Walker of Worlds

My Favourite Reads of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

So, that time of year again, to look back at what I've read and try and narrow it all down to the books I've enjoyed the most. I've read some cracking books this year and thoroughly enjoyed most of them. I've had some glaring oversights too, like The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding, War in Heaven by Gavin Smith, The Ascendant Stars by Michael Cobley, Deadline by Mira Grant, The Departure by Neal Asher, Embassytown by China Mieville... the list goes on and on.

So without further ado, check out my favourite reads of 2011!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Every now and then a book comes along that not only ticks all the boxes that you want it to, but also add a few more for good measure. Ready Player One is such a book. It's an awesome geek-fest made of pure win.

The Kings of Eternity by Eric Brown

Before I read Ready Player One I didn't think anything would come along to knock The Kings of Eternity from the top spot. Not only is this Eric Brown's best novel to date, it's easily one of the most accesbile SF releases this year. Highly recommended to both SF veterans and newcomers alike.

The Technician by Neal Asher

See below for more on Asher's novels, but I have to say that The Technician is probably his best Polity novel to date. Do you need to have read the rest? Probably, but if you haven't I don't think it takes away from all the action and the wide variety of deadly alien creatures. Hugely entertaining!

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

I've always loved John Scalzi's books, his combination of good story and humour goes down a treat for me. I think that's why I love Fuzzy Nation so much, not to mention the cute fuzzies of the title.

Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis

I'm not a huge urban fantasy fan, but Gustin Gustainis is an author that stands out for me. Hard Spell is full of action and plenty of awesome characters that just make the story fly by.

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber

I've been reading the Honorverse this year (see below) and this is a book set way before those novels. It's confined to one planet, has a relatively small cast of characters, but Stephanie and the treecats brought it to life and made me want to read more and more of their adventures. Can't wait for the next one!

Final Days by Gary Gibson

Final Days managed to bring action, the end of the world and time-travel together in a great novel. His best that I've read and very compelling. Worthy of a read.

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

Leviathan Wakes was a last minute read this year, and one I'm glad I got around to. Halfway through the book I was expecting it to make the top 5, but it goes to show that despite what a thoroughly enjoyable book this is, there were other even better ones consumed. Expect to see this one on many, many 'best of' lists this year.

Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper

The first fantasy book in my list, and it was going to take something special to get in there with all the sci-fi I've read this year. Great story, characters, and setting, and the sequel can't come soon enough!

Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell

The first in the new Lost Fleet series, and a cracker. The fanboy in me does tend to turn a blind eye to the seeming repetative nature of these books, but for a quick and enjoyable read it gets my vote!

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

I loved The Name of the Wind, so reading Wise Man's Fear was a no-brainer. It's pretty much more of the same, but told in a masterful way. If you've read NOTW then pick this up, and if you haven't you'd better get started!

Honourable Mentions

The Cormac sequence by Neal Asher

I read the first book in this series, Gridlinked, a few years back and tried to read the sequel, The Line of Polity, shortly afterwards. For whatever reason I just couldn't get into it then, but I was determined to do so this year. I read the remaining Cormac books early this year and loved the series, the final book, Line War, being the highlight for me. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in weird and wonderful space opera, Neal manages to cover so much in these books, but above all else the entertainment value is excellent!
Check out all my reviews for this series: Gridlinked, The Line of Polity, Brass Man, Polity Agent, Line War

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber

Ahh, the Honorverse. What a place! I read the first book, On Basilisk Station, around Easter after hearing David Weber talk at Eastercon, and soon got around to more of the Honor Harrington books. You can find my reviews of the first four books on the blog (On Basilisk Station, The Honor of the Queen, The Short Victorious War, and Field of Dishonor), but I've read through to book nine. Since going on hiatus the Honorverse books have been my pleasure reads, taking prescedence over some other books that I really want to read. They're deep, multi-layered, have great characters, and a huge story. I couldn't ask for more ina series!

Review | Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: Manhattan in Reverse
Author: Peter F Hamilton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

A short story collection from one of the world's bestselling SF writers

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate.

Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

I've been a Peter F Hamilton fan for a long time, in fact the reason I read sci-fi nowadays is because of Pandora's Star. The last collection of short stories by Peter F Hamilton was A Second Chance at Eden released way back in the late 90's, but it was a collection of Confederation exclusive stories based on his Night's Dawn universe. On hearing about this new collection I was rather excited, hoping to see all of the stories that he's written since then. Aside from one glaring omission this is a pretty decent collection and worthy of a place on the shelf of any Hamilton fan.

Watching Trees Grow
Starting off with the longest offering in the collection, Watching Trees Grow was initially published back in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition, though it was later re-published in the Futures anthology from Gollancz.

As an alternate history tale, this story looks at a world where the Roman Empire never fell and the grand families continued to prosper. With the planet in a golden age of sorts it has allowed technology to advance quicker than in our world, with the starting point of the story in the early 1800's comparable to the mid to late 19th century. By selective breeding in the 'Sport of Emperors', life spans of the grand families are now measured in centuries rather than decades of the Shorts.

At its heart Watching Trees Grow is the story of Edward Bucahanan Raleigh's continued investigation into the death of one of his family members at university. Told through his eyes from the night of the murder in 1832 through to the transcendence of the human race to pure energy, Watching Trees Grow is an interesting look at big events during that world's future, all wrapped around the one question: who killed Justin Ascham Raleigh?

Footvote
Footvote is another story originally published by PS Publishing, this one in their first issue of Postscripts, a long-running magazine/anthology. Pan Macmillan are also releasing this one separately as an electronic short story.

Anyway, Footvote is a simple story based on the premise that one man has opened a wormhole to a new planet, New Suffolk, and nobody knows how he's done it. He's set specific conditions on who can travel through the wormhole and settle this new world (these are amusing little tidbits throughout the story), but has given a strict time-frame of two years before he will close the wormhole forever. Footvote focuses on one family, Janette and her two children on the one hand and her ex-husband Colin and his new girlfriend on the other, each with opposing views to the wormhole and its creator.

It's a nice little story, perhaps one of my favourites in the collection due to its subject matter, and its nice to see something set in the near-future. The world Peter has created here could be the basis for an expansion into a full novel, or maybe another short story - I for one would like to see more of New Suffolk and how it's progressed...

If At First...
Here's a story that first saw the light of day in one of the anthologies from Solaris a few years back. It's a short one about a detective that finds himself chasing a suspect into a time machine that then sends his consciousness back to his 1968 body. It's an interesting tale, amusing in parts and easy to read with an ending nicely suited to the tale.

The Forever Kitten
Perhaps unbelievably, this tale is a mere thousand words that once again uses the subject matter of immortality/extended lifespans. Peter seems to have a thing for this and Forever Kitten is an interesting, though short, take that I think is rather successful given its limited word count.

Blessed by an Angel
This is the first of the three Commonwealth stories in this collection, and while the other two are Paula Myo stories, this one is a prequel of sorts to the Void trilogy. Looking at the events surrounding the conception of Inigo, one of the more central characters in the Void series, this introduces the 'angel' of the title, a higher human that can use biononics to change gender from female to male while using this technology to allow the conception of a biononic child.

There's a good bit of detail here and anyone that has read the Void books will fully grasp all the details, though I'm not sure the same can be said if you're new to the universe. I like it as it adds depth to the character and essentially gives a more detailed account of what is only hinted at in the early Void books.

The Demon Trap
The Demon Trap was previously published in the Galactic Empires anthology, but that had limited release and not many would have read it before now. It's nice that it's finally got a wider readership as it is one of the best shorts Peter has written.

The Demon Trap sits nicely between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star and features Paula Myo, the genetically engineered detective we've all come to know (if you've read the Commonwealth books that is!). With her birth planet the much-hated Huxley's Haven, a planet in the Commonwealth where each person is genetically designed prior to birth to do the job they are allocated, she is an investigator that cannot leave a case until it has finally been solved and justice delivered.

The story itself follows the events of one of the Commonwealth planets, Merioneth, wanting independence and all connections to the Commonwealth closed. This starts off with a terrorist group targeting and killing young dynasty family members in order to pressure CST into closing the wormhole connection. Suffice to say, they are successful in getting the Commonwealth to agree a date that does exactly this. The story goes from there, Paula determined to unravel the mystery behind the attacker and terrorist group.

There is not a lot to dislike in The Demon Trap. Paula is an excellent character and carries the story with ease. There are, however, plenty of references to Peter's previous works (particularly Misspent Youth) and knowing these little details will certainly add to the enjoyment. I can't see any problems for those that haven't read the Commonwealth novels as The Demon Trap is a nice little murder-mystery with added political dealings. One of the best in the collection for sure.

Manhattan in Reverse
The reason I was looking forward to this collection so much: a new story! Manhattan in Reverse is another Paula Myo story that takes place shortly after the end of the Starflyer War depicted in Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. You don't need to have read those books to enjoy this story as it is completely stand alone with only a few references to the novels.

After convicting a war hero for crimes committed in his youth, Paula Myo needs something that will take her away from the attention she's getting, and Wilson Kime has just the ticket. On a relatively new colony world one of the non-sentient species is kicking up some trouble for the human inhabitants, trouble that could lead to genocide if something isn't done soon. Problem solving is what Paula is good at, and with the help of xeno-biologist Bernadino Paganuzzi that's exactly what she has to do.

I liked this story quite a bit, it was interesting and had a nice finish, but I wasn't really sure why Paula was the main character. Still, I did like the exploration of the Onid, why they were attacking the colonists and just how they could see what they really shouldn't be able to. It's a quick read that finishes nicely - not much more you can ask for!

Conclusion
Manhattan in Reverse does exactly what it says on the tin: it collects Hamilton's short stories in one book for those that have not tracked them down by other means. A new story is there for the fans who need a reason to buy it, and it is worth it.

The glaring omission I mentioned earlier is The Suspect Genome, the BSFA award-winning short story the features Greg Mandel, the psychic detective from Peter's early novels. To me it's one of the best short stories Peter has written and should have been included regardless of how it's aged since publication, and especially because it's very hard to track down. It was a poor decision to leave it out.

However, with stories like Watching Trees Grow, The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse, Peter once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the past decade and how, when he puts his mind to it, he can write some excellent short fiction.

Review | A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Baen)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: A Beautiful Friendship
Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world populated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.

The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity's freedom in a dangerous galaxy.

I've read a fair amount of David Weber's stuff this year set in his Honorverse and following Honor Harrington, the heroine of the main series. Now we have the release of A Beautiful Friendship, the first in a new prequel teen series that focuses on one of Honor's ancestors, Stephanie Harrington. I'd heard about this a while back, but I hadn't read any of the Honorverse books at that time so I didn't pay it much attention. A bit of a mistake! Once I knew how much I enjoyed Weber's novels I got my order in for this straight away. My only real concern was whether or not I would be able to fully enjoy it knowing that it's the latest book written in such a large setting despite the prequel nature of the story. As is usually the case when I have these concerns there was no need at all. In fact, this is just about the perfect starting point...

Stephanie Harrington and her parents have recently moved to the Star Kingdom of Manticore, specifically the planet Sphinx within the binary system. Already the recipient of some genetic altering to live on a heavier gravity world, the Harrington family settles their homestead on the low populated frontier world. With a keen interest in the outdoors Stephanie is desperate to get out and about, but with Sphinx's native deadly species, such as the massive Hexapuma, her parents are not very keen on her venturing out on her own. Knowing that Stephanie won't disobey them, and trying to keep her mind active, they set her on the problem of the disappearing celery from human settlements around the planet. It isn't long before Stephanie discovers the mysterious thieves, and the possibility that Sphinx may already have its own sentient species in the treecats...

A Beautiful Friendship is partly based on the short story of the same name that appeared in one of the Honorverse anthologies and, while slightly amended, forms the first part of this new novel. I've not read the original story so I really didn't know what to expect other than a planet-based story focusing on a young main character. What struck me within the first few chapters was just how well it worked, how strong and interesting a character Stephanie is, and just how much I didn't know about the treecats!

Climbs Quickly is the main treecat character and it's through his eyes that we learn much about the history of human settlement on Sphinx and the way the treecats avoid and spy on the humans. We learn about their society, just how intelligent they are and, more importantly, just what they think of the humans, but this is an aspect that Climbs Quickly doesn't entirely agree with. Tasked to watch the two-legs we know as the Harrington’s, he ponders many things while in discussion with his clan mates and while alone, and it helps the story immensely. It's when, after a trap set by Stephanie, he is caught trying to take celery that the story really gets into gear.

The treecats of Sphinx are telepathic, and while they can talk to each other in this manner they can't do so with humans, although a strong bond can form between two of them, much like it does between mated treecats. It's interesting because it is a two-way bond, the human can also feel the treecat, although this does increase with time and is never full telepathy, more like empathy. The climax of the first part of the novel is down to this aspect and is thoroughly enjoyable, setting the scene for all that is to come.

While the human/treecat relationship is one of the larger focuses of the story, so is the possibility, from the humans point of view, of them being sentient. But it's an aspect that Stephanie, her parents, and the others close to treecats wish to take slowly and carefully, not wanting a repeat of the mass-slaughter that occurred when another human-settled planet discovered they may not be the rightful owners.

It's during these aspects of the story that I found it was confused with just what it wanted to be. A Beautiful Friendship is marketed as a teen series, and while having the lead character a young female lends itself to that area, the writing is not really suited. Sometimes it works well and flows nicely, but at other times Weber shows his usual style of info-dumping and getting into more adult and complex themes. Stephanie herself seems a little too old for her age because of this, and it does effect the overall enjoyment of the novel. Had it simply been marketed as a prequel to the Honorverse there would have been little issue, although the uneven pacing does stand out.

Overall I did thoroughly enjoy A Beautiful Friendship, but it's not without its faults. I've only read a few of the Honorverse books so I felt relatively comfortable with both the setting and Weber's style, although this is a clear departure from the military themes of the Honor Harrington novels. I think it's a perfect starting point for anyone new to the Honorverse, but is it representational of the other books? No. However, if you know this going in I can't see any reason why A Beautiful Friendship shouldn't be enjoyed to the maximum!

Review | Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey (Orbit)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: Leviathan Wakes
Author: James SA Corey
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Welcome to the future. Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer, Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Leviathan Wakes has been making waves this year with many people regarding it as one of the best SF releases of 2011. Daniel Burton reviewed here earlier in the year and had only good things to say about it. I just had to get around to it before the year was out, it would have been remiss of me to not read it this year. And I'm pleased I did!

When Holden and his crew stumble across a derelict ship and discovers some things that certain people want to be kept hidden they're stuck firmly in the middle of a struggle to get them and keep them quiet. With implications that are far reaching and could alter the course of the human race they travel from place to place trying to find answers and sanctuary. Miller meanwhile is a detective on Ceres on the case of a missing girl, a case that leads him to dark secrets. Crossing paths with Holden is inevitable, yet his dedication to the investigation affects him on a personal level and he will not settle for half-answers, he wants the whole truth.

Leviathan Wakes starts with a bang, that's for sure. The prologue got me instantly hooked and wanting to read more, which is good because without it I wouldn't have felt the need to turn the pages quite as quickly. Sounds strange, but it really does make a huge difference. While the story is interesting and gripping, knowing that something huge is lurking makes it all the more worthwhile.

The other major plus point for Leviathan Wakes are its relatively short chapters that alternate between the viewpoints of Holden and Miller. Each starts off seemingly unrelated, but this soon changes and all hell breaks loose. Because of these short chapters it's always easy to read 'just one more', and they also keep the pace quick, punchy and to the point. I can't name another book in recent memory that manages to do it quite so well. The story itself initially seems to be mystery and, while with big implications, it doesn't come across quite just how big they could be. By the halfway point I was completely hooked and powering through eager to find out what happens next.

All in all I was very impressed with Leviathan Wakes. The characters are enjoyable to read (even if some of them are not all that likable), and the story is told with flair. It ends in such a way that I very much want to get my hands on the sequel, Caliban's War. Who knows what's in store, but I will be doing my damnedest to find out the moment it hits the shelves next year!

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:02:00 +0000

Well, the end of the year has approached a little quicker than I thought it would, and it's about time for a little update.

Since I posted about the hiatus I've had my ups and downs, but I'm starting to move firmly onwards at the moment. It's been a very tough few months, far tougher than I imagined, but life is starting to settle down. I'm not yet out of the woods with regards to all the various personal issues I've had to deal with this year, but my outlook is positive and I'm excited about the future for the first time in quite a while.

My reading has been sporadic, though I have thoroughly enjoyed the Honor Harrington series and have read through to book 9, Ashes of Victory. I've read and written reviews for a couple of other novels since winding down my blogging in October and I'll be posting them shortly so they'll be accessible here whatever happens in the future. I'm hoping to write another review or two soon, but I've found that I'm really enjoying reading without having to worry about reviewing them.

I've also written up my favourite reads of 2011 and will posting that towards the end of the month - I'm just holding back in case I manage to get around to some other books before then.

So, what does the future hold for WoW? To be honest, I'm not sure. I've got a couple of things I'm waiting to hear about at the moment, and they will certainly influence my final decision. However, I do feel like stepping back on a limited basis, posting reviews here and there for books I enjoy. I'm still very much in the mentality of shouting about books I love, and I've missed doing that on here, but they'll be a massive reduction in posting frequency. Maybe once a week, maybe once a month. Who knows.

I hope you all enjoy the holidays by eating too much, drinking too much, and most certainly reading too much!

On Indefinite Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Walker of Worlds is going on an indefinite hiatus.

I started this blog back in 2007 for no other reason than to post thoughts on what books I'd been reading and enjoyed, what I was looking forward to and a general space where I could geek out on the stuff I loved. In the four+ years WoW has been going on there's been plenty to smile about, lots of books that I would never have heard of if it wasn't for running this blog, and many friends made.

But there's also been the downside: lots of books. Too many books. The self-imposed pressure of trying to keep content flowing, the inevitable guilt when it doesn't happen. It's been a constant for the past couple of years, but I've managed to keep it under control and keep on going. Until this year.

You may or may not have read this post, but suffice to say that the separation from my wife and the subsequent months has taken its toll on me. I'm mentally drained and unable to find anything that I enjoy doing, reading included.

I need a break, time away to recharge my batteries and refocus. I need to enjoy reading again, to get excited about books, to read something only because I want to. I'm hoping that, like a phoenix, WoW will rise from the flames, but I'm also equally aware that this may be the last post I ever write here. And so...

A big thanks goes out to everyone that has read and commented on this blog - it may not be in the same league as the big ones, but it's all meant a great deal to me.

To all the authors, editors, publicists and everyone else working within the publishing industry - thank you for consistently putting out books I want to read, want to shout about and recommend to anyone who will listen, and for your support throughout.

A huge thanks also to Steve for stepping up this year and delivering great content. He may not be calling WoW his blogging home from now on, but make sure you follow him on his own blog where he will be writing reviews and blog posts.

Thanks also to Daniel and Andy, two guys that have contributed reviews this year and made me take a good look at what they're reading and what they think of it, and added more than a few books to my TBR pile!

And to anyone else I've forgotten, it's been a pleasure.

Thanks all... Mark

Review | DC Comics – Week 4 (Sept 28) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Aquaman
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis

Aquaman is cool. I’ve always known it and so have a handful of other fans. A lot of other people don’t know who he is or what he can really do. And that’s the first problem with the character. People tend to think he just spends his time swimming in the ocean, fighting people polluting the sea, working with Greenpeace and talking to the fish and dolphins. The writer, Geoff Johns, is aware of this and in the first issue he plays up the stereotypes, but there are also a few scenes where he shows the true power of Aquaman. He was one of the first members of the Justice League. He can survive and still fight at depths under the ocean that would crush normal people. He is incredibly strong, he can communicate with some sea life, and is a King to boot, a position he had to fight for. In this issue we see a group of armoured robbers open fire on Aquaman with machine guns. The bullets bounce off him, he gives them a look and then tips their armoured car onto its roof with his trident. The rest of the issue highlights the problems people have with him whilst providing answers and while it was quite funny, I think it was trying a little too hard. Nevertheless, this was a good first issue as it sets up his background very quickly and a few pages towards the end show you that something very dark and unpleasant is coming, and that he is ideally placed to deal with it. The artwork is gorgeous as well so that really helps. Probably the best comic of this fourth week and I just hope others agree and this title has the space and time to tell some awesome stories that the writer will have up his sleeve.

Title: Green Lantern – New Guardians
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Tyler Kirkham & Batt

As a long time Green Lantern reader I found this issue intriguing but not very gripping. To someone who is completely new to Green Lantern I think it would have been incredibly confusing, even with 99% of the issue devoted to setting up the different coloured Lanterns and giving some clues as to their purpose and power source. If you’d seen the Green Lantern film or an animated version of the character somewhere, picked up the first issue of Green Lantern and based on that sought out other Green Lantern titles, this is not the one for you. The source of the Green Lanterns power is Will, and other coloured lanterns have different coloured rings and power sources. Blue for Hope, Red for Rage and so on. The also have different purposes as Green Lanterns are essentially space cops, but some of the others do not have such noble aims. It’s quite a complex and difficult thing to explain in a few sentences and unfortunately I think this first issue suffers because of it. I did enjoy the brief flashback and introduction about how Kyle Rayner became a Green Lantern, but the rest spends so much time on detailing background it leaves little room for a story. I think this title will read well in trade when you have more to sink your teeth into and I think it’s a solid title for existing comic book and Green Lantern fans. If you are a new fan I would wait until you’ve read some of the other Green Lantern books for a few months before coming back to this one.

Title: Justice League Dark
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist Mikel Janin

Once again like Green Lantern – New Guardians, there are a lot of characters to introduce to the audience whilst also moving forward with a story. Milligan does a better job than Bedard, but by the end of this first issue I was left scratching my head. There are some good scenes, some interesting ideas, the artwork is lovely and there are lots of questions, but I just didn’t have a feel for the book. I have no idea where it’s going, which is fine as I like a mystery, but there was no obvious shape to the book. I think it suffered from trying to introduce too many characters in one issue and I also believe the appearance of the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg) hurts the book rather than helps it. As I understand it, Justice League Dark (I still think it’s a dodgy title) is one of the Edge comics, aimed at teens and above and this team of magicians, wizards and magic users are working together to tackle the dangers and things lurking in the dark that the regular Justice League are ill equipped for. Demons, ghosts and other nasties that can’t be solved just by punching them really hard in the face. I’m simplifying things, but you get the idea. Having the Justice League appear in it muddies the water. People might come to expect to be in every issue as regular characters and will be disappointed when they don’t turn up. Really this title isn’t about them, there’s a whole other book about them. Showing the Justice League defeated by a magical enemy could also have been done in one or two short sentences. Looking back on my review so far, I think the title lacks focus is what I’m trying to say. It might crystallise in a few issues, but for now I won’t be getting this title and I am a bit disappointed as I was really looking forward to it.

Title: The Flash
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Art: Francis Manapul

There have been a number of different characters that have been called The Flash before and this new series focuses on the second man to embrace the Speed Force, Barry Allen. He’s not been a part of comics for decades until a couple of years ago when DC writer Geoff Johns brought him back, but most fans have no idea why, myself included. The Batman has passed on the mantle, the cape and cowl, to a former sidekick but he always took it back and they became heroes in their own right: Nightwing and now Red Robin. The short version is Barry was believed dead, so since the 1990s Wally West has been the Flash in the comics. He used to be Kid Flash, a teenage sidekick, but he grew up, took on the mantle and earned it the hard way. As an adult Wally was a member of the Justice League and he fought alongside legendary heroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and so on. Now, Barry is back, Wally has disappeared and I have no idea why. Apart from struggling to care about Barry this first issue sets up the story well enough, it gives up a bit of Barry’s history and sets up a mystery surrounding an old friend of his. The Flash is an interesting character because he doesn’t have any powers except the ability to run at incredible speeds by tapping into this energy field called the Speed Force. He isn’t super strong, or invulnerable and doesn’t have any gadgets. He has to do all of it for himself. He can use his speed and gravity to make it seem as if he is super strong. He can create tools and weapons in the same way and avoid fists and bullets with ease because for him every second can seem like hours. Manapul does some interesting stuff with the artwork and does a good job of highlight the Flash’s talents and a few of his abilities. Despite my personal issues with the series and how it came about, it’s a good comic, and if you like the sound of the Flash as a superhero then I would suggest it’s worth picking up.

Title: Batman: The Dark Knight
Writer: David Finch
Artists: David Finch and Richard Friend

I really like Batman and he is probably my favourite comic book character. However, even though I thought this was alright, I just don’t see why there are four ongoing monthly Batman books with him as a central character. None of them really are doing anything radically different to the others. Two titles I can understand and for decades we’ve had Batman and Detective. If one of the new titles was 99% focused on Batman as Bruce Wayne, then you could probably squeeze in a third title, but four? This title was good fun, it was lovely artwork and the story was alright, but it was just another Batman book. I’ve hitched myself to Batman by Scott Snyder, because of the writer and the story, so that’s it for me, I’m not going to bother with the others.

Title: I, Vampire
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artists: Andrea Sorrentino

I just didn’t enjoy this. Not much else I can say really. I think if it existed in a bubble somewhere, if it wasn’t part of the DC Universe then it might work a lot better. But having a whole city or town wiped out by vampires is just silly in the DC Universe. If you create a set of rules or state of logic then you have to stick to them at all times, not just when it is convenient. If a town was wiped out every news crew, tabloid journalist, blogger and kid with a phone camera, plus every superhero in the world would fly in and wipe out every pasty faced vampire in a few hours. Batman would flood the place with UV weapons and special high tech lights, Superman would toast them with his heat vision, Firestorm would light up the sky with a fiery blaze, eliminating all shadows and every vampire would burn and that would be the end of it. Some of the titles from the new 52 should exist somewhere else, in a sub universe or whatever, and this is one of them, it just doesn’t work for me and it didn’t appeal.

Title:Voodoo
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Sami Basri

This was basically Showgirls the comic. Its about a strip club and one of the strippers is actually an alien monster thing. 22 pages of strippers dancing and skimpy underwear with lots of T and A shots. Pass.

Title: Superman
Writer: George Perez
Artists: George Perez and Jesus Merino

I really liked this title. Superman is a hero of sorts, but he’s not the golden boy that we think of from the movies. Clark works at the Daily Planet and yet the world and technology has moved on. The Planet has been bought out by a giant media corporation and the new owner promises to let them maintain their integrity and quality but Clark doesn’t buy it. He thinks Lois is being naïve and has been blinded by promotion and a lot of misdirection. Lois is also dating someone that isn’t Clark and he is viewed as a bit of a loner. This incarnation of Superman and Clark is definitely a more sombre and isolated version, a real alien among humans, as he doesn’t have his parents anymore and there is no heart warming scene at the Kent farm with apple pie. A new and bold direction for the Man of Steel.

Video | The Big Bang Theory theme song by Barenaked Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:30:00 +0000

I love The Big Bang Theory, it's one of my favourite shows on TV at the moment, possibly my favourite ever. Even better, the theme song is by Barenaked Ladies, one of my favourite bands ever! With their new album, Hits From Yesterday & The Day Before, recently released they made this music video for the theme song, The History of Everything. Love it!

Review | DC Comics – Week 3 (Sept 21) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Title: Batman
Writers: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion

I’ve been waiting for this Batman title for a while. It was one of the top 5 books I was most looking forward to and I’m delighted to say it didn’t let me down. Scott Snyder is a fairly new writer and he previously worked on a Batman title before the reboot which I heard a lot of very good things about from reliable sources. This first issue lands in the middle of the story. It doesn’t lay out every little detail. It doesn’t tell you about how Bruce’s parents were killed and show you that scene in exquisite detail that everyone knows. Even if you’ve never read a Batman comic before you will know something about how he became Batman. Snyder trusts his audience enough to just get on and tell a good story. To try and intrigue them and I think he does a really really good job. After having read so many of the new 52 titles now, some of the Batman books are starting to blur together, but this and the Tony S. Daniel Detective Comics stand out for me at the moment. Definitely one I will continue to read because the art is great and the writer is going somewhere. It’s not just another status quo story, there’s something moving in the shadows, building in the background and I want to know more.

Title: Birds of Prey

Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Artists: Jesus Saiz

I was a big fan of Birds of Prey before the reboot and I know it was an incredibly popular title with women. Gail Simone wrote the book for a number of years, shaping the characters and adding layers to them we’d not seen before, so he had pretty big shoes to fill. Duane does an excellent job. He doesn’t just try to start things over, he takes the core principles and goes off in his own direction. There again he managed to weave in an introduction to the characters, to showcase their powers and a little info about who they are into 22 pages and keep it interesting. He does it while keeping up a steady stream of action, snappy dialogue and the gorgeous art of Jesus Saiz really helps sell this book. New characters are shown on the front cover and we are introduced to one of them in this issue, Starling. She’s funny, tough and very intriguing and has an interesting look. A book full of strong, independent female characters. A great first issue and this was one of the biggest surprises for me out of the whole 52 reboot. Definitely worth a look.

Title: Blue Beetle

Writer: Tony Bedard

Artists: Ig Guara and Ruy Jose

I’m a fan of the writer Tony Bedard because of his previous work on Green Lantern comics and he is writing a new one plus Blue Beetle. Sadly for me, my journey with Blue Beetle ends here. On the one hand I like the idea of new characters and new people getting powers and finding their way and discovering what kind of a superhero (or villain) they will become. As much as I often complain about the coming of age story in fantasy novels, I welcome it in comics because the journey is sometimes more interesting than the destination. We see the trials and tribulations they go through as teens and somewhere in the distance is the ideal of who they will become, a hero to parallel the greats. However, I didn’t find anything inspiring or that interesting here. The first six pages are taken up with a prologue which I think was a little pointless. It gives you history on the Blue Beetle scarab, but it's all about space adventure and weird aliens, which has something and nothing to do with the book. The main story centres around a young Latino teenager called Jaime and his life is not spaceships and saving the planet. It’s your more familiar high school problems of girls, acne, struggling with authority and trying to pass all of his exams. But then there are other bits to the story, super villains stealing something, a one page scene with his parents and then Jaime accidentally ending up with this new Blue Beetle alien armour battle suit thing. There’s a lot going on, but not in a good way for once. Being told this is what the scarab is spoiled it for me. It would have been more interesting to find out about what it was and what it could do as the character did. It would have been more appealing to me to spend more time exploring Jaime’s life, since he is the main character, and less on what others were doing. With Great Power and so on seems like it will be the core of this book, but right now I don’t know much about Jaime and that’s a shame. I’m sure there is still a lot that will be uncovered, such as the limits of his powers and all the cool things the scarab allows him to do, but right now I’m just not inclined to keep reading.

Title: Catwoman

Writer: Judd Winnich

Artists: Guillem March

There’s been a lot of talk about this title and the fairly controversial last page, as well as the constant one boob out as Catwoman seems to spend the entire issue in a constant state of undress where she shows off her lacy bras. I won’t go over what others will have put far more eloquently than me, but in short, I think this was a misstep. I think they need to go right back to the drawing board with this character, the concept and with this title and I will not be reading any more issues of this.

Title: Green Lantern Corps

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artists: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

In short - I absolutely loved it. If you’ve never read it before I can see that it might be a little confusing in places, but it’s not a major obstacle and this is just a great science fiction series about cops in space. Two of them are human in this title (there are lots of aliens too) who are very different guys who have been Green Lanterns for a long time and are struggling to relate to humans and find a place on Earth and do their job at the same time. Their job is protecting a particular sector of space from all alien threats and outbreaks of war and when various endeavours back on Earth fail they both leap into action doing what they do best which is investigating a murder mystery. Lovely artwork, well written, solid characterisation and a really good solid read. Count me in.

Title: Red Hood and the Outlaws

Writer: Scott Lobdell

Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

No. Just no. Awful, awful, awful, awful stuff. Horrible. This issue is just a train wreck. It’s so bad it’s not even worth a look just to see how bad it really is. Don't bother. Just save your money because you will read it and just roll your eyes or throw it across the room. It's everything we don't want comics to be. It's what we've been trying to get away from for decades. It's the worst of comic book stereotypes brought to life. It’s just mega crap for many many many reasons. Laura Hudson at Comics Alliance has written an excellent article about this title and Catwoman and you can read it in full here to find out why this comic should end with issue 1. A horrible step backwards by DC.

Title: Nightwing

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artists: Eddy Barrows and JP Mayer

This isn’t the first solo book for Dick Grayson, Batman’s first Robin, and I previously read and enjoyed the adventures of Dick as a superhero in his own style and own making. He went to a different city, Bludhaven, another awful place with a bad reputation and he tried to make a difference and save a few lives. Once again in this title he’s flying solo but there’s a lovely nod to his past, to where he came from and I don’t mean being an apprentice to Batman. The pacing of the title was done well, the art was excellent and it brought great pacing to the action scenes and the artist does some fun things with layouts. There are a few good splash moments to showcase the character’s new costume but also the artwork itself, but its not sacrificing the story to do so. There are a few subtle and a few less subtle clues about what is to come and some mysteries, but the writer doesn’t overdo it and trusts his audience. For example, a small spoiler, but Dick apprehends someone wearing a costume similar to his but the symbol seems to have been painted in blood. But the narration doesn’t say oh look, that’s just like my costume. It sounds obvious and silly and an amateurish mistake, but it does happen sadly. Some of the titles in the 52 are on that level but with 52 new titles I never expected all of them to be brilliant. Nightwing is a thoroughly good comic and it comes back to what I mentioned earlier about the journey. Dick Grayson has been Batman, he took on the mantle for a while, he used to be Robin, but now he’s all grown up and this is the next chapter in his story and I want to see where he goes next.

Title: Supergirl

Writers: Michael Green and Mike Johnson

Artist: Mahmud Asrar

Remember what I wrote earlier about finding a good balance between story and art? Between too much content and not enough? Here’s the story for issue 1 of Supergirl in its entirety. She crashes on Earth in her spaceship, has a fight and then Superman turns up. That’s it. That’s your 22 pages. Who hasn’t heard of Supergirl? Just from her name you get a fairly good idea of who she is. You might not know how she’s related to Superman, but it’s the same as someone wearing a Bat symbol on their chest, you get that there’s a strong connection. I think this was another missed opportunity. A few years ago Jeph Loeb essentially rebooted the character and told this exact story. She crashes to Earth but then has a series of exciting and quite bewildering adventures and every issue she was somewhere new, on another planet or in another galaxy, and was facing new adversaries and new challenges. Starting over again, sure, why not for a relaunch, but nothing happens. Nothing of worth or note. Nothing. She’s just crash landed, so of course she will be confused and disorientated, but if we already know certain facts and the character doesn’t, it just makes it boring waiting for them to catch up. Page 1 they tell us it’s Kansas, so we know she has crash landed on Earth. You’ve told us and given the game away. It would have been intriguing to show weird landscapes that appear alien but actually are on Earth to trick the audience into thinking maybe it’s somewhere else. But no. Supergirl then spends 22 pages trying to work out where she is and still doesn’t quite get there at the end by herself. The character has gone through a lot of writers in the past and each of them tried to bring something new or add to the mythology in some way. I liked it when she was a teenage girl who was trying to live up to the symbol on her chest and what that symbol meant to the people of Earth. That’s gone as Superman is not that hero anymore in this new DC universe. He might be one day, but right now he is just another alien, another superhero and a potential threat to the world. That’s my inner Lex Luthor speaking. So if you take that away and now bring in Supergirl, what does that make her? I don’t know, but I’m just not that interested to find out. The hook is a being as powerful as Superman but with none of the love he has for humanity. Well, at the moment, humans don’t seem all that fond of him, so she will be just more of the same when they eventually find out. There’s a lot they could have done but haven’t. I hope this goes somewhere and does well, but it’s a pass from me.

Cover Art | A round-up of recently released covers

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

I used to post lots and lots of cover art here on the blog, but for various reasons it just seemed to dwindle away. Not sure why, but it's something I want to change - I love me some good art on a cover!

There's been a fair amount around the past few months and here's a look at a few of my favourites!

Caliban's War is the sequel to the much-praised Leviathan Wakes (which I will read before the end of the year), and I like it a lot.

I read Final Days, the first book in this setting (although this is not a sequel), and I'm looking forward to The Thousand Emperors. The cover art is okay, not great, but it is done in a very similar style to Final Days, and that's okay with me!

I've not heard anything about 2312 and while this cover is not final, it is very nice indeed, a particular favourite with its clean and simple style. I hope they don't make too many changes...

This cover for Blackout is simple and effective, just like the ones for Feed and Deadline. 'Nuff said.

I like the way that the covers for Redick's books have kept the same distinct style yet started to incorporate more fantasy elements. I really need to read the third book before this one hits the shelves next year.

SFF Releases | Picks for October 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Baen)

Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world polulated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.

The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity's freedom in a dangerous galaxy.

The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (Gollancz)

Things are finally looking good for Captain Frey and his crew. The Ketty Jay has been fixed up good as new. They've got their first taste of fortune and fame. And, just for once, nobody is trying to kill them.

Even Trinica Dracken, Frey's ex-fiancee and long-time nemesis, has given up her quest for revenge. In fact, she's offered them a job - one that will take them deep into the desert heart of Samarla, the land of their ancient enemies. To a place where the secrets of the past lie in wait for the unwary.

Secrets that might very well cost Frey everything.

Join the crew of the Ketty Jay on their greatest adventure yet: a story of mayhem and mischief, roof-top chases and death-defying races, murderous daemons, psychopathic golems and a particularly cranky cat.

The first time was to clear his name. The second time was for money. This time, Frey's in a race against the clock for the ultimate prize: to save his own life.

A big slice of non-stop, action-packed, wise-cracking fun from the Ketty Jay, and Captain Darien Frey.

Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

A short story collection from one of the world's bestselling SF writers

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate.Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

Monthly Update | September

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Monthly Update

Mark: With the new DC Comics releases I've finally taken the plunge and taken out a subscription to a few that I liked the look of, and so far so good. I can see me reading more and more comics as time goes on but I'll probably, like Steve, wait for some of the omnibuses to come out before I start reading all of them. Other than that the start of the month was a monster reading session for me while I was off work with the man-flu, but since then it's just died down with how hectic work has been...

Steve: Quite a few of the posts this month have been comic related because of the new 52 relaunch from DC comics. I've spent a lot more time this month than normal visiting my local comic shops and it was good to see a general uptick in traffic. Amazingly my reading hasn't suffered this month and I've managed to get through three and a half novels which is good going for me. I also took a nice trip to Holmfirth and spent a good deal of time in the local bookshop. I came away with a handful at bargain prices, but could easily have come home with a bootfull of great books. I'd never get around to reading them of course, so I restrained myself somehow.

Books Read:

Mark:

The Short Victorious War by David Weber (Baen)
Justice League #1 (DC Comics)
The Recollection by Gareth L Powell (Solaris)
Field of Dishonor by David Weber (Baen)
Green Lantern #1 (DC Comics)
Red Lanterns #1 (DC Comics)
Resurrection Man #1 (DC Comics)

Steve:

Batwoman: Elegy - DC Comics
Halcyon - Image Comics
Cinderalla: From Fabletown with Love - Vertigo Comics
Approx 27 DC Comics as part of the new DC Comics 52 relaunch
MarineMan by Ian Churchill - Image Comics
Near Death #1 by Jay Faerber - Image Comics
All New Spider-Man #1 by Brian Bendis - Marvel Comics
Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis (Solaris)
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher (Orbit)
Horns by Joe Hill (Gollancz)

Top Books Purchased / Received

Mark: I've had a few books through this month, most notably the tiniest Peter F Hamilton book in over a decade, Manhattan in Reverse. I've also bought the Stark's War trilogy by John G Hemry, and a book called Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan turned up that looks and sounds interesting. And I've had my first lot of comics from FP :-)

Steve:

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan (MacMillan)
Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F. Hamilton (MacMillan)
Black Light by Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Stephen Romano (Mulholland books)
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville (MacMillan)
Dean Koontz - A Writer's Biography (Harper)

Plans for October

Mark: To be fair I've not got any plans for October at all, at least nothing blog or reading related. Personally I'm getting burnt out and I'm trying to get some sort of order back in my life, and while I love reading it's kinda taking a back seat at present until other aspects are more sorted. We'll see how it all goes, but I'm hopeful that the blog won't suffer!

Steve: Now that the initial rush of DC Comics is over, I will settle into getting some of those titles in trade paperback, so now comes the long wait of 6-9 months to read the first collection. I will also get back to my awaiting stack of comic trade paperbacks and will post a review of some of those next month. In general, I'm not going to make any plans about which books I'm going to read. The To Read Pile is still scary and tall, but it's also nice to have a wide variety of very different titles to choose from, so I expect October to be quite an eclectic month.

Review | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt (Orbit)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages
Author: Tom Holt
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Andy Venn

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Polly, an average, completely ordinary property lawyer, is convinced she's losing her mind. Someone keeps drinking her coffee. And talking to her clients. And doing her job. And when she goes to the dry cleaner's to pick up her dress for the party, it's not there. Not the dress - the dry cleaner's.

And then there are the chickens who think they are people. Something strange is definitely going on - and it's going to take more than a magical ring to sort it out.

Polly is starting to think that she is going round the bend. She works as a solicitor for a big company, marvellous job, good opportunities, what more could she want? Someone is drinking her coffee. Someone has written in her diary. Someone is doing her work. Brilliant, you would think. But there is a sense that something here is very wrong. She gets calls from people who say that they have spoken to her before, even though she knows that she hasn’t. Then she gets invited to play darts with the company team. This is where things start to get really weird. The dry-cleaner that she took her dress to has vanished. The building does not exist, has never existed, no one in the vicinity knows of it. Calling on her musician brother to help her there now follows a tale of magic and chickens. A tale of twisted reality and mixed dimensions. It turns out that Polly's boss has been employing people from alternate dimensions, saves on the wage bill apparently. There is also a competition that has been running for centuries with a £500 prize. And Douglas Adams idea of compound interest does not apply, it is still £500 after hundreds of years.

You may also find the answer to the great question that has haunted philosophers for many hundreds of years; which came first? The chicken or the egg? I bet that you can’t wait now, can you? Well you will have to, at least until the end of the book, anyway.

I have only read a couple of Tom Holt books, and they were his early ones, Flying Dutchman etc. The early books were very obvious in their humour, and this is what I was expecting. But I was wrong, the humour was quite intelligent and subtle in its delivery. More Douglas Adams than Terry Pratchett. There are some clever ideas, the whole interdimensional employment contract is a Godsend for employers (let’s hope that employers never discover how to make it work!)

The characters seem very real, and there is a lovely feeling of slight panic in Polly and Don as they try to figure out what is going on. The sudden realisation by Don of what he has done when he makes a neighbour disappear, you can sense that hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach as the panic starts to build. The resignation of Mr and Mrs Williams in the Dry-Cleaners as they hop through time and space, remembering that they mustn’t use the downstairs toilet mid-morning.

Not a book that I was disappointed to finish, but I did enjoy reading it. I will now try and fit in some more of Tom's books into my busy reading schedule.

About Andy Venn
I'm Andy Venn, aka Giant68 due to being 6'8" tall. I have been reading science fiction for 35 years since picking up the Lensman series. And fantasy since I pinched "Lost Worlds" by Clarke Ashton Smith from my uncle. I read both in, pretty much, equal measures. I write a blog occasionally, containing the whimsical, or bad tempered, meanderings of my mind at http://giant68.blogspot.com. Go and have a look, you'll find out all about me, and Lord knows I need the followers! Or email me at andy.venn@gmail.com.

Review | Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis (Solaris)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Black Magic Woman

Author: Justin Gustainis

Publisher: Solaris

Format: Paperback

Release Date: Jan 2009

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Occult investigator Quincey Morris and his "consultant", white witch Libby Chastain, are hired to free a family from a deadly curse that appears to date back to the Salem witch trials. Fraught with danger, the trail finds them stalking the mysterious occult underworlds of Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans and New York, searching out the root of the curse. After surviving a series of terrifying attempts on their lives, the two find themselves drawn inexorably towards Salem itself - and the very heart of darkness. Black Magic Woman marks the start of an electrifying news series of supernatural thrillers following the exploits of occult investigators Quincey Morris and Libby Chastain, as they search out evil in the darkest corners of America.

I'm a big fan of urban fantasy novels and by that I specifically mean those stories where one of the main plot elements is not the romantic wrangling of the main character. To me, that very firmly would make such a novel paranormal romance and I've no interest in reading that kind of a story. Thankfully Black Magic Woman is not one of those books. It's a real urban fantasy novel, the sort of book I would put in the same category as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Mike Carey's Felix Castor books
and Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift series. It’s an supernatural investigation where the emphasis is on story and character, not getting a sparkly boyfriend.

It was only recently that I heard about Justin Gustainis from a friend who mentioned the third Quincey Morris novel and the recently released Hard Spell novel from Angry Robot books. I'm always keen to read a decent urban fantasy novel, one where there is lots of invention and the author doesn't just rely on existing tropes, and this is exactly what I found with this.

Black Magic Woman is a solid debut that really begins with a bang. Quincey Morris is the hero of the novel but despite being a professional hunter of creepy things in the night, he is not invulnerable. He comes from a famous family but that doesn't make him faster or smarter than anyone else, so he's not always one step ahead of the bad guys. It makes him feel more realistic and there is always the nagging possibility in the back of your mind that while he might not die, he could get seriously injured. He has experience and knowledge, and both of those help a great deal, but sometimes it just comes down to good old fashioned luck and gradually working your way through an investigation. He’s a good guy trying to help out other people and overall is a thoroughly likeable sort of character. His history is fascinating and without spoiling it, he has quite a lot to live up to in terms of his ancestors.

Quincey doesn't possess any magic of his own but he is used to dealing with various supernatural beings and is well versed in the lore which comes in very handy. He sometimes works with a partner, Libby Chastain, a white witch and she lends him an expert hand from time to time. This partnership has obviously proven successful in the past and once again they team up to tackle something that involves black magic, a curse, ritual sacrifice and Salem.

Another difference from some of the other urban fantasy novels I've mentioned is that Black Magic Woman is not written in the first person. We follow the story with Quincey and Libby, but also see it from the perspective of two agents on the ritual murder case and those involved in causing all of the trouble. This approach allows us to see other parts of the story for ourselves and not hear about them after the fact or through a filter of someone else’s perception.

All of the characters in the story are well rounded individuals and even the villains are believable in their motivation and not one dimensional caricatures. You might not sympathise or even like them but they are all fascinating. One of my favourite characters was actually someone who only appeared for a few chapters and I was sad to see him go, which tells you something about Gustainis’s characters. The different parts of the story fit together very well and the threads pull tighter as it goes along into a real cohesive whole. Some authors are gardeners, those who write from their gut, and others are architects, working to a well-constructed plan. I might be wrong but it felt to me that Gustainis was the latter as nothing felt forced or inserted at the last minute and any plot twists felt natural in their evolution. Jim Butcher is well renowned for his planning and all of his books have a certain rhythm and it was the same with Black Magic Woman.

The book is well paced and the short punchy chapters with cliff-hangers meant I whipped through it in a few days. It was very easy to read, it wasn’t exposition heavy and overall it was a really enjoyable and exciting read. Based on the strength of this novel I will definitely be picking up both the next two Morris and Chastain books and also Hard Spell which follows a different character that has a very minor cameo in this novel. Gustainis is an exciting new voice in urban fantasy and is definitely worth watching.

News | Borderlands 2 Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Borderlands 2 has finally been revealed, and boy does it look good!

The first Borderlands game is probably the most played game in my possession, and I still haven't completely completed it, but with news of the second game due before April 2013 I'll be sticking it back in the PS3 and having more of a blast.

Game Informer has lots and lots of details about the game and it's all very much worth a read. I particularly like the fact that it's set once again on Pandora with new areas of the planet being opened up. One of the few things that annoyed me in the first game was the general lack of colour in the environments, but looking at some of these screenshots is getting me all excited!

The new Gunzerker class is also interesting news, and while I preferred the Soldier and Hunter classes in the original game I'll definitely be giving this one a go. I hope the other three characters/classes are equally as good and evolve from those in the first game.

To be honest there's a lot of information to read through at the moment and I'm getting more and more excited with each new tidbit I discover. Am I alone?!

Review | DC Comics – Week 2 (Sept 14) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Title: Resurrection Man
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists: Fernando Dagnino

This first issue kicks off with a bang. There's very little exposition, you are just thrown it at the deep in and have to swim which is a refreshing change compared to some of the very exposition heavy first issues I've read since the relaunch. Some writers feel the need to cram in every bit of info into that first issue because, perhaps in their mind, the more they put in there and explain about the character and the set-up, the more interesting it will be for the audience. It's the old adage of showing versus telling. There's a lot more showing here and we quickly discover Mitch is someone who can die, but every time he does, he comes back to life after with a new superpower and now someone has come to collect his long overdue soul. I read the original series in the 1990s, so perhaps I'm bias, but I really liked this first issue. It's definitely a darker title, one of the Edge books, as DC have called them, those aimed at a slightly older audience which suits me. Without being spoon fed the information, there are lots of hooks, unanswered questions and intriguing ideas raised and I'm definitely on board with this title.

Title: Red Lanterns
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Ed Benes and Rob Hunter

I've written a much longer and fairly spoiler-free first review of Red Lanterns, which you can read over at The Sidekickcast blog, but in short I will say this was a great comic that was as good as I'd hoped it would be. Only a handful of the new 52 have met with my fairly high expectations and this was one of the five. Red Lanterns has excellent and gorgeous artwork, lots of stuff to sink your teeth into, clues for the future, and a lot of room to manoeuvre and plenty of material to explore in the future.

Title: Batwoman
Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artists: J.H Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

This was another of the five books that I was really looking forward to and I was both relieved and delighted that it was everything I had hoped for. The artwork is simply gorgeous. It's something you could put on your wall and stare at for a long time. The writers/ artists know exactly what they are doing and how to create something spectacular to look at. Thankfully it doesn't rely on good artwork to make it interesting as J.H Williams III essentially co-created Batwoman with Greg Rucka, who now writes for Marvel. It has the same feel and storytelling rhythm as Batwoman: Elegy which I previously reviewed and you can read about here. However, if you've not read Elegy then this first issue covers all of the basics of what went on before and it introduces new material for older readers, so it is not just a recap issue. Batwoman is not just another Batman knock-off. The character is very much her own woman and she wears his symbol out of respect which he echoes as he trusts her abilities and judgement. There again, this is definitely a superhero crime comic with a darker tone and it also has touches of the supernatural, giving it a real spooky and creepy feeling. A visually stunning and very satisfying first issue.

Title: Demon Knights
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert

A longer review was posted yesterday, but overall this was a vibrant and entertaining comic that maintained a good balance between action and introducing new characters and a new world. Some of the characters will be familiar to veteran DC comic fans, and some of them are totally new or based on historic figures, so it will be a bit of a learning curve whatever the audience. There weren't too many story threads in this issue and I didn't feel as if the writer was throwing everything up against the wall in the hope that the audience found some of it interesting. It was well paced and there was enough room for the art to breathe.

Title: Grifter
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artist: Cafu

This is one of the DC Edge books so it is targeted at a slightly older audience. The main character is being painted as a villain as he kills an innocent woman on a plane and attempts to crash it, or at least that is how it appears. So people believe he is a terrorist, when in fact the people he is fighting and chasing demon type creatures that are clothed in human bodies. I don't want to use the word anti-hero, because I don't really think there is such a thing, but Grifter is definitely not a protagonist that everyone will enjoy reading about. He might be doing the right thing for the right reasons in his mind, but when viewed at a distance he apparently starts fights with and seemingly kills innocent people for no apparent reason. It could be that all of it is in his head and is the result of a brain tumour or severe illness, but I don't think that's a likely twist given how the book has been set up. Grifter is a character that has existed for a long time and this is a new incarnation, but you don't need to be aware of his history to enjoy this first issue. The artwork was really solid and the issue well paced, apart from one totally unnecessary recap. An interesting book with a murderous and possibly mentally disturbed protagonist.

Review | Demon Knights #1 by Paul Cornell (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Demon Knights
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert
Publisher: DC Comics
Format: Paperback
Release Date: 14 September 2011

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Set in the Dark Ages of the DC Universe, a barbarian horde is massing to crush civilization. It's fallen to Madame Xanadu and Jason Blood, the man with a monster inside him, to stand in their way – though the demon Etrigan has no interest in protecting anyone or anything other than himself. It'll take more than their own power to stop an army fuelled by bloodlust and dark sorcery, and some very surprising heroes – and villains – will have no choice but to join the fray.

The first issue of Demon Knights is an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable comic. I’ve seen in various press releases and interviews with the writer, Paul Cornell, that he’s said if people enjoy Game of Thrones and Dragon Age, then this is the sort of story they will enjoy, and he’s absolutely right. The story is set in a world thriving with magic, monsters, men on quests, magical artefacts and legendary items from history. There is more overt magic than Game of Thrones, but there is also a lot of hearty violence, men with swords and the odd slaughter or two. There are plenty of ruthless characters, people who will do whatever they feel is necessary and if that includes murdering innocents, then so be it. This is not going to be a book where the characters can be easily divided into two camps with white and black hats. I suspect even those we follow in the story will not be noble and selfless heroes, but rather less unpleasant people than the rest, or merely those in the wrong place at the wrong time who get caught up in world events.

Even if you’ve never heard of any of the main characters before it doesn’t matter as the first issue gives you plenty to chew on. If you are familiar with the DC comics universe then there are lots of nice Easter eggs in there, plus plenty of tantalising clues for new readers. The first issue gives you a brief version of the origin of the main character, Etrigan, and it briefly introduces some of who I suspect will become part of the main band of characters that we will follow in future adventures. It’s hard to do all of that, give each of them a moment in the spotlight, and pack in action, adventure and a meaty plot, but Cornell manages it.

In the story an evil woman called the Questing Queen and her horde is marching across the land, conquering all and slaughtering those who get in the way. Unfortunately some of her people stumble into the wrong inn and they encounter Etrigan and a few old friends of his who are infamous and also incredibly dangerous. The result of this encounter will be seen in issue 2, but I expect it to be fairly bloody and very violent.

It might not seem like it, but this comic is a bit of a long-shot for DC comics. The mainstream arm of DC comics are most well known for producing superhero titles. Of the new 52 titles being launched some of them are obviously outside that traditional bracket (Men of War, All Star Western) and others are on the cusp and cross several genres. Then there are those that look like superhero comics but really aren’t, like Swamp Thing and Animal Man, which for me, are supernatural horror comics. Demon Knights is absolutely a fantasy comic. Superhero comics featuring magic based characters are not a new thing, not even for DC comics, but a fantasy comic set in a different era is relatively uncommon for them. Dynamite Entertainment and other comic book publishers have had success with series like Conan and Red Sonja for many years. With the recent popularity of Game of Thrones because of the TV series I can see why DC comics has done it. I just hope that enough readers, perhaps brand new readers, and existing readers willing to try a non-superhero comic, continue to pick up Demon Knights because we need that diversity and variety.

You can find a wide variety of comics in a hundred genres from different publishers, including fantasy, but it would be a real shame if DC comics became known only for producing superhero titles. They have some of the best artists and writers working for them and they have a brand that will pull in a lot more readers into a comic shop which is a good thing for everyone, businesses and other publishers alike.

I strayed off the point a little, but overall Demon Knights was a fun and entertaining comic with lots of potential and I look forward to seeing where it goes next.

What SF series would you like to see on TV?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Unless you've been hiding under a rock these past few months you'll have at least heard about the HBO adaption of A Game of Thrones, and what an adaption it was! Based on George RR Martin's hugely popular A Song of Ice and Fire series it seems to have hit all the right notes with fans of the series and newcomers like myself. I enjoyed it so much I'm actually tempted to pick up the books and give them a read - and they're not even the sort of fantasy I normally go for.

Last year we also had the frankly awesome Walking Dead TV series based on the comic books of the same name, and once again I loved every moment of them. As with Game of Thrones, I've not read the source material, but watching the show had made me want to pick them up and dive in head first.

I don't watch much TV nowadays - I simply don't have the time, plus there really isn't much on that I actually want to watch. I used to love Stargate, but the cancellation of Universe has seen an end to that. There hasn't been a new Star Trek series in years, but then the new film has effectively done away with the need for one. Lord only knows what is happening with the rumoured Star Wars show that George Lucas announced way back in 2005. Battlestar Galactica ran its course, although the prequel series, Blood and Chrome, is on the way. Etcetera, etcetera...

There are many, many other shows I could mention, but science fiction seems to have had it's day on the small screen. But could an adaption of a novel series turn that around? I'm not talking about SF thrillers or earth-based stories, I'm talking full-on space opera action and adventure! Here are some that I think would be worthy...

The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton
Well, this is probably my ultimate book-to-tv wish, and the one that is probably the least likely to happen. This is proper widescreen space opera with all sorts of possibilities that range from the horror element of the possessed, to the military ground action on various planets, to space based adventure. I must be honest and say I think this would work exceedingly well as an anime production - the style could prove very effective indeed...

The Cormac series by Neal Asher
With Asher's Cormac series (Gridlinked, The Line of Polity, Brass Man, Polity Agent, Line War) you got a vast Polity of human worlds, controlling AI mega-minds, ancient and dangerous alien technology, golems, haimans, Prador, and a whole host of other stuff that puts much TV sci-fi to shame. Neal has said himself that he could see this working as a five season tv series, and after reading the books I couldn't agree more!

The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell
A fleet making their way home after ambush? Check. Legendary hero returned from the dead? Check. Military battles and political in-fighting? Check. Covering six books (Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, Valiant, Relentless, Victorious) The Lost Fleet has plenty that could make it a self contained mini-series on screen, although the basic premise could get very old very quickly if not handled right. Personally I'd love to see a season or two dealing with the main 'getting home' story arc followed by a season to wrap up the rest of the story.

The Starship series by Mike Resnick
With a completely competent yet slightly disobedient officer (i.e. he doesn't like following stupid orders), Resnick's Starship series (Mutiny, Pirate, Mercenary, Rebel, Flagship) that follow the crew of the Teddy R and her captain Wilson Cole are a great premise for a TV show. From the first novel when the ship is part of the navy, to working as mercenaries, and then rebelling against the government that they used to work for, this is a series that has lots to offer, and there is plenty that could be used for a great show.

Review | DC Comics – Week 1 (Sept 7) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Title: Batgirl

Writer: Gail Simone

Artists: Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes

I was looking forward to this title because I like the character and because I’m a fan of Gail Simone after enjoying her work on comics including Secret Six and Birds of Prey. However, for me, I thought this was just an average first issue. I know that others have really enjoyed it and thought it was excellent, so I could be in the minority. For me there wasn’t anything that really gripped me, although there was plenty going on. There is a nod to the past and the slate has not been completely wiped clean, so Barbara is not a whole person because of an incident that has left a mental scar, if not a physical one. I’m dodging around it a little because if you are new to comics I don’t want to spoil that part of this first issue. On the one hand I can see that this could make for more interesting stories, but on the other hand I think it robbed the character of some of her strength and ability to be a strong female character. I’m still in two minds, but given the pedigree of the writer, and her love of the character, plus the gorgeous artwork, this is one I will look at again in trade.

Title: Batwing

Writer: Judd Winnick

Artist: Ben Oliver

This series was a real unknown for me. I’m a big fan of Batman, but there’s no way I was going to pick up all twelve or thirteen Batman related books. Also I didn’t read the setup in the Batman Incorporated comic before the relaunch which is what led to this worldwide franchising of Batman with various people essentially being sponsored by him to fight crime. Batwing is the Batman for Africa, so first of all he has a lot of ground to cover, an entire continent by himself in fact, but ignoring that part, I actually quite enjoyed it. The artwork is great and almost cinematic, the writing is fairly tight and it focuses on introducing the main character, showing off some of his abilities and then it ends on a powerful cliffhanger. I don’t know if it will be strong enough to get me to pick up the second issue, but it was a good solid read that is trying to create a superhero mythology for Africa, so it’s definitely doing something new and is only tenuously connected to Batman himself.

Title: Detective Comics

Writer: Tony S. Daniel

Artists: Tony S. Daniel and Ryan Winn

First this title gets an immediate thumbs up for the artwork which is also done by the writer Tony S. Daniel. Fantastic and really gorgeous, dynamic, kinetic, colourful stuff. This was very well written because in one issue the writer has managed to show how devious and evil, but also how incredibly clever and dangerous, the Joker is. The story is early in Batman’s career so the two of them have not been battling each other for years and right at the end, the issue takes a very strange twist. Everyone I know who has read this issue has been left scratching their head which is not bad thing. It’s got people talking about it and to be honest a Batman title needs something special to make it stand out amongst the other Batman connected books. There are 4 main Batman books, all of them look amazing, all of them have great artists and writers, so something really unusual can only work in its favour. Definitely worth checking out, an intriguing first issue and one I will probably get in trade.

Title: Justice League International

Written by: Dan Jurgens

Artists: Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Just as the Batman office could be accused of overkill because there are so many of them, it might look as if three Justice League books could be one too many. Much to my surprise I’ve not found that to be true so far. I thought Justice League was a good first issue but more targeted towards the new reader, those not familiar with the DC Universe and the founding of the Justice League. This title is about a carefully chosen group of superheroes from various nations around the world who are working together to save the planet. The second goal of this group is to foster better international relations, however, the team-mates did not choose each other. They are not friends who came together to fight a common cause, who eventually become a family of sorts, like the Justice League. They are people who are on the team because they’ve been told to be by the leader of their country, or they genuinely want to help, or because they think it might help them with their career and standing in the superhero community. There are no doubt several other reasons we’ve not been told, but the end result is the same, a team that is not working together harmoniously. JLI was funny, sinister in places and overall I think it has a lot of potential for the future. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first issue and it’s definitely one comic I will revisit.

Title: Men of War

Writer: Ivan Brandon

Artists: Tom Derenick, Victor Kalvachev

This is an origin story about a guy named Sergeant Rock. If the name isn’t familiar that’s fine, but if you’ve heard of him before it means you’ve probably read some of DC’s other war comics in the past. Men of War is a solid war comic, but my only complaint is that it features a nameless superhero who causes all sorts of trouble for Rock and his squad. I now realise the story is set in the same universe as the rest of the other DC characters (Superman, Batman etc) but I sort of wish it was its own entity, or it was in its own corner away from all of that, and could just be about normal soldiers doing heroic and amazing things on missions. Seeing them have to deal with the aftermath of a violent and irresponsible superhero is an intriguing idea, but I don’t think it will hold my interest for long. This is definitely a wait and see title for me. I’m interested but will read a bit more about how the story develops before I revisit.

Title: Animal Man

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Travel Foreman

A great first issue. See my full review here.

Review | Swamp Thing #1 (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Swamp Thing #1
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Yanick Paquette
Publisher: DC Comics
Release: 7 September 2011

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

One of the world's most iconic characters has returned to the heart of the DC Universe, and every step he takes will shake the foundations of the Earth!

Alec Holland has his life back…but the Green has plans for it. A monstrous evil is rising in the desert, and it'll take a monster of another kind to defend life as we know it!

Swamp Thing is another of those unusual comics in the new 52 from DC. I do enjoy some of the more traditional superhero comics and I am planning to pick up and review some of them (Batwoman, Green Lantern, Detective etc) but I also enjoy the darker, more adult titles. These are comics that are technically Vertigo comics without being Vertigo (DC comics mature imprint). The ones that are targeted towards a more adult audience and may have been printed by Vertigo at some point, like Animal Man and Swamp Thing. There again, this character has a fairly complex history but you can pretty much ignore all of it and start with this first issue. All you really need to know is Alec Holland is a scientist and at one point in the past he was Swamp Thing, a creature of nature that was part of The Green. Swamp Thing is a sort of plant elemental, a living embodiment of Mother Earth with a conscience and powers that are terrifying and amazing. This was very firmly a horror comic in the past and it seems to be heading in that direction again, despite the appearance of a costumed superhero in issue 1.

As with many of the first issues so far, Swamp Thing 1 introduces the character to new readers and the current status quo, although it's not as clear what is going on compared to some of the others. The reason is not the fault of the writer, it's more that explaining what Swamp Thing is and what he can do, and what his 'mission' is, cannot be explained in an elevator pitch or catchphrase such as 'Truth and Justice' or 'An endless war on crime'. There is more of a mystery around Alec's relationship to Swamp Thing and it's not completely clear at this stage if he is still connected to and part of it. But that's fine. I didn't expect or want all of the answers in this first issue, otherwise it would end up being 22 pages of tedious exposition, which is exactly what the new 52 was set up to avoid. You shouldn't need to read an encyclopaedia before you can pick up a comic and so far I think the new titles have done very well and steered clear of this. There has to be plenty of hooks and mysteries in a first issue to interest new readers and make them want to come back, but you also need to give some a solid grounding.

There again, like Animal Man, I can see this will not appeal to everyone, but that's fine. It's not a traditional superhero comic and was never meant to be. There is no obvious villain and it's not going to be a fast paced punch up or a crime comic, nor will it feature teams of brightly dressed heroesin spandex fighting each other. That's not a criticism of thoes sorts of comics, I'm just trying to make it very clear what this is and what it isn't. Personally I quite enjoyed this comic and it is one I will look to continue picking up in trade. The issues may end on a cliffhanger, but I don't think they are likely to be gut-punching stories where you are biting your nails and just need to know what happens as soon as possible and have to race out to the comic shop next month. I could be wrong, but for me, this will read better in long form in a collected trade paperback.

I also hope that DC will give some comics a while to build an audience and they don't pull them too soon because they are not performing as expected when compared to say a comic like Justice League. That title was always going to do well because it features some of the most well known comic book characters in the world, together, in one comic. Expecting Swamp Thing to sell the same quantity (currently 200,000 copies were pre-ordered of Justice League issue 1 in the US) is not sensible. The real test for all of the new 52 will to be see how many of them are still available in a year, or after 12 issues. By then I expect some of them will have fallen to the side of the road, but other new titles are already in the pipeline, so there could easily be more than 52 ongoing comics available from DC by then. It's definitely a case of watch this space.

Review | Field of Dishonor by David Weber (Baen)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Field of Dishonor
Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 2002

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

The People's Republic of Haven's sneak attack on the Kingdom of Manticore has failed. The Peeps are in disarray, their leaders fighting for power in bloody revolution, and the Royal Manticoran Navy stands victorious.

But Manticore has domestic problems of its own, and success can be more treacherous than defeat for Honor Harrington. Now, trapped at the core of a political crisis she never sought, betrayed by an old and vicious enemy she'd thought vanquished forever, she stands alone.

She must fight for justice on a battlefield she never trained for in a private war that offers just two choices: death . . . or a "victory" that can end only in dishonor and the loss of all she loves.

Field of Dishonor is the fourth Honor Harrington novel, following on from On Basilisk Station, The Honor of the Queen and The Short Victorious War. I have been thoroughly enjoying these books (as you can see from my previous reviews) and I've got to the point where I am actively looking to read an Honor Harrington book before other ones I have sitting on the reading stack at home. That's quite a statement as far as I'm concerned, especially looking at some of the other books waiting to be read!

After the events of The Short Victorious War Honor Harrington and the Nike are on their way back to the Manticore home system for repairs, reassignment and the court martial of one Lord Pavel Young for cowardice in the face of the enemy for his actions during the final minutes of the battle at Hancock Station. A mere formality, or so it seems. However, the political situation in the Manticore government is at a critical point with no clear majority able to vote in favour of the war, and with Young's father a prominent figure in the groups opposing all-out war against the People's Republic of Haven, this court martial couldn't have come at a worse time. Add to that the history between Honor and Young and the media are having a field day, while the politicians using it as leverage in the current crisis.

What seems like a certain death sentence for Young turns into something nobody could have guessed. Disgracefully dismissed from the Navy and left with his life, his father dies and he inherits the North Hollow estate and a seat in Lords. Armed with his fathers file of dirty secrets on other Lords, Young manoeuvres himself into a prime position, backing the Navy's request to declare war and forcing others allied to him to follow suit. It takes everyone by surprise, but Young is full of anger and rage towards Honor Harrington and this is merely his first step in a larger plan to see her get what he believes she deserves...

Now, I really have enjoyed the previous Honor Harrington novels. I liked the setting, the characters and the military aspect of it. The space battles were great, the descriptions and terminology bringing them to life. Field of Dishonor has no space battles at all. I did suspect this would be the case early on and worried where things would be going. Well, the place they went was even better than the previous novels - Field of Dishonor is a character focused story that does more to flesh out Honor Harrington than the three previous novels combined.

What we have here is a clearly political novel that looks at how certain actions during war time can have completely different results simply because of the tension and situation. While it is made clear during all the meetings and court sessions regarding Pavel Young that it must be dealt with evenly and without prejudice, it is clearly not going to be the case and the repercussions of the history between Young and Harrington are a small, but very vital, part of the trail.

It's this history and subsequent actions throughout Field of Dishonor that made this book such a hugely enjoyable read, allowing the small threads and build up over the past three novels to fully develop here. Pavel Young is not a character I like at all, but I fully appreciate how he contributes to the novel and overall storyline. Harrington, on the other hand, is a character I very much enjoy reading, and this novel is all about her. It brings her to life more than the previous novels have done, put her in a personal situation that makes her question everything she knows and prepares to give it all up for personal vengeance.

I really don't want to talk about the story in great detail here, or the characters for that matter, because a lot of what I'd talk about revolves around an aspect of the novel that I think is a pretty large spoiler. Suffice to say that this is a very good book - the strongest Honor Harrington one so far - and leaves the ending open to plenty of possibilities. It's also one that has changed my expectations for the next in the series, and the series as a whole. This is some truly great stuff.

Review | Animal Man #1 (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Animal Man #1
Author: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Travel Foreman, Dan Green
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: September 7^th 2011

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Buddy Baker has gone from "super" man to family man – but is he strong enough to hold his family together when Maxine, his young daughter, starts to manifest her own dangerous powers? Find out in this dramatic new series from writer Jeff Lemire and artist Travel Foreman.

Animal Man is not a typical superhero comic. The character itself has always been quite an odd one. A sort of cross between Manimal, without actually changing into the animals, Bravestarr (the space cop from the SF cartoon in the 1980s) and Vixen (another DC comic book character who can inherit the strengths of animals from a morphogenic field). Animal Man has been reinvented several times, and was at one time an eco-warrior fighting for animal rights, but one of the more recent incarnations made Animal Man much darker and it became almost a horror comic.

This new version borrows bits from all of his history, but this is definitely a supernatural horror comic that follows a superhero. He’s not someone who is new to the superhero game and from the first page intro, where the character is reading an article about himself and his varied career, even a new reader would appreciate his long and unusual history. What follows in issue 1 is a quick run through that shows you his family life, his powers and how they work, as well as setting up a mystery and ending on a creepy plot twist. There’s a lot packed in but it’s handled very well by the writer and anyone who is totally new to the character will be able to follow it. You don't have to read anything else to know what's going on.

I appreciate this comic will not be for everyone, because although it is a superhero comic, it doesn’t really fit into the mainstream and you can appreciate why Animal Man was a Vertigo comic at one time. I think it’s going to be a dark, creepy, edgy book, so I don’t see it being for kids really and although there might be some punching of crooks and he might stop a few crimes, that will not be the core of this book. It’s not Superman or Batman or Green Lantern. He wears a costume, but really he doesn’t need to and it's not a vital part of the character’s makeup.

The artist is an odd choice for me, because sometimes it looks stark and edgy and it works perfectly with the story, and at other times I just couldn’t get along with it at all. Overall this is a very unusual and dark superhero comic book and I am very keen to see where it goes next.

Review | Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (Orbit)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Leviathan Wakes
Author: James S.A. Corey
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Daniel Burton

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Welcome to the future. Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer, Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Straddling the gulf between noir and sci-fi, with pretensions towards the epic, and a promise of dramatic, Leviathan Wakes filled a much needed hole in my reading schedule this summer—that of the best read of the season, if not the year.

Miller and Holden, each with their human qualms and quirks, more grey than heroic, are just as interesting as the plot they are unraveling and the events they are, however unintentionally, subject to and at the same time causing. They are unwilling actors thrust into the center of the future of intelligent life in the solar system, and they act on the small and personal, for revenge and for vengeance, for justice and for escape. Their personalities are flawed, but the flaws only make them more empathetic.

Leviatan Wakes ranges across the entire spectrum. We meet characters on every level of innocence, power, or peculiarity. From sociopathic scientists concerned with power to military commandos afraid of it, to giant engineering projects that move moons and build city size space ships aimed for generation long trips to distant stars, Leviathan Wakes is full of colorful and credible characters (from powerful megalomaniacs to bottom feeding asteroid dwellers, Mormons headed to stellar colonization, Martian marines, and families that boast several mothers, multiple fathers, but only one off-spring), exotic locations, imaginatively rendered space battles and a plot that never lets up until the final page. Oh, and Corey (which is actually the nom de plume for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) even comes up with a whole version of pidgin English spoken after generations of dwelling in the asteroid belt.

It’s incredibly creative, and I had a ton of fun reading it.

Leviathan Wakes fulfilled the promises it made, proving to be just as epic as the name sounds, putting just enough emphasis on the science, but never forgetting that it is, first and foremost, a story about people. In the end, it provides what every good space opera should—a sense of wonder. Not only at the vastness of space, of how big it all is, at the immense distances between planets and stars, but also at just how small, weak and amazing life is in all that vastness. It provides a backdrop for both the petty and violent politics of nations, as well as the gallant and noble acts of the individual, a place where great acts can shift the movements of nations, even civilizations.

Not one page loses focus on the story, the real struggles—human and fantastic—of the protagonists. It’s a great tale, and I can’t wait to pick up its sequel.

About Daniel Burton
Dan Burton lives in Salt Lake City, Utah where he practices law during the day and everything else during the night. You can follow him on his blog lawafterthebar.wordpress.com where muses on politics, the law, current events, books, and ideas. You can contact him at dan.burton@gmail.com, and yes, he’d be glad to read your ARC (with some caveats).

Review | Batwoman Elegy by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Batwoman: Elegy

Author: Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III

Publisher: DC Comics

Format: Paperback

Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Batwoman battles a madwoman known only as Alice, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable extras. Batwoman must stop Alice from unleashing a toxic death cloud over all of Gotham City but Alice has more up her sleeve than just poison, and Batwoman’s life will never ever be the same.

This is the first collected edition of Batwoman, a new Batman-related character that appeared a few years ago. To begin with she had the odd cameo in other comics but this was the first time the character had her own storyline which appeared in Detective Comics. In preparation for the new ongoing Batwoman title as part of DC Comics new 52, I thought I should read this again and refresh my memory of who Kate Kane is.

A common complaint about mainstream superhero comics is that their long history makes it difficult for new readers to jump on board. Not only because they don’t know what has happened before and how it effects the present, but also because they don’t know who the characters are. I also think this is a fair comment for the most. So, having said that, if you intend to pick up the new Batwoman title, then Batwoman: Elegy has everything you need to know about the character in one volume. It’s very likely there will be some sort of a recap in the new series, but Elegy tells you in detail who the character is, how she was trained, what motivated her to become a crime fighter and what drives her. It’s the origin story of a modern superhero and by that I mean in the old days, toxic waste or an irradiated spider was all you needed to have superpowers. Nowadays we expect more from an origin story, especially for the more grounded street level superheroes, and Elegy has it in spades. There is no vague hand waving, magic or technobabble to explain away something the writer didn’t think of, everything is there. We know who trained her, how long it took and where the technology and money comes from to fund such an operation. Not everyone is a billionaire playboy with a corporation behind them to provide the means to develop the next generation in non-lethal weaponry and vehicles.

The other thing worth mentioning is that the new ongoing series will be written by J.H Williams III and he will be doing some art duties on the new book along with W. Haden Blackman. JHW is the artist on Elegy so he knows the character intimately since he and Rucka worked very closely to create her, so the new ongoing series is in excellent hands.

Elegy begins with a new insane villain who thinks she is Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She talks in riddles and sees the world around her in a way that doesn’t seem to make much sense. Also for an unknown reason, she has been given leadership of a major crime organisation and Batwoman is there to stop her from day one. As the story unfolds we’re told a little about previous events not seen in Elegy, but there’s enough information so that you are not left scratching your head and wondering what you missed. You could go back and find the other issues to get more info, but I don’t think you need to.

It’s also clear very early on that Kate is not doing well juggling her crime fighting with finding time to have a social life. She sleeps through a major portion of the day and this takes a toll on her relationships. But she is not a lonely brooder, she has a family and friends and Kate is a real person not the mask. There is some debate in comic circles if Bruce Wayne is just a mask for his real personality, the Batman, but Kate is a real person. Batwoman is just a costume she puts on but she is still Kate even when wearing the mask.

There are lots of parallels between Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane, but there are also a number of major differences. She wasn’t driven by the death of her parents to become a spectre that scares the criminal element. She had a plan and despite some tragedies which we see in flashback, she was not deterred and went after them with passion and dedication. Becoming a crime fighter is not something she planned or thought about until fairly recently. Kate is a fully rounded character with flaws like every human and we see her at her best and worst moments. But like Bruce she won’t be turned aside or distracted and she is dedicated to stopping mad Alice before she can unleash something horrific on Gotham.

There’s another aspect of the character I’ve not touched on until now because when Batwoman was first announced by DC a couple of years ago, the press latched onto this aspect and the story became about it and nothing else. It didn’t matter to them that this was a very well written and interesting comic, it was just a juicy headline to catch the eye. Kate is gay and while it is part of her story, this is still a crime comic and it’s not the whole story. Unfortunately that didn't matter to some people and they took offence, which is a real shame, as they're missing out on a great read. It reminded me of when some people burned the Harry Potter books because they claimed the novels promoted witchcraft.

Overall Batwoman: Elegy is a beautifully drawn and gripping comic that gives you a solid grounding in the character. After reading I think I understand Kate and what drives her to put herself in danger fighting criminals and I can’t wait to see the new ongoing Batwoman series. Highly recommended.

Facebook page for Walker of Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:00:00 +0000

As the blog has evolved over the past few months to be more review-focused, I've found there are things I would have posted in the past that are no longer getting blog time. Because of this I've decided to take the plunge and set up a facebook page for the blog.

The new FB page will allow me to quickly post various news, links, cover art, competitions and other miscellaneous stuff that are time consuming to blog about and easily accessible.

Check it out here:

Walker of Worlds Facebook Page