okay, so there's no reason to take my opinion on these, but in my general fight against illiteracy and general stupidity and ignorance, i feel i must guide the masses in their reading material. so check these out. oh, and yes, you will see a disproportionate number of tor and forge books on this page--i get them free so they make up a large part of my reading list.
NEW!
Maelstrom by Peter Watts (Tor)
Okay, if Star Fish blew me out of the water, Maelstrom sucked me back in so deep I was hoping I could grow gills so I could stay in longer. In other words, the sequel to Watts' debut novel Star Fish was as good as its predecessor. The beginnings a little confusing, to be honest, but once you get your bearings, this book will suck you into the undertow with such force and speed you won't know what hit you.
I guess I can tease you with a little of the plot. Those that survive the wreckage of Star Fish (which I won't get specific on so I don't ruin the first book if you were silly or unlucky enough not to have read it yet) are struggling in a wild new world. The threat that rose from the deeps of ocean has not been laid to rest as those in charge had hoped, and a new threat has arisen: Lenie Clarke. Bruised, beaten, and abused, Clarke is ready to mete out vengeance on anyone and anything, and woe to those who stand in her way. And the wonder of this book? You won't know whether to cheer her on or pray for her death. What kind of author would do that to his hero? you say. Only a great one, because only a great author could pull this off as Watts has.
Billy the Kid: The Legend of El Chivato by Elizabeth Fackler (Forge)
If you think you know the life of Billy the Kid because you saw Young Guns, you are sorely mistaken. Elizabeth Fackler, in Billy the Kid: The Legend of El Chivato, introduces readers to America's favorite rebel in a whole new way. From his move to the West to his final days, Fackler portrays a moving portrait of a young man who is simply trying--trying to live, trying to love, trying to survive.
Billy the Kid is historical fiction at its finest: moving, fast-paced, and historically accurate. Fackler gives us the spirit of the West, the spirit of Billy, and a hell of a novel that will have you alternately on the edge of your seat and choking back tears. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good book.
Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse (Roc)
It is not so far in the future in Lyda Morehouse's debut novel, Archangel Protocol, and she has presented here a world as intricate and believable as our own. Morehouse shows us a society where science has dealt so many blows to humankind with its war machines, that religion has risen again as a great power, and most countries are now theocracies. Even the good old United States pretty much requires all citizens to be part of a major, organized religion--and if they're not, they cannot connect to the LINK, a grand world wide web that is accessed through an implant linked directly to the brain. If you aren't connected, you are pretty much cut off from everything--business, commerce, politics, socializing . . . everything. And this is the plight of Deidra McMannus, an ex-cop whose implant has been shut off after her partner committed a horrible crime.
Stuck in the limbo of the disconnected and trying to survive, Deidre is suddenly swept up in a mystery that becomes a conspiracy that is much greater than she could ever have imagined--spanning not only the LINK, but perhaps Heaven and Hell. Morehouse will drag you along through this mystery at a break neck pace. But the action isn't all there is to keep you reading. You'll find amazing depth of character here, and with her skills at building a believable and textured world, you can't help but be carried away. It isn't just the good guys either. Read this and you might just find yourself sympathizing with cops, devils, angels, AI's, and internationally renowned hackers, so open with caution! This book will open your mind and you won't be able to close it again.
The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck
The Log from the Sea of Cortez, with the Appendix, About Ed Ricketts, is just about the best nonfiction about science I've ever read. It also surprised me like no other book has surprised me in ages. First off, even with Steinbeck as author, I feared it would be a dry cataloging of sea creatures. Secondly, having only read Steinbeck's serious books (Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, To a God Unknown) I expected something serious.
If this is what you expect when you open this book, you are dead wrong. Not only does this book log the research expedition of the Western Flyer, documenting the do's and don't's of research for those who follow, but it also delves into the reasons for such expeditions. These reasons range from the need to fulfill pure curiosity about the ocean, to the companionship unique to seafaring, to learning about and respecting the cultures of the people they encountered on the trip. Steinbeck also mixes in a heavy dose of philosophy on everything from beer and diesel engines to politics, hunting, and the nature of questioning. The big surprise: He does all this with a sense of humor, one that had me laughing outloud nearly every page, and reading aloud pages to anyone who would listen.
This, my friends, is a damn fine book.
But it does not end there; there is a bonus. In the Penguin edition (I don't know about others) there is an Appendix called About Ed Ricketts, Ed Ricketts being the marine biologist who led the Western Flyer's expedition. He was also a dear friend of Steinbeck's, and the basis for one of the main characters in Cannery Row. Now, this essay is both sad and a joy to read, because it is a dedication to the man after he has died, but it is also a celebration of his life, written with loving humor. I don't think I've ever read something that so effectively portrayed a person that I, at the same time, wanted to meet the person and felt like I knew him my whole life. And taken out of context, pretending this was not about a real man, a man deeply loved by the writer, this narrative serves to remind us all that living life, taking an active part in it, whatever that active part may be, is what it's all about.
So, I repeat, this is a damn fine book.
King Rat by China Mieville (Tor Books)
This should be the next book you read. I don't say this lightly, because I for one have the most god-awful high pile of books and manuscripts to be read (working for an editor afterall) that it is almost (yes, almost) overwhelming. But this book blew my mind. It is about a young man, Saul Garamond, who is swept up quite literally into a fairy tale--only the modern, dirty underside of the fairy tale I'm nearly afraid to say more for fear of ruining it, but let's just say that on top of a fast paced plot I found excellent, poetic writing, some serious soul searching, and an honesty I think is rare in anyone these days. So go on--go read it . . .
Starfish by Peter Watts (Tor Books)
Some may disagree with me, but I think this is just about the best science fiction book I've read in about, oh, five years. I'll confess to being biased, given my passion for all things oceanic and belief that there is not enough science fiction about the one place on Earth we haven't fully explored yet. But let me tell you, this book did something I doubted was possible--it blended an amazing, eclectic group of characters into a background of utterly convincing, fascinating science.
In this novel, there is such a shortage of energy that corporations find it profitable to build and populate complexes at the bottom of the ocean around hydrothermal vents to harvest the energy for electricity. But they discover that the only people who can handle the isolation and pressure of living in constant danger are people who are by our standards, well, crazy. And amid all the technology of getting people to live and work beneath the ocean, the biology and geology of the hydrothermal vents, and the relationships of the inhabitants of the undersea complex, a completely plausible and terrifying threat arises (which I won't spoil for you).
The Martyring by Thomas Sullivan (Tor Books)
The Hauptmann's have a secret, one as old as time and far more dangerous. Kurt Nehmer did not inherit the Hauptmann name from his mother, but as this novel progresses, we find out if he carries the Hauptmann secret inside him. The novel follows Kurt as he moves from Germany to Florida to learn the trade of making stain glass with his Hauptmann relatives. Meanwhile, as Kurt finds he doesn't quite fit in with his family, Detective Skelote finds he doesn't fit in with life anymore. He's the classic downtrodden detective faced with a series of gruesome murders in his quiet (and paranoid) little retirement town. The book jumps between his and Kurt's points of view, occasionally dropping in a murder scene where a pious victim is brutally killed. This makes the narrative a bit choppy, but the personal strife of Kurt and the detective redeem it, making it a generally good read. Overall, where the writing is sometimes lacking, the story is haunting enough to make up for it.
