Henry L Lazarus
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Science Fiction for November 2021
by Henry L Lazarus
Every month provides new and exciting Fantasy and
Science fiction, even November.
Nnedi Okorafor provides a strange
future Nigeria where the creation of many windmills, Noor
(hard from DAW) has created an unlivable area filled with deathly
winds. Anwuli Okwudili because of birth devects, has become a
cyborg. Attacked by strangers for being different, she kills her
attackers and flees toward the desolate area. There she meets Fulani
herdsman named DNA whose people had all been killed. He was being
hunted because he defended himself. Together the two of them have to
fight drones and somehow survive the impossible. Recommended.
Chloe Neill adds a second romantic
adventure of Captain Kit Brightling in a Napoleonic era
adventure. Gerard Rousseau, the Napoleon of this world, has
left his Elba. Kit, floating on A Swift and Savage Tide
(paper from Berkley) uses her alignment to the magic of the sea to
move her ship Diana into position to stop an old enemy with control
of fire, who is using his power to destroy Island of Saxony ships of
war. Of course Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, shows
up to help. I liked this fun adventure enough to consider reading
the first tale.
Garth Nix has a fun prequel to his
classic Sabriel (ebook) telling how her parents Terciel
& Elinor (ebook from Katherine Tegen Books) first
met and battled an ancient sorceror. These take place on an England
separated by a wall dividing magic from mundane. The monster has to
be taken into death itself from which it had previously returned,
and the pair have to battle walking dead. Fun.
Glynn Stewart tells of freighter
captain of the starship Evasion (ebook from Faolan's
Pen Publishing) who takes a cargo to an outlaying station only to be
approached to join pirates and then picks up a thirteen year
old stowaway running from slavers. Former fighter pilot,
Evridiki “EB” Bardacki, has a solid ship that is bigger with better
guns than most freighters in this outlying part of the galaxy. That
doesn’t help with a bounty on his, and his new passenger’s head. He
gets attacked everytime he tries to arrange for cargo. This is a fun
tale, and first in a series. Highly recommended like all of Mr.
Stewarts books.
Simon R. Green tells a tale of a
London copper almost murdered by monsters. A friend sends him to Jeckyll
&Hyde, Inc. (Hard from Baen) where he is given the Hyde
formula originally invented by Dr. Jeckyll and becomes very strong,
healing up almost instantly. Daniel Cooper is partnered with another
Hyde, Valentina. Together they are assigned to kill the various
monster families of London: Frankensteins, Vampires, Mummies, and
Werewolves. Each will be most vulnerable at the separate covens each
is having. Fun.
Jamie Lackey introduces us
to Andromeda Snow, Superhero (self published ebook) Who had
been paralyzed and in a coma from a car wrecwhen superheroes
suddenly. When she awakes she has enough telekenic power to not only
more her unresponsive body, but also lift cars. This first tale is
more about facing the problems with being paralyzed and losing two
years, than actual superheroics. For instance her main problem at
first is attending the wedding of her sister and her ex-fiancé There
is a supervillain involved. I’d like to see more.
Cheryl Campbell finishes her fun
trilogy about the revolt against the Wardens with Echoes of Fate
(self published in paper). Centuries ago aliens arrived on Earth and
mixed their DNA with humans to create people who revive after death,
and can only be killed permanently during the revival period. In our
near future some of the aliens decide they deserve to rule. Dani is
an Echo who loses her memory at each death, and is fighting with
humans to restore liberty. This final tale is basically the battle
for Montreal and is as exciting as the first two parts.
Adrian Tchaikovsky tells of a
human colony that has regressed in technology. Lynesse, Fourth
Daughter of the queen, goes to the sorcerer Elder Nyr for help with
a demon. But he is an anthropologist abandoned by other
anthropologists when they returned to Earth centuries ago. He’s been
using suspended animation for centuries waiting his ship to return.
To face this Elder Race (paper from Tordotcom) horror
using sword and technology. This is a nice short tale.
October Daye is finally getting
married to the king of cats in Seanan McGuire’s fifteenth tale of
elves in the modern world. The wedding is the elf High Court near
Toronto and it is a time of joy and When Sorrows Come (hard
from DAW). There’s an assassination plot leaving dead bodies all
over for the worst reasons, complicating the already complicated
wedding. This is a series I had been buying before getting review
copies, and really enjoy.
Sarah Kuhn’s fifth tale of Aveda
Jupiter, a demon fighter in San Francisco who labels herself as a
superhero and has gotten famous enough that she isn’t startled when
a television series about her life starts filming. Hollywood Heroine
(paper from DAW) proves that you should always look a gift horse in
the mouth. When they arrive on set, they discover that there is a
method actor playing a vampire (there are no vampires in this
universe only demons, who has started biting people and has red
glowing eyes. Soon people are turning into bats. Not only that, but
a former superhero who moved to LA seems to be making moves on,
Scott, Aveda’s husband. Properly silly fun.
Baen has a collection of articles and fiction
about Going Interstellar (trade) edited by Les Johnson and
Jack McDevitt. They have reprinted in paper Tim Akers fun tale of
man chosen to join the Knight Watch at a ren faire; and
David Weber and Jacob Holo’s second time travel adventure The
Valkyrie Protocol.
Jonathan Strahan has a second volume of The
Year's Best Science Fiction (paper from Gallery / Saga Press)
with the best short fiction of 2020. Edward Willett has Shapers
of Worlds Volume II (ebook from Shadowpaw Press) with
tales from authors interviewed on World Shapers pod cast.
Dr. Henry Lazarus is a retired Dentist and the
author of A Cycle of Gods (Wolfsinger Publications) and Unnaturally
Female (Smashwords).Check out his unified field theory at
henrylazarus.com/utf.html that suggests fusion generation requires
less energy because only one frequency is needed rather than a full
spectrum. It also explains dark matter, the proliferation of
subatomic particles, and the limit of light speed for matter.