borden, what makes her a unique protagonist, and how things are developing on a possible novel starring the character?
Charlie: Detective Borden is wrong in every way. She is a dirty cop in every way. Every time it seems like she’s done the right thing, it turns out she’s done something utterly fucked up. She is bad news and she doesn’t like you. And there’s a reason she’s like that. I’m hoping to tell the story about why she’s like that some time in the next couple years.
Q: In that same interview you also talked about a speculative fiction crime novel that you're currently working on. Is there anything you can reveal about that project? For that matter, what else are you currently writing or are planning on starting in the near future as far as novels and short stories?
Charlie: The current novel is under wraps for now. I’ll be struggling with it for a bit longer, and then moving on to Joe Pitt 5.
Q: A trademark of your books, besides the noir influences, is the explicit language, violence, and racial epithets. Is this explicitness just a result of the noir influence, necessary to the stories, or something else, and do you ever worry about offending readers?
Charlie: I just cuss a lot myself and I tend to write about the kind of people who cuss a lot. There’s actually considerably less cussing in the published versions than in the first drafts. I weary of it myself and cut a great deal before the books go into print. And, no, I don’t worry about offending people. It’s a book, you can always put it down.
Q: You write some of the sharpest and most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read in a novel. What’s your secret?
Charlie: Thank you. I don’t think there’s a secret to good dialogue. I think you either have an ear for it or you don’t. That’s not to say you can’t develop a good sense of dialogue, but it requires that you listen to people. I like to eavesdrop.
Q: As a reader, what has impressed you the most recently or that you are looking forward to reading?
Charlie: “Sharp Teeth” by Toby Barlow (Reviewed HERE) is the best fucking book I have read in years. I love it. Everyone should read it. Rival gangs of werewolves fight over turf in Los Angeles, written in blank verse. Fucking brilliant.
Q: It is definitely a great book :) One of my favorite debuts of the year so far... In conclusion, is there anything else you’d like to say to your readers?
Charlie: Thanks for reading. More is on the way. Hope you like it.
Q: To begin with, for someone who has never read a Charlie Huston novel, how would you describe your writing style and where would you recommend they start?
Charlie: I think my prose is very direct. There’s a writer’s voice, and I have a style that’s meant to keep things moving, but the stories are delivered without much in the way of decoration. Dark, violent and profane are all apt adjectives. But the ultimate goal of just about everything I write is to ultimately break the reader’s heart. Happy endings don’t come naturally to me, even when I shoot for one I end up with something that’s 95% cocoa bittersweet. Start at the start, “Caught Stealing” was my first novel and is probably still the most user-friendly.
Q: “Every Last Drop”, the fourth book in your Joe Pitt series, is coming out September 30, 2008 here in the US (Del Rey), and March 2009 in the UK (Orbit). Could you give us a preview of "Every Last Drop"?Charlie: At the end of the previous book Joe Pitt, our “hero” left Manhattan for the Bronx. So, we’ll have some chaos in the Bronx, get a look at what Vampyre life is like up there, and Joe’s gonna have to figure a way back to Manhattan. As with all the books, this one moves the series plot forward while telling a self-contained story. That said, this close to the end of the series, it’s not the best book to jump in on.
Q: One of my favorite aspects about the Joe Pitt novels is your original take on vampires. Where did your inspiration for the different Clans and your vision of vampires originate from?
Charlie: I wish I could say that Joe’s world was crafted and mastered before I started writing the novels, but the truth is that it’s largely a process of evolution. I started with the idea of a single power block that controlled Vampyre life on Manhattan: The Coalition. The Clans evolved when I started tinkering with the idea of a small underground. It became more interesting to think in terms of several power blocks in contention. Their philosophies evolved as well. I did do a brief series bible (parts of which are on pulpnoir.com), but much of that information never went into play.
Q: I believe the Joe Pitt series was planned as five volumes. Is this still the plan?Charlie: I planned a series, but I didn’t know it would be five books until I had finished the second. At one point I envisioned an ongoing series, but that became boring before I even started. Doing a terminal series forces you to make hard choices that change your characters. Compressing what I’d thought would be a six or seven book series down to five intensified everything. Very little gets teased out. You introduce a conflict make a choice as to how to resolve it and get on to the consequences.
Q: In a recent interview that I did with Steven Erikson HERE, the author talked about how 'heroes ain't what they used to be' and what happens when the 'good guys are just as bad as the bad guys'. Naturally I was reminded of Joe Pitt :) So with this series, are you satirizing good vs. evil in any way, and what kind of a hero is Joe?
Charlie: Joe is not a hero. He’s a protagonist. I’m not trying to say anything about the current state of the hero, I just wanted to write about someone badass. As I dug into Joe I discovered that he wasn’t just badass, he was mean. Joe’s perspective is simple: “I’m a son of a bitch. I was a son of a bitch before I got turned into a Vampyre and I’m still a son of a bitch. Being turned didn’t make me into the kind of person who will drink blood to survive, I was already that kind of person.”
Q: Well Joe is definitely badass…and mean :) But isn’t protagonist just another word for ‘hero’? After all, Joe possesses some noble qualities, especially towards his girlfriend Evie…
Charlie: No, it’s not the same. A protagonist is merely the lead character, the one to whom things happen and who instigates action on his/her own. A hero may be defined in those terms, but it’s not the primary definition. And I feel almost certain it’s not what Erikson was getting at. When we talk about heroes we’re almost always talking about noble figures, the righters of wrongs. They may be sullied, but they are still heroes, working in the bets interest of others rather than themselves. Joe may care for Evie and show her a degree of tenderness, but, from what I hear, Hitler liked dogs, that didn’t qualify him for hero status.
Q: Okay, good point. So “Already Dead”, the first Joe Pitt novel, was optioned by Phoenix Pictures (Pathfinder, Zodiac). What's the progress report on the film adaptation and will you be involved in the production in any capacity?Charlie: I’m not involved in the movie adaptation of “Already Dead” at all. Which is as it should be. Phoenix still has the option. They also have a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg. Their approach, and Scott’s execution, are aimed toward a large scale franchise.
Q: So you don’t think a writer should be involved with an adaptation to preserve the integrity of their vision?
Charlie: If they wrote a novel in order to see it turned into a movie, then, yes, by all means, they should protect that vision. I don’t write my books working toward the final step of a movie version. When the book is done, the story I wanted to tell is done. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the idea of seeing some of them as movies, but I’d much rather see someone else’s interpretation of my book than try to reinterpret a story I already told.
Q: Has anything else of yours been optioned for adaptation?
Charlie: “Caught Stealing” was optioned in the past, but nothing ever came of it.
Q: Do you have a dream adaptation?
Charlie: I’ve told my stories and don’t have any particular vision for how they should/could be retold in other forms. It’s not that I don’t want sell a few more options and see some movies made, I just don’t have a dream adaptation. Having said that, and while it’s not a dream, I do love Brad Anderson’s movies and think he would be a perfect writer/director for translating anything I’ve written.
Q: You’ve already branched out into comic books so would you be interested in writing original screenplays for television for film?
Charlie: Probably not originals. Most any original story idea I might have I’d rather tell as a novel. I’d be far more interested in adapting other work. And probably not TV. Working on a series is a tremendous time commitment.Q: Speaking of comic books, you’ve worked on the relaunched Moon Knight series—which you are still currently assisting with I believe, Ultimate Annuals 2, and the “X-Force Special: Ain't No Dog” one-shot through Marvel. What do you feel are the biggest differences between writing a novel and a comic book, and what are the positives/negatives of each format?
Charlie: Briefly, comics have pictures, most novels do not. To write for comics you have to try and think visually, let the art tell the story and keep the words out of the way. Frankly, I’m not very good at it.
Q: What do you think of the cross-pollination today between different formats such as films, novels, comic books, television, et cetera? Do you think it’s more advantageous for a writer like yourself to be producing works in different mediums?
Charlie: It serves a number of purposes for a writer to be active in various forms. At the most base level, it helps to spread awareness of your work. From a creative point of view, it forces you to use different muscles. Not only is the writing itself different in all of these disciplines, but the processes are different, as well as the business and social cultures. Working in multiple fields forces you to stretch you skill set. That’s always going to improve your work.
Q: After “Every Last Drop”, your next novel to be released is “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”, which is currently set to drop January 13, 2009 (Ballantine). What can you tell us about this book and how does it compare to your other novels?
Charlie: This is the first in a proposed long-running crime series. Something I could return to every year or two. The inspiration was a combination of moving to LA and wanting to write something set here, and a desire to get a little lighter, and wanting to tackle a detective book. As always, nothing turned out as I expected. Though the body count is much lower than my average book, the story is, in many ways, the darkest I’ve told so far. Web Goodhue is a slacker, a guy with something gone wrong in his past, and he takes a job as a crime scene cleaner. On one of his first jobs he meets the daughter or a wealth Malibu suicide, and shit gets all fucked up.Q: In a recent interview HERE, a character by the name of Elizabeth “The Whacker” Borden was mentioned. Apparently she appeared in a couple of short story anthologies, but could you tell us a bit more Borden, what makes her a unique protagonist, and how things are developing on a possible novel starring the character?
Charlie: Detective Borden is wrong in every way. She is a dirty cop in every way. Every time it seems like she’s done the right thing, it turns out she’s done something utterly fucked up. She is bad news and she doesn’t like you. And there’s a reason she’s like that. I’m hoping to tell the story about why she’s like that some time in the next couple years.
Q: In that same interview you also talked about a speculative fiction crime novel that you're currently working on. Is there anything you can reveal about that project? For that matter, what else are you currently writing or are planning on starting in the near future as far as novels and short stories?
Charlie: The current novel is under wraps for now. I’ll be struggling with it for a bit longer, and then moving on to Joe Pitt 5.
Q: A trademark of your books, besides the noir influences, is the explicit language, violence, and racial epithets. Is this explicitness just a result of the noir influence, necessary to the stories, or something else, and do you ever worry about offending readers?Charlie: I just cuss a lot myself and I tend to write about the kind of people who cuss a lot. There’s actually considerably less cussing in the published versions than in the first drafts. I weary of it myself and cut a great deal before the books go into print. And, no, I don’t worry about offending people. It’s a book, you can always put it down.
Q: You write some of the sharpest and most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read in a novel. What’s your secret?
Charlie: Thank you. I don’t think there’s a secret to good dialogue. I think you either have an ear for it or you don’t. That’s not to say you can’t develop a good sense of dialogue, but it requires that you listen to people. I like to eavesdrop.
Q: As a reader, what has impressed you the most recently or that you are looking forward to reading?
Charlie: “Sharp Teeth” by Toby Barlow (Reviewed HERE) is the best fucking book I have read in years. I love it. Everyone should read it. Rival gangs of werewolves fight over turf in Los Angeles, written in blank verse. Fucking brilliant.
Q: It is definitely a great book :) One of my favorite debuts of the year so far... In conclusion, is there anything else you’d like to say to your readers?
Charlie: Thanks for reading. More is on the way. Hope you like it.
3:01 AM | 
Posted by
Robert |
Scars on Broadway is the long-awaited collaboration between guitarist/frontman Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, both best known for their work in the multi-Platinum-selling, Grammy-winning band, System of a Down. Their self-titled debut was released on July 29, 2008. While the songs are a little more melodic and radio-friendly, Scars on Broadway’s sound will be unmistakably recognizable to SOAD fans. Personally, I like the record more than most of System’s discography or Serj Tankian’s solo album. “Insane” is one of my favorite songs on the album. Other notable tracks include “Funny” and “They Say”:
As you may or may not know, last Sunday I announced HERE that I was no longer writing reviews or conducting interviews for Fantasy Book Critic. Because of that decision, I’m making a few changes to the blog that readers should be aware of:
1) I’ve hired a couple of writers to contribute reviews and interviews to Fantasy Book Critic, and I’m currently talking with a couple of others who have expressed interest. If anyone else is interested, I’m still taking inquiries HERE. I'm also up for reprinting articles, and I'm actually posting an essay next Wednesday, August 20th on The Joys of Fantasy & Romance :) The hope is to get enough writers contributing, so even though I’m no longer reviewing or interviewing, the blog will still be updated regularly. For now, you can check out the biographies of Fantasy Book Critic’s two newest contributors Fábio Fernandes & Jacques Barcia:
Fábio Fernandes, 42, is a writer living in São Paulo, Brazil. Also a journalist and translator, he is responsible for the Brazilian translations of several prominent SF novels including Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and A Clockwork Orange. He has published more than two dozen stories in fanzines and magazines in Brazil, Portugal, and Romania. Currently working as a Creative Writing teacher in the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Fernandes also published a non-fiction book on the work of William Gibson, “A Construção do Imaginário Cyber” (in Portuguese). He just finished his first SF novel, “Back in the USSR” and is currently writing short stories in English and starting what may be his first English-written novel. He can also be found at his English-language blog, Post-Weird Thoughts, which he shares with Brazilian writer Jacques Barcia. Fernandes also reviews fiction for The Fix among others.
Jacques Barcia, 30, is a Brazilian technology journalist, weird fiction writer and editor of the magazines Terra Incognita and Kaliopes. He has a short story published in Romania and writes for the blog Post-Weird Thoughts with Fábio Fernandes. Jacques is currently working on some short stories along with his first novel, both in English. He lives in Recife.
2) Instead of continuing with the “Currently Reading” and “On the Horizon” widgets on the right sidebar, I’m posting “Notable Releases”. Basically, every week I’m putting up four new titles that I believe are notable releases for the current month. Each widget will have a direct link to more information about the title, so don’t be shy :) As far as the Currently Reading/On the Horizon portion of the blog, I will periodically post updates that inform the reader what Liviu, Fábio, Jacques, et cetera, are currently working on…
3) Next Thursday, August 21st, I’m starting a new feature that I’m calling ‘Overlooked Titles’. In a nutshell, I always seem to miss a few releases that should have been covered in the monthly spotlights or received books that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with, so those will be covered in this new spotlight.
Speaking of spotlights, besides the main Monthly Spotlight that will be posted at the beginning of each month, I will occasionally do a full spotlight for select titles that I believe need greater attention, or just weren’t properly conveyed in the short blurbs included in the monthlies. To get a better example of what I’m talking about, you can check out my recent spotlight HERE for the graphic novel adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword”.
Another new feature I’m planning on starting next week—Friday, August 22nd to be exact—will focus on upcoming speculative fiction titles that I’m personally anticipating…
4) For those who don’t know, I use to work in the music industry prior to Fantasy Book Critic, searching for new talent, reviewing albums and so on. While I’ve been out of the industry for a while now, I still receive several albums for preview every week and have decided to share some of what has been catching my ear recently. So later today I will be posting my inaugural “Song of the Week”, and will hope to continue posting songs on a weekly, or even daily, basis :) I love music as much as I love reading/writing, so I hope this little feature will give you a taste of what I like and maybe even introduce readers to a few artists they haven’t heard before…
I have a few other ideas percolating, time permitting, but those are the four main changes so far. I’m always open to suggestions/criticisms, so feel free to leave a comment or email me :) Thanks for reading and much love & respect…
1) I’ve hired a couple of writers to contribute reviews and interviews to Fantasy Book Critic, and I’m currently talking with a couple of others who have expressed interest. If anyone else is interested, I’m still taking inquiries HERE. I'm also up for reprinting articles, and I'm actually posting an essay next Wednesday, August 20th on The Joys of Fantasy & Romance :) The hope is to get enough writers contributing, so even though I’m no longer reviewing or interviewing, the blog will still be updated regularly. For now, you can check out the biographies of Fantasy Book Critic’s two newest contributors Fábio Fernandes & Jacques Barcia:
Fábio Fernandes, 42, is a writer living in São Paulo, Brazil. Also a journalist and translator, he is responsible for the Brazilian translations of several prominent SF novels including Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and A Clockwork Orange. He has published more than two dozen stories in fanzines and magazines in Brazil, Portugal, and Romania. Currently working as a Creative Writing teacher in the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Fernandes also published a non-fiction book on the work of William Gibson, “A Construção do Imaginário Cyber” (in Portuguese). He just finished his first SF novel, “Back in the USSR” and is currently writing short stories in English and starting what may be his first English-written novel. He can also be found at his English-language blog, Post-Weird Thoughts, which he shares with Brazilian writer Jacques Barcia. Fernandes also reviews fiction for The Fix among others.Jacques Barcia, 30, is a Brazilian technology journalist, weird fiction writer and editor of the magazines Terra Incognita and Kaliopes. He has a short story published in Romania and writes for the blog Post-Weird Thoughts with Fábio Fernandes. Jacques is currently working on some short stories along with his first novel, both in English. He lives in Recife.
2) Instead of continuing with the “Currently Reading” and “On the Horizon” widgets on the right sidebar, I’m posting “Notable Releases”. Basically, every week I’m putting up four new titles that I believe are notable releases for the current month. Each widget will have a direct link to more information about the title, so don’t be shy :) As far as the Currently Reading/On the Horizon portion of the blog, I will periodically post updates that inform the reader what Liviu, Fábio, Jacques, et cetera, are currently working on…
3) Next Thursday, August 21st, I’m starting a new feature that I’m calling ‘Overlooked Titles’. In a nutshell, I always seem to miss a few releases that should have been covered in the monthly spotlights or received books that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with, so those will be covered in this new spotlight.
Speaking of spotlights, besides the main Monthly Spotlight that will be posted at the beginning of each month, I will occasionally do a full spotlight for select titles that I believe need greater attention, or just weren’t properly conveyed in the short blurbs included in the monthlies. To get a better example of what I’m talking about, you can check out my recent spotlight HERE for the graphic novel adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword”.
Another new feature I’m planning on starting next week—Friday, August 22nd to be exact—will focus on upcoming speculative fiction titles that I’m personally anticipating…
4) For those who don’t know, I use to work in the music industry prior to Fantasy Book Critic, searching for new talent, reviewing albums and so on. While I’ve been out of the industry for a while now, I still receive several albums for preview every week and have decided to share some of what has been catching my ear recently. So later today I will be posting my inaugural “Song of the Week”, and will hope to continue posting songs on a weekly, or even daily, basis :) I love music as much as I love reading/writing, so I hope this little feature will give you a taste of what I like and maybe even introduce readers to a few artists they haven’t heard before…
I have a few other ideas percolating, time permitting, but those are the four main changes so far. I’m always open to suggestions/criticisms, so feel free to leave a comment or email me :) Thanks for reading and much love & respect…
Reviewed by Liviu C. Suciu:
INTRODUCTION: Walter Jon Williams is the acclaimed author of such superb novels as “Aristoi”, “Metropolitan”, “City on Fire” and the recent space opera trilogy Dread's Empire Fall. When I heard he was revisiting the post-singularity terrain that he mapped out so brilliantly in “Aristoi”, I was very excited and had very high expectations for “Implied Spaces”. I am happy to say that the book exceeded my expectations and is a fun, impossible-to-put-down romp bristling with ingenious ideas and speculations…
SETTING: In a relatively distant future about 1500 years from now, humanity has created eleven powerful planet-sized AI's that circle the Sun and are constrained only by supposedly unbreakable “Asimovian protocols”. These powerful entities use their immense computational powers and energy resources to create pocket universes that humans indulge their fantasies on. Since there is no ftl, interstellar travel is slow and the one extrasolar colony humanity tried to establish died out in a solar flare. But when you can create alternate universes and worlds tailor made for whatever fancy enough people want, whether medieval fantasy gaming, underwater living, or completely atechnological devolvution, the lack of ftl doesn’t matter. But it seems that someone powerful enough is unhappy with the status quo...
FORMAT/INFO: The hardcover edition of "Implied Spaces" that I bought stands at 265 pages divided over twenty-four numbered chapters with an epilogue presented as poem. The narration is third-person present tense following the adventures of Aristide, whom we first meet in a fantasy gaming/cultural preserve pocket universe as a mysterious swordsman with a talking cat and a powerful sword. Of course the cat is an avatar of Endora, one of the eleven AI's and governing entity of the pocket universe, while the sword is a wormhole that instead of killing Aristide's enemies, sends them to Hell—at least the version designed by himself and Endora.
July 2008 marks the North American Hardcover publication of “Implied Spaces” via Night Shade Books. Cover art is provided by Dan Dos Santos.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: Close to our present and about 1500 years before the action of “Implied Spaces”, when humanity was confined to Earth and several space stations and such, there was a terrible war/virus infestation called the Ctrl-Alt-Del War that killed billions and led directly to the creation of the eleven godlike AI's, pocket universes and attempts at sublight colonization of neighboring star systems. Aristide is a survivor of that war and used to be quite famous for reasons that will become clear in the novel and are essential to its plot. But now under this assumed name he tries to live in obscurity and spends his time studying Implied Spaces—unintended niches that result when a world or a universe is created.
In the medieval fantasy world people wanted high craggy mountains, and lush fields with a river valley and an ocean, but in between—by necessity—a desert plateau has to exist. That is an Implied Space and that's what Aristide and Bitsy the cat were studying to see how people and animals had adapted in the 600 years since creation. Spiders and ants mostly, but soon a threat to human civilization that may equal the Ctr-Alt-Del War is encountered. Someone powerful seems to be unhappy with the status quo and kidnaps and brainwashes easy to miss people from obscure places like that desert for quite nefarious purposes. Aristide starts investigating and as we slowly find out he is quite well positioned to do so for various reasons; what he discovers is quite startling and surprising including the ultimate Implied Space of all…
Even though “Implied Spaces” is only 265 pages long, the novel has a lot going on including action, romance, various strange planets, post singular war—which is short and brutal—intrigue, mystery and suspense. And after every layer is peeled away and we finally believe there is no more, the book hits us with even more surprises. In fact, the novel gets a little over-the-top, especially with the deja-vu sequences between Aristide and his former/current girlfriend, when either or both die, get reincarnated, and then repeat the previous actions with slight variations.
The dialogue is mostly snappy and funny, though it can be too cute sometimes. The ending meanwhile, is superb with the epilogue poem the icing on the cake so to speak, but there is clear scope for a sequel which would be a novel of literally cosmic dimensions. It would take a very daring attempt, but if anyone could pull it off, Walter Jon Williams would be the one and I hope we get to see Aristide, Endora/Bitsy and the rest of the gang again.
Overall, “Implied Spaces” leaves you with the sensation that a novel simply cannot be this much fun and have so many interesting ideas all at the same time. Yet, somehow Mr. Williams accomplishes the impossible, giving readers a rare gem. “Implied Spaces” is science fiction at its very best—one of the Top 5 SF novels that I’ve read this year—and it reminded me again why I love the genre so much. Highly, highly recommended…
INTRODUCTION: Walter Jon Williams is the acclaimed author of such superb novels as “Aristoi”, “Metropolitan”, “City on Fire” and the recent space opera trilogy Dread's Empire Fall. When I heard he was revisiting the post-singularity terrain that he mapped out so brilliantly in “Aristoi”, I was very excited and had very high expectations for “Implied Spaces”. I am happy to say that the book exceeded my expectations and is a fun, impossible-to-put-down romp bristling with ingenious ideas and speculations…
SETTING: In a relatively distant future about 1500 years from now, humanity has created eleven powerful planet-sized AI's that circle the Sun and are constrained only by supposedly unbreakable “Asimovian protocols”. These powerful entities use their immense computational powers and energy resources to create pocket universes that humans indulge their fantasies on. Since there is no ftl, interstellar travel is slow and the one extrasolar colony humanity tried to establish died out in a solar flare. But when you can create alternate universes and worlds tailor made for whatever fancy enough people want, whether medieval fantasy gaming, underwater living, or completely atechnological devolvution, the lack of ftl doesn’t matter. But it seems that someone powerful enough is unhappy with the status quo...
FORMAT/INFO: The hardcover edition of "Implied Spaces" that I bought stands at 265 pages divided over twenty-four numbered chapters with an epilogue presented as poem. The narration is third-person present tense following the adventures of Aristide, whom we first meet in a fantasy gaming/cultural preserve pocket universe as a mysterious swordsman with a talking cat and a powerful sword. Of course the cat is an avatar of Endora, one of the eleven AI's and governing entity of the pocket universe, while the sword is a wormhole that instead of killing Aristide's enemies, sends them to Hell—at least the version designed by himself and Endora.
July 2008 marks the North American Hardcover publication of “Implied Spaces” via Night Shade Books. Cover art is provided by Dan Dos Santos.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: Close to our present and about 1500 years before the action of “Implied Spaces”, when humanity was confined to Earth and several space stations and such, there was a terrible war/virus infestation called the Ctrl-Alt-Del War that killed billions and led directly to the creation of the eleven godlike AI's, pocket universes and attempts at sublight colonization of neighboring star systems. Aristide is a survivor of that war and used to be quite famous for reasons that will become clear in the novel and are essential to its plot. But now under this assumed name he tries to live in obscurity and spends his time studying Implied Spaces—unintended niches that result when a world or a universe is created.
In the medieval fantasy world people wanted high craggy mountains, and lush fields with a river valley and an ocean, but in between—by necessity—a desert plateau has to exist. That is an Implied Space and that's what Aristide and Bitsy the cat were studying to see how people and animals had adapted in the 600 years since creation. Spiders and ants mostly, but soon a threat to human civilization that may equal the Ctr-Alt-Del War is encountered. Someone powerful seems to be unhappy with the status quo and kidnaps and brainwashes easy to miss people from obscure places like that desert for quite nefarious purposes. Aristide starts investigating and as we slowly find out he is quite well positioned to do so for various reasons; what he discovers is quite startling and surprising including the ultimate Implied Space of all…
Even though “Implied Spaces” is only 265 pages long, the novel has a lot going on including action, romance, various strange planets, post singular war—which is short and brutal—intrigue, mystery and suspense. And after every layer is peeled away and we finally believe there is no more, the book hits us with even more surprises. In fact, the novel gets a little over-the-top, especially with the deja-vu sequences between Aristide and his former/current girlfriend, when either or both die, get reincarnated, and then repeat the previous actions with slight variations.
The dialogue is mostly snappy and funny, though it can be too cute sometimes. The ending meanwhile, is superb with the epilogue poem the icing on the cake so to speak, but there is clear scope for a sequel which would be a novel of literally cosmic dimensions. It would take a very daring attempt, but if anyone could pull it off, Walter Jon Williams would be the one and I hope we get to see Aristide, Endora/Bitsy and the rest of the gang again.
Overall, “Implied Spaces” leaves you with the sensation that a novel simply cannot be this much fun and have so many interesting ideas all at the same time. Yet, somehow Mr. Williams accomplishes the impossible, giving readers a rare gem. “Implied Spaces” is science fiction at its very best—one of the Top 5 SF novels that I’ve read this year—and it reminded me again why I love the genre so much. Highly, highly recommended…
Jeff VanderMeer has just posted his first column examining politics in fiction at The Huffington Post, which can be found HERE: This first installment spotlights several recent novels that examines today's pressing political issues through speculative fiction. Here are a couple of excerpts:
“Less nuanced, more direct, Cory Doctorow's Little Brother (Tor Books, Hardcover) is Orwell for the teen set, a young adult tale of fighting back against a Department of Homeland Security run amok in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in San Francisco (apparently a popular target). Jailed and tortured, seventeen-year-old Marcus, a hacker, decides to take on the DHS. There's little subtlety here—the bad guys are bad guys, the teens heroic and ultra-competent—but Doctorow's understanding of modern technology and his ability to connect with the next generation make Little Brother as close to a handbook for the resistance as any novel yet written.”
“Finally, a few short-takes on other books of interest: Editor John Joseph Adams' Seeds of Change (Prime Books, Hardcover) tackles racism, global warming, peak oil, and political revolution in an attractive hardcover featuring thought-provoking short stories by rising stars like Tobias Buckell, Jay Lake, and Mark Budtz; Iain M. Banks' Use of Weapons (Orbit Books, Trade Paperback), perhaps the most incisive and shocking commentary on war since Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, is now back in print; and John Grant's Corrupted Science: Fraud, Ideology, and Politics (FFF, hardcover) which includes a scathing expose of George W. Bush's subversion of science that reads more like fiction than fact, has just been given a big push by the publisher and is once again available in your local chain bookstore.”
It’s an interesting article, so definitely check it out...
About Jeff VanderMeer:
Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning fiction writer with novels published in over twenty countries. He writes nonfiction for Amazon.com and The Washington Post Book World, among others. He has also collaborated on short movies with rock groups like The Church and edited anthologies such as Best American Fantasy. His short story “The Situation” was recently featured on Wired.com.
“Less nuanced, more direct, Cory Doctorow's Little Brother (Tor Books, Hardcover) is Orwell for the teen set, a young adult tale of fighting back against a Department of Homeland Security run amok in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in San Francisco (apparently a popular target). Jailed and tortured, seventeen-year-old Marcus, a hacker, decides to take on the DHS. There's little subtlety here—the bad guys are bad guys, the teens heroic and ultra-competent—but Doctorow's understanding of modern technology and his ability to connect with the next generation make Little Brother as close to a handbook for the resistance as any novel yet written.”“Finally, a few short-takes on other books of interest: Editor John Joseph Adams' Seeds of Change (Prime Books, Hardcover) tackles racism, global warming, peak oil, and political revolution in an attractive hardcover featuring thought-provoking short stories by rising stars like Tobias Buckell, Jay Lake, and Mark Budtz; Iain M. Banks' Use of Weapons (Orbit Books, Trade Paperback), perhaps the most incisive and shocking commentary on war since Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, is now back in print; and John Grant's Corrupted Science: Fraud, Ideology, and Politics (FFF, hardcover) which includes a scathing expose of George W. Bush's subversion of science that reads more like fiction than fact, has just been given a big push by the publisher and is once again available in your local chain bookstore.”
It’s an interesting article, so definitely check it out...
About Jeff VanderMeer:
Jeff VanderMeer is an award-winning fiction writer with novels published in over twenty countries. He writes nonfiction for Amazon.com and The Washington Post Book World, among others. He has also collaborated on short movies with rock groups like The Church and edited anthologies such as Best American Fantasy. His short story “The Situation” was recently featured on Wired.com.
Reviewed by Liviu C. Suciu:
AUTHOR INFORMATION: David Sklar’s first novella, “Shadow of the Antlered Bird”, will be published by Drollerie Press as an e-book in 2008 and as a chapbook in 2009. David’s published works include poetry in several publications, including Blue Light Red Light, Wormwood Review, and Paterson Literary Review; fiction slated for publication in Space & Time and two upcoming Drollerie Press anthologies; and satire in The Cynic, The Wittenburg Door, and The FarceHaven Tribune. He has also written for Galileo Games, The Gaming Report, and Knights of the Dinner Table.
INTRODUCTION: After checking out an excerpt HERE, I decided to read and review “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” by David Sklar because I loved the writing style.
After a relatively confusing start, full of magical foreshadowing but making sense only in retrospect, the novel completely hooked me when the main action started on page twenty-one and I could not stop reading the story from then on.
SETTING: “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” takes place mostly on the West Coast at an unnamed Seattle college and in California and the ocean, with interludes in New York City and elsewhere, but it also takes place in an interstitial meeting between two worlds: the natural world of long-lived elves, their magic and understanding of all things living, and our human “sorcerous” one, of manufactured products like factories, cars, and computers ruining the environment—at least that’s how elves see it.
FORMAT/INFO: The ARC PDF ebook of the short novel I have stands at 162 pages divided over five named chapters. The narration is mostly third-person present tense from the point of view of the two main characters, Tam and April who are casual college friends. One is a half-human elf that finds himself pursued by an inhuman, almost mindless enemy, while the other is a smart, sensible college sophomore who finds herself in the midst of very strange and threatening events and has to use her wits and compassion to try and resolve them. Tam's all powerful and “protective” mother that he tries desperately to escape from to see the world and live on his own, also makes an appearance at the beginning and end of the novel. “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” is self-contained with an ending that brings all the threads to a satisfying conclusion.
August 15, 2008 marks the eBook release of “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” via Drollerie Press, while the print version will be published in TBA 2009.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: At one level “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” is a young friends-on-the-run type of story. At another it is a coming-of-age story. But ultimately what made this book so enjoyable for me was the energetic, beautiful writing of David Sklar. Being so short, the context of the novel is mostly glimpsed through the actions and dialogue of the two friends, though the introductory twenty pages start making a lot more sense after you read the book which provides more hints about how this magical worlds of elves and other sentient beings coexisting with our present mundane world works.
As characters, Tam and April change quite a lot during their adventure, with Tam's mother, his shadow pursuer, providing the menace, while the other beings that they encounter in their flight—old Redwood Oaks, ocean Seals and finally the magical Hunt—deliver a sense of wonder that contrasts beautifully with regular places and things like gas stations, phones, cars, and highways.
Despite the tension there are some light humorous moments that allow the reader to catch his or her breath, and when you arrive at the end of the novel, you’ll want to immediately reread this wonderful book.
Highly, highly recommended.
AUTHOR INFORMATION: David Sklar’s first novella, “Shadow of the Antlered Bird”, will be published by Drollerie Press as an e-book in 2008 and as a chapbook in 2009. David’s published works include poetry in several publications, including Blue Light Red Light, Wormwood Review, and Paterson Literary Review; fiction slated for publication in Space & Time and two upcoming Drollerie Press anthologies; and satire in The Cynic, The Wittenburg Door, and The FarceHaven Tribune. He has also written for Galileo Games, The Gaming Report, and Knights of the Dinner Table.
INTRODUCTION: After checking out an excerpt HERE, I decided to read and review “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” by David Sklar because I loved the writing style.
After a relatively confusing start, full of magical foreshadowing but making sense only in retrospect, the novel completely hooked me when the main action started on page twenty-one and I could not stop reading the story from then on.
SETTING: “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” takes place mostly on the West Coast at an unnamed Seattle college and in California and the ocean, with interludes in New York City and elsewhere, but it also takes place in an interstitial meeting between two worlds: the natural world of long-lived elves, their magic and understanding of all things living, and our human “sorcerous” one, of manufactured products like factories, cars, and computers ruining the environment—at least that’s how elves see it.
FORMAT/INFO: The ARC PDF ebook of the short novel I have stands at 162 pages divided over five named chapters. The narration is mostly third-person present tense from the point of view of the two main characters, Tam and April who are casual college friends. One is a half-human elf that finds himself pursued by an inhuman, almost mindless enemy, while the other is a smart, sensible college sophomore who finds herself in the midst of very strange and threatening events and has to use her wits and compassion to try and resolve them. Tam's all powerful and “protective” mother that he tries desperately to escape from to see the world and live on his own, also makes an appearance at the beginning and end of the novel. “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” is self-contained with an ending that brings all the threads to a satisfying conclusion.
August 15, 2008 marks the eBook release of “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” via Drollerie Press, while the print version will be published in TBA 2009.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: At one level “Shadow of the Antlered Bird” is a young friends-on-the-run type of story. At another it is a coming-of-age story. But ultimately what made this book so enjoyable for me was the energetic, beautiful writing of David Sklar. Being so short, the context of the novel is mostly glimpsed through the actions and dialogue of the two friends, though the introductory twenty pages start making a lot more sense after you read the book which provides more hints about how this magical worlds of elves and other sentient beings coexisting with our present mundane world works.
As characters, Tam and April change quite a lot during their adventure, with Tam's mother, his shadow pursuer, providing the menace, while the other beings that they encounter in their flight—old Redwood Oaks, ocean Seals and finally the magical Hunt—deliver a sense of wonder that contrasts beautifully with regular places and things like gas stations, phones, cars, and highways.
Despite the tension there are some light humorous moments that allow the reader to catch his or her breath, and when you arrive at the end of the novel, you’ll want to immediately reread this wonderful book.
Highly, highly recommended.
Official Jaine Fenn WebsiteOrder “Principles of Angels” HERE
Read Reviews via BookGeeks, Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review + Strange Horizons
Reviewed by Liviu C. Suciu:
INTRODUCTION: For some reason—the title, blurb, not doing my homework properly—I was pretty sure that “Principles of Angels” was a fantasy novel with some SF underpinnings like this year's superb “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves” by Stephen Hunt. So imagine my surprise when after reading ten pages and waiting in vain for the fantasy elements to appear, I finally realized that the novel is actually a pure science fiction adventure. And an excellent one for that matter—a rollicking ride from start to finish that leaves you wanting more…
SETTING: Sometime in the future mankind falls and rises again—with help—leaving human-occupied space as an apparently stable area of several hundred semi-autonomous systems, no two alike. One such major human polity is the League of Concord which is using three orbital cities as alternating capitals. Three kilometers up in orbit around the barren planet of Vellern, the Three Cities—while a very popular tourist destination—are also a strange environment for non-natives with their mixture of opulence and squalor, libertarian laws, and relatively strict informal boundaries of what is acceptable. For instance, the citizens get a monthly vote in which they can ostracize a politician that displeases them—though here the ostracism is final—enforced by an announced public killing by the respective city's official killers. “Principles of Angels” takes place in Khesh City which is currently serving as the capital of the Concord. Khesh City's sanctioned assassins are called Angels because they have implanted nanotech allowing them to fly and they are mostly, though not exclusively, female. The Angels are recruited from the poorer Undertow population and they usually visit the opulent Topside for duty only. They answer to Khesh City's nominal leader known as The Minister. The three orbital cities, which are about 1000 years old, are rumored to be based on powerful technology, legacy of an alien race called the Sidhe that dominated/helped humanity a long time ago and are presumed extinct. While the action takes place exclusively in Khesh City, there are hints of other alien races and the larger universe which will be explored in the next novel of the provisionally named Hidden Empire series called “Consorts of Heaven” (May 2009).
FORMAT/INFO: The Gollancz hardcover edition I bought stands at 282 pages divided over thirty-seven numbered chapters. The narration is present tense third-person which alternates between the POV of Taro—an Undertow urchin/male prostitute of Angel descent who dreams of becoming one too despite being a boy; and a famous, somewhat naïve classical singer from a theocratic outworld, named Elarn Reen. Other notable characters include the Angel Nual, the strangest and most reclusive Angel who becomes entangled with Taro when he interferes by chance in her latest mission; all around bad boy Scarrion who used to be an official assassin with rival/allied orbital City Yazil; and the rich but disgraced politician Salik Vidoran and his “Screamer” bodyguard. As with “Angel”, “Screamer” denotes a literal characteristic of the Yazil official assassin corps—in this case, the ability to kill with their voice. The book is self-contained with its major plot threads resolved in a fitting, wistful and very good ending, but there are larger issues hovering in the background. And because I liked “Principles of Angels” so much, the sequel, “Consorts of Heaven”, has become an “as soon as possible" book for me…
June 19, 2008 marks the UK Hardcover/Trade Paperback publication of “Principles of Angels” via Gollancz.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: As mentioned in the Introduction, for lack of doing my homework I was expecting a quite different book. But once the rollercoaster ride that is “Principles of Angels” starts with Taro dazed and confused by the brutal murder of his guardian aunt, Angel Malia, and him trying to survive the tough, gang organized Undertow without any powerful Angel protection—after all no one made a better pimp and protector than his Angel aunt—and then the novel shifting to the first outside view of Khesh City when Elarn Reen arrives ostensibly on a concert tour, I was completely hooked and could not put the book down.
From here, the book jumps directly into the thick of the action and the backstory—which is revealed in droplets throughout the novel—and never slows down. Taro thinks and talks as expected of an underworld boy, although his accent sometimes gets laid on a bit too thickly, but he shows himself as a survivor—vulnerable and willing to do what it takes, while also caring. “Madam” Elarn Reen, as she is called respectfully by various people, brings a powerful contrast in style—cultured though clearly “provincial” from a backward theocratic planet compared with the ultra-sophisticated Topside inhabitants of Khesh City, while her manager provides the comic relief and a data broker Elarn hires gives added context to the story.
When Salik Vidoran, the suave rich politician, saves Elarn from a mugging and possibly worse at the hands of a pair of Undertow con artists/muggers teens, with Scarrion brutally though legally killing one of the youngsters, the book goes into overdrive. Then, when Taro gets involved with Nual, the famously reclusive Angel, the direction of the plot starts to become discernible, although there are quite a few surprises along the way…
The description of Undertow gang life with its casual brutality and enforced drug use is very vivid, while the Undertow Angel bar tended by a strange sex-changing alien named Solo brings a nice touch of local color. The Topside is somewhat less well described than the Undertow, but we get to see quite a few of the highlights of the elite part of Khesh City and the vast difference between the two is starkly revealed.
Overall, the action never lets up and the pacing of the story is superb, especially considering that this is a debut novel. The characters, while relatively stereotypical, develop somewhat, but that's just extra since “Principles of Angels” is so energetic and gripping. Though quite short at under 300 pages, “Principles of Angels” packs quite a punch and will leave you breathless and gasping for more…
One of the most pleasant surprises for me this year, “Principles of Angels” is highly, highly recommended.
INTRODUCTION: For some reason—the title, blurb, not doing my homework properly—I was pretty sure that “Principles of Angels” was a fantasy novel with some SF underpinnings like this year's superb “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves” by Stephen Hunt. So imagine my surprise when after reading ten pages and waiting in vain for the fantasy elements to appear, I finally realized that the novel is actually a pure science fiction adventure. And an excellent one for that matter—a rollicking ride from start to finish that leaves you wanting more…
SETTING: Sometime in the future mankind falls and rises again—with help—leaving human-occupied space as an apparently stable area of several hundred semi-autonomous systems, no two alike. One such major human polity is the League of Concord which is using three orbital cities as alternating capitals. Three kilometers up in orbit around the barren planet of Vellern, the Three Cities—while a very popular tourist destination—are also a strange environment for non-natives with their mixture of opulence and squalor, libertarian laws, and relatively strict informal boundaries of what is acceptable. For instance, the citizens get a monthly vote in which they can ostracize a politician that displeases them—though here the ostracism is final—enforced by an announced public killing by the respective city's official killers. “Principles of Angels” takes place in Khesh City which is currently serving as the capital of the Concord. Khesh City's sanctioned assassins are called Angels because they have implanted nanotech allowing them to fly and they are mostly, though not exclusively, female. The Angels are recruited from the poorer Undertow population and they usually visit the opulent Topside for duty only. They answer to Khesh City's nominal leader known as The Minister. The three orbital cities, which are about 1000 years old, are rumored to be based on powerful technology, legacy of an alien race called the Sidhe that dominated/helped humanity a long time ago and are presumed extinct. While the action takes place exclusively in Khesh City, there are hints of other alien races and the larger universe which will be explored in the next novel of the provisionally named Hidden Empire series called “Consorts of Heaven” (May 2009).
FORMAT/INFO: The Gollancz hardcover edition I bought stands at 282 pages divided over thirty-seven numbered chapters. The narration is present tense third-person which alternates between the POV of Taro—an Undertow urchin/male prostitute of Angel descent who dreams of becoming one too despite being a boy; and a famous, somewhat naïve classical singer from a theocratic outworld, named Elarn Reen. Other notable characters include the Angel Nual, the strangest and most reclusive Angel who becomes entangled with Taro when he interferes by chance in her latest mission; all around bad boy Scarrion who used to be an official assassin with rival/allied orbital City Yazil; and the rich but disgraced politician Salik Vidoran and his “Screamer” bodyguard. As with “Angel”, “Screamer” denotes a literal characteristic of the Yazil official assassin corps—in this case, the ability to kill with their voice. The book is self-contained with its major plot threads resolved in a fitting, wistful and very good ending, but there are larger issues hovering in the background. And because I liked “Principles of Angels” so much, the sequel, “Consorts of Heaven”, has become an “as soon as possible" book for me…
June 19, 2008 marks the UK Hardcover/Trade Paperback publication of “Principles of Angels” via Gollancz.
PLOT HINTS AND ANALYSIS: As mentioned in the Introduction, for lack of doing my homework I was expecting a quite different book. But once the rollercoaster ride that is “Principles of Angels” starts with Taro dazed and confused by the brutal murder of his guardian aunt, Angel Malia, and him trying to survive the tough, gang organized Undertow without any powerful Angel protection—after all no one made a better pimp and protector than his Angel aunt—and then the novel shifting to the first outside view of Khesh City when Elarn Reen arrives ostensibly on a concert tour, I was completely hooked and could not put the book down.
From here, the book jumps directly into the thick of the action and the backstory—which is revealed in droplets throughout the novel—and never slows down. Taro thinks and talks as expected of an underworld boy, although his accent sometimes gets laid on a bit too thickly, but he shows himself as a survivor—vulnerable and willing to do what it takes, while also caring. “Madam” Elarn Reen, as she is called respectfully by various people, brings a powerful contrast in style—cultured though clearly “provincial” from a backward theocratic planet compared with the ultra-sophisticated Topside inhabitants of Khesh City, while her manager provides the comic relief and a data broker Elarn hires gives added context to the story.
When Salik Vidoran, the suave rich politician, saves Elarn from a mugging and possibly worse at the hands of a pair of Undertow con artists/muggers teens, with Scarrion brutally though legally killing one of the youngsters, the book goes into overdrive. Then, when Taro gets involved with Nual, the famously reclusive Angel, the direction of the plot starts to become discernible, although there are quite a few surprises along the way…
The description of Undertow gang life with its casual brutality and enforced drug use is very vivid, while the Undertow Angel bar tended by a strange sex-changing alien named Solo brings a nice touch of local color. The Topside is somewhat less well described than the Undertow, but we get to see quite a few of the highlights of the elite part of Khesh City and the vast difference between the two is starkly revealed.
Overall, the action never lets up and the pacing of the story is superb, especially considering that this is a debut novel. The characters, while relatively stereotypical, develop somewhat, but that's just extra since “Principles of Angels” is so energetic and gripping. Though quite short at under 300 pages, “Principles of Angels” packs quite a punch and will leave you breathless and gasping for more…
One of the most pleasant surprises for me this year, “Principles of Angels” is highly, highly recommended.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
50 DAYS 50 BOOKS GIVEAWAY: Win a SIGNED COPY of Joy Nash's "The Crossing"!!!
Official Joy Nash WebsiteOfficial Immortals Series Website
Order “The Crossing” HERE
Read An Excerpt HERE
For centuries they have walked among us—vampires, shape-shifters, the Celtic Sidhe, demons, and other magical beings. Their battle to reign supreme is constant, but one force holds them in check, a race of powerful warriors known as the Immortals…
For Manannán mac Lir, a musician and Celtic demigod, life had become a blur of post-gig parties, expensive whisky, and cheap sex. And then a faerie infant almost dies—a child under his protection. On the hunt for the would-be killer, Mac finds Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous woman who’s inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. For the safety of his people, he should destroy her. But the aching vulnerability in her eyes calls to him. And the raw desire she inspires has nothing to do with a spell. Their love may be forbidden, but Mac and Artemis can’t go back once they’ve made The Crossing…
In support of the September 30, 2008 publication of “The Crossing”—the sixth volume in the Immortals paranormal romance series also written by authors Jennifer Ashley and Robin T. Popp—Joy Nash and Dorchester Publishing are hosting the “50 Days 50 Books Giveaway” (Details HERE)!!! Basically, between August 12th and September 30th, 50 different websites will be offering a chance to win a SIGNED COPY of Joy Nash’s “The Crossing” :) I thought this was a really cool idea, so Fantasy Book Critic joined the fun on Tuesday, August 19, 2008. The giveaway on this site is over now, but readers are more than welcome to enter the other giveaways that will be running through September 30th and you can find a full list of the participating websites HERE. Thanks to everyone who entered and much love & respect...
For Manannán mac Lir, a musician and Celtic demigod, life had become a blur of post-gig parties, expensive whisky, and cheap sex. And then a faerie infant almost dies—a child under his protection. On the hunt for the would-be killer, Mac finds Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous woman who’s inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. For the safety of his people, he should destroy her. But the aching vulnerability in her eyes calls to him. And the raw desire she inspires has nothing to do with a spell. Their love may be forbidden, but Mac and Artemis can’t go back once they’ve made The Crossing…
In support of the September 30, 2008 publication of “The Crossing”—the sixth volume in the Immortals paranormal romance series also written by authors Jennifer Ashley and Robin T. Popp—Joy Nash and Dorchester Publishing are hosting the “50 Days 50 Books Giveaway” (Details HERE)!!! Basically, between August 12th and September 30th, 50 different websites will be offering a chance to win a SIGNED COPY of Joy Nash’s “The Crossing” :) I thought this was a really cool idea, so Fantasy Book Critic joined the fun on Tuesday, August 19, 2008. The giveaway on this site is over now, but readers are more than welcome to enter the other giveaways that will be running through September 30th and you can find a full list of the participating websites HERE. Thanks to everyone who entered and much love & respect...
In 2003, Dabel Brothers Productions released “The Hedge Knight” and stunned the comic book world with their high quality adaptation of New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin’s novella which serves as a prequel to his epic fantasy novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire. In 2004, the collected graphic novel edition of “The Hedge Knight” went on to become one of the bestselling graphic novels of the year. In 2006, Marvel Comics and Dabel Brothers Production republished the book in a prestige hardcover format, much to the delight of collectors and critics alike. And in Spring 2007, the Dabel Brothers continued the story of “The Hedge Knight” by adapting the next chapter in the series: George R. R. Martin’s “Sworn Sword”, featuring the return of the creative duo of Mike S. Miller and Ben Avery…
Continuing two years after the events of Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” came to a close, “The Hedge Knight II: “Sworn Sword” follows the unlearned-yet-earnest Ser Dunk as the memories of his exploits at Ashford Meadow still hover over him. His search to become a great knight brings him and his irreverent squire, Egg, to the fiefdom of Ser Eustace, a nobleman haunted by faded glory and hiding secrets that may inevitably compromise Ser Dunk’s oath of loyalty.
As a drought ravages Eustace’s lands, Dunk finds himself embroiled in a water-rights dispute between the aged knight who employs him and Lady Rohanne, the ominously named “Red Widow” who many say threatens both the fire and the sword to anyone whom she deems a threat. Indeed, the Red Widow has left behind a trail of dead husbands and brothers, adding to the whispers that she is a fearsome power to cross at one’s peril. As Dunk finds his loyalty to his lord tested against a flowering passion for the diminutive firebrand Lady Rohanne, he struggles to find his way to a conclusion that avoids death and bloodshed, to negotiate some kind of peace between two sides that seem fated for war. But as a sworn sword, Dunk finds that that may be too much to expect and is forced to choose whether he will abandon his honor for his principles or find a way to stand for both…
About George R.R. Martin:
George R.R. Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of the epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which includes the novels “A Game of Thrones”, “A Clash of Kings”, “A Storm of Swords”, “A Feast for Crows” and the upcoming “A Dance with Dragons”. He has also written many other novels and short stories, and is well known for both editing and contributing to the popular and long-running Wild Cards series, as well as writing episodes for the shows, The Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. Martin received the Hugo Award in 1997 for his novella, “Blood of the Dragon”, adding to the many awards and honors he has earned during his career.
About Ben Avery:
Ben Avery is a comic book writer best known for his work on George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” and its follow-up, “Sworn Sword”, though he is also the writer of Lullaby, The Imaginaries and Armorquest. Avery also serves as editor-in-chief for Community Comics, a company dedicated to creating family-friendly comic books.
About Mike S. Miller:
Mike S. Miller is a comic book industry veteran who has worked on many titles, including Wolverine, X-Man, Justice League of America, Adventures of Superman and The Savage Dragon. He is best known for his work on George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” and its sequel, “Sworn Sword”.
NOTE: I forgot to mention this collection when it was released back in June, but if you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire, the original “Hedge Knight” miniseries, or just a well-produced comic book, then “”The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword” is a must buy. Of course, if you don’t want to shell out the cash for the Hardcover edition—which is totally worth it in my opinion :)—then a Trade Paperback is scheduled for release December 31, 2008. For the collector, there is also a Direct Market Variant available.
Continuing two years after the events of Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” came to a close, “The Hedge Knight II: “Sworn Sword” follows the unlearned-yet-earnest Ser Dunk as the memories of his exploits at Ashford Meadow still hover over him. His search to become a great knight brings him and his irreverent squire, Egg, to the fiefdom of Ser Eustace, a nobleman haunted by faded glory and hiding secrets that may inevitably compromise Ser Dunk’s oath of loyalty.As a drought ravages Eustace’s lands, Dunk finds himself embroiled in a water-rights dispute between the aged knight who employs him and Lady Rohanne, the ominously named “Red Widow” who many say threatens both the fire and the sword to anyone whom she deems a threat. Indeed, the Red Widow has left behind a trail of dead husbands and brothers, adding to the whispers that she is a fearsome power to cross at one’s peril. As Dunk finds his loyalty to his lord tested against a flowering passion for the diminutive firebrand Lady Rohanne, he struggles to find his way to a conclusion that avoids death and bloodshed, to negotiate some kind of peace between two sides that seem fated for war. But as a sworn sword, Dunk finds that that may be too much to expect and is forced to choose whether he will abandon his honor for his principles or find a way to stand for both…
About George R.R. Martin:
George R.R. Martin is the New York Times bestselling author of the epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which includes the novels “A Game of Thrones”, “A Clash of Kings”, “A Storm of Swords”, “A Feast for Crows” and the upcoming “A Dance with Dragons”. He has also written many other novels and short stories, and is well known for both editing and contributing to the popular and long-running Wild Cards series, as well as writing episodes for the shows, The Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. Martin received the Hugo Award in 1997 for his novella, “Blood of the Dragon”, adding to the many awards and honors he has earned during his career.About Ben Avery:
Ben Avery is a comic book writer best known for his work on George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” and its follow-up, “Sworn Sword”, though he is also the writer of Lullaby, The Imaginaries and Armorquest. Avery also serves as editor-in-chief for Community Comics, a company dedicated to creating family-friendly comic books.
About Mike S. Miller:
Mike S. Miller is a comic book industry veteran who has worked on many titles, including Wolverine, X-Man, Justice League of America, Adventures of Superman and The Savage Dragon. He is best known for his work on George R.R. Martin’s “The Hedge Knight” and its sequel, “Sworn Sword”.
NOTE: I forgot to mention this collection when it was released back in June, but if you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire, the original “Hedge Knight” miniseries, or just a well-produced comic book, then “”The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword” is a must buy. Of course, if you don’t want to shell out the cash for the Hardcover edition—which is totally worth it in my opinion :)—then a Trade Paperback is scheduled for release December 31, 2008. For the collector, there is also a Direct Market Variant available.
Dear Readers:
Due to matters both family-related and professional, I regret to inform you that I will no longer be dedicating the same amount of time that I have been to running Fantasy Book Critic. So, effective immediately, I will no longer be conducting author interviews or writing book reviews.
On the bright side, I plan to continue posting monthly spotlights, press releases, news and hosting giveaways if possible. Additionally, I have asked Liviu C. Suciu and David Craddock to continue writing book reviews for Fantasy Book Critic and I am taking inquiries HERE from anyone who wishes to contribute to the blog :)
At this point, I just want to thank everyone who helped make Fantasy Book Critic into a bigger success than I ever thought possible. These include the authors who inspired me to blog about a subject that I passionately care about; the publicists who were willing to work with me; my fellow bloggers whose advice and support were invaluable; my contributing writers David Craddock and Liviu C. Suciu whose love for literature is just awe-inspiring; and most importantly, the readers. Let’s face it. Without you there would be no Fantasy Book Critic. So thanks for reading and much love & respect…
Robert
Due to matters both family-related and professional, I regret to inform you that I will no longer be dedicating the same amount of time that I have been to running Fantasy Book Critic. So, effective immediately, I will no longer be conducting author interviews or writing book reviews.
On the bright side, I plan to continue posting monthly spotlights, press releases, news and hosting giveaways if possible. Additionally, I have asked Liviu C. Suciu and David Craddock to continue writing book reviews for Fantasy Book Critic and I am taking inquiries HERE from anyone who wishes to contribute to the blog :)
At this point, I just want to thank everyone who helped make Fantasy Book Critic into a bigger success than I ever thought possible. These include the authors who inspired me to blog about a subject that I passionately care about; the publicists who were willing to work with me; my fellow bloggers whose advice and support were invaluable; my contributing writers David Craddock and Liviu C. Suciu whose love for literature is just awe-inspiring; and most importantly, the readers. Let’s face it. Without you there would be no Fantasy Book Critic. So thanks for reading and much love & respect…
Robert
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