Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
The Internet Writing Journal,
December 2002
Hidden Empire
by Kevin J. Anderson
Warner Aspect, July, 2002
Hardcover, 453 pages
ISBN: 0446528625
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk

Kevin Anderson is best known for his bestselling
books in the Dune, Star Wars and X-Files
series. With the launch of this new
series, he is sure to become better known for his
own, original fiction, such as the well-received
Captain Nemo. In the 25th century, humans
have colonized the stars, with the help of the
advanced alien race known as the Ildirans.
The only other race humans have encountered
is the long-extinct Klikiss, an insectoid race
which mysteriously vanished, leaving behind
advanced robots and some amazing
architectural ruins. Archeologists Louis and
Margaret Colicos have dedicated their lives
to studying these ruins, and finally decipher some
of the Klikiss technology. They convince Earth's government
to use the technology to turn a gas giant planet into a small
sun in order to make the nearby moons habitable. But, unknown
to the humans, the gas giant had life forms inside of it --
them advanced and enigmatic Hydrogues, who immediately
declare war on all humans after the inadvertent destruction of
one of their worlds and millions of their people.
Now humanity is in a fight for its very existence with
an enemy which has far superior technology.
In so many of the new doorstopper-sized fantasy and SF
novels, authors spend so much times setting up the
background that the reader has often nodded off before
any of the action starts. Anderson, a pro, never makes
such mistakes. He seamlessly weaves vivid characterization
into a thought-provoking and action-packed plot, which
grabs the reader from the very first page. From the
independent Roamers, who mine the crucial ekti
from gas giants to meet the energy needs of
civilization, to the fantastic palaces of the Ildirans,
to the current political machinations of Earth's
ruling powers, Anderson's imagined future is
powerful in scope and well-imagined, and he
uses it as a backdrop to explore some very interesting
themes about humanity and its place in the cosmos.
Magic Time
by Marc Scott Zicree, Barbara Hambly
Eos, November, 2002
Paperback, 448 pages
ISBN: 0061059579
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk

A top-secret government experiment goes horribly
wrong, and opens a door into another dimension.
A powerful energy wave sweeps through the Earth,
knocking out all electricity and causing some humans
to mutate into fairy-tale like creatures: demons and
other things which have new powers. New York attorney
Cal Griffin is determined to escape a Manhattan that
is quickly becoming a war zone, in order to save his little
sister who is slowly turning into something quite alien.
With a group of newly-made friends, Cal and his sister,
set out to find the Source, which is slowly remaking
the Earth into a place both horrifying and full of
wonder.
Written well before the events of September 11th,
Magic Time shows a New York City which is
devastated by a vicious attack from an invisible
enemy which readers will find very disturbing
indeed, especially with current news reports
of Al Queda attempting to obtain suitcase nukes.
Zicree who is a well-known television writer, writes
in a fast-paced, episodic style. The idea of the
Source is interesting, and is sure to be explored
more in future books. Altogether, this is an intriguing
premise which should please readers enough to
pick up the next installment in the series.
The Mocking Program
by Alan Dean Foster
Warner Aspect, August, 2002
Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN: 0446527742
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
|
Amazon.co.uk

Alan Dean Foster writes in many genres, yet he
never seems to be at a loss for new and inventive ideas.
The Mocking Program is a perfectly-executed hardboiled police procedural
set in the future. Police Inspector Angel Cardenas
works the Montezuma Strip, which is what the old U.S.-Mexican border is
now called. Angel finds a male corpse with most of its
internal organs missing. But the identification of the body is more
difficult than usual; the victim appears to have two identities.
Angel's considerable intuition tells him that there is more here
than a typical mugging. An identity trace leads Angel and
his partner to the victim's so-called wife and daughter, who
actually turn out to be Surtsey and Katla Mockerkin, the ex-wife and
12-year-old daughter of crime lord Cleator Mockerkin,
who will do anything to get them back. But Surtsey and Katla
have gone deep into hiding, and Angel will have to go to
some pretty exotic places and meet some very dangerous
people in order to find the missing duo, before Cleator
Mockerkin gets his hands on them.
Alan Dean Foster walks the futuristic mean streets with
his usual aplomb in this skillfully executed thriller.
Using a new vocabulary which is easily understandable
due to the context of the new words (although there is
a glossary appended), and a deft hand at description,
Foster creates a world which is at once recognizable and
strange. Artificial hearts are cheap and readily available,
sapient gorillas run a compound in South America,
and teeny little a.i.'s known as wugs observe humans,
but do not interact with them. Inspector Cardenas
is a welcome addition to the fold, and the
ending appears to leave the door open for a sequel.
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