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Science Fiction for March 2018
    I really enjoy tales that mix science fiction and fantasy.
Terry Mancour has reached the tenth volume about a Feudal society dealing with goblins who want to destroy all humans, after being cheated of their lands, with the help of a very powerful, magically undead sorceror. Minalan, a retired war mage turned village Spellmonger(ebook) is forced to utilize all his talents to help the villagers and himself survive. Over the next tales Minalan has become a Baron. The undead elf  Korbal the Necromancer (ebook)  has escaped from his prison and has made the elvin city of Olum Seheri his headquarters as he works with the goblins, Alya , his wife had her mind shattered and her only hope is in a magical object in the undercaverns of Olum Seheri. The raid is successful, including rescuing a captured princess, but Korbal sends dragons against the human capitol and also Minalin’s home county. At the end, technology, from the colony ship that brought humans to this world of elves and magic,  is discovered. I can’t wait for the next tale.
Blood Cast (ebook from  Azure Flame Media, LLC ) is the ninth tale of Nadia Moran who steals things for a powerful Elven lord Morvilind.. It’s been over three centuries since the Elf Queen conquered Earth, which hasn’t developed technologically since.  The Elf lord is slowly curing her brother Russell. Over the last few books Nadia has become more powerful magically. She is trying to destroy the Rebels between her missions. It’s been a year since she saw her brother and she didn’t know he had been seeking her. A chance trip to her home town of Milwaukee found her stopping her brother’s kidnaping and helping rescue his friends. A high-level rebel is behind the kidnap and the rebel is very powerful. Lots of fun and a great series.
Glynn Stewart’s Onset series is about a hidden federal organization that hunts monsters. Sometime ordinary individuals gain super powers when coming face to face Ex-cop David White became super strong, able to heal quickly, and able to see slightly into the future. He also has a magical sword. In the previous book a nuke was used to stop power hungry vampires. That couldn’t be totally contained, raising suspicion in the media. Then David has to kill a monster attacking a protest march, and the secret is out,. The agency is shut down and erased. Unfortunately this is just a ONSET: Stay of Execution (paper from  Faolan's Pen Publishing Inc ) because some demon worshipers have managed to infuse a new born with a demon and that Herald opens a gate to the demon universe in Protland Maine Conventional arms are practically useless though the army does try to respond. This is a very exciting and fun end to the series.
The Holver Alley Crew may have found and destroyed the mobster who burned down their street, but he was acting on higher orders. Marshall Ryan Maresca has put Asti and Verci Rynax looking into the nobility of Maradaine but find themselves opposed by an old spy who had Asti captured by the enemy. There’s also a mage using his powers to control the local gangs. The answers lie in the trapdoor found in Lady Henterman's Wardrobe (paper from DAW) in the end there are more questions than answers in this fun caper of a tale.
Antimony Price is on the run after spying on the Covenant that wants to destroy all  .nCryptid s She finds refuge working at  Lowryland, a low end version of Disney World. One roommate is a Gorgon and the other a sylph, both hidden among humans. Only her ghost aunt knows where she is and pops in occasionally to see if she is safe. Like other Seanan McGuire tales, nothing is what it seems. Antimony’s uncontrolled ability to create fires brings he to the attention of the Coven that actually runs the park. They offer to train her, but it turns out to be Tricks for Free (paper from DAW). They actually take her power, and their use causes major accidents. They’ve also been stealing luck from the tourist visitors. Antimony and her friends have to face the coven who can literally through roller coasters at them. There’s a tale at the end to explain how the talking mice made it home. Lots of fun as usual.
Steven Brust tells a hard-boiled tale about Good Guys (hard from Tor) working for a hidden magical Foundation. Their job, to keep magic secret, is complicated by a serial killer using enchanted objects for impossible murders. Even though it’s expensive, they can teleport to the crime scenes all over the country. The guy who provided the killer his objects, also hires assassins to kill the investigators. There’s defiantly a spy vs spy feel and a conspiracy that goes deeply into the magical world.
 Michael David Ares sets his thriller in a future Manhattan in perpetual darkness because of the climate change from an India- Pakistan nuclear tiff.  Dayfall (hard from Tor) is supposed to drive the population nuts, but some of the chaos may be the result of hired killers and explosive experts. The mayor has hird Jon Phillips, a small town cop with a reputation for tenacity to find the murderers and maybe contain the chaos. Of course everyone , including the Mayor; there’s a pretty girl, and Jon admires all the classic detectives. Fun.
Aliette de Bodard sets her Sherlock tale in the  Scattered Pearls Belt. The Tea Master and the Detective ( hard from Subterranean Press) starts when Long Chau hires The Shadow's Child, a mind ship traumatized by the previous war where all her crew were killed, to find a corpse in deep space so she can discover the effects of deep space on the human body. The Shadow's Child earns a living brewing drugs to help people cope with deep space, only agrees to return to deep space because it’s a short and she needs money for rent. The corpse they recover is, of course, a murder victim. I’d like to see the pair solving more mysteries.
    The Science Fiction Society will have its next meeting  on March 2nd.  The meeting starts  at  8 p.m. at the Rotunda  on  the University of Pennsylvania Campus Author Tom Purdom will speak. As usual guests are welcome.
    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 a simpler way to achieve fusion generation.