Walker of Worlds

Misc | Me, Elsewhere

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Niall, the mastermind behind The Speculative Scotsman blog, is away in America at the moment, and he's opened up his blog to many a contributor. Much to my surprise (and pleasure) he asked if I'd like to contribute a little something while he was away - an offer I simply couldn't refuse!

I had an idea pretty much straight away about what I wanted to write - a guide to the works of Eric Brown - but this wasn't the end of it. As things turned out Eric also agreed to answer a few questions too, so the one guest post turned into two. I'm enormously grateful to both Niall and Eric for their willingness to go along with this, and the results are up (and have been for a while, I've been terribly remiss at posting this!) over at The Speculative Scotsman:

A Guide to the Novels of Eric Brown
An Interview with Eric Brown

I think both of these are well worth reading, particularly the interview where Eric once again provides entertaining reading.

Art | Pokémon Battle Royale

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:40:00 +0000

I stumbled across the Pokémon Battle Royale site last night, and with some of the artwork so stunning I had to share them. I've choosen a few of my favourite pieces below (though not necessarily my favourite pokémon), but I really do urge everyone to check out the rest, whether you're a Pokémon fan or not.

Top row, left to right: Voltorb by Sean Hogan, Gengar by Antwan Ragland, Charizard by Adam Hoppus

Bottom row, left to right: Golbat by M.S. Corley, Psyduck by Jesse Riggle, Pidgeotto by Shane Richardson

Cover, Synopsis & Full Artwork | Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:30:00 +0000

St Libra is paradise for Earth's mega-rich. Until the killing begins.

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra.

But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured.

So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin.

Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra... This is a stunning standalone adventure, by a writer at the height of his powers.

Great North Road is my most anticipated book of the year, for a few reasons, but mainly because it's Peter F Hamilton's first stand-alone novel in over a decade, and in a completely new setting. The cover and blurb have been around for a while, but I was hanging off posting it so I could bring you the full and glorious artwork at the same time. And very nice it is too, even if it doesn't scream sci-fi, but then Great North Road isn't going to be your typical PFH space opera. Once again Steve Stone is the artist behind the cover.

Great North Road is due out in September from Pan Macmillan in the UK, while the US edition from Del Rey will follow in December.

Review | Starship Summer by Eric Brown (PS Publishing)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Title: Starship Summer
Author: Eric Brown
Publisher: PS Publishing
Format: Hardback
Pages: 120
Release Date: September 2007

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

David Conway leaves Earth and settles on the backwater planet of Chalcedony, Delta Pavonis IV, in search of a quiet life away from the haunting reminders of his past.

Living aboard a derelict spaceship in the quiet coastal community of Magenta Bay, he meets artist Matt Sommers, beachcomber Maddie Chamberlain and ex-starship pilot Hawksworth, and things seem about as perfect as he could hope... until he discovers that his ship is haunted by an alien spectre.

What follows will change Conway and his friends - and the future of humankind's destiny in space - for ever.

I really enjoy Eric Brown's writing and find it difficult to believe that he isn't a more popular author when the quality of his output is consistently high. Starship Summer is a short novella, running to only 120 pages, and is from the excellent PS Publishing, a small press publisher that churns out some great stuff from many genre authors. Those familiar with Brown's work won't find anything different here, but it's a great story that is expertly told.

As the synopsis says, this is the story of David Conway and his new life on Chalcedony, a planet renowned for its Golden Column, an artifact that is mysterious and strange, no one knowing why it is present there. Conway meets some locals in the town of Magenta Bay and buys an old starship from Hawksworth, who runs a scrap yard in the town full of old and disused starships. Conway sets up the ship on his land and uses it as his home, but the presence of what can only be described as an alien ghost starts a string of events that lead to a revelation that will change everything for humanity.

As I mentioned, if you're familiar with Brown's previous work you won't find too much different here. This is a story about the characters, each contributing to the whole in a satisfying way and Brown is able to bring each to life and give them a good depth in such a short space of time. Conway is the main character whose point of view the story is told from and it's through his interactions with everyone else that we discover more about them, and also about the planet and its history. There are no complaints from me at all about the way this story is told and the human side of the story once again reigns supreme, although this does not mean that anything suffers because of it.

The story is set in the same universe as Meridian Days, the Telemass universe, and while it doesn't have any direct relation to the previous story the setting is very suitable and allows the story to unfold in both expected and unexpected ways. The technology isn't that prominent but the Golden Column does play a big role in the story and everything is tied together nicely at the end.

This is a novella that is well worth reading, and the first of a quadrilogy (Fall, Winter & Spring are the remaining three, with Spring due out next year). I'd highly recommend picking this one up simply because of how enjoyable and easy it is to read, not to mention that the short series could turn into and excellent set of stories based on this one alone.

Cover Art & Synopsis | Fire Season by David Weber & Jane Lindskold (Baen)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Fire in the forest–and a cry for help from a trapped and desperate alien mother! Unfortunately, this is one cry no human can hear. Stephanie Harrington, precocious fourteen-year-old Provisional Forest Ranger on the planet Sphinx, knows something is wrong from the uneasy emotion that is flooding into her from her treecat friend, Climbs Quickly. But though Stephanie’s alien comrade shares a tight bond with his two-legs, whom he knows as Death Fang’s Bane, he cannot communicate directly to her the anguished call from one of his people.

Still, their strong and direct bond of feeling may be enough. Stephanie and fellow ranger Karl Zivonik respond to Climbs Quickly’s rising waves of distress. Fire season on the pioneer world of Sphinx has begun. But there are those who want to use the natural cycle of the planet for personal gain –and to get rid of the one obstacle that stands in the way of acquiring even greater land and power on Spinx: the native treecats.

Now it’s up to Stephanie, Climbs Quickly along with their friends, family, and allies to prevent disaster and injustice from befalling a treecat clan. But in the process Stephanie must be certain to preserve the greatest secret all. It is the knowledge that the treecats of Sphinx are not merely pets or servants, but are highly intelligent in their own right–that they are a species fully deserving of rights, respect, and freedom. And keeping the secret that will allow the treecats time to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with humankind.

It all begins with the friendship of a girl and her treecat.

Here's the cover and synopsis for the second Stephanie Harrington/Climbs Quickly book, Fire Season, from David Weber (this time teaming up with Jane Lindskold) and due from Baen in October. I love the cover (as I did for the first book), and really can't wait to get my hands on this one. It may be a YA series, but I love the Honorverse. I'd happily read anything set there. Considering how much I loved A Beautiful Friendship, this is even more hotly anticipated than the next Honor Harrington novel!

Press Release | Easter Releases from Anarchy Books

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:30:00 +0000

April 6th, Good Friday, is also Good Anarchy Books Day! We’re releasing not 1 - not 2, but 7 (YES SEVEN!) new novels, and for a limited period we’re giving away our fabulous anthology VIVISEPULTURE for FREE!

Our new releases are New York Blues by Eric Brown (hardcore SF heavyweight!), A Jar of Wasps by Luis Villazon (whom you may know as a technical writer on PCFormat, MACFormat and TechRadar.com, so he certainly knows his tech SF [digital] onions!), Silversands and The Last Reef by Gareth L. Powell (rising star of contemporary SF), the gentle, beautiful fantasy Fynoderee by Alexander Caine-Duncan, and last but by no means least, Young Punks: A Tale of Anarchy in the UK, a fabulous oral history of growing up as punks in the 70s by BAFTA short-listed film director Paolo Sedazzari. And just to add to the fun, we’ll also be releasing a soundtrack to Young Punks by a brilliant raw new punk band, The Mice, containing their stunning mad single Sex Shop.

Check out www.anarchy-books.com for more information, and for details of how to get your FREE NOVEL – VIVISEPULTURE, and a free copy of SEX SHOP.

VIVISEPULTURE - Welcome to our anthology, a collection of weird and bizarre tales by Neal Asher, Tony Ballantyne, Eric Brown, Richard Ford, Ian Graham, Lee Harris, Colin Harvey, Vincent Holland-Keen, James Lovegrove, Gary McMahon, Stan Nicholls, Andy Remic, Jordan Reyne, Ian Sales, Steven Savile, Wayne Simmons, Guy N. Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jeffrey Thomas, Danie Ware, Ian Watson and Ian Whates. Artwork by Vincent Chong.

In the tradition of Poe, Kafka, Borges and H. G. Wells, this collection of weird stories are written with the primary drive of presenting twisted deviations of normality. Whether it's the deviant factory workers of Neal Asher's Plastipak™ Limited, the pus-oozing anti-cherub of Ian Graham's Rotten Cupid, the acid-snot disgorging freak of Andy Remic's SNOT, or Ian Watson's alternate zombie-crucifixion, ZOMBIBLE, each story will drag your organs up through your oesophagus and give your brain a chilli-fired beating!

April 6th Anarchy Book Releases – Individual Details

New York Blues by Eric Brown
Hal Halliday runs a missing persons business in mid 21st century New York. It is a city that is drowning in refugees after terrorist outrages have left much of America a radioactive wasteland. People colour their grim lives with endless hours spent in VR. It is an addiction which has made VR magnate Sergio Mantoni a multi-millionaire. But now Mantoni faces a threat from a guerilla group called VIREX, who are dedicated to ending the false promise of VR. And when Hal accepts a job to look for the missing sister of a Holodrama star, he find himself drawn into the complex world of VR and VIREX . . .

Silversands by Gareth L. Powell
In an age where interstellar travel is dangerous and unpredictable, and no-one knows exactly where they’ll end up, Avril Bradley is a Communications officer onboard a ship sent to re-contact as many of these lost souls as possible. But a mysterious explosion strands her in a world of political intrigue, espionage and subterfuge; a world of retired cops, digital ghosts and corporate assassins who fight for possession of computer data lain undisturbed for almost a century. . .

A Jar of Wasps by Luis Villazon
Graham Trevennan has just been dumped by his girlfriend. That's not the problem. He's wanted by the police for a murder he didn't commit. That's not the problem, either. But around the world, dormant volcanoes are suddenly erupting and impossibly complex crystal meteorites are falling out of the sky in a way that probably isn't coincidental. Now, the CIA, the army and at least one terrifyingly beautiful treasure hunter all seem to think that shooting Graham will somehow help them get hold of these priceless, extraterrestrial crystals. That is a problem.
Graham's mission is to avoid getting killed, figure out whose side he is on and save the world. In the end, he manages two out of three. Which for a beginner, isn't bad.

Dark Asylum by Matthew Cowden
All families have secrets. Some are just far darker than others.
Pennsylvania, 1895. Evil and madness hide within the walls of the Gaskell’s gothic, country mansion, and some believe ghosts roam the halls to torture the living. Emily Radcliffe, the Gaskell’s governess, has her own dark past, one she has been hiding from under the shelter of this sinister home.
A blood thirsty killer escapes from a nearby mental hospital, leaving a trail of carnage and cat-and-mouse games through the streets of Allegheny City, and giving the police the impression that the Gaskell family may be his eventual target. Mystery, madness and carnage gradually surround Emily as she becomes trapped in this dark world of secrets and sin.
Dark Asylum is a tale of the late Edgar Gaskell, a man who is the key to unlocking the horrifying secrets of a tortured family and horrors beyond imagination... Only read Dark Asylum if you wish to suffer...

Young Punks by Paolo Sedazzari
Young Punks is an oral history novel that takes you back to the scariest day of your life – your first day at secondary school, and secondary schools don’t come any scarier than Feltham Comprehensive, West London. Rough, tough and brutal - if you stole a peek at the graffiti in the bogs you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the bowels of hell. It really is a case of - we can laugh about it now but at the time it was terrible. Young Punks is a universal timeless tale of adolescence, with our story kicking off in the mid seventies, and a sleeping Britain is about to be jolted awake by the punk rock explosion. But the three 11 year old protagonists of Young Punks are about to experience something even more seismic – puberty. We get spots and our voices break and whether you like it or everything has to change.
Young Punks brings you the fun, the scrapes and the anarchy of adolescence, packed with heartbreak and anguish, sibling rivalry and parental conflict. Mixing it altogether to give you an authentic picture of what it was like to try and grow up in the seventies, and what happens after you leave school and get spat out into the big bad world.

Fynoderee by Alexander Caine Duncan
"Is this magic?" asked the boy, unable to hold his curiosity any longer. "No. It's not magic," said the creature, as calm as before. "It's just...different"... For Juan Kerruish, a boy only ever noticed by the school bullies, his world is about to turn upside down. When he meets Bea, the Fynoderee, a creature thought to exist only in myth, he discovers that he carries a message from the past that could change the course of the future. In a time when old and new worlds collide with life threatening consequences, the few who stand in the way of an ancient evil must face and conquer their ultimate fears, if ever the land and their loved ones are to be saved.

The Last Reef by Gareth L. Powell
What do you try to save when your world falls apart? Gareth L. Powell’s first collection of short fiction features a motley collection of archaeologists, hackers and ex-cops struggling to answer that very question. As their lives implode around them, will they use the moment to save their own skins, or to find a way to make up for past misdeeds? With settings ranging from the dead sands of Mars to the seedy backstreets of Amsterdam and Buenos Aires, these fifteen action-packed tales explore mind-bending science fictional ideas through the eyes of unforgettable and all-too-human characters.

Author Information

ERIC BROWN was born in West Yorkshire, England in 1960, Brown has lived in Australia, India, and Greece. He began writing when he was fifteen and sold his first short story to Interzone in 1986. His story The Time-Lapsed Man won the Interzone readers' roll for the most admired story of 1988. He has won the British Science Fiction Award twice for his short stories and has published over twenty books: SF novels, collections, books for teenagers and younger children, as well as radio plays, articles and reviews. His latest books include the collection Threshold Shift, the novella The Extraordinary Voyage of Jules Verne, and the children's book Crazy Love. He is married to the writer and mediaevalist Finn Sinclair, and has one daughter, Freya. He lives in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

LUIS VILLAZON has degrees in Zoology and Computing. He has worked as a computer programmer, raised chickens, rabbits, turkeys and quails and served eight years as a volunteer coastguard rescuing people from cliffs. All of these things were a long time ago. Now he writes for various science and technology magazines and builds steampunk ray-guns out of odd bits of brass and copper. Luis is divorced and lives in North Devon, near to his three children but a long way from his girlfriend. A Jar of Wasps is his first novel.

GARETH L. POWELL. Born and brought up in the West of England, Gareth L. Powell studied Humanities and Creative Writing at the University of Glamorgan. He has since given guest lectures on creative writing at Bath Spa University, and has written a series of non-fiction articles on science fiction for The Irish Times. He is the author of the novels The Recollection and Silversands, both of which were favourably reviewed in The Guardian, and the short story collection The Last Reef, which was described by Morpheus Tales as “One of the finest collections of SF short stories I have had the privilege of reading” Gareth lives near Bristol with his family, and can be found online at www.garethlpowell.com.

PAOLO SEDAZZARI began his film-making journey in the late nineties after several punishing years as a rave promoter and freelance journalist. Fuelled by a punk rock spirit mixed with a Roger Corman ethos of ‘brilliance on a budget’ his debut film the black comedy BRADBURY BEAR – FIRE RANGER made the BAFTA short list and rocked the London Film Festival in 1998. After a few more shorts it was time to make the big leap into feature films. It took Paolo the best part of four years to take his black comedy horror THE TOYBOX from computer screen to seeing the finished DVD in the racks of HMV. The film saw releases in the UK, Germany, Russia Thailand, and The USA - where it is presently available for viewing on the hulu.com VOD service. Horror expert Kim Newman in Empire magazine appointed The Toybox his Video Dungeon breakout film for the month, and compared the direction to Peter Jackson of Heavenly Creatures. Leading horror magazine Fangoria had this to say - "The Toybox is a strong aesthetic experience and a pleasant escape from the follow-the-leader trend." In 2012 Paolo publishes through Anarchy Books the semi auto-biographical work Young Punks which will strike a chords with lovers of the British music scene all over the globe.

ALEXANDER CAINE DUNCAN was born and brought up in the Isle of Man. What began as a mild interest in his homeland’s folklore turned into an obsession, taking up most of his spare time, and a lot of time when he should of been doing other things! Alexander spent ten years as an actor, working both nationally and internationally in theatre, film and television with companies ranging from the R.S.C. to the B.B.C. and winning a number of awards for his performances. He now teaches and makes up stories full time.

News | Synopsis for Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:19:00 +0000

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin. Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra ... This is a stunning standalone adventure, by a writer at the height of his powers.

Sounds interesting, that's for sure, but is it just me or are there distinct Alien/Predator type vibes from this? Reminds me very much of Aliens, and, from what is said, Angela sounds much like Ripley...

Music | I'm Still Here by Johnny Rzeznik, from Treasure Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:30:00 +0000

One of my favourite songs from one of my favourite Disney movies. The title says it all.

Cover Art & Synopsis | Zero Point by Neal Asher (Tor UK)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

The billions of Zero Asset citizens of Earth are free from their sectors, free from the prospect of extermination from orbit, for Alan Saul has all but annihilated the Committee by dropping the Argus satellite laser network on it. The shepherds, spiderguns and razorbirds are somnolent, govnet is down and Inspectorate HQs are smoking craters. But power abhors a vacuum and, scrambling from the ruins, comes Serene Galahad. She must act before the remnants of Committee power are overrun by the masses. And she has the means.

Var Delex knows that Earth will eventually reach out to Antares Base and, because of her position under Chairman Messina, knows that the warship the Alexander is still available. An even more immediate problem is Argus Station hurtling towards the red planet, with whomever, or whatever trashed Earth still aboard. Var must maintain her grip on power and find a way for them all to survive.

As he firmly establishes his rule, Alan Saul delves into the secrets of Argus Station: the results of ghastly experiments in Humanoid Unit Development, a madman who may hold the keys to interstellar flight and research that might unlock eternity. But the agents of Earth are still determined to exact their vengeance, and the killing is not over...

Zero Point is the sequel to The Departure, the first Owner novel from Neal Asher that hits the shelves last year. This cover is once again done by Jon Sullivan, and it keeps to the style that Tor UK have used on the new covers of Asher's novels.

Now, I'm not too sure about this one. I want to say I like it, but something about it just doesn't quite do the business for me. It's strange because I'm a huge fan of Sullivan's previous art for Asher's books (you can see some of them here). I'd like to see the full wrap-around dust jacket though...

Admittedly, I haven't even read The Departure yet, but Zero Point is a book I'll be buying on release without doubt.

Thoughts on this anyone?

EDIT: The full dust jacket is now up on Neal's blog, here. It certainly widens the perspective of the cover, and IMO adds a little something that was much needed. Still not my favourite of his covers, but the more I look at it the more i like it.

Son of Heaven Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:30:00 +0000

The winner of the signed, limited, boxed edition of Son of Heaven by David Wingrove, the first giveaway from my mahoosive book clearout, is:

Rob Hartwell

Congratulations!

Stay tuned for some more giveaways, though perhaps not quite as stunning as this one :)

Review | Wake by Robert J Sawyer (Gollancz)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Title: Wake
Author: Robert J Sawyer
Publisher: Gollancz
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 2009

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a matematics genius-and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind.

But Caitlin's brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes.

While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something-some other-lurking in the background. And it's getting more and more intelligent with each passing day.

The first of a spellbinding future history trilogy that charts what will happen when the world's first first, and superior, artificial-intelligence is born in the web.

What happens when the internet comes alive? An SF thriller of terrifying possibilities.

I've only read one book by Robert J Sawyer before I picked up Wake, and that was Flashforward. I really enjoyed that novel, the prose was good and easily readable, while the ideas throughout gave me something to really get my teeth into. When debating what to read next I realised I had all three of Sawyer's WWW trilogy on the shelf and decided that, given their length and subject matter, it would be a nice change from my usual reading. I must admit I'm pleased I decided on reading Wake, it was a refreshing change from far future SF, but was equally gripping and thought provoking as anything else I've read.

Caitlin Decter is our main character, born blind and used to living in a world where she manages to do everything through other means. She's a brilliant mathematician, but also uses various voice recognition software on her computer to surf the internet and achieves more online than most sighted people can. With a recent move to Canada she's settling into a new school, developing new friendships, and learning to live in new surroundings. When the possibility arises that could give her sight she's all for it. Dr Kuroda, a Japanese doctor has pioneered new technology to help people with Caitlin's specific blinders, is eager to move forward with it. But not all goes to plan and instead of giving her the immediate expected normal site it triggers a strange ability in Caitlin's mind: the ability to see the world wide web. Meanwhile there is a consciousness arising on the internet, a consciousness that is becoming more coherent and intelligent by the day. And when it starts intercepting the signals sent from Caitlin's implant it discovers that it's not alone...

Wake is more a book about Caitlin Decter than anything else. Yes, the artificial intelligence aspect of the web coming to consciousness is there, but she's the main character and it's through her life we see everything. She's an interesting character too, fiercely intelligent for a teenager, and her blindness only adds to her complexity. With her father a world famous scientist it's no wonder that she has exceptional skills in mathematics, but she comprehends so much more than just that. The interactions between her, her father, and Dr Kuroda are fascinating to read, though sometimes they do stretch the boundaries of believability with one so young as Caitlin.

The web coming to consciousness aspect is small but steady in this novel. Sawyer handles it well, starting from the earliest moments of self-awareness and slowly building it up throughout the novel. Things get very interesting towards the end, and it leaves the sequel, Watch, open to some very interesting possibilities.

There were some aspects in Wake that I wasn't really keen on. One was a subplot about a chimpanzee that shows high intelligence and is very artistic, yet I didn't see how it fit into the overall story. Yes, the themes of intelligence were similar, and it was interesting reading, but at the moment I can't see how it relates to the story of Caitlin and the Webmind. The other was the cover up in China of a serious bird-flu outbreak. This was more relevant to the Webmind thread with China cutting off it's internet to the rest of the world, effectively separating Webmind in two early on. However, this plot did have a bearing on the story and it was good to see Sawyer delve into these elements of society. I'll reserve full judgement on both these aspects until I've read the other two books - I have a feeling they'll both tie in somewhere, yet I fail to see quite where at present.

The only other criticism I have for Wake is that it's a story that would have been ideal at novella length, but stretching it to a full novel made it feel like many aspects were being repeated and drawn out. It's not a lengthy novel by any means as it is, and as the first part of the trilogy it does much to set up the details for the later volumes. I'm very much looking forward to reading them and see just where developments go from here.

Overall, Wake is a highly readable and very human look at the rise of an artificial intelligence. It's got interesting themes and deep, believable characters. I feel that, taken as a stand-alone, it doesn't fully meet expectations, though I suspect the trilogy as a whole will be something special indeed given what was shown here.

Giveaway | Son of Heaven (Limited Edition) by David Wingrove

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:10:00 +0000

I'm having a bit of a book clear out at the moment to free up some storage space, and what better way to get rid of some of the books than a good old giveaway?! I'm probably going to have an extreme amount of books to donate to the local library (or maybe a pick-up only giveaway?), but there are some that are a little too nice to pass to them, including this one.

So, what's up for grabs today? The limited signed, numbered and boxed edition of Son of Heaven by David Wingrove. This one was a purchase I made last year when the Chung Kuo series was getting its re-release, with my plan to buy each as it came out. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, that just isn't going to happen.

So, here's your chance to get the first book in the series in this absolutely gorgeous edition:

What do you need to do to be in with a chance to win? Simple, just send an email to me at mark@walkerofworlds.com with the subject line as SON OF HEAVEN. Any amusing messages may not increase your chances of winning, but I'm sure they'll put a smile on my face :)

The giveaway will run until Wednesday March 7th, 12 noon GMT, and is open to everyone, wherever you may be. Any submissions after that time won't be included. I'll contact the winner by email to get their address and post it off as soon as I can.

So, get your entries in!

Comfort Read | The Void Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I've struggled to read since just before Christmas for a variety of reasons, but I finally managed to break into some books this past week. I've been eyeing quite a few that have arrived at the house over the past couple of months, but every time I start one my attention seems to drift off and I can never really get into them. I decided that it was time for a comfort read, and me being me I don't do things by half. So, last week I cracked open The Dreaming Void by Peter F Hamilton, planning to read all three books over a few weeks. However, much like the Void, I devoured them, and in just a week too. Excellent!

Set 1500 years in the future, the Void trilogy is the story about galactic turmoil after the Living Dream followers announce a pilgrimage to the Void, a vast artificial construct at the heart of the galaxy that can grant ultimate fulfillment to those living within. With much in-fighting between human factions, both for and against the pilgrimage, tensions between humanity and other races, and many other events, the Void trilogy truly is epic in scale. And all of this is focused around the story of Edeard the Waterwalker whose life inside the Void Inigo dreamed of and shared.

So, why the Void trilogy? Simple - I know I enjoy it. It's got some great space opera elements with lots going on, but it also has Edeard's story within the Void. These sections are sci-fi light, perhaps even science fantasy, but they seem to work so well. I enjoy the characters Peter creates and the settings and situations he puts them in. It all ends up being a very readable story, and that's exactly what I needed at the moment and it seems to have done the job of re-awakening my interest in reading again :)

My full reviews of all books are already on the blog, check them out here for some more detailed thoughts on them: The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void, The Evolutionary Void.

A Further Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

I was hoping to get back into some sort of infrequent blogging schedule this year after my last update before Christmas and the few reviews and year-end post I got up here, but it hasn't happened. While I'd like to think WoW will start back up soon I'm slowly coming to the realisation that it isn't actually going to happen any time in the near future.

Boring personal stuff coming up....

I had a very bad Christmas and new year. The issues that I thought I had dealt with came back with a vengeance, and then new ones came along to completely clusterfuck me. I've lost almost 2 stone in weight since last October because my eating has become unbelievably irregular, I have trouble sleeping, and my mind has been on an almost constant see-saw of bad and worse.

I'm trying to be pro-active in getting myself back to some sort of normality. I've been seeing a councillor to try and help, while going to the doctors has resulted in my being prescribed antidepressants along with a beta-blocker to help with my anxiety. I've tried to get back to the gym in the hope that it will force my body into a better state and get my eating kick-started, but it's been hard to keep any sort of motivation going.

On top of all this, and the main reason I've not started back blogging here, is the fact that my reading mojo has left me. I've not been able to get into any book I've tried, no matter how much I want to get excited about it. I've listened to one audiobook this year and read one graphic novel, and they were both hard work. Not being able to do the one thing that I used to be able to use as a form of relaxation and escapism is frustrating beyond words.

And if I hear the phrase "it'll take time" once more....

So there we go, my pathetic problems.

My Favourite Reads of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

So, that time of year again, to look back at what I've read and try and narrow it all down to the books I've enjoyed the most. I've read some cracking books this year and thoroughly enjoyed most of them. I've had some glaring oversights too, like The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding, War in Heaven by Gavin Smith, The Ascendant Stars by Michael Cobley, Deadline by Mira Grant, The Departure by Neal Asher, Embassytown by China Mieville... the list goes on and on.

So without further ado, check out my favourite reads of 2011!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Every now and then a book comes along that not only ticks all the boxes that you want it to, but also add a few more for good measure. Ready Player One is such a book. It's an awesome geek-fest made of pure win.

The Kings of Eternity by Eric Brown

Before I read Ready Player One I didn't think anything would come along to knock The Kings of Eternity from the top spot. Not only is this Eric Brown's best novel to date, it's easily one of the most accesbile SF releases this year. Highly recommended to both SF veterans and newcomers alike.

The Technician by Neal Asher

See below for more on Asher's novels, but I have to say that The Technician is probably his best Polity novel to date. Do you need to have read the rest? Probably, but if you haven't I don't think it takes away from all the action and the wide variety of deadly alien creatures. Hugely entertaining!

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

I've always loved John Scalzi's books, his combination of good story and humour goes down a treat for me. I think that's why I love Fuzzy Nation so much, not to mention the cute fuzzies of the title.

Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis

I'm not a huge urban fantasy fan, but Gustin Gustainis is an author that stands out for me. Hard Spell is full of action and plenty of awesome characters that just make the story fly by.

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber

I've been reading the Honorverse this year (see below) and this is a book set way before those novels. It's confined to one planet, has a relatively small cast of characters, but Stephanie and the treecats brought it to life and made me want to read more and more of their adventures. Can't wait for the next one!

Final Days by Gary Gibson

Final Days managed to bring action, the end of the world and time-travel together in a great novel. His best that I've read and very compelling. Worthy of a read.

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

Leviathan Wakes was a last minute read this year, and one I'm glad I got around to. Halfway through the book I was expecting it to make the top 5, but it goes to show that despite what a thoroughly enjoyable book this is, there were other even better ones consumed. Expect to see this one on many, many 'best of' lists this year.

Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper

The first fantasy book in my list, and it was going to take something special to get in there with all the sci-fi I've read this year. Great story, characters, and setting, and the sequel can't come soon enough!

Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell

The first in the new Lost Fleet series, and a cracker. The fanboy in me does tend to turn a blind eye to the seeming repetative nature of these books, but for a quick and enjoyable read it gets my vote!

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

I loved The Name of the Wind, so reading Wise Man's Fear was a no-brainer. It's pretty much more of the same, but told in a masterful way. If you've read NOTW then pick this up, and if you haven't you'd better get started!

Honourable Mentions

The Cormac sequence by Neal Asher

I read the first book in this series, Gridlinked, a few years back and tried to read the sequel, The Line of Polity, shortly afterwards. For whatever reason I just couldn't get into it then, but I was determined to do so this year. I read the remaining Cormac books early this year and loved the series, the final book, Line War, being the highlight for me. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in weird and wonderful space opera, Neal manages to cover so much in these books, but above all else the entertainment value is excellent!
Check out all my reviews for this series: Gridlinked, The Line of Polity, Brass Man, Polity Agent, Line War

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber

Ahh, the Honorverse. What a place! I read the first book, On Basilisk Station, around Easter after hearing David Weber talk at Eastercon, and soon got around to more of the Honor Harrington books. You can find my reviews of the first four books on the blog (On Basilisk Station, The Honor of the Queen, The Short Victorious War, and Field of Dishonor), but I've read through to book nine. Since going on hiatus the Honorverse books have been my pleasure reads, taking prescedence over some other books that I really want to read. They're deep, multi-layered, have great characters, and a huge story. I couldn't ask for more ina series!

Review | Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: Manhattan in Reverse
Author: Peter F Hamilton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

A short story collection from one of the world's bestselling SF writers

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate.

Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.

I've been a Peter F Hamilton fan for a long time, in fact the reason I read sci-fi nowadays is because of Pandora's Star. The last collection of short stories by Peter F Hamilton was A Second Chance at Eden released way back in the late 90's, but it was a collection of Confederation exclusive stories based on his Night's Dawn universe. On hearing about this new collection I was rather excited, hoping to see all of the stories that he's written since then. Aside from one glaring omission this is a pretty decent collection and worthy of a place on the shelf of any Hamilton fan.

Watching Trees Grow
Starting off with the longest offering in the collection, Watching Trees Grow was initially published back in 2000 by PS Publishing as a limited edition, though it was later re-published in the Futures anthology from Gollancz.

As an alternate history tale, this story looks at a world where the Roman Empire never fell and the grand families continued to prosper. With the planet in a golden age of sorts it has allowed technology to advance quicker than in our world, with the starting point of the story in the early 1800's comparable to the mid to late 19th century. By selective breeding in the 'Sport of Emperors', life spans of the grand families are now measured in centuries rather than decades of the Shorts.

At its heart Watching Trees Grow is the story of Edward Bucahanan Raleigh's continued investigation into the death of one of his family members at university. Told through his eyes from the night of the murder in 1832 through to the transcendence of the human race to pure energy, Watching Trees Grow is an interesting look at big events during that world's future, all wrapped around the one question: who killed Justin Ascham Raleigh?

Footvote
Footvote is another story originally published by PS Publishing, this one in their first issue of Postscripts, a long-running magazine/anthology. Pan Macmillan are also releasing this one separately as an electronic short story.

Anyway, Footvote is a simple story based on the premise that one man has opened a wormhole to a new planet, New Suffolk, and nobody knows how he's done it. He's set specific conditions on who can travel through the wormhole and settle this new world (these are amusing little tidbits throughout the story), but has given a strict time-frame of two years before he will close the wormhole forever. Footvote focuses on one family, Janette and her two children on the one hand and her ex-husband Colin and his new girlfriend on the other, each with opposing views to the wormhole and its creator.

It's a nice little story, perhaps one of my favourites in the collection due to its subject matter, and its nice to see something set in the near-future. The world Peter has created here could be the basis for an expansion into a full novel, or maybe another short story - I for one would like to see more of New Suffolk and how it's progressed...

If At First...
Here's a story that first saw the light of day in one of the anthologies from Solaris a few years back. It's a short one about a detective that finds himself chasing a suspect into a time machine that then sends his consciousness back to his 1968 body. It's an interesting tale, amusing in parts and easy to read with an ending nicely suited to the tale.

The Forever Kitten
Perhaps unbelievably, this tale is a mere thousand words that once again uses the subject matter of immortality/extended lifespans. Peter seems to have a thing for this and Forever Kitten is an interesting, though short, take that I think is rather successful given its limited word count.

Blessed by an Angel
This is the first of the three Commonwealth stories in this collection, and while the other two are Paula Myo stories, this one is a prequel of sorts to the Void trilogy. Looking at the events surrounding the conception of Inigo, one of the more central characters in the Void series, this introduces the 'angel' of the title, a higher human that can use biononics to change gender from female to male while using this technology to allow the conception of a biononic child.

There's a good bit of detail here and anyone that has read the Void books will fully grasp all the details, though I'm not sure the same can be said if you're new to the universe. I like it as it adds depth to the character and essentially gives a more detailed account of what is only hinted at in the early Void books.

The Demon Trap
The Demon Trap was previously published in the Galactic Empires anthology, but that had limited release and not many would have read it before now. It's nice that it's finally got a wider readership as it is one of the best shorts Peter has written.

The Demon Trap sits nicely between Misspent Youth and Pandora's Star and features Paula Myo, the genetically engineered detective we've all come to know (if you've read the Commonwealth books that is!). With her birth planet the much-hated Huxley's Haven, a planet in the Commonwealth where each person is genetically designed prior to birth to do the job they are allocated, she is an investigator that cannot leave a case until it has finally been solved and justice delivered.

The story itself follows the events of one of the Commonwealth planets, Merioneth, wanting independence and all connections to the Commonwealth closed. This starts off with a terrorist group targeting and killing young dynasty family members in order to pressure CST into closing the wormhole connection. Suffice to say, they are successful in getting the Commonwealth to agree a date that does exactly this. The story goes from there, Paula determined to unravel the mystery behind the attacker and terrorist group.

There is not a lot to dislike in The Demon Trap. Paula is an excellent character and carries the story with ease. There are, however, plenty of references to Peter's previous works (particularly Misspent Youth) and knowing these little details will certainly add to the enjoyment. I can't see any problems for those that haven't read the Commonwealth novels as The Demon Trap is a nice little murder-mystery with added political dealings. One of the best in the collection for sure.

Manhattan in Reverse
The reason I was looking forward to this collection so much: a new story! Manhattan in Reverse is another Paula Myo story that takes place shortly after the end of the Starflyer War depicted in Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained. You don't need to have read those books to enjoy this story as it is completely stand alone with only a few references to the novels.

After convicting a war hero for crimes committed in his youth, Paula Myo needs something that will take her away from the attention she's getting, and Wilson Kime has just the ticket. On a relatively new colony world one of the non-sentient species is kicking up some trouble for the human inhabitants, trouble that could lead to genocide if something isn't done soon. Problem solving is what Paula is good at, and with the help of xeno-biologist Bernadino Paganuzzi that's exactly what she has to do.

I liked this story quite a bit, it was interesting and had a nice finish, but I wasn't really sure why Paula was the main character. Still, I did like the exploration of the Onid, why they were attacking the colonists and just how they could see what they really shouldn't be able to. It's a quick read that finishes nicely - not much more you can ask for!

Conclusion
Manhattan in Reverse does exactly what it says on the tin: it collects Hamilton's short stories in one book for those that have not tracked them down by other means. A new story is there for the fans who need a reason to buy it, and it is worth it.

The glaring omission I mentioned earlier is The Suspect Genome, the BSFA award-winning short story the features Greg Mandel, the psychic detective from Peter's early novels. To me it's one of the best short stories Peter has written and should have been included regardless of how it's aged since publication, and especially because it's very hard to track down. It was a poor decision to leave it out.

However, with stories like Watching Trees Grow, The Demon Trap and Manhattan in Reverse, Peter once again shows why he is regarded as one of the best science fiction writers of the past decade and how, when he puts his mind to it, he can write some excellent short fiction.

Review | A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Baen)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: A Beautiful Friendship
Author: David Weber
Publisher: Baen
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world populated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.

The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity's freedom in a dangerous galaxy.

I've read a fair amount of David Weber's stuff this year set in his Honorverse and following Honor Harrington, the heroine of the main series. Now we have the release of A Beautiful Friendship, the first in a new prequel teen series that focuses on one of Honor's ancestors, Stephanie Harrington. I'd heard about this a while back, but I hadn't read any of the Honorverse books at that time so I didn't pay it much attention. A bit of a mistake! Once I knew how much I enjoyed Weber's novels I got my order in for this straight away. My only real concern was whether or not I would be able to fully enjoy it knowing that it's the latest book written in such a large setting despite the prequel nature of the story. As is usually the case when I have these concerns there was no need at all. In fact, this is just about the perfect starting point...

Stephanie Harrington and her parents have recently moved to the Star Kingdom of Manticore, specifically the planet Sphinx within the binary system. Already the recipient of some genetic altering to live on a heavier gravity world, the Harrington family settles their homestead on the low populated frontier world. With a keen interest in the outdoors Stephanie is desperate to get out and about, but with Sphinx's native deadly species, such as the massive Hexapuma, her parents are not very keen on her venturing out on her own. Knowing that Stephanie won't disobey them, and trying to keep her mind active, they set her on the problem of the disappearing celery from human settlements around the planet. It isn't long before Stephanie discovers the mysterious thieves, and the possibility that Sphinx may already have its own sentient species in the treecats...

A Beautiful Friendship is partly based on the short story of the same name that appeared in one of the Honorverse anthologies and, while slightly amended, forms the first part of this new novel. I've not read the original story so I really didn't know what to expect other than a planet-based story focusing on a young main character. What struck me within the first few chapters was just how well it worked, how strong and interesting a character Stephanie is, and just how much I didn't know about the treecats!

Climbs Quickly is the main treecat character and it's through his eyes that we learn much about the history of human settlement on Sphinx and the way the treecats avoid and spy on the humans. We learn about their society, just how intelligent they are and, more importantly, just what they think of the humans, but this is an aspect that Climbs Quickly doesn't entirely agree with. Tasked to watch the two-legs we know as the Harrington’s, he ponders many things while in discussion with his clan mates and while alone, and it helps the story immensely. It's when, after a trap set by Stephanie, he is caught trying to take celery that the story really gets into gear.

The treecats of Sphinx are telepathic, and while they can talk to each other in this manner they can't do so with humans, although a strong bond can form between two of them, much like it does between mated treecats. It's interesting because it is a two-way bond, the human can also feel the treecat, although this does increase with time and is never full telepathy, more like empathy. The climax of the first part of the novel is down to this aspect and is thoroughly enjoyable, setting the scene for all that is to come.

While the human/treecat relationship is one of the larger focuses of the story, so is the possibility, from the humans point of view, of them being sentient. But it's an aspect that Stephanie, her parents, and the others close to treecats wish to take slowly and carefully, not wanting a repeat of the mass-slaughter that occurred when another human-settled planet discovered they may not be the rightful owners.

It's during these aspects of the story that I found it was confused with just what it wanted to be. A Beautiful Friendship is marketed as a teen series, and while having the lead character a young female lends itself to that area, the writing is not really suited. Sometimes it works well and flows nicely, but at other times Weber shows his usual style of info-dumping and getting into more adult and complex themes. Stephanie herself seems a little too old for her age because of this, and it does effect the overall enjoyment of the novel. Had it simply been marketed as a prequel to the Honorverse there would have been little issue, although the uneven pacing does stand out.

Overall I did thoroughly enjoy A Beautiful Friendship, but it's not without its faults. I've only read a few of the Honorverse books so I felt relatively comfortable with both the setting and Weber's style, although this is a clear departure from the military themes of the Honor Harrington novels. I think it's a perfect starting point for anyone new to the Honorverse, but is it representational of the other books? No. However, if you know this going in I can't see any reason why A Beautiful Friendship shouldn't be enjoyed to the maximum!

Review | Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey (Orbit)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Title: Leviathan Wakes
Author: James SA Corey
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Welcome to the future. Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer, Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Leviathan Wakes has been making waves this year with many people regarding it as one of the best SF releases of 2011. Daniel Burton reviewed here earlier in the year and had only good things to say about it. I just had to get around to it before the year was out, it would have been remiss of me to not read it this year. And I'm pleased I did!

When Holden and his crew stumble across a derelict ship and discovers some things that certain people want to be kept hidden they're stuck firmly in the middle of a struggle to get them and keep them quiet. With implications that are far reaching and could alter the course of the human race they travel from place to place trying to find answers and sanctuary. Miller meanwhile is a detective on Ceres on the case of a missing girl, a case that leads him to dark secrets. Crossing paths with Holden is inevitable, yet his dedication to the investigation affects him on a personal level and he will not settle for half-answers, he wants the whole truth.

Leviathan Wakes starts with a bang, that's for sure. The prologue got me instantly hooked and wanting to read more, which is good because without it I wouldn't have felt the need to turn the pages quite as quickly. Sounds strange, but it really does make a huge difference. While the story is interesting and gripping, knowing that something huge is lurking makes it all the more worthwhile.

The other major plus point for Leviathan Wakes are its relatively short chapters that alternate between the viewpoints of Holden and Miller. Each starts off seemingly unrelated, but this soon changes and all hell breaks loose. Because of these short chapters it's always easy to read 'just one more', and they also keep the pace quick, punchy and to the point. I can't name another book in recent memory that manages to do it quite so well. The story itself initially seems to be mystery and, while with big implications, it doesn't come across quite just how big they could be. By the halfway point I was completely hooked and powering through eager to find out what happens next.

All in all I was very impressed with Leviathan Wakes. The characters are enjoyable to read (even if some of them are not all that likable), and the story is told with flair. It ends in such a way that I very much want to get my hands on the sequel, Caliban's War. Who knows what's in store, but I will be doing my damnedest to find out the moment it hits the shelves next year!

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:02:00 +0000

Well, the end of the year has approached a little quicker than I thought it would, and it's about time for a little update.

Since I posted about the hiatus I've had my ups and downs, but I'm starting to move firmly onwards at the moment. It's been a very tough few months, far tougher than I imagined, but life is starting to settle down. I'm not yet out of the woods with regards to all the various personal issues I've had to deal with this year, but my outlook is positive and I'm excited about the future for the first time in quite a while.

My reading has been sporadic, though I have thoroughly enjoyed the Honor Harrington series and have read through to book 9, Ashes of Victory. I've read and written reviews for a couple of other novels since winding down my blogging in October and I'll be posting them shortly so they'll be accessible here whatever happens in the future. I'm hoping to write another review or two soon, but I've found that I'm really enjoying reading without having to worry about reviewing them.

I've also written up my favourite reads of 2011 and will posting that towards the end of the month - I'm just holding back in case I manage to get around to some other books before then.

So, what does the future hold for WoW? To be honest, I'm not sure. I've got a couple of things I'm waiting to hear about at the moment, and they will certainly influence my final decision. However, I do feel like stepping back on a limited basis, posting reviews here and there for books I enjoy. I'm still very much in the mentality of shouting about books I love, and I've missed doing that on here, but they'll be a massive reduction in posting frequency. Maybe once a week, maybe once a month. Who knows.

I hope you all enjoy the holidays by eating too much, drinking too much, and most certainly reading too much!

On Indefinite Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Walker of Worlds is going on an indefinite hiatus.

I started this blog back in 2007 for no other reason than to post thoughts on what books I'd been reading and enjoyed, what I was looking forward to and a general space where I could geek out on the stuff I loved. In the four+ years WoW has been going on there's been plenty to smile about, lots of books that I would never have heard of if it wasn't for running this blog, and many friends made.

But there's also been the downside: lots of books. Too many books. The self-imposed pressure of trying to keep content flowing, the inevitable guilt when it doesn't happen. It's been a constant for the past couple of years, but I've managed to keep it under control and keep on going. Until this year.

You may or may not have read this post, but suffice to say that the separation from my wife and the subsequent months has taken its toll on me. I'm mentally drained and unable to find anything that I enjoy doing, reading included.

I need a break, time away to recharge my batteries and refocus. I need to enjoy reading again, to get excited about books, to read something only because I want to. I'm hoping that, like a phoenix, WoW will rise from the flames, but I'm also equally aware that this may be the last post I ever write here. And so...

A big thanks goes out to everyone that has read and commented on this blog - it may not be in the same league as the big ones, but it's all meant a great deal to me.

To all the authors, editors, publicists and everyone else working within the publishing industry - thank you for consistently putting out books I want to read, want to shout about and recommend to anyone who will listen, and for your support throughout.

A huge thanks also to Steve for stepping up this year and delivering great content. He may not be calling WoW his blogging home from now on, but make sure you follow him on his own blog where he will be writing reviews and blog posts.

Thanks also to Daniel and Andy, two guys that have contributed reviews this year and made me take a good look at what they're reading and what they think of it, and added more than a few books to my TBR pile!

And to anyone else I've forgotten, it's been a pleasure.

Thanks all... Mark

Review | DC Comics – Week 4 (Sept 28) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Title: Aquaman
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis

Aquaman is cool. I’ve always known it and so have a handful of other fans. A lot of other people don’t know who he is or what he can really do. And that’s the first problem with the character. People tend to think he just spends his time swimming in the ocean, fighting people polluting the sea, working with Greenpeace and talking to the fish and dolphins. The writer, Geoff Johns, is aware of this and in the first issue he plays up the stereotypes, but there are also a few scenes where he shows the true power of Aquaman. He was one of the first members of the Justice League. He can survive and still fight at depths under the ocean that would crush normal people. He is incredibly strong, he can communicate with some sea life, and is a King to boot, a position he had to fight for. In this issue we see a group of armoured robbers open fire on Aquaman with machine guns. The bullets bounce off him, he gives them a look and then tips their armoured car onto its roof with his trident. The rest of the issue highlights the problems people have with him whilst providing answers and while it was quite funny, I think it was trying a little too hard. Nevertheless, this was a good first issue as it sets up his background very quickly and a few pages towards the end show you that something very dark and unpleasant is coming, and that he is ideally placed to deal with it. The artwork is gorgeous as well so that really helps. Probably the best comic of this fourth week and I just hope others agree and this title has the space and time to tell some awesome stories that the writer will have up his sleeve.

Title: Green Lantern – New Guardians
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Tyler Kirkham & Batt

As a long time Green Lantern reader I found this issue intriguing but not very gripping. To someone who is completely new to Green Lantern I think it would have been incredibly confusing, even with 99% of the issue devoted to setting up the different coloured Lanterns and giving some clues as to their purpose and power source. If you’d seen the Green Lantern film or an animated version of the character somewhere, picked up the first issue of Green Lantern and based on that sought out other Green Lantern titles, this is not the one for you. The source of the Green Lanterns power is Will, and other coloured lanterns have different coloured rings and power sources. Blue for Hope, Red for Rage and so on. The also have different purposes as Green Lanterns are essentially space cops, but some of the others do not have such noble aims. It’s quite a complex and difficult thing to explain in a few sentences and unfortunately I think this first issue suffers because of it. I did enjoy the brief flashback and introduction about how Kyle Rayner became a Green Lantern, but the rest spends so much time on detailing background it leaves little room for a story. I think this title will read well in trade when you have more to sink your teeth into and I think it’s a solid title for existing comic book and Green Lantern fans. If you are a new fan I would wait until you’ve read some of the other Green Lantern books for a few months before coming back to this one.

Title: Justice League Dark
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist Mikel Janin

Once again like Green Lantern – New Guardians, there are a lot of characters to introduce to the audience whilst also moving forward with a story. Milligan does a better job than Bedard, but by the end of this first issue I was left scratching my head. There are some good scenes, some interesting ideas, the artwork is lovely and there are lots of questions, but I just didn’t have a feel for the book. I have no idea where it’s going, which is fine as I like a mystery, but there was no obvious shape to the book. I think it suffered from trying to introduce too many characters in one issue and I also believe the appearance of the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg) hurts the book rather than helps it. As I understand it, Justice League Dark (I still think it’s a dodgy title) is one of the Edge comics, aimed at teens and above and this team of magicians, wizards and magic users are working together to tackle the dangers and things lurking in the dark that the regular Justice League are ill equipped for. Demons, ghosts and other nasties that can’t be solved just by punching them really hard in the face. I’m simplifying things, but you get the idea. Having the Justice League appear in it muddies the water. People might come to expect to be in every issue as regular characters and will be disappointed when they don’t turn up. Really this title isn’t about them, there’s a whole other book about them. Showing the Justice League defeated by a magical enemy could also have been done in one or two short sentences. Looking back on my review so far, I think the title lacks focus is what I’m trying to say. It might crystallise in a few issues, but for now I won’t be getting this title and I am a bit disappointed as I was really looking forward to it.

Title: The Flash
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Art: Francis Manapul

There have been a number of different characters that have been called The Flash before and this new series focuses on the second man to embrace the Speed Force, Barry Allen. He’s not been a part of comics for decades until a couple of years ago when DC writer Geoff Johns brought him back, but most fans have no idea why, myself included. The Batman has passed on the mantle, the cape and cowl, to a former sidekick but he always took it back and they became heroes in their own right: Nightwing and now Red Robin. The short version is Barry was believed dead, so since the 1990s Wally West has been the Flash in the comics. He used to be Kid Flash, a teenage sidekick, but he grew up, took on the mantle and earned it the hard way. As an adult Wally was a member of the Justice League and he fought alongside legendary heroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and so on. Now, Barry is back, Wally has disappeared and I have no idea why. Apart from struggling to care about Barry this first issue sets up the story well enough, it gives up a bit of Barry’s history and sets up a mystery surrounding an old friend of his. The Flash is an interesting character because he doesn’t have any powers except the ability to run at incredible speeds by tapping into this energy field called the Speed Force. He isn’t super strong, or invulnerable and doesn’t have any gadgets. He has to do all of it for himself. He can use his speed and gravity to make it seem as if he is super strong. He can create tools and weapons in the same way and avoid fists and bullets with ease because for him every second can seem like hours. Manapul does some interesting stuff with the artwork and does a good job of highlight the Flash’s talents and a few of his abilities. Despite my personal issues with the series and how it came about, it’s a good comic, and if you like the sound of the Flash as a superhero then I would suggest it’s worth picking up.

Title: Batman: The Dark Knight
Writer: David Finch
Artists: David Finch and Richard Friend

I really like Batman and he is probably my favourite comic book character. However, even though I thought this was alright, I just don’t see why there are four ongoing monthly Batman books with him as a central character. None of them really are doing anything radically different to the others. Two titles I can understand and for decades we’ve had Batman and Detective. If one of the new titles was 99% focused on Batman as Bruce Wayne, then you could probably squeeze in a third title, but four? This title was good fun, it was lovely artwork and the story was alright, but it was just another Batman book. I’ve hitched myself to Batman by Scott Snyder, because of the writer and the story, so that’s it for me, I’m not going to bother with the others.

Title: I, Vampire
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artists: Andrea Sorrentino

I just didn’t enjoy this. Not much else I can say really. I think if it existed in a bubble somewhere, if it wasn’t part of the DC Universe then it might work a lot better. But having a whole city or town wiped out by vampires is just silly in the DC Universe. If you create a set of rules or state of logic then you have to stick to them at all times, not just when it is convenient. If a town was wiped out every news crew, tabloid journalist, blogger and kid with a phone camera, plus every superhero in the world would fly in and wipe out every pasty faced vampire in a few hours. Batman would flood the place with UV weapons and special high tech lights, Superman would toast them with his heat vision, Firestorm would light up the sky with a fiery blaze, eliminating all shadows and every vampire would burn and that would be the end of it. Some of the titles from the new 52 should exist somewhere else, in a sub universe or whatever, and this is one of them, it just doesn’t work for me and it didn’t appeal.

Title:Voodoo
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Sami Basri

This was basically Showgirls the comic. Its about a strip club and one of the strippers is actually an alien monster thing. 22 pages of strippers dancing and skimpy underwear with lots of T and A shots. Pass.

Title: Superman
Writer: George Perez
Artists: George Perez and Jesus Merino

I really liked this title. Superman is a hero of sorts, but he’s not the golden boy that we think of from the movies. Clark works at the Daily Planet and yet the world and technology has moved on. The Planet has been bought out by a giant media corporation and the new owner promises to let them maintain their integrity and quality but Clark doesn’t buy it. He thinks Lois is being naïve and has been blinded by promotion and a lot of misdirection. Lois is also dating someone that isn’t Clark and he is viewed as a bit of a loner. This incarnation of Superman and Clark is definitely a more sombre and isolated version, a real alien among humans, as he doesn’t have his parents anymore and there is no heart warming scene at the Kent farm with apple pie. A new and bold direction for the Man of Steel.

Video | The Big Bang Theory theme song by Barenaked Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:30:00 +0000

I love The Big Bang Theory, it's one of my favourite shows on TV at the moment, possibly my favourite ever. Even better, the theme song is by Barenaked Ladies, one of my favourite bands ever! With their new album, Hits From Yesterday & The Day Before, recently released they made this music video for the theme song, The History of Everything. Love it!

Review | DC Comics – Week 3 (Sept 21) – Quick Reviews (DC Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Reviewed by: Steve Aryan

Title: Batman
Writers: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion

I’ve been waiting for this Batman title for a while. It was one of the top 5 books I was most looking forward to and I’m delighted to say it didn’t let me down. Scott Snyder is a fairly new writer and he previously worked on a Batman title before the reboot which I heard a lot of very good things about from reliable sources. This first issue lands in the middle of the story. It doesn’t lay out every little detail. It doesn’t tell you about how Bruce’s parents were killed and show you that scene in exquisite detail that everyone knows. Even if you’ve never read a Batman comic before you will know something about how he became Batman. Snyder trusts his audience enough to just get on and tell a good story. To try and intrigue them and I think he does a really really good job. After having read so many of the new 52 titles now, some of the Batman books are starting to blur together, but this and the Tony S. Daniel Detective Comics stand out for me at the moment. Definitely one I will continue to read because the art is great and the writer is going somewhere. It’s not just another status quo story, there’s something moving in the shadows, building in the background and I want to know more.

Title: Birds of Prey

Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Artists: Jesus Saiz

I was a big fan of Birds of Prey before the reboot and I know it was an incredibly popular title with women. Gail Simone wrote the book for a number of years, shaping the characters and adding layers to them we’d not seen before, so he had pretty big shoes to fill. Duane does an excellent job. He doesn’t just try to start things over, he takes the core principles and goes off in his own direction. There again he managed to weave in an introduction to the characters, to showcase their powers and a little info about who they are into 22 pages and keep it interesting. He does it while keeping up a steady stream of action, snappy dialogue and the gorgeous art of Jesus Saiz really helps sell this book. New characters are shown on the front cover and we are introduced to one of them in this issue, Starling. She’s funny, tough and very intriguing and has an interesting look. A book full of strong, independent female characters. A great first issue and this was one of the biggest surprises for me out of the whole 52 reboot. Definitely worth a look.

Title: Blue Beetle

Writer: Tony Bedard

Artists: Ig Guara and Ruy Jose

I’m a fan of the writer Tony Bedard because of his previous work on Green Lantern comics and he is writing a new one plus Blue Beetle. Sadly for me, my journey with Blue Beetle ends here. On the one hand I like the idea of new characters and new people getting powers and finding their way and discovering what kind of a superhero (or villain) they will become. As much as I often complain about the coming of age story in fantasy novels, I welcome it in comics because the journey is sometimes more interesting than the destination. We see the trials and tribulations they go through as teens and somewhere in the distance is the ideal of who they will become, a hero to parallel the greats. However, I didn’t find anything inspiring or that interesting here. The first six pages are taken up with a prologue which I think was a little pointless. It gives you history on the Blue Beetle scarab, but it's all about space adventure and weird aliens, which has something and nothing to do with the book. The main story centres around a young Latino teenager called Jaime and his life is not spaceships and saving the planet. It’s your more familiar high school problems of girls, acne, struggling with authority and trying to pass all of his exams. But then there are other bits to the story, super villains stealing something, a one page scene with his parents and then Jaime accidentally ending up with this new Blue Beetle alien armour battle suit thing. There’s a lot going on, but not in a good way for once. Being told this is what the scarab is spoiled it for me. It would have been more interesting to find out about what it was and what it could do as the character did. It would have been more appealing to me to spend more time exploring Jaime’s life, since he is the main character, and less on what others were doing. With Great Power and so on seems like it will be the core of this book, but right now I don’t know much about Jaime and that’s a shame. I’m sure there is still a lot that will be uncovered, such as the limits of his powers and all the cool things the scarab allows him to do, but right now I’m just not inclined to keep reading.

Title: Catwoman

Writer: Judd Winnich

Artists: Guillem March

There’s been a lot of talk about this title and the fairly controversial last page, as well as the constant one boob out as Catwoman seems to spend the entire issue in a constant state of undress where she shows off her lacy bras. I won’t go over what others will have put far more eloquently than me, but in short, I think this was a misstep. I think they need to go right back to the drawing board with this character, the concept and with this title and I will not be reading any more issues of this.

Title: Green Lantern Corps

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Artists: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

In short - I absolutely loved it. If you’ve never read it before I can see that it might be a little confusing in places, but it’s not a major obstacle and this is just a great science fiction series about cops in space. Two of them are human in this title (there are lots of aliens too) who are very different guys who have been Green Lanterns for a long time and are struggling to relate to humans and find a place on Earth and do their job at the same time. Their job is protecting a particular sector of space from all alien threats and outbreaks of war and when various endeavours back on Earth fail they both leap into action doing what they do best which is investigating a murder mystery. Lovely artwork, well written, solid characterisation and a really good solid read. Count me in.

Title: Red Hood and the Outlaws

Writer: Scott Lobdell

Artist: Kenneth Rocafort

No. Just no. Awful, awful, awful, awful stuff. Horrible. This issue is just a train wreck. It’s so bad it’s not even worth a look just to see how bad it really is. Don't bother. Just save your money because you will read it and just roll your eyes or throw it across the room. It's everything we don't want comics to be. It's what we've been trying to get away from for decades. It's the worst of comic book stereotypes brought to life. It’s just mega crap for many many many reasons. Laura Hudson at Comics Alliance has written an excellent article about this title and Catwoman and you can read it in full here to find out why this comic should end with issue 1. A horrible step backwards by DC.

Title: Nightwing

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Artists: Eddy Barrows and JP Mayer

This isn’t the first solo book for Dick Grayson, Batman’s first Robin, and I previously read and enjoyed the adventures of Dick as a superhero in his own style and own making. He went to a different city, Bludhaven, another awful place with a bad reputation and he tried to make a difference and save a few lives. Once again in this title he’s flying solo but there’s a lovely nod to his past, to where he came from and I don’t mean being an apprentice to Batman. The pacing of the title was done well, the art was excellent and it brought great pacing to the action scenes and the artist does some fun things with layouts. There are a few good splash moments to showcase the character’s new costume but also the artwork itself, but its not sacrificing the story to do so. There are a few subtle and a few less subtle clues about what is to come and some mysteries, but the writer doesn’t overdo it and trusts his audience. For example, a small spoiler, but Dick apprehends someone wearing a costume similar to his but the symbol seems to have been painted in blood. But the narration doesn’t say oh look, that’s just like my costume. It sounds obvious and silly and an amateurish mistake, but it does happen sadly. Some of the titles in the 52 are on that level but with 52 new titles I never expected all of them to be brilliant. Nightwing is a thoroughly good comic and it comes back to what I mentioned earlier about the journey. Dick Grayson has been Batman, he took on the mantle for a while, he used to be Robin, but now he’s all grown up and this is the next chapter in his story and I want to see where he goes next.

Title: Supergirl

Writers: Michael Green and Mike Johnson

Artist: Mahmud Asrar

Remember what I wrote earlier about finding a good balance between story and art? Between too much content and not enough? Here’s the story for issue 1 of Supergirl in its entirety. She crashes on Earth in her spaceship, has a fight and then Superman turns up. That’s it. That’s your 22 pages. Who hasn’t heard of Supergirl? Just from her name you get a fairly good idea of who she is. You might not know how she’s related to Superman, but it’s the same as someone wearing a Bat symbol on their chest, you get that there’s a strong connection. I think this was another missed opportunity. A few years ago Jeph Loeb essentially rebooted the character and told this exact story. She crashes to Earth but then has a series of exciting and quite bewildering adventures and every issue she was somewhere new, on another planet or in another galaxy, and was facing new adversaries and new challenges. Starting over again, sure, why not for a relaunch, but nothing happens. Nothing of worth or note. Nothing. She’s just crash landed, so of course she will be confused and disorientated, but if we already know certain facts and the character doesn’t, it just makes it boring waiting for them to catch up. Page 1 they tell us it’s Kansas, so we know she has crash landed on Earth. You’ve told us and given the game away. It would have been intriguing to show weird landscapes that appear alien but actually are on Earth to trick the audience into thinking maybe it’s somewhere else. But no. Supergirl then spends 22 pages trying to work out where she is and still doesn’t quite get there at the end by herself. The character has gone through a lot of writers in the past and each of them tried to bring something new or add to the mythology in some way. I liked it when she was a teenage girl who was trying to live up to the symbol on her chest and what that symbol meant to the people of Earth. That’s gone as Superman is not that hero anymore in this new DC universe. He might be one day, but right now he is just another alien, another superhero and a potential threat to the world. That’s my inner Lex Luthor speaking. So if you take that away and now bring in Supergirl, what does that make her? I don’t know, but I’m just not that interested to find out. The hook is a being as powerful as Superman but with none of the love he has for humanity. Well, at the moment, humans don’t seem all that fond of him, so she will be just more of the same when they eventually find out. There’s a lot they could have done but haven’t. I hope this goes somewhere and does well, but it’s a pass from me.

Cover Art | A round-up of recently released covers

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

I used to post lots and lots of cover art here on the blog, but for various reasons it just seemed to dwindle away. Not sure why, but it's something I want to change - I love me some good art on a cover!

There's been a fair amount around the past few months and here's a look at a few of my favourites!

Caliban's War is the sequel to the much-praised Leviathan Wakes (which I will read before the end of the year), and I like it a lot.

I read Final Days, the first book in this setting (although this is not a sequel), and I'm looking forward to The Thousand Emperors. The cover art is okay, not great, but it is done in a very similar style to Final Days, and that's okay with me!

I've not heard anything about 2312 and while this cover is not final, it is very nice indeed, a particular favourite with its clean and simple style. I hope they don't make too many changes...

This cover for Blackout is simple and effective, just like the ones for Feed and Deadline. 'Nuff said.

I like the way that the covers for Redick's books have kept the same distinct style yet started to incorporate more fantasy elements. I really need to read the third book before this one hits the shelves next year.

SFF Releases | Picks for October 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Baen)

Stephanie Harrington absolutely hates being confined inside her family's compound on the pioneer planet of Sphinx, a frontier wilderness world polulated by dangerous native animals that could easily tear a human to bits and pieces. Yet Stephanie is a young woman determined to make discoveries—and the biggest discovery of all awaits her: an intelligent alien species.

Treecats are creatures that resemble a cross between a bobcat and a lemur (but with six legs and much more deadly claws). Not only are they fully sentient, they are also telepathic, and able to bond with certain gifted humans such as the genetically-enhanced Stephanie. But Stephanie's find, and her first-of-its-kind bond with a treecat, brings on a new torrent of danger. An assortment of highly placed enemies with galactic-sized wealth at stake is determined to make sure that the planet of Sphinx remains entirely in human hands—even if this means the extermination of another thinking species.

The first entry in a new teen series and the origin saga for the incredibly popular, multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling Honor Harrington adult science fiction adventures. Young Stephanie Harrington is none other than the founder of a pioneering family dynasty that is destined to lead the fight for humanity's freedom in a dangerous galaxy.

The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (Gollancz)

Things are finally looking good for Captain Frey and his crew. The Ketty Jay has been fixed up good as new. They've got their first taste of fortune and fame. And, just for once, nobody is trying to kill them.

Even Trinica Dracken, Frey's ex-fiancee and long-time nemesis, has given up her quest for revenge. In fact, she's offered them a job - one that will take them deep into the desert heart of Samarla, the land of their ancient enemies. To a place where the secrets of the past lie in wait for the unwary.

Secrets that might very well cost Frey everything.

Join the crew of the Ketty Jay on their greatest adventure yet: a story of mayhem and mischief, roof-top chases and death-defying races, murderous daemons, psychopathic golems and a particularly cranky cat.

The first time was to clear his name. The second time was for money. This time, Frey's in a race against the clock for the ultimate prize: to save his own life.

A big slice of non-stop, action-packed, wise-cracking fun from the Ketty Jay, and Captain Darien Frey.

Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

A short story collection from one of the world's bestselling SF writers

A collection of short stories from the master of space opera. Peter F Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth’s Serious Crimes Directorate.Dealing with intricate themes and topical subject this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.