Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page One of Four999 by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates et al., Edited by Al Sarrantonio
Avon Books, Sept., 1999.Hardcover, 664 pages.
ISBN: 0380977400.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
With the approach of the new Millennium, Editor Al Sarrantonio wanted
to create a horror anthology worthy of the beginning of the
next century, and he has succeeded admirably. The gargantuan
anthology contains original stories by today's top horror authors.
Stephen King contributes a creepy tale about a
horror author who picks up a painting he would have been
better off without in "The Road Virus Heads North."
The novelist's musings on literary
conferences and fans are quite amusing. Of course the
inevitable consequences of the purchase are not amusing at all,
at least to the novelist.
In "Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story"
Neil Gaiman contributes a delightfully nasty story about
how the richest man in the world finds love; the narrator's voice
will absolutely chill you. Chet Williamson
has a little fun with a fantasy gathering of today's greediest
billionaires in "Excerpts From the Records of the New Zodiac
and the Diaries of Henry Watson Fairfax,"
and Joyce Carol Oates donates a
fascinating tale with her "The Ruins of Contracoeur."
The mix of superstar authors and the hot new writers is
well-done. There's enough suspense, gore, and mind-blowing
horror here to keep any fan scared to death for many a night.
Highly Recommended.
Angel Fire East by Terry Brooks
Del Ray, Oct., 1999.Hardcover, 336 pages.
ISBN: 0345379640.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Knight of the Word John Ross returns in this
third installment of the fantasy trilogy, following
Running With the Demon and
A Knight of the Word.
Exhausted by his long fight with the evil Void,
John Ross must face one final challenge. He must
find a gypsy morph, a being created spontaneously
from wild magics which has the potential to be
either a force of great good or great evil. Of course
the Void wants to get its hands on the gypsy morph,
as well, and sends its oldest and most powerful demon
to take it from Ross. Ross captures the morph which,
true to its name, changes shape every few minutes,
eventually settling into the form of a little boy.
Ross and the boy make their way to visit Nest
Freemark, a champion runner and sometime ally
of Ross in the fight against evil. Together, John Ross
and Nest will make their stand against the demon
Findo Gask and his nasty cohorts.
A new Terry Brooks novel is always great news for fantasy readers. Angel Fire East takes the familiar characters from the first two books in the trilogy and brings them together in the small town of Hopewell, Illinois for a final showdown with the Void on Christmas Eve. Some excellently conceived villains, interesting subplots and a surprisingly inventive ending make this a must-read for Brooks fans.
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