Debris
Jo Anderton
Angry Robot
464pp mass-market paperback
$7.99 US, $8.99 CAN
ebook £4.49 / $5.99
This review would have been up a few days ago if I had had access to a computer. My son didn’t have school today, so we took advantage of the long weekend to go visit my parents. Only their computer was in the shop, and I hadn’t brought mine along. So instead of a post about every other day for a few days, this is (hopefully) the first of at least four days in a row with new material.
But you probably aren’t interested in that. What you want to know is if the book is any good. Am I right? Of course I am. Aren’t I always? (Don’t answer that.)
Yes, this is a good book, but I have a quibble with the publisher about it.
This is the third book I’ve reviewed from Angry Robot in the last six weeks. The first one, Roil, was listed by the publisher as fantasy, while I felt it was more science fiction, or at the outside, science fantasy. The second novel, Darkness Falling, I considered to be fantasy, although the publisher listed it as science fiction. Now we come to Debris, a novel I consider to be science fantasy if not outright fantasy, while the publisher calls it…you guessed it, science fiction.
I’ll explain my reasons in a minute. To understand, you need some background. Tanyana is an architect. In this world, that’s a slightly different job than it is in ours. Tanyana is capable of seeing and controlling pions, which are the building blocks of matter. They almost act as if they are alive. When pions are used to make things, build things, produce energy, or for any other purpose, they generate waste called debris. The debris acts like it’s alive at times as well.
There’s just one problem with this scenario. I don’t buy it. As a practicing physicist, I can assure you the universe doesn’t act that way, at least not the one we inhabit. Well, maybe the one that weird guy in the office at the end of the hall lives in, but not the rest of us. The pions described in this book aren’t the ones I’m familiar with. I was expecting a science fiction novel, but that’s not what I got, at least by my definition. Because the physical world described here clearly isn’t ours, I would have to classify this as fantasy. I think what threw me was Ms. Anderton’s use of the word “pion”, which has a particular meaning for me.
Anyway, once I got over all that, I quite enjoyed the book. This is a story of a woman who doesn’t so much fall from great heights as she is pushed. Literally. The opening chapter finds Tanyana leading her circle of binders (people who can control pions) in building a giant statue. Something goes wrong, they lose control, and Tanyana is thrown off the statue. Her injuries are such that she can no longer see pions.
She can, however, see debris. Debris is like entropy personified, although not everyone can see it, just like not everyone can see pions. That doesn’t make it any less destructive. Debris has to be collected and contained or all sorts of bad things will happen. Assigned to a collecting team that doesn’t want her, Tanyana must figure out who is behind not only her disgrace, but the systematic campaign to ruin everyone who ever did her a favor.
Collectors are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder, while binders are near the top. Things go from bad to worse, as Tanyana’s life unravels and she is forced to piece a new one together, while eruptions of debris are increasing and becoming more deadly. All the while she is stalked by the mysterious and frightening puppet men.
Not everyone is who or what they appear to be. There are mysteries here, and not all of them are solved. The ones that are, well, they still have plenty of open questions. Important pieces of history appear to have been lost. Some of the characters have surprising depths. Once I got into the story and past my physics hangups, I was hooked. The characters are real, growing and changing. They are individuals you care about. The mysteries are intriguing, the plot captivating, the villains frightening. And characters from children’s stories in this world, well, they may just turn out to be real.
Ms. Anderton is an Australian writer, and this is her first novel, so her name may not be familiar to most of you. Remember it. This book promises to be the launch of what should be a successful and major career in the field. It’s the first of a series, it’s fresh and original, and I’ll be reading the next installment.
Fenrir
M.D. Lachlan
Pyr, tp, $16.00, 442 p.
When I reviewed Wolfsangel a few months ago, I gave it a favorable review. And while I enjoyed that book, I enjoyed the sequel more. Fenrir takes place some time after Wolfsangel. I don’t know history well enough to give specific dates, but I’d say a couple of hundred years have passed.
The story opens with vikings laying siege to Paris and accelerates from there.
The vikings are trying to capture Aelis, the sister of Count Eudes. If he turns her over, they’ll leave the city in peace. The vikings are trying to capture her for their commander Sigfrid. He thinks he’s Odin incarnate and needs Aelis in order to fulfill a prophecy. Aiding him are a sorcerer, Hrafn, and a witch, his sister Munin.
Aelis is not without her supporters. First there’s the blind and crippled monk, Jehan the Confessor, who is regarded by many to be a living saint. There’s a wolfman (which is not the same thing as a werewolf in this book) and his companion, Leshii, an aging merchant. They want to take Aelis back to the city of Aldeigjuborg to their lord, Helgi.
If you are expecting some of these people to be Adisla, Vali, and Feilig from Wolfsangel reincarnated, you’d be right. If you think you know which character is which, you’ll probably be wrong. Lachlan kept me off balance and surprised as he slowly revealed who was who. It won’t be who you think. This is not a book you can easily predict. Case in point, how the prophecy that Helgi would be killed by his horse was fulfilled. Clever and entirely consistent with what had been established. Also unexpected.
The pacing in Fenrir is relentless yet never rushed. The book moves quickly. My biggest frustration with it was dayjobbery and life kept interfering with my reading time. I had hoped to have finished the book around the first of the month. Unlike Wolfsangel, which took place over a period of years, Fenrir opens in the spring and closes the following March.
The characters have more depth than most fantasy characters, and Lachlan does a marvelous job juggling a number of major and minor characters, some of whom have multiple names, and making them individuals with their own characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. These aren’t just static characters, either. They grow and change, to the point that one or two switch allegiance. And Loki puts in a few appearances. He doesn’t switch allegiance, though.
The action and combat are well done, and there’s plenty of battles from one-on-one to small groups clashing. While there are no large armies meeting on the field, there’s still plenty of opportunities for heroism, as well as betrayal and savagery.
As good as Wolfsangel was, and it was good, Fenrir is better. If this series continues to improve, it will be a high water mark in contemporary fantasy. It pretty much is already.
Series like this one, the Danilov Quintet by Jasper Kent, the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, and the Shadow books by Jon Sprunk, just to name a few fantasy series (and that’s not even getting into the science fiction), have made Pyr books my favorite publisher. With quality like this, it’s no wonder Pyr seems to have a permanent place on the shortlists of all the major awards.
There will be spoilers in this post. Just so you know.
The story opens with a young girl, Olivia, in a marsh on the edge of the Vilayet Sea, where she has fled from Shah Amurath, to whom she had been sold. The Shah has cornered her on the edge of the sea and is about to take her back to the city of Akif when Conan bursts out of the reeds. He has something of a grudge to settle.
Conan had been with the Free Companions, raiding along the Turanian, Zamoran, and Kothian borders, when Amurath had trapped and killed most of his companions. They weren’t killed swiftly or painlessly. Conan is the only survivor. He’s been hiding out in the swamp, waiting for nightfall to row across the Sea in a boat he found earlier in the day. Of course Conan makes short work of Amurath, even though he’s only wearing a loincloth and Amurath is in full armor.
This brings us to the first point I want to make. Some people, who either clearly haven’t read Howard or paid sufficient attention if they did, criticize the Conan stories because they find Conan to be to much of a superhero. Apparently they think he comes out of every fight without a scratch, in spite of the fact Howard routinely describes Conan’s body as being covered with scars. Conan has been slithering through the muck, eating raw muskrats and roots he dug up. Hardly the life of a successful superhero.
Conan and Olivia row all day and night until they come to an island. Well, Conan rows. Olivia is just along for the ride. There they find an abandoned temple filled with large iron statues. They decide to hide on the island until a passing ship has gone by, for fear of being captured. Instead, the ship lands, filled with pirates. Conan kills their captain in single combat but is taken captive and held in the temple while the pirates decide what to do with him. (Not much of a superhero if he lets himself get captured, is he?) Some say he’s now the rightful captain, others that he isn’t because he wasn’t one of them when he killed the captain.
Olivia has stayed hidden during these events. And this brings me to the main point I want to make. The story is told entirely from her viewpoint. Our knowledge of Conan’s activities come from what he tells Olivia. His captivity is never described from his viewpoint. What we see is the character development of Olivia from a simpering wall-flower to someone who chooses to live by the sword.
One of Howard’s favorite themes is on full display here, that of barbarism vs. civilization. After he rescues her, Olivia tells Conan that her father, the king of Ophir, sold her because she refused to marry a prince of Koth. She was sold several more times before she became the property of Amurath. When she mentions her people consider Cimmerians to be barbaric, Conan’s response is that they don’t sell their children.
At first Olivia is afraid of Conan, but before the end of the story, she not only overcomes her fear of him but much of her fear in general as well. She slips into the temple after the pirates are asleep and frees Conan. And while she hasn’t completely overcome her scream queen tendencies by the end, she is braver and more hardened than she was when we first meet her. She thinks through how she was treated by civilized men and compares that treatment to the treatment she receives from Conan and decides she much prefers the treatment of a barbarian to that of a “civilized” man. Given a choice, she decides to sail with Conan and the pirates for a life of raiding. She’s not simply another nearly naked damsel in distress (although I wish someone would explain to me why those type of characters are so bad, without taking a sanctimonious tone).
I think this story deserves wider recognition. It’s not a perfect story by any means. But through the character of Olivia, Howard demonstrates a clear contrast between civilized and barbaric standards of behavior. It’s pretty clear he considers the barbarians to be morally superior to civilized men who sell their children. We shouldn’t let the adventure aspects make us lose sight of that.
Robert E. Howard
As usual, there was much more on the programming than I had time to attend. I didn’t make it to either slide show by the artist guests, Vincent DiFate or Stephan Martiniere. Not because I don’t like those artists. I do. It was just that there were other things conflicting with their slideshows.
Rather than try to sum up the whole convention, I’ll hit some of the high points of the events I attended, then post some pictures.
My favorite panel was the one Saturday afternoon devoted to Phineas and Ferb. Yes, yes it was. It was the most fun I’ve had at a panel in years. I hadn’t had a chance to check the schedule in detail before I left, so it was only coincidence when I put on my Perry the Platypus T-shirt that morning. Really.
I met Phillipa Ballantine (see my review of Geist) and Tee Morris. They were a lot of fun. I hope the convention brings them back. In addition to being two of the nicest people, they were also funny, high energy, and more approachable than many professionals I’ve encountered.
Other good panels include remembrances of the Shuttle, discussions of near space exploration (more than I was able to attend), and a panel on publishing scams that could have been twice as long and still not exhausted the subject.
I got a chance to visit a little with Lou Anders, editor of Pyr books.
There were plenty of room parties, although I found it offensive that the hotel posted a uniformed security guard in the hall near where the parties were being held.
Finally, one of the things I like most about Fencon is there is an entire track of programming devoted to music. This, I’ve discovered, is a great way to keep me financially solvent out of the dealer’s room occupied when there’s not a panel or reading I want to attend. I just read and listen to the music.
I had a good time and came back much more relaxed than when I went. (I really, really, really needed the break)
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| Phineas and Ferb Panel |
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| Toastmaster Brad Denton signs for a fan. |
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| Tee Morris and Phillipa Ballantine |
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| Lou Antonelli channels Harlan Ellison by writing in public. |
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| Attendees came from the North, South, East, and West |
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| Publishing scams panel |
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| Steampunking |
Who’s Who in the pictures, if not identified in the captions:
1. l. to r. : Gloria Oliver, Shanna Swendson, Perry the Platypus, Cathy Clamp, Todd Caldwell, Rhonda Eudaly
2. Brad Denton and Steven Silver
5. unidentified
6. L. to r.: A. Lee Martinez, Rachel Caine, Tee Morris, Cathy Clamp, Selina Rosen, Amy Sisson
7. unidentified
I spent the weekend at Fencon and should have a report on that up tomorrow. Then there’s another Conan post. After that, more novel reviews, with reviews of shorter pieces and maybe some opinions mixed in.
And as soon as I get my hands on the new Jasper Kent novel (volume 3 of the Danilov Quintet), that will move to the top of the reading stack.
Darkness Falling
Peter Crowther
Angry Robot Books
US/Canada 27 Sep 2011
400 pp trade paperback $12.99 US/ $14.99 Canada
UK 6 Oct 2011
464 pp B-format paperback L7.99
ebook 27 Sep 2011 L4.99/$5.99
As and editor and publisher, Peter Crowther has few peers. His accomplishments in these fields have overshadowed his work as a writer. He tends to write primarily in the horror genre, and this latest novel is no exception.
The publisher classifies it as science fiction on the book’s webpage, and I have no argument with that designation. However, I’ve chosen to review it here rather than on Futures Past and Present, my science fiction blog, because as a scientist I’m a little skeptical about some of the things that happen. Since Angry Robot classified Roil as a fantasy and I reviewed it as science fiction (which I maintain it is), I figure this just evens things out.
With Halloween approaching, this book fits the season well.
This is basically a zombie novel with a dash of vampiric photo-phobia thrown in. There are echoes of the original Night of the Living Dead as well as allusions and references to other classic horror films, not the least of which is Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Most of the population disappears in a Rapture-like event, a flash of bright light in the middle of the night. Only a few people are left. That’s about as far as the similarities to the Left Behind books goes. Twenty-four hours later, there’s a second flash of light. The bodies of the people who disappeared are back. Only they’ve changed. And they’re not friendly.
I have to admit my initial impression of this book wasn’t exactly positive. Two of the characters turned me off completely. The first was Ronnie, whose marriage is in trouble. He’s on a plane with his wife, and he’s ogling every female of legal age in sight. He doesn’t disappear, but his wife does. Also on the plane with him are a little girl named Angel, who happens to be clairvoyant, and the navigator, who doesn’t really know how to land the plane. It’s only when Ronnie begins to be a father figure that he becomes a likeable character.
The other character, Virgil, is a serial killer. What I didn’t care for was the detail into his past we were given, specifically the sexual abuse he experienced from his mother. He never becomes a likeable character, but then he’s not supposed to be. He just suffered from too much information in the early chapters.
After a few chapters, though, I found myself being hooked. With the exception of Virgil, all of the other characters are appealing, eventually if not immediately. The fact that they don’t all survive adds to the suspense. Not all of the characters are together in the beginning. By the end all the viewpoint characters have joined up and have formed a plan, which will be implemented in the next book. Crowther is a talented writer, and the prose flowed. The market is somewhat saturated with zombies right now. This one is the cream of the crop.
Being a type of zombie novel, there’s plenty of gore in places. While that might turn some readers off, I didn’t find it excessive. There’s enough mystery about what happened to keep me reading, even if I’m not entirely sure I buy everything in Crowther’s scenario from a scientific standpoint.
There are two more volumes planned in this series, with release dates in the fall of 2012 and 2013. I’ll be looking for them.
Instead, please allow me to point you to Charles Gramlich’s post over at Home of Heroics. It’s the first of two parts, discussing the various subgenres of fantasy. Featured are sword and sorcery and sword and planet, two of my favorite categories. If you haven’t read the post (and I know some of you have because you’ve commented), check it out. I found the names of a couple of new authors I need to track down.