The Legions of Fire by David Drake (Tor). Pub. May 2010; $25.99; Hardcover; 368 pages; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches; ISBN: 978-0-7653-2078-0. "From the Bestselling author of theLord of the Isles. . . In this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire. Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island intended to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the whole Earth and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire. The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce." I've hopefully got it worked out to excerpt this book and include an interview in Bull Spec #3, currently scheduled for September 2010. I've read this one and really enjoyed it: sphinxes and magic and a well-imagined "not Rome" that Drake, a student of Latin and ancient Rome, really pulls along. In the hands of its reviewer and we'll see what he makes of it.
Children No More by Mark L. Van Name (Baen Books). Pub. August, 2010; $22; Hardcover; 400 pages; ISBN 978-1-4391-3365-1. "The Sequel to One Jump Ahead, Slanted Jack and Overthrowing Heaven,. Jon and Lobo are back--On a mission to save children whose childhood has been stolen and replaced with the horrors of war: Jon Moore knew that better than most, having learned to fight to survive before he'd hit puberty. So when a former comrade, Alissa Lim, asks for his help in rescuing a group of children pressed into service by rebels on a planet no one cares to save, he agrees. Only later does he realize he's signed up to do far more than he'd ever imagined. Jon's commitment hurtles him and Lobo, the hyper-intelligent assault vehicle who is his only real friend, into confrontations with the horrors the children have experienced and with a dark chapter from his past." I'm still looking for a home for this one, but finally, I think, have stumbled onto a few ideas. A little more on this one: Mark is donating every cent he receives from the sale of copies of Children No More hardcover to Falling Whistles. No go read what he has to say. (And then come back, eh?) I've tentatively worked it out with Mark to excerpt this book and include an interview in Bull Spec #4, currently scheduled for December 2010.
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Pyr). Pub. July 6, 2010; $26; Hardcover; 359 pages; 6x9; ISBN 978-1-61614-204-9. "It begins with an explosion. Another day, another bus bomb. Everyone it seems is after a piece of Turkey. But the shockwaves from this random act of 21st century pandemic terrorism will ripple further and resonate louder than just Enginsoy Square. Welcome to the world of The Dervish House--the great, ancient, paradoxical city of Istanbul, divided like a human brain, in the great, ancient, equally paradoxical nation of Turkey. The year is 2027 and Turkey is about to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its accession to the European Union; a Europe that now runs from the Arran Islands to Ararat. ... Gas is power. But it's power at a price, and that price is emissions permits. This is the age of carbon consciousness: every individual in the EU has a card stipulating individual carbon allowance that must be produced at every CO2 generating transaction. For those who can master the game, who can make the trades between gas price and carbon trading permits, who can play the power factions against each other, there are fortunes to be made. ... The Dervish House is seven days, six characters, three interconnected story strands, one central common core--the eponymous dervish house, a character in itself--that pins all these players together in a weave of intrigue, conflict, drama and a ticking clock of a thriller." This one to be hand-delivered to a local reviewer soon, hopefully to be reviewed in Bull Spec #3.
Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television by Douglas E. Cowan (Baylor University Press). Pub. August 15, 2010; $24.95; Paper; 326 pages; 6x9; ISBN 978-1-60258-2385. "Drawing on the most popular examples of the genre--Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and Stargate SG-1--as well as the lesser known but no less important, University of Waterloo professor Douglas Cowan eloquently surveys science fiction's compelling visions of transcendence." I can figure out why I got this one: reviewing D. Harlan Wilson's non-fiction critique of science fiction "Technologized Desire" in issue #1. This one's on its way on to a reviewer soon, but it has to wait for company to make the Atlantic crossing a little more worth the postage. Hopefully also in time for Bull Spec #3.
So, not too bad, a trickle I can handle, and all books I hope to see reviewed in Bull Spec. We'll see how July goes!
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