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Of Mammoths and Time Tunnels The real book roadtest. A bumper crop of reviews this month. Something for everyone in whatever format and taste - good and bad. We also look behind the covers of Print on Demand (PoD). The Mammoth Book Of Science Fiction edited by Mike Ashley
Picking out favourites will have to be based on this reviewer’s taste. ‘Fire Watch’ by Connie Willis is one I’ve seen before but captures that time travel moment of living in the London blitz of WW2. The very much under-rated Colin Kapp’s ‘The Pen And The Dark’ shows a classic example of lateral thinking when dealing with the unknown. ‘Except My Life3’ by John Morressy is a private cloned-detective-cum-dragnet voiced story with a novel twist in the tale. Clifford Simek’s ‘A Death In The House’ deals with the consequences when a farmer has an alien die on him and wants him left buried than investigated. The hysterically funny ‘A Ticket To Tranai’ by Robert Sheckley shows that a planet where utopia is in the eye of the beholder. What is rather odd is that all these stories come under ‘and many others’ on the book cover not the ones the publisher thinks will sell the book. I think it would have made more sense had editor Ashley to have spread the themes throughout the book rather than clump them together. As commented above, it draws too much comparison in material qualitity. On the other hand, if it attracts younger readers to read some of the older authors that might not be a bad thing. If you like anthologies, then I think you’ll be adding this one to your collection. GF Willmetts check out website: www.constablerobinson.com Carolan’s Concerto by Caiseal Mór
O'Carolan, a young apprentice blacksmith, is mad about Bridget Cruise, a pretty girl who is well to do. One evening, harpist David Murphy plays in the house where they both work as servants. Bridget is mad for him. All the girls love a harpist. Later, in a grove frequented by the Faeries, O'Carolan swears he will learn the harp. He contracts smallpox and goes blind but does get apprenticed to a harp teacher. He learns to play and the Faeries send him tunes while he sleeps, so he becomes a composer of note. He travels around Ireland with his servant Hugh O'Connor, playing in the houses of the wealthy, including Dean Swift, and becomes famous and well loved. A harsher critic, James Blish, would crucify the author for his writing style. The book is made unnecessarily long by tedious conversations that don't advance the plot. The characters accuse, grunt, suggest, exclaim, admit, gasp and sigh everything. Very little is ‘said’. Mor seems to dislike pronouns. Instead of ‘he’ the hero is usually called ‘the lad’ where his name would be awkwardly repeated. Horses, after their initial mention, are referred to in the next sentence as ‘the four-legged beasts.’ Is ‘they’ so offensive? Are there any readers who think horses have six legs or two? Only the style-conscious reader will worry about that though. The core story is pretty good. O'Carolan actually existed, his music is available and it was interesting to learn something of his life and times. Without the Faeries and the frame story this would be a good historical novel. With them it's not a very fantastic fantasy. However, it has a certain charm and as its theme a Cavalier philosophy with which I am in complete accord. It would be fun to get drunk with the author. Eamonn Murphy check out website: www.earthlight.co.uk The One Kingdom (War Book 1) by Sean Russell
The story can be broken down into three main strands: the Renné plot to kill their leader Toren, the Valemen's river journey and Elise Wills' desperate attempts to avoid an arranged marriage that would cause a devastating war. Behind all this is an immense history - legends of sorcerers, great battles, mysterious Fáel, secret knightly orders, ghosts, hidden places - so much, in fact, that in places it is almost overwhelming. If Russell had been any less masterful, this book would have been a passive boat ride towards a predictable conclusion. Instead, he has used classic cues to create an original, enchanting story filled with memorable characters in believable environments. The text is heavy with symbolism, none more prominent than the river Wynnd, which wends down from the newly inhabited Vales to the ancient Kingdom homelands: 'It seemed to be a dark vein of mystery running through the hills. A vessel bearing the souls of a lost race. Had they offered their dead to the river? Tam wondered. Were these countless generations confined to the sunless depths, all drifting south toward the endless sea?' There is a definite inevitability about the book, but it is deliberate and powerfully used. It reads like a Greek tragedy, complete with death-singing birds, pacts with spirits, morality tale asides and endless political scheming. Not only that but it is almost self-analytical as it explores the meaning and importance of storytelling: 'We are alive, though briefly. Then we are memory, for the lives of those who knew us. And then we are story. Story lasts longest of all - if there is any story to tell... Some write their story across a single field or the walls of a cottage. Some write them across an entire land, an entire age.' This story is certainly impressive and it is the tantalising hints at backstory that make you keep turning the pages. Throughout it all, a dark and bloody history drips from half-spoken sentences and seemingly careless remarks. The ending, although dramatic in itself, was dampened by a sense of incompletion but, with the history firmly established, the rest of this series is set to be an exhilarating read. As a final note, it must be said, that the female characters in this book were woefully undeveloped. Elise, who is supposed to be twenty years old, reacts like a spoilt child to every event. She is weak and unresourceful to such an extent that I honestly didn't care what happened to her. With naïve, irrelevant musings such as that beautiful women are 'terribly uninteresting' and 'prisoners of their own beauty', I doubt that she'll ingratiate herself to many other female readers either - something that could be a potential problem in this male-dominated tale. Hopefully though, this is just part of Russell's grand plan and she'll bloom into a force to be reckoned with in the rest of the saga - in a struggle between armed force and diplomacy, there's certainly scope for an expansion of her role. Lucy A.E. Ward check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk Antrax (The Voyage Of Jerle Shannara Book 2) by Terry Brooks
Meanwhile, Walker is still hunting for the books supposed to lie within Castledown that contain the most powerful magic of all: "a storehouse of knowledge" from "a world of science". But the ruins hold a deadly secret: the computer Antrax, built almost 3000 years before to be "the perfect weapon. The ultimate protector". Once fuelled by solar power, it now runs on magic drained from its victims. The Druid, the witch and their companions could keep it going for years. And Antrax has the Druid trapped in the maze beneath Castledown. First a confession: I've not read the first book in the series. But it doesn't matter: 'Antrax' can stand on its own. (Although you'll probably gain more, as in any series, from reading the first book.) Brooks is a master of writing protracted series and recognises that not everyone will read every book. So he slips the basic information you need to follow the plot seamlessly into the story, masterfully avoiding info-dumps. You soon pick up the storyline, almost without realising. Indeed, 'Antrax' isn't badly written, although the style is competent rather than inspired. Brook's workmanlike prose and rather pared-back descriptions serve simply to support the plot rather than making any attempt at literary finesse. And narrative is Brook's great strength. He's a masterful storyteller and keeps the yarn moving with numerous twists to keep you interested. 'Antrax's narrative pace is compelling. You're swept along by the story so fast that you don't have time to think too deeply. Similarly, the characterisation is adequate - just - to ensure you remain engaged with the plot. Each of the characters has a story to tell. Each has a burden to carry. Each faces potentially lethal threats. However, the characters lack emotional, motivational and psychological complexity and ambiguity. So there's little depth, little uncertainty, little evolution in their characters. They seem untouched by the carnage around them, for example. Certainly, continual exposure to violence can lead to desensitisation. But the lack of any real depth in the characters meant that I didn't really care whether any of them - even the leads - lived or died. For me, the characters soon became sword fodder. For example, there's a horror set piece where a mutilated cyborg- a kind of fantasy Borg or cyberman - attacks some of our heroes. I'm sure Brooks intended this to invoke a sense of menace and pathos. And, to be fair, he almost succeeds. However, the lack of deep characterisation lets him down. I cared so little about the characters that I wanted one to be torn apart by the creature. At least it would have sprinkled some Grand Guignol spice into the story. Don't get me wrong: 'Antrax' certainly isn't a bad book. It is never boring. Indeed, it's a pleasant enough way of whiling away a few hours, especially if you'd had a hard week and don't want anything too demanding. But it's all so conventional. Anyone with any familiarly with the genre has read the same type of story, with the same type of characters, time-and-time before. Brooks seems to make no attempt to inject anything new into the genre. No attempt to push at fantasy's boundaries. No attempt to challenge our preconceptions about sword and sorcery. Brook's world of the Four Lands is about as far from Melnibone and Viriconium as you can get. However, I have a feeling that Brooks' legions of fans wouldn't welcome a radical departure from the fantasy heartland. Brooks is a best-selling author and as such, I doubt if his intended audience is the jaded connoisseur of fantasy. Rather Brooks seems to aim his books at people who want reasonably well-written, fast-moving - but unchallenging, conventional and safe - fantasy. And that's exactly what he delivers. Mark Greener check out website: www.earthlight.co.uk The Time Tunnel by Murray Leinster
I have a say ‘semi-novelisation’ because after the introductory chapters that introduces Project Tic-Toc and Tony Newman bringing a Senator to the desert stronghold which mirrors the pilot episode, the three journeys in time aren’t. All the regular cast are there: apart from Newman, we have the other scientists, Doug Phillips and Ann MacGregor, and the military presence of General Kirk. With the Senator threatening to cut off funds to the Project, Newman uses the Time Tunnel to visit the past. When he has difficulties getting back, Phillips joins him. Together they realise that they have to fulfil the past events before the tunnel can whisk them off somewhere else. Shades of ‘Quantum Leap’ except this was written 30 years earlier and this particular condition wasn’t mentioned in the TV series. Leinster also allows them to carry earring aids and ‘picture tubes’ - we call them video cameras these days - so the home team can see what is happening and can advise them. In a direct comparison to the series, which relied more on the Tunnel to watch events, this is more a demonstration of Leinster considering how things would probably be done than under a TV budget. With his status as a well-known SF writer at the time - not to mention writing a book two years previous also called ‘Time Tunnel’ - Leinster probably had enough leverage to write it the way he saw fit. As the interest in reading this book was to see what had sparked their interest while planning the re-make, it looks like they might well stay with Leinster’s time fulfilment doing something that would otherwise remain unexplained before moving on or returning to the Project. As noted above, they can even quote the book without being a ‘Quantum Leap’ clone. It’s no wonder these producers believe they can do a fresh revival of Project Tic-Toc. The book itself is part of ‘The Time Tunnel’ history. If you have an interest in the TV series then this book is worth locating before prices rise. I found my copy on ABEbooks.com for $4 plus postage. Prices vary here depending on condition and how much you want to pay but there’s probably enough for our readership. You can probably use the same method to get this one, its sequel or Leinster’s early book. Even for the passage of time, 36 years, since it’s been written, Leinster is still a good storyteller. He doesn’t baffle with science and explains sufficiently for the novice to understand what is going on. Time travel is still very much ‘out there’ as concepts go and it's only the technology names that look quaint. Queue music. Turn the egg timer. Watch out for the sprinkling of sand. GF Willmetts A Brief History Of Hell (Book 1 of The Spirit Chronicles) by
Keith Rommel Travis Winter is a soldier murdered during the Second World War, destined to become an angel, the Spirit of Independence of the title. He is chosen to become a guardian angel but he is not very good at it considering that one of his charges commits suicide. On top of that, when he is pulled into Hell and meets the Devil, named Navarro, he begins to doubt God, not a good thing in an angel. To be quite frank, that's as far as I got. This has to be one of the worst books I've ever tried to read. It has all the grip of a bald tyre. The storyline is appalling. Good fantasy makes us believe the incredible is credible. This writer couldn't even make the credible credible. The only good thing about it is the cover. Great design. This book is a waste of time, a waste of money and a waste of trees. What makes it even worse is that three more books are in the pipeline. I have nothing against Christian fantasy. C.S. Lewis and Stephen Lawhead, to name but two. If you want to read about the war between the angels try the relevant books of Milton's 'Paradise Lost'. If you want humour read Tom Holt, Pratchett or Gaiman's 'Good Omens.' Anything! But don't waste your time and money on this author, unless you have no taste whatsoever, in which case there is no hope for you. My copy is destined for the bin. Definitely not recommended. John Oram check out website: www.barclaybooks.com Celtika (The Merlin Codex Book 1) by Robert Holdstock
Seven hundred years later, Merlin seeks out Jason from his resting place, held in the ropes on the mast of the Argo, in the depths of the Screaming Lake in a frozen country far to the north. Raising the ship - and Jason with it - Merlin initiates a quest that will take him back to Macedonia (and to the land that would become England in centuries to come) in search of Jason's sons and, almost incidentally, the truth about Medea. It's an extraordinary tale, brutal and relentless, set in a world where ancient tribal gods exist uneasily side by side and must be appeased. Where plants and animals and even the bones of the planet have sentience and can help - or hinder - human endeavour. There's a real sense of the timelessness of Merlin's existence in the book as well as a forgetfulness of time passing that's almost disturbing in its appeal. The unravelling of the mystery of his origins, his relationship with Medea and why he is immortal creates an intriguing backdrop to the uncompromising reality of the action. Celtika is complex, sophisticated and very well researched. The characters credible, vibrant and memorable. But it's not an easy book: if you want an easy book you'll have to look elsewhere. However, if you want a challenge as great as Merlin's or Jason's, try this book. It digs deep into the entrails of time, as gritty as the planet itself, spares no sensibilities and makes no concessions to your intelligence. It's a wonderful ride, and I look forward to the next volume! Joules Taylor check out website: www.earthlight.co.uk Wizard’s Funeral (The Red Pavillions Book 2) by Kim Hunter
There is news that the King Magus – a powerful wizard who controls good and evil – is dead, and his successor is a boy whose mother befriended Soldier when he first arrived in Zamerkand. Soldier is sent on a mission to find and protect this boy, IxonnoxI, until he is ready to become the new King Magus. Along the way, more mishaps befall him and his friends. The city of Zamerkand is besieged by its great enemy, the Hannacks, who want to take advantage of the chaos caused by the King Magus’ death; the Chancellor of the city attempts to overthrow the Queen (Princess Layana’s sister) and Soldier’s wife herself is sent off to a distant land where she loses her memory. There are also more mysterious and sinister forces working against Soldier. Why is he the only mortal – ever – to be invited to the funeral of the dead King Magus? Who is it that keeps trying to kill him by poison and magic? And will he ever discover who he is and where he came from? Although some background to Soldier’s tale is given in this book, it would be useful to read the first volume first. The same slow, rambling pace occurs here as in ‘Knight’s Dawn’, although Hunter seems to have picked up speed a little. The story is enjoyable enough but the plot is somewhat disjointed at times, nearly falling into a series of events only very loosely linked by common characters. The character of Soldier becomes more solid, but unfortunately not so much attention is paid to other characters in ‘Wizard’s Funeral’. There are several loose ends and you have to wonder if Hunter is ever going to explain the mystery of Soldier’s past. When reading ‘Knights Dawn’, I had to assume that some discovery would take place in this sequel but apart from the small mention that another stranger, with the same unique blue eyes as Soldier, had been spotted, none occurs. Hunter’s style is readable but the lack of a tight plot can get frustrating. Again, I would suggest only read this if you do not mind the slow pace and are happy to be lost in extensive and sprawling plot lines, unconcerned as I was, with the eventual outcome. Laura Kayne check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk The Second Tom Holt Omnibus The omnibus contains two novels.
Hildy Frederiksen an American archaeologist is sent up to Caithness to investigate a newly found Viking ship burial site and, unbeknown to her, it is the sleeping place of the last Norse king and his twelve champions. Hildy takes a dragon brooch from the site, which breaks the centuries old sleep spell, and slowly the Norse men begin to wake. Meanwhile in London, the ancient Sorcerer King, King Holf’s arch-enemy, has been building up his empire with the use of magic otherwise known as technology. The Norse men set out to find the brooch, the only means to overthrow the Sorcerer King. They find Hildy and start on a quest to destroy the evil king. Along the way a BBC producer and crew along with the Police and the S.A.S. pursue them. ‘Who’s Afraid Of The Beowulf’ is a bit of a misleading title as Beowulf himself is only mentioned briefly on a couple of occasions and is described as a thin weedy little man who happened to be at the right place at the right time. This is a fairly straight forward plot (for Tom Holt anyway) with many comic moments especially with two esoteric beings Zxerp & Prexz. They consist of energy and are engaged most of the time in a game called Goblin’s Teeth - a sort of cross between Monopoly and chess but much more complicated. Tom Holt mixes Nordic legend with modern day - technology is nothing new, magic that has been done before and our Nordic heroes describe modern weapons as special effects which can be warded off by magically imbued armour. There is a lot to enjoy with this book especially the Nordic slant the heroes apply to everyday items. If you have never read any Tom Holt imagine taking a well-known story/myth/legend/fairy tale/historical event or period (delete as appropriate) applying a modern day setting and a comical slant and you start to get the picture. Add to this fast paced verse and a joy for making similes, this provides some enjoyable reading. The second: ‘My Hero’: Jane writes fantasy novels but falls into a rut when her main character in her latest book gets stuck in an impossible position and it looks like Jane will have to kill off her main hero. Strange things start happening when she gets a strange dream about an author who is stuck in his own book- a western to be precise after he shot his own hero. Then the word processor starts typing by itself with a message from Shakespeare’s Hamlet asking if there are any jobs going in her books, as he wants to try something new. Slowly, she starts to discover that fiction has its own complex reality, which she is drawn into to, and she is left in the position of trying to rescue not only the trapped author but her own hero. ‘My Hero’ is a bit more chaotic. Never have I read a book with so many references to other fictional books. Hamlet is taken from fiction and brought into reality in the form of a Frankensteinesque Yorkshire cricket fast bowler, Piglet is held hostage, Skinner (an author of westerns) and fantasy hero Regalian are pursued through a Jane Austin novel by a bounty hunter, Ratty and Mole have a smuggling ring through Pooh corner...You start to get the picture. This is a very fast book, switching location, characters, fiction and reality at a blinding speed. This is to its advantage because some passages do seem a little weak but this can be overlooked as the overall effect is one very enjoyable book. Overall, I would say to Tom Holt fans this is a convenient way to get two of Holt¹s earlier books, not necessarily his best to date (check out some of his more recent books). As for new readers they should enjoy Beowulf as it is an easy read although I would warn people that don’t like rapidly changing/switching plots to steer clear of ‘My Hero’ otherwise a good place to start reading Tom Holt. Phil Jones check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk X-PONENT by Charles E. Martin II If you look at this website, you'll see that it's geared towards gung-ho patriotic America gun-shooting nuke-the-bastards types. ‘X-PONENT’ is published in a novel way, forgive the pun, in that you can download it from this site, read it, and then, if you think it has been worthwhile, make a contribution to the publisher and writer via a web link. In many ways, this process resembles the shareware process of which I'm sure most readers will possess some knowledge. Same sort of thing - download a program, use it and then pay if you find it useful. Downloading this book is easy if slow and tedious because it's separated into chapters. (Why couldn't the whole book be sent as a single file?) I found the best way was to download a chapter then go to the 'edit' menu to press 'select' and 'copy', inserting the text into a word processor, Microsoft Word in my case. When you get to the bottom of the chapter, click on the image of a bullet, and the next chapter downloads. And so on etc. Now, what about the novel? The main plot is that genetically engineered super-mutant terrorists kidnap an American (thank god it wasn't a British one) trident nuclear submarine, wipe out all the crew (this is to show they're callous and nasty) and threaten to blast the world to bits unless certain conditions are met (which shows that they're even more callous and nasty than originally thought). The President of the USA is perturbed by this action and, with support of the military (who else?), take steps to stop them. They put their own genetically engineered blond-haired blue-eyed super-hero into action, along with another regular good type of guy who doesn't like terrorists. Excepting Osama, nobody really likes terrorists but this bunch are the antithesis of the good guys: generally they're odd-looking 'people' with odd habits and odd morals and foreigners into the bargain. Even though the plot is somewhat hackneyed the story is exciting enough. I have a problem with the characters in that they are one-dimensional and I'm not sure if the humour I detected was intentional. However, after reading this material, I don't think a novel-format is its best expression. I think it should be converted into a cartoon script. This suggestion is certainly not made in any derogatory fashion. The action, which is very visual, would come through much better in a visual format and, while no film-making company would take the risk to produce a movie from an unknown source, it's very possible that an American or Japanese cartoon producer could do justice to this. Failing that, it may have a place in the comic market where super-heroes and villains are abundant. There are some mistakes in the text, grammar and spelling. This problem, I believe, occurs with excessive frequency in self-published books which haven't gone through a proper editing process. As for its financial viability in its current form? I'm not sure whether or not shareware programs ever make much for the writer and I'd be very surprised to see money made from this book. This publishing process is in itself very inexpensive - all you need is a website - but taking a realistic view, the only benefits to be gained from such an exercise is publicity with the hope that your work will be noticed and taken up by a regular publisher. Unfortunately, the chances of this happening exceed winning the jackpot on the lottery. Rod MacDonald Treachery of the Demon King (Parsina Saga #4) by Stephen Goldin This book is the fourth book in a saga. I must confess, 'Treachery of the Demon King' appeared a little daunting. Close to one-hundred-thousand words was bad enough but it was full of tongue-twisting neo-Arabic and middle-eastern names (that's enough hyphens for one sentence) which made it very easy or someone like me to lose the place. In addition to this, there was also an extensive glossary and, ye gods, even a pantheon of deities shoved in at the end. I was rather thankful that it wasn't a requirement for me to read the entire series: we only have one life, excepting if you're Buddhist or Hindu and I don't want to spend a not insignificant fraction of it reading this. This is the first paragraph: ‘The tale is told of Prince Ahmad, the rightful heir to the Holy City of Ravan, whose power and authority were usurped by his father's widow Shammara in favour of her blood son, Prince Haroun. The tale tells how Prince Ahmad narrowly escaped death at the hands of Shammara's plot, and how he travelled to the shrine of Sarafiq, where he and his advisor, the high priest Umar bin Ibrahim, were united with the storyteller-cum-wizard Jafar al-Sharif in the quest for the four pieces of the Crystal of Oromasd. The party of travellers, joined by Jafar's tragically bewitched daughter Selima, Cari the Jann, slave to Jafar, the blond, statuesque Leila, and the mysterious monkey Verethran, travelled the length and breadth of Parsina in search of the pieces of the Crystal until kismet brought them unto El-Hadar, captain of Hauvarta's Shield, on which they journeyed into the uncharted waters of the Western Sea to find the legendary sunken city of Atluri.’ The derivation of Shroedinger's wave equation from first principles would be more transparent. There's also the criticism that searching for pieces of a crystal or rings or tablets or swords, etc. which are later combined to make some all powerful thingamabob has been done so many times by so many authors that it's now boring ad nauseum. Yet it still appears with regular monotony. The basic theme of this book is a battle between good and evil. There are good gods and bad gods, huge armies fighting, magic, treachery and love. These themes and stories are evident in literature from India, China, Japan and Persia, to name a few, and somehow I always seem to prefer the 'real' stories to those imaginary. Herodotus in his 'Histories' tells tales from Egypt and the ancient world which are more compelling than conventional fiction. However, to end on a positive note, Stephen Goldin does seem to be a good writer. His dialogue is quite precise and the passages of narrative, especially of action scenes, are both imaginative and believable. The aspect of his work which I've argued against is the subject matter which, of course, is subjective and it may well be the case that others may find this compelling. Rod MacDonald This eBook is available from FictionWise. Apokalypsis By Martin S. Garthwaite I don't wish to say too much about the novel's plot because this would spoil the enjoyment of reading it for others. Suffice to say, it's the old story of computers taking over but with a difference. Garthwaite, who comes from Washington State, would have us believe that corporations will eventually become sentient computerised beings which will compete against each other, much as they do now, and wipe out humans in the process. Thinking about this scenario, I considered a paper factory and a distillery relatively nearby. Both have had their workforces reduced by 90% in the last twenty years, mainly because of automation and if this is extrapolated into the future maybe only one or two employees will remain. Will we see British railways eventually become a sentient-thinking being, burrowing deep into the earth to extract its own nuclear energy resources from the crust, causing havoc through earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes? Maybe not! Just how likely are these huge machines? High temperatures within the Earth preclude anything made of metal or other materials one can presently imagine. Perhaps they are surrounded by powerful electromagnetic shields but this wouldn't necessary stop magma from deep within the earth from melting and crushing anything to oblivion. Pressures within the earth are unbelievably high! Besides, a machine of this magnitude would create its own heat. How is this dissipated? Certainly not to its environment and even if the exterior problems are solved, I'd guess the machine would melt from within by its own generated heat. Somehow I'm not convinced by this form of future corporate entity. The main character is a woman called Margaret. She's a sort of oddball, a bit of a wet blanket and a religious nutter. We learn of her death within the first few lines but then we wonder, is she really dead? The first chapter is rather pedestrian - it relates Margaret's early history growing up in a devout religious atmosphere. This is there for us to comprehend Margaret's ability to act as a fortune-teller and mystic. Reading a chapter like this at the beginning of a book could put people off. Regardless of the fact that it gets more exciting later, the author doesn't want to change things, adding that he's drawn an artistic line in the sand. While this is aesthetically pleasing, it doesn't sell books. 'Apokthesis' is too long and a razor could do a good job here. I found many conversation exchanges to be meaningless and repetitive: what was said in dozens of lines could easily have taken place in two or three. I refer especially to conversations between Margaret, her parents, Wayne the boyfriend and also the sentient corporate entity. Everything in dialogue must be relevant otherwise it's a waste of space. Hemingway and Steinbeck - now, that's what we should aim for in our writing. The old adage of not using two words were one suffices is a good one. I also find problems with the science in 'Apokthesis'. There's a danger here of trying to be too esoteric and clever, to the point where very few will understand what it's all about. If you're aiming for people with PhD level physics then write a science paper or textbook and not a novel. The science is at times more of a ‘Star Trek’ mentality where meaningless technical words are thrown in to explain things but there are interesting if dubious ideas about the meanings of words being quantified (broken down into specific and irreducible levels). Garthwaite also mentions verbs and nouns in terms of sub-atomic particles and their quantum mechanical properties. Science in novels should always have some basis of reality but this isn't the first to diverge from this line. I remember Richard Dawkins in 'The Selfish Gene' talk about things called 'memes' which were the 'idea' equivalents of genes. They showed how a good idea propagates at the expense of a bad idea but this was really an analogy to show how genes operated in the real world. There was no suggestion that 'memes' were real things and in the same way, I probably think the quantum properties given to words in this volume are more to illustrate than to be regarded as fact. Garthwaite has received a lot of criticism from me up to now. However, this doesn't give the whole picture because there are many good things to report about 'Apokthesis'. The first is that, despite being removed from us in time, the story takes on an atmosphere which is strangely normal. We are taken into this world, set maybe a century from now, and before long it's common place - the retina scans and muscle cars are everyday things, much in the same way that we regard mobile phones and cash dispensing machines today. We're transplanted without us really knowing it! Some writers would make the novelty of future objects into something unusual but Garthwaite gets it right. There is a strange and compelling atmosphere to this book. I think this is something the author tried to do and it has succeeded. The atmosphere isn't always pleasant. There is a sense of hopelessness and futility which pervades everything. Even the great machines, the corporate entities, are sad creatures. They are trapped in an evolutionary battle with each other and only the strong survive. The only hope is that their experiences are taken aboard by the more successful machines but despite evolving to take over the galaxy to become all-powerful, their life has a lack of meaning. Margaret, on the other hand, although pathetic at times, is a person without this hopeless aura. Despite death, she succeeds. I wonder if there is a contemporary parallel here to the capitalist corporations which some claim run our world at the expense of the majority of the population? Seattle saw the first large demonstration by people against the corporations' power. Did this have an influence on the writer? It is indeed true that despite the success of huge corporations, some are really forlorn, sad entities because, apart from growing more powerful, they don't have a point to their existence. Unlike Margaret, they don't, and never will have souls. Although there are passages which become tedious, many are concise and interesting. We have stories of people reacting with each other, seemingly lost within their own little agendas, when all along something much bigger and more menacing is taking place. Life's like that. Garthwaite has a good understanding about life and what it's about. His descriptions of cataclysmic events make you think that sometime in the past he's been in an earthquake, suffered severe lightning storms or observed a tsunami. I don't think the life that awaits us in the future will be very pleasant. Perhaps we should enjoy what we have in this golden age of the early 21st century before it all gets worse. This is one of the messages coming through in 'Apokthesis'. Reading 'Apokthesis' was a long haul. It would be better, in my humble opinion, if it was shorter. In saying that, you must ask about the purpose of the book. Is it for the author or the public? I think Garthwaite intends for it to be a form of art rather than a commercial venture. Unless you're a world-wide popular guru, taking this path won't make you rich. It's on sale via Amazon (in Britain expect a waiting time of 4 to 6 weeks for delivery) but is somewhere around number 850,000 on their best selling list. Hopefully this will pick up but the method of publication doesn't lend itself to huge sales: Print on Demand (PoD). Rod MacDonald Check out website www.apokalypsis.com So, what is Print on Demand? This is what Martin Garthwaite told me about that process: The PoD process is generally pretty simple. There are a few PoD outfits which all, generally, have the same terms. They all offer about a 20% royalty on print books (50% on electronic books). Most outfits will accept any work; some require editorial approval for acceptance into a separate tier. iUniverse, for example, has the 'Writer's Showcase Press' which is distinguished from the 'Writer's Club' program by editorial grading and a slightly higher fee (about $300 US for Writer's Showcase, about $100 for the Writer's Club). The author submits his or her work, pays the fee and in a couple weeks gets editorial feedback and/or gets an electronic galley proof to review. The author generally has a couple weeks to make changes to the galley. Once the revised galley is submitted, the book will be available to be ordered in a week or two. Most PoD imprints do direct sales and also arrange to sell the books through Amazon and Borders - generally takes two to three months later. It is then up to the author to generate sales. Most PoD outfits offer some type of advice on getting reviews and arranging author events. ‘The up-side of PoD is that it gives the author complete control. I can revise ‘Apokalypsis’ as I like and I probably will do so at least once. I don't plan any major revisions, but some tweaks here and there are probably warranted,’ says Martin Garthwaite. PoD is also an economical alternative for short-run books which might not otherwise be published. PoD also seems to work well when the market is small and defined and/or tightly knit, so that word-of-mouth and other grass-roots publicity efforts are effective. The down-side of PoD is that the author has complete control. Editorial feedback is minimal and there is no imprimatur of approval bestowed by a party who the general public trusts. This can make it difficult to even get reviews in major market media (large newspapers). Also, most PoD outfits do not offer returns for unsold inventory to brick-and-mortar book sellers. This is a BIG problem, because it means that most stores (which is still where most book sales take place) will not stock a book and risk unsold inventory). While PoD outfits are relatively common in the USA, there are few in Britain. I did detect a group called 'Fledgling Press' which does this form of publishing. Surprisingly they don't ask for a fee. Other searches provided nothing but, as with many things in the USA, they have a tendency to migrate across the Atlantic at some point in time. It is probably a useless exercise for someone in Britain or Europe to have a book PoD published in the States because of the time and cost of transporting books here. Remember that all publicity and marketing has to be undertaken by the author and this would be much more difficult three thousand miles or more from the market. On top of this, the author is even responsible for the front cover! Uncle Geoff, who knows a thing or two about publishing Science Fiction, tells me that if you have to pay to get a book published then it definitely constitutes what is normally called ‘vanity publishing’. Not only is there no marketing, there's virtually no editing either and a book that lacks the latter is especially vulnerable when it hits an audience. With ‘vanity publishing’, of course, the book is unlikely to be seen by anyone except the author, his friends and family. Real publishers with huge slush piles don't ever examine the vanity press to search for books to publish - they go through agents. Perhaps there should be a warning here to aspiring authors. When PoD crosses the Atlantic, beware for you will be paying for your vanity. Excepting the odd occasion when a book is aimed at only a very small sector of society and has therefore little commercial appeal, any publisher who asks for money should be avoided. Rod MacDonald March 2002
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OTHER CONTENT - April 2002
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This
22 SF short story anthology has a little of everything for everyone.
Authors from the turn of the previous century right up to the present
day. The stories are in blocks with 3 or 4 dealing with cloning,
time travel, utopias, aliens etc. The oddest thing about it is the
older writers were far better storytellers than the most recent
and there is one hell of a range of authors here from Aldiss to
Hamilton. With a couple exceptions, a lot of these stories don’t
appear regularly in anthologies. The selection is also varied enough
to not to have a book change for a pace change and at a price everyone
can afford.
Rebel
Edward Sutler shootss an English Major and is rescued from the pursuing
army by Daniel O'Connor. He ends up sitting with two old blind men,
Hugh O'Connor the distiller and Denis Hempson, a harpist. They drink
a lot of whiskey and O'Connor tells him the story of Turlough O'Carolan,
the famous Irish composer and harpist.
From
its Shakespearean opening, you know this book is going to be a classic.
A group of young Renné nobles plot the murder of their statesman
cousin to prevent the weakening of their family in a blood feud
for dominance of a divided kingdom. It is an enticing beginning
to a truly massive tale that stretches through time and the length
of the land.
After
a ferocious battle in the ruins of Castledown, the decimated opposing
armies of the Druid Walker and the band led by Grianne Ohmsford,
the Ilse Witch, regroup, licking wounds and counting losses. Meanwhile,
Grianne confronts Bek Rowe, who claims to be her long-lost brother.
The witch believed that Walker killed Bek along with her parents.
Just as the witch prepares to destroy Bek using her Wishsong magic,
his protector - the shape shifter Truls Rohk - saves the boy. So
rather than pursue "her mortal enemy" the Druid, the reason for
her quest, the witch decides to track Bek and Rohk down.
OK,
so why am I including an old book here again? You know how it is.
You hear there’s going to be at least two revivals of ‘The Time
Tunnel’ TV series and both sets of producers are looking at the
books based on them. Oddly enough, both of them are by Murray Leinster.
I was just curious to see how quick I could locate a copy of at
least one of them and picked the semi-novelisation of the original
Irwin Allen series. I found and had this copy in my hand in less
than a week from America.
Merlin
- immortal, ever-young, with magic engraved on his bones - has walked
the world for untold centuries. As Antiokus, he travelled with Jason
in search of the Golden Fleece - and shared with him his grief at
Medea's murder of his sons. A grief and anger that, along with the
spirit of the ship Argo, kept Jason from dying...
In
this, the second of Kim Hunter’s ‘The Red Pavilions’ series, the
amnesia-stricken Soldier returns. We meet him soon after the events
of ‘Knight’s Dawn’. He has just returned from his last adventure,
that of trying to cure his wife, Princess Layana, of her curse of
madness. It is not long before he is plunged into more dangerous
exploits. 
The
first: ‘Who’s Afraid Of The Beowulf?’
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