Speculative Fiction – Page 22

Children of the Storm by Kirsten Beyer – review

Children of the Storm by Kirsten Beyer is the latest in the series of Star Trek Voyager books that traces the adventures of the crew of the Voyager after they return to Earth.

Star Trek novels are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine – I really enjoyed the various TV series when they were on (although watching repeats on Foxtel sometimes reminds me to never revisit the things I remember loving!). Still, I’ve been particularly enjoying the continuation of the Voyager, Deep Space Nine (my favourite of the TV series) and Enterprise stories in book form.

Children of the Storm continues the story of a group of Starfleet vessels, lead by Voyager, that returns to the Delta quadrant using slipstream drive technology. I think this has been a very clever premise for this particular storyline. In some ways, the Star Trek universe has gotten too big and the Federation too powerful to have really interesting stories. The scale of the threat required to trouble the Federation as a whole are so grandiose that the scale of story telling required to match it had become almost impossible to do well.

The move to a nine ship fleet in hostile space means that the stories can be toned down as well, and that is frankly a relief. I enjoyed that aspect of this story.

The story itself was fairly standard Star Trek fare, with an inscrutable alien race, cultural misunderstandings, the threat of war and inter-species understanding triumphing in the end. The story was competently executed, although there was a significant amount of “set up” work this story had to achieve to help establish the fleet and the main characters. It did this well – in some places it was a little clunky, but only in a minor way.

One element grated a little – the constant reference to the miracle of young life in the form of a precocious child was overblown. It reminded me of the way new parents can go on at length about their wonderful child, when everyone else in the room is rolling their eyes (I was/am not immune to this syndrome myself, but in my case it’s different – my children really are that fantastic). I was not surprised to read in the author’s afterword that Beyer was a new parent. Hopefully that element of her authorial voice will get toned down a little in future books.

Apart from that a well executed novel establishing an interesting story arc for the Star Trek universe. Looking forward to reading more.

I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe – review

I first came across mention of The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe when it won the Gemmell Morningstar Award. I was a big fan of David Gemmell’s work in my youth and still enjoy them to this day, so the endorsement carries some weight. Add to this that Lowe is an antipodean author (New Zealand based) and I was very keen to read it.

The Heir of Night is the first of a trilogy. The premise is interesting – a blend of science fiction and fantasy. Hundreds of years previously a race of warriors (the Derai) arrived on the planet Haarth along with their intergalactic enemies the Swarm of Dark.

Fast forward to the present day and the Derai are dangerously weakened. A schism years before has separated the psychically powered priests from the warrior aristocracy. The main character, Malian, is the Heir of Night, one of the nine houses of the Derai. After an failed assassination attempt she discovers she has inherited powers, a discovery that means she is going to be exiled. The remainder of the novel tells the story of her journey to escape her enemies and start to explore her destiny, which involves being the saviour of the Derai and the whole world of Haarth.

This is not a stand alone story – the various strands of the story are not resolved and it has very much a “start of the journey” style to it. The trilogy continues with The Gathering of the Lost for those wanting to follow along, with the third book not yet released.

While not marketed as such, I got a very “young adult” vibe from this book. The protagonists are quite young (although presumably they will grow up over the course of the trilogy) and the story had a certain neatness to it that I usually associate with stories pitched at a younger audience. For example, people came into their powers very quickly and seemed to master them equally quickly, despite the fact that those powers had been neglected by the Derai society for 500 years. Powers and artefacts come along just in time to save the day. That kind of thing.

The world building was quite rich and the science fiction elements blended well with the fantasy. The magic/psychic powers system is well thought out and adds depth to the action sequences.

There was a refreshing gender parity that runs through the book, which is even more powerful because it is not explicitly commented on. Gender is simply not a factor in which roles a person can take in the society as it is portrayed.

I enjoyed the glimpses of the Haarth societies beyond the Derai, which (given the story arc) I assume will be more prevalent in the remainder of the trilogy. Some of the minor characters (such as the Heralds) I found the most intriguing, possibly because there was less backstory. There is always an issue with fantasy stories when introducing the world building elements – balancing orienting the reader with the danger of over-exposition. Generally The Heir of Night does a good job, with perhaps a few instances where the “excuse” to give background was a little forced.

Generally I enjoyed the novel, but didn’t gel with either of the main characters. It is perhaps a function of my age versus the age of the characters, but I didn’t identify with them which detracted slightly from my enjoyment of the story. However, there are a rich array of secondary characters which I did find interesting.

Recommended for younger readers or an excellent starting point for adults new to fantasy.

I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

The Walking Dead – Seasons 1 and 2 – review

One of the newer channels on Foxtel started up a few months back and played the first two seasons of The Walking Dead – a post apocalyptic zombie horror story that K and I decided to watch. It follows the story of a group of survivors of a virus that swept around the world, re-animating dead people as flesh craving “walkers” – very much your traditional zombie.

The main character is Rick, a former small town police officer who was gunned down and put in a coma. He wakes up to find the hospital deserted and his town filled with walkers, which has to take the record for the most disorientating way to come out of a coma that I can remember seeing on TV. He eventually finds a group of survivors, including his wife and son, and the story focuses on their attempts to find somewhere safe to bunker down.

I don’t often get hooked into zombie horror – it can (sometimes) sustain my interest over the length of a 90 minute movie, but anything longer than that strains my interest to breaking point. The Walking Dead was an exception. There is a strong ensemble cast of characters, with excellent acting and great interactions. Main characters get killed off at regular intervals, leaving a “no one is safe” feel which I find appealing.

The show is based off a comic book series of the same name. I’ve never read the comic, so I can’t comment on how true to the original it is. I understand there is a fair bit of divergence at the detailed level, but that the broad story is similar.

The show spends as much time focusing on the breakdown of civilisation as it does on gut wrenching sequences as people attempt to escape from hordes of killer zombies. This kind of exploration of how people react when their comfortable world is ripped away from them is the aspect of dystopian fiction that appeals most to me.

Having said that, this isn’t just a thoughtful philosophical piece that explores a human reaction to crisis. There is gore. Lots of gore. If fact, if you’re the type of person that feels a bit queasy when you see a bit of blood, I strongly suggest you avoid this show. But for those horror fans that don’t mind a disembowelling or two The Walking Dead provides a good combination of physical and psychological horror.

Recommended.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman – review

The Magicians by Lev Grossman tells the tale of Quentin, a genius level high school student who is wondering what to do with his life when he receives an invitation to sit an entrance exam to a very exclusive school. Given his secret obsession with a children’s fantasy book series (Fillory) and his general lack of direction, he is very pleased to find that the school in question is for people who can do magic.

This is a very engaging book, I found myself pulled through it and devoured it in a few days. The premise was strong and I enjoyed the style of the writing, the use of language and the grittier reality of what life might be like for people with magical powers in the modern world.

Fair warning – if you aren’t a fan of sex, drugs, swearing and generally bad behaviour, this probably isn’t the book for you. Imagine if you had magical powers, you couldn’t reveal those powers and there were no magical threats in the real world. Seems that most magicians in Grossman’s world, rather than trying to solve world poverty or anything, twist their talents towards a hard core partying lifestyle once out of school.

The fact that magic required painstaking training, intelligence, creativity and hard work to master was a relief. I’ve said before that sometimes the sense that characters go into the woods with a wise mentor, have a very quick training montage and are suddenly the absolute masters of their craft (all within a couple of weeks) can really throw me out of a story. The magic in The Magicians required tedious repetition and close study over the course of years – and was more engaging for all that.

It was a strong ensemble of characters, although I must admit by the end of the novel I was starting to wonder if the main character, Quentin, was ever going to a) be happy or 2) step up. While the novel was a lot more grown up, the main characters were still, for all intents, mopey teenagers (although by the end they were well into their twenties and one could be forgiven for saying “get over yourselves”). From that perspective, it will be interesting to see what Grossman does with the sequel.

The novel was very aware of the fantasy genre, with references to Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia. For all that, I don’t think it would necessarily appeal to people who liked fantasy primarily aimed at a younger adult (e.g. Potter) – this is a much darker story with less likeable characters. I preferred it for that reason, but I can see how others might not.

I always struggle with “meta” concepts in these kinds of novels – I’m sure there was deep commentary on the nature of modern fandom, the cartoon style approach to violence in many fantasy novels, the reality of what power does to the human psyche etc. You might have to read another review to get more details on that side of the novel though – my powers of critical commentary don’t quite stretch so far as to have strong opinions there.

This book has been reviewed umpteen times and I doubt I’m going to add anything original to the discussion. So I’ll just end by saying highly recommended, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Aurealis #53 (August 2012) – review

Issue #53 is the August 2012 issue of the Aurealis magazine, a monthly magazine showcasing Australian speculative fiction and with an emphasis on Australian content and news. This edition was edited by Scott Vandervalk and Stephen Higgins.

Stephen Higgins wrote this month’s editorial, focusing on the demographics of speculative fiction readers, in particular electronic publications like Aurealis.

The Karma Tree by Benjamin Allmon is a slightly disturbing story about the dangers of making fun of teddy bears. The protagonist lives in a share house, and Allmon does a fantastic job making the characters come alive in a short story. The writing blended humour with disturbing images well.

Nightsider by Richard Kerslake tells the story of Shana Bron, an immigration officer on the daylight side of a world tidally locked with one hemisphere in perpetual sunlight and one always shrouded in darkness. Bron struggles with the demands of her life as she hangs onto the edge of the “haves” society, while dreaming of seeing the stars. An enjoyable story, more character driven but with enough of a plot to keep the reader interested. It was an interesting world portrayed – well worth the read.

This month’s edition contained an XTREME SCIENCE article, titled To Infinity – And Beyond! by Patricia L. O’Neill, which describes some of the history behind what went onto the Voyager spacecraft. A series of human foibles and unusual circumstances dictated which pictures, sounds and information were stored on the craft in case alien civilisations ever come across them. It was a very interesting read.

Robert N Stephenson draws parallels between the current debate in Australia on asylum seekers who arrive in our country by boat and some of the “alien invasion” style sci-fi from the 1950s in the regular Rob’s Rants and Raves column.

Well worth the read.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Aurealis #52 (July 2012) – review

Issue #52 is the July 2012 issue of the Aurealis magazine, a monthly magazine showcasing Australian speculative fiction and with an emphasis on Australian content and news. This edition was edited by Scott Vandervalk and Stephen Higgins.

Stephen Higgins wrote this month’s editorial, focusing on the process they use to choose stories for the magazine. It provides interesting insight, and well worth reading for any aspiring authors who might like to submit something to Aurealis in the future. Hang on a second, that’s me!

I loved both stories in this month’s edition, although they were radically different in tone.

Time Travel For Dummies by Michael Burrows leads out this month. This was an extremely funny story, built around a single joke but executed very well. I’ve been trying (and failing) to think of a way of describing the story that doesn’t give the gag away – lets just say that it is an excellent take on the time travel theme, very Australian in content, and does a great job of a slow reveal. Highly recommended.

You would not really use the word “funny” to describe Do You Want to Live Forever? by Robert N Stephenson. This much less light-hearted story focusing on the life of Carlyle, a demon hunter masquerading as a hunter of serial killers, until he becomes hunted himself. The story was well written but felt a little truncated, as if we were getting a small glimpse into a larger world that Stephenson had created. I enjoyed Stephenson’s Rains of la Strange in the excellent anthology Anywhere But Earth (reviewed here), but I haven’t read anything else by him so I’m not sure if this story is part of a wider series set in this world. If so, this story is an excellent appetite whetter!

As always Carissa’s Weblog provides a round up of some of the more interesting articles around on the web in the area of Australian speculative fiction, mostly in the form of audio interviews and video. There were also significant number of reviews of both books, TV series and some interesting comments on the viability on TV series produced for cable channels. Robert N Stephenson makes some forceful comments on the behavioural patterns of published authors in the regular Rob’s Rants and Raves column.

Overall another good read, reminding me why I subscribe to this excellent Australian magazine.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Aurealis #51 (June 2012) – review

Issue #51 is the June 2012 issue of the Aurealis magazine, a monthly magazine showcasing Australian speculative fiction and with an emphasis on Australian content and news. I’m quite behind on my short fiction reading (issues 52 and 53 are looking sternly at me from my iPad as we speak).

The first story in this edition was At the Crossroads by Daniel Baker. This was an interesting story with some great concepts, but I must admit I found it a little confusing to follow. This probably says more about me than the quality of the story. It follows the adventures of William as he transverses worlds through a mechanism known as the Crossroads as he chases his desire to be a Cartographer (one who maps worlds). Some of the imagery in the story is quite strong and I liked some of the descriptive text, but I wasn’t quite captured by it.

Next was The Pesky Dead by Richard Harland. This was a fun story! The lead character had a strong and very distinctive voice (even though he himself wasn’t very likeable). I enjoy stories set in an Australian context, and this one didn’t disappoint. It hinted at a system of rules for dealing with the spirits of the dead, and did it in such an entertaining way. A great piece.

As always Carissa’s Weblog providing a round up of some of the more interesting articles around on the web in the area of Australian speculative fiction, mostly in the form of interviews and video. Reviews abound, with more books than is worth mentioning.

There is an extensive interview with Garth Nix, which gives some interesting insights into his writing as well as some of his latest works (including A Confusion of Princes which I reviewed recently on this site).

Michael Pryor’s editorial puts the fiction back into science fiction by shining a light on the concept some people hold that science fiction should predict the future. Given how woeful science fiction authors tend to be at it, it probably comes as a relief that Pryor takes the line that science fiction should be about exploring the effects of possible futures, rather than trying to guess which ones will actually happen.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Viral Novella series – -30-, Anomaly, Martyrs and The Call – review

The Viral novella series is a collection of four novella length stories, all based around the theme of viral warfare. The four stories are only loosely connected together, each acting as an almost stand alone treatment of the topic. The series is anchored by author Steven Savile, who is co-author of all four stories. Along with Savile, the stories are co-authored by:

-30- – Keith R. A. DeCandido (when journalist Joe Lombardo is fed information by an old source about the CIA using immunisation programs as a cover for searching for terrorists, he has to decide whether to publish the story and cause untold damage to the reputation of immunisation. Of course, the CIA hired team of assassins on his trail make it difficult to think clearly).
Anomaly – Jason Fischer (a doctor overseeing a vaccination program in Africa discovers a CIA plot to use the vaccines to infect people to cause disruption to the African Union).
Martyrs – Jordan Ellinger (a local Pakistani doctor does a deal that allows him to run a free inoculation program, while the CIA uses DNA taken from patients to track down a dangerous terrorist).
The Call – Alex Black (Nikolas, a veteran CIA agent, hunts a Taliban commander potentially in possession of a weapon of mass destruction).

I read this series because I’ve liked the work of one of the authors (Jason Fischer – an Australian speculative fiction author).

Each of the stories in the series felt a little rushed, but I did think the four stories complemented each other well, making the series a good one to read together. The theme of immunisation programs used as a cover for more nefarious secret agent purposes, and the possible consequences, was pushed hard and a little repetitively in each story, although Anomaly used a sufficiently different take on the subject to be interesting.

The writing was consistent, especially considering the number of authors involved. I probably preferred Anomaly, but then I’ve liked Fischer’s writing for a while. Anyone who can find a way to use the line “If it’s good enough for David Hasslehoff, it’s good enough for me” in a story has my vote. The tension in the each of the stories was sustained and the action was credible.

I think the series would have been stronger if the stories were interlinked more, forming a more cohesive overarching storyline. I suspect this would have been possible with a relatively small amount of additional work – the stories were grouped fairly closely in terms of subject matter. Regardless I enjoyed all four stories individually.

A credible series of modern thrillers, each of which could have legitimately longer pieces in their own right.

Note: the series was provided to me at no cost by Jason Fischer, one of the authors.

I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.

Podcast listing update

I’ve recently updated the Podcast page on the website, with a writeup of the Shooting the Poo podcast, and adding the new Last Short Story podcast onto my “watch” list. The page is under the Links menu item on my website, where I summarise all the speculative fiction podcasts I listen to on a regular basis.

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter – review

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter takes the idea of parallel worlds to a whole new level. People learn how to step between worlds with the aid of a simple device (powered, may I say, by a potato), and find that our version of Earth is the only one in which humanity evolved.

You can’t take any form of iron between the worlds, which at least slows down humanities attempts to exploit the resources of these other Earths. Still, it is not long before settlers start moving out, settling worlds that are very much like our own except completely unpopulated.

The story centres around Joshua, a natural stepper who can move between worlds unaided, and Lobsang, an artificial intelligence claiming to the reincarnated soul of a Tibetan mechanic as they explore further and further out from the “original” Earth. There is something million’s of Earths away causing trouble, and our intrepid team are going to find it.

The novel also explores the way in which society fragments once natural resources become essentially limitless, and the attempts of those in power to maintain control (I particularly liked the fact that the US government claimed all versions of the American continent in an infinite number of Earths as being sovereign territory, despite having no way to police the claim).

The story itself is well written and compelling enough to keep the reader engaged. It was slightly disconcerting to have flashes of Discworld-esque humour that were clearly from Pratchett pop up through the story, but apart from that the writing styles of the two authors tended to mesh well. The voice of Joshua, from whose point of view most of the story is told, was engaging.

Each of the Earths has different conditions, where evolution or climate or even continental development has gone differently (without giving anything away there was one particular set of conditions that occurred to me early on – I was very happy to see those conditions actually occur later in the story). This setup allowed the authors to play a continuous “what if” game, it must have been a lot of fun to spend time imagining all these different Earths.

There was an interesting use of minor characters. A character would be introduced, some back story told and then a little mini-story outlined, usually just to illustrate some aspect of the social and/or economic changes happening in the world. The character then effectively vanishes from the story. While this allowed the authors to show the impact stepping is having on the world from a different point of view, it did make it hard to invest in feeling connected to characters in the story. Some of the minor characters reprise their roles briefly later, but others just seem to die away. I can’t decide whether it was an effective way of showing a broad view of the world beyond the knowledge of the main characters, or if it was just irritating.

Overall this was a good, fairly light read that I suspect may be the beginning of a series. Recommended.

I also reviewed this book on Goodreads. View all my reviews.

This work by Mark Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License.