|
|
07-07-05: Eric Brown Documents 'The Extraordinary Voyage of Jules Verne'; Simon Clarke & Tim Lebbon Get Up To 'Exorcizing Angels' |
|||
Two
of a Perfect Pair, Part One
It's certainly no secret to longtime readers of this column that I'm a fan of Peter Crowther's discovery of the Platonic Ideal in a published, hardcover novella. In retrospect, somewhere down the line, Crowther will be revered for his brilliance and bravery to pursue this path to the bloody end, no matter what may come to pass. The latest results can be found in the form of Eric Brown's lovely looking 'The Extraordinary Voyage of Jules Verne' (PS Publishing ; June 30, 2005 ; £25 HC/£10 TPB). Form and function combine to perfection in the lovely little gift to readers. What more can we ask? Well, for starters, we can always ask for more of Eric Brown. He's a writer who might unkindly be lumped with the midlist, but he's top rate in my book. I loved 'A Writer's Life', his first PS novella. This time around, he's on to an idea whose time has certainly come. Now, I'll be the first to admit that this isnt a new idea. There was a TV series based on a similar premise, the premise here being that before he wrote his famous novels, Verne himself was involved in a few strange adventures that might have influenced his fiction. What Brown does so elegantly is to take up the style of Verne's -- and Wells' -- prose styles and provide a sort of retro future and a futuristic past, packed chock full of telling details and detailed storytelling. Readers who like to play "spot the reference" will have a grand time. Everyone else will simply be amazed by the procession of adventures. And readers who know me know also that at least for this set of years in space and time, one of my favorite cover artists is Edward Miller, and that he's been an essential part of the PS success story. He's back at it with this gorgeous cloudscape, which I was forced, I tell positively forced to render in gatefold on one of my totally unpatented Platonic discoveries, the full-size, full-cover page. Ah, buy and be happy, from out of the literary caves and shadows, Peter Crowther has snatched a bit of perfection and published it. What more can we ask? |
|||
Two
of a Perfect Pair, Part Two, Earthling Books Part 2
But first off, we have another shortish book fronted by a gorgeous Edward Miller cover, though this one is one the dark and dense side. And anyone with a bit of a weird literary reading background will quickly grasp the joy of what two of my favorite horror authors have done -- a tribute to the horror giant, Arthur Machen. One of Machen's most famous stories has actually become a sort of proto-urban legend. Here's the gist. Machen wrote 'The Bowmen' in 1915. In this story, he described a divine intervention that helped the British escape in the disastrous Battle of Mons in 1914. But such were the times and the hopes of the people that his story was quickly held up as being a recitation of true events. Clark and Lebbon collaborate to bring Machen and his tale to life in the Second World War. In addition, each contributes their own tale in the style of Machen, who wrote restrained but visionary stories. Lebbon provides an Introduction, and Clark the Postscript. And thus not only is the book two of a perfect pair, in itself it combines two of a perfect pair. And it suggests that the Platonic ideals, once unearthed and made real, proliferate. The shadows have come out of the caves. As has that which casts the shadows. The end result is more books, beautifully produced, quickly read. Read fast, then read faster. What else is there to do? |
07-06-05: 'Hammerjack' by Marc D. Giller; A Column in Little Bits: Looking at the Small Press Publisher Earthling Publications |
||||||
The
Inevitable Post-Matrix Post-911 Cyberpunk Novel
In this case, 'Hammerjack' spells doom for any rational, productive activity from the time you pick it up till the time you drop it down. I'd recommend a quiet time, some beach time, some back porch-time will be your best bet for cracking this book. Yes, the combination of colors and images on the cover is this side of garish. The yellow is there in case you thought you might not be getting some cheese with this order. But if this is cheese, then it's the kind of cheese you want, in big huge greasy chunks. Frankly, I think this is better than the cover indicates, but I've got to admit that sitting amidst the piles of books I saw in an occasional visit to the unnamed chain, this one just jumped right out. So, score one for the lowball approach. Heck, maybe they'll pick up some video gamers. Snatch some folks right out of the evil electronic clutches the novel itself so convincingly portrays. This book has all the ingredients youd expect. The organic supercomputer. The bad-ass hackers. The one-time hacker gone good, named Cray. Heck, the author knows a bit of cyber history. That's a good sign. An anti-tech cult. Good allied with bad to a common purpose. But you could have guessed all that without my help -- heck that's the sort of stuff the aging AI would predict. But what you get free, absolutely, time-bleedingly, mind-bleedingly, money-bleedingly free from the aging non-AI writing this column is an actual read on the book. Its a good read, its the kind of book that will suck your time dry and leave you blinking afterwards waiting for the inevitable sequel and looking round for an equal. So look, you've slurped up all the Neal Asher and Richard Morgan you can get your hands on, including the blurbs they provide on the back cover of this one. You want some background? Heres a guy who got the opportunity to pitch screenplays to 'Star Trek:The Next Generation' and 'The X-Files'. He's got a web page that's worthy of your valuable time, as long as youre not billing at the rate of a senior partner in a major law firm. Time to lay down the dollars and take leave of your senses. You wont regret it. There's no virtual reality like a book. And unlike all the video game realities your kids -- or you yourself -- are addicted to, this one wont make you dumber, though those in your vicinity will think you've been struck dumb. Stop talking, start reading. The inevitable has arrived in fine fettle. |
||||||
Earthling
Publications: 'King Rat' by China Miéville served with a side
of Mini-Interview
I'm presuming that nobody here has hidden under a rock so successfully that they've managed to avoid China Miéville. If you have, damn, I envy you really. What a wonderful literary legacy you have ahead of you! 'Perdido Street Station', 'The Scar', 'Iron Council'. I can tell you all about when and where I was reading each of these. They're like steps in my growth, though as much as I'm supposed to be "becoming a better person", in truth, I havent grown much at all. Still, damn, the USS Hornet. Up all night, the tiny bunks like coffins. And count yourself especially lucky as regards Miéville, because the first time you encounter 'King Rat', you have the opportunity to read it in an optimal state. This is about as great as books get, my friends. For a mere $85.00 you're going to get something that you'll love a lot for along time, you'll spend money that you'll thank yourself for spending, every time you glance at the spine of the whole book, for years to come. Trust me, I know this because this is in the league of the Scream/Press Barker editions that have warmed my heart for some twenty years. It certainly resembles them in quality, size and construction. The slipcase is a heavy, cloth bound box that feels stiffer than any cardboard. It oozes quality. But once you get to the book on the inside, then you'll see what I'm talking about. This is shiny full black leather, with a legible version of China's signature on the cover. The binding is solid and substantial. You want a book that will last for years? This is the book that will last for years. Now, as to the content. This is China's first novel, and, as youd expect, it's beyond excellent. It's not a Bas-Lag novel, but a contemporary novel set to the drum-and-bass beat of the times when it was written. It's every bit as good as anything he's written - and it's rather different, a compelling contemporary fairy tale for adults. Here, you get an introduction by, appropriately, Clive Barker. You get an afterword by China himself, talking about the creation of the book, and looking back on the book in retrospect. Damn, youre lucky, aren't you? Some of us had to read trade paperbacks or Tor hardcovers.
RK: Did you approach Earthling? CM: No! I'd never approach a publisher about doing a limited, I'd feel too self-aggrandizing! They approached me. RK: Also how do you feel about an acclaimed first novel that came out first as a royal PB -- in keeping with the anarchic and democratic nature of the narrative -- coming out as rockingly beautiful exclusive limited edition for obsessive collector geeks? CM: I don't have a problem with it because the mass market is out there. The thing about collectibles is they're only anti-democratic if that's the only format in which something's available. It's an alternative, rather than an exclusionary, market. RK: What input did you have into its creation and design? CM: Not much directly, but we chatted about various concepts and whatnot. It's not my role to lay down limits, and that's fine, a specially designed book is a collaboration with designer and illustrator. RK: How do you feel about the illustrations? Are they "cooking about painting"? CM: Naw, they're great! They are, as I say, a collaboration.RK: Anything you can say about the upcoming versions of the Bas-Lag novels? CM: Nuh uh.RK: And finally, do you cook? What's for dinner? CM: Cheese, vegetarian ham substitute, olives and asparagus. Look, buy the book and cut up your credit card. Not hard, China will approve and you still have time to save up for the upcoming releases in Earthling's Classics series; the next one is a 20th Anniversary edition of Dan Simmons' 'Song of Kali'. But there's a lot more Earthling where this one came from. Stay tuned for tomorrow's column-in-a-news-item! |
07-05-05: Alma Alexander's Roisinan Tales |
||||||
Fantasy
From Down Under
By Terry Weyna
For example: how many of you have read – or even seen – Stephen Dedmans 'The Lady of Situations'? Right – thats what I thought. That means youve missed this talented writers best work, a book that Locus called “amongst the best short story collections of the year” in 1999. It never even saw publication in the U.S. Of course, you won't need to miss it anymore, now that Infrapress.com is bringing out many of the stories in 'Never Seen by Waking Eyes' -- covered here last week. Apparently the way for an Australian or New Zealander to get his or her work published in the States is to move here. Thats what Alma Alexander did, and that, presumably, is why we can treat ourselves to 'The Hidden Queen' (Eos / HarperCollins, $6.99, May 2005) and its sequel, 'Changer of Days' (Eos / HarperCollins, $6.99, June 2005). These lovely little books detail the early life of Anghara Kir Hama following her ascension to the throne of Roisinan upon the death in battle of her father, Red Dynan – and her swift deposition by her illegitimate older brother, Sif Kir Hama.
This is not cutting edge fantasy, but neither is it fantasy to be relegated to the pile of Lord of the Rings clones. You wont find elves or dragons, and the villains here are much more frightening than orcs, because theyre human. What you will find is very good value for the price: a strong story beautifully written, characters skillfully and fully drawn. The transparent style and the smooth flow of the story are mesmerizing. These are excellent books to tuck into the beach bag, to loll with in a hammock on a sunny Sunday, to curl up with on a rainy day. |
07-04-05: 'Captain Bluebear' and 'The Bright Spot' |
||||||
Celebrate Your Independence With Unusual Reading
They're kind of weird. In a good way, in the way that makes reading more fun. Let's get right into Robert Sydney's 'The Bright Spot' (Bantam Spectra / Random House ; July 5, 2005 ; $6.99), because this is the kind of book that definitely deserves a spotlight but may wander outside of your radar. If the cover makes you think more of Lord Peter Wimsey than Philip K. Dick, well, you're on to something. But inside the screwball comedy cover beats a very offbeat heart. 'The Bright Spot' ducks under just about every convention for both the science fiction and mystery genres, though it works deftly in both. Now, while I enjoy the big-scale adventures and the heroes who are secretly avatars of some grand technology, I long for science fiction novels of average Joes in the future. When I read about a transformative technology unleashed by a scientific genius, I often wonder, "Yeah, but what about the folks who live in the burbs, what are they doing? What are their jobs like, their lives like in this future?" Robert J. Sydney's 'The Bright Spot' features Nick and Lu, two actors who are working stiffs just trying to make ends meet. If this sounds suspiciously like the Nick and Nora of Dashiell Hammet, well consider your suspicions confirmed. But Nick and Lu live a world that is more Philip K. Dick than Philip Marlowe, a media-drenched day-after-tomorrow where there's no barrel bottom that has been left unscraped, no barrel that has not been upended and turned over to see what's left beneath. From a teen-oriented adaptation of Milton -- "Lucky Lucifer's Pair'o'Dice" -- to a sequel to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" -- "African Queen meets Last Tango in Paris, but without the butter and leeches" -- Nick and Lu work in one obscenity after another and never even get to the porn business. But then the easy money comes their way, a job re-creating the past for an elderly rich man. Of course, easy money is never clean, and the dirt on these bills involves a time travel scam and a technology that has permeated the marketplace. Then things go from complicated to dangerous, the way they often do. Sydney combines light-hearted humor, insightful satire, and low-key but imaginative technological speculation. All of this and working stiffs too. What more could you ask for? Well, that $6.99 price tag, for starters. And you might want a more attention-grabbing cover, but that's where I come in. See that cover? Do me a favor. Find it and buy it. Strike a blow for the working stiffs, for the average Joes, for the folks in the suburbs, sitting in traffic jams while Mad Scientists Change the World. As it happens, at the end of the day, the working stiffs go home, take off their shoes, put up their feet and relax, and there are a whole lot more of them than there are Mad Scientists or Avatars of the Secret Way. A million madcap Joe Six-Packs are going to Save the World today. Tune in -- to an oddball bit of literature. It looks like a paperback book, but it's going to bring about World Peace.
So just what the hell is 'The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear'? Well, having had this for a week or so, I'd suggest that it's most like an old Stanislaw Lem collection, 'The Star Diaries'. But starring a big blue bear. First off, a bit of history. 'The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear' was first published in Germany in 1999, where it became a massive hit. It was first translated into English in the same year, but only published in the UK. The folks over at Overlook had the wit and wisdom to snap it up and bring it to you and you should thank them, thank them, thank them. This very odd, very imaginative and wonderfully illustrated book is totally delightful. Think Jonathan Swift dipped in 1960's silly psychedelia and offered up with a side order of wonderful woodcut illustration. Or Doctor Who in Blue. Or -- well, there's probably nothing at all like it, which is why I like it. The deal is that Bluebears have 27 lives, but in this volume we only get to see 13 and a half. Each adventure takes place in a baroquely imagined world with enough twists and turns to pad out a season of scripts for the good Doctor. The stories are intricate and subtle, surreal and silly. Did I say silly? We havent had silliness this pure since Douglas Adams picked up a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. What distinguishes this from the positive torrent of similar titles is a density, a complexity that will leave your head spinning in a most pleasant manner. Leavened with entries from the Encyclopedia of the Marvels, Life Forms and Other Phenomena of Zamora and Its Environs by one Professor Abdullah Nightingale, this Bluebear book is the perfect addition to your bedstand stack, and something you can pass on to your kids without fear of being too embarrassed. Though they may wonder at some of the psychedelic aspects. Never admit anything! Just enjoy the non-stop firehose of wild imagination. Epic fantasy mixes with wicked satire and you get to drink the Kool Aid. Hey, it's safe. Really! So look, you can't get the Bluebear book yet, but today, this very instant you can walk on down and pick up The Bright Spot. Celebrate your independence from das Massenmedium. Settle down, enjoy your Average Joe holiday. Get ready to SAVE THE WORLD. |