Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures

This is my second large dollop of steampunk in recent weeks, having polished off ‘The Mammoth Book Of Steampunk’ in short order. I’m optimistic about this volume, simply due to the addition of the word ‘Adventures’. I like steampunk but I find many of the stories in anthologies I’ve read are more fantasy or romance stories than the Science Fiction or adventure-type steampunk that I particularly enjoy.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk

It’s been a while since I had any steampunk to read, so the chunky 500-page ‘Mammoth Book Of Steampunk’ was, I decided, an excellent opportunity to catch up with a wide selection of authors and stories. The volume contains 30 stories, including a handful original to the collection, gathered together by regular Mammoth editor Sean Wallace.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I shared a Table of Contents with Adrian Tchaikovsky in the NewCon Press anthology ‘Looking Landward’ a couple of years ago. His story was about ants and mine was about worms. I subsequently met him briefly at EasterCon this year and stood next to his wife while ordering a sandwich. I’d not read any of his ‘Shadows Of The Apt’ fantasy series though because I only read Science Fiction. ‘Children Of Time’ is definitely Science Fiction and also includes ants.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Europe in Autumn by Dave Hutchinson

Dave Hutchinson’s novella ‘The Push’ was nominated for the BSFA award a couple of years back and was a very fine piece of space opera indeed. His new novel ‘Europe In Autumn’ was also nominated for the BSFA award. It’s of a completely different style and sub-genre but is a very worthy nominee.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Mammoth Reprint

I discovered today that Gord Sellar's story The Clockworks of Hanyang that first appeared in The Immersion Book of Steampunk edited by my very self, was reprinted in The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures, published last year. The elephantine anthology also includes Aliette De Bodard's Memories in Bronze, Feathers and Blood that appeared in my anthology too, though as a reprint there.

It's a pleaseing affirmation of my taste in stories to have two of them reprinted in such a well-respected anthology series.

Book Review: Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs

I enjoyed the film ‘John Carter’ a lot, even though the critics didn’t seem to like it. I enjoyed it so much in fact that it prompted me to buy the three-volume omnibus edition of the entire Barsoom series, comprising all 11 books, which I then read over the course of the following year. Towards the end of last year, I picked up the omnibus edition of the first three Pellucidar books, too. I didn’t enjoy them as much as the Barsoom novels, but having got a taste for Edgar Rice Burroughs I was intrigued to see ‘Worlds Of Edgar Rice Burroughs, edited by Mike Resnick and Robert T. Garcia, Baen’s anthology of new ERB-inspired stories set in all of his famous series.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

The Gondolier

A comment yesterday made me realise I don't really know where you can read The Gondolier in English any more, so here it is again:

The black prow of my gondola cut smoothly through the calm waters of the canals.  The sleek craft had served me well for many years, carried passengers through the city’s waterways under the guiding hands of generations of my forebears.

 The sun was setting over the ancient city, turning the water to an inky ribbon lain between elegant sandstone buildings.  I breathed deeply of the cool evening breeze.

 Is there any place more beautiful than this wondrous city of canals?  As the boat eased into its mooring I stopped to gaze with satisfaction up into the darkening skies of Mars.

 

 

Englebert at Daily Science Fiction

My short story Englebert is on line today at Daily Sience Fiction. This is my second story to appear there after last year's Hiking In My Head, and like that one also follows a non-linear chronology.

Filling Up My Bookshelf

My contributor copy of Slovenian magazine Jashubeg en Jered arrived, which includes my story The Gondolier. It's the first print magazine I've received for a while, and I realised there's barely any room to squeeze it onto the shelf with my other magazines.

Book Review: Grand Crusades: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Five

Since I first read Araminta Station over 20 years ago, Jack Vance has been one of my favourite authors. I’ve read just about every SF book he wrote and over the past couple of years I’ve been getting hold of the last few older and more obscure books on my to-read list. Subterranean Press have brought out several Vance volumes and this latest includes 5 novellas/short novels, including two that I haven’t before read.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.