Book review: Shadow of the Scorpion

Shadow of the Scorpion

By Neal Asher

(Tor, 3 April 2009)

While fantasy novels make up the bulk of my reading, I do like to dip my toes into SF now and again. Over the last few months I'd received no less than three Neal Asher books - an ARC of Orbus, a MMPB of Line War and a nice shiny hardback of Shadow of the Scorpion. My initial interest in each quickly wavered when I realised that all were part of various different series, and I was reluctant to just jump in without any prior knowledge of Asher's books.

By chance, I happened to stumble across Gav's review of Shadow of the Scorpion over at NextRead, and learned that this novel was actually a prequel to the other novels in the Agent Cormac Series. Deciding that this was probably as good a place as any to leap into Asher's universe (and feeling guilty at the thought of letting such a nice hardback gather dust) I decided to give it a go. After the snore-fest that was Jasmyn, I needed something that was going to wake me up and give me a hefty slap around the chops.

Shadow of the Scorpion did a decent job.

Raised to adulthood during the end of the war between the human Polity and the vicious arthropoid race, the Prador, Ian Cormac is haunted by childhood memories of a sinister scorpion-shaped war drone and the burden of losses he doesn't remember. In the years following the war, he signs up with Earth Central Security, and is sent out to help either restore or simply maintain order on worlds devastated by Prador bombardment. There he discovers that though the old enemy remains as murderous as ever, it is not anywhere near as perfidious or dangerous as some of his fellow humans, some of them closer to him than he would like. Amidst the ruins left by wartime genocides, he discovers in himself a cold capacity for violence, learns some horrible truths about his own past and, set upon a course of vengeance, tries merely to stay alive.

While I knew that Shadow of the Scorpion was a prequel, the concern was always there that my enjoyment of the novel would suffer due to my lack of familiarity with Asher's universe. This proved not to be a problem - Asher must have realised that this novel might attract newcomers, as he takes care to provide a suitable depth of background information to help them get a feel for his universe. Commendably he manages to do this without compromising the pace of the novel - exposition is nicely spread out, without any clumsy infodumps.

Speaking of pace, it's fast. Asher doesn't mess around - the story rips along at gratifying speed, the emphasis clearly on action. The plot is carefully constructed, with two narrative threads (one focusing on Cormac's childhood, the other on his career progression in the present) weaving together nicely. These chronological jumps in the narrative are used to good effect, with events in the present explained by revelations from Cormac's childhood. Such a device can be jarring and ineffective when not employed properly, but Asher handles it well. A nice counterpoint is achieved between the introspection and revelation of the chapters that deal with Cormac's past, and the high-octane action of the chapters focusing on his present state. Asher's no-nonsense, economical style of prose helps the story's momentum.

I wouldn't say characterisation is the novel's strong point, but it's adequate: Cormac is well-developed and makes for a decent protagonist, while the various other characters that flit in and out of the story are granted enough depth and personality to be engaging. My knowledge of SF is rather limited, so I can't comment effectively on Asher's universe, but it was certainly well-realised enough to hold my attention. I liked the ideas surrounding memory erasure, and the fleeting glimpses I got of the Prador made me want to read more about them (how can you not like huge Crab-like aliens?). While I figured out the main twist of the storyline some time before it was revealed, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.

Quibbles are fairly minor. I would have liked more of an emotional response from Cormac at times (his lack of reaction to the fate of a female character who he appeared to be close to, struck me as odd). The eventual showdown with the antagonist of the piece seemed a little rushed, with a solution that just seemed to appear out of nowhere (clearly this moment would have been far more significant to a reader familiar with the earlier Comac books, whereas for me it fell a little flat). I'd also liked to have seen more of Cormac's training with the Sparkind - he seemed to join their ranks and develop very quickly.

Other than that, the repeated use of the word 'abruptly' became increasingly distracting - at one point it was used four times in one page, but I guess this is just a quirk of Asher's that somehow his editor failed to pick up on.

Verdict: Shadow of the Scorpion is a fast, entertaining read that offers something for new and old readers alike - for the former, a good introduction to Asher's novels, for the latter, an insight into how Asher's most popular character became the man he is. Minor flaws didn't spoil the novel for me, and I expect I'll check out some more of Asher's stuff - probably starting with Prador Moon.

Elves: Once Walked With Gods - cover art and synopsis

Gollancz slapped some striking covers on James Barclay's Raven novels. I must say though that the artwork for his upcoming novel doesn't really work for me - seems rather D&D-ish (don't get me wrong, I love D&D - just not on my book covers). The tagline - They live for thousands of years, now they are trying to kill each other - sounds awkward.

Still, mustn't judge a book by its cover and all that. Here's the synopsis:

The elves have fled to Calius, seeking to escape the overwhelming power of the demonic Garonin. A desperate last stand in their own dimension saved the race, at the cost of 100,000 elves lost to the Garonin.

The elf who led that fight, Takaar, is blamed for the losses and has gone into hiding. Now the weakened elf race is tearing itself apart in civil war, human mercenaries have arrived in Calius and are ripping the continent apart. Only one elf can unite the elves. And only one elf believes in him.

A young warrior named Auum sets out to bring back the shamed hero and save the elven race. James Barclay's ELVES trilogy will tell the whole story of his immortal elven race, and will appeal to all fans of Tolkien and fantasy - this is a uniquely entertaining take on a fantasy staple perfect to bring new readers to Barclay. And old readers of James Barclay will welcome a return to one of their favourite creations and will also love seeing one of their favourite characters again - the Tai Gethan warriror Auum destined to be one of the Raven.

Sounds like fans of Barclay's high-octane action fantasy won't be disappointed. Elves is slated for a 21 January 2010 release.

Purple and Black - artwork and synopsis

This is an interesting upcoming release from Subterranean Press this month:

Subterranean Press is proud to announce a new novella by the enigmatic author of The Company and The Engineer Trilogy.

When his father, brothers and uncles wiped each other out in a murderous civil war, Nicephorus was forced to leave the University and become emperor.

Seventy-seven emperors had met violent deaths over the past hundred years, most of them murdered by their own soldiers. Hardly surprising, then, that Nico should want to fill the major offices of state with the only people he knew he could trust, his oldest and closest friends.

But there's danger on the northern frontier, and Nico daren't send a regular general up there with an army, for fear of a military coup. He turns to his best friend Phormio, who reluctantly takes the job.

Military dispatches, written in the purple ink reserved exclusively for official business, are a miserable way for friends to keep in touch, at a time when they need each other most.

But there's space in the document-tube for another sheet of paper.

Purple and Black will be printed in two colors throughout.

I really like this idea of using two different colours for the prose, purple for the military dispatches and then black for the personal correspondence. Sub Press are well-known for the aesthetic quality of the books they produce, so expect Purple and Black to look very swish indeed - especially if the striking, yet subtle, artwork is any indication.

As for the quality of the story, I've not read any of K. J. Parker's work before but I've heard some good things.

Adrian Tchaikovsky book signings

Adrian Tchaikovsky has announced a series of book signings in support of the upcoming third novel in his Shadows of the Apt series, Blood of the Mantis.

The dates and locations are as follows: 

Friday 7th August, 12-1 (probably), Forbidden Planet, Shaftesbury Avenue, London

Saturday 15th August, 3-5. Waterstones, United Reform Church, 89a Broad Street, Reading

Saturday 22nd August, 1-2 (probably) Travelling Man games shop, 32 Central Road, Leeds LS1

Satursday 29th August, tbc, Garforth Bookshop, 15 Main Street, Garforth LS25 1DS

I'm hoping to receive a review copy of this one pretty soon, since the previous instalment - Dragonfly Falling - is one of the best books I've read this year. 

Mark Chadbourn on researching his 'Age of Misrule' trilogy

Just a heads-up: UK author Mark Chadbourn has written a little piece over at amazon blog Omnivoracious, about his experience of writing his Age of Misrule trilogy. Published in the UK for some time now, the series was picked up by Pyr in the US and the first two instalments have already been released. The final book Always Forever (secksy cover on the left) will follow on July 28.

I've had my eye on this trilogy for a while, and reading a snippet of the prologue made me even more interested: "And now the world turns slowly from the light. Not with the cymbal clash of guns and tanks, but with the gently plucked harp of shifting moods and oddly lengthening shadows, the soft tread of a subtle invasion, not here, then here, and none the wiser. Each morning the sun still rises on supermarket worlds of plastic and glass, on industrial estates where slow trucks lumber in belches of diesel, on cities lulled by the whirring of disk drives breaking existence down into digitised order. People still move through their lives with the arrogance of rulers who know their realm will never fall. Several weeks into the new Dark Age, life goes on as it always has, oblivious to the passing of the Age of Reason, of Socratic thought and Apollonian logic...No one had noticed. But they would. And soon."

Mmmm. Nice. I might have to order the US versions though, because for once the US covers are far better than their UK counterparts...

Book review: Jasmyn

Jasmyn

By Alex Bell

(Gollancz, 18 June 2009)

While I had a number of issues with Alex Bell's debut offering, The Ninth Circle, I did think it showed some promise - enough to make me pick up her new novel, Jasmyn, to see whether the negative aspects of the first book had been improved on.

I was disappointed to find that all of the problems and flaws that marred the first novel are all present and correct in Jasmyn. Worse, they're even more prominent and intrusive than the first time around. The result is a book that becomes more infuriating and ridiculous with each chapter.

One day, without warning, Jasmyn's husband died of an aneurysm. Since then, everything has been different. Wrapped up in her grief, Jasmyn is trapped in a world without colour, without flavour - without Liam. But even through the haze of misery she begins to notice strange events. Even with Liam gone, things are not as they should be, and eventually Jasmyn begins to explore the mysteries that have sprung up after her husband's death . . . and follow their trail back into the events of his life. But the mysteries are deeper than Jasmyn expects, and are leading her in unexpected directions - into fairytales filled with swans, castles and bones; into a tale of a murder committed by a lake and a vicious battle between brothers; into a story of a lost past, and a stolen love. She's entering a magical story. Jasmyn's story.

There's so much wrong with this novel that I hardly know where to start.

The characterisation is probably the biggest offender. Jasmyn herself is actually a well-realised protagonist, and for the first third of the novel Bell does a decent job of fleshing her out and inspiring the reader's sympathy for her. As the novel progressed, I found my sympathy in increasingly short supply, until it vanished altogether and I started hoping that the (unintentionally) comical villain would actually put a bullet in her brain to put her out of her misery.

The main problem is Jasmyn's relationship with Ben, who she doesn't like but really wants to. Ben treats her like dirt, so Jasmyn gets angry with him. Then he is a little more nice to her, and she decides that he's quite pleasant after all. Then treats her like dirt again, and she thinks he's horrible again. This leads to endless monologues - How could I have thought Ben could ever be nice? Liam told me not to trust him! How could I be so stupid! I really thought I'd seen a different side of him, and, and, and...he was so rude to me! Yawn. This sort of monologue appears over and over again. By the end of the novel I was convinced that Jasmyn must have been a robot or something, because she seemed utterly incapable of actually learning from her past experiences.

The other characters are a pretty dull bunch. Jaxon, the antagonist of the piece, comes across as an shallow, incompetent James Bond villain who - despite apparently being an excellent marksman - somehow manages to miss a shot at point-blank range. Ben is - with good reason - a moody, irritable bastard, but his constant pattern of irritation/lash-out/apologise/irritation/lash-out/apologise becomes tedious (though not as tedious as Jasmyn's reaction to this treatment).

The characters' dull personalities pale when compared to their actions and motivations, some of which are so ludicrous that they seriously undermine the book's credibility. For example, the notion that a scientist would readily accept someone's claim of the existence of a magic swan - without any proof - and accompany said person on a trip to catch one, is utterly ridiculous. There are frequent instances like the one above that made me want to throw the book into a corner. I don't know about you, but if five black, dead swans fell from the sky at a funeral, I wouldn't just say "Oh, how strange" and then waltz off to the car without giving it any more thought (which is what happens).

The plot is no better - strip away the Bavarian folklore element (which frustratingly isn't used nearly as well as it could have been) and it essentially boils down to a weak thriller. The central premise gives the novel a decent foundation, but the subsequent plot veers from monotonous to ridiculous, with a generous side-helping of deus ex machina. In short, it has more holes than a Swiss cheese that's been shot by a firing squad. For example, after being told time and time again that the item our heroine is hunting for would have been hidden somewhere within easy reach but out of the public eye, the item turns out to be concealed in a location that is full of tourists and not accessible between 5 pm and 10 am. Hmm.

Another problem is Bell's insistence on using certain locations that, while being atmospheric, are totally illogical in relation to the plot - the artifact's location is a good example of this, as it was clearly chosen because of the possibilities that it offered the story, rather than because it made any sort of sense. The most glaring example is the inclusion of the Ice Palace, which totally defies logic. The paper-thin explanations Bell offers to explain the inclusion of these settings completely fails to convince.

There's not much positive to say about the prose. It's passable, nothing more. Despite the whimsical, fairytale settings in the novel, there's a distinct lack of atmosphere in the writing and the descriptive prose is pretty underwhelming. The book is crying out for more of a lyrical flourish, some haunting, dreamy language...but it just doesn't happen. Still, at least Bell has reigned in her obsessive use of italics.

Positive elements are thin on the ground. I suppose Bell deserves some credit in that - despite all its faults - I kept reading the novel because I wanted to find out the reason for Liam and Ben's fall-out (although the eventual revelation was another tick in the column marked 'unconvincing'). Other than that, well...the cover's quite nice.

Verdict: I hoped for good things from Jasmyn, but was sorely disappointed and sadly this is easily the worst book I've read this year. Somewhere in this unconvincing mishmash is a decent story - I don't doubt that Bell has got some interesting ideas. But there was just far too much wrong with this novel for me to enjoy it - weak and unconvincing characters, a plot that is simply unbelievable (for the wrong reasons) and constant dull monologues. Put simply, it's a few hours of my life I won't get back.

Gemmell award - the top 20 books

Thanks to Hobbit for the heads-up here. As we all know, dozens of books were nominated for the first Gemmell award - but here's the top 20, in order of how many votes they received...

BLOOD OF ELVES - Andrzej Sapkowski (winner)
THE HERO OF AGES – Brandon Sanderson
THE WAY OF SHADOWS - Brent Weeks
THE LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS - Joe Abercrombie
HEIR TO SEVENWATERS - Juliet Marillier

THE TWO PEARLS OF WISDOM - Alison Goodman
THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE WAVES - Stephen Hunt
HAVEMERCY - Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
THE PAINTED MAN - Peter V. Brett
TOLL THE HOUNDS - Steven Erikson

GLADIATRIX - Russell Whitfield
EMPIRE IN BLACK AND GOLD - Adrian Tchaikovsky
GRACELING - Kristin Cashore
KING'S SHIELD - Sherwood Smith
HELDENHAMMER -Graham McNeill

THE STEEL REMAINS - Richard Morgan
WRATH OF A MAD GOD - Raymond E. Feist
WOLFBLADE - Jennifer Fallon
THE SOLDIER KING - Violette Malan
MAGIC BURNS - Ilona Andrews

There are a few surprises there. I thought The Painted Man would have finished slightly higher (in fact, I'm still surprised that it didn't made the final shortlist). It's good to see Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold putting in a strong showing (that finished higher than I expected). Graceling by Kristin Cashore did really well for a debut novel that didn't seem to generate that much online buzz. The main absentee is Paul Kearney's The Ten Thousand - I wasn't the only blogger to think that this would have been a very suitable winner, and its absence from the above list is a little disappointing, not to mention surprising as it sold pretty well on both sides of the Atlantic. Then again, since most of the votes came from outside the UK and the US, maybe it's not that much of a surprise after all. 

Nights of Villjamur lined up for second print run

Seems like the excitement and buzz surrounding Mark Charan Newton's Nights of Villjamur has translated into sales. It was announced last week that the first print run of the novel has sold out within a month of being released, and with demand outstripping supply Tor are lining up a second print run.

This is a really good achievement - most debut authors don't achieve this with their first hardback release. I must say I'm not that surprised - the novel attracted almost universally positive reviews both online and in print, and it was clear that online readers were pretty excited about it.

Anyway, congratulations to Mark - a thoroughly deserved success.

Provisional top 5 reads this year...

All the cool kids over at the Westeros forum have been discussing their top reads so far this year, and some bloggers such as Pat and Darkwolf have also chimed in with their favourites. So I thought I might as well give mine. I'll be interested to see how much this provisional list changes by the end of year. I'm hoping to read a few real heavyweight novels (in terms of critical acclaim!) such as The Name of the Wind, Best Served Cold and Lamentation, so I expect this list will bear only a partial resemblance to the final one.

Anyway, here's my top five reads so far this year (in no particular order):

Dragonfly Falling, Adrian Tchaikovsky

Ravenheart, David Gemmell

Twelve, Jasper Kent

Nights of Villjamur, Mark Charan Newton

Retribution Falls, Chris Wooding

Feel free to list your own!

Book review: Retribution Falls

Retribution Falls

By Chris Wooding

(Gollancz, 18 June 2009)

Every now and then a book comes along that's a bit different, something refreshing, quirky even, a change from the norm. The Lies of Locke Lamora springs to mind, as does The Blade Itself. Both those novels breathed some fresh air into the genre. Not only were they a bit different, they also happened to be a hell of a lot of fun as well.

Retribution Falls is very similar in this respect - it's fresh, it's funny and it's an excellent reminder of what you can do with the genre when you actually try and invoke a bit of originality in your writing.

The novel follows the various misadventures of the crew of the Ketty Jay, a modified airship. Captained by the selfish womaniser Darian Frey, the crew includes a surgeon more competent with a shotgun than a scalpel, an aristocrat with a flair for daemonology, a secretive navigator who is clearly more than the sum of her parts, two support pilots (one with a deathwish, the other with a fear of anything that moves), a silent, brooding engineer, and a cat with an amusing name that has a tendency to suffocate crew members by sleeping on their faces.

They're a varied bunch, but they have one thing in common - they're all on the run, for one reason or another. The action starts when Frey receives an offer that's too good to be true - 50,000 ducats for a simple bit of piracy. Naturally, the offer is to good to be true...because it's not true at all - it's merely the first part of a sinister plan that threatens to plunge the entire continent of Vardia into civil war. With what seems to be half the civilised world after him, Frey leads his unlikely band of heroes on a merry chase to clear their names and avoid the noose...

Retribution Falls is FUN. Note the use of capitals there. That's what the book is really about; a ripping yarn of dogfights, piracy, double-dealing and double-crossing. It's often easy to forget that reading is meant to be entertainment, and as much as I like deep, meaningful novels, sometimes I just like to kick back and be entertained. Retribution Falls is perfect in this regard, and for several reasons.

The first is that Wooding has absolutely nailed the characters. For all the exciting dogfights and action sequences, this is actually a story driven by its characters. Darian Frey is superbly crafted, and his journey of self-discovery is fascinating to watch unfold. I can only speak for myself, but if a protagonist hasn't changed over the course of the book, I find myself wondering what the point of it all is. Frey changes - a heck of a lot, and Wooding deserves credit for the way he slowly reveals Frey's background, explaining why he became the man he is, and for making his gradual change so believable.

The support cast are equally well crafted, and Wooding takes care to ensure that the story of each crew member is carefully explored - and what fascinating stories they are. While the tone of the novel is decidedly light-hearted, there's a surprising amount of darkness and angst lurking at the heart of these characters. But none fall under the cliche of 'token-person-with-a-dark-past' - yes, they are all on the run from their respective pasts, but their stories are so well constructed that it gives them real depth and resonance instead of making them tired cliches. I particularly liked Crake's story, which provides a delightful twist - one of the sort that you realise just before it's revealed.

Wooding's masterclass in characterisation doesn't end with the crew of the Ketty Jay, however. Frey's arch nemesis, Captain Dracken of the Delirium Trigger (yep, we have plenty of aircraft with cool names) is excellently portrayed, as are the Century Knights and various other characters that pop in and out of the story. I really like the way Wooding attempts to inject personality into characters that only appear in the story for one scene, and here his efforts really come to fruition.

The characterisation is matched by the plot. In short, it's superbly crafted and keeps you guessing. Wooding clearly decided that pace was the name of the game, and subsequently Retribution Falls rips along at breakneck speed, barely allowing you to pause for breath. Put simply, there's not a dull moment. This is aided by the fluid, accessible prose that is perfect for this sort of story. Now, I'm not familiar with Wooding's other novels, though I have had a flick through his The Braided Path trilogy (which I was rather pleased to find that I own, though how it came into my possession remains a mystery). The writing style in that trilogy seems completely different from the wry humour of Retribution Falls, so from what I can see Wooding made something of a departure from his earlier works and tried writing in a style that is totally different from anything he's done before. It works - very well indeed.

Another positive aspect is the world Wooding has created - a strange, retro-future world where airships, guns and electricity sits happily alongside daemons and 'magic' swords (yep, there's a magic sword in there - but it works really well). The pace of the plot doesn't leave much room for that much exposition regarding the world, yet Wooding manages to imbue his world with both a distinct character and history. There's plenty more to come in subsequent novels (the world seems vast) but there's plenty of cool elements that surface in this novel. I particularly liked all the references to 'The Wrack' (there's one flashback chapter concerning the inhabitants of this part of the world which had me giddy with excitement) and also the way the demons are summoned and controlled (by sound frequency as it happens - a really nice idea).

Drawbacks? Can't think of any. Honestly. The only thought that nagged me was that Malvery needed a little more development, but that - pleasingly - was addressed right at the end of the book. My only complaint is that the book had to end. Wooding has already mentioned that a follow-up is due next year, and believe me - that will be one of the first books on my list for 2010.

Verdict: Retribution Falls is a superb, ripping yarn. Great characters, tight plot, relentless pace, and a fascinating world full of promise for future instalments. Prepare to be entertained.

Friday linky links + Terry Goodkind piss-take

Some Friday linkage...but first, as always, a funny:



Now linky links :)

Terry Goodkind is loathed and ridiculed in equal measure in the online genre community, and with good reason - not only are his books a load of pompous philosophical toss, but some of his remarks about former fans - and anyone that just doesn't like his books - were totally disgraceful. After he finished inflicting his crap-tastic Sword of Truth novels on the world, Goodkind stated that he was going to write a mainstream thriller. This was hardly a surprising move, since Goodkind has hilariously always claimed that his books are not fantasy (despite being set in a secondary world and involving wizards and dragons. Hmmm).

It seems though, that Terry can't leave fantasy behind - not only does his 'mainstream' novel clearly fall under the fantasy genre, but amusingly it seems to be a continuation of his Sword of Truth novels. Quite ironic that for a guy who claims to have so much to say on the human condition, he can't even think of a new story and has to dredge up the ashes of the old one. Anyway, Wert has the full details.

Oh, and you can never have too many Goodkind piss-takes.

Anyway, moving on.

Aidan has reviewed Blood of Ambrose by James Enge. He didn't like it.

Graeme has reviewed Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. I've almost finished this novel, so look out for a review soon!

Fantasy Book Critic has reviews of Mark Chadbourn's Lord of Silence and Jasmyn by Alex Bell.

Book review: One

One

By Conrad Williams

(Virgin Books, 2009)

My first taste of Conrad Williams' work came in the Solaris Book of New Fantasy, with his story O Caritas, of which I said at the time: "O Caritas by Conrad Williams takes place in a post-apocalyptic London, where the rich live closeted away in their towers and the rest of the city's inhabitants are engaged in a constant struggle for survival amid the ruins of the past. Williams manages to imbue the piece with real tension at times, and his visceral portrayal of the ruined London is hugely atmospheric."

It was enough to keep Williams' name in my memory, and subsequently when I recently found myself unable to settle on a book, I happened across a copy of his recent novel One. The premise - man somehow survives global holocaust and treks hundreds of miles across a post-apocalyptic landscape in search of his son - instantly appealed to me. Fortunately, I like this sort of story/setting enough to not be put off by the slightly cheesy cover and the even more cheesy tagline: This is now. This is you. And our number is up (I can't read that without hearing a ridiculous Hollywood voiceover saying it in my head at the same time...).

One follows the struggles of Richard Jane, a deep-sea diver/engineer working off an oil rig in the North Sea. He's deep underwater when an unexplained event fries the whole world to a crisp, and is subsequently protected from the horrific deaths visited upon his colleagues. Making his way to dry land - the east coast of Scotland - Jane finds himself alone in a new, terrifying world. Driven on by his desire to be reunited with his son (whom he refuses to believe is dead), Jane embarks on a long trek to London, where he learns that the cataclysm brought something rather nasty with it...

One is a brutal, harrowing novel. The ordeal that Jane goes through is nothing short of horrific, and Williams doesn't hold back - my mouth fell open more than once. Yet the novel never strays into pulpy territory; Williams' prose is far too sophisticated for that - fluid and visceral, it lends the novel a bleak atmosphere underpinned by a growing tension. Some of the descriptive prose is simply superb, lending the novel an unnerving degree of authenticity.

Richard Jane makes for an engaging protagonist, with the novel told entirely from his point of view. Williams subtly reveals the key events in Jane's life bit by bit until we have a clear idea of what makes him tick. I particularly liked the wry comments about his failed relationship and the fall-out from it; these observations indicate that Williams has a deft grasp of human mentality and adds a real depth and personal resonance to both Jane and the story itself. The secondary characters that Jane encounters are all fleshed out well and his interactions with them are believable. Williams creates a few well-judged situations to illustrate the idiocy of human personality - such as the alpha male complex - and the irony (sometimes even humour) adds a nice counterpoint to the overwhelming sense of desolation.

I did have some reservations. I found the plot didn't quite match the excellence of the prose and characterisation. The pace during first two thirds of the novel stumbles now and again, and I did find myself thinking "Do we really have to have another 'let's-explore-the-abandoned-house' scene?" The considerable chronological jump in the final third was somewhat jarring, and I found that for some reason I didn't enjoy this third of the book as much as the others. It's almost like the book makes a stylistic change, becoming a bit more action-orientated, and for some reason this seemed a little at odds with the style of the rest of the novel. In addition I did find the ending to be rather weak, and I still had several questions that hadn't really been answered (though that might well be my own fault, rather than the book's). As a minor point, as good as the descriptive prose is I did feel that sometimes it got in the way a little - there's only so many times you need to be told what the sky looks like, and so on.

Verdict: Weak ending and chronology-related issues aside, One is an engrossing account of one man's determination to survive despite the odds. Williams creates a superbly bleak atmosphere punctuated by moments of visceral detail, while his clear grasp of human mentality - and the little nuances that often go unnoticed - inject realism into the story, making it somehow more personal. One is a brutal, harrowing and terrifyingly authentic read.

Blood of Elves extract and Gemmell Award photos

If you fancy a taste of the novel that won the first Gemmell Award, Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of Elves, then you can check out an extract here. I've only read a few pages, but straight away you can sense a certain Gemmell-esque feel to the writing, so perhaps this book was a worthy winner.

Photos of the event have started to pop up in various places across the interwebs, but the best selection can be found here.

£1m Alastair Reynolds deal - a shot in the arm for Space Opera?

As reported all over the blogosphere, SF author Alastair Reynolds has signed a £1m deal with UK publisher Gollancz for ten books.

It's a staggering figure, make no mistake. The only deal it reminds me of is the one Steven Erikson signed for his Malazan series, which was £675,000 for ten books. The Reynolds deal dwarfs this.

I've heard one or two folks suggest that Gollancz are taking a huge risk with such a deal, but I disagree. £1m is a huge amount of money, sure, but it breaks down to 100k a book. With world rights, Gollancz can sell into numerous territories and the money these foreign deals brings in will recoup much of their expenditure. On top of that, Reynolds is a popular writer who is clearly going places, so Gollancz's faith seems well-placed. Good on them for showing such support.

On another note - what does this deal mean for the Space Opera genre? I must admit I know next to nothing about this genre, so I can't comment on what this deal means for it. Anyone care to enlighten me? Surely it's a massive boost for the genre to see such a deal being made.

Abercrombie Scandinavian tour reminder

Since I get quite a few hits from Scandinavia, I thought visitors from that part of the world would like to be reminded that Joe Abercrombie is making a series of appearances in Norway and Sweden.

Here are the dates/locations:

25th June 18.00 - Stockholm SF Bokhandeln, Vasterlanggatan 48, 10317 Stockholm

26th June 18.00 - Gothenberg SF Bokhandeln AB, Ostra Larmgatan 16, 41107 Gothenburg

27th June 14.00 - Oslo Outland, Ostbanehallen, Jernbanetorget 1, 0154 Oslo

As reported recently, I had an excellent time at Joe's signing in Manchester, and definitely recommend going along if you can make it.

GRRM announces progress with ADWD...

George R. R. Martin has given his first update on ADWD for a while. Actually, it's not really an update as such...but it's still a positive bit of news for fans:

"I almost hate to say anything here, for fear of jinxing it... but for what it's worth, the last six weeks or so have been the most productive period I've had on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS in... well... a year at least, maybe several. In the last three days I've completed three new chapters. Not from scratch, mind you, these were all chapters that had been partially written, and in some cases rewritten, for months if not years. But they're finally done, and I've just reread them, and I'm almost convinced that they're Not Crap.

I'm feeling rather jazzed right now, and for the first time in a very long while, I think I can see a glimmering that might just be a light at the end of the tunnel."

Sounds like the end is just about in sight, meaning that a 2010 release should still be on the cards.

Now that the dust has settled...what did the Gemmell award achieve?

As most of you are probably aware by now, the first annual Gemmell 'Legend' Award was won by Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski for the English translation - released by Gollancz - of his novel Blood of Elves. 

For all the criticism aimed at the award, one thing most of us agreed on was that it was great to have an award that celebrated the epic fantasy genre, which is too often neglected by other genre awards. Yet is this celebration of epic fantasy enough to change the perception of the genre held by Joe Public? 

Not if The Guardian is anything to go by, where a rather patronising article denotes fantasy fans as "the people Red Dwarf fans sneer at for being nerdy. They are the zit-ridden little brothers of the SF geeks, whose even-less-healthy obsessions include trolls, giving Anglo-Saxon names to phallic weapons, and maidens with magical powers."

This, from someone who actually attended the Gemmell Award ceremony. Sure, while I suppose we should be grateful for the coverage and the fact that the article does have one or two positive things to say, it's still an overwhelming indication of the effect the first Gemmell Award had on public perception: not a lot. A shrug of the shoulders at best. 

Now, it's early days - we mustn't forget that. Public perception isn't going to change overnight. But it is going to be interesting to see how much of an impact the Gemmell Award will have in this regard in future years. 

What does it need to do to achieve wider recognition and respect from outside the genre - indeed, to change the way the genre is perceived? And is there anything us readers can do? 

Well, perhaps we need to worry less about the aesthetics of the genre and instead think more about the books themselves - their content, their prose, and so on. This is a point that Mark Charan Newton makes in a recent blog entry - "So where is the wider analysis of the Gemmell Award books? Why hasn’t anyone cranked-open these bad boys (and girls - we are gender neutral here!) to open up a wider discussion on the merits of the books against each other, a real show-down to get people talking about what’s in the books, rather than talking about the people holding them?"

It's an interesting point - the mainstream always seems so concerned about the image of fantasy and the characteristics of fantasy readers, rather than actually bothering to delve beneath the covers of the books. Perhaps this is something we're guilty of ourselves at times. Maybe this is the key to changing how the genre is perceived. 

The Gemmell Award could prove to be a real turning point in this particular battle, although it's far too early yet to expect any sort of result. Perhaps in years to come we'll see its true value. 

More Saturday morning book pr0n

Just like last week, I get to start my weekend with some book pr0n. Thanks very much to Allison and Busby, who were kind enough to send me a secksy hardback of Tim Lebbon's latest Noreelan novel, The Island.

And while I remember, here's a photo of a really cool hardback edition of Gene Wolf's Book of the New Sun that I picked up in an Oxfam shop - it's a first edition Science Fiction Book Club printing. Pretty cool.

Hope you all have a good weekend. If you fancy catching a film but are not sure what to watch, I highly recommend The Hangover. Very good fun.

Miéville on Tolkien: "Tolk gives good monster!"

After Richard Morgan's 'essay' on Tolkien (you know, the one that completely fails to take The Silmarillion into consideration and insinuates that anyone who likes Tolkien is intellectually-challenged) I suspected it would only be a matter of time before another author wrote some sort of response.

However, I didn't think it would be China Miéville that would do so - the same man who infamously dismissed Tolkien as "the wen on the arse of fantasy literature." Recent years have witnessed a gradual change in Miéville's opinion of Tolkien, culminating on his new article Five Reasons Tolkien Rocks.

Although he doesn't directly state that this is a response to Morgan's piece, Miéville seems to indicate that it is, by saying, "every few years, certain as tides, someone will write a splenetic screed against the Professor, explaining why he's the devil/ worst things to happen to fantasy/voice of reaction/zomg most boring writer EVER /etc. The Oedipal Resentment motivating many of these attacks may be trivially obvious, especially in those from within fantastic fiction..."

Anyway, it's a well-written article that's definitely worth a read. I particularly like the moments where Miéville's inner geek breaks loose, such as where he discusses the Watcher in the Water - "Dude. That totally was cool. I mean, say what you like about him, Tolk gives good monster. Shelob, Smaug, the Balrog...in their astounding names, the fearful verve of their descriptions, their various undomesticated malevolence, these creatures are utterly embedded in our world-view. No one can write giant spiders except through Shelob: all dragons are sidekicks now. And so on."

Tchaikovsky's 'Shadows of the Apt' to be released in US!

Exciting news for all of you folks on the other side of the pond...Pyr have just announced a deal to publish the first three books in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series in the United States.

Pyr intend to publish the three novels - Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling and Blood of the Mantis - in three consecutive months next year (hopefully March - April - May).

Editor Lou Anders is clearly unable to conceal his delight, as he says, "Shadows of the Apt is a fantastic fantasy, with steampunk elements, that absolutely blew me away when I read it. Airships, steam trains, giant insects, fantastic characters, great action..."

He's right, you know.

Anders also confirmed that all three US books will boast brand-new artwork from Jon Sullivan, who also did the excellent UK covers for Dragonfly Falling and Blood of the Mantis.

Personally I'm really pleased for Adrian, as he seems a thoroughly nice bloke and in any case I'm a big fan of The Shadows of the Apt - can't wait for my review copy of Blood of the Mantis to turn up (any day now, any day...).

Check out my reviews of Empire in Black and Gold and Dragonfly Falling, as well as the interview I did with Adrian some time ago.