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In the not so distant future resources are scarce and jobs are even scarcer. Water is a commodity. Biological agents are being released around the world and society is slowly degrading into tribal-like groups just out for survival. Anarchy is reigning over everything as society looses their way and Jasper is just trying to find his way through it all and hopefully a girlfriend.
Will McIntosh, winner of the Hugo for best short story, has certainly impressed me creating a believable future and understandable characters. Soft Apocalypse is McIntosh's horrifyingly realistic debut of an apocalyptic nature. Only he turns the idea of an apocalypse a bit on its ear by showing it through the rise of the everyday unprepared people rather than the survivalist who instinctively "knows" what to do and frames it around the love life, or lack thereof of one character skipping ahead through time by months and sometimes years to see how he and the world develops.
The reason apocalyptic stories rarely get stale for me is because of the human factor and unexpectedness of the characters reactions during conflicts and McIntosh loads Soft Apocalypse with conflicts aplenty. I mean, does everyone know what they would do if their friends were being attacked by a crazy group of militants? Most would think they'd like to help, but when the shit gets real many would just turn and run.
Soft Apocalypse really gets inside the head of its main character Jasper. We slowly see how each situation he finds himself in changes him from a very naïve post-grad leading him into what he becomes and why he makes certain decisions. At times he can seem like a wimp or a pushover yet he isn't faced with easy choices, but Jasper is, generally, able to move on and find the resolve to do what needs to be done. People faint of heart should beware. Soft Apocalypse is often an unsettling book in many ways. People and animals are dying all around, many of which happen from unspeakable acts that occur daily.
Soft Apocalypse is made in the mold of Earth Abides by George Stewart yet even more believable. Thoughts of a prequel in the world of Mad Max also come to mind. McIntosh shows that even in the worst of times life goes on, but it is ever changing. I give Soft Apocalypse 8 out of 10 hats. While not perfect Soft Apocalypse is an absorbing read right up to the somber ending. McIntosh has a heck of a career ahead of him and has already signed the contracts for his second novel Deadland retitled to Hitchers with Night Shade that will probably be out in February 2012.
It was also interesting to re-read the short story that was the basis for the novel afterwards to see what was changed and used from the original. The short also gives you a decent idea of what to expect.
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REVIEW | Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh (Night Shade)
A Couple New Pyr Covers
Please not some of the covers below are probably not completely final. Info has slowly been leaking out about Pyr's Fall and Winter releases and so far it is looking pretty strong, but there is one debut and a sequel that definitely caught my eye.
Blackdog by K. V. Johansen, which I believe is her debut adult novel as she has published many YA titles over the last few years. The cover is certainly eye catching and might be by Raymond Swanland and has a very high action quality about it. Blackdog does have some relation to Johansen's other work as it is placed a few hundred years later in the world of her short "The Storyteller," with one character in common. No official synopsis has been released, but the author had a bit about the book on her blog a few months back:
This is a novel set in the same world as “The Storyteller”, but a couple of centuries later. (I love having immortal characters who don’t tie one down to a single time.) Like “The Storyteller”, it’s someone else’s story, which Moth wanders into, in this case, a man possessed by an exiled lake-goddess’s guardian dog-spirit. There’s a wizard-warlord who has conquered her land and wants to possess her, and this poor caravan-guard, our hero, who against his will is forced to assume the role of her guardian — and father, as the goddess is incarnate as a child at the time of the conquest. If you’ve read “The Storyteller”, you know that in Moth’s world, gods and goddesses are bound to their place, their particular hill or water, so an exiled goddesses ought to be an impossibility. Lots of mystery, battles, a bit of romance, Moth and Mikki travelling the desert (poor Mikki — all that fur) and more camels, I can safely say, than the average fantasy novel.There is even a rough map for this world available for you lovers of cartography. Blackdog is one title I'll definitely be keeping an eye on as Lou at Pyr often has very similar tastes to my own. It also seems that there will be at least one other novel in this world, but the stories sound thus far to be standalone as they'll continue to be pushed forward in the future. Blackdog should be out this September.
Boneyards is the third Diving book from Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This one can't come out soon enough as I recently finished the second Diving book City of Ruins (out in a few weeks) and it left off on something of a cliffhanger. The art looks to be done by series regular Dave Seeley. We should see Boneyards in January so the wait is not too long between books.
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The Dance is done!
Between George R.R. Martin's somewhat confirmatory blog post about a dead Kong and his editor Anne Groell just released statement A Dance With Dragons is done, done, and done. Here is Groell's statement for the non-believers:
It is true. Kong is dead.I guess I know what hundreds of thousands of us Ice and Fire fans will be doing come the middle of July. I'll be starting my re-read of A Clash With Kings in the next few weeks and than June is set for A Storm of Swords, but I'm on the fence about a re-read of A Feast for Crows. Maybe I'll read it skipping the Brienne chapters.
There were a few moments of George in a spare office yesterday, cleaning up the last bits and inserting a few new bits in longhand, while I typed the changes into the electronic files, but we are honestly and officially done.
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Two Years?
Before we end the month of April I just wanted to acknowledge this blogs 2nd birthday, which officially happened on the 15th of this month. It is a bit hard to believe for me as I had no idea where starting this blog would lead. Little did I know the kind of reaction and following I'd garner after such a short time, which has pushed me time and again to get to work on the next post.
This little corner of the web is still small compared to the bigger and older guns of blogdom such as Wert, Graeme, Aidan, and the ever present Pat, but the number of visit each month just keeps growing. And I've also been happy to see the rise of other great book bloggers such as that smart mouthed yet erudite Scotsman Niall Alexander, the reviewing machine Stefan over at Civilian Reader, and the very honest Sarah at Bookwork Blues. Most of all I'm glad to spread my love of books around. This place all started because I love to talk books and talk books I have. I'd like to thank all of you for the support and for continuing to read my musings. I hope that you all continue to follow me on this journey as we discover new authors and great books together.
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When Covers Gets Changed It is Usually a Good Thing
One Sci-Fi debut that has been on my radar is Guy Haley's Reality 36, which is the first in the Richards and Klein Case series. The duo is supposed to be a futuristic team ala Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Richards is the Holmes-like AI who jumps around robot bodies with his partner the muscle bound cyborg Klein bringing, well obviously, the muscle. When I first heard about the series it interested me since I enjoy Sherlock stories even in pastiche form. And then I saw the cover and lost a bit of interest due to the muscle head on the cover.
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SOMETHING IS AMISS IN THE RENEGADE DIGITAL REALM OF REALITY 36.Again let me point out how cool the category tag/descriptions Angry Robot uses. Haley is also hard a work on a novel called Baneblade for Black Library and Champion of Mars for Solaris that should see the light in 2012. So you can certainly say he has been keeping himself busy since the demise of the much loved Death Ray magazine, which he edited.
Richards - a Level 5 AI with a PI fetish - and his partner, a decommissioned German military cyborg, are on the trail of a murderer, but the killer has hidden inside an artificial reality. Richards and Klein must stop him before he becomes a god - for the good of all the realms.
File Under: Science Fiction [ Great Firewall | 'Net Profit | Remurder | Don't Upload! ]
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REVIEW | Black Halo by Sam Sykes (Pyr)
Lenk and his friends associates are back right after the dirty action of Tome of the Undergates and they're still at each others throats.
Tome of the Undergates was a fine debut for Mr. Sykes last year. There was a lot I enjoyed in Tome such as the battle sequences and very different mythology of the world, but the characters constant bickering and in-fighting did grate on me after awhile. Black Halo proved all my misgivings were wrong and it is a superior read to Tome in most every way. Basically, if you liked Tome than you'll love Black Halo and if you loved the former than the latter will be a crotch-stomping good time.
The prose itself was quite beautiful and even poetic at times, which was one thing I didn't notice in Tome. That is not to say the quality wasn't there before, but is probably due more to my taking the first book to be more of a crude hack and slash type read then what was the actuality of a very finely constructed world with deeply conflicted characters. Tome set the tone and groundwork for these characters so much so that their evolution in Black Halo is at turns surprising, yet still very fitting. We're finally getting to the root of what makes this rag-tag band of adventures so tick and explains their blood thirsty appetites. It is almost like hanging out with your favorite D & D crew Friday nights and egging each other on for the next big quip or bloody kill. At the end of the day you all mostly get along.
Black Halo also expands the world in new and weird ways. I'm almost of a mind to call it cross-genre as Sykes is working in what I would consider some New Weird elements such as lizard-like humanoids in addition to the purple-faced warrior goons we met in Tome; not even to mention the creepy sea monsters that could have been found in a Lovecraft story. What makes this series great is it keeps you guessing about what will happen next and what kind of monsters are still around the corner. Also, a new view point is introduced of an adept magic user many years Dreadaeleon's senior who has some serious abilities that I wish were showcased a bit more (standalone story anyone?).
The first 100 pages or so the group is separated from each other for an extended time and some undergo what seem to be hallucinations, which at times made it hard to follow what was real and imagined for these characters as at least half talk to themselves quite a bit outside of these events anyway. But they are also some of the most illuminating scenes including one that is getting to be known as the philosophical monkey. Hint: He's a bastard.
If this was a series you were on the fence about then let me alleviate your fears. Sykes has writing chops and knows how to use them with plenty of cruelty, humor, and even a touch of heart. I give Black Halo 8.5 out of 10 hats. The only thing holding me back from a higher rating is the overall story arc didn't have as much forward movement as I would have liked, but the table is set for that to happen in the next volume of the The Aeons' Gate.
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NEWS | Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden sell new series
Both Golden and Publisher's Marketplace have confirmed that Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden have sold a pair of novels in a new Steampunk series to St. Martin with the first Joe Golem and the Drowning City to be released early next year. Much of Mignola's work does already have Steampunk overtones, especially some B.P.R.D. stuff and given this is a pushed forward setting far past Victorian times this could certainly be a very original take on the genre. Here is the official word:
Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden's JOE GOLEM AND THE DROWNING CITY, a supernatural-steampunk illustrated novel following an orphaned teenage girl, an aging conjuror, a lunatic scientist, a Victorian occult detective, and the stalwart sidekick, Joe Golem, as they struggle for the fate of an alternate 1970s Lower Manhattan, which sank into the water during a catastrophe in 1925, leaving those unwilling or unable to abandon it to make a new life in streets turned to canals, to St. Martin's, in a two-book deal, for publication in early 2012 (World).This marks Mignola and Golden's second novel collaboration after the illustrated novel Baltimore: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire from a couple years back. They have also collaborated on a number of other project including some work related to B.P.R.D. and the Hellboy short story anthologies which Golden edited.
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Winner of The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley Beaulieu
People were clambering for The Winds of Khalakovo by Bradley Beaulieu, which was very nice to see. I'm definitely going to be dipping in quite soon, especially after his guest essay which grabbed me even more. And without further adieu the winner is....drum roll please... Christina Boulard from Hamilton, ON.
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Cover Unveiled for The Magician King by Lev Grossman (UK version)
Feast your eyes. Now that is quite something. Much better than the very boring UK cover for The Magicians, especially given the spectacular cover it received in the US. Given this cover I'd love to see Grossman's UK publisher redo The Magicians in a similar style with buttons as a design element. If you missed it the US cover for The Magician King is has been released as well. Is it August yet so I can read this already? I might be in luck though as Grossman will be doing a signing at Book Expo America this year in late May for The Magician King.
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Mad Hatter's Reading Log Vol. 4
Oh, books! I like them. Here is a bit of a run down of what I read during late February and March. I had a lot going on personally so I went for mostly shorter novels in this batch along with a couple big tomes I've been waiting for quite a while.
19. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde - The latest in the Thursday Next series was the rockiest book in the series so far. The POV while is a Thursday is not necessarily the Thursday we've all come to know and love. Or she could be, but that is the course Fforde sets us on in the latest mystery as Thursday searches for herself amid all the craziness that is the newly reformed Bookland. Recommended for series fans, but if you're new start at the beginning with The Eyre Affair.
20. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Collins much touted novel absolutely blew me away. It wasn't until a family member told me I had to read the series that I really took notice even though there are scads of reviews singing its praises. I was quickly draw in and now can say everyone young or old should be reading this series if they aren't already. Gripping characters and a story the drags you through every gully kicking and screaming that it can't get better and than it does. Dystopian at its best with heart. Highly recommended.
21. The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang - Chiang has created an amazing AI story surround furby type creatures that tugs at the heart strings, but leaves you feeling very unfinished. Recommended, but read Chiang's collection Stories of Your Life first.
22. Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan - This is best and most honest use of Norse mythology and history I've ever read in fiction. Review to come. Highly recommended.
23. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss - Was it worth the wait? Hell yeah. The story does come off a bit long in the tooth, but I can't complain too much as this a world I never leave voluntarily. Rothfuss passes the sophomore slump with flying colors and remains the Prince of Fantasy; in my eyes at least.
24. Equations of Life by Simon Morden - After the long haul that was WMF I needed something quick and lighter to lug around. So enters Morden's Cyperpunk series into my life, which I'll definitely be following. The book although a start to a series does standalone very well with its foul talking protagonist. Think Gibson crossed with Morgan only with a bit more humor. Full review hopefully to come.
25. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - So after The Hunger Games I knew I couldn't wait too long to get to the next volume. It was nearly as good as the first and gets us deeper into this world and in deeper with the characters as well. Mockingjay here I come.
26. Grandville by Bryan Talbot - A Steampunk comic with anthropomorphic animals? As if I could pass this gem up. Talbot creates his own Sherlock Holmes and Sexton Blake mash-up as a walking-talking badger. Who says we don't need no stinking badgers? Not when Insp.-Det. Archie LeBrock is on the case of a mysterious murder, which leads to secret societies and all sorts of explosions. The art is gorgeously done as is the packaging.
27. The Unremembered by Peter Orullian - This one took me quite a while to get through. I actually started it a month before, but had to put it down halfway through as I was not in the right mindset to catch everything. But I'm glad I got back to it. For those expecting some massively original series opener you'll be a bit disappointed, but if you're after something in the mold of now classic Fantasy doorstops ala Wheel of Time you'll gobble this right up. Review to come.
28. Black Halo by Sam Sykes - I quite enjoyed Sykes' debut Tome of the Undergates, but his second offering was even better. We finally get more on the characters and their motivations. Plus all the weirdness that started in the first book just gets weirder this go around, which I quite liked. New races and a new POV from a more experienced magical practitioner all enliven this world. Review to come. Highly recommended.
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