In Her Name: Empire by Michael Hicks

The first book of Michael Hicks Fantasy/Space Opera Hybrid is a free download for anyone who registers on his website. While you might have initial reservations about a self published work this one is actually pretty good. Humanity are fighting a war for survival against an ancient race of blue skinned humanoids who live only to fight for the honour and glory of their empress. A young human boy is captured by these Kreelans and brought back to their home planet to determine whether or not he has a soul. Over time the boy learns the many of the Kreelan's mysteries and even comes to respect their martial code of honour but will he ultimately betray his humanity? 

Aside: Self Publishing is very much in the news this week with the news that J. K. Rowling is planning to self publish and distribute her own ebooks from her website. Of course Hicks' motivations and Rowling's motivations are entirely different. Hicks self publishes because he couldn't get a publisher. Rowling will self publish because she doesn't need a publisher. Nevertheless these two authors taken from the two extremes of the book market indicate just how much ebooks can challenge traditional publishing models.

Surface Detail by Ian M Banks

With virtual realities offering a form of immortality to the races of the galaxy some groups are not satisfied with ever lasting paradise for all. They have created virtual hells in order to keep people on the straight and narrow for fear of eternal punishment. Their neighbours are so upset by this cruelty that war has broken out. The Culture gets involved in its own bumbling way with the help of an escaped slave girl.

Another great read set in Banks' Culture universe.

The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

This book has gotten more gushingly positive reviews than any fantasy novel in recent memory and yet it took four years for Rothfuss to break through to the wider public conciousness. Perhaps that is just the time lag between the USA and Europe. Perhaps it is that grown up fantasy was very much hidden behind all those teen vampire novels when it was released back in 2007. Whatever the reason for the delay Rothfuss is here in a big way now and he is getting top billing from book stores to coincide with the release of the follow up novel.

I really don't need to add much to all of those glowing reviews. It is very well written. It does break new ground with its use of parallel timelines, its mocking of so many genre conventions and its strong characterisation. It is a nuanced book that would probably reward re-reading with new insights and understandings.

That said, I don't particularly like the main character Kvothe - the gifted scholar,  renowned hero, arcane magic wielder and Kingslayer who has retired to a quiet life as an unknown innkeeper in a  far away town. Given that the whole point of the series is the story of Kvothes life as recounted by himself over a three day period this is a bit of a problem for me.

Ah well. I'll read the books none the less. Perhaps he will reveal a more sympathetic side in the follow up episodes.

The Edge of The World by Kevin J. Anderson

This is the opening volume of a new fantasy series by the author of the excellent Seven Suns saga. We have a world split North and South between two blocs  each claiming to hold the only true faith. The war between them is based on a misunderstanding but that is irrelevant now as atrocity leads to atrocity. To Anderson's credit he doesn't paint the sides in black and white although I am pretty sure we are supposed to empathise with the more "European" bloc. The King of this Northern region has a spiritual goal to send an expedition westward to the edge of the world where monsters and maybe even Gods live but the squabbles of the ongoing war interfere.

Being the first book of a new series it spends more time on character development than on plot but the stage is set for some interesting adventures ahead. I am looking forward to reading them.

Behemoth by Peter Watts

Behemoth follows on from Starfish and Maelstrom concluding this saga of a future world threatened by a bug from the deep oceans.

This is a more conventional adventure story than the first two books with heroes and villains and an epic final confrontation. Watts does keep us guessing for quite some time as to who is hero and who is villain however. This is facilitated by one of Watts major themes: the conflict between the greater good and personal sentiment.

The most powerful humans in Watts world are the Law breakers. Vastly powerful controllers who are subject to no law other than a genetically manipulated conscience. They will kill a thousand in order to save a million.

A bit confusing at times and the end when it does come feels a bit rushed. Nevertheless has to be recommended as the closing chapter of an excellent sci fi trilogy.

Nova War by Gary Gibson

It took me a while to get into this the second novel of Gary Gibson's Shoal Sequence because it is a long time since I read the first novel "Stealing Light". Nevertheless I enjoyed the story once I got up to speed. An ancient race called the Shoal rigidly control all access to faster than light travel which enables them to act as benevolent overlords to all other "client" species. As sequence unfolds we discover all is not quite as it seems and that the Shoal's motives may not be quite as altruistic as it first appears.  Complicated Space Opera but good stuff none the less.

The Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson

It is hard for me to be objective about Wheel of Time. Thirteen hefty books (and a short story or two) over the last twenty odd years is too much of an investment for the concluding volumes of the series not to be brilliant and I am convinced that they are. The dreary confusion of the middle volumes is long forgotten, Randland hurtles towards Tarmon Gai'don (the final battle) and I can't wait for book 14 to see how it turns out.