New Year, New Books

By: Chris Wyatt
Date: Wednesday, January 08, 2003

If your New Year's resolution is to read more SF, you're in luck because January has brought a batch of interesting releases. If, instead, your resolution is to do less leisure reading so you can finally get some work done...well, you might be in trouble.

Let's open with two interesting releases from Bantam Spectra. The first is a new novel by Robin Hobb, who is, coincidentally, FARSCAPE actor Ben Browder's favorite fantasy author. Hobb's new book is GOLDEN FOOL. As you may have guessed, it's the sequel to the much touted FOOL'S ERRAND (in fact, it's the second in a proposed trilogy). In GOLDEN Fitz returns to BuckKeep in disguise and becomes entangled in the political intrigue that surrounds the Farseer royal court.

The other Spectra release of note is also a fantasy...well...kind of... THE POISON MASTER is about a descendent of famed alchemist John Dee, who must rescue her sister from alien slave traders. During her quest she encounters an alchemical rebel who opposes the slavers. As with Williams' THE GHOST SISTER expect a fair amount of speculation on the relationship between the spiritual, the supernatural and the science fantastical.


While we're rolling with non-traditional fantasy, let's look at Del Rey's new THE BRIAR KING by Greg Keyes, a man known for defying the traditional conventions of the genre. Of course, KING --say it along with me-- is the first in a new series. It follows a civilization of Earth decedents who have slipped into a parallel planet of feudal wars.

Moving to the lighter side is John Barnes' A PRINCESS OF THE AERIE out now from Warner Aspect. This follow up to THE DUKE OF URANIUM has the same retro-sci-fi class, and the same cock-eyed sense of humor featured in the first book. Expect fun, expect sex, expect galaxy romping, and expect a little more sex.

There are also two releases by classic authors that everyone should note. The first is a new book by Ray Bradbury. It's a mystery novel of 1950's Hollywood called LET'S ALL KILL CONSTANCE that centers on an unnamed science fiction author who's trying to finish a novel when a woman is murdered. He never does get to finish his SF book because he soon finds himself dashing around Los Angeles looking for clues. Written inimitable Bradbury style, no one has an excuse to miss this. It's out soon from HarperCollins.

Bradbury's fellow California School classic author, Richard Matheson, is having a short story collection issued from TOR Books, called DUEL: TERROR STORIES. Think of it as a companion volume to last year's NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET: HORROR STORIES from St. Martin's Press.

Over at ACE they'll be issuing ORPHANS OF THE EARTH by Sean Williams and Shane Dix. ORPHANS is a follow up to the so-so ECHOES OF EARTH, but buzz says this book shines. The plot follows the only human to survive the destruction of Earth as he attempts to warn outlying space colonies of a coming menace.

Meanwhile, Baen Books is cooking up a new one from David Weber, co-written with John Ringo, called MARCH TO THE STARS. The book is about a foppish, useless prince who spends his time at leisure. The prince is sent on a pointless diplomatic mission just as busy work, but along the route he becomes stranded on a hell-hole of a planet, with only his body guards, who hate him, as company.

But the runner up for the Wordscape pick of the month is ENGINE CITY by Ken MacLeod, from TOR Books. The book is the final in a trilogy that began with the surprising COSMONAUTS KEEP. In this one, MacLeod plays with an endless chain of pop culture elements, including grey aliens, bigfoot and Men in Black. These elements feed a far future plot about "gods", a race of aliens that live on voyaging comets, and have long played races off one another for their own enjoyment. The whole trilogy is sharply written, and fantastically sarcastic. Check it out.

With all of that said and done, it's time for the inevitable...

WORDSCAPE PICK OF THE MONTH

Fans of Elizabeth Moon's adventure fiction might be shocked by THE SPEED OF DARK. SPEED is a near future story that involves no death-defying heroics, and no space operatics. Instead it's the small personal story of an autistic young man named Lou who lives life as one of the last generation of true autism sufferers. New prenatal and infant treatments have made autism a thing of the past for rising generations. And now, a next wave medical experiment might abolish Lou's own autistic symptoms.

But Lou lives an independent life. Does he need this process to make him normal? What does it mean to be "normal"? If he's cured, will he loose some of the traits that make him who he is?

It's a personal novel that doesn't push the techno aspects of the future, but rather focuses on creating an internal narrative that exposes readers to the thought processes of autism sufferers.

The result is a strong and beautiful novel that's light on the science, but strong on the heart.

Thanks for hanging with us for another Wordscape! Enjoy a great month of reading, and we'll catch you again in February.

Wordscape is our monthly Books column.

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