Lawrence yet again shakes up the Doctor Who universe with this eye strain inducing epic of apes and whores. Plus some other stuff too. Not as good as it should have been and unfortunately Larry's "I'm better than the rest of you" arrogance seems to be more evident here than in many other books.
I'm a sucker for uchronia (alternate history) and Harry Turtledove is the biggest name in the field. This was the third part of the Colonisation trilogy (or the 7th part of the Worldwar Octology (one more epilogue book to come)) and it's clear that Harry needs a bit more editing. This trilogy, at least, made one feel like you had just witnessed a three book snap shot rather than an epic struggle. Perhaps if he published fewer than his normal 5 books a year he would put out a better product? A bit disappointing.
I'm a huge fan of Jan Harold Brunvand's collections of urban legends and this latest book was his biggest yet with updated information on many old favourites and some new ones. I guarantee that you'll find several things in here that have been told to you as completely true.
The inside story of the world's biggest soccer club. Not really a tell all book but an interesting study of marketing, takeovers, wheeler dealing and down right dirty tricks. The most important thing at many sports clubs goes on off the pitch.
A surprisingly dark tale of the Eighth Doctor in a cartoon world. Lyons skillfully turns what could have been a travesty into a touching and intelligent tale. Only marginally let down by the explanations at the end. Maybe it would have been better with things unresolved?
The first part of the Age of Unreason quartet. A rather fantastical twist on the alternate history notion. This follows a young Ben Franklin in a world where Newton worked on magic and alchemy rather than physics. I haven't read book 4 yet, but the other 2 whilst still good are a little too fantastical for my liking.
I admit I like big sprawling fantasy epics, and this is one of the better ones and is also a bit more standalone than most with no annoying wait-another-2-years cliffhangers.
I am quite a fan of McDevitt's space operas. He writes good solid stuff without heading into the world of pulp. This story concerns the crashing of a small space craft onto a disintegrating planet and the race against time to rescue it.
A wonderful Eighth Doctor tale. A very different base under siege story with time travel. Told well and in a very gritty manner. Very different in style to Morris's hilarious Fourth Doctor book "Festival of Death".
The second part of Pullman's YA fantasy "His Dark Materials". Although still excellent this book lacks the sense of wonder of the first book and the emotional wrench of the third. I'm looking forward to my soon to be born daughter becoming old enough that I can read these to her.
The third part of Baxter's "Manifold" trilogy. Although each book does stand alone things make more sense together as we see protagonist Reid Malenfant in three wildly different futures, each exploring the Fermi paradox. Origin in some ways owes a lot to Baxter's earlier and sadly out of print "Anti-Ice" with some great steampunk scenes.
In the last 10 years Toronto has become a hot bed for science fiction writers and one of the best is Robert Charles Wilson. He very quietly and quite slowly has built up one of the most impressive bodies of SF in the last 10 years. The Chronoliths is a fabulous tale of an encroaching future war told like most of his books through the eyes of ordinary people. Many of his books use the plot as background to the more human tale. If you like your stories all neatly tied up then he almost certainly is not for you.
Erikson has burst onto the scene in the UK over the last 3 years w ith the first 3 volumes of his epic 10 book "Malazan Book of the Fallen". If you like happy clappy David Eddings style fantasy, Erikson won't be your scene. This is probably the darkest fantasy that's ever been published (the big US publishers won't touch him apparently; are you listening Patrick Nielson Hayden?) Memories of Ice is the third book and is the weakest of the three so far published. This book feels like a side tale of a new war which strikes me as being less interesting than the storyies of the Empress and the events of "Deadhouse Gates". It is nice to see Whiskeyjack and The Bridgeburners central stage though.
After Lloyd Rose's magnificent forst Doctor Who novel "City of the Dead" we all wondered what she would do for an encore. She came along with this a tale every bit as impressive. A wonderful arc novel and easily the best use the Sabbath character.
The first book in the fabulous "His Dark Materials" fantasy/uchronia. A wonderfully evocative tale of an alternate Oxford with dastardly villains and adventure. This series should have done for children's books what Harry Potter did. It didn't and it won't, but your kids will love you if you give them these to read.
Erikson's impressive debut took the internet by storm in 1999. One of the few cases where a book has been published to little fanfare only to have word of mouth (computer?) turn the book into a fantasy bestseller. Complicated and dark, like it's sequels it deserves to be more widely read.
The wonderfully told story of the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Around the World Yacht Race. One of the few cases the truth really is stranger than fiction. The names Chay Blyth, Robin Knox Johnston and John Ridgeway are famous in the UK mainly due to the exploits in this book. Then on top of this there is the heart-rending tragic story of Donald Crowhurst, one of the most infamous names in British "sport".
The conclusion to "His Dark Materials". A wonderful, wonderful climax to one the best written childrens stories ever. Exciting and emotional pay off to the story. I cried.
Part cyberpunk, part World War II adventure, part science fiction this is a book that defies genre description. It's also very, very funny, the scene where the mathematicians are trying to divide up a family estate in a car park had me in stitches. If you're unsure about this book, take the plunge, you won't regret it.
The second epic in "Malazan Book of the Fallen". The story has shifted from "Gardens of the Moon" and is a fabulously convoluted tale of rebellion against the Empress. After "Gardens of the Moon" everything seems black and white as to who you're supposed to be supporting. After "Deadhouse Gates" things are much much cloudier. A wonderful read, which deserves a much wider audience.
Bubbling under the top 20 were (in no order) Doctor Who: Asylum by Peter Darvill Evens The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind The Martian Race by Greg Benford Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear Empress of the Endless Dream by Tom Arden Doctor Who : Trading Futures by Lance Parkin A Shadow on the Glass by Ian Irvine Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett Doctor Who : Ten Little Aliens by Stephen Cole
Please Email me at steve.traylen@att.net
Last update 05/SEPTEMBER/2002
