Good things come in twos. This month we take a look at two excellent new books by veteran writers Kim
Stanley Robinson and Elizabeth A. Lynn; two interesting story collections; and Scott Mackay's first science fiction novel, the tale of a bizarre prison planet that has two suns in its solar system.
Availability: This title usually ships within 24 hours.
Amazon.com:
Felicitas is a 17-year-old girl trapped in an automated prison on a remote planet with two suns and no name. The prison was created by aliens called "uominilupi", although no one has seen an "uomolupo" for years, except in dreams caused by the implants that are supposed to keep the prisoners passive. But the implants are breaking down--along with the rest of the prison--and as the inmates slowly recover from their artificially induced stupor, they realize they must escape before the food runs out. Those prisoners who can't shake the grip of their implants remain alien slaves, zombie-like automatons forced to try to stop their fellow humans from escaping. Eventually it falls to Felicitas not only to break out of the prison but also to uncover a plot that stretches through time and space all the way back to 15th century Italy. This is Scott Mackay's first SF novel and, while it's not without its flaws, it's certainly an intriguing and ambitious tale well worth reading. -- Craig Engler
Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/98:
Felicitas is a 17-year-old girl who is trapped in an automated prison on a remote, nameless planet that has two suns. The prison was created by aliens called uominilupi, although no one has seen an uomolupo for years, except in dreams caused by the implants that are supposed to keep the prisoners passive. But the implants are breaking down--along with the rest of the prison--and as the inmates slowly recover from their artificially induced stupors, they realize they must escape before the food runs out. Those prisoners who can't shake the grip of their implants remain slaves to the aliens, zombielike automatons forced to try to stop their fellow humans from escaping. Eventually it falls to Felicitas not only to break out of the prison but also to uncover a plot that stretches through time and space all the way back to 15th-century Italy. Outpost is Scott Mackay's first science fiction novel, and while the book is not without flaws, it is an intriguing and ambitious tale that is well worth reading.
Availability: This title usually ships within 24 hours.
Amazon.com:
Katherine Kurtz has collected eleven original stories based on the legendary Knights Templar in a book that serves as a sequel to her earlier collection, Tales of the Knights Templar. The stories, written by such authors as Andre Norton, Diane Duane and Kurtz herself, are separated by interludes that chronicle the actual history of the Templars and that also set the background for each successive tale. As with most collections, the stories vary widely from about average to pretty good. What's most compelling here is the Templars themselves, a mysterious order of knights founded in the late 11th century, ostensibly to protect pilgrims in and around Jerusalem. But the Templars grew to become one of the most powerful political and religious orders in the world, only to be brought down by a jealous King Philip IV of France. In the aftermath of their destruction, tales and legends that persist today sprang up around the Templars, creating fertile ground for Kurtz's band of imaginative storytellers. --Craig Engler
Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/98:
Katherine Kurtz has collected 11 original stories based on the legendary Knights Templar in a book that serves as a sequel to her earlier collection, Tales of the Knights Templar. The stories, written by such authors as Andre Norton, Diane Duane, and Kurtz herself, are separated by interludes that chronicle the actual history of the Templars and that set the background for each successive tale. As with most collections, the stories vary widely in quality from average to pretty good. What is most compelling are the Templars themselves, a mysterious order of knights founded in the late 11th century ostensibly to protect pilgrims in and around Jerusalem. The Templars grew to become one of the most powerful political and religious orders in the world, only to be brought down by a jealous King Philip IV of France. In the aftermath of their destruction, tales and legends that still persist today sprang up around the Templars, creating fertile ground for Kurtz's band of imaginative storytellers.
Availability: This title usually ships within 2-3 days.
Amazon.com:
Karadur and Tenjiro are twin sons of Kojiro Antani, the dragon lord of Ippa. But only Karadur, whose name means "fire-bringer," bears the blood of the dragon in his veins. His younger brother, Tenjiro or "Heaven's hope," was second out of the womb and is the weakest and smallest of the two. As the twins grow to maturity, Karadur is anxious to attain the promise of his blood and transform into the dragon he is capable of becoming. But Tenjiro, who bears the scars of Karadur's claws, resents his older brother and, on the eve of Karadur's transformation, steals the talisman that makes the change possible. That same night he disappears, fleeing to a distant, icy realm where he will reemerge as a powerful wizard bent on destroying his older brother. But Karadur, lord of Dragon Keep, is prepared to go to war against Tenjiro, and it's likely only one will survive. --Craig Engler
Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/98:
Karadur and Tenjiro are twin sons of Kojiro Antani, the dragon lord of Ippa. But only Karadur, whose name means "fire-bringer," bears the blood of the dragon in his veins. His younger brother, Tenjiro or "heaven's hope," was second out of the womb and is the weakest and smallest of the two. As the twins grow to maturity, Karadur is anxious to attain the promise of his blood and transform into the dragon he is capable of becoming. But Tenjiro, who bears the scars of Karadur's claws, resents his older brother. On the eve of Karadur's transformation, Tenjiro steals the talisman that makes the change possible and disappears. Tenjiro flees to a distant, icy realm where he emerges as a powerful wizard bent on destroying his older brother. But Karadur, lord of Dragon Keep, is prepared to go to war against his younger sibling, and it is likely that only one of them will survive.
Availability: This title usually ships within 2-3 days.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/98:
The annual Nebula Awards anthology has been a tradition since 1965, when Damon Knight edited the first in the line, Nebula Award Stories. The anthologies are a collection of the year's best science fiction and fantasy stories as selected by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). As the title suggests, the stories are taken from the winners and nominees of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards, the only awards given by science fiction professionals to their peers. The 1997 anthology includes nine short stories, nine essays on the current state of science fiction by authors such as Lucius Shepherd, Norman Spinrad, and Elizabeth Hand, a survey of 1996 science fiction films, a short feature on SFWA grandmaster Jack Vance, the winners of the 1996 Rhysling Award for best science fiction poetry, and several appendices explaining what SFWA is and what the Nebulas are. The stories are the focus in Nebula Awards 32--and each one is worth the price of admission--but those interested in the science fiction field will find that the various essays make for some enlightening and entertaining reading as well.
Not Yet Available: You may still order this title. We will ship it to you when it is released by the publisher.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Editor's Recommended Book, 04/01/98:
In the near future Wade Norton has been sent to Antarctica by senator Phil Chase to investigate rumors of environmental sabotage. He arrives on the frozen continent and immediately begins making contact with the various scientific and political factions that make up Antarctic society. What he finds is an interesting blend of inhabitants who don't always mesh well but who share a common love of Antarctica and a fierce devotion to their life there. Norton also begins to uncover layers of Antarctic culture that have been kept hidden from the rest of the world, and some of them are dangerous indeed. Things are brought to a head when the saboteurs--or "ecoteurs" as they call themselves--launch an attack designed to drive humans off the face of Antarctica. This is Kim Stanley Robinson's first book since his award-winning Mars trilogy, and while some of the themes may be familiar to seasoned Robinson readers, Antarctica is never less than engrossing. As usual, Robinson does a masterful job with the setting of his story, and anyone interested in Antarctica won't want to miss this one.
