A Review: Faith

February 2nd 2012 at 3:16 pm

“My last “what should I read next” poll had a clear winner with Throne of the Crescent Moon, which has already been receiving high marks (I liked it as well, but that comes later). Being a bit of a contrarian I wanted to also pay some service to the low-runner in the poll: Faith by John Love. Why was it the low-runner? I suspect it has to do with the book being Sci-Fi while most of the others were Fantasy of one stripe or another. Fantasy still trumps Sci-Fi in terms of fandom, in the US at least, but it really shouldn’t especially with something as special and different as John Love’s debut Faith.

Faith isn’t about the Science, but there are some intriguing ideas here in that regard. It is a smart, thoughtful exploration of humanity and how far obsessions can take us. So the back story. A few centuries ago a mysterious ship nicknamed “Faith” attacked the space faring Sakhran Empire (vaguely lizard-like humanoids) causing their society to pull back technologically. No one knows what Faith is exactly. Is it even like a normal ship with a crew or some kind of space-born creature? That mystery alone pulled me in and gave off a very strong Star Trek vibe. Faith is what you might get if Joe Abercrombie turned his dark skills to Science Fiction after reading a few Robert J. Sawyer novels and seeing a few too many Q episodes of Star Trek. This isn’t a hard Sci-Fi read by any stretch, but that should help pull in the more fringe readers who fear something too technical and just want a totally enthralling story.

Presently, humanity has expanded into space and created the Commonwealth along with a few other races including the Sakhrans. Faith has returned. She is hostile and no one knows how to defeat her, but there is a chance. A slim chance that the Commonwealth’s latest Outsider class vessel captained by Aaron Foord. Outsider ships are crewed by brilliant yet deeply flawed people that hope to match and possibly defeat the almost mythological Faith. Each Outsider ship is christened with a name to remind those aboard of what they are. Charles Manson is the name of the vessel charged with stopping Faith at all costs. That name alone should give a good idea of who the people are that man the Manson. This isn’t a crew of do-gooders, but they are damn good at what they do.

Faith is a challenging read that attacks preconceptions of what is right. Love also reminds us what a lonely and cramped place space can be especially given the submarine-like atmosphere of the Manson and the isolation that most of its crew crave. Faith herself becomes the most endearing character as I winced at each battle scar she earned.” Read the full awesome review of John Love’s debut novel at The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf.

Locus 2011 Recommended Reading List

February 1st 2012 at 3:41 pm

12 NSB books make the Locus 2011 Recommended Reading List! We’re immensely proud that 4 of our New Voices were included in the First Novels section, Of Blood and Honey, God’s War, Seed and Soft Apocalypse all made the cut. Once you’ve read these you should check out the second novels from these awesome authors–Kameron Hurley followed the Kitschie Award nominated God’s War with book 2 in the Belle Dam Apocrypha, Infidel. On February 7th Will McIntosh returns with the fantastic Hitchers, and in March Stina Leicht releases And Blue Skies from Pain, the wonderful follow up to Of Blood and Honey.

A Review: Alien Contact

February 1st 2012 at 3:16 pm

“An anthology is a bit like a buffet. You’ll find dishes you’re familiar with, those you usually avoid and lurking in between, the dodgy, odd looking stuff you’re not willing to try, but do anyway and either discover a new favourite or spend the rest of the night nursing a rebellious tummy.

With its impressive list of authors, ‘Alien Contact’ looked very appetising. Odd stuff would lurk in the corners, no doubt, but the appeal of such well-known names as Stephen Baxter, Orson Scott Card, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, Elizabeth Moon, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick and Harry Turtledove was enough to nudge aside any doubt regarding complete literary satisfaction.

I’ve listed ten authors as printed on the cover. ‘Alien Contact’ contains twenty-six stories. In short, editor Marty Halpern has gathered an awesome collection of stories and as soon as I’ve finished writing my review, I’ll actually place an order for a print copy of this one to put on my shelf. I have no doubt I’ll be re-reading it.” Read more at SF Crowsnest.

A Review: Never Knew Another

January 31st 2012 at 9:55 am

Black Gate gives an awesome and thorough review of Never Knew Another, “J.M. McDermott’s third book, Never Knew Another, is a secondary-world fantasy tale told in a sparse yet elegant style, about hunters seeking dangerous magical prey — and also about two people drawing closer to each other without knowing it, despite having to hide their true natures from the world around them. Perspectives nest one inside another; the book’s always clear, but leaves much meaningfully unsaid, and effortlessly holds the voices of its characters in a delicate balance, allowing them to contrast with each other without any given one being overwhelmed. It’s a remarkable accomplishment, and a strong, unconventional beginning to a promising trilogy.” Read more.

A Review: Tooth and Nail

January 31st 2012 at 9:50 am

“Contrary to the article that graced this blog last week, I have been known to choose a book to read (or not read) based on genre. Usually I do it to avoid things I know I won’t like, as opposed to trending toward things I know I will. For example, I hate paranormal romance and dislike most urban fantasies (because they masquerade as paranormal romance). Over the weekend, I made a choice to read an Urban Fantasy book specifically because I realized I should practice what I preach. With that in mind I read Jennifer Safrey’s debut novel Tooth and Nail, from Night Shade Books.” Was Justin converted? Find out at Staffer’s Musings.

A Review: Alien Contact

January 31st 2012 at 9:46 am

“Alien Contact is an intelligently edited anthology of 26 first contact stories. And thankfully, Mr. Halpern has decided to mine the last 30 years for his selections, eschewing more well-known and oft-reprinted old favorites from earlier decades. So, this is a huge anthology favoring more contemporary SF and it acquits itself wonderfully. I do not agree with all of the editor’s choices and can think of others I would have preferred, but so many terrific stories are gathered together in one place that everyone who likes this theme or is interested in learning more about it will perhaps find some new gems. After reading SF extensively for 40 years there were still 5 stories I had never encountered before.

I won’t go over all these outstanding reprints one by one, but will single out a few of my favorites.” The full review can be found at Tangent Online.

A Review: Alien Contact

January 30th 2012 at 4:36 pm

“There’s quite a lot of contact in these stories; with many and various life-forms. A recurring feature seems to be hair that grows in snake-like tendrils and has a life of its own. More than one of the authors here seems to delight in that Medusa-like image. And there’s a powerful embedding of mythic motifs and Eden-like imaginings throughout these stories. Marty Halpern’s editorial brief was for writers to concoct their narratives around first encounters with aliens and, duly noted, numerous authors are represented here with perfectly tailored schemes.

Stephen King is spooky in ‘I Am The Doorway’; Ursula K Le Guin in ‘The First Contact with the Gorgonids’ is satirical and somewhat feminist; Neil Gaiman is witty and a bit Gen X in ‘How To Talk to Girls at Parties’; and Orson Scott Card’s ‘The Gold Bug’ produces a pioneering messianic hero who leads a colony of young idealists into a hard won wilderness/promised land. So far, so predictable; in short, there are no real surprises here. There’s a business-as-usual element to the collection, which doesn’t weaken it, but doesn’t really strengthen it, either.

Le Guin’s effort is suitably cryptic and shot through with a wry and clever quality. King is nicely creepy, a matter of infestation and infection from outer space. ‘Contact’ is manifest in many different ways throughout: insect-life, harvesting, visitation, and invasion. Gaiman depicts a pair of charmingly geeky guys out ‘on the pull’ who discover the alien species known as ‘girls’ at a party. However, I think I reserve my most sumptuous praise for George Alec Effinger’s ‘The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything’. Looking for wit in Sci-Fi lit? This story has it in ample quantity.” Read the full review at PopMatters.

Publishers Weekly Reviews Jane Carver of Waar

January 30th 2012 at 4:34 pm

“In this affectionate and often raunchy parody of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s John Carter of Mars books, the slavery-tolerant Confederate veteran pursued by Apaches becomes a proud biker chick on the run from cops for manslaughter. One mysterious transportation later, Jane is on an alien world. Shortly after arriving, Jane gets stuck helping lovestruck aristocrat Sai-Far, whose one true love, Wen-Jhai, has been stolen away by the bold, ambitious Kedac-Zir. Jane is far stronger than any Waar native; by contrast, Sai’s heartfelt dedication to chivalrous romance is in no way matched by prowess or courage.” Read more.

A Review: Tooth and Nail

January 29th 2012 at 1:00 pm

“I never thought I’d be reading a story about a tooth fairy, but in ‘Tooth and Nail’, Jennifer Safrey takes the premise that such fairies are real, gives them a credible reason for teeth stealing, and weaves it into an awesome and surprising urban fantasy.” Read the full review here.

A Review: The Emperor’s Knife

January 27th 2012 at 6:09 pm

“A plague is running rampant in the Cerani Empire. It infects everyone and the emperor himself has recently been infected and his future uncertain. His brother, Sarmin, hidden away as a child but kept alive as a spare, finds himself suddenly a part of a political game again and set to marry a woman from across the desert who may hold the key to the survival of the kingdom and its people.

The Emperor’s Knife is a new novel and the first of the planned trilogy by author Mazarkis Williams and is a layered and complex story of political games, betrayal and plays for power.” Check out the full review at Portland Book Review.