The Decoy Princess, by Dawn Cook (Ace, 2005)

All her life, Princess Contessa of Costenopolie has been raised as a proper princess should, well-versed in fashion, diplomacy, politics, and shopping. However, she’s also been trained quite thoroughly in how to protect herself, by Chancellor Kravenlow, who has spent years teaching her how to use various easily-hidden weapons, including venom-laced darts. Tess has never thought much about it, really. Being a princess is a dangerous job, and sometimes a girl has to protect herself. However, every skill Tess has learned still won’t prepare her for the tasks at hand when her entire world is turned inside out, and her very identity revealed as a lie.

On the eve of an undesired royal betrothal, Tess’ parents reveal the truth to her: she’s really an orphan, bought off the street as a baby, and raised as a princess in public, all so the real princess could live a life of solitary safety in a far-off nunnery. But now it’s time for the real princess to come home and take up her throne, leaving Tess to question her past and future. This, however, is derailed when Prince Garrett of Misdev, her “sister’s” betrothed, kills the king and queen of Costenopolie and sends out riders to track down the true princess, thus securing his control of the kingdom. Now it’s up to Tess to escape an occupied castle, travel across country, find her “sister” and save the day. Her unlikely allies will include a peasant sculptor, a princess who has never been out in the real world, a con man/card sharp whose trustworthiness is always in question, and Kravenlow, whose secret agenda has finally come to light. Standing against Tess is Captain Jeck of Misdev, a dangerous man whose allegiances aren’t what they seem. And as the unlikely heroine discovers that she has been better trained as an assassin than a princess, she’ll learn that there’s a dangerous game being played, where kingdoms are used as chessboards, and royalty as game pieces. Does Tess have what it takes to be a player, or will she remain a pawn?

Fresh from the success of her Truth series, Dawn Cook delivers this, the first book in an exciting new series, with style and panache. It’s always good to have a strong female character, and Tess is certainly as strong as they come, a semi-spoiled princess with nerves of steel and an unwavering determination to see things through to the end. Sure, she has trouble coping with the revelation that she’s not really a princess, but who wouldn’t be upset to learn their entire life was a lie, and they were just a public target for any potential assassins?

The true fun of this book lies in the other underlying concept: that of the mysterious game being played across kingdoms. While it would be wonderful to get more information regarding the specifics of this setup (Cook only touches on the surface here, leaving many questions to be answered later), what we do learn is intriguing. Where most plots would run with the political chaos generated from the royal coup in the beginning, Cook draws back to hint at an even larger picture, one where it’s all part of the game, and even royalty are just pieces to be moved or sacrificed as needed.

The moral ambiguity of characters like Jeck, Kravenlow, and Duncan (the card sharp) ensure that the plot never grows stale or predictable, with motivations never what they seem, and outcomes always up in the air. Think the good guys win and the bad guys get all they deserve? Don’t be so sure.

The Decoy Princess is an excellent, energetic start to this series, laying the groundwork for plenty of story yet to come. For fans of action and adventure fantasy, and for those who like political intrigue without delving into the overwhelming epic complexities of books like George R.R. Martin’s series, this is a great choice. I love the concepts and potential introduced here, and look forward to future offerings.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2006

Princess At Sea, by Dawn Cook (Ace, 2006)

Once upon a time, Tess was Princess Contessa of Costenopolie. Then she learned she was really just a decoy princess, a target for would-be assassins. Her parents were killed as part of an audacious royal coup masterminded by the prince of a neighboring kingdom, and Tess was instrumental in restoring a semblance of order. That was then. This is now.

Now, her sister, the real Contessa of Costenopolie, sits on the throne, along with her new husband, a prince of Misdev. Tess acts as an advisor, lending the knowledge she picked up in her years as a princess, all the while trying to keep the royal couple from killing one another. What almost no one knows is that Tess has become a player, part of a mysterious game that spans across kingdoms, acting as the true power behind the throne. Now, under the tutelage of her mentor Kravenlow, she’s exploring her new role, and learning to use the magical abilities she’s gained as a result of exposure to a rare venom.

As the royal couple embark upon a honeymoon voyage meant both to reassure the populace that the throne is in good hands, and to give Queen Contessa time to settle into her new status, Tess goes along as chaperone. With them are Chancellor Kravenlow, the enigmatic Captain Jeck of Misdev (another player in the game), and Duncan, a charming card sharp who stands a very good chance of winning Tess’ heart, if not her loyalty. All seems fairly stable (apart from the occasional royal squabble… and the Queen pushing her husband overboard) until they detour on a mission of mercy.

Now, hijacked by pirates, the royal couple held for ransom, and Duncan apparently defected to the enemy, the situation looks grim indeed. Can Tess once again escape captivity, survive the attack of a mythically deadly creature whose very bite is poisonous, outwit a band of cunning pirates, and work with the unlikeliest of allies to save the day? She’ll be forced to rely on magical powers which could kill her, place her trust in two men of dubious loyalty and questionable goals, and push herself to the limits. Not for the first time, she’ll be tempted to toss it all, however, and walk away. What’s a princess-turned-player to do?

Once again, Dawn Cook delivers an outstanding, exciting tale that mixes adventure and intrigue, this time adding in the extra thrill of pirates. Watching Tess is always fun, given that she does, as Kravenlow points out, tend to leave a trail of destruction in her wake. She’s a good, strong character with plenty of faults that don’t detract from her appeal as a heroine. She plays well against the chaotic nature of Duncan, and the dangerously quiet Jeck, neither of whom are easy to predict. Changing allegiances, hidden motives, and dark secrets ensure that the plot keeps moving at a breakneck pace right up until the end.

I still have one quibble, and that is, now two books into the series, we still haven’t learned much more about the players and the game than when we started. Who are they, where did they come from, what rules govern them, all are questions to which we’ve gotten some answers, but nothing exhaustive. Hopefully, Cook will satisfy curiosity in future installments. Princess At Sea, however, is a thoroughly solid offering with plenty to offer its readers, and a worthy sequel to The Decoy Princess.

Originally posted at SF Site, 2006

Widdershins, by Charles de Lint (Tor, 2006)

For as long as there have been stories about Newford, the mythical North American city which has become Charles de Lint’s signature setting, there have been Geordie Riddell and Jilly Coppercorn. Geordie’s a musician with a fear of commitment and a long string of failed relationships (sometimes, he’ll even tell you about the girlfriend who was stolen by a ghost from the past…) Jilly is Newford’s answer to Kevin Bacon — everyone knows her. An artist whose career and life were shattered by a tragic accident several years ago, she’s been recovering ever so slowly. Geordie and Jilly are the best of friends, but what they don’t realize, what everyone around them does, is that they’d be perfect for each other. If they’d only let themselves take the chance.

Of course, it’s not that easy at all. Because Jilly and Geordie’s long-awaited love story is about to play out against a backdrop of epic proportions. Someone — or something — is stirring up the magical beings that inhabit the spaces around, between, behind, and amongst the mundane setting of Newford. There’s always been bad blood between the European fairies and the Native American “cousins,” or animal spirits. An uneasy truce has kept the European fairies mostly confined to the urban places, while the native spirits maintain a hold over the country and wilder spots. And of course, there’s always someone willing to tip over the apple cart. But who stands to gain from a war between the races? Who is out there manipulating a gang of fairy bogans to do his dirty work? And why is he targeting certain members of the corbae clan? Those are questions whose answers could save, or destroy Newford.

Meanwhile, Jilly’s gone missing, thrown into a magical prison where her worst fears and childhood traumas have free rein to once again terrorize her. Geordie, in an attempt to find and save her, has gotten himself into even worse trouble. And Lizzie Mahone, a fiddler who accidentally stumbles across some murderous fairies, is likewise caught up in the whole mess. Before it’s over, the most powerful players in Newford will be roused to action. Raven, Coyote, the Crow Girls, Joseph Crazy Dog, Christiana Tree, the assembled animal clans… they’re all here in what promises to be the biggest showdown in Newford’s long and storied history. But at the very center of it all remains a love story almost two decades in the consummation.

There are few authors I enjoy as much as de Lint. There are even fewer who truly symbolize urban fantasy. And of those, de Lint is one of the masters at weaving believable characters in with a tangibly modern setting and lacing all of that with music and magic. At one point, it looked like The Onion Girl, the book that looked into Jilly Coppercorn’s past and present, was sort of his coda to the current cast of characters in Newford. If so, then Widdershins is their much-deserved epilogue, as close to “happily ever after” as one can expect from people whose lives are infested by magic.

At one point, I complained that it seemed like everyone in Newford had supernatural experiences, and that as a result, some of the mystery was lost. I’m happy to say that Widdershins erased that complaint for me, by explaining why that was as simply as possible. First off, Newford is a place where the barriers between the worlds are weak, therefore more beings are there to begin with. And second, being touched by magic is contagious, therefore once you’ve seen one thing, you’ll see more, and moreover, you’ll run into others who’ve experienced it as well. If you want to believe, you will. If not, you don’t and the evidence fades over time. Ultimately, what this means is that the mystery continues to be alive and well and ready for discovery. Consider that complaint retracted.

De Lint’s assembled a rich cast of characters, and it’s good to see long-time favorites such as Jilly and Geordie finally find happiness. (I’m honestly not spoiling anything by saying as much… the book promises and delivers.) I mean, what fan was truly satisfied when Jilly started dating that male nurse after her accident? He just didn’t seem to fit. And as for Geordie, it’s about time he grew up and started thinking about the future. As always, it’s fun to see the other inhabitants of Newford, many of whom have had their brief moments to shine before becoming part of the ensemble once again. Joseph Crazy Dog really steals the show along the way, and as part of an erstwhile team along with Whiskey Jack (a canid) and Grey (a corvae) he helps to create a mismatched group in search of justice. I’d love to see Jack, Joe, and Grey again, though I’m not sure the world could take it.

The overarching plot is appropriately dramatic, full of storm and thunder and portent, but it’s almost incidental to what Jilly and Geordie go through, which somehow seems appropriate. All these characters, running around, getting caught up in various problems, and yet there’s no singular solution. That’s somehow more satisfying than finding out one mastermind was behind everything. (Oh, he might be involved, but not that deeply.)

What it boils down to is that Widdershins is easily one of de Lint’s best books, and one of his strongest offerings to date. While it’s a little less stand-alone than some of his others — it really helps to know more about Jilly and Geordie and their back story, which runs through a number of de Lint’s short stories and into The Onion Girl, among other books — it’s an excellent, heartfelt read that delivers a satisfying conclusion. De Lint fans would be foolish to miss this book, and urban fantasy readers will find a lot to enjoy here.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2006

Triskell Tales 2, by Charles de Lint (Subterranean Press, 2005)

Charles de Lint has an absolutely wonderful tradition going on. Every year, he self-publishes, under the aegis of Triskell Press, a small chapbook, whose circulation is limited to friends and family, and he sends these out for Christmas. So every Christmas, his nearest and dearest get an uncommissioned story. But why stop there? Eventually, be it sooner or later, he makes those chapbooks available to a wider audience. In the first volume of Triskell Tales (Subterranean Press, 2000), he collected the first twenty-two years worth. This volume brings together seven more tales written over the last six years, 2000-2005. None of these stories are particularly long, and they’re all even more upbeat and optimistic than the usual positive outlook expressed in the standard de Lint story. As de Lint puts it, these are like little flashlights shining against the growing darkness of the world.

“Big City Littles” follows children’s book author Sheri Piper, whose faithful retelling of a story once told by her grandfather earns her the attention of a miniature man, one of the mythical Littles. All her new friend wants to know is, how can he and his tribe become birds again, like they were originally? The answer lies in a spot of old magic, and Sheri’s own willingness to help.

“Refinerytown” brings us back to recurring character Mona, a comic book artist/writer who gets an unexpected visit from the previously imaginary subject of her newest project. In-jokes abound as real life writer Nina Kiriki Hoffman and editor Sharyn November make cameos in this charming, brief episode in a life already spotted with strangeness. After all, Mona’s the one dating a werewolf. While this one is significant in that it takes a step forward in the natural progression of several characters, including perennial favorite Jilly Coppercorn, it’s noticeably lacking in any real conflict. View this one as an interlude, and savor the visuals it calls up.

“A Crow Girls’ Christmas” is exactly what the title suggests. The shortest of the batch by far, it looks briefly at Mia and Zaida, two hyperactive, flighty teenage girls who just happen to be some of the most powerful beings in creation. Not that they themselves remember it. When they take a seasonal job as Santa’s elves in a mall, you can expect a pleasant kind of chaos to occur. Especially if candy canes are involved.

“Sweet Forget-Me-Not” revisits the concept of the gemmin, transitory spirits of the city who appear as almost androgynous teenage girls to those in need of a morale boost, staying only until they’ve accumulated a certain amount of memories. How will the arrival of a new batch of gemmin affect the life of Ahmad Nasrallah, a student of Lebanese descent, who’s had a rough time with bullies in the post 9/11 world? When the time comes for the gemmin to depart, how will his life change again? This may be the most bittersweet of the collection, but at the same time, it’s almost, dare I say it, adorable in how it portrays the interaction between mortal and gemmin.

The longest of the tales is “Da Slockit Light,” named after a Shetland fiddle tune. People have started to go missing down in Old City, that ancient part of Newford swallowed by an earthquake centuries ago. The answers look to lie with the goblins, but even their king doesn’t know what exactly is going on. It’s up to the ageless fiddler Cerin Kellady and his dryad wife, Meran, to figure out what has been happening down there. And when Cerin himself is taken and transformed by hostile magic, can Meran’s chosen agent, an undependable street kid with a larcenous streak, succeed in rescuing him? It’s all in the choices one makes. Now, as far as the stories in this book goes, this has the most action, and the most conflict. Paradoxically enough, it may be my least favorite, in part due to the sheer number of supernatural characters involved. Over the years, I’ve come to see de Lint’s stories as “mundane person encounters something odd, fey, or magical, which changes his/her outlook and/or helps them with a problem in their life.” So to throw together too many of these fey characters who’ve been introduced (Cerin and Meran, Lucius, Goon the Goblin King) in one spot, it’s like overkill. I know, arguing about the presence of magical creatures in a story written by an author famous for his stories about magical things seems silly, but even Jilly, Newford’s answer to Kevin Bacon (as in six degrees of…) observes the overkill of exotic origins present in one such gathering. That quibble aside, this is a great story, especially in how it tackles the moral quandary of interfering with the lives of those who don’t want interference, no matter how much an outsider might think otherwise.

“The World in a Box” follows a musician who also works part-time at an antique booth. When he discovers a small wooden box that holds the ability to affect the world, he’s forced to make a profound decision about what he wants out of life. Can a man given the power of God resist the urge to play God? This story revisits one of de Lint’s more frequent themes, that of making the right choice, no matter what the temptation. As with most of de Lint’s focal characters, John is a good man who knows how to make the right choice, but with a few mistakes along the way.

Finally, we get to “This Moment,” the newest story and my favorite of this collection. Tom’s a nice, normal guy who works at Java Jane’s Joint. Tom also has the Sight, and occasionally tries to take pictures of the supernatural things he sees. However, it’s not until he meets Josie, a cute musician (ever notice how many of de Lint’s main characters are creative types? I’d like to see a financial advisor meet a troll, or a car salesman get carjacked by goblins…) that Tom figures out what to do with the Sight. After all, what good is Seeing fairies if you don’t do anything about it? This story is charming and satisfying, an old-fashioned character-driven romance that manages to ask just the right questions to keep the reader guessing. At least twice, I thought I knew where de Lint was going. Both times I was pleasantly wrong, and happily so.

De Lint is one of my favorite writers, and getting to read anything new from him is always a treat. I’ve always felt his strongest forte was in short fiction, and he’s one of those few writers who’s been able to build an entire repertory cast and sketch out an entire imaginary (if highly believable) city out of overlapping short stories over the years. Here, like always, he shines. I know I’ve read some of these stories before, either in their chapbook form or as part of other collections, but it’s great to have them in one place. As far as urban fantasists and magical realists go, de Lint is still one of the undisputed masters, weaving together the real world with the fantastical effortlessly and making it all sing.

This is definitely a collection worth looking at, especially for completists. The only drawback is the price tag: a comparatively hefty $40 for a 176-page book. I know I’d pay that for new de Lint material, but it’s still a lot to ask. All I can say is that Subterranean Press does excellent work, and you really do get quality for your money. So apart from my hesitation over the price, I highly, heartily recommend this collection of short fiction from Charles de Lint, and eagerly anticipate a third volume in another six or so years.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2006

Quicksilver and Shadow, by Charles de Lint (Subterranean Press, 2005)

Very few authors can compare to Charles de Lint when it comes to urban fantasy, a sub-genre he all but helped define over the past thirty years. His magical tales of the mythical North American city of Newford have placed magic in the unlikeliest of urban environments, with everything from vampires to fairies, electronic ghosts to shape-shifting animal spirits, hiding amongst normal people. His ability to weave together magic, music, and a love of the fantastic has helped de Lint to create an impressive body of work, both in short fiction and in novels. But until recently, many of his earliest works, the stories that helped to build his early career, have remained uncollected, even as his Newford stories were gathered together.

Quicksilver & Shadow is the second collection of early de Lint stories to be released by Subterranean Press, a publisher which specializes in high-quality, limited-run chapbooks, short fiction collections, and reprints by various notable authors. This volume brings together seventeen of de Lint’s lesser-known works, covering dark and contemporary fantasy, horror, science fiction, and his Bordertown novellas. Along the way, we’re treated to his thoughts on these early works, and we get a very real look at both his beginning successes, and his occasional missteps. Hey, even de Lint, a master of his craft, had to start somewhere, and he’s the first to admit that not everything he did in the beginning caught on like it should have.

Some of the stories are strong ones, such as “Scars,” a ghost story in which a young man has to come to terms with his father’s death and learns how to let go. It may be short on anything actually going on, but the characterization and sheer poignancy makes up for that. “We Are Dead Together” sets up an interesting premise: a world where Gypsies (the Rom) live side-by-side with vampires (here, called shilmullo). Some have learned to live with the form of slavery/bondage that keeps them in servitude to the vampires. Others chafe at this. And one musician is caught in the middle, looking to atone for a mistake. Her decision is both powerful and tragic. “Death Leaves An Echo” is another kind of ghost story, one of his longer works.

For outright horror, there’s “From A 24″ Screen,” which is de Lint channeling Stephen King in a particularly vicious mood. It’s not one of his better offerings, and even de Lint acknowledges that it falls short in a variety of ways, especially where horror is concerned.

All of de Lint’s various Bordertown contributions can be found here. For those who don’t remember the Bordertown series, it was a shared universe project edited by Terri Windling and Mark Alan Arnold. Take one North American city, place it right on the border between Earth and Faerie, throw in magic, music, and teenage runaways from both sides of the fence, and shake. The series spawned several anthologies and a few standalone books, featuring authors such as Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Ellen Kushner, Bellamy Bach, and de Lint himself. In its time, it was a powerful, fun, energetic series that really took advantage of the premise to have a good time. Elves, half-elves, humans, mages even a werewolf (of sorts) all made their mark on a city where technology and magic mixed and worked equally unpredictably. So here we have de Lint’s stories, “Berlin,” “Stick,” and “May This Be Your Last Sorrow” (I love the third just for the image of a girl spilling her secrets to a sympathetic, silent gargoyle.)

De Lint’s also made some forays, fairly rare ones, into the science fiction arena, with the most notable of these likely being his book Svaha. However, here we have a handful of his early SF attempts as well, though they’re as much science fantasy as science fiction, invoking Andre Norton and mixing with common folklore themes and a post-apocalyptic setting. In some, he also shows a pulp influence. In a relatively rare case of de Lint collaborating with other writers, there are two stories cowritten with Roger Camm: “The Dralan” and “The Cost of Shadows”.

If I sound less than enthusiastic about many of the stories in this collection, it’s because more than a few of them failed to grab me like the ones I’m more familiar with. I stumbled across Charles de Lint with his Newford work, and those stories have always been my favorite. I’ve never been quite so fond of his detours into the science fiction/science fantasy, straight fantasy, or psychological horror realms, and sad to say, some of these earliest stories are misfires. That said, I do love the Bordertown stories, and it’s worth reading many of these both for the sake of completion, and out of historical interest.

I wish I could say more about this collection. Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors, and it’s a genuine treat getting to see so many of these forgotten, obscure, unpublished, or previously uncollected stories. But as a whole, Quicksilver & Shadow isn’t the best example of his work as it has grown and matured over the years. If you want to see de Lint at his best, try one of the Newford collections, such as Dreams Underfoot or The Ivory and the Horn, or look for Triskell Tales (a collection of his chapbooks, also published by Subterranean Press). Ultimately, this collection is probably of interest to collectors, completists, and diehard fans (among which I do count myself).

Originally posted on SF Site, 2005

The Wild Wood, by Charles de Lint (Orb, 2004)

Plagued by inexplicable dreams of a magical world, and haunted by the buried pains of her past, artist Eithnie Gerrow has retreated to her cabin, deep in the Canadian woods. Even there, she can’t escape the otherworldly contacts that seek her out in her sleep, their touch weakening the distinction between the real world and that of Faerie. Unable to banish the feeling that she’s been targeted for something greater than she can explain, likewise unable to exorcize their influence from her art, she visits friends down in the deserts of Arizona. There, Eithnie finds the strength to return home and confront her problems, aided in part by friends, by her faithful cousin and friend Sharleen, and by the mysterious mountain man, Joe.

Ultimately, Eithnie’s healing process ties into the needs of the forest and its Faerie inhabitants; her decision could heal or destroy the creatures who embody the hidden magic and beauty of the world.

The synopses part of this review is short simply because this is not an overly long book with a complicated storyline. Quite honestly, it’s one of de Lint’s longer short stories in tone, expanded to fit the needs of a short novel. See, this all stemmed from a joint project with Brian Froud, once upon a time. de Lint, along with Midori Snyder, Terri Windling, and Patricia McKillip were all part of this project. Froud handed the quartet of authors a stack of his artwork, and had them pick and choose the ones that spoke to them, and then they went off to write the stories that those pictures inspired.
“They had the freedom to write whatever they chose, just as I’d had the freedom to paint what I chose; yet we’d agreed on a central premise: a recognition that Faerie, inextricably bound as it is to nature and natural forces, is gravely threatened by the ecological crises that human beings have brought to our world.”
–Brian Froud

Unfortunately, changes in Bantam’s publishing program at the time led to cancellations; as a result, only The Wild Wood and Patricia McKillip’s Something Rich and Strange were published as planned, artwork and all. The full story, cover art and all, can be found here

This brings us back to The Wild Wood, which has been reprinted by Orb, sans artwork, in a trade paperback format, as opposed to the original mini-hardback format. Ten years after its first publication, it’s still a beautifully haunting example of de Lint at his strongest, when the real world and the world of Faerie intersect. Inevitably, when this happens, the lucky (or unlucky) mortal touched by Faerie is changed forever. Usually it’s for the better, but Faerie always has its price. de Lint is a master of description when it comes to invoking the surreal magic and beauty found all around us, whether it’s an urban cityscape, the deep woods of the Canadian wilderness, or the alien expanse of the Southwest desert. His gift lies in making whatever locale he writes about seem unique, and memorable. Eithnie, the main character, hails from one of his favorite templates: the artist/writer/creative type whose innate creativity gives them a special insight relating to, or ability to perceive, the creatures of Faerie.

All in all, The Wild Wood is beautifully told, and as sharply detailed as the Froud art which originally inspired it. I still much prefer the first version of this book, but for those seeking a good urban fantasy story, or for those who weren’t lucky enough to find The Wild Wood when it first came out, this is an acceptable alternative. de Lint fans won’t want to pass this up.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2004

Tales of the Grand Tour, by Ben Bova (Tor, 2004)

For quite some time now, I’ve been a fan of Bova’s “Grand Tour” series of novels, which have slowly but surely filled in the not-so-distant future of mankind, as we poke and prod at our boundaries, and explore the solar system. Mars, Return to Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus all look at their titular planets with Bova’s customary blend of cutting-edge scientific accuracy and imaginative speculation. Moonrise and Moonwar deal with the colonization and fight for independence of the first colonies on the Moon, while The Precipice and The Rock Rats take a look at a war for control over the vast resources of the Asteroid Belt. Empire Builders focuses on industrialist-hero Dan Randolph, a visionary who faces immense challenges as he tries to prevent ecological disaster on Earth. Bit by bit, these books have created a farflung tapestry, filled with recurring and overlapping characters, sharp plots, and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

Tales of the Grand Tour is a collection of excerpts from the above books, and short stories relating to the grand overview, featuring a number of familiar characters and offering the occasional insight into events detailed elsewhere. Most, if not all, of this material has been published before.

“Sam and the Flying Dutchman” focuses on one of Bova’s recurring characters, a fast-talking rogue named Sam Gunn, whose adventures have been collected previously as Sam Gunn, Unlimited, and Sam Gunn Forever. In this particular story, he and his not-so-faithful assistant Gar undertake a secret, dangerous mission for the world’s richest, most recognizable woman, a mission which just happens to get Sam off Earth just in time to avoid his impending nuptials. The consequences of Sam’s actions will resonate for years to come, having an effect on some major players down the road. “Monster Slayer” is a gripping tale of one of the first heroes to leave Earth behind. “Fifteen Miles” is actually part of another cycle of stories reprinted as The Kinsman Saga; it’s a tale of heroism and desperation on the Moon during the earliest days of its exploration. In “Muzhestvo,” written as a short story and later incorporated into Mars, we see half-Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman, a major character in that book and its sequel, back when he was still struggling for an appointment to the Mars mission. “Red Sky at Morning” is an atmospheric excerpt from Return to Mars, in which the intrepid team of explorers and cosmonauts must survive a deadly Mars dust storm. “Greenhouse Chill” is set early on in the sequence, during the time when the greenhouse effect threatens to spark a new ice age, threatening disaster for humanity. “High Jump,” my favorite story in the collection, looks at the first man to actually set foot on Venus’ surface, a daredevil feat certain to spell death if anything at all goes wrong. What kind of man would risk his life and not even get the credit? A man willing to do it for love.

“Death on Venus” is taken from Venus. When catastrophe strikes a team of explorers racing to be the first to conquer the secrets of our neighboring planet, it tests their limits, and sets the stage for adventure and intrigue amidst the mists. “The Man Who Hated Gravity” looks at an innovative new use for a low-gravity environment, offering hope to a man who’d lost all hope. “Appointment in Sinai” follows the story of a rejected candidate for the Mars mission, while “Sepulcher” examines a pivotal moment in the Asteroid Wars. Finally, “Leviathan” is excerpted from Jupiter, and tells a story of alien-human first contact… from the point of view of the alien.

On one hand, I really enjoyed this collection, as I do all new Bova releases. On the other, it felt a little too much like reruns, given that I’ve read all the other books in the Grand Tour cycle already, and much of this material has either been excerpted from those books, or reprinted in other Bova collections. The one major benefit of Tales of the Grand Tour is that it collects all of these stories together for the first time, and actually acts as the ideal sampler for the series as a whole. Completists and newcomers alike will find this book enjoyable, and it’s a nice treat while we wait for the next new novel in the series.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2004

The Silent War, by Ben Bova (Tor, 2004)

Far from Earth, in the depths of the Asteroid Belt, a silent war rages, and to the winner will go the untold riches and resources to be found by mining the asteroids. Two major factions have emerged: Humphries Space Systems and Astro Corporation. Bitter rivals and opponents for years, their feud has carried on even after the tragic death of Astro founder and former industrialist-adventurer, Dan Randolph.

Someone is willing to kill for what lies out there, and innocent miners, neutral parties just trying to make a living in the darkness of space, are paying the price, their bodies left to drift lifelessly where they’ll never be found. But who stands to gain from inciting an all-out war between Astro and Humphries? Is it Martin Humphries, a ruthless man who’s proven capable of anything to achieve his goals? Is it notorious pirate Lars Fuchs, a former pawn of the big corporations, who lost the only woman he loved to Martin Humphries? Is it the Yamagata Corporation, seeking to replace the others as a major player? Or has Pancho Lane decided to end things once and for all? The answers are out there, but if the war heats up anymore, they may never be revealed.

The Silent War is the third book in The Asteroid Wars, a trilogy which fleshes out a critical period in Bova’s farflung saga of humanity’s spread throughout the space system. It’s all here: Pancho Lane’s most ambitious gambles to date, Lars Fuchs’ boldest strike at Martin Humphries, Martin’s own deadly attempts to gain the upper hand, the worst disaster to hit humanity in space yet, and of course, the path of humanity’s future.

Whenever I want old-fashioned hard science fiction with sharp characterization and plenty of adventure, I immediately turn to the work of Ben Bova, who has produced some of the very best in the field time and again. He has long-since mastered the delicate art of balancing scientifically accurate, entirely plausible projections of the future, with enough action and suspense to carry the plot, and his characters are memorable and fully realized. Bit by bit, book by book, he has constructed a truly fascinating portrait of the next few centuries, examining the slow, steady spread and exploration of the solar system, beginning with our earliest steps off the planet, and reaching as far as Saturn (for now). Bova, always a visionary (he actually predicted such things as the space race, video games, virtual reality, electronic books, water ice deposits on the Moon, and zero gravity sex), has spent decades looking ahead and trying to inspire the rest of us to follow. His view of the world to come is as believable as it is cautionary, a warning to us all as well as an encouragement to fulfill our destiny.

The only real problem I had with The Silent War is the same as anyone might have with any prequel. We’ve already seen what the future has in store for certain major characters in previously published, chronologically later books like Venus; therefore, some of the dramatic impact is lost, knowing ahead of time who lives and dies. However, that’s balanced out by the sheer enjoyment of seeing how some characters get from point A to point B in their careers, and how things develop.

If you like classic science fiction, or if you like believable future fiction, then you can’t go wrong with Ben Bova, and The Silent War is just the latest in a long string of excellent offerings from him. Be sure to read the first two in this particular sequence, The Precipice and Rock Rats, before picking this one up.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2004

Freehold, by Michael Z. Williamson (Baen, 2004)

Framed by unknown people for massive amounts of embezzling, Sergeant Kendra Pacelli is forced to abandon everything she’s ever known, turn her back on the world she has served faithfully, and flee for her life, claiming sanctuary with the only human settlement to remain independent of the United Nations’ stranglehold: the Freehold of Grainne. Leaving everything behind is hard enough; starting over on a new planet with new rules, new customs, and new people is even worse. Grainne is a place founded on certain principles of independence and self-sufficiency, and Kendra’s forced to adjust quickly if she wants to remain on Grainne, rather than be cut loose to take her chances back on Earth. Soon enough, she has found a new job, and made new friends, and is settling in… just in time for everything to royally explode in her face. For there are factions back on Earth that see Grainne, a prosperous and defiantly independent world, as a threat to their own plans, and before long, war comes to the formerly peaceful planet. Kendra’s own battle to stay free and help her adopted home will test her to the limits, and force her to make a number of hard choices. But will she lose everything in the process of survival?

Freehold’s an interesting book. Combining the sensibilities of Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land or Friday, with the all-out brutality of interplanetary war, it feels like several books crammed into one, a dense plot ensuring that careful reading is definitely in order to fully grasp the evolution and journey of the main characters. It’s tempting to compare the military SF sequences to fellow Baen author John Ringo’s works, even though I’ve been assured this wasn’t intentional, nor had Michael Z. Williamson read Ringo at the time he was writing this. Nevertheless, they share similar styles and viewpoints, and it’s unsurprising to see them working together in the upcoming release, The Hero.

I thoroughly enjoyed Freehold. Williamson’s envisioning of a libertarian-inspired society is sound and believable, even made desirable in the presented context, its plot never stops moving, and the characters are three-dimensional and interesting. The jumps in perspective between characters occasionally disrupt the train of thought, and there’s enough going on that it’s easy to miss out on some details, but all in all, Freehold is a satisfactory debut for this new author, and I look forward to his next efforts, including, I hope, a return to the Freehold universe and its characters.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2004

Staying Dead, by Laura Anne Gilman (Luna, 2004)

In a world like our own, where magic works and supernatural beings (collectively called Fatae) walk the streets in secret, those who work magic lead a shadowy existence. Those with the Talent for manipulating magic, or current, either belong to the overly-restrictive Council, have gone slightly mad from the use of current, or have gone rogue, operating as independents known as lonejacks. One of the very best lonejacks is Genevieve Valere, better known as Wren. With her human partner Sergei, she operates a profitable and highly successful “retrieval” business, penetrating the best security in the world to steal back items for their rightful owners.

The problem is, when you’re the best, you end up with the worst cases. For instance, when a powerful magical artifact goes missing in the dead of the night, Wren is the one hired to find it and bring it back. Unfortunately, this is the sort of case which may end up killing her, as she’s plunged into a web of conspiracy, murder, mystery, betrayal, secrecy, and danger. With no less than three different factions involved, each wanting to use her for their own ends, Wren quickly finds her loyalties tested and her attention split. Worse still, it looks at though she has been set up to take a nasty fall, and if she can’t put the pieces of this puzzle together, her career, and certainly her independence, will be a thing of the past. All she has is her ever-faithful partner Sergei, who just happens to be hiding some secrets of his own, ones about to come back and bite them both in the rear. Can Wren retrieve the missing item, unravel the mystery, survive the attempts to use and/or kill her, and still resolve her growing feelings for her business partner?

Staying Dead, Laura Anne Gilman’s first original novel, is part of the new Harlequin Luna line, which mixes fantasy and romance with new and interesting results. And happily, it focuses much more on the fantasy than the romance, placing Wren and Sergei’s blossoming relationship on the back burner where it can simmer over the course of the storyline. No speedy courtships and marriage for these two! Rather, they work as a team, a well-oiled, much-practiced partnership born of nearly a decade together, and they’re fully as charming as any married team (Nick and Nora Charles, I’m looking at you…)

Gilman has a real knack for details, planting the fantastic elements in a New York so fully realized, you can practically feel it. At the same time, the magical society she’s created is just as strong, and bearing a fairly original feel to it. Sure, who hasn’t seen the authoritarian organization trying to control magic users and magical beings before, and secret groups dedicated to improving the world no matter what the cost are as old as society itself. Even so, there’s no mistaking Gilman’s Council for, say, Jim Butcher’s White Council; for one thing, the people Wren deals with are much scarier for their underhanded dealings and quietness. Add in the Fatae (including the charmingly disturbing P.B., who resembles nothing more than a talking polar bear with a thing for cold Chinese), and the insane Talents known as wizzarts (nuttier than fruitcakes, living solely in the moment, and as likely to help you as throw you off a cliff or turn you inside out), and you have a lot to work with for future adventures.

Staying Dead is a romantic fantasy that diehard fantasy purists don’t have to be ashamed to be seen with; Gilman delivers an exciting, fast-paced, unpredictable story that never lets up until the very end. There’s just enough twists and turns to keep even a jaded reader guessing, and plenty of setup for further Wren and Sergei stories. I eagerly anticipate seeing where Gilman will go with this. (FYI, she has a Wren and Sergei story appearing in Powers of Detection, Ace, Oct. 2004) I highly recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy, especially Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, or Laurell K. Hamilton. This is an extremely strong start, and I hope Gilman keeps it up.

Originally posted on SF Site, 2004