Henry L Lazarus
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Science Fiction for August 2022
by Henry L Lazarus
Science Fiction and Fantasy have tales set in
decadent periods like our present. Things never end well.
Tanya Huff tells of a small
expedition Into The Broken Lands (hard from DAW) on
a quest to retrieve fuel for the flame that has burned over Marssen
for sixtty some years since thye last expedition. Included are the
new and unexpcted heir (his older brothers recently died
accidently), two scholars including hs cousin who had insisted on
coming along, and a few soldiers. The lands were broken after a
major mage, and things are very weird inside them. Their only hope
of survival is a weapon left behind in Gateway. The weapon is not
what they expect, and the broken lands far more deadly.
This is a very intense tale.
Alastair Reynolds tells the tale of
Doctor Silas Coade ship doctor on the 19th century sailin ship
Demeter that is exploring a strange fjord in Northern Finland which
contains and unusual object. In an Eversion (hard from
Orbit), the Demeter might be a Zepellin and the strange object in a
hole at the south pole. Or he is on a space ship, and the object in
an unexplored system. In all cases, the ship is in trouble and he
has been killed. The truth is much stranger, and he has to somehow
come back to reality to save his crew. Fun.
Melissa Blair tells of A Broken
Blade (paper from Union Square & Co) in the kingdom of
Elverath ruled by a king who doesn’t age. All halfling children of
the fae with their amber blood are slaves of the king. Keera, the
King’s blade, is the king’s assassin and has been for thirty years,
though she also does not age. The Shadow has been causing problems
for the kingdom, and the trail leads to the city of the Dark Fae,
Aralinth. There’s a lot of secrets that the book reveals slowly
leaving plenty of room for a sequel. This is an intense tale, and I
hope to read the sequel.
W.A. Simpson offers a sequel to
Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of a magical Tinderbox (hard
from Flame Tree Press) in which a soldier kills a witch and gains
control of three magical dogs. He then kills the king and Queen and
marries their daughter. A few years later the granddaughter of the
witch, Isbet, returns home to discover the murder of her
beloved grandmother and vows revenge. The soldier, Wilheim Stark,
has been using the dogs to conquer neighboring kingdoms and calling
the hostage princes his sons. Bram has risen to act as Wilheim’s
agent, but he wishes for his kingdom’s freedom. The main problem is
that the use of the magical dogs has corrupted the magical vines
(planted by Jack the Giant Killer) and that could destroy their
world. So Bram and Isbet have to work with the other magical
creatures of this world to sever the contagion. The original fairy
tale always felt unsatisfactory to me, and this gives a satisfying
ending.
Catalina Baylor has to save
Houston and her boss, the warden of Texas from her arch enemy in Ruby
Fever (paper from Avon). I haven’t read the previous tales in
this series by husband and wife, Ilona Andrews. I had no problem
following this fun tale of a world where magic is out in the open,
and powerful mages can wreck a lot of damage. The tale starts with a
locked room murder, and continues to Catalina discovering her boss
in a coma after an magical attack,It doesn’t help that her
Fiancé, Alessandro Sagredo, has been sold by his family to
another woman. Lots of fun. I may read the first two books sometime.
Catherine Asaro has another case
for retired Major Bhaajan. This time she has to leave the undercity
on the dry and dying planet Raylicon, to help solve three murders in
the capitol of the Skolian Empire, Selei City at the request of the
Ruby Pharaoh. But The Jigsaw Assassin (paper from
Baen) drops a balcony on her head and blows up her condo.
Other players from the various political parties soon kidnap her,
and others attempt assassination. There’s an AI that seems new to
the world and not created by humans who is either responsible or
trying to help. Great series.
Captain Evridiki “EB” Bardacki of
the freighter Evasion (ebook) have been hired to carry
weapons through a blockade to arm one of the sides. Then he is
separated from his navigator and lover, his adopted daughter, and
the ships medic. They have to survive and help deal with both
disease and a member of the syndicate who knew that had been left in
Trace’s head. With the Evasion captured by the blockading forces, EB
has to use Discretion (ebook) to somehow force a peace on
the warring planet. As usual Glynn Stewart has a fun and compelling
tale.
I thought that Seanan McGuire’s tale of
October Daye’s marriage would end the series. Be the Serpent
(hard from DAW) proves that even just married, our PI hero still has
work to do. This time an ancient fae returns to take October’s best
friend and kill her daughter. The monster can literally drain magic
from the fae, and stopping her will take all that October can give.
Warning, the last few page end in a cliffhanger. Up to that point
our heroine had won everything and it was a satisfactory ending.
In Orders of Battle(paper).
Marko Kloos sent Major Andrew Grayson and the crew of the NACS
Washington to a Lankie home world 900 lightyears from earth. With
only limited stores and no way home. They have to investigate the Centers
of Gravity (ebook from 47north) of the worlds in the new
system to find supplies and hopefully a way home. But keeping hidden
from the Lankies is not possible, and the ship has to do the
impossible to get home. This may be the last book in the
exciting Frontlines series whicch is a must for space war
fans.
Coyote shifter, Mercy Thompson, is back
for her 13th adventure. A new horror movie in town about a cursed
sickle, seems to bring the sickle, the movie was based on, to the
town killing witches in its effort to collect magical souls.
Patricia Briggs has Mercy and her werewolf husband on the trail of
the wielder. Soul Taken (hard from Ace) sends them into a
swirl of vampire politics to stop the murders. Great series.
George Mann completes his Newbury
& Hobbes Sherlockian series of mysteries with The Albion
Initiative (hard from Tor). The series takes place in an
alternate England in which, using horrific science, Queen Victoria
is kept alive long after her natural life span. Our heroes along
with the head of Scotland Yard, and the head of the British Secret
Service, first rescue the Prince of wales from Bedlam, a place where
horrible experiments are prerformed on inmates. Some of the inmates
are surgically transformed into boltheads, able to electrocute the
Queen’s enemies. Eventually all is revealed with a proper
conclusion. Disturbing.
Aileen Erin conpletes her five
part tale of Amihanna, who is half-Aunare and was trapped on Earth
when Space Tech, the corporation that controls Earth, decided to
kill all the Aunare still on Earth. Now she is On Destiny
(paper from Ink Monster, LLC ) when she goes back to Earth
with her her High King husband Lorne, to rescue old friends and
somehow cause a revolution against Space Tech. Lot of romantic
adventure, and fun.
L. E. Modesitt Jr is one of my
favorite authors, but I find his Grand Illusion series a bit dry.
Steffan Dekkard, and Isolate (ebook) working as security for one of
the Councilors of the legislative body has married his his empath
partner and become Councilor (ebook from TOR). Over the to
months he has to deal with numerous assisination attempts and learn
to deal with coleagues as he shepherds a security bill through the
council of sixty-six. One of the three major parties dislikes their
loss of power and will do anything to reccover their control. Fun,
with more to come.
Tad Williams writes epics.
His Last King of Osten Ard tale, which is a sequel to
his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series of fifteen years ago,
sends the characters Into the Narrow Dark (hard from DAW)
as the Queen of the Norns attacks the Hayholt castle while both its
king and queen are thought dead and the heir is missing. There are
monsters galore and an evil traitor. The world is in desperate
danger and a final massive volume is need to conclude the tale.
Great beach read.
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.