Star Wars Tech Guide, Jennifer Fallon, & More

By: Pat Ferrara
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Happy Tuesday everybody! This week we've got new Tor releases of the Wolfblade Trilogy, the Count Saint-Germain series, and The Company novels. In addition to those hardback debuts we've got a technical guide to the science of Star Wars from the good folks at the National Geographic Society and the Boston Museum of Science... simply awesome.

Delving into the past of the Hythrian Warlord from the original Hythrun trilogy, Jennifer Fallon brings back Marla Wolfblade as the concerned mother vying for her family's existence in Warrior. An epilogue-esque offshoot from The Hythrun Chronicles, Warrior is the second novel of the Wolfblade Trilogy and a prodigious addition to the lore of the Hythrian throne. Fans of the series will recognize Fallon's prowess with detail and her organized, narrative depiction of Marla Wolfblade's rise to power.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, one of the most accomplished writers of vampire fiction, returns to the horror scene with her new historical fiction/vampiric thriller Roman Dusk. The 19th volume of the immense Count Saint-Germain series, Yarbro once again travels through the centuries to BC Rome to depict the feared and beloved St. Germain (based on the actual Count St. Germain of 18th century France) in an intensely accurate swords and sandals setting. Able to write a believable vampire better than your quiet neighbor as a human, Chelsea Yarbro has captured vampire enthusiasts' attention with her descriptive prose and insightful perspective into the immortal lifestyle. Those interested shouldn't hesitate to check her out... there's a reason her series has been on the shelves since 1978.


Following the three-year, multi-city exhibition tour, the Boston Museum of Science is sharing the tech behind Star Wars with the masses under publisher National Geographic. An exhibit investigating the closing gap between science fiction and present-day technology, this book release tracks the beautiful artwork, technical displays, and surprising technological breakthroughs that were shown in museums across the country. Fleshing out a well-rounded 208 pages, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination is like all the best weapons and tech shows from the History Channel, TLC, and the Science Channel all rolled in one bangin' Star Wars wrap. A big SW fan and didn't even know such a museum exhibit ever existed? Don't feel bad, just get this guy on paperback today and catch up with everything you missed.


New in Hardcover:

The End of the Story, Clark Ashton Smith, The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith Volume 1, Clark Ashton Smith, Ed. Scott Conners, Night Shade Books

Published in chronological order, with extensive story and bibliographic notes, this series not only provides access to stories that have been out of print for years, but gives them a historical and social context. Series editors Scott Conners and Ronald S. Hilger excavated the still-existing manuscripts, letters and various published versions of the stories, creating a definitive "preferred text" for Smith's entire body of work. This first volume of the series, brings together 25 of his fantasy stories, written between 1925 and 1930, including such classics as "The Abominations of Yondo," "The Monster of the Prophecy," "The Last Incantation" and the title narrative "The End of the Story."

Warrior, Jennifer Fallon, Tor Books

It is eight years since Marla Wolfblade buried her second husband. In that time, she has become the power behind Hythria's throneas much from a desire to control her own destiny in any way she can as to protect her son, young Damin. But while Marla plays the games of politics and diplomacy, the High Arrion of the Sorcerers' Collective is plotting to destroy herand the entire Wolfblade line. And while Marla's power and fortune are great, they may yet not be enough to protect herself and her family from the High Arrion's wrath...and her only ally and confidant, Elezaar the Fool, is toying with the idea of betrayal. For he has discovered that the infamous Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power are not so useful when his own family is involved... Stemming from the fourth book of The Hythrun Chronicles, Warrior continues the Wolfblade Trilogy started in January 2006. Although a little light on out-and-out swords and sorcery action, this book more than makes up for it with keen detail and world-realistic political intrigue.

Roman Dusk, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tor Books

Rome is crumbling. The child-emperor, Heliogabalus, diverts the Roman populace with parties, circuses, and celebrations, while his mother and grandmother jockey for power behind the scenes. The government is riddled with scandal and no business is conducted without bribes which grow ever larger. Religions joust for prominence, with factions of Christians seeking to overthrow the ancient Roman pantheon. Courtesans, once honored for their skills and protected by special guards, have become targets of opprobrium. The vampire Ragoczy Germanius Sanct-Franciscus, already subject to extra taxes and regulations because he is a foreigner, falls under the maleficent eye of Telemachus Batsho, a minor functionary who dreams of power and wealth. When Franciscus thwarts his attempts to extort ever-increasing sums from a young Roman of good birth, Batsho swears revenge. Franciscus's friends, threatened with similar scrutiny, abandon him to Batsho's mercies or urge him to leave the Eternal City. But Franciscus has many ties to Rome. He has taken under his protection a beautiful courtesan who was brutally beaten by the very men who should have been protecting her. Franciscus is also held in the city by the plight of the family Laelius. The Domina's health is failing despite the vampire's great medical skills; her son has converted to Christianity and rails against his mother's beliefs; her daughter Ignatia, who has sacrified her own life to care for her mother, realizes that when her mother dies, her fate will rest in the hands of her increasingly fanatical brother. Determined to claim pleasure for herself, Ignatia invites Franciscus's attentions... unfortunately they are not unobserved and their simple yet powerful act of love sparks a conflagration that destroys Ignatia's family and nearly brings about the vampire's True Death. Returning to the world of 3rd century Rome, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro brings the fan-favorite St. Germain back as Ragoczy Germanius Sanct-Franciscus in this vivid, pleasingly historical novel of the Count Saint-Germain series.

The Machine's Child, Kage Baker, Tor Books

Kage Baker's trademark series of SF adventure continues now in a direct sequel to The Life of the World to Come (2004). Mendoza, a female cyborg and Company botanist, was banished long ago to a prison lost in time where rebellious immortals are "dealt with." Now Alec Checkerfield is sharing a cyborg body with the reconstituted personalities of Edward Bell-Fairfax, a 19th-century spy, and Nicholas Harpole, a 16th-century scholar, to team up and rescue the one not-so-human female they all fell in love with (in their own times). But what they find when they reach Mendoza is even worse than anything they could have imagined... which is enough for them to decide to finally fight back against the Company. Seventh in The Company series, Baker sets a fast pace for this sci fi thriller that is equal parts inventive and absurd as three personalities-rolled-into-one try to combat the infamous Dr. Zeus and his corporation of time-traveling hooligans.


New in Paperback:

The Culled, Simon Spurrier, Abaddon Books

The Blight arose from nowhere. It swept across the bickering nations like the End of Times and spared only those with a single fortuitous blood type. As the numbers thinned and societies crumbled, the survivors picked their way between silent streets and looked out on the squalid new order...and reconsidered their good fortune. Hotheaded religion and territorial savagery ruled the cities now. Somewhere amidst the chaos a damaged man received a signal, and with it the tiniest flicker of hope ... and the chance to rediscover the humanity he lost, long ago, in the blood and filth and horror of the Cull. Simon Spurrier, an award-winning writer of novels and graphic novel fiction, comes straight from Warhammer 40K and the UK's talent factory, 2000AD, to bring this promising series opener of The Afterblight Chronicles.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, Boston Museum of Science, National Geographic Society

For almost thirty years, the words "Star Wars" have summoned images of spaceships, super-weapons, and futuristic visions of all kinds. But George Lucas's immensely popular, vividly imagined blockbusters of life in "a galaxy far, far away" have often anticipated real-life technology right here on Earthand this fascinating, visually irresistible book probes the amazing interface between movie magic and practical science. Today's scientists are taking Star Wars fictions and turning them into fact; travel entrepreneurs are making plans for commercial space flight, and high-tech mag-lev trains defy gravity to zoom along like Luke Sky-walker's landspeeder. As the introduction states in the book robots are now a reality, and microscopic nanobots are already performing surgery internally. In the next twenty years, human soldiers will wear exoskeletal armor like Imperial stormtroopers and carry laser weapons as lethal as any light-saber, while orbiting satellites spy on the enemy and accurately pinpoint targets thousands of miles away. These exciting advances, often fraught with peril, are explored by the book's technological experts, who consider the risky implications and possible consequences of their inventions. A perfect souvenir for visitors to the exhibition, now on a three-year multi-city tour, as well as the millions who have made Star Wars one of the most successful epics in entertainment history, this is a book guaranteed to delight film fans and the technologically savvy alike. With an introduction by C-3PO's Anthony Daniels, this book is any technophile and/or Star War geek's wet dream. The only thing I can think of that would be more entertaining than this book is...well, the exhibit itself.

A Kind of Peace, Andy Boot, Abaddon Books

Inan. A planet where the nation-states have been at war for over half a millennium. So are they ready for peace? Only at a price. In a world where magic and technology have become intertwined, the Mages of each nation-state have become the ultimate weapons. So what happens when one of them is abducted and the planet is threatened with a new war that could lead to global annihilation? The ultimate weapons will meet the ultimate warrior, Simeon 7. Encountering military might, political machinations, and magical manifestations, those who would oppose him soon find that nothing can break the determination of a warrior on a mission. Deathlands SF author Andy Boot has returned from his twelve-volume series and his non-fiction work covering true crime, the paranormal, and horror films to delve into the little-known Dreams of Inan series with this series opener.

Road of Vanishing, Robin Hardy, Westford Press

Thirteen-year-old Chatain Henry has disappeared. Fearing that he regrets abdicating the throne to his guardian, Surchatain Ares, Commander Thom wants to place a bounty on his head. But when Thom captures a slave trader who claims to have sold Henry, Ares takes it upon himself to go look for him and the road he must travel is rumored to end at a portal that takes travelers to unknown realms. Because his young wife Nicole is the only one who can see the portal, she must go with him. While Nicole and Ares are gone, the Chataine Renée finds ample opportunity to wreak mischief with their five-year-old twin daughters, as well as with her husband, the Counselor Carmine, who is desperately trying to stay sober. For Carmine knows something about the portal that no one else has guessed. Following Nicole of Prie Mer, Ares of Westford, and Prisoners of Hope, Road of Vanishing is the fourth book of The Latter Annals of Lystra series.

The Skin of the Sky, Elena Poniatowska, University of New Mexico Press

The Skin of the Sky is the fascinating and haunting story of the life of Lorenzo de Tena, a brilliant Mexican astronomer. Born in the 1930s, the illegitimate son of a businessman and a peasant woman, Lorenzo lives happily with his mother, brothers, and sisters on their mother's farm on a small plot of land outside Mexico City. When Lorenzo's mother dies, his father brings the children to live with him in the capital. Thrust into a privileged world, the children struggle to adjust, and an angry Lorenzo turns to the study of the stars to find solace. He pursues his studies at Harvard, then returns to Mexico, where he attempts to do first-world scientific research in a third-world country. A complex and contradictory man, Lorenzo strives to make his country a better place for all her people, especially the very poor and disenfranchised. Setting traditional beliefs against technological progress, and personal sacrifice against professional achievement, The Skin of the Sky details the efforts of a country to join the twenty-first century, and paints the portrait of a lonely man who can only find true contentment and satisfaction only in the stars. Translated by Deanna Heikkinen, this grounded tale of political and nationalistic angst gets a little bogged down by the character of Mexico herself, but aptly depicts the divide between the scientific researchers of 1st and 3rd world countries and those caught in between.

Homeland, Michael Amos, Samhain Publishing, Limited

You have been exposed to subversive influences: for your own security and well being, you will now be terminated. Tracy Dwayne Jocelyn Higgs has a problem. Not only is he a Security Officer saddled with a girl's name, he has awoken to find himself in a vast shopping mall with no recollection of how he came to be there. Worse still, the mall is under almost constant terrorist attack. The security apparatus operates a permanent state of emergency and none of the other terrified inhabitants of the mall have any idea how they came to be there or how to get out. Stalked by the obsessive femme fatale Mandy, shadowed by the annoying Information Officer Simms and in love with the no-nonsense Doctor Jodi Francis, Higgs must find out where he is, get in touch with his feminine side and save the inhabitants of the mall before he is terminated for his own security and well being. I don't know what to make of this title; I could laugh along with its good-humored synopsis if I wasn't so confused.

Alright guys that's it for this week. Be sure to check back next Tuesday for another week's buzz of horror, sci fi, and fantasy book news. Questions or comments? Hit me up at PFerrara.Cinescape@gmail.com.