Henry L Lazarus
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Philadelphia, PA 19143
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Science Fiction for December 2014
by Henry Leon Lazarus
Science Fiction and Fantasy frequently come in
series form. Sometimes one huge book is broken up into parts,
sometimes, as in mysteries, one character is confronted with
different cases. The best type is where the writer finds fun tales
in a shared background, frequently at different time
Catherine Asaro returns to her Skolian
Empire universe with a tale set over a century before the main
tales of the Ruby heirs. Retired Major Bhaajan grew up in the Undercity
(hard from Baen) of Cries where she had run away from an orphanage
at age three and was self-educated well enough to enlist. She was
happily settled on another world, Pathonia, working as a P. I. When
a case involving the disappearance of a Ruby heir brings her
home. But finding the heir is only the first part, though it
reintroduces her to childhood friends. There’s also stolen weapons,
a drug that only effects psions that is causing havoc in the
undocumented underworld of the ancient city, and a drug war. Bhaajan
is in the right place to finally save her forgotten people. Wow!
Sheri S. Tepper started her career thirty
years ago with a triple trilogy (all short by today’s standards)
about Mavin Many-Shaped who can reform herself on a world settled by
humans who have been given many powers. Twenty years ago she told a
tale set after the killing when ninety percent of humanity had died
because of their beliefs. Now in her final feminist, atheistic work,
she looks at an earth being drowned by water sent through a worm
hole from another planet. Abasio and Xulai are taking their children
(born with Fish Tails (hard from Harper Voyager)) across an
empty world settled with survivors of the killing. Survivors who
kept their technology, Edgers, have created Giants, Trolls, and
Griffins to complicate their journey. Griffins are intelligent and
want to be saved from the waters, but the only male is murdering all
their young, especially other males. Along the journey they pick up
a boy, Willum from a civilized town, and a girl, Needly who comes
from a town where the women are abused and she is supposed to be
sold to one who murders them when they reach puberty. The
Edgers have a plan that involves creating man-eating ghouls working
with Gangers who would rather steal than build. Then at the end a
galactic envoy, Mr. Fixit arrives with Mavin and her daughters to
help fix everything. My problem is that there is a deus-ex-machina
feel to the ending even though the characters have to do some of the
work themselves. This final work is Ms. Tepper’s attempt to make a
statement and sometimes that gets in the way of the story. I still
think this will make it to award nomination.
For over three decades Steven Brust has
been working on his nineteen volume fantasy/ gangster series about
Vlad Taltos, a human in the Dragaeran Empire, most of whose
inhabitants have a life span of two millennia. In the fourteenth
episode, Vlad has to think like a Hawk (hard from Tor) to
concoct a scheme to finally get the Jhereg to stop trying to kill
him. Properly contrived, the scheme is fun. In a few years
we’ll find out what Vlad does next.
Just after WWII a deadly alien
virus rained down on New York. The survivors were either warped into
strange shapes called Jokers or got superpowers – or both. In Lowball
(hard from Tor) we return to Fort Freak, the police station in
Jokertown where Jokers are being kidnaped. Even the Marcus,
the snake man with the poisonous tongue, and Father Squid, the
priest of Jokertown are captured. On the case is Franny, a
recentl- promoted, nat detective, and Michael who lives with
two joker girlfriends. On the case also is Jamal Norwood, aka
Stuntman whose abilities are not at full strength. Showing up
for cameo’s are famous wild cards like Croyd (created by the late
Roger Zelazny). As usual George R. R. Martin and Melinda M.
Snodgrass whip the eight authors into a readable novel. I’ve been
hooked on the series since the beginning and always hope for more.
Sergei Lukyanenko tells a tale of the far
future in which master pilor Alex Romanov finds a position as
Captain of a small vessel taking alien tourists around human space.
Like many people he is a spec with The Genome (paper
from modification that allow him the ability to do his
job. He has just recovered from being sliced in half from a weird
accident. He meets Kim Ohara, a teenager on the run undergoing her
metamorphosis into what he learns is a rare secret-agent spec. When
he gets his position he hires her on as a weapons specialist along
with a doctor from a xenophobic planet, a navigator who is a rare
normal who can do the job. Then one of the tourists is murdered, a
Czygu female of such high rank that her death means war between the
Czygu and humanity if the assassin cannot be found. A clone
detective who likes to call himself Sherlock Holmes comes aboard to
solve the ultimate locked room mystery. Alex, however proves the
better detective. Fun. This was originally written in Russian and
there is a prequel and sequel avail if this does well.
Gin Blanco is back and facing a Black
Widow (paper from Pocket by Jenifer Estep) with poison magic. M.M.
Monroe is the daughter of Mab, Gin’s nemesis for the first five
books of the series. Gin, known as the spider, is an assassin with
both stone and ice magic. M. M attacks Gin’s family with legal
papers and gets Gin arrested so the police can murder her in their
dark cell where they put prisoners up against other prisoners. But
sending five against the Spider isn’t enough - and she escapes only
to be trapped inside her burning restaurant with police and fire
trapping her inside. I’ve enjoyed all of these and am waiting
eagerly for the next.
Charlie N. Holmberg has a cute set of
tales set in a Victorian England with magic. Magicians are
bound to human-made material and have control over things made with
that material. Ceony Twill graduated from the Tagis Praff
School for the Magically Inclined and is apprenticed to Emery
Thane, The Paper Magician (paper from 47North). Think
origami with the ability to bring the folded paper to life. Mr.
Thane is nice enough, but has an ex-wife who can work excision magic
(magic using human blood) and she comes and literally steals Emery’s
heart. Ceony has the presence of mind to make a paper heart and then
chases after Lira. Unfortunately she ends up in a figurative version
of his heart and has to view his memories, hopes, and
disappointments before winning free and facing Lira.
Her survival brings her to the attention
of other evil magicians and one of them is Grath, The Glass
Magician (paper from 47North) helping her is another
apprentice, a friend learning glass magic. With glass one can walk
through mirrors and she finds herself in France with no money and no
way of getting home. Grath is searching for a secret of magic that
is truly dangerous. Both books are light fun. I gulped them down and
can’t wait for a sequel.
I follow Drew Haye’s website eager for
the third installment of his tales of a college certification
program for superheroes. While the Junior year tale is almost
finished, Drew has extra, unrelated tales like Topher Nightshade
vs. The Camp of The Undead Apocalypse (ebook). Topher and his
two friends run Specter Quest, internet psychic investigators who
have never found a real ghost. Invited to the haunted Camp
Tekonichia, they don’t know of the three ghosts trapped there, or of
the wraith who, with an ancient ceremony, wants to bring the dead to
life. Then August Parish, his technical genius, has his body stolen
by the Wraith and becomes a ghost. As the elements of the ceremony
continue, ghosts start appearing and a Medium, Velt who can kick
wraith ass shows up. Velt has an extra story at the end of this fun
adventure.
Mike and Rachael Grinti tell a tale of Islanders whose magical ships
made of coral allow them to cross the great ocean. They use these
ships to attack the main land and bring back plunder. Jala is given
a book taken as loot as a gift to her for her wedding to King Azi, a
second son who only became king when his brother was killed. Neither
of them know that the book is holy to some of the mainlanders, but
find out when the islands are attacked. The only way to end the war
is for Jala to take the book back to the Heshon city, and bargain
for peace. The city is ruled by magical mask wearers eager for war.
The only way to stop the war is to put on one of those mask. Jala’s
mask (trade from Prometheus Books) links her
to the water goddess, trapping her in the city. This is a unique
fantasy world.
Finally we have Lexi Dunne’s beginning of
the tale of Superheroes, Anonymous (paper from Harper
Voyager Impulse) which tells the tale of Gail Godwin who has been
rescued by the superhero Blaze so often she’s gotten the title of
Hostage Girl. Then her boyfriend breaks up with her while she is
recovering in the hospital and moves to Florida, as does Blaze. That
gives her eight months of freedom until Moebius, an evil, mad
scientist, kidnaps her and feeds her a serum designed to make her
into an addict to control Blaze. But Blaze never rescues her and
when Moebius throws her into the street, she finds her body changing
to give her new strength and healing ablity. In a bank, at the wrong
time, she confronts super-villain Chelsea which brings her to the
attention of the Super Hero organization where she is trained and
meets Blaze without his mask and also her boyfriend who programs for
the organization. Alas the tale has a cliffhanger ending leaving me
disappointed, and still hungry for more.
Fans of True Blood based on the Charlaine
Harris tales of Sookie Sackhouse will enjoy Dead But Not
Forgotten with tales written by other writers and edited by
Ms. Harris and Toni L. Kelner.S
Tor has reprinted Brandon Sanderson’s fun trilogy
Mistborn; The Well of Ascension; and The Hero of
Ages in paper. I still own the hard covers. George R. R.
Martin’s short, children’s tale of The Ice Dragon has been
reprinted in hard cover with illustrations by Luis Royo.
Harry Harrison Harry Harrison (hard from
Tor) is the memoir of the late author known for Soylent Green and
the Stainless Steel Rat tales. Tor is also putting out many titles
as ebooks. These include Star Bridge by Jack Williamson and
James Gunn: The return of a classic, high-concept space opera by two
SF Grand Masters. The Land Across by Gene Wolfe:
A novel of the fantastic set in an imagined country in Europe by the
SF Grand Master, one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2013! The
Traders’ War by Charles Stross: An omnibus edition of the
third and fourth novels in the Merchant Princes series which is also
available in trade. The Ninth Talisman by Lawrence
Watt-Evans, the second book in the Annals of the Chosen trilogy. And
Transcendental by James E. Gunn, a Recent Book by a Golden
Age Writer.
The Soprano Sorceress L. E.
Modesitt, Jr.: The first novel in L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s fantastic
Spellsong Cycle is now in trade paperback for the first time.
The Science Fiction Society will have its next
meeting on, December 12th 2014 at 8 p.m. at International
house on the University of Pennsylvania Campus.
Children’s fantasy author Craig Delia Sherman will speak. As
usual Guests are Welcome.
Dr. Henry Lazarus is a local Dentist and the
author of A Cycle of Gods (Wolfsinger Publications) and
Unnaturally Female (Smashwords).