Review Category: Books

Review: Alien – Out of the Shadows / Author: Tim Lebbon / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: Out Now

The Alien prequel that isn’t Prometheus. The first in a brand new trilogy of novels set in the Alien universe, Tim Lebbon’s Out of the Shadows bridges the gap between Alien and Aliens, with poor Ripley waking up to yet more Xenomorph terror aboard a crashing ship in a decaying orbit above an alien planet.

Did the gap between Alien and Aliens really need bridging? Not really, but Lebbon does it well enough. As the crew aboard a mining ship happen upon both the eponymous aliens and Ellen Ripley, the stage is set for an entertaining return to the Alien universe. With the action skipping from industrial space ships to dusty, alien-infested planets, Lebbon certainly gets the tone and atmosphere right. He handles both the action and the horror well enough, with engineer Hooper emerging as a sympathetic, likeable lead character. The supporting characters are well drawn too; basic archetypes, but easy to like – much like the crew of Alien and the marines of Aliens. Indeed, Ripley’s inclusion is the odd one out, her presence acting like a walking, talking spoiler to the novel’s denouement. We know how Alien ended and how Aliens begins, so there’s always a sense of Out of the Shadows having to work towards a very specific endgame.

Which is a shame, because it tells an otherwise excellent story – marrying the atmosphere of the first film with the action of its sequels – somewhere between the underrated Alien 3 and Resurrection in terms of quality. Like the latter, its unwillingness to let Ripley go is to the story’s detriment (with Hoop’s crush on Ripley coming across as particularly unnecessary) but Lebbon writes her well enough. It’s exciting, tense and makes for very easy reading. The alien attacks are impressively gory, the futuristic world of Alien well-rendered and descriptive.

In spite of its flaws, Out of the Shadows is a fine addition to the Alien mythos. With Prometheus taking the franchise away in a different direction, Out of the Shadows keeps the old one afloat. With two sequels quickly inbound, this is one tie-in to keep an eye on.

Review: What Makes This Book So Great / Author: Jo Walton / Publisher: Tor Books / Release Date: Out Now

What Makes This Book So Great collects together a grand total of one hundred and thirty essays by Jo Walton, covering everything from the days of science fiction long past to series which were printed within the last decade, usually with a focus on young adults novels.

Originally written as blog posts for Tor.com, the essays jump from one subject to the next. The short length of each piece makes this a perfect book for dipping into, while her informal writing style and personal touches add considerably to the appeal, injecting far more humour and humanity than you would generally expect to find in a survey of science fiction. Plus her scattergun approach means you will be constantly coming across new titles worth exploring.

Occasionally, Walton goes overboard with her free-flowing ruminations, and you sometimes wish that her comments had more focus and structure. It’s also a shame that there’s no index, as this would have been a big help in keeping track of her remarks about various authors. Still, with plenty of jokes and interesting observations, this is definitely a fun read for the sci-fi fan. Give it a look if you’re after some humorous and intelligent analysis of the genre’s best.

Review: Sharcano / Author: Jose Prendes / Publisher: Lightning Source UK / Release Date: Out Now

We’re gonna go out on a limb and guess that your initial thoughts were ones of dread and disbelief that the recent trend of ridiculous shark movies Super Shark, Sharknado, Ghost Shark and Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark has now transcended over to the world of the written word. Whilst you’d be correct in this presumption – the main plot of Sharcano does centre on sharks made of molten magma, after all – this completely off-the-wall idea actually works a hell of a lot better in a novel than most of its contemporaries do on screen.

As various events and acts of destruction point to some sort of biblical end for the planet, we find our story tied to cock-sure reporter Mick Cathcart and marine biologist Agnes Brach as they search for answers. Going out on a limb, we can say that the one thing that they didn’t expect to find is a volcano that begins to fire out sharks made of molten lava. In an instance of ‘tough shit’ for them, that’s exactly what they come across. With the assistance of a small band of supporting characters, Mick and Agnes have to put a stop to these over-cooked creatures before the whole world is destroyed.

Yes, Sharcano definitely has a unique premise but author Jose Prendes, who also happened to pen the script for Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark, delivers a story that is fluid, witty, detailed and an easy read. In some ways, it’s impossible not to compare Sharcano to those equally odd movies with similar story arcs, but the imagination is a wonderful tool. Whereas a lot of the problem with the low-budget, bizarre shark movies out there revolves around performance and horrendous effects work, Sharcano’s format removes these issues. It’s down to you, faithful reader, to make Sharcano work; the story certainly holds up its part of the bargain.

The first of an apparent ‘sharkpocalypse’ trilogy – Sharks of the Living Dead is up next – Sharcano is a surprisingly strong story that makes you give credence to the idea that maybe the fodder that usually ends up as a laughable SyFy movie is far more suited to a novel format. Don’t instinctively rush to throw Sharcano into the ocean of ludicrously bad shark tales out there, as we’re given a story that sees the blood-soaked, descriptive destruction of Peter Benchley meet the charm and humour of Bruce Campbell. Prendes’ potentially ridiculous premise delivers a smart, funny, action-filled dip into the fiery depths of hell, balancing well-developed characters, clever plot points, references aplenty and just the right amount of crazy. If this is the start of the sharkpocalypse, consider us happy to be along for the ride.

Review: 20 Trillion Leagues Under the Sea / Author Adam Roberts / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

One of the few things that you can be certain of when picking up a book by Adam Roberts is that it will be clever, quirky and more than a little strange. 20 Trillion Leagues Under the Sea does not disappoint in any of these regards. As you might expect from the title, it’s a tribute of sorts to Jules Verne’s classic tale, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but it takes a rapid and unexpected turn pretty early on.

The tale is set in a post-World War 2 France. Captain Adam Cloche and his hand-picked crew are tasked with testing out an brand new nuclear-powered submarine. Along for the ride is a chap called Lebret, who may or may not be some sort of shadowy secret agent, and two Indian scientists who have been added to the roster in order to keep an eye on the nuclear engine. Early on, we’re given the first of many twists; a government report tells the reader that the ship vanished, all hands lost. As the story unfolds, we discover that the submarine is rapidly sinking and has (quite improbably) sunk further than it is physically possible to do.

The way the crew deals with this bizarre catastrophe sets the narrative up nicely for a sequence of disasters and survival stories. The claustrophobic atmosphere, the rampant paranoia and the inevitable madness are all part of a cleverly woven tale of how someone might cope when matters get truly bizarre. 20 Trillion Leagues Under the Sea is stuffed full of impossible things from improbable wonders to chthonic horrors that would give many nightmare creatures reason to pause.

Though the characters are interesting and the whole thing enjoyable, Roberts’ tale does suffer from trying to be a bit sharper and smarter than it needs to be. From the subtle hints at the start that the world is not quite what it should be to the very strange sequences toward the end, 20 Trillion Leagues Under the Sea often crosses the line between wonder and confusing nonsense, but in the end it balances out. Adam Roberts shines when he is telling impossible tales in a way that even the greatest of sceptics will believe, and this is one that will have you pondering and debating for weeks after you have completed the book.

Review: Harvest of Time (Doctor Who)/ Author: Alastair Reynolds / Publisher: BBC Books / Release Date: Out Now

Harvest of Time is an adventure for the Third Doctor written by Alastair Reynolds. It is one of a series of Doctor Who novels penned by well-known science fiction authors and follows Michael Moorcock’s The Coming of the Terraphiles and Stephen Baxter’s Wheel of Ice.

The story of Harvest of Time comes at you from two directions: one of these is a conventional 1970s Third Doctor tale with plenty of action and intrigue; the other a tale of a race at the end of time whose manipulations are felt back in the twentieth century.

In terms of tradition we have UNIT, the Brigadier and Jo Grant all trying to deal with mysterious events at sea that are the precursor to invasion by the Sild. The Sild are crab-like aliens who take over those they encounter and are intent on capturing the Master! Meantime the Master has been helping a shadowy government project that involves the use of advanced technology that inadvertently sends messages forward in time. If all this weren’t enough, the Doctor realises that the Master is being erased from time – to save the world the Doctor must save the Master!

At the end of time we meet the Red Queen and a race of aliens plundering an apparently desolate ship to gain access to time travel. In the midst of this we suddenly encounter other incarnations of the Master and this section is the least canonical part of the story. That to one side, most of the story has plenty of UNIT action and some highly original encounters. There are probably more temporal paradoxes than Jon Pertwee encountered in his whole time as the Doctor on television but none of that should be interpreted as spoiling what is an enjoyable read. One of the pleasures of reading books such as this is finding an author that clearly should be asked to write more stories for this or indeed other Doctors.

If you are a fan of Alastair Reynolds then there is enough imagination in this tale to interest even non-Doctor Who fans; if you are a Whovian then there is plenty of authenticity to this tale. If you are both, you probably already have the hardback edition – if not, then this is strongly recommended.

Review: The Heart of Valour / Author: Tanya Huff / Publisher: Titan Books / Release Date: Out Now

If there’s anything to compliment about Tanya Huff’s progression through this series, it’s that she never takes a step back with her books. While certain themes will certainly arise time and again, usually problems with ranking individuals, it’s always presented in some new way and methods are found to develop her universe.

Following on from the events of the last book, the recently promoted Torin Kerr has found herself sidelined in the war. Bored to tedium with the constant briefings and paperwork, she jumps at the chance to participate in a number of training scenarios when given the opportunity by an old friend. Unfortunately, the initially easy assignment is soon proven to have more problems than teaching grunts to shoot down training drones.

Away from the confines of a massive starship, the book feels like much more of a return to form. The environments and setting are somewhat closer to those which the first book featured and lack the issues which plagued the last book’s milieu. The training environments prove to be something genuinely new to the series, offering great variety, and they are integrated into the plot far better than the starship was.

Furthermore, these grounds serve as an excuse to show just why Torin has managed to build up a small legend around herself, storming through these situations which should be stacked against the wet behind the ears trainees she is accompanying. Seeing her in part through the eyes of others in this way helps to better introduce her abilities before they really come into play against a true foe.

There is also a much better use of the various races here and their radically different biologies. Even after cultural integration there are problems which simply cannot be overcome.

Oddly, it’s the character interaction which is weaker here. While some characters stand out well, there’s only so many times that the recruits can come across as inexperienced before it becomes grating. This is something only made weaker by the occasions where Huff opts to dump information upon the reader rather than showing it.

While not as great a tale as Valour’s Choice, The Heart of Valour is a step up from The Better Part of Valour and still a fun read. If you’re after some great science fiction military action, with a good sense of humour, then give this one a look.

Review: Tales From the Black Meadow / Author: Chris Lambert / Publisher: CreateSpace / Release Date: Out Now

The Black Meadow is a mysterious area of land in North Yorkshire around a vanishing village about which strange folk tales abound. A university professor went missing in 1972 while investigating the myths of the area, and this collection of local legends forms part of his research that has been recently uncovered.

All that is, of course, completely made up, but it is the basis upon which Chris Lambert builds a collection of tales, poems, songs and artwork, making a book that amounts to one of the few contemporary examples of the “found manuscript” subgenre.

Anchoring the collection and providing an origin for the weird goings-on is the tale of the Rag and Bone Man, a farmer tortured and beaten to near death by the henchmen of a noble who then stole his wife, sold his children and built the village on his land. This leads to him periodically enveloping the village in a dark mist and swallowing the settlement within his cursed body, causing it to vanish from the world – Brigadoon-like – until he can hold it no longer.

The stand out entries include Beyond the Moor, a poem about a maiden accosted by a bandit who remains unafraid due to having been to the “beyond” of the title and returned. It’s a poem whose structure, mood and use of a repetitive refrain echoes Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven. Also of note are Children of the Black Meadow, where a bereaved mother resurrects her deceased kids as blackberry bramble homunculi; cyclical damnation tale The Coal Man and the Creature; and the paranoia-inducing sucker punch The Watcher From the Village.

Although the twist ending of many of the tales can be predicted, the skill with which they are weaved means getting to it never becomes tedious. Some of the descriptive elements of the stories are a little matter-of-fact, breaking the folk tale mood, but for the most part the aesthetic remains convincing. And because the songs and poems often allude to the events of the stories, this is a collection that strongly invites a second reading.

In the back of Robert Rankin’s novel A Dog Called Demolition, there is what he claims to be the first ever soundtrack to a book: a “two-sided” (light and dark) listing of mostly rock, metal and punk songs to listen to while reading the book, with the proviso “play loud; there’s no other way.” Tales From the Black Meadow takes this idea one step further, providing an actual CD of music to accompany the stories. All but one track is named after one of the tales and the music of each complements its narrative counterpart. The slight scratchy crackle of the music effectively dates it, making it sound as though it could have been copied from a vinyl record from the ’70s. Such is its atmospheric precision, the CD even manages to glean a positive sleeve quotation from perennially misanthropic comic book author Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan). A second disc contains readings of four of the tales and a fictional Radio 4 documentary named Curse of the Black Meadow, detailing the history of research into the bizarre phenomena occurring within the eldritch mist.

Review: Snowblind / Author: Christopher Golden / Publisher: Headline / Release Date: Out Now

Twelve years ago the Massachusetts town of Coventry was hit by a huge snowstorm in which several people died. But there was something in that storm, something deadly and ancient, something that peered through children’s windows with cruel and malevolent eyes. Now it’s coming back.

Snowblind is Christopher Golden’s latest horror opus, and although his name may not be synonymous with the genre, like Stephen King’s or James Herbert’s, he’s certainly no stranger to it, having collaborated with Hellboy and Sookie Stackhouse creators Mike Mignola and Charlene Harris. Like his contemporary Stephen King, Golden has a knack for creating believable characters; any one of them could easily be your next door neighbour.

Most prominent among these is widowed school teacher Allie Schapiro, who loses two loved ones during the first storm, and police detective Joe Keenan, who is still haunted by that night when he failed to save the life of a young boy. There’s Miri Ristani, who was so traumatised by that night that she moved across the continent – but then she receives a phone call… from a man who died twelve years ago. The remaining characters include a bar owner, a mechanic and part-time criminal and a recluse who lost his younger brother, amongst others.

And therein lies a problem. There are just too many characters for the novel’s three hundred plus pages. This is a book that would have benefited greatly from a smaller cast. However, that’s a minor quibble, as the tension building up to the oncoming storm is chillingly high (pun intended). One very disturbing sequence involves a little girl who begins acting and talking in a manner exactly like her late grandmother. But hers is not an isolated case. Golden wisely never reveals the origins of the creatures that hide in the storm. Are they gods from a long forgotten culture, or are they an elemental force that has existed since time began? It’s not important. What is important is that Golden has created a darn good contemporary ghost story that’s perfect for a cold winter’s evening and it will make you think twice before venturing out in the snow after dark.

Review: Shadow of the Raven / Author: Robert Charles / Publisher: Self-published / Release Date: Out Now

Exiled to the home of his ancestral enemies to take a position even he considers a joke, Ambassador Edric Saran finds his already unwanted job made harder when he becomes the prime suspect for a murder case. Hunted through the streets with little but his wits and an unlikely ally as his only defences, he soon finds that clearing his name is but the first step in a far deadlier task…

This is a first-person narrative, and the manner in which we see the world through Saran’s eyes is the book’s greatest strength of the book, with his observations and thoughts embellishing every scene. Both his personality and predicament help greatly in driving the story forwards, and he also serves as a useful guide to the world around him, explaining its long history and troubles.

The book’s problems mostly come with the actual story rather than the world or characters. A surprising number of plot points are abruptly resolved at around the midway point and, while they might link into a much larger tale, it makes the story feel oddly staccato, especially as some of the later scenes seem tacked on and superfluous.

There’s also a lack of clarity as how certain fantastical elements work, with one group of unstoppable foes seemingly coming out of nowhere. These moments can easily throw off a reader and they occur a few times too often for the book’s own good.

Yet despite a few glaring issues, Shadow of the Raven has enough to it to make it well worth reading. Those after an engaging, fast-paced and entertaining fantasy tale could do worse than give it a go.

Review: The Cormorant / Author: Chuck Wendig / Publisher: Angry Robot Books / Release Date: Out Now

Oh, poor Miriam Black. The foul-mouthed American gutter trash is back, still cursed with the power to know exactly when you’ll die simply by touching you. The Cormorant is the latest adventure featuring the vile yet sympathetic Miriam, a woman who has flipped the bird to fate so many times it’s impossible not to root for her through her alcohol-fuelled, blood-soaked escapades.

Those familiar with the series will know that the central protagonist is literally fated to end up in a big ball of trouble, and this happens early on. She saves some people and as a consequence winds up heading across to Florida to shake hands with a rich man who simply wants to know how he will die. Alas, the dark forces that are woven into her very being are at play yet again, and the reader finds themselves on the supernatural and emotional roller coaster that is her life. The Cormorant sees the main character whittled down to her very core, exhausted in every possible way but still standing, still screaming and still doing her best to turn the tables on the darkness that makes the world spin.

Chuck Wendig’s understanding of the rot that lies within the heart of everyday life in America is at the core of this series, and with The Cormorant many of the underlying themes of the series are stripped bare. This is a book about screaming into the darkness to carry a single bead of light, even though the cost is always more than anyone could ever pay. Though marketed as urban fantasy, this is really a horror adventure thriller blended with the best of all things uniquely American and Gothic. The narrative flows quickly and laconically, shifting into cinematic action for the gorier and more graphic scenes before dipping back into a free-flowing storytelling style that makes the main character all the more engaging. Wendig makes the reader want to hug his protagonist and give her some words of encouragement, whilst at the same time being utterly terrified of going anywhere near her.

New readers should begin with the excellent Blackbirds; this book is too filled with the mythology of the previous two books to be enjoyably navigable by those unfamiliar with territory. As always, Chuck Wendig is a dark and bitter treat to be enjoyed by those in the know.