Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Bantam Spectra, October, 2005Paperback, 560 pages
ISBN: 0553587072
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Paige Winterbourne is still finding her path as a witch on her own
in this excellent sequel to Dime Store Magic. After a move to the
West Coast, Paige isn't having much luck convincing the yuppie
witches she meets to form a new coven. And she's still getting used
to her relationship with Lucas Cortez, the crusading son of the
head of the most powerful Cabal in the U.S. But like Michael
Corleone, Lucas wants nothing to do with the family business of the
Cabals. So when Lucas' father asks Paige and Lucas to solve a
series of murders of Cabal employees' children, Paige is reluctant
to take the case. But, when one of the young victims turns out to
be a witch, Paige relents. She and Lucas head to Miami to
find the murderer, with the help of a flamboyant celebrated tv psychic,
Elena Michaels (the female werewolf from Bitten), a
ghostly apparition and a caustic, menopausal vampire.
Kelley Armstrong is clearly a rising star whose career is about to take off. Her Women of the Otherworld Series, which began with Elena Michaels' story in Bitten, is suspenseful, funny and very entertaining. Industrial Magic focuses on the hidden world of witches and their lifelong enemies, the male sorcerers. The Cabals -- think the Mafia peopled by supernatural beings -- take center stage in this book. As always, Ms. Armstrong's clever sense of humor, fascinating characters and vivid action sequences make this an absorbing read.
Claire E. White
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
Tor, January, 2005Trade Paperback, 688 pages
ISBN: 0765348780
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Canadian author Steven Erikson launches a
ten volume epic fantasy series with this incredibly complex and well-imagined
story. After the Emperor died under mysterious
circumstances years before, Empress Lasleen is now solidifying
her power base and her tight
grip on the countryside. She works to expand the borders of her empire
using ground troops, assassins and spies. Dujek Onearm
is a renowned military commander and he and his
Bridgeburners now serve the new Empress. But the military plans
sometimes make no sense to
Onearm and he wonders if his men are being used for some
other, sinister purpose. Ganoes Stabro Paran first saw the
Empress' soldiers when he was a boy who dreamed of
being a great warrior. But Imperial Service isn't what Paran
thought it would be -- as an old soldier told him when he
was a boy -- and he has many journeys ahead of him in
both the physical and immaterial worlds as he confronts both
Gods and men on his quest.
Gardens of the Moon has an unusually high number of characters and subplots -- even for an epic fantasy. Although it is the first book in a series, Gardens of the Moon reads quite well as a stand-alone. Mr. Erikson has a rich imagination and the rise and fall of the Malazan Empire is a gripping story, full of magic, betrayal, death, and intrigue.
Sliding Scales by Alan Dean Foster
Del Rey, October, 2004Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 0345461568
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Philip "Flinx" Lynx, the youthful hero of eight prior adventures with his
beloved empathic mini-dragon Pip, is feeling really burned out.
In fact, he's depressed, which is unusal for this resiliant young man with
the world on his shoulders and mysterious assassins on his trail.
So, his ship's AI suggests that what he needs is a vacation. Flinx
agrees, and sets out for the obscure planet Jast, in an area which is
claimed by both the Commonwealth and the Aan Empire.
The Aan have a token presence on Jast, which really is a backwater world,
so they are intrigued by Flinx's arrival. Nevertheless, an Aan official named Takuuna
makes him welcome and offers to be his guide (the natives, the mushroom-like
and peaceful Vssey are totally ignored by the militaristic Aan). While touring
a canyon, Takuuna's instincts get the better of him and he knocks Flinx into a canyon
and then leaves, believing him to be dead. Flinx eventually awakens, with
amnesia. He is taken in by an Aan artists' colony (which could be an oxymoron,
given the Aan's disdain for the arts). Meanwhile, a terrorist attack has
been launched against an Aan installation. In order to explain the death of the
human he was guiding, Takuuna dreams up a terrorist conspiracy theory
between Flinx and a native Jastian named Vessey.
The reptilian Aan are notorious for their disdain for the soft-skinned humans and for their passionate scheming to get ahead in the military heirarchy. Alan Dean Foster weaves a surprisingly intricate and moving tale about acceptance and family in this ninth, and dark entry in the usually light-hearted SF adventure series. Foster excels at big ideas, at world-building, and at creating memorable, interesting characters. Those qualities are all on display in Sliding Scales, which reads more like a stand-alone than part of a series. The outcast Aan artists who overcome their prejudice to adopt Flinx as one of their own, the exploration of alien art, and the political maneuverings of the Aan officer who will literally do anything to get ahead, all make for fascinating -- and sometimes very funny -- reading. Alan Dean Foster never disappoints. This prolific author never repeats himself. From his adventure series starring Pip and Flinx series to the SF noir of The Mocking Program, to his outstanding short stories, his work is always different, fresh and imaginative.
--Claire E. White
Return to Book Reviews Index
More from Writers Write
Stephen King Quotes
quotes from the master
quotes from the master
Grammar Tips
improve your writing
improve your writing
Writing Prompts
spark your creativity
spark your creativity