"Selections from Dreamsongs Vol. 1" by George R.R. Martin
© RH Audio Abridged
Where’s My Dance with Dragons?
By: Pat FerraraDate: Monday, October 29, 2007
Reading and enjoying epic genre literature requires, unfortunately, a great deal of patience. Though we love our favorite authors for their mind-expanding work, their creation of new worlds and imaginative storytelling ability, we can be the first to brandish the torches when withheld from our next fix.
If you enjoy reading fiction, chances are good that at one time or another you’ve been at the mercy of those damnable, far-reaching publication dates. It seems like every fantasy epic is frozen in limbo, their narratives caught in mid-stride as the author diligently works toward a conclusion. The time of the epic trilogy is over; the fantasy sagas of today opting instead for six, seven, or even a dozen volumes to spin their tale.
I don’t mind this inflated sense of modern-day oration, not in the least. I think the best books in the genre are those episodes of the epics, and I’ll take cliffhanger endings over stand-alone adventures any day. If I have to read twelve different books to finish The Wheel of Time so be it; I’ll pay $25 a pop for each tome with a smile on my face.
One thing I can’t stand, however, are those painstaking waits between each installment.
It seems no matter how many chapters of the series are already out or how many pages of the epic have already been written, you’ll still end up waiting for the next book right alongside the fan who’s been there since the beginning.
It was a couple years back when I first picked up George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. With his unique characters, merciless plot developments, and grounded sense of realism, I was utterly hooked on A Song of Ice and Fire. Being that I started the series quite a while after its 1998 debut, the first three novels were already on paperback and the fourth was right around the corner. All in all it looked as if Martin’s epic was something I could really sink my teeth into.
But I had no idea that the fantasy series was already in the first throes of a mid-life crisis.
After the release of A Storm of Swords, a full five years passed before the fourth installment, A Feast for Crows, hit the shelves, and even that failed to fully deliver. Having made the decision to split the intended fourth volume into two separate books, Martin left some of the choicest morsels of Song’s narrative out of Feast. Another two years have since passed and this week we get a paperback re-release of Feast and an audiobook selection of Martin’s early work to sate our appetite… but still no word on Song’s fifth installment A Dance with Dragons.
I know the frustration isn’t just on the fans’ side. From Martin’s blog it’s clear that the author’s desire to finish the book at least matches my own desire to read it… and the sad truth is that for every page Martin knocks out, a dedicated fan can take down a hundred. Martin’s definitely been busy not just with Dragons but also with the series’ impending television translation, yet that still doesn’t help me find out about what happened to Bran Stark or discern when and how Daenerys will return to Westeros.
I guess that excruciating moment of finishing A Feast for Crows comes with the territory of getting hooked on fantasy epics. No fan wants to sound like the ungrateful brat continuously begging for more, but maybe the amount of frustration we experience during the wait is the true measure of a series’ worth.
For those of you who have not read A Song of Ice and Fire I can’t give you any more of a recommendation than this rant. But don’t start A Game of Thrones too soon, Dragons release date of June 2008 is, of course, still tentative.
New in Hardcover:
A War of Gifts: An Ender Story, Orson Scott Card (Tor Books)
Orson Scott Card offers a Christmas gift to his millions of fans with this short story set during Ender’s first years at the Battle School where it is forbidden to celebrate religious holidays.
The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn (Tor Books)
Former government agent Frank Compton foiled a plot to enslave the galaxy in Night Train to Rigel.But the Modhri, an ancient telepathically linked intelligence, has walkers, unwilling hosts that can be anywhere, anything… and anyone. And Compton is the only man who knows how to fight them, as they wage a secret war against the galactic civilizations linked by the Quadrail, the only means of intra-galactic transit. Accompanied by Bayta, a woman with strange ties to the robot-like Spiders who run the Quadrail, and dogged by special agent Morse who suspects him of murder, Compton races the Modhri from station to station to acquire a set of valuable sculptures from a long-dead civilization. What the Modhri wants with them is anybody’s guess, but if Compton can’t outwit it, the whole galaxy will find out the hard way.
Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey (DAW)
In 1910, in an alternate London, a penniless young dancer is visited by a cat who communicates with her mind to mind. Though she is certain she must be going mad, she is desperate enough to follow the cat's advice and impersonates a famous Russian ballerina. The cat, it turns out, is actually an Elemental Earth Spirit, and leads her to minor stardom. Meanwhile, the real Russian ballerina has fallen victim to an evil troll who takes over her body and kills her patrons, drinking their life essences in order to strengthen his powers. And soon, the troll focuses his dark attentions on the young dancer... The fifth novel in the Elemental Masters series.
Patrimony, Alan Dean Foster (Del Rey)
In this new Pip & Flinx thriller, Alan Dean Foster displays the brilliance that has made him one of the brightest lights in science fiction. In Patrimony, fans will learn more about their favorite redhead–with emerald eyes, uncanny powers, and a poisonous minidrag–than they ever dreamed possible. “I know who your father is . . . Gestalt.” A shocked Flinx hears these dying words from one of the renegade eugenicists whose experiments with humans twenty-odd years ago shocked the galaxy… and spawned Flinx. So Flinx and his minidrag, Pip, venture to Gestalt, an out-of-the-way planet perfect for someone who never wants to be found–disregarding the advice of those who think Flinx could make better use of his time locating the ancient, sentient weapons platform that could be the galaxy’s only chance of stopping the exterminating scourge that’s fast approaching. Flinx might agree with them–but the quest for patrimony wins out (Sorry, galaxy!). Could Gestalt supply the key to Flinx’s shadowy past and strange powers? An eccentric loner in a remote area could be the father Flinx has never stopped searching for, perhaps the only person who can unravel the mystery of his birth and his amazing, agonizing powers. An eccentric longer in a remote area of the distant planet could be he father Flinx has never stopped searching for, perhaps the only person who can unravel the mystery of Flinx’s birth and his amazing, agonizing powers. Unfortunately for Flinx, Gestalt also hosts a resident bounty hunter who’s just learned about the stupendous reward offered for a certain dead redhead. Flinx gets a chance to test his adversary’s skills when our hero’s skimmer is blasted out of the sky and into a raging river in the middle of nowhere–a nowhere of impassable terrain and ravenous, carnivorous beasts. But hey, what’s one more impossible challenge for someone who’s spent his life defying the odds and escaping the inescapable? Flinx has one thing going for him… plenty of experience. A Pip & Flinx Adventure novel.
Stephen King is Richard Bachman, Michael R. Collings & Stephen King (Overlook Connection Press)
Signed by Michael Collings in a short printing. Stephen King is Richard Bachman by Michael R. Collings. This is the whole story of how Stephen King s Richard Bachman came to life, and when King finally had to give up the ghost and come forth with the truth that he was writing under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. This of course came about when the fifth novel, Thinner, was released and a reader discovered King s pseudonym. Now Michael Collings takes us from the beginnings of this unusual fiction side-show of Stephen King s body of work, to what we thought would be the last Bachman release, The Regulators. Updated and completely revised with new information and Richard Bachman releases since it s original publication almost twenty-five years ago. Chapters Featured: A History for Richard Bachman. Genre, Theme, and Image in Richard Bachman. Rage. The Long Walk. Roadwork. The Running Man. Thinner. Regulators... and Desperation. Pipe-Dreams and Possibilities.
New in Paperback:
A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam Books)
Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction. A Feast for Crows It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears... With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out. But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead. It is a time when thewise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.
Trouble Magnet, Alan Dean Foster (Del Rey)
From science fiction icon Alan Dean Foster comes a blazing new Pip & Flinx adventure for fans of the green-eyed redhead with awesome mental powers and his miniature flying dragon. In this dazzling new novel, Flinx confirms his status as the galaxy’s greatest magnet for big trouble. Wandering out there in some remote region of the galaxy is a gargantuan sentient Tar-Aiym weapons’ system. All Flinx has to do–while his pals look after his injured love Clarity Held–is find the hefty object and persuade it to knock out the monstrous evil that is hurtling through space to waste the entire Commonwealth. A no-brainer, really, especially for Flinx, who is never without his loyal entourage of official snoops, crazed zealots, assorted goons, and the occasional assassin. Indeed, the boy wonder and his mini-drag, Pip, are eager to commence their heroic task… just as soon as Flinx visits Visaria–a dangerously depraved planet–to convince himself that humans are indeed worth saving. The chances of stumbling across high moral values and utopian ideals don’t look promising–what with Flinx playing a lawless Pied Piper to a gang of lying, thieving juvenile delinquents. But prospects really go south when Flinx runs afoul of the corrupt planet’s ruthless crime king. Still, life is full of surprises, and Flinx is about to get smacked by a passel of them–by turns devastating, heartening, and positively jaw-dropping. For although Flinx came to Visaria to plumb the enigma of humankind, there’s another mystery waiting here, a shocking clue about his own shadowy past. A Pip & Flinx Adventure novel.
Sands of the Soul, Voronica Whitney-Robinson (Wizards of the Coast)
An exciting series especially for readers new to the Forgotten Realms! Thazienne Uskevren, the only legitimate daughter of the wealthy Uskevren family, has suffered blow after blow to her body and spirit. Even as she struggles to mend her fractured soul, Tazi finds herself on a journey that will take her far from the safety of Selgaunt and into the deadly heart of the Calim Desert. There the shifting sands hide an old foe, who holds the key to Tazi's salvation--or the doom of Sembia. The sixth novel in the Gateway to Sembia.
Star Wars: True Colors, Karen Traviss (Del Rey)
As the savage Clone Wars rage unchecked, the Republic’s deadliest warriors face the grim truth that the Separatists aren’t their only enemy–or even their worst. In the Grand Army’s desperate fight to crush the Separatists, the secret special ops missions of its elite clone warriors have never been more critical… or more dangerous. A growing menace threatens Republic victory, and the members of Omega Squad make a shocking discovery that shakes their very loyalty. As the lines continue to blur between friend and enemy, citizens–from civilians and sergeants to Jedi and generals–find themselves up against a new foe: the doubt in their own hearts and minds. The truth is a fragile, shifting illusion–and only the approaching inferno will reveal both sides in their true colors. A Star Wars: Republic Commando novel.
Horus Heresy: Descent of Angels, Michael Scanlon (Games Workshop)
The next novel in the ground-breaking, bestselling series that tells the story of the Horus Heresy – the civil war that nearly tore the human Imperium apart, ten thousand years ago. This novel explores the early history of the Dark Angels Legion and their Primarch Lion El'Johnson. When news of Horus's treachery reaches Caliban, the loyalties of this proud and mysterious Legion are tested to the limit, wth tragic consequences.
Empyre, Josh Conviser (Del Rey)
For decades, Echelon forced peace on the world. Freedom was a sham: Echelon wielded total, if secret, control. In the end, two bioengineered Echelon agents, Ryan Laing and Sarah Peters, brought the conspiracy down. But there is no happily ever after for the liberators, or for humanity. With Echelon’s fall, a power vacuum is opened–and all hell breaks loose. Now an outsider in the world he created, Ryan retreats into the wastelands of Antarctica and a life of isolation. But when Sarah is blamed for a series of terrorist attacks, Ryan must return to a world he wanted to forget. Could Sarah be responsible for these atrocities, or is she a pawn in a much larger game? The answer lies with EMPYRE, a shadow organization at the center of the chaos gripping the globe. Ryan’s only hope is to uncover EMPYRE’s devastating secrets. The battle will drive Ryan and Sarah to the dark corners of the earth, to a floating, guarded city where the ultimate evil–and the ultimate plot against humanity–await.
Star Born, Andre Norton (Leisure Books)
When Raf Kurbi's Terran spaceship burst into unexplored skies of the far planet Astra and was immediately made welcome by the natives of a once-mighty metropolis, Kurbi was unaware of three vital things: One was that Astra already harbored an Earth colony--descended from refugees from the world of the previous century. Two was that these men and women were facing the greatest danger of their existence from a new outburst of the inhuman fiends who had once tyrannized Astra. Three was that the natives who were buying Kurbi's science know-how were those very fiends--and their intentions were implacably deadly for all humans, whether Earth born or Star Born.
Sixty Days and Counting, Kim Stanley Robinson (Bantam Books)
By the time Phil Chase is elected president, the world’s climate is far on its way to irreversible change. Food scarcity, housing shortages, diminishing medical care, and vanishing species are just some of the consequences. The erratic winter the Washington, D.C., area is experiencing is another grim reminder of a global weather pattern gone haywire: bone-chilling cold one day, balmy weather the next. But the president-elect remains optimistic and doesn’t intend to give up without a fight. A maverick in every sense of the word, Chase starts organizing the most ambitious plan to save the world from disaster since FDR–and assembling a team of top scientists and advisers to implement it. For Charlie Quibler, this means reentering the political fray full-time and giving up full-time care of his young son, Joe. For Frank Vanderwal, hampered by a brain injury, it means trying to protect the woman he loves from a vengeful ex and a rogue “black ops” agency not even the president can control–a task for which neither Frank’s work at the National Science Foundation nor his study of Tibetan Buddhism can prepare him. In a world where time is running out as quickly as its natural resources, where surveillance is almost total and freedom nearly nonexistent, the forecast for the Chase administration looks darker each passing day. For as the last–and most terrible–of natural disasters looms on the horizon, it will take a miracle to stop the clock… the kind of miracle that only dedicated men and women can bring about.
Rise of the Seventh Moon, Rich Wulf (Wizards of the Coast)
To win a battle, a man must be prepared to sacrifice his life.To win peace, a man must be prepared to sacrifice much more --Ashrem d'Cannith. Ashrem's Legacy… a powerful relic of the Last War lost for ages. Now it is found. But will it bring about the world's salvation or destruction? As the heirs of Ashrem struggle to gain control of the Legacy, the ultimate end to their quest may be taken from them, as the great dragons of far Argonnessen enter the struggle. On a far distant shore, the fate of the world will be decided. The third novel in the Heirs of Ash series.
Best Fantastic Erotica, Ed. by Cecilia Tan (Circlet Press)
The best erotic science fiction and fantasy as determined by the annual contest run by Circlet Press. Rewarding originality and positive sensuality, the contest inspires well-known and unknown writers alike to excel in this provocative genre. Erotic sf/f combines erotic and sexual themes with magic, futurism, high fantasy, cyberpunk, space opera, magic realism, and all the many other sub-genres. The 2006 winner is a multi-genre writer from Canada Arinn Dembo, whose Monsoon draws on the mythic tradition of India. Second and third place went to two well-known erotica authors, both of whom have published with Circlet Press before, Thomas S. Roche for The Night the New Hog Croaked and Jason Rubis for Circe House. Over 400 manuscripts were submitted and only 20 were chosen for publication.
Halo: Contact Harvest, Joseph Staten (Tor Books)
This is how it began... It is the year 2524. Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space. But we have trespassed on holy ground--strayed into the path of an aggressive alien empire known as the Covenant. What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter catapults mankind into a struggle for its very existence. But humanity is also locked in a bitter civil war known as the Insurrection. So the survival of Harvest's citizens falls to a squad of battle-weary UNSC Marines and their inexperienced colonial militia trainees. In this unlikely group of heroes, one stands above the rest...a young Marine staff sergeant named Avery Johnson.
Earthquake Weather, Tim Powers (St. Martin’s Press)
Powers draws together the characters and events of two previous works, Last Call and Expiration Date, to create a seamless blend of history, mythology, and wild fantasy set against a series of riots, floods, and earthquakes that are plaguing the West Coast.
Prodigal, Marc D. Giller (Bantam Books)
In his riveting debut, Hammerjack, Marc Giller unspooled a futuristic thriller of global intrigue, corporate espionage, and techno-terrorism. Now he delivers a gritty new novel of deadly resurrection and a no-holds-barred fight for the future… Once an elusive hammerjack plunged into a virtual world of code, Lea Prism has been reborn as a corporate spook, hell-bent on ridding the universe of the anti-tech Inru terrorists. Their attempt to accelerate evolution robbed her of her once chance for happiness. Now the man she loved is nothing but a disembodied consciousness–and part of the computer matrix she has sworn to defend. But from the depths of a Martian volcano to the radioactive wasteland of Chernobyl, the Inru have launched one last offensive–giving rise to a final scenario more terrifying than anyone could imagine. The forces of technology are poised to distort the very worst of what nature has to offer...and the stage is set for battle.
Queen Ferris, S.C. Butler (Tor Books)
Reiffen, true heir to the kingdoms of Banking and Wayland, had lived his entire life quietly with his mother and best friends, Ferris and Avender. His days were filled with sailing, fishing with the talking seals, and trying to swipe as many extra maple candies as he could. All that changed when the three Wizards snatched Reiffen away to their fortress in the north. There they offered Reiffen the twin gifts of power and immortality--if he helped them wrest control of Banking and Wayland away from his uncle, the usurper. Although Reiffen's friends rescue him at great peril, Reiffen now decides to return to the Wizards knowing that he would never again be trusted in this old life--even his best friends would fear that the Wizards had “turned” him. He intends to fool the Wizards--gain their knowledge, find their weaknesses, and defeat them with their own weapons and regain the throne that is rightfully his. But Reiffen is forced to do terrible things to gain the Wizards' trust. Has he become as greedy, ambitious, and avaricious as the three Wizard brothers? The middle installment of the Stoneways Trilogy.
Selling Out, Justina Robson (Prometheus Books)
Book two of the Quantum Gravity series sees Lila Black drawn into the intoxicatingly dangerous demon realm. Capricious, in love with beauty, demons are best left to themselves. This is not easy when they can't resist tampering with humans. Justina Robson's new series is a joyful melding of science fiction and fantasy brought together in the figure of the dangerously lovely Lila Black, a 21-old secret agent who's had much of her body replaced with weapon-and-armor-heavy intelligent metal and who isn't sure where her mind ends and her installed AI begins. Lila's world is one where demons, elves, and elementals live alongside people. And somehow Lila and the other agents of the security agency have to provide security for all and stay alive themselves.
The Orphan’s Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice, Catherynne Valente (Bantam Books)
Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us–to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page… Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars–each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered “mermaid” to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales–even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun…
Odyssey, Jack McDevitt (Ace Books)
Multiple Nebula Award-finalist Jack McDevitt returns to the world of Chindi and Omega-and humanity's struggle with its own existence. To boost waning interest in interstellar travel, a mission is sent into deep space to learn the truth about "moonriders," the strange lights supposedly being seen in nearby systems. But the team soon discovers that their odyssey is no mere public-relations ploy, for the moonriders are not a harmless phenomenon. They are very, very dangerous-in a way that no one could possibly have imagined.
The New Destroyer, Warren Murphy & James Mullaney (Tor Books)
Pity poor tobacco tycoon Edgar Rawly. Thanks to lawsuits, government meddling and the inexplicable deaths of many of his best customers, his megabucks industry is gasping its last breath. That is, until the introduction of the Cheyenne Smooths, Rawly's latest product. Not quite tobacco, not quite legal, more addictive than crystal meth. Suddenly customers are once more beating a path to his door. That's when the bodies start piling up. Seems people are not only dying to taste the flavor of a Cheyenne Smooth, they're killing for it. Enter Remo Williams, the Destroyer, and Chiun, the deadly Master of Sinanju. They've been sent to kick some butt, but wind up in danger of being snuffed out themselves. Turns out Edgar Rawly is not the only shady character to recognize the value of the Cheyenne Smooths, and things really start to heat up when Remo bumps into a cult of ancient Chinese assassins, an Asian crime lord, and a worldwide addiction that just might send civilization up in smoke...and dump the Destroyer on the ash heap of history. A Choke Hold novel.
Star Trek TNG: Before Dishonor, Peter David (Star Trek Books)
An enemy so intractable that it cannot be reasoned with. The entire race thinks with one mind and strives toward one purpose: to add our biological distinctiveness to their own and wipe out individuality, to make every living thing Borg. In over two centuries, the Federation has never encountered a greater threat. Twice Starfleet assembled and threw countless starships to stand against them. The Borg were stopped, the price paid in blood. Humanity breathed a sigh of relief, assuming it was safe. And with the destruction of the transwarp conduits, the Federation believed that the killing blow had finally been struck against the Borg. Driven to the point of extinction, the Borg continue to fight for their very existence, for their culture. They will not be denied. They must not be stopped. The old rules and assumptions regarding how the Collective should act have been dismissed. Now the Borg kill first, assimilate later. When the Enterprise manages to thwart them once again, the Borg turn inward. The dark places that even the drones never realized existed are turned outward against the enemy they have never been able to defeat. What is revealed is the thing that no one believed the Borg could do.
Gotrek & Felix: Manslayer, Nathan Long (Games Workshop)
Now back in the Empire following their sojourn overseas, Gotrek and Felix head north, to aid the men of the Empire in their fight against the invading Chaos hordes. Stopping off in Nuln, they meet up with dwarf engineer Malakai Makaisson, who is helping the Imperial war effort by transporting cannons to the frontline on his airship, The Spirit of Grungni. After a series of nasty accidents, it becomes clear that saboteurs are at work - can our heroes find the villains in time to save the day?
The Lure, Bill Napier (St. Martin’s Press)
In a top-secret research facility, a team of scientists receive an unexpected message from the depths of space. At first, the blizzard of sub-nuclear particles seemed random. But soon a pattern emerges that could only have come from an alien intelligence far more advanced than our own. Now it’s up to Irish mathematician Tom Petrie to decode these messages and unlock their secret—one that is believed to contain an unimaginable technological breakthrough, and has the power to change the course of human history…unless the world’s superpowers succeed in suppressing the truth. Can Petrie and his team unmask the message’s true intent while evading those who aim to crush its extraordinary revelations? A desperate race against time—and through space—is about to begin….
Kris Longknife: Audacious, Mike Shepherd (Ace Books)
You can't keep a good woman down-Kris Longknife returns. Once again Kris finds herself caught in the crosshairs of unknown enemies who want her dead. Factions, both legitimate and underground, vie for control of the planet New Eden. And someone is taking advantage of the chaos to unleash a personal vendetta against Kris.
Horizons, Mary Rosenblum (Tor Books)
Ahni Huang is hunting for her brother’s killer. As a class 9 empath with advanced biogenetic augmentations, she has complete mental and physical control of her body, and can read other people’s intentions before they can even think them. Ahni soon finds though, that there are deceptions behind deceptions, and in the middle of it lies the fate of her brother. Earth is in the midst of a political struggle between the World Council, which governs humankind, and the Platforms, which orbit high above Earth. On the Platform New York Up, “upsider” life is different. They have their own culture, values, and ambitions--and now they want their independence from Earth. One upsider leader, Dane Nilson, is determined to accomplish this goal, but he has a secret, one that could condemn him to death. When Ahni stumbles upon Dane during her quest for vengeance, her fate becomes inextricably linked to his. Together they must delve beyond the intrigue and manipulative schemes to get to the core of truth; a truth that will shape the future of the Platforms and shatter any preconceived notions of what defines the human race.
Heavy Mental, Ian Shirley (SAF Publishing)
Brett Lee, the lead singer of heavy metal band Plunder, is enjoying a game of sex golf in his New York hotel when an explosion rocks the room. Investigating the cause, he ends up stark naked in another dimension, where he is swiftly accused of assassinating a pig by shagging it to death. And that is only the start of his problems.
The Android’s Dream, John Scalzi (Tor Books)
A human diplomat creates an interstellar incident when he kills an alien diplomat in a most…unusual…way. To avoid war, Earth's government must find an equally unusual object: A type of sheep ("The Android's Dream"), used in the alien race's coronation ceremony. To find the sheep, the government turns to Harry Creek, ex-cop, war hero and hacker extraordinare, who with the help of Brian Javna, a childhood friend turned artificial intelligence, scours the earth looking for the rare creature. And they find it, in the unknowing form of Robin Baker, pet store owner, whose genes contain traces of the sheep DNA. But there are others with plans for the sheep as well: Mercenaries employed by the military. Adherents of a secret religion based on the writings of a 21st century science fiction author. And alien races, eager to start a revolution on their home world and a war on Earth. To keep our planet from being enslaved, Harry will have to pull off the greatest diplomatic coup in history, a grand gambit that will take him from the halls of power to the lava-strewn battlefields of alien worlds. There's only one chance to get it right, to save the life of Robin Baker -- and to protect the future of humanity.
Grantville Gazette II, Eric Flint (Baen Books)
The new United States in central Germany launches a one-plane Doolittle Raid on Paris, France. The target: their arch-enemy, Cardinal Richelieu. Meanwhile, an ambassador from the Mughal Empire of northern India is being held captive in Austria by the Habsburg dynasty. Mike Stearns decides to send a mercenary company to rescue him, led by two seventeenth-century mercenary officers: an Englishman and a Irishman, who seem to spend as much time fighting each other as they do the enemy. Mike Spehar's “Collateral Damage” and Chris Weber's “The Company Men” are just two of the stories contained in this second volume of the Grantville Gazette. In other stories: A prominent Italian musician decides to travel to Grantville to investigate the music of the future. An American archer and a Finnish cavalryman become friends in the middle of a battlefield. A Lutheran pastor begins a theological challenge to the establishment based on his interpretation of the Ring of Fire. American and German detectives become partners to investigate a murder. And, in a complete novel by new alternate history star Danita Ewing, An Invisible War, the new United States founds a medical school in Jena despite resistance from up-timers and down-timers alike. The second volume of Grantville Gazette also contains factual articles which explain some of the technical background for the 1632 series, including articles on practical geology, telecommunications, and seventeenth-century swordsmanship.
The Clone Alliance, Steven L. Kent (Ace Books)
Third in the national bestselling series-military science fiction on the edge. Rogue clone Wayson Harris is stranded on a frontier planet-until a rebel offensive puts him back in the uniform of a U.A. Marine, once again leading a strike against the enemy. But the rebels have a powerful ally no one could have imagined.
The Metatemporal Detectives, Michael Moorcock (Prometheus Books)
Seaton Begg and his constant companion, pathologist Dr "Taffy" Sinclair, both head the secret British Home Office section of the Metatemporal Investigation Department--an organization whose function is understood only by the most high-ranking government people around the world--and a number of powerful criminals. Begg's cases cover a multitude of crimes in dozens of alternate worlds, generally where transport is run by electricity, where the internal combustion engine is unknown, and where giant airships are the chief form of international carrier. He investigates the murder of English Prime Minister "Lady Ratchet," the kidnaping of the king of a country taken over by a totalitarian regime, and the death of Geli Raubel, Adolf Hitler's mistress. Other adventures take him to a wild west where "the Masked Buckaroo" is tracking down a mysterious red-eyed Apache known as the White Wolf; to 1960s' Chicago where a girl has been killed in a sordid disco; and to an independent state of Texas controlled by neocon Christians with oily (and bloody) hands. He visits Paris, where he links up with his French colleagues. In several cases the fanatical Adolf Hitler is his opponent, but his arch-enemy is the mysterious black sword wielding aristocrat known as Zenith the Albino, a drug-dependent, charismatic exile from a distant realm he once ruled. In each story the Metatemporal Detectives' cases take them to worlds at once like and unlike our own, sometimes at odds with and sometimes in league with the beautiful adventuresses Mrs. Una Persson or Lady Rosie von Bek. At last Begg and Sinclair come face to face with their nemesis on the moonbeam roads which cross between the universes,where the great Eternal Balance itself is threatened with destruction and from which only the luckiest and most daring of metatemporal adventurers will return. These fast-paced mysteries pay homage to Moorcock's many literary enthusiasms for authors as diverse as Clarence E. Mulford, Dashiell Hammett, Georges Simenon, and his boyhood hero, Sexton Blake.
Dog Days, John Levitt (Ace Books)
First in a new urban fantasy series-with a bite as magical as its bark. Mason used to be an enforcer, ensuring that suspect magic practitioners stayed in line. But now he scrapes out a living playing guitar. Good thing he has Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. But there are some kinds of evil that even Louie can't sniff out. And when Mason is attacked by a supernatural assailant, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic-improvisation.
Frontier Cthulhu, William Jones (Chaosium)
As explorers conquered the frontiers of North America, they disturbed sleeping terrors and things long forgotten by humanity. Journey into the undiscovered country where fierce Vikings struggle against monstrous abominations. Travel with European colonists as they learn of buried secrets and the creatures guarding ancient knowledge. Go west across the plains, into the territories were sorcerers dwell in demon-haunted lands, and cowboys confront cosmic horrors.
Howl at the Moon, Christine Warren (St. Martin’s Press)
Noah Baker never wanted to betray The Others. But if his military commanders want him to covertly investigate a Lupine scientist—whose extraordinary research on sensory perception in werewolves could be used to develop werewolf-sharp senses in human soldiers—Noah must oblige. Even if it means deceiving the woman he desires the most. Samantha Carstairs is the personal assistant to the Alpha of the Silverback Clan, and as best friend to the Lupine community’s most brilliant scientist, she is privy to its most dangerous secret. Noah knows that Sam will never leak the scientific research…so he must find another way to get it, while keeping Sam close. But someone elseis after Sam’s secret. Who is the other spy infiltrating The Others? If their genetic secrets get into the wrong hands, all hell could break loose. Now Noah’s true loyalty is put to the test as he fights to protect The Others—and his beloved Sam—and find the imposter…before it’s too late. Book four of The Others series.
Dzur, Steven Brust (Tor Books)
Vlad Taltos, short-statured, short-lived human in an Empire of tall, long-lived Dragaerans, has always had to keep his wits about him. Long ago, he made a place for himself as a captain of the Jhereg, the noble house that runs the rackets in the great imperial city of Adrilankha. But love, revolution, betrayal, and revenge ensued, and for years now Vlad has been a man on the run, struggling to stay a step ahead of the Jhereg who would kill him without hesitation.Now Vlad’s back in Adrilankha. The rackets he used to run are now under the control of the mysterious “Left Hand of the Jhereg”—a secretive cabal of women who report to no man. His ex-wife needs his help. His old enemies aren’t sure whether they want to kill him, or talk to him and then kill him. A goddess may be playing tricks with his memory. And the Great Weapon he’s carrying seems to have plans of its own…Picking up directly where Issola left off, Dzur gives us Vlad Taltos at his best—swashbuckling storytelling with a wry and gritty edge.
Dragon’s Teeth, James A. Hetley (Ace Books)
A new contemporary fantasy from the critically acclaimed author of The Summer Country. Two unusual families living in Stonefort, Maine- the shapeshifting Morgans and the Haskell witches-have enjoyed an uneasy alliance for generations. Now the vengeful spirit of a dark sorcerer, hungry to live again, will force them to unite once more-or turn against one another.
Blade of Fortriu, Juliet Marillier (Tor Books)
Five Winters have passed since young king Bridei ascended the throne of Fortriu. Five years, in which the people have felt a contentment unknown for generations. But the security of a people can vanish in a heartbeat, for wolves are often drawn to fields filled with fattened sheep. Bridei is determined to drive the Gaelic invaders from his lands once and for all. And so, with his land secure and his house in order, he prepares for war. And one of Bridei’s plans to win the war to come involves the beautiful young Ana. A princess of the Light Isles, she has dwelt as a hostage at the court of Fortriu for most of her young life. Despite being a pawn of fortune, she has bewitched all at court and is dearly loved by Bridei and his queen. But Ana understands her duty. And so she will travel north, to make a strategic marriage with a chieftain she has never seen, in the hopes of gaining an ally on whom Bridei’s victory relies. For secrecy’s sake, Ana must travel at a soldier’s pace, with a small band led by the enigmatic spymaster Faolan. Bridei implores Ana to trust see the good in Faolan…but Ana cannot see beyond his cold competence and killer’s eyes. Then, when she arrives at the chieftain Alpin’s stronghold in the mysterious Briar Woods, her discomfort and unease increase tenfold, for this is a place of full of secrets and her betrothed is an enigma himself. The more Ana tries to uncover the truth of her new life, the more she discovers a maze of polite diversions that mask deadly lies. She fears Faolan, but he may prove to be the truest thing in her world. Or her doom. The second installment of the Bridei Chronicles.
New in Audiobook:
Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy, George Lucas (Highbridge Co.)
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, slipcased. When this series was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, it generated the largest response in the network's history: 50,000 letters and phone calls in a single week, an audience of 750,000 per episode, and a subsequent 40-percent jump in NPR listenership. This landmark production, perhaps the most ambitious radio project ever attempted, began when Star Wars creator George Lucas donated the story rights to NPR an affiliate. Writer Brian Daley adapted the film's highly visual script to the special demands and unique possibilities of radio, creating a more richly textured tale with greater emphasis on character development. Director John Madden guided a splendid cast--including Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels, reprising their film roles as Luke Skywalker and the persnickety robot See Threepio--through an intense 10 day dialogue recording session. Then came months of painstaking work for virtuoso sound engineer Tom Voegeli, whose brilliant blending of the actors' voices, the music, and hundreds of sound effects takes this intergalactic adventure into a realm of imagination that is beyond the reach of cinema.
Selections from Dreamsongs Vol. 1, George R.R. Martin (RH Audio Abridged)
Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for readers: a compendium of his shorter works, collected into two stunning volumes, that offers fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master. Gathered here in Volume I are the very best of George R. R. Martin’s early works, including never-before-published fan pieces, his Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards—winning stories–plus the original novella The Ice Dragon, from which Martin’s New York Times bestselling children’s book of the same title originated. A dazzling array that features extensive author commentary, Dreamsongs, Volume I, is the perfect collection for both Martin devotees and a new generation of fans.
Alright y’all that’ll do it for this week’s edition of the Buzz. Check back next Monday for all the latest info on current sci fi, fantasy, and horror releases. Questions or comments? Hit me up at Pferrara.mania@gmail.com.
So now I'm waiting until every book in the series is out until I'll read it. Sure, I'm missing out on the adventures in Martin's and Jordan's (RIP) series at the moment, but I'd rather wait and then read everything all in a row.