The BoSS for 26/09/10

The theme of The BoSS this week, embodied by the trio of The Bookman, Rules of Duel and most notably How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe, seems to be books that could well be brilliant, but which critical reaction in regards to has been mixed. Well, phooey to that. I'm not one to be discouraged by a bad review - especially when there's a good review to match every one. In fact, I'll confess: that opposition of opinion only serves to make the experience of reading these babies that much more appealing to me.

For the moment, click through to Meet the BoSS for an introduction and an explanation as to why you should care about the Bag o' Speculative Swag, or 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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Rules of Duel

by Graham Masterton

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
01/09/10 by Telos

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Depressed reporter Tom Crisp, sometimes known as A14, finds himself embroiled in a web of intrigue as he tries to make sense of his incarceration at Tin Type Hall. 'Just telling you' his story unravels in a series of 'silver film' as he finds himself in a world full of double-agents such as the psychotic Motherwell the Everlasting Executioner, John Remorse, the Serjeant of Time Film and Samuel Baptist HM Inspector of Brothels. In a world where sexually charged sofas ejaculate black horse hair and the Hypocritic Oath is blamed for failed medical procedures, Crisp stands helplessly by as Jack Beauregard, the Eater of Cities, is hunted down. It could all be the fault of the Mysterious Babies ... but then maybe you can feel the 'Cold Sun'..."

Commentary: What an oddity this is... a "recently-rediscovered" manuscript composed by a master of dodgy old-school horror under the tutelage of William S. Burroughs - whom I only know of because of David Cronenberg (my bad) - the "creator of the literarily acclaimed intersection writing technique," which to be perfectly frank I've never heard of. Still. Very nicely presented by Telos. And my ignorance aside, this could be something special; certainly the talent is there. Mind you, having googled intersection writing, I get the sense it won't likely be the easiest of reads.

How to Live Safely in a

Science-Fictional Universe

by Charles Yu

Release Details:

Published in the US on
01/10/10 by Corvus

Review Priority:

5 (Immediate)

Plot Synopsis: "With only TAMMY - a slightly tearful computer with self-esteem issues - a software boss called Phil - Microsoft Middle Manager 3.0 - and an imaginary dog called Ed for company, fixing time machines is a lonely business and Charles Yu is stuck in a rut. He's spent the better part of a decade navel-gazing, spying on 39 different versions of himself in alternate universes (and discovered that 35 of them are total jerks). And he's kind of fallen in love with TAMMY, which is bad because she doesn't have a module for that. With all that's on his mind, perhaps it's no surprise that when he meets his future self, he shoots him in the stomach. And that's a beginner's mistake for a time machine repairman. Now he's stuck in a time loop, going in circles forever. All he has, wrapped in brown paper, is the book his future self was trying to press into his hands. It's called How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. And he's the author. And somewhere inside it is the information that could save him."

Commentary: The buzz on How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe has been rather mixed. Some people seem to think Charles Yu's debut is the best thing since sliced bread, others that it's a case of much ado about nothing. Here's hoping that latter group, per my suspicions, are rather missing the point, because I'm good and excited to sit down with this one. I'm imagining something along the lines of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy crossed with The Holy Machine, by Chris Beckett. Oh, and +1 for metafictional sci-fi.

Against All Things Ending

by Stephen R. Donaldson

 

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
28/10/10 by Gollancz

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Desperate for help to find her adopted son, Jeremiah, Linden Avery has resurrected Thomas Covenant in a cataclysmic exertion of Earthpower and wild magic. But the consequences of her efforts are more terrible than she could have imagined. Sorcery on that scale has awakened the Worm of the World's End: the ultimate end of all Time, and therefore of all life, has been set in motion. And on a more personal level, the results are no less extreme. The stress of reincarnation so many centuries after his death has fractured Covenant's mind. He cannot tell Linden where to find her son. And his leprosy has renewed its grip on him, inexorably killing his nerves. The Ranyhyn had tried to warn her. Now, plunged to depths of desperation and despair for which she is entirely unprepared, Linden seeks radical responses to the dilemmas she has created. Searching for Jeremiah, and accompanied only by a few friends and allies - some of them unwilling - she takes chances that threaten her sanity, forcing her to confront the Land's most fearsome secrets. Dreadful futures hinge on all of her choices, and she and her companions are driven beyond the limits of their endurance. Yet she still walks paths laid out for her by the Despiser, and his forces are ready..."

Commentary: Against All Things Ending is the penultimate book of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and indeed, unless Stephen R. Donaldson pulls the another one (stranger things have happened), this long-standing series entire. I'll admit I've a lot of catching up to do if I mean to follow the unbeliever through his final trials...

...but to be honest, I've rather an appetite to do just that. I've only read some of the first series, and that was a long time ago, but what I did read, I remember enjoying, and for any series to have the staying power this one has - there's got to be something to it, you know?

(On the other hand, my mum gave up on The Various Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series five or six books in because it was, to paraphrase her, unrelentingly miserable. Take from that what you will.)

The Bookman

by Lavie Tidhar

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
07/01/10 by Angry Robot

Review Priority:

5 (Immediate)

Plot Synopsis: "A masked terrorist has brought London to its knees -- there are bombs inside books, and nobody knows which ones. On the day of the launch of the first expedition to Mars, by giant cannon, he outdoes himself with an audacious attack. For young poet Orphan, trapped in the screaming audience, it seems his destiny is entwined with that of the shadowy terrorist, but how? Like a steam-powered take on V for Vendetta, rich with satire and slashed through with automatons, giant lizards, pirates, airships and wild adventure, The Bookman is the first of a series."

Commentary: Colour me surprised to see such a wealth of negative criticism directed towards The Bookman on the Amazon UK page I perused while stealing publication details and whatnot. I read the first five chapters or so last night, finally catching up on the spoilery synopsis (which I've spared you), and I'm good and sold on this alternate history steampunk escapade. Lavie Tidhar has a wonderful turn of phrase, eloquent and ominous, that puts me in mind of some mad bastard sired from an unholy union between China Mieville and Jeff VanderMeer. Perhaps it'll all go tits-up before the last hammer falls, there's always the chance, but I doubt it.

This put anyone else in mind of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman - Alan Moore's comics, not the God-awful film - or is that just me?

Guardians of Paradise

by Jaine Fenn

Release Details:

Published in the UK on

02/09/09 by Gollancz

Review Priority:

4 (Very High)

Plot Synopsis: "Most people believe the Sidhe are long dead, exterminated centuries ago when the males of the race rose up and fought alongside the humans subjugated and enslaved by the female Sidhe. But Jarek Reen knows better: he's discovered, the painful way, that the Sidhe are alive and well, and still screwing over humanity. They've already killed his sister, so he's not surprised when he discovers an old friend and her partner are next on the Sidhe's hitlist. He helps not only to foil the assassination attempt, but also to muddy the scene of the crime, leaving the Angels Nual and Taro sanMalia presumed dead - and free to join his crusade to expose the insidious influence of the Sidhe, and their evil plans to enslave the human race again. Their mission takes them across human-space, from utilitarian hub-points to rich, exotic planets - where they discover that a brilliant vacation spot hides some of the darkest secrets of all. And that's when they discover how easy it is for the hunters to become the hunted..."

Commentary: Hmmm. Now here's a name that calls to me... yet I can't quite place it. Nor has trawling through Jaine Fenn's back-catalogue enlightened me. I'd read Guardians of Paradise out of curiosity if nothing else, but there's plenty else I like the sound of in that there plot synopsis. Add to that I've been on something of a sci-fi kick of late - count down Engineman, The Dreaming Void, The Quiet War and another that isn't quite coming to mind - and I think it's safe to say: I'm in.

The Curse of the Wendigo

by Rick Yancey

Release Details:

Published in the UK on 12/10/10
by Simon & Schuster Children's

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "While attempting to disprove that Homo vampiris, the vampire, could exist, Dr. Warthrop is asked by his former fiance to rescue her husband from the Wendigo, a creature that starves even as it gorges itself on human flesh, which has snatched him in the Canadian wilderness. Although Warthrop also considers the Wendigo to be fictitious, he relents and rescues her husband from death and starvation, and then sees the man transform into a Wendigo. Can the doctor and Will Henry hunt down the ultimate predator, who, like the legendary vampire, is neither living nor dead, whose hunger for human flesh is never satisfied? This second book in The Monstrumologist series explores the line between myth and reality, love and hate, genius and madness."

Commentary: Now this sounds like it could be a whole lot of fun. Of course, I've got to read The Monstrumologist first, haven't I? Luckily, I have a copy of book one in this YA series to hand. Sent for review many moons ago, as a matter of fact, though at the time the Horrible Histories cover design rather leveled off my interest. The spiffing new art adorning The Curse of the Wendigo makes me that much more likely to give this sequel, and indeed its predecessor, a shot; one nil in favour of the importance of a pretty cover, eh?

Will Power
by A. J. Hartley

Release Details:

Published in the US on
14/09/10 by Tor

Review Priority:

2 (Fair)

Plot Synopsis: "While on the run from Empire guards, Will Hawthorne and his band of thieves are transported to a mysterious land that none of them recognize or know how to get home from. Turns out that they've landed right in the middle of a battle between goblins and humans. Their human allies are practically storybook counterparts to the rough sorts they knew in Stavis, speaking in high-flown prose, dressed to the height of fashion, and dripping with wealth and social propriety. Will's companions are quite taken by these fine folks, but the Fair Folk are appalled by Will's unorthodoxy.


"At first Will does whatever he can to try to squirm into their good graces, but just when his efforts are feeling totally futile, he begins to wonder if these too-perfect courtiers and warriors have anything to offer beyond their glamour and their burning hatred of the goblins. But is there any recourse for Will and his friends once it turns out that the humans who are sheltering them may not be on the right side of their eternal conflict?


"Will Power is a funny and fleet-footed stand-alone fantasy featuring the characters readers grew to love in Act of Will in an all-new adventure about the danger of first impressions."

Commentary: If I'm not wrong, Will Power is the fourth volume in a series of standalone narrative which sounds like a continental equivalent to The Court of The Air and its sequels, from our own Stephen Hunt. Now perhaps that's miles off the mark, but I've heard nothing about Will Power to indicate otherwise, and I'll be honest: Stephen Hunt's novels have left me quite, quite cold. We'll have to see about this one...