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io9 on Seven Princes

io9 on Seven Princes

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seven-princesNihilism got you down? Can’t stomach yet another scene of rape and torture? Need a break from learning your eleventeenth language and living abroad? If so, then io9 has the prescription for your burning fever:

These days, fantasy novels seem to be all about realism. Or at least, semi-realism. … So it’s a pleasure to read an unabashed over-the-top fantasy epic like John R. Fultz’s Seven Princes, in which totally batshit stuff happens every few pages and the wonders aren’t rationed at all. Fultz writes at a frenetic pace, as if worried he’ll run out of pages before he throws in all the cool stuff he’s thought up. It’s kind of amazing.

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What Seven Princes does have to offer, though, is breakneck pacing and nonstop insanity. Every few pages, foxes are turning into naked ladies or giants are going off to talk to the mermaid queen, or a long-lost race of blue giants is randomly discovered, or evil dark spirits are destroying entire kingdoms. It’s epic with a capital EPIC.

And judging by the majority of comments, vitamin Fultz is the tonic lots of folks are craving.

Book Review: Jim C. Hines’ The Mermaid’s Madness

Book Review: Jim C. Hines’ The Mermaid’s Madness

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themermaidsmadnessThe Mermaid’s Madness

Jim C. Hines
DAW (339 pp, $7.99, 2009)
Reviewed by Andrew Zimmerman Jones

Jim Hines has developed a name for himself by taking traditional fantasy and warping it into a twisted, entertaining, and amusing adult fantasy storyline. His first series, the Jig the Goblin Trilogy (Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero, and Goblin War), took traditional roleplaying game fantasy clichés – complete with a dwarf who is obsessed with mapping out the dungeon the protagonists are crawling – and turns it on its ear by making a goblin the hero of the series.

In his Princess Novels, he has taken the three classic princesses of fairy tales – Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty – and turned them into a trio of bad-ass fantasy heroines. (You may insert your own Charlie’s Angels comparison here.)

Snow and Talia (i.e. Sleeping Beauty) are living in exile, serving Queen Beatrice – the mother of Cinderella’s prince charming, Armand – as a sort of secret agent squad. Snow is a sorceress, with an emphasis on mirror-based magic. Talia is basically a weapon expert and all-around combat machine.

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Steampunk Spotlight: Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy

Steampunk Spotlight: Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Trilogy

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leviathan

Leviathan (Amazon, B&N)
Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse (440 pp, $9.99, Oct. 2009)

Behemoth (Amazon, B&N)
Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse (5112 pp, $9.99, Oct. 2010)

Goliath (Amazon, B&N)
Scott Westerfeld
Simon Pulse (543 pp, $19.99, Sept. 2011)

Reviewed by Andrew Zimmerman Jones

Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy is an epic about an alternate-history version of World War I … and a great example of how steampunk can really work well when it’s firing on all cylinders (both literally and figuratively). In this, the military conflict isn’t just political, but also centers around an ideological difference about technology. The British and Russians have embraced Charles Darwin’s biological insights to breed massive war beasts, while the German alliance put their faith in mechanical (frequently multi-legged) battle machines.

In addition to the global conflict, the major tension in the story centers around two young characters – one from each side of the battle – who are living with their own secrets in the midst of the war. One is a girl disguised as a boy so that she can serve in the British military upon the living zeppelin Leviathan. The other is a prince (and secret heir to the Austrian Empire) on the run from his own people.

On top of all of that, there’s also a romance … even though one of the participants doesn’t realize it for quite some time.

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Temeraire, Harry Potter, and Some Thoughts on Ambiguity

Temeraire, Harry Potter, and Some Thoughts on Ambiguity

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His Majesty's DragonI’ve been in unwilling low-content mode for the past couple of weeks (question: what’s worse than getting the flu at Christmas? Answer: getting the flu along with a sinus infection). That’s meant I’ve had some time to read, which is good for a number of reasons. As it happens, though, one of the things I picked up to read left me wondering something I’ve wondered several times before: why do certain books pull me along, and compel me to read them, even when I think they’re not particularly good?

The best example of what I mean is the Harry Potter books. I don’t dislike them, but I’ve never understood the way they absorb me when I read them. They’re tightly-plotted, yes, and the world is carefully-built — but these things together only create an odd video-game feel, where every riddle has its designated solution, and the lead characters wander around finding clues to unlock new areas or gifts or side quests, until everything’s resolved in a climactic scene. The characters are flat, the dialogue’s occasionally funny but not especially memorable, and the prose is bland at best. Yet the fact remains that when I read a Potter book I find it easier to move my gaze along the text on the page rather than turn away. It’s like being on a railway train, being carried over a fixed track, with no way to disembark except by something like an act of force, jumping to the ground while the thing’s moving at speed.

Over Christmas — just before, actually — I found another example of this phenomenon, when I read His Majesty’s Dragon, the first of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. It’s a story about the Napoleonic Wars, in a world where intelligent dragons exist and bond with human riders. I’d had it in mind to look into the series for a while, so when I found a used copy of the first book I grabbed it. And then found it had grabbed me. It’s unusual for me these days to find that I literally can’t put a book down; but that’s what happened with His Majesty’s Dragon. And I’m not sure why.

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Tachyon Announces Contents of The Sword & Sorcery Anthology

Tachyon Announces Contents of The Sword & Sorcery Anthology

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sword-and-sorcery-anthologyOur friend Jacob Weisman at Tachyon Publications has announced the contents of his long-awaited new book, The Sword & Sorcery Anthology.

The 432-page trade paperback will contain classic tales of S&S from Robert E. Howard, George R.R. Martin, Fritz Leiber, C.L. Moore, Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance, Karl Edward Wagner, Poul Anderson, David Drake, and others — including an original tale from Nift the Lean author Michael Shea:

Terrifying barbarians, cunning mages, and daring heroes run rampant through these exceptional classics of the exciting sword & sorcery genre. From Robert E. Howard to Jane Yolen, this fast-paced anthology is a chronological gathering of influential, inventive, and entertaining fantasy adventure stories. In “Tower of the Elephant,” Conan takes up jewel thievery but, as is his wont, proves far better with his sword. “The Flamer Bringers” finds anti-hero Elric infiltrating a band of bloodthirsty mercenaries and outwitting a powerful sorcerer. “Become a Warrior” is the unexpected tale of a child who loses all she holds dear, only to gain unforeseen power and unlikely revenge. Further entries come from early sword & sorcery legends such as Jack Vance and Catherine Louise (who wrote as C. L.) Moore, the next wave of talents including Fritz Leiber and Michael Moorcock, and modern trendsetters like Karl Edward Wagner and David Drake. An original story from Michael Shea rounds out this essential anthology, which will particularly appeal to fans of action-oriented fantasy titles such as The Lord of the Rings and the Song of Fire and Ice series.

The Sword & Sorcery Anthology is edited by David G. Hartwell and Jacob Weisman. It will be released on June 1, 2012 by Tachyon Publications, and priced at $15.95. Read complete details here.

John R. Fultz’s Seven Princes on Sale Today

John R. Fultz’s Seven Princes on Sale Today

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seven-princesHere at the rooftop headquarters of Black Gate, overlooking the majestic Chicago skyline, we’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time: the day the first volume of John R. Fultz’s Books of the Shaper series finally hits bookstores.

Seven Princes is John’s first novel.  He’s had three highly acclaimed short stories appear in Black Gate — including “Oblivion Is the Sweetest Wine” (BG 12), “Return of the Quill” (BG 13), and “The Vintages of Dream” (BG 15),  — and has published short fiction in Weird Tales, Space & Time, Lightspeed, and the anthologies Way of the Wizard and Cthulhu’s Reign. Here’s the cover blurb:

It is an Age of Legends. Under the watchful eye of the Giants, the kingdoms of Men rose to power. Now, the Giant-King has slain the last of the Serpents and ushered in an era of untold peace and prosperity. Where a fire-blackened desert once stood, golden cities flourish in verdant fields.

It is an Age of Heroes. But the realms of Man face a new threat — an ancient sorcerer slaughters the rightful King of Yaskatha before the unbelieving eyes of his son, young Prince D’zan. With the Giant-King lost to a mysterious doom, it seems that no one has the power to stop the coming storm.

It is an Age of War. The fugitive Prince seeks allies across the realms of Men and Giants to liberate his father’s stolen kingdom. Six foreign Princes are tied to his fate. Only one thing is certain: War is coming.

SEVEN PRINCES. Some will seek glory. Some will seek vengeance. All will be legends.

For those lucky enough to be in San Francisco this Saturday, John will be doing his first signing at Borderlands Books. Bring your copy of Seven Princes and meet one of the rising stars of fantasy.

Read John’s interview with Seven Princes cover artist Richard Anderson right here at Black Gate.

Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars, Part 1: A Princess of Mars

Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars, Part 1: A Princess of Mars

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princess-of-mars-a-c-mcclurgThe year 2012 C.E. is the centenary of the Reader Revolution. Two novels published in pulp magazines that year, A Princess of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes, re-shaped popular fiction, helped change the United States into a nation of readers, and created the professional fiction writer. One man wrote both books: Edgar Rice Burroughs.

In celebration of this anniversary, and in anticipation of the upcoming Andrew Stanton film John Carter based on A Princess of Mars, I will tackle all eleven of ERB’s Martian/Barsoom novels in reviews for Black Gate. I also have something special in store for Tarzan of the Apes. This endeavor sounds a touch insane, but come on, but this is the centennial of the series! When else am I going to do it?

Let us turn back the calendar a hundred years to the beginning of all things…

Our Saga: The adventures of Earthman John Carter, his progeny, and sundry other natives and visitors, on the planet Mars. A dry and slowly dying world, the planet known to its inhabitants as “Barsoom” contains four different human civilizations, one non-human one, a scattering of science among swashbuckling, and a plethora of religions, mystery cities, and strange beasts. The series spans 1912 to 1964 with eleven books: nine novels, a book of linked novellas, and a volume collecting two unrelated novellas.

Today’s Installment: A Princess of Mars (1912)

The Backstory

In 1911, Edgar Rice Burroughs was thirty-five years old and selling pencil sharpeners out of an office in Chicago. His post-military service career was so far a series of undistinguished jobs that kept him and his family barely above poverty: an associate in a mining company in Idaho, a railroad policeman in Salt Lake City, a manager of a stenography department, an owner of a stationery store, and a partner in an advertising agency. No position lasted longer than two years.

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Steampunk Spotlight: The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer with S.J. Chambers

Steampunk Spotlight: The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer with S.J. Chambers

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steampunk-bibleOver the last couple of Steampunk Spotlight posts, I’ve focused on steampunk in games (upcoming board game The Kings of Air and Steam and the roleplaying game Victoriana), but it’s time to dive deep into the literary end of the pool, and there’s nowhere better to start than in Jeff VanderMeer’s gorgeous The Steampunk Bible (Amazon, B&N).

This book is a narrative and visual exploration of steampunk as a literary genre, a fan costuming phenomenon, and an artistic inspiration, certainly living up to its subtitle: An Illustrated Guide to the world of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature.

It’s hard to imagine an aspect of the steampunk movement that isn’t covered by this book full of full-color illustrations and photographs, mixed with interviews, anecdotes, lists, and analyses of steampunk-related themes.

Consider just a few of the fascinating articles/essays contained in this book:

  • Edgar Allen Poe: Perpetuator of the First Steampunk Hoax?
  • Brothers at Sea: Oshikawa Shunro and Verne’s Influence in Japan
  • A Young Steampunk’s Guide to Subgenres
  • Etching tins with Saltwater and Electricity
  • Steampunk Fashion: Four Styles
  • Eight Ways to Raise Your Steampunk Fashion Game
  • Can Airships Slouch Along? Can They Saunter?
  • Obscure Steampunk TV Moments

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Chris Braak Reviews Cthulhu’s Reign

Chris Braak Reviews Cthulhu’s Reign

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cthulhus-reignCthulhu’s Reign
Darrell Schweitzer, ed.
DAW (308 pp, $7.99, 2010)
Reviewed by Chris Braak

It is unquestionably a challenge to create a sense of drama in a set of stories that all share the premise of “human civilization has been destroyed by invincible monster-gods from space.” Cthulhu’s Reign is an anthology that sets out to do just that, using the theme of H. P. Lovecraft’s Old Ones – most often Cthulhu and his star-spawn, but not always – returning to prominence on earth after countless millennia of death/sleep. All of the book’s fifteen authors are to be commended for their imaginative takes on just what that return might look like, but there are some problems with the anthology as a whole.

The first and primary issue is that it’s just unrelentingly depressing. One story about the end of humanity out of a collection of fifteen is one thing; but a book in which every single story ends on a note of complete and utter hopelessness is exhausting. There is no reason to blame the authors; they are each separately and privately fulfilling their mandate. The problem is with the idea of the theme itself, which might be charitably described as “too much of a good thing.”

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The Desert of Souls is One of the Best Fantasy Novels of 2011

The Desert of Souls is One of the Best Fantasy Novels of 2011

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the-desert-of-soulsHoward Andrew Jones’ first novel The Desert of Souls has been named one of the best fantasy novels of the year by Barnes & Noble.

Paul Goat Allen, a full-time genre book reviewer who’s reviewed thousands of titles over the past 20 years, posted his choices for the Best Fantasy Releases of 2011 at Explorations, the highly respected Barnes & Noble science fiction and fantasy Blog. In addition to Desert of Souls (#4), the list also includes Prince of Thorns by Black Gate blogger and author Mark Lawrence (at #5), and our good friend James L. Sutter’s first novel, Death’s Heretic (#3).

The top two books in the list were The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and Farlander by Col Buchanan. Allen writes:

The sheer amount of noteworthy fantasy debuts in 2011 was remarkable. Besides Buchanan and Sutter’s stellar first novels, this year gave us The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones, Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Thorns, Stina Leicht’s Of Blood and Honey, Courtney Schafer’s The Whitefire Crossing, Paula Brandon’s The Traitor’s Daughter, The Emperor’s Knife by Mazarkis Williams, Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick, Michael J. Sullivan’s Theft of Swords, and Teresa Frohock’s Miserere.

You can read an exclusive excerpt from Prince of Thorns, Brian Murphy’s recent review of The Desert of Souls, and Andrew Zimmerman Jones’ review of Death’s Heretic, all right here at Black Gate. Don’t tell us we don’t point you to the best fantasy.

Congratulations to Howard, Mark and James!