Book Review: Dead Space Martyr by Brian K. Evenson

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IndieBound / The Book Depository

"We have seen the future: a universe cursed with life after death.

"It all started deep beneath the Yucatan peninsula, where an archaeological discovery took us into a new age, bringing us face-to-face with our origins and destiny.

"Michael Altman had a theory no one would hear. It cursed our world for centuries to come.

"This, at last, is his story."

***

There's been a lot of talk about the viability of shared worlds recently. On the one hand, after decades of marginalisation such that print magazines have established an historical tradition of ignoring franchise fiction, tie-ins and brand adaptations have become increasingly visible of late. Much less quote unquote "fringe," I would argue (from, admittedly, my position on the fringes of such fonts of literary criticism). It's difficult to quantify exactly why the tides have turned so dramatically, insofar as perception is notoriously difficult to measure, but they certainly have: for all the proof that particular pudding might have needed, see the winner of this year's David Gemmell Legend award, a Black Library novel by Graham McNeill.

Shared worlds are more viable, commercially if not yet critically, than ever before. In light of McNeill's Warhammer novel triumphing over such supposed genre favourites as Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, previous winner Pierre Pevel, and the late, lamented Robert Jordan's last turn on The Wheel of Time, things might be on the up in those terms too. In any event, these days, it's not altogether uncommon to hear of notable authors lending their talents to tie-in fiction, and the candidates range far and wide. Michael Moorcock will write a Doctor Who novel; Neil Gaiman just handed in a script for an episode of the cult British show proper. Renowned sci-fi bestseller Greg Bear has a trilogy based on the Halo video games and indeed the pre-existing fiction to have come from that franchise forthcoming. Then there's Predator: South China Seas, by experimental auteur Jeff VanderMeer, and Dead Space: Martyr, the latest tie-in set to explode the perception of its mode of storytelling as an avenue of hack trash.

And why not? A good story's a good story, right? Given a capable author's hand, that's a truth no genre fan would dare dispute, and Brian Evenson is nothing if not capable. The crossover author has, as B. K. Evenson, dabbled in shared worlds before, with Aliens: No Exit and "Pariah," a short story in last year's Halo anthology. As I understand it, however, he came to fame as a former Mormon whose controversial debut, Altmann's Tongue, rather set the cat among the pigeons among the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Evenson's literary work has since seen comparisons to the likes of Borges, Ballard and Burroughs. His genre fiction, too, has been notable: Last Days took home the ALA/RUSA for Best Horror Novel of 2009, and before even that, The Open Curtain came near enough to the Edgar and the Shirley Jackson. Following in those footsteps, Dead Space: Martyr looked for all intents and purposes like another jewel in the shared worlds crown.

No such luck.

It's not the fiction's fault. All told, the Dead Space lore is rich - scriptwriters including Warren Ellis and Antony Johnston saw to that - if, admittedly, rather derivative. In the original game, space carpenter Isaac found himself the lone hope for humanity on a ship carrying a powerful religious artifact which just so happened to transform men into monsters. Horrifically deformed monsters, rendered from flesh and blood and bone, come to that, and virtually unstoppable. Cue a bunch of creepy spaceship exploration, in which ominous nuggets of the backstory (an effective enough riff on Scientology) were dispensed like collectible Pez, and tonnes of nasty fun in the form of "strategic dismemberment." EA went whole hog with the cross-media promotion, too, with a comic book, an animated movie, an ARG and an underrated on-rails shooter for the Wii in the form of Dead Space: Extraction. Isaac, we came to understand, wasn't really the crux of the overarching Dead Space fiction: it was all about The Marker, a monolith equivalent. And in Dead Space: Martyr, we learn at last how the Marker was discovered... how the spread of Unitology under its fallen messiah Michael Altman came to spell an apocalypse.

It's just a shame the revelations so pivotal to the greater fiction are made with such nonchalance. Evenson has a good story, the means to tell it well, and a shared world more potent than most of the puny excuses for space marines to shoot monsters video games are guilty of purveying. Yet Dead Space: Martyr is a onerous experience. Evenson makes nothing of Altman's pivotal narrative, engages not at all with neither the significance nor the weight of the events he's chosen to recount. Altman's journey from curious scientist to Unitology Godhead feels rote and distant. Those other characters in Dead Space: Martyr are never more than caricatures, and though the action (almost all of which is clumped together in the last quarter) is exciting enough, it too suffers from the sense that Evenson is merely going through the motions. He's played the game, evidently - I'll give the man that: when the Marker finally makes its move, the ensuing horror feels like a blow-by-blow description of similar such scenes in the original game. It's authentic, yes, but stirring? Not at all.

Dead Space: Martyr is a far cry from the worst tie-in literature I've read. Evenson does a credible job of taking us from point A to point B, and the trip's not long, nor, from time to time, without its highlights. Unfortunately, for the larger part, Dead Space: Martyr has little to recommend it. Evenson's well-documented storytelling knack is here in workmanlike form. As shared worlds fiction comes, it could be been - should have been - another home run. In fact, Dead Space: Matyr is unremarkable at best.

***

Dead Space: Martyr

by B. K. Evenson

July 2010, Tor US

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IndieBound / The Book Depository

Recommended and Related Reading

Bookerish Burbling

And I was just about to point you all towards The Guardian, to vote for your choice of genre awesomeness in the supposed former broadsheet's "Not the Booker" award, when I realised the deadline was up. In the words of a certain other Scotsman... too late it was, too late.

Well. There's always the Booker itself to burble about, though I confess to having read a whopping none of the six shortlisted titles. Every year I flirt with the notion of reading them all - not necessarily before the eventual winner has been announced, either. Every year a website, The Book People, offers a scorcher of a deal of a lot of all six, making it easy for me to do just that. And every year, I flail at the thought, and fail. This year promises to be no different.

The shortlist:

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

Room by Emma Donoghue

In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

The Long Song by Andrea Levy

C by Tom McCarthy

Of which, only the lattermost two interest me even remotely, and neither because the Booker gives a damn. Thanks to the scratchy transparency of its wicked-looking cover, C grabbed me in advance of the buzz it's been on the end of as a result of the judges' attention - or at least my awareness thereof - while my interest in The Long Song was piqued months ago. I've read Levy before and I wouldn't be averse, I suppose, to reading her again.

There. That's the sum total of the enthusiasm I can muster of the Booker shortlist this year. To be honest, I probably won't read either C or The Long Song; I'm far too busy mourning my dearth of interest in Lost, a show I absolutely loved in its first few years, but find myself utterly unmoved by in the final seasons my other half and I have been catching up on. On the other hand, I'm loving - loving - The Pillars of the Earth, the eight-hour miniseries based on Ken Follett's novel of the same name. And I see Follett has a new novel which sees the author's focus shift from ancient England to not-so-ancient Wales and the Russian Revolution coming out at the end of the month. Coincidence, I wonder? Well, whatever. I'm certainly a damn sight more likely to check Fall of Giants out after I'm through with The Pillars of the Earth than I was before.

What an odd blog post this has been...

Normal service shall resume shortly! :)

The BoSS for 05/09/10

And so, to the second edition of The BoSS double header. Yesterday, we talked YA. Today, we're back on the books for growed-ups, including two I've already read and several installments of series I've begun - all of which makes me feel a little less shitty about all the pretty books that come through the door and the dire lack of time of time I have to enjoy them. This week, by chance as much as any other thing, I made the grade.

Well... I would have had I not broken with tradition to put two of these posts up. *sigh*

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.

***

The Black Prism

by Brent Weeks

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
26/08/10 by Orbit

Review Priority:

5 (Immediate)

Plot Synopsis: "Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: five years to achieve five impossible goals. But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart."

Commentary: I'll confess to no small amount of excitement when I tore open the latest care package from Orbit to find a review copy of The Black Prism. Brent Weeks is, yes, another of the authors I've heard great things about, but never read; he made quite the splash, I'm given to understand, with The Way of Shadows last year. Thus, I jumped at the chance to get started on this, the first volume of a new trilogy entitled Lightbringer, and though my feelings on it are more mixed than I'd hoped, The Black Prism is a fun read at the very least. Expect a review within the week.

One question, though: why's it called The Black Prism? I read the whole thing and I'm no closer to grasping that. Anyone? Was it just a neat name?

Engineman

by Eric Brown

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
14/10/10 by Solaris

Review Priority:

4 (Very High)

Plot Synopsis: "Once they pushed bigships through the cobalt glory of the Nada-Continuum. But faster than light isn’t fast enough anymore. The interfaces of the Keilor-Vincicoff Organisation bring planets light years distant a simple step away. Then a man with half a face offers ex-engineman Ralph Mirren the chance to escape his ruined life and push a ship to an undisclosed destination. The Nada-Continuum holds the key to Ralph’s future. What he cannot anticipate is its universal importance – nor the mystery awaiting him on the distant colony world."

Commentary: A reissue, I believe, of one of Eric Brown's standalone sci-fi sagas, complete with a gorgeous new cover and "nine stories set in the Engineman universe, including the Interzone award winning The Time-Lapsed Man". Quite the package, then.

Sagas are one of my pet peeves, and one of the reasons I tend to read less sci-fi - though I suppose there are an equal number of serial narratives in fantasy fiction - so this looks to be right up my street. Doesn't hurt that it looks so purdy, either. I'll be reading Engineman just as soon as I can find time to.

The Usurper

by Rowena Cory Daniels

 

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
02/09/10 by Solaris

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Now a slave, Piro finds herself in the Merofynian Palace where, if her real identity is discovered, she will be executed.

"Meanwhile, Fyn is desperate to help his brother, Bryen, who is now the uncrowned King. Bryen never sought power but now he finds himself at the centre of a dangerous resistance movement as the people of Rolencia flee vicious invaders. How can Byren defeat the invaders, when half his warriors are women and children, and the other half are untrained boys and old men?"

Commentary: Solaris have outdone themselves with the untraditional publication schedule for these books; these books being The King's Bastard, The Uncrowned King and The Usurper, volumes one through three of King Rolen's King, which the aforementioned (small?) press have released one-a-month for the past three months. I'll be honest, I don't know that I'd have looked twice at Rowena Cory Daniels' series were it not for the way Solaris has opted to release it - but I'm glad they did. I've read the first book and started on the second, and King Rolen's King has been pretty fine fantasy so far. Saying that, though, I'm officially behind! Fancy that...

Dead Space: Martyr

by B. K. Evenson

Release Details:

Published in the US on

01/07/10 by Tor

Review Priority:

4 (Very High)

Plot Synopsis: "We have seen the future: a universe cursed with life after death.

"It all started deep beneath the Yucatan peninsula, where an archaeological discovery took us into a new age, bringing us face-to-face with our origins and destiny.

"Michael Altman had a theory no one would hear. It cursed our world for centuries to come. This, at last, is his story."

Commentary: Ahhh. The inevitable Dead Space tie-in. Now don't get me wrong, guys and gals: I loved the game, and I had high hopes for the book given Brian Evenson's talent (as evidenced by Last Days). This is thus another of the week's arrivals that I've already managed to gorge on, but sadly, whatever my feelings about the game, Dead Space: Martyr ain't all that. Evenson has, despite his remarkable original fiction, turned in what amounts to hack work for hire, investing himself not at all in the world, nor indeed its characters, such as they are.

A damn shame, if you ask me; I'm dearly anticipating the day shared worlds fiction comes into its own. But you'll hear all about that, and this book, shortly. Stay tuned for the full review in the not-too-distant.

The Crowded Shadows

by Celine Kiernan

Release Details:

Published in the UK on

02/09/09 by Orbit

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Wynter Moorehawke has fled the dangers of court for bandit-infested forests, seeking exiled prince Alberon. But more than just thieves lurk in these shadows. Every tyrant and zealot who has ever threatened the kingdom is sending emissaries to meet Alberon, whose motivations seem unclear. Razi and Christopher had also set out to track Alberon, and find Wynter as enemies close in. With a savage wolf clan on their heels, they must seek sanctuary with the nomadic Merron. But this leaves them enmeshed in a net of sinister black magics and forbidden ritual. Their safety and the kingdom's future will depend on a web of alliances and hostilities. And Alberon and his war machine sit at its heart."

Commentary: As per my review back in April, I had mixed feelings about The Poison Throne, which this book follows on from. As the second book in The Moorehawke Trilogy, The Crowded Shadows will have the hardest job of the lot in terms of telling a story worthwhile in and of itself, but The Poison Throne ended on a promising note, and if the energy and enthusiasm which pervaded it carry over, I don't doubt The Crowded Shadows will make for a fun few hours even if middle volume syndrome does the dirty.

The Technician

by Neal Asher

Release Details:

Published in the UK

on 20/08/09 by Tor

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "The Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada. But the Tidy Squad consists of rebels who cannot accept the new order. Their hate for surviving theocrats is undiminished, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is at the top of their hitlist.

"Escaping his sanatorium Tombs is pushed into painful confrontation with reality he has avoided since the rebellion. His insanity has been left uncured, because the near mythical hooder called the Technician that attacked him all those years ago, did something to his mind even the AIs fail to understand. Tombs might possess information about the suicide of an entire alien race.

"The war drone Amistad, whose job it is to bring this information to light, recruits Lief Grant, an ex-rebel Commander, to protect Tombs, along with the black AI Penny Royal, who everyone thought was dead. The amphidapt Chanter, who has studied the bone sculptures the Technician makes with the remains of its prey, might be useful too.


"Meanwhile, in deep space, the mechanism the Atheter used to reduce themselves to animals, stirs from slumber and begins to power-up its weapons."

Commentary: What?

For an apparently standalone novel, The Technician sure does sound like it relies on a not insignificant amount of knowledge of the Polity universe Neal Asher has been working within for as long as I can recall. Which, I'm afraid, I do not have. Still, I'm interested. For one thing, the quote from The Daily Mail - or whichever of the UK's tabloid rags it was - that used to put me off Asher's books is, praise the lord, gone. And there's that giant insect alien on the cover (which reminds me of Lost Planet concept art) to consider. How could a giant insect alien not equal fun? We'll see about this one...

Oh, and if some kind soul wants to sell me on The Technician - explain whether it is or is not suitable for readers entirely unversed in the Polity, say - the odds of further coverage here on TSS are only going to get better.

The First Collected Tales of

Bauchelain and Korbal Broach

by Steven Erikson

Release Details:

Published in the UK
on 19/09/09 by Bantam

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Blood Follows" - In the port city of Lamentable Moll, a diabolical killer stalks the streets and panic grips the citizens like a fever. As Emancipor Reese's legendary ill luck would have it, his previous employer is the unknown killer's latest victim. But two strangers have come to town, and they have posted in Fishmonger's Round a note, reeking of death-warded magic, requesting the services of a manservant. "The Lees Of Laughter's End" - After their blissful sojourn in Lamentable Moll, the sorcerers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - along with their manservant, Emancipor Reese - set out on the open seas aboard the sturdy ship Suncurl. Alas, there's more baggage in the hold than meets the beady eyes of the crew, and unseemly terrors awaken. For Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, and Emancipor Reese, it is just one more night on the high seas, on a journey without end. "The Healthy Dead" - The city of Quaint's zeal for goodness can be catastrophic, and no one knows this better than Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, two stalwart champions of all things bad. The homicidal necromancers - and their substance-addled manservant, Emancipor Reese - find themselves ensnared in a scheme to bring goodness into utter ruination. Sometimes you must bring down civilization... in the name of civilization."

Commentary: Once upon a time, I had planned to read and review all the novels of The Malazan Empire. After you all came out in force for it in my holiday reading poll, so very many moons ago, I began to put the pieces of a weekly feature series together. The Malazan Diaries, I was going to call it. I designed a banner, got properly stuck into Gardens of the Moon, and drafted the first month's four posts. I knew what a huge committment it would be, so I held off on publishing them till I had a little more headway behind me. Then a certain someone beat me to the punch.

Needless to say, the experience left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, but the hours I'd spent immersed in the Empire were hardly for naught. I very much enjoyed Gardens of the Moon, and I fully intend to catch up at some point... when I've a little more time to spare, perhaps. In the meantime, the Malazan novels keep on coming. The Crippled God, the last book in the series, is due out early next year, and to tide Erickson fans over till the curtain comes down, Bantam have released this collection of related novellas: The First Collected Tales of Bauchelain and Corbal Broach. It's a pretty package, and one of these days, I will get to it. Sadly, until I've made more progress with the series itself, I can't see myself digging into it in earnest. So.

The Boss for 04/09/10

Right. The stack of books to read and review has gotten out of control these past few weeks. And here I thought I was finally making a dent in it! No such luck. Thus, there are going to be two rounds of The BoSS this week, and next week, and indeed for however many weeks it takes me to get through all the proofs and review copies that have wiled their way to me of late.

Let's kick things off with a Young Adult-themed edition.

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.

***

Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
25/08/10 by Scholastic

Review Priority:

5 (Immediate)

Plot Synopsis: "Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge... The thrilling final installment of this ground-breaking trilogy promises to be one of the most talked-about books of the year."

Commentary: Well, of course Mockingjay would take precedence. I'll readily admit I hadn't even heard of The Hunger Games until a couple of weeks ago, but from the moment I gathered what a sensation Suzanne Collins' all-ages trilogy had become, I hitched my literary trailer to the bandwagon - it wouldn't do to be behind the times, now would it? - and by the dead, am I glad I did! Somehow, I've managed to squeeze both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in since, so I'm good and ready to dig into Mockingjay. Expect a whole week of coverage imminently, including reviews of all three novels and some other fun stuff, thanks to the kind souls at Scholastic.

Blood Ties

by Sophie McKenzie

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
07/07/08 by Simon & Schuster

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "When Theo discovers the father he thought died when he was a baby is still alive, he's determined to find him. The clues lead him to the lonely Rachel, who has problems of her own, including parents who compare her unfavourably to her long-dead sister. But when Rachel and Theo are attacked by men from RAGE - the Righteous Army against Genetic Engineering - at Rachel's school disco, they are rescued by strangers and taken to meet a mysterious figure. There, they both make some startling discoveries about their identities, which will affect their past, present, and future in dramatic and life-altering ways..."

Commentary: Is this speculative fiction? Does anyone know? Simon and Schuster sent this to prep me for the release of Blood Ransom in October - indeed, along with a copy of said sequel - but I'm not sure if either book is quite right for review of TSS. At a stretch, I suppose the premise puts me in mind of Cory Doctorow... whose last novel I still have to read.

*sigh*

God, am I behind, or am I behind?

Blood Ransom

by Sophie McKenzie

 

Release Details:

Published in the UK on
01/10/10 by Simon & Schuster

Review Priority:

3 (Moderate)

Plot Synopsis: "Clones Rachel and Theo now live thousands of miles apart. They keep in touch, but things just aren't the same. When Rachel discovers that evil scientist Elijah is still working in secret for a section of the government and about to murder Daniel, she sets out to rescue the little boy, but her plans backfire with disastrous consequences. Across the Atlantic, Theo becomes suspicious when Rachel misses their weekly internet chat. He discovers a report online saying she's killed herself and travels to Scotland to find her, certain that she has been kidnapped. A clue leads him to Elijah's mysterious clinic, where the sinister Aphrodite Experiment is underway. But what is Elijah really planning? Why does he need to track Rachel down so badly? And will Rachel and Theo be able to pay the ultimate ransom that he demands?"

Commentary: Clones, eh? A "sinister" experiment in a "mysterious" clinic? Well, forget I asked; I guess that answers my question. Oooh, and Scotland! Perhaps I'll give the Blood books a shot after all. My time with The Hunger Games has certainly reignited my passion for all-ages literature, and as winner of the Richard and Judy Children's Author of the Year award, Sophie McKenzie certainly seems to have the stuff. We shall see...

Raggy Maggie

by Barry Hutchinson

Release Details:

Published in the UK on 05/08/10
by HarperCollins Children's Books

Review Priority:

2 (Fair)

Plot Synopsis: "Afraid of a cute little dolly, are you? Well, you should be...

"Billy is the hardest kid in school and a horrible bully. So Kyle could almost find it funny that Billy's childhood invisible friend was a little dolly named Raggy Maggie.

"Almost, but not quite.

"Because now Raggy Maggie is back, and she wants Kyle to play a game. The game is very simple. Find where she's hidden Billy – or Billy dies..."

Commentary: Second in the Invisible Fiends series, after Mr Mumbles. "Barry Hutchison hails from the Highlands of Scotland," goes the minibio, "where he spends time writing... scary children's books. He is tall – but not like the BFG or that – and likes seafood, comics and Elvis, though not necessarily in that order." Probably a little too YA for me, is Raggy Maggie, but you never know.

The Abhorsen Chronicles

by Garth Nix

Release Details:

Published in the UK on

01/01/09 by Harper Teen

Review Priority:

4 (Very High)

Plot Synopsis: "Who will guard the living when the dead arise? Sabriel is sent as a child across the Wall to the safety of a school in Ancelstierre. Away from magic; away from the Dead. After receiving a cryptic message from her father, 18-year-old Sabriel leaves her ordinary school and returns across the Wall into the Old Kingdom. Fraught with peril and deadly trickery, her journey takes her to a world filled with parasitical spirits, Mordicants, and Shadow Hands -- for her father is none other than The Abhorson. His task is to lay the disturbed dead back to rest. This obliges him -- and now Sabriel, who has taken on her father's title and duties -- to slip over the border into the icy river of Death, sometimes battling the evil forces that lurk there, waiting for an opportunity to escape into the realm of the living. Desperate to find her father, and grimly determined to help save the Old Kingdom from destruction by the horrible forces of the evil undead, Sabriel endures almost impossible challenges whilst discovering her own supernatural abilities -- and her destiny."

Commentary: Now this... this is more like it! Beginning with Sabriel, continuing in Lirael, and concluding with Abhorsen, we're looking at what I understand to be the definitive Garth Nix series in full, and I can't wait to get started on it. Would that I could dig in right this second; I've been hearing about The Abhorsen Chronicles for years, now - in fact, I already own a second-hand copy of Sabriel, if anyone wants it, though I've been hesitant (till now) to start on another series.

The Violet Keystone

by Garth Nix

Release Details:

Published in the UK on 05/08/10
by HarperCollins Children's Books

Review Priority:

2 (Fair)

Plot Synopsis: "Tal and Milla are only one step away from death, while the evil that has controlled their world for so long is about to triumph. If the Veil is lifted, nothing can save the Dark World.


Their one glimmer of hope is to confront the monster Sharrakor and regain the Violet keystone. But first they must climb up to the highest levels and find their way into the Seventh Tower..."

Commentary: On the other hand, The Violet Keystone - "the sixth and final adventure in the thrilling fantasy series from award-winning author Garth Nix" - is probably not for me (not just now, at any rate). If I'm honest, I'm not going to start reading The Seventh Tower at the end, but to all those who've been following the series from the get-go, I'm sure this is an exciting release.

Isn't it weird, though, that the sixth book of The Seventh Tower is the last? Given the title, I'd have thought seven volumes would have been an irresistible number...

The Dead

by Charlie Higson

Release Details:

Published in the UK
on 16/09/10 by Puffin

Review Priority:

4 (Very High)

Plot Synopsis: "A terrible disease is striking everyone over the age of fourteen. Death walks the streets. Nowhere is safe. Maxie, Blue and the rest of the Holloway crew aren't the only kids trying to escape the ferocious adults who prey on them. Jack and Ed are best friends, but their battle to stay alive tests their friendship to the limit as they go on the run with a mismatched group of other kids – nerds, fighters, misfits. And one adult. Greg, a butcher, who claims he's immune to the disease. They must work together if they want to make it in this terrifying new world. But as a fresh disaster threatens to overwhelm London, they realise they won't all survive."

Commentary: I discussed the first book in this particular series, The Enemy, from Young Bond author Charlie Higson, a month or so ago - here's the link for anyone who missed it - and I've since (this might be a shock to you all) both read and reviewed it... though I mean to sit on the article in question while I can power through The Dead, too. And what a lavish edition The Dead is: a hardcover with gorgeous, black-gilted pages. I'm expecting more in the same vein as Higson opened in The Enemy, which is to say 28 Days Later with widdle kiddies. Those of you who have this on their radar already might also enjoy The Unit, which I'll be reviewing in the near future.

With that, till tomorrow!

Video Game Review: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Well colour me surprised. When the news broke that Crystal Dynamics would be foregoing - for the moment - another Tomb Raider proper to bring the franchise, slightly skewiff, to Xbox Live Arcade (and later the PlayStation Network), complete with an isometric perspective and Diablo-inspired gameplay, I can't say my hopes my hopes were high that Lara's latest jaunt could re-energise a series whose ever-decreasing circles had run it deep into the dirt; near enough six feet deep, by all accounts. And yet Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light does exactly that: the change from over-the-shoulder action/adventure to top-down, uh, action/adventure... well, it mightn't seem a tremendously innovative twist on the old familiar experience of Tomb Raider these past ten years, but the shift in perspective informs enough of Crystal Dynamic's latest attempt to bring back a fallen franchise that Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light has to be our favourite English heretic's best iteration since Tomb Raider: Legend.

What a shame, then - truly, tragically - that it's shipped broken.

You'll run aground two camps of criticism of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, I expect - excluding longstanding Tomb Raider apologists, that is. There are those who will adore Crystal's rejiggering, and those who will wish they could. Would that I could count myself among the former lot. What really sets Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light off, you see, is the co-op. The developers have designed this game from the ground on up to be played with a friend. Thus, Lara is joined on her latest round of wanton pillaging by Totec, an Aztec statue come to life when some... baddies... steal a mirror... re-animating some ancient bully bent on cold-shouldering small businesses out of the high streets... or something.

You know what? It doesn't matter. No-one's going to play this game for its clumsy-ass attempt at narrative. When the evil demon you spend Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light chasing shouts "I will bathe in your blood!" at you, from a rocky outcrop you can't quite reach, you realise... no. The story here serves a single purpose: to rationalise the co-operative aspect so pivotal to the game's successes, such as they are. One player takes Lara, who comes with guns and a grapple, the other, Totec, who has a shield and a spear. In tandem, Lara and Totec can traverse an array of cunningly crafted tombs either one would find impossible without the other's assistance. Let's say there's a precious artifact glowing away on a high precipice. Perhaps Lara can shoot her grapple up to a conveniently placed ring, which Totec is then able to reach by walking her tightrope. If there isn't a grapple ring, you can be sure there's another way to go about reaching the artifact: Lara might have to clamber up from atop Totec's shield, or a spear the titular guardian has wedged into the cliffside.

The co-operative threads of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light are woven still deeper into the fabric of Crystal Dynamics' latest. Lara and Totec will compete, across around fifteen stages, for an array of shinies. There are the ubiquitous piles of treasure - piles of treasure everywhere - not to mention thirty-some weapons ranging from shotguns to grenade launchers, red skulls (of which there are ten in each level) and so on. These collectibles add an element of competition to an otherwise friendly affair, though in most cases the frenemies share their haul with one another; if the erstwhile tomb raider is the only player able to reach the assault rifle, Totec needn't feel cheated: he too can equip it.

For myself, I played the entirely of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light with my other half - a hard-bitten Tomb Raider fan if ever there was one. We both had a hell of a time with it, too. Sadly, not everyone will have that opportunity. Though Crystal Dynamics have promised to patch in online co-op in time for the game's release on PSN, it's couch co-op only at this stage, and in single player, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a hollow experience indeed. Where with two players each puzzle presents a pitch-perfectly designed challenge tailored to foster and encourage cooperation, with one, you get Totec's spear and some balls to roll onto pressure pads in the guardian's stead.

As a single-player experience, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is at best a modicum above average. It looks good, it sounds alright, and it's sweet of the developers to have packed in the chance to go it alone, yessir it is. That said, it's shameless that they've botched the delivery of the mechanism by which most players would otherwise experience it at its finest: online co-op. And I'm sorry, but the notion that adequate "networking code" has somehow eluded Crystal Dynamics - though only, oddly, till the PSN version hits - is, quite frankly, insulting. This is as clear a cut case of how console charlatanism killed the video game star as I can recall. And it's a crying shame, because had it shipped with its unique selling point intact, I'd heartily recommend you all download Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light immediately. Without it, the buxom brunette's first joint jaunt is half a game.

The Way of Things

That sound you hear? Or rather, the sound you don't; the absence, let us say, of the one-man hubbub-band you'll find here on The Speculative Scotsman most days - well. It isn't radio silence. It's the sound of me being published.

Can I hear a hell yeah? :D

Now the canny amongst you may have spotted my review of The Way of Kings already. It went up yesterday, over at Strange Horizons, an online magazine I've been reading for years. Years! The notion that one day the esteemed editors might see fit to publish a review of mine alongside criticism from the likes of Yellow Blue Tibia author Adam Roberts and fiction from (this week alone) Lavie Tidhar... well, it was an idle one at best.

But there I am, right there on the front page of Strange Horizons, and damn it all, I couldn't be happier. So it's a pleasure to break the news to those of you who've been tolerating my burbling since I kicked TSS off on new year's day, eight months ago. The latecomers, too. I couldn't - I wouldn't - have thought to submit a thing to professional forum I hold in such high regard (and I'm hardly alone in that) were it not for your support. So thank you.

Now then. Clicky here, if you will, and see what I had to say about Brandon Sanderson's designs on The Wheel of Time. You might need snacks; it's a long 'un.