This has to be the most exciting week on The BoSS since Under Heaven and the new Ian McEwan arrived within days of one another! Four hugely exciting new novels lead the charge: His Dark Materials mastermind Philip Pullman courting controversy, The Desert Spear, the latest from Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell. Oh, and tentacles. Yes! Tentacles!
Not to mention the second wave of proofs and advance copies that popped through the letterbox this past seven days. A damned impressive line-up this week. Best Bag o' Speculative Swag to date? I'm calling it...
But it wouldn't do to give everything away in the intro, now would it. Tell you what: I'm honestly at a loss as to which book to start reading first. Who wants to help me choose?
Click through to read Meet the BoSS for an introduction and an explanation as to why you should care about the Bag o' Speculative Swag.
Read on for a sneak peek at some of the books - past, present and future - you can expect to see coverage of here on The Speculative Scotsman in the coming weeks and months.
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Kraken
by China Mieville
by China Mieville
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
07/05/10 by Macmillan
Review Priority:
5 (Immediate)
Plot Synopsis: ""Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears?
"For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god.
"A god that someone is hoping will end the world..."
Commentary: Alright, I confess. I should really be asking for advice as to which of the rest of the books in this week's edition of The BoSS to read next. Was there ever any doubt that I wouldn't drop everything for Kraken? For a little background, click on through to read an extensive preview that ran on The Speculative Scotsman in early January. Now, having read the first few hundred pages of this mammoth new Mieville - the bound manuscript I was lucky enough to receive clocks in at just shy of 500 A4 pages - I'm no less excited for what's to come. What's surprised me most about Kraken, however, is that it's... fun. Not that Mieville isn't usually. But Kraken seems to be a comedy above all else. Extreme origami, anyone? Nevertheless, it's dense, poetic and prosiac; this is a China Mieville novel, make no mistake, just with more whimsy and farce than I for one had expected.
"For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god.
"A god that someone is hoping will end the world..."
Commentary: Alright, I confess. I should really be asking for advice as to which of the rest of the books in this week's edition of The BoSS to read next. Was there ever any doubt that I wouldn't drop everything for Kraken? For a little background, click on through to read an extensive preview that ran on The Speculative Scotsman in early January. Now, having read the first few hundred pages of this mammoth new Mieville - the bound manuscript I was lucky enough to receive clocks in at just shy of 500 A4 pages - I'm no less excited for what's to come. What's surprised me most about Kraken, however, is that it's... fun. Not that Mieville isn't usually. But Kraken seems to be a comedy above all else. Extreme origami, anyone? Nevertheless, it's dense, poetic and prosiac; this is a China Mieville novel, make no mistake, just with more whimsy and farce than I for one had expected.
The Thousand Autumns
of Jacob de Zoet
of Jacob de Zoet
by David Mitchell
Release Details:
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
13/05/10 by Sceptre
Review Priority:
Review Priority:
4 (Very High)
Plot Synopsis: "Imagine an empire that has shut out the world for a century and a half. No one can leave, foreigners are excluded, their religions banned and their ideas deeply mistrusted. Yet a narrow window onto this nation-fortress still exists: an artificial walled island connected to a mainland port, and manned by a handful of European traders. And locked as the land-gate may be, it cannot prevent the meeting of minds – or hearts.
"The nation was Japan, the port was Nagasaki and the island was Dejima, to where David Mitchell's panoramic novel transports us in the year 1799. For one Dutch clerk, Jacob de Zoet, a dark adventure of duplicity, love, guilt, faith and murder is about to begin – and all the while, unbeknownst to him and his feuding compatriots, the axis of global power is turning..."
Commentary: This could be brilliant. There's every chance. I loved Ghost Writer, and though Cloud Atlas left me frustrated and that experience has meant I haven't yet cracked open Black Swan Green, David Mitchell is an author of the highest caliber, with boundless imagination and breathtaking flair. I expect a lot from The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, his first novel in four years. And that's fair, I think. You don't get shortlisted for the Booker prize twice by being average. And whatever this book is, it won't, I'm sure, be that.
"The nation was Japan, the port was Nagasaki and the island was Dejima, to where David Mitchell's panoramic novel transports us in the year 1799. For one Dutch clerk, Jacob de Zoet, a dark adventure of duplicity, love, guilt, faith and murder is about to begin – and all the while, unbeknownst to him and his feuding compatriots, the axis of global power is turning..."
Commentary: This could be brilliant. There's every chance. I loved Ghost Writer, and though Cloud Atlas left me frustrated and that experience has meant I haven't yet cracked open Black Swan Green, David Mitchell is an author of the highest caliber, with boundless imagination and breathtaking flair. I expect a lot from The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, his first novel in four years. And that's fair, I think. You don't get shortlisted for the Booker prize twice by being average. And whatever this book is, it won't, I'm sure, be that.
The Desert Spear
by Peter V. Brett
by Peter V. Brett
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
01/04/10 by HarperVoyager
Review Priority:
Review Priority:
5 (Immediate)
Plot Synopsis: "The Deliverer has returned, but who is he? Arlen Bales, formerly of the small hamlet of Tibbet's Brook, learnt harsh lessons about life as he grew up in a world where hungry demons stalk the night and humanity is trapped by its own fear. He chose a different path; chose to fight inherited apathy and the corelings, and eventually he became the Painted Man, a reluctant saviour. But the figure emerging from the desert, calling himself the Deliverer, is not Arlen. He is a friend and betrayer, and though he carries the spear from the Deliverer's tomb, he also heads a vast army intent on a holy war against the demon plague... and anyone else who stands in his way."
Commentary: Oh, indeed. That's what Omar would say; he loved The Painted Man. And what do you know? So did I. I wasn't expecting much going in, and perhaps my mediocre expectations are partly why I was so disarmed by Peter V. Brett's first novel. But I don't truly believe that. The Painted Man was not a perfect fantasy narrative, but it was a very, very fine one which went from strength to strength as the pages raced past. As such, I've been anticipating the sequel for a long time, and to have the mailman bring me, unbidden, a copy of The Desert Spear... that's pretty much all the validation I need to justify the hard work that goes into maintaining The Speculative Scotsman each day. I've tried to stay spoiler-free, and though several complaints about the pacing of this much longer novel have filtered through, I can only continue to do as I have done over the past year: hope for the best.
Commentary: Oh, indeed. That's what Omar would say; he loved The Painted Man. And what do you know? So did I. I wasn't expecting much going in, and perhaps my mediocre expectations are partly why I was so disarmed by Peter V. Brett's first novel. But I don't truly believe that. The Painted Man was not a perfect fantasy narrative, but it was a very, very fine one which went from strength to strength as the pages raced past. As such, I've been anticipating the sequel for a long time, and to have the mailman bring me, unbidden, a copy of The Desert Spear... that's pretty much all the validation I need to justify the hard work that goes into maintaining The Speculative Scotsman each day. I've tried to stay spoiler-free, and though several complaints about the pacing of this much longer novel have filtered through, I can only continue to do as I have done over the past year: hope for the best.
Wintercraft
by Jenna Burtenshaw
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
13/05/10 by Headline
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort.
"Now the wardens are back... and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council's most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he’s convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace.
"The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft."
Commentary: What with Dark Life and Alex Bell's first Lex Trent novel, I've had such lovely experiences reading YA literature over the past few months that my faith in all-ages fiction has been damn near renewed, though the kicking it took in the wake of all the awful nonsense that followed the tremendous and - let's be honest - largely unwarranted success of Harry Potter novels has left me cautious. That said, Wintercraft sounds like loads of fun... although - bear with me here - there's a Silas. And there's a book in a graveyard. The Graveyard Book, anyone? No doubt the similarities will be but skin deep; and if they're not, hell, I'll take another Neil Gaiman, thank you very much.
"Now the wardens are back... and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council's most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he’s convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace.
"The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft."
Commentary: What with Dark Life and Alex Bell's first Lex Trent novel, I've had such lovely experiences reading YA literature over the past few months that my faith in all-ages fiction has been damn near renewed, though the kicking it took in the wake of all the awful nonsense that followed the tremendous and - let's be honest - largely unwarranted success of Harry Potter novels has left me cautious. That said, Wintercraft sounds like loads of fun... although - bear with me here - there's a Silas. And there's a book in a graveyard. The Graveyard Book, anyone? No doubt the similarities will be but skin deep; and if they're not, hell, I'll take another Neil Gaiman, thank you very much.
British Science Fiction & Fantasy:
Twenty Years, Two Surveys
Twenty Years, Two Surveys
by Paul Kincaid & Niall Harrison
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
22/03/10 by Odd Two Out
Review Priority:
22/03/10 by Odd Two Out
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "Who writes sf and fantasy? How do they perceive their work, and how is it received?
"The two surveys collected here answer these questions, and many more. With in-depth responses from over 120 writers, and detailed analysis, Twenty Years, Two Surveys offers a comprehensive view of the state of British science fiction and fantasy, and charts the changes that have taken place in the field over the last twenty years.
Commentary: No, I'm not a member of the BSFA, nor, indeed, did attend Eastercon, where I understand Twenty Years, Two Surveys launched - though I dearly wish I'd been able to. Thankfully, Torque Control mastermind and Strange Horizons reviews editor Niall Harrison kindly sent a copy along - clearly to make amends for having stolen my name. I don't imagine you'll see a review of this on the blog - how to review a collection of interviews? - but I certainly mean to discuss it. From well-renowned genre authors such as Iain Banks and Paul McAuley to more recent arrivals to the science fiction and fantasy fold, amongst them Adrian Tchaikovsky, Kit Whitfield and Richard Morgan, this thorough census of authors through the ages should shed light on the differences twenty years of days can make to the perception and understanding of speculative fiction. Meaty, thoughtful stuff, and from what I'd read of the PDF before my tree-based copy arrived, exceedingly well put together.
"The two surveys collected here answer these questions, and many more. With in-depth responses from over 120 writers, and detailed analysis, Twenty Years, Two Surveys offers a comprehensive view of the state of British science fiction and fantasy, and charts the changes that have taken place in the field over the last twenty years.
Commentary: No, I'm not a member of the BSFA, nor, indeed, did attend Eastercon, where I understand Twenty Years, Two Surveys launched - though I dearly wish I'd been able to. Thankfully, Torque Control mastermind and Strange Horizons reviews editor Niall Harrison kindly sent a copy along - clearly to make amends for having stolen my name. I don't imagine you'll see a review of this on the blog - how to review a collection of interviews? - but I certainly mean to discuss it. From well-renowned genre authors such as Iain Banks and Paul McAuley to more recent arrivals to the science fiction and fantasy fold, amongst them Adrian Tchaikovsky, Kit Whitfield and Richard Morgan, this thorough census of authors through the ages should shed light on the differences twenty years of days can make to the perception and understanding of speculative fiction. Meaty, thoughtful stuff, and from what I'd read of the PDF before my tree-based copy arrived, exceedingly well put together.
The Good Man Jesus and
the Scoundrel Christ
the Scoundrel Christ
by Philip Pullman
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
29/03/10 by Canongate
Review Priority:
29/03/10 by Canongate
Review Priority:
4 (Very High)
Plot Synopsis: "This is a story. In this ingenious and spell-binding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman revisits the most influential story ever told. Charged with mystery, compassion and enormous power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ throws fresh light on who Jesus was and asks the reader questions that will continue to resonate long after the final page is turned. For, above all, this book is about how stories become stories."
Commentary: Philip Pullman, courting controversy? Never... That cynical attitude aside, even the Archbishop of Canterbury had nice things to say about The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ in his surprising review for The Guardian. All the same, Pullman's first novel proper since the final volume of His Dark Materials has been ruffling feathers everywhere, and though I'm about as a-religious as people come, I can see the value of the Bible as a good, inspirational story - and is there anymore more sacred than that? If anyone's up to the task of retelling the Gospels to appeal to a skeptical modern readership, it's got to be Philip Pullman. Let's just hope he keeps an even hand in so doing.
Commentary: Philip Pullman, courting controversy? Never... That cynical attitude aside, even the Archbishop of Canterbury had nice things to say about The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ in his surprising review for The Guardian. All the same, Pullman's first novel proper since the final volume of His Dark Materials has been ruffling feathers everywhere, and though I'm about as a-religious as people come, I can see the value of the Bible as a good, inspirational story - and is there anymore more sacred than that? If anyone's up to the task of retelling the Gospels to appeal to a skeptical modern readership, it's got to be Philip Pullman. Let's just hope he keeps an even hand in so doing.
Our Tragic Universe
by Scarlett Thomas
Release Details:
Published in the UK on
20/05/10 by Canongate
Review Priority:
20/05/10 by Canongate
Review Priority:
3 (Moderate)
Plot Synopsis: "If Kelsey Newman's theory about the end of time is true, we are all going to live forever. But for Meg - locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline long-gone for a book that she can't write - this thought fills her with dread. Meg is lost in a labyrinth of her own devising. But could there be an important connection between a wild beast living on Dartmoor, a ship in a bottle, the science of time, a knitting pattern for the shape of the universe and the Cottingley Fairies? Or is her life just one long chain of coincidences?"
Commentary: I really wanted to love The End of Mr Y - though to be fair I only bought it because it was on offer at Tesco, it had a hypnotic cover (in much the same vein as this), it was the middle of the night and my decision-making skills were sleeping - but I didn't. Nevertheless, though I felt Scarlett Thomas flubbed a few aspects of her book about books, I enjoyed it nevertheless, and Our Tragic Universe sees the author revisiting similar territory with a story, I'm told, about stories. Here's hoping she can maintain a tighter grasp on this metaphysical narrative than she did in its somewhat self-indulgent predecessor.
I'd love to see a review of the Jacob de Zoet foremost from that list. Desert Spear is a great book as well, and then Kraken is interesting as well.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to Kraken although no one has sent me an ARC yet. [Glumface]
ReplyDeleteI really like your presentation on these types of posts.
When Kraken is a comedy, it seems Miéville has brought some influences of Walter Moers into bearing. The plot synopsis reads a little bit like a yarn of his.
ReplyDelete