"The Anubis Murders" by Gary Gygax.
© Paizo Publishing
Infinite Space, Infinite God
By: Pat FerraraDate: Monday, August 13, 2007
Anthologies run amok in this week’s buzz with collection themes ranging from Russian sci-fi and fantasy to genre fiction based on world mythology and a collection of 2006’s best space opera novels.
Hello Maniac readers and welcome to this week’s edition of the Buzz. While you’re reading this at your home or place of business I’ll be soaking up the sun in beautiful Puerto Plata, DR, but we’re both probably wondering the same thing: Where has the summer gone? In the second round of August’s genre release schedule the heavy-hitting publishers have taken the bench to allow some of the indies a chance at bat. Lez see what they got…
Pulp author Robert E. Howard, regarded as the father of swords and sorcery genre, debuts a paperback collection of some of his best work through Del Rey publishing. Crimson Shadows: The Best of Robert E. Howard collects Howard’s very first Kull of Atlantis story as well as countless poems and the short story “Worms of the Earth,” about which H.P. Lovecraft said, “Few readers will ever forget the hideous and compelling power of [this] macabre masterpiece.”
Lian Hearn re-explores the roots of her Tales of the Otori series with Heaven’s Net is Wide on hardcover. Heaven’s Net, a prequel novel to the first Otori book, provides another glimpse into Hearn’s brutal, yet poetic Feudal Japan universe.
Night Shade Books and author Matthew Hughes are releasing the first installment of a new series based on Hughes’ far future discriminator / private eye Henghis Hapthorn. Originally conceived in the collection The Gist Hunter and Other Stories (2005), Hapthorn investigates a universe where science is shifting towards magic (in very Sherlock Holmsean fashion) in the novel Majestrum. This paperback series opener precludes the hardback release of the second volume, Spiral Labyrinth, due out early next month.
This week’s anthology releases are vast and varied with the mixed hardcover and paperback releases of Space Opera, Worlds Apart, Japanese Dreams & Infinite Space, Infinite God, the latter of which boasts a collection of tales that reframes the Roman Catholic faith in far future stories of its trials and tribulations. Enjoy!
New in Hardcover:
Firefly Island, Daniel Arenson (Five Star)
Discover a world at the edge of imagination. A cruel king, his flesh made of stone, tyrannizes the enchanted Firefly Island. No sword or arrow can harm him. Aeolia, a servant girl, can magically share feelings and senses... even pain. Only she, by hurting herself, can hurt the mad monarch. But can she save the island from his grasp?
Worlds Apart: An Anthology of Russian Science Fiction and Fantasy, Alexander Levitsky (Penguin Group USA)
A constant thread woven throughout the history of Russian literature is that of fantasy and an escape from the bounds of realism. Worlds Apart, is the first single-volume anthology that explores this fascinating and dominate theme of Russian literature—from its origins in the provincial folk tale, through its emergence in the Romantic period in the tale of Pushkin, Lermontov, and Turgenev, to its contemporary incarnation under the clouds of authoritarianism, revolution, mechanization, and modernization—with all-new translations of the key literary masterpieces that reveal the depth and ingenuity of the Russian imagination as it evolved over a period of tumultuous political, social, and technological upheaval. Alexander Levitsky, perhaps the world's foremost expert on this genre, has selected, translated, and provided engaging and informative introductions to the selections that simultaneously represent the works of Russia's best authors and reveal the dominate themes of her history: Myth and Fairy Tale, Utopianism and Dystopianism, Mechanization and Modernization, Space Flight, and more. The authors range from familiar figures—Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, and Bely—to writers practically unknown outside the Slavic worlds such as Derzhavin, Bulgarin, Kuprin and Pilniak. Worlds Apart is an awe-provoking anthology with a compelling appeal to both the fantasy enthusiast and anyone with an abiding interest in Russian history and culture.
Heaven’s Net is Wide, Lian Hearn (Riverhead Hardcover)
The new beginning-and the grand finale-to the beloved Tales of the Otori series. Heaven's Net Is Wide is the new first volume of the now complete Tales of the Otori, prequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, the book that first introduced Hearn's mythical, medieval Japanese world. This is the story of Lord Otori Shigeru, who has presided over the entire series as a sort of spiritual warrior-godfather, the man who saved Takeo and raised him as his own and heir to the Otori clan. This sweeping novel expands on what has been only hinted at before: Shigeru's training in the ways of the warrior and feudal lord, his relationship with the Tribe of mysteriously powerful assassins, the battles that tested his skills and talents, and his fateful meeting with Lady Maruyama. Heaven's Net Is Wide is an epic tale of warfare, loyalty, love, and heartbreak. This book leaves off where Across the Nightingale Floor begins, finally bringing the Otori series full circle. And while it both completes and introduces the Tales of the Otori, it also stands on its own as a satisfying, dramatic novel of feudal Japan.
Brave Story, Miyuki Miyabe (Viz Media LLC)
Young Wataru Mitani’s life is a mess. His father has abandoned him and his mother has been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life—a way to alter his fate. To achieve his goal, he must navigate the magical world of Vision, a land filled with creatures both fierce and friendly. And to complicate matters, he must outwit a merciless rival from the real world. Wataru’s ultimate destination is the Tower of Destiny where a goddess of fate awaits. Only when he has finished his journey and collected five elusive gemstones will he possess the Demon’s Bane—the key that will unlock his future. Charity, bravery, faith, grace and the power of darkness and light: these are the provinces of each gemstone. Brought together, they have the immeasurable power to bring Wataru’s family back together again.
New in Paperback:
Majestrum, Matthew Hughes (Night Shade Books)
The beginning of a thrilling new trilogy set in Hughes' Archonate universe, revolving around the character Henghis Hapthorn, a Sherlock Holmes-type who investigates mysteries in a world turning from science back to magic. The opening novel to the A Tale of Henghis Hapthorn series. Illustrated by Tom Kidd.
Space Opera, Ed. by Rich Horton (Prime Books)
Space Opera, a new anthology series edited and presented by Rich Horton, the editor for Science Fiction: The Best of the Year and Fantasy: The Best of the Year, promises to span the whole wide range of a subgenre famous for its romantic adventure, exotic settings, and larger-than-life characters, collecting the best space opera written in 2006 by some of the genre's greatest authors.
Guardian of the Veil, Gregory Spencer (Howard Books)
What if the fabric of our world were stretching or tearing...or getting thinner...and we could step through that veil into another world?It's been a month since the Misfits, four friends who like to commiserate, were catapulted out of their adventures in the land of Welken and back into an ordinary summer in the small town of Skinner, Oregon. Mysterious reminders of those exciting days begin popping up everywhere. A mountain lion. A sailboat. A children's story. Could Lizbeth, Bennu, Len, and Angie be needed, once again, in Welken? If so, for what purpose? And things seem different this time. Are little signs of Welken rippling through Skinner? Do the multiplying wonders mean that two worlds are about to collide? Or has Welken been within the Misfits' reach all along, but they just hadn't seen it? A Three-Dimensional Tale novel.
The Best of Robert E. Howard, Robert E. Howard ( Del Rey)
Robert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genre–and for his iconic hero Conan the Cimmerian–Howard also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more. This spectacular volume, gorgeously illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, includes some of his best and most popular works. Inside, readers will discover (or rediscover) such gems as “The Shadow Kingdom,” featuring Kull of Atlantis and considered by many to be the first sword-and-sorcery story; “The Fightin’est Pair,” part of one of Howard’s most successful series, chronicling the travails of Steve Costigan, a merchant seaman with fists of steel and a head of wood; “The Grey God Passes,” a haunting tale about the passing of an age, told against the backdrop of Irish history and legend; “Worms of the Earth,” a brooding narrative featuring Bran Mak Morn, about which H. P. Lovecraft said, “Few readers will ever forget the hideous and compelling power of [this] macabre masterpiece”; a historical poem relating a momentous battle between Cimbri and the legions of Rome; and “Sharp’s Gun Serenade,” one of the last and funniest of the Breckinridge Elkins tales. These thrilling, eerie, compelling, swashbuckling stories and poems have been restored to their original form, presented just as the author intended. There is little doubt that after more than seven decades the voice of Robert E. Howard continues to resonate with readers around the world.
Earth Tilt, James D. Daily (Wheatmark Press)
In the not-too-distant future, cataclysmic climate changes have thrown the world into darkness. All trappings of civilization—law and order, technology, homes, shops, towns, cities—are suddenly gone. The survivors must use their common sense, moral judgment, and determination not only to overcome the great turmoil and loss, but also to prevail against those who would take advantage of the power vacuum left in the disaster's wake. Although it describes momentous historical events, Earth Tilt is ultimately about people… and the resilience of the human spirit.
The Bone Key, Sarah Monette (Prime Books)
The dead and the monstrous will not leave Kyle Murchison Booth alone, for an unwilling foray into necromancy has made him sensitive to-and attractive to-the creatures who roam the darkness of his once-safe world. Ghosts, ghouls, incubi: all have one thing in common. They know Booth for one of their own…
The Anubis Murders, Gary Gygax (Paizo Publishing, LLC)
Gary Gygax, father of fantasy roleplaying and the co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, weaves a fantastic tale of warring wizards that spans the world from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the mist-shrouded towns of medieval England. Someone is murdering the world's most powerful sorcerers, and the trail of blood leads straight to Anubis, the solemn god known by most as the Master of Jackals. Can Magister Setne Inhetep, personal philosopher-wizard to the Pharaoh, reach the distant kingdom of Avillonia and put an end to the Anubis Murders, or will he be claimed as the latest victim?
Infinite Space, Infinite God, Ed. by Karina & Robert Fabian (Twilight Times Books)
An anthology of fifteen stories about how the future Catholic Church uses--or fails to use--its faith, wisdom and imagination to grow with the changes of the future.
The Princes of the Golden Age, Nathalie Mallet (Night Shade Books)
Prince Amir lives in a lavish and beautiful cage. He lives in a palace with hundreds of his brothers, all barred by law from ever leaving the palace until he, or one of his brothers, becomes the next Sultan. Living under constant threat of death at the hands of his scheming brothers, Amir has chosen a life of solitude and study. His scholarly and alchemical pursuits bring him under suspicion when his brothers begin to die from seemingly supernatural means. Amir finds himself thrown together with his brother Erik, the son of a barbarian princess. Together they must discover the dark secret that is stalking the halls of their golden cage.
Japanese Dreams, Ed. by Sean Wallace (Prime Books)
The first volume in a series of anthologies offering short stories drawn from the storehouse of world mythology, Japanese Dreams takes the reader to the islands of fire and smoke - where shape-shifters, demons and lovers all populate a landscape blossoming with story. Contributions by such authors as Richard Parks, Catherynne Valente, Jeannette Westwood, Eugie Foster, Ekaterina Sedia, Erzebet YellowBoy, Yoon Ha Lee, Jenn Reese, Sarah Prineas, Jim C. Hines and Steve Berman all offer us a glimpse of a silken sleeve or the red fur of the fox as she slips between the rushes, daring us to follow.
Rules of the Universe by Austin W. Hale, Robin Vaupel (Holiday House Publishing)
The world of molecules has always thrilled brainy thirteen-year-old Austin Hale. Molecular actions are difficult to predict and very powerful. Powerful enough to destroy life—and maybe to restore it. Austin’s grandfather, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, is dying of cancer and Austin is desperate to save him. When he discovers a “star” in his grandfather’s briefcase. Austin is sure the sphere of pure light is the key to saving his grandfather. But when he begins to experiment on the people around him, Austin is launched into an orbit where none of the rules of the ordinary world apply.
The Crow Maiden, Sarah Singleton (Prime Books)
A young mother abandons her family to walk for a night with the faeries, and while she is gone, her environmentalist husband is seduced by a sinister creature from the Otherworld. In the heart of the city, goth boy Jo meets an eldritch elderly lady who tells his fortune and sends him out on a quest. And in the heart of the English countryside, a motley tribe of protesters tries to protect a beautiful piece of land from destructive road builders. As the two sides clash, ancient spirits stir…
More From Mania
Robert Downey Jr. talks about the Howard/Cheadle incident
Why Terrence Howard was jet-booted from IRON MAN 2
(Sunday, November 2, 2008)
Howard Prepares For ANGELS & DEMONS
(Thursday, October 25, 2007)
Terrence Howard Gearing Up For 'Iron Man'
(Thursday, September 6, 2007)
Terrence Howard aims to learn from fearless Downey in 'Iron Man'
(Saturday, March 3, 2007)
Howard Shore scores The Last Mimzy
(Tuesday, December 26, 2006)
Terrence Howard joins IRON MAN
(Tuesday, October 10, 2006)
Terrence Howard set to join Downey in "Iron Man."
(Tuesday, October 10, 2006)
See more related content
