Nexus May 03.p65 - Galaxy Bookshop

NEXUS
MAY 2003
Issue #180
Nexus: n.pl. 1. A means of connection 2. A connected series 3. Galaxy Bookshop’s newsletter listing the latest Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and related Media Books
CLOSED
FOR STOCKTAKE
TUES 27 MAY
FROM 3PM
WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED
NEBULA AWARD WINNERS
AUREALIS AWARD WINNERS
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Novel: Transcension by Damien Broderick
Short Story: Walk to the Full Moon
by Sean McMullen
Best Novel
Best Novella
Bronte’s Egg by Richard Chwedyk
Best Novelette
Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
Best Short Story
Creature by Carol Emshwiller
Best Script
The Lord of the Rings
by Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Peter Jackson
HUGO NOMINEES
Best Novel
Science Fiction Novel
Fantasy
Novel: The Storm Weaver and the Sand
by Sean Williams
Short Story: NO AWARD
Hor ror Novel
The White Body of Evening by A L McCann
Short Story: Oracle by Kim Westwood
Young Adult Novel
The Hand of Glory by Sophie Masson
Children’s
Bones of the Earth by Michael Swanwick
Hominids by Robert J Sawyer
Kiln People by David Brin
The Scar by China Mieville
The Years of Rice and Salt
by Kim Stanley Robinson
In the Garden of Empress Cassia by Gabrielle Wang
Best Related Book
From a Buick 8 by Stephen King
The Hour Before Dark by Douglas Clegg
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
The Night Class by Tom Piccirilli
The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction
by Justine Larbalestier
Better to Have Loved: Life of Judith Merril
by Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary
Dragonhenge
by Bob Eggleton and John Grant
Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life
by Jerry Weist
Spectrum 9:
The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner
BSFA WINNER
Best Novel
The Separation by Christopher Priest
PHILIP K DICK AWARD
Best Novel
The Mount by Carol Emshwiller
Short Fiction: Tashi and the Haunted House
by Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble
STOKER NOMINEES
Best Novel
First Novel
Atmosphere by Michael Laimo
The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ by Tina Jens
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Red Church by Scott Nicholson
Collection
The Collection by Bentley Little
Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King
Knuckles and Tales by Nancy Collins
Nations of the Living, Nations of the Dead
by Mort Castle
One More for the Road by Ray Bradbury
Nexus #180
SCIENCE
FICTION
AND
FANTASY
LYNN ABBEY
SANCTUARY
Thieves World. Life in the city of Sanctuary
has moved on from the days of Jubal and
Tempus, and the epic adventures of gods
and men are already degrading into myth
and superstition. Molin Torchholder, who
carries the only living memories of these
times, knows that the future of Sanctuary
depends on preserving them. With assassins
on his trail, Molin must prepare a successor
to hold and protect the secret truths of
Sanctuary. And Cauvin, a survivor of the
cruel pits of the Bloody Hand, will have a
series of difficult choices to make as he is
drawn deeper into Molin’s desperate
struggle. Pb $18.95 533pp
CHRISTOPHER ANVIL
INTERSTELLAR PATROL
A starship crew gets stuck on a planet
where the well-meaning schemes of social
engineers has created a nightmare of
battling gangs, so they pretend to be the
Royal Legions from a distant star kingdom
pursuing an all-powerful villain hiding on
the planet - then the real Royal flagship shows
up. Tp $42.00 471pp
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Romance
Award Winner
Award Nominee
Australian
Action
Reprint
Audio Cassette
Compact Disc
Pb
Paperback
Hb
Hardback
Tp Trade Paperback
Lf
Large Format
Graphic Novel
Gn
Looks-really-cool-but-Ihaven’t-had-time-to-read-it-yet!
www.galaxybooks.com.au
CATHERINE ASARO
THE MOON’S SHADOW
Skolian Empire #8. Born of a clandestine
liaison between a renegade daughter of the
Skolian Imperialate and a scion of the
genetically engineered Eubian Traders, Jai
Qox grew up in exile, unaware of the powers
that coursed through his noble blood. In the
waning days of the bloody Radiance War
that ravaged the galaxy, Jai was captured and
returned to the Traders to play a role as a
puppet Emperor. Now Jai must seize the
power that is his by birthright without
succumbing to its dark seduction and wield
it for the good of all, and avert a conflagration
that threatens to engulf a thousand worlds.
Hb $55.00 479pp
CHERITH BALDRY
THE RELIQUARY RING
In a fabulously wealthy maritime city
where created humans (genics) are despised
and exploited by the genuine human citizens,
the sinister Count Dracone plots to seize
ultimate power with the aid of infernal beings
and the emissaries and technology of the
sinister northern Empire. Tp $30.00 424pp
ASHOK BANKER
PRINCE OF AYODHYA
Ramayana #1. In the ancient city of
Ayodhya, a young prince has a terrifying
apocalyptic vision. Shortly after, an ancient seer
arrives at the city gates with an equally
terrifying prophecy. Two men brought
together by extraordinary events. Two men
who will journey together to the ends of the
world. Pb $19.95 532pp
STEVEN BARNES
ZULU HEART
Lion’s Blood #2. Set in the late 1800’s in
an alternate universe in which Africa
colonised the Americas, this continues the
stories of two men from very different
backgrounds. Kai, a politically important
Ethiporan nobleman and Aidan, a white
Irishman who was until recently Kai’s slave.
A rebellion is building toward civil war.
Loyalties are being drawn along the lines of
homelands, namely Egypt and Ethiopia, and
causing the New World to be torn into a
North and a South - with Kai and Aidan
caught in the crossfire. Hb $65.00 463pp
MAY 2003
GREG BEAR
DARWIN’S CHILDREN
Darwin #2. Eleven years have passed
since SHEVA, an ancient retrovirus, was
discovered in human DNA - a retrovirus that
caused mutations in the human genome and
heralded the arrival of a new wave of
genetically enhanced humans. Now these
changed children have reached adolescence...
and face a world that is outraged about their
very existence. Hb $64.95 387pp
VITALS
Hal Cousins is one of a handful of
scientists nearing the most sought after
discovery in human history: the key to shortcircuiting the aging process. In the meantime
scientists are being murdered – including
Hal’s twin brother. When Hal returns home
to Seattle, he finds himself trapped inside an
ever-twisting maze of shocking revelations.
For he is not the first person to come close to
ending aging forever – and those who came
before him will stop at nothing to keep the
secret to themselves. Pb $21.00 396pp
DAMIEN BRODERICK
TRANSCENSION
Amanda, impatient for the adult status
her society only grants at age 30, is
repeatedly in trouble and finds herself in the
courtroom of Magistrate Mohammed
Abdel-Malik, the sole resurrectee from
among those who were frozen in the early
21st century. Mathewmark is a real
adolescent, living in the Valley of the God of
One’s Choice, the last place where they still
exist, where those who have chosen faith
over technology are allowed to live out their
simpler lives. But just as Amanda,
Mathewmark and Abdel-Malik are struggling
to find themselves and achieve their
potentials, so is Aleph, the AI who rules this
utopia, and its success will be a challenge to
them and all of humanity. Tp $42.00 348pp
CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY
LITTLE GREEN MEN
John Banion is a Washington talk-show
host with a fragrant wife and a lucrative
contract. But his privileged life is thrown into
upheaval when he is abducted by aliens from
his exclusive country club golf course… Pb
$19.95 317pp
RECOMMENDED
READING
HOLLY BLACK
TITHE: A MODERN FAERIE TALE
A teenage girl goes back to her childhood home - the place where she used to
talk to faeries. Coming up to Hallowe’en, she meets her old friends - and
Roibin, who tells her his true name. Discovering the truth about herself, she
agrees to go along with a plan to disrupt the human sacrifice that binds her
faery friends to unkind masters. But she is to be the human sacrifice and not
everyone has been telling her the truth... Pb $19.95 310pp This was just
lovely. Kaye is a bit of an obnoxious teenager and takes a bit of warming to,
but boy was she worth it. Returning to her mother’s hometown where she
spent a lot of time when she was young, Kaye starts seeing fairies again but
this time they’re not all friendly. Kaye gets caught up in the battle between
the two courts (as you do), nearly costing her the life of a friend, and
possibly her own. The story has been told before, but it didn’t matter, I
loved hearing it again. Steph
2
Galaxy Bookshop
143 York Street Sydney 2000
Ph 02 9267 7222 Fax 02 9261 3691
FAVE RAVES
OUR FAVOURITES - NEW & OLD
New Title
Classic Title
PERMANENCE
CARRIONCOMFORT
K ARL S CHROEDER
P B $16.95
Meadow-Rue Rosebud Cassels (or
simply Rue) lives on the space station
Allemagne. She is a halo-er; living on
planets or in habitats that orbit brown
dwarf stars, their only means of
travel and communication is via
Cycler ships, which visit rarely, if at
all. The ‘Lit Worlds’ where the
population enjoys FTL travel would
like to pretend that the halo worlds
do not exist, but they too have their
problems....
In an effort to avoid being sold into
slavery by her violent half-brother,
Rue leaves the space station that has
been her home for life. While heading
for the nearest habitable system, she
makes the find of the century: what
appears to be an unmanned, and
therefore un-owned, Cycler ship. Being the first to find this ship
gives Rue ownership rights and untold wealth. Now her problems
are really just beginning.
Although the main protagonist is female, this book starts just like a
‘boy’s adventure’ novel ala the Tom Swift series from so long ago. It
quickly becomes apparent that there is more to it than this. Highly
complex ideas in civilisation and alien life shine through and make
this book comparable to some of the best that people like Vernor
Vinge and Peter F Hamilton have to offer.
As Rue begins to master political infighting and battle tactics, she
picks up such loyal followers and friends as Michael, a mystic and
anthropologist, and Max, her resourceful cousin.
The narrative explores and refines some very interesting ideas, like
the religion of Neo-Shintoism and the philosophy of Permanence,
but sometimes you may feel like you’re reading an anthropology
text. Truth be known, there are enough ideas presented here for
the author to fill several volumes. Nevertheless, Schroeder has
proved himself a stayer. His first book Ventus (Pb $22.95) was a
New York Times notable book and in Permanence he has exceeded
himself. Another excellent read! - Adam
JAMES CLEMENS
WIT’CH WAR
The Banned and the Banished #3. In her
hands, the young wit’ch Elena holds the
awesome energies of blood magick - and
more. The fate of all Alasea hinges on her
recovery of the Blood Diary, a potent talisman
forged five hundred years ago, then locked
away behind wards too strong for any mage
to break. Only with the secrets recorded in its
pages can Elena defeat the Dark Lord, but the
diary lies hidden in A’loa Glen and from that
terrible land no traveller returns. Pb $19.95
710pp
3
DAN SIMMONS
PB $21.00
Three old friends gather each year for a friendly meeting to catch up
with each other. But they are not your ordinary senior citizens. They
are “mind vampires”; possessing the ability to control your body, they
seek out helpless victims to be part of their “games”, in which they aim
to cause as much bloody mayhem as possible.
This is the simple premise in which Simmons uses to build his epic
world of Carrion Comfort. To say that this story is huge is to understate
things. Spanning over 40 years and featuring a multitude of characters
with their own histories, this is written in a scope and vision that is
rarely seen in contemporary horror. Simmons delivers a number of
different storylines which run their own course but come together for
a gigantic showdown. The main storyline focuses on psychologist Saul
Laski, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. To witness the horrors
of such camps would be too much for most people, but it was in one of
these camps that Saul first encounters one of our main mind vampires,
Wilhelm von Borchert. Saul’s tale of his encounter with Wilhelm is a
perverse account of human evil. For these mind vampires, the need for
ultimate power must be satisfied at all costs. Such a need comes to a
climax with a chess game; the perverse twist here is that the game is
played out with humans substituting as chess pieces that are brutally
taken out. Saul’s tale is a prime example of Simmons’ ability to tell a tale
well. Filled with complex details, Simmons runs the show at a frantic
pace. All of the other sub-storylines are as consistently well written (the
tale of Hollywood producer Tony Harod is a guilty favourite). This
helps build up the overall novel even more, rather than bog it down by
jumping from character to character.
Readers who are familiar with the works of Dan Simmons will know
just how multi-talented this man is; often you will get multiple genres
thrown into one book and producing a wonderful end-result. There is
a strong horror overtone (it won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in
1990) throughout the novel, but to ignore its other genre characteristics
would not do it justice. At times, it reads like a well written political/spy
thriller by Le Carre. One assumes this happens not because Simmons
wants to show off his talents, but because he’s got the talent to do such
a thing, and blend different genres together whilst adding his own
twists here and there.
Time is often the best judgement of things, and Carrion Comfort still
holds out well since it was released in 1989. Most importantly, it manages
to disturb in its account of such mind vampires, and on a deeper level,
man’s ability of evil behaviour. Some may prefer it shorter and less
detailed, but that’s the trade-in when reading such epics. Nonetheless,
it is a highly recommended read for fans of great horror, or those
seeking a text that successfully tries to do something different. - John
STEVE COCKAYNE
THE IRON CHAIN
Legends of the Land #2. When Leonardo Pegasus, Court
Magician, created the Multiple Empathy Engine - a device that
enabled the viewer to see the entire world - his reward was to
lose his job, his home and nearly his life. But now Leonardo’s
invention has been taken up by the government of the Land,
who will use it as the ultimate communication - and espionage
- device. Yet when Leonardo built his machine he also
unwittingly conjured something else... a malevolent spirit of
science and shadow that danced in the depths of the Empathy
Engine. When there was but one machine, the creature was
contained. Now there’s a Network - and the spirit is loose in
the Land. Tp $28.00 356pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
Nexus #180
MICHAEL COLLINS
THE EARTHBORN
When his colony ship is forced to return
to Earth, Welker Quinn, an elite Skyborn
teenager, is assigned to a reconnaissance
team to explore the perimeter. When he is
ambushed by a murderous gang of feral
Earthborn known as Jabbers, he is rescued
by Sarah, an Earthborn hardly older than
himself and a leader of group of young
survivors who are trying to unite other
displaced families in a war against the
Jabbers. No question Skyborn Welkin needs
the help of these Earthborn to survive. The
real question is, why on earth would they
need him? Hb $61.00 240pp
LOUISE COOPER
HUNTER’S MOON
When Gil and her sister Biddy first spot
the ancient church near a deserted beach in
Norfolk - and glimpse two silent red-haired
children loitering there - Gil never thought
that their lives could become so entangled
with a terrible curse that haunts the church.
Then, inexplicably, Biddy falls suddenly and
seriously ill... There is a connection between
Gill and Biddy and the strange boy and girl
on the beach - they all have identical, flamered hair - but Gil has no idea why this is
significant until she meets her eccentric great
uncle, and his daughter Rose, along with
Rose’s son, Jonas - a red-head, too... It is Jonas
who leads Gil to the heart of the terrifying
secret of the red-haired children, and the
tortured spirit living in the ancient church
who cannot rest in peace. Pb $14.95 219pp
JULIA CZERNEDA
HIDDEN IN SIGHT
Web Shifters #3. This continues with the
story of Esen - the last survivor of a unique
alien race. Able to take on the form of any
creature she observes, Esen has long since
broken the cardinal rule of her species:
noninterference. Pb $18.95 493pp
DENNIS DANVERS
WATCH
This is the story of Peter Alexeivich
Kropotkin, a former prince who renounced
his riches to become an anarchist, and his
deathbed pact with the mysterious visitor
who gives Peter a new life in the future - a
seeming miracle with a darker edge that
soon comes into focus. Tp $45.00 356pp
CECILIA DART-THORNTON
THE LADY OF THE
SORROWS
The Bitterbynde #2. Though her memory
remains clouded by sorcery, Imrhien must
take vital news to the King-Emperor of
Caermelor, hoping also to find there the
fearless ranger who has won her heart. She
assumes the identity of Rohain, a
noblewoman visiting from the distant
Sorrow Isles, but finds the King and his
rangers heading off to battle the Unseelie
hordes. Meanwhile, awaiting their return,
the newcomer must survive in a court where
treachery and deceit are as deadly as any
eldritch peril. Pb $18.95 559pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
SAMUEL DELANY
AYE, AND GOMORRAH AND
OTHER STORIES
These tales take place 25, 50, 150 years from
now, when men and women have been given
gills to labour under the sea, huge repair
stations patrol the cables carrying power to
the ends of the earth and telepathic, precocious
children yearn so passionately to visit distant
galaxies that they’ll kill to go. Tp $38.95 383pp
CHARLES DICKINSON
SHORTCUT IN TIME
When a hasty dash down a familiar walk
deposits Josh Walker 15 minutes in the past –
literally, Josh is more intrigued than alarmed then a lost young woman appears, claiming to
be from 1908. As his life, his family, his town,
and even history itself begin to unravel, Josh
gradually realises that his only salvation may
lie in a shortcut in time. Hb $64.95 288pp
IAN DOUGLAS
STAR CORPS
The Legacy #1. Far from the reach of
Earth, tens of thousands of captive human
souls bow to the iron will of the alien Ahanu.
Now
Earth’s
Interstellar
Marine
Expeditionary Unit must undertake a rescue
operation as improbable as it is essential to
humankind’s future, embarking on a tenyear voyage to a hostile world to face an
entrenched enemy driven by dreams of past
glory and intent once more on domination.
Pb $21.00 453pp
DIANE DUANE
THE WIZARD’S DILEMMA
Wizard #5. How do you fix what can’t be
fixed? Nita Callahan needs to find out – and
soon. Her wizardly partnership with Kit has
fallen apart. Much worse, her mother has
gotten sick... so sick she may never leave the
hospital. Only one person can help Nita - the
One she’s devoted her life to fighting. Pb
$18.95 422pp
KATE ELLIOTT
GATHERING STORM
Crown of Stars #5. King Henry’s
obsession with uniting the warring kingdoms
of Wendar and Varre has left his people
destitute and vulnerable to attack. As earthly
and supernatural forces gather to overthrow
all Henry has fought for, Alain and Liath
come to realise that between them they hold
the key to secrets which could save Henry’s
realm. Hb $49.95 903pp Tp $29.95 903pp
RECOMMENDED
MAY 2003
DAVID FEINTUCH
THE KING
Rodrigo of Caledon #2. With his kingdom
still reeling from the war that set the crown
of Caledon upon his head, Rodrigo must
prove himself bold, decisive and ruthless to
keep this throne amid the terrifying invasion
of the brutal Norlanders. Hounded and
driven from castle to keep, Rodrigo must
rally his scheming nobles and inspire his
stricken realm. And the power of the Still the ability to find the wisdom of his ancestors
in pools of quiet water - is a frail weapon
indeed against the Norland hordes. Rodrigo
can truly trust only one of his companions,
his boyhood friend Rustin, who now bears
the title Guardian of the King’s Person. As
Rodrigo grows into his crown, Rustin must
protect him from his own rash courage - as
well as his many foes. Pb $21.95 583pp
RAYMOND FEIST
TALON OF THE SILVER HAWK
Conclave of Shadows #1. In a distant land,
a peaceful nation is mercilessly put to the
sword... but one survives. Little more than a
boy, Talon of the Silver Hawk must carry on
until, someday, he can take vengeance.
Leaving the icy vastness of his ancient home,
Talon descends into the dangerous land of
his adversary. Treading a perilous path, he
must survive battlefields, court intrigues,
treacherous enemies, backstabbing friends
and beautiful yet deadly women to discover
the evil responsible for the annihilation of
his people. Tp $29.95 390pp
MICHAEL FLYNN
THE WRECK OF THE RIVER OF
STARS
The River of Stars is the last of its kind. An
ungainly hybrid, she operates in the late
years of the century as a mere tramp
freighter among the outer planets and her
crew is a motley group of misfits - Stepan
Gorgas, an escapist executive officer and
captain, Ramakrishnan Bhatterji,the chief
engineer who disdains him and Eugenie
Satterwaithe, once a captain herself. When a
catastrophic engine failure strikes the River,
Bhatterji is confident he can effect repairs
with heroic engineering, but Satterwaithe and
the other sailors among the crew plot to save
her with a glorious last gasp for the old ways,
mesmerised by a vision of arriving at Jupiter
proudly under sail. Hb $68.95 480pp
READING
ELIZABETH GILLIGAN
MAGIC’S SILKEN SNARE
Silken Magic #1. They are skilled in the ways of seduction and
deception, magic and curses... They are masters in the trade of fine
silk and in the fatal art of poisoning... They are villains and heroes,
outlaws and lovers, dreamers and schemers... Legend will call them
Gypsies. Pb $18.95 556pp I’m over halfway through this and loving it.
Set in what is really Sicily, this is a historical fantasy with a nice mix of
Gypsy culture, isn’t too dependant on magic, and has a female heroine
with backbone, a husband bound to duty and enough court intrigue to
keep anyone busy. Luciana and Stefano remind me of the heroes of Andre
Norton’s Carolus Rex series (if you liked those you’ll love this). Bring on
the weekend so I can finish it! Steph
4
Galaxy Bookshop
143 York Street Sydney 2000
RECOMMENDED
Ph 02 9267 7222 Fax 02 9261 3691
READING
DAVID GEMMELL
WHITE WOLF
Book of the Damned #1. Skilgannon the Damned had vanished from
the pages of history. Following the terrible triumph at Perapolis,
the General had taken the legendary Swords of Night and Day
and ridden from the lands of Naashan. Three years later, as a mob
intent on murder gathers outside a distant monastery, they are
faced by a single unarmed priest. In a few terrifying seconds their
world is changed forever and word spreads across the lands of the
East. Skilgannon is back! Now he must travel across a perilous,
demon-haunted realm seeking a mysterious temple and the ageless
goddess who rules it. With assassins on his trail and an army of
murderous foes ahead, the Damned sets off on a quest to bring
the dead to life. But he does not travel alone. The man beside him
is Druss the Legend. Tp $32.95 428pp This is pretty cool! Gemmell is
at his fun best here, with his heroic larger-than-life characters, and brilliant
battle scenes. - Jo
H B GILMOUR & RANDI REISFELD
KINDRED SPIRITS
Time Witches #7. Welcome to Coventry
Island, a lush, mystical land that is home to a
powerful community of witches and
warlocks. It is here that teen witches Cam
and Alex were born. And now, the twins
have returned to Coventry to say a final
farewell to their beloved guardian Karsh. But
when the girls visit their ancestral home on
the island, they discover there are many
truths to be revealed about their past. Their
mother, Miranda, has secrets to share. And
then there’s the group of teen witches and
warlocks who Cam and Alex meet. Will
these teens help the twins... or are they up to
something more sinister? Pb $9.95 223pp
VICTORIA HANLEY
THE SEER AND THE SWORD
When King Kareed of Archeld returns
home from battle, he brings his daughter,
Princess Torina, two special gifts. One is a
unique crystal, in which she can view visions
of the future, the other is the defeated king’s
son Landen, who is to be her slave. Torina
immediately releases Landen, who becomes
a member of the King’s army and her close
friend. But trouble is lurking in the kingdom
of Archeld and people are accusing Landen
of plotting against the King. Torina refuses
to believe he would hurt her family. Then
Torina begins seeing deadly visions in her
crystal. Can she save her father’s life and the
future of her kingdom? Pb $17.95 341pp
LISA GOLDSTEIN
THE ALCHEMIST’S DOOR
Scientist, mathematician, and court
astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee is
also one of the 16th century’s most renowned
alchemists, driven by a passion to fathom
the elemental secrets of the cosmos. But
when his reckless assistant, Edward Kelley,
succeeds in using a crystal sphere to summon
angels, Dee is catapulted into an awesome
struggle that may extinguish the light of
reason forever. Tp $42.00 286pp
THOMAS HARLAN
WASTELAND OF FLINT
In five short centuries, the mighty
Empire of the Méxica, descendants of the
ancient Aztecs, has spread out to conquer
the earth. Now it is ready to leave the
homeworld and set its sights on the stars,
but the universe it finds is a dangerous place
filled with hidden powers. Humanity is only
a minor space-faring species on the fringe of
a ferociously political arena where ancient
and enormous alien empires are engaged in
millennia-old struggles for supremacy. Now,
on a desolate, barren world far from the
heart of civilisation, Gretchen Andersson, a
young human xeno-archeologist is about to
discover an awesome, long-buried secret that
could alter the galactic balance of power
forever. Hb $68.95 431pp
JOHN COURTENAY GRIMWOOD
EFFENDI
Arabesk #2. Among many other things,
Ashraf Bey is a fugitive from the US justice
system (definitely); son of the Emir of Tunis
(possibly); and chief of detectives in the El
Iskandryian police force (apparently). Small
wonder that he’s a little confused. Raf’s exfiancé Zara still doesn’t want to see him, so
she says. His nine-year-old niece is busy
doing things with computers that are strictly
illegal. And when the city suddenly starts to
fall apart and Zara’s father is accused of massmurder, Raf begins to learn the true cost of
loyalty. Pb $19.95 376pp
M JOHN HARRISON
THINGS THAT NEVER
HAPPEN
This book collects 24 of the author’s best
pieces of short fiction, and features an
introduction and extensive story notes by
the author, as well as an introduction by
China Mieville. Tp $42.00 443pp
5
SANDRA HILL
FRANKLY, MY DEAR…
A voodoo spell sends a glamorous
model back to the days of the Old South in
Louisiana, where she falls in love with the
handsome owner of a bayou plantation. Pb
$16.95 358pp
LEE HOGAN
ENEMIES
Belarus #2. The once magnificent planet
of Belarus has descended into centuries of
isolationism
and
bigotry.
When
representatives of the new galactic Union
contact Belarus, they claim to have their best
interests at heart, but they also harbour a
secret mission, related to the Enemies: the
brutal alien race beneath the planet’s surface.
Pb $18.95 406pp
NALO HOPKINSON (ED)
MOJO: CONJURE STORIES
When enslaved people were brought
from the western part of Africa to the
Americas, they were forbidden to speak their
native languages or practice their religions in
the New World. But their folkways survived
as underground beliefs, and, in the crucible
of slavery, created systems of magic and
herbal lore with a particularly West African
flavor. This anthology draws on the talents
of writers who have a reputation for the
sensitive, imaginative use of folklore and
folkways in their work. Tp $38.95 340pp
IAN IRVINE
TERMINATOR GENE
Last Albatross #2. After her mother is
arrested, Irith, a young gene researcher, is
spirited away to a Britain slowly collapsing
under the sanctions of the Global Congress
and is flung into a violent battle between
Security and a cabal of rebels. She finds herself
caught up in the rebels’ underground assault
on a Congress data centre, where they steal
files containing the code for a deadly
terminator virus. Hunted through the flooded
tunnels under the London Docklands, the
group flees to New Orleans, slowly drowning
under the rising seas, to destroy the
laboratory where the virus is being made. As
the hurricane of the century bears down on
the sinking city, Irith struggles to crack the
secret of the virus before it wipes out all
humanity. Pb $18.95 474pp
MELANIE JACKSON
THE SELKIE
While the war to end all wars has
changed the face of Europe, some things stay
the same; the tempestuous Scottish coast
remains a place of unquenchable magic and
mystery. Sequestered at Fintry Castle by the
whim of her mistress, Hexy Garrow spares
seven tears for her past - all of which are
swallowed by the waves. By joining the
water, those tears complete a ritual and that
ritual summons a prince. He is a man of myth
whose eyes hold the dark secrets of the sea
and whose silken touch is the caress of the
tide. His very nature goes against all Hexy
has ever believed, but his love is everything
she’s ever desired. Pb $16.95 358pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
Nexus #180
DIANA WYNNE JONES
THE MERLIN CONSPIRACY
The daughter of two court wizards,
Roddy travels with the King’s Progress,
ready to take part in whatever ceremony is
required, as it occurs. Presiding over all is
the Merlin, who is entrusted with the magical
health of the Isles of Blest. Nick Mallory’s
world seems quite ordinary in comparison which isn’t surprising because it’s plain old
Earth. So when he finds himself suddenly
elsewhere, it is a dream come true, literally.
In Roddy’s world, the current Merlin expires
and a new one takes his place. Yet something
is wrong - the rituals have been upset and
nothing is going the way it should. Roddy
needs help and Nick is cool about helping
her - in theory - but it’s a bit worrying that
she seems to mistake him for a magic user.
As their stories unfold side by side, the Merlin
conspiracy deepens… Pb $19.95 473pp
SHERRYL JORDAN
THE RAGING QUIET
This is the story of two outsiders in
medieval times. Both are set apart from their
small community: Marnie because she is a
newcomer, brought to the seaside village by
her new - and much older - husband, and
Raver because he is the village lunatic. The
distrust surrounding Marnie increases when
her husband suddenly dies. Her subsequent
isolation pushes her towards Raver - and an
important discovery: the villagers have
mistaken his deafness for madness. The two
outsiders soon develop a rudimentary sign
language. But their precious new friendship
is cut short when the villagers misconstrue
their strange, private communication, and
put Marnie on trial for witchcraft... Pb $14.95
320pp
URSULA LE GUIN
THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD
AND OTHER STORIES
Six of the eight stories in this collection are
set in Le Guin’s Hainish cycle. The title story,
The Birthday of the World, stands alone and
the final piece, Paradises Lost, is a new short
novel original to the collection. Tp $24.95
362pp
ROGER LEVY
DARK HEAVENS
In a world counting out its final years
as it literally falls apart, London is awash with
volcanic ash and the population are
fatalistically playing out their lives in VR.
Now, as well as VR there is another form of
escape - the new religions are offering
heaven. To get there you have to die first
and mass suicides have become common...
and legal. Hb $49.95 389pp
SHERRY LEWIS
ONLY TIME WILL TELL
When Courtney Moss slips into an
antique rose gown, she miraculously slips
out of the modern world... and ends up in
Virginia City during the Gold Rush - and
straight in the arms of Heath Sullivan. Pb
$16.95 280pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
HOLLY LISLE
THE WRECK OF HEAVEN
The World Gates #2. On Oria - a
wondrous paradise and nightmare both Molly McColl has powers she never
imagined... and a destiny that threatens her
life, her love and her soul. While Lauren Dane
must use an extraordinary, newfound magic
to protect her young son - and to join with
her sister on a quest that will shake the
foundations of Heaven itself. For a
serpentine evil now threatens the worldchain
- a soulless, immortal enemy who feeds on
the death of worlds and who is now turning
its hungry, malevolent gaze to Oria... and
Earth. Pb $18.95 342pp
WIL MCCARTHY
THE WELLSTONE
For the children of immortal parents,
growing up can be hard to do. A prince will
forever be a prince - leaving no chance for
Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui to inherit his
parents’ throne. So what is an angry young
blue blood to do? Punch a hole in the shadow
he’s been living in by rallying his equally
disgruntled companions to make an
improbable spaceship, busting out of the socalled summer camp in which their parents
have stowed them and making a daring
escape across the vastness of space. Ne’erdo-well Conrad Mursk is just along for the
joyride - until he realises this is no typical
display of teenage angst. The children are
rising up in an honest-to-gods revolution.
And, boyo, things are going to get raw. Pb
$18.95 352pp
TERRY MCGARRY
THE BINDER’S ROAD
Illumination #2. Six years after a conflict
that extinguished all magelight, Eiden Myr
is in chaos. In a dying trader town, three
little girls fight to protect a secret that could
cost them their lives, while a young lad-ofall-crafts finds that local murders are only
the first clue in a chilling conspiracy. And on
a remote, windswept island, a new breed of
scholar strives to plumb the mysteries of
ancient texts before they crumble in the
absence of the wardings that preserved them
- and before the realm crumbles for want of
the knowledge they contain. Which of them
is the binder destined to reshape the
shattered world? Hb $68.95 508pp
LINDA MCNABB
THE PUPPET MASTER
Young Jac works in the circus, he is the
puppetmaster - he carves his own wooden
puppets and fills in when anyone in the circus
needs a break. But lately Jac’s life has become
rather complicated - the last puppet he made
came to life and he’s been levitating in his
sleep. When not one but two mysterious
strangers start following him, and some very
aggressive trolls try to kidnap him, Jac gets
a bit worried. But when he learns he’s really
a mage and his very first act of magic leaves
a gaping black hole that threatens to swallow
the Dwarf King’s capital, Jac’s troubles really
get serious. Pb $12.95 159pp
6
MAY 2003
TESS MALLORY
HIGHLAND FLING
Texan scientist Chelsea Brown has
never had much luck with men until she
bumps into Griffin Campbell - a Scottish
Highlander who sets her head spinning and
her heart racing. First he kisses her senseless,
then he destroys the television, gallantly
vowing to protect her from the miniature
barbarians in the box. Breathless with
confusion - or is it desire? - Chelsea finds
herself wrapped not only in his arms, but in
the past. Transported to a place where the
Scottish warrior’s very life depends on her,
Chelsea knows she will face any challenge to
rescue the powerful clan leader. For it is his
passion that convinces her their love is no
Highland fling, but a timeless love. Pb $16.95
306pp
BARRY MALZBERG (ED)
THE BEST TIME TRAVEL STORIES
OF ALL TIME
This anthology features The Battle of Long
Island by Nancy Kress, The Man Who Came
Early by Poul Anderson, A Little Something for
Us Tempunauts by Philip K Dick, 3 RMS GD
VIEW by Karen Haber, Hawksbill Station by
Robert Silverberg and Time-Tripping by Jack
Dann. Tp 26.95 440pp
KAREN MICHALSON
HECATES’S GLORY
Enemy Glory #2. After disillusionment in
love and betrayal in politics, Llewelyn is an
angry young student in a monastery, bonded
to a dark goddess. Llewelyn schemes for
revenge and creates a disaster that forces him
out of the monastery and back into the wide
world. Fleeing the enemy, he knows, he will
encounter new foes, not so easily recognised,
an enchanted dragon, befriend a half-elf
minstrel, win a claim to the royal throne of
far-off Gondal and face a battle fought by an
elven army. Hb $60.00 477pp
L E MODESITT, JR.
SHADOWSINGER
Spellsong Cycle
#5. The nation of
DeFalk lies under peril
of invasion. Once
more the Sturrinese
are gathering their
strength in an attempt
to crush the peaceful
land and enslave its
people. Secca Protector of DeFalk and her sorcerer
husband, Alcaren,
have come to realise
that there can be no truce with the warlike
Sturrinese. If peace is to ever come then the
power of the Sturrinese lords must be utterly
destroyed - and the only way to destroy the
Sturrinese is to take the battle to them . But in
the war that follows Secca realises that the
Sturrinese are merely the servants of a new
and far more perilous foe. Pb $21.00 612pp
Galaxy Bookshop
143 York Street Sydney 2000
Ph 02 9267 7222 Fax 02 9261 3691
SHARON SHINN
MICHAEL MOORCOCK
KIM STANLEY ROBINSON
THE SKRAYLING TREE: THE
THE YEARS OF RICE AND
ANGELICA
ALBINO IN AMERICA
SALT
Samaria #4. 200 years ago, in order to
An Elric Novel. Having travelled to Canada
Plague has struck
keep the peace in Samaria, the god Jovah
with his beloved wife Oona, Ulrik von Bek is
Europe. Kali’s black
created a legion of land-dwelling angels, led
visited by a strange and youthful albino
blanket has fallen over
by an appointed Archangel. Now, Jovah has
resembling himself. When Oona is abducted
the lands of the West
a new appointee: Archangel Gaaron. And
by a band of albino Native Americans, Ulrik
and nothing will ever
for his life-mate, his Angelica, Jovah has
trails the group by using the Skrayling Oak
be the same again. Into
chosen a woman named Susannah. With
and soon finds himself in the multiverse
this empty land pour
trepidation, she bows to the will of Jovah
where he is reconnected with his alternate
the opportunists: the
and an unspoken affection slowly develops
self, Elric of Melnibone. There Elric/Ulrik
merchants, slavers and
between the two. But there is a terrible threat
discovers that their arch-nemesis Gaynor is
warlords. The Chinese
besetting the land - black-clad strangers who
behind Oona’s abduction and they find
cross the oceans in their
call fire down from the sky, leaving death
themselves once again battling supernatural
huge fleets; the Arabs
and destruction in their wake. And the true
forces in the never-ending struggle between
traverse the deserts by
hearts of Archangel and Angelica may never
Law and Chaos that rages on in both their
camel and mule and the Mediterranean by
be known, as the future of the planet hangs
dhow. The last Europeans are killed or enslaved
in the balance... Hb $61.00 485pp
universes. Hb $64.95 330pp
–
consigned
to
the
seraglios
of
the
sultans.
So
NORMAN SPINRAD
LINDA NAGATA
die the ancestors of Da Vinci and Copernicus,
THE DRUID KING
MEMORY
Columbus and Machiavelli, the Spanish
By 60 BC the Romans had conquered
Young Jubilee is devastated when her
Inquisition and the Conquistators,
much of the known world, for few dared to
brother Jolly is caught and taken by the
Shakespeare, Newton and the Pilgrim Fathers;
oppose the relentless expansion of the
silver. But when a forbidding stranger with
Einstein and Hitler. And the world becomes a
Republic, and those who did, failed. Now
the incredible power to control the silver
different place. Pb $19.95 772pp
Julius Caesar has turned his attention to the
comes seeking Jolly and claiming that Jolly
invasion of Gaul. Victory there will give him
knows him Jubilee first distrusts the man,
WIN...
the power he craves - but one man stands
then fears him and flees. For she has learned
a signed photo of
against him: Vercingetorix. Vercingetorix
an impossible secret: Jolly may still be alive...
Kim Stanley Robinson.
knows that the people of Gaul must fight, or
and may somehow become the catalyst for
See back page for entry details.
else face the destruction of their culture and
the annihilation of everything she knows if
enslavement to another. Yet few at first
she does not find him first. Hb $67.95 416pp
J
OEL ROSENBERG
believe that Vercingetorix can unite the
ALASTAIR REYNOLDS
THE GUARDIAN’S OF THE FLAME
divided tribes of Gaul, fewer still that he can
DIAMOND DOGS, TURQUOISE
Omnibus
Edition.
In
the
middle
of
playing
lead them on to victory. But as the legions
DAYS
a
role-playing
game,
James
Michael
finds
battle for survival Caesar soon realises that
Here are two tales of high adventure set in
himself transported to another world where
this time Rome may be fighting a war it
the same universe as the author’s novels.
he
takes
on
the
form
of
a
dwarf,
standing
on
cannot win .Tp $29.95 439pp
Diamond Dogs tells of a group of mercenaries
the
side
of
a
grassy
hill,
with
an
axe
in
his
MICHAEL SWANWICK
trying to unravel the mystery of a
hands. And thats only the beginning... Hb
BONES OF THE EARTH
particularly inhospitable alien tower on a
$65.00 709pp
World-renowned paleontologist
distant world. Turquoise Days features
Clavain, the Conjoiner star of Redemption
Ark. Hb $21.00 231pp
JOHN RINGO
WHEN THE DEVIL DANCES
Posleen #3. After five years of battling
the Humans, the Posleen are tired and angry.
Humans don’t fight fair. They hide and
borrow like the pestiferous abat. They strike
from above with their hated artillery and
from behind with their long range
reconnaissance. After five years of
hammering their crocodilian heads on the
Appalachian Wall, the Army Corps of
Engineers, the armoured combat suits of
Fleet Strike and the steel-hard veterans of
the Ten Thousand, even the Posleen are
ready for a change. And the name for that
change is Tulostenaloor. He was beaten in
Aradan V. But he has learned and this is his
day. Pb $21.95 688pp
JOHN MADDOX ROBERTS
HANNIBAL’S CHILDREN
Hannibal #1. What would have
happened if Hannibal had received the
reinforcements necessary to topple the
Roman Empire? Pb $18.95 359pp
MANDA SCOTT
DREAMING THE EAGLE
Boudica #1. Boudica - the last defender
of the Celtic culture, the only woman openly
to have led her warriors into battle, the only
British warrior to have stood successfully
against the might of Imperial Rome - and
triumphed. This is her story. It is also the
story of the two men she loved most:
Caradoc, outstanding warrior and leader;
and her half-brother Ban, Roman captive,
slave auxiliary and Dreamer - the Druid
whose eventual return to the Celts is
Boudica’s salvation. Tp $34.95 542pp
CHARLES SHEFFIELD
DARK AS DAY
Sequel to Cold as Ice. Alex Ligon, scion
of a great interstellar trading family, has turned
his back on his family business in favour of the
mathematics of statistical modelling. He has
developed an accurate new population model,
but when he extends his perfect model a
century into the future, it predicts the complete
destruction of the human race. Elsewhere, the
search for extraterrestrial intelligence goes on,
undaunted by generations of failure. And to
her amazement, Millie Wu, newly recruited to
the project, has found a signal that is coming
from outside the solar system. Pb $21.95 479pp
7
Richard Leyster’s universe changed forever
the day a stranger named Griffin walked into
his office with a remarkable job offer… and
an ice cooler containing the head of a freshly
killed Stegosaurus. For Leyster and a select
group of scientific colleagues an impossible
fantasy has come true: the ability to study
dinosaurs up close, in their own era and
milieu. But tampering with time and paradox
can have disastrous effects on the future and
the past alike, breeding a violent new strain
of fundamentalist terror - and, worse still,
encouraging brilliant rebels like Dr. Gertrude
Salley to toy with the working mechanisms
of natural law, no matter what the
consequences. And when they concern the
largest, most savage creatures that ever
walked the Earth, the consequences may be
too horrifying to imagine. Pb $21.00 383pp
ALAN TROOP
DRAGON MOON
DelaSangre #2. The confessions of the
dragon Peter DelaSangre continue four years
after the murder of his beloved wife. Pb
$17.95 290pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
Nexus #180
RECOMMENDED
READING
KIM WILKINS
THE AUTUMN CASTLE
Europa Suite #1. Christine Starlight is living in an artist’s colony in
the crumbling urban shadows of the old east. Her lover Jude is a
painter whose patience and beauty have eased her long battle
with chronic pain, but Christine begins to be haunted by
recollections of her childhood. Then her life is rocked by the
return of her childhood friend - a crimson-haired beauty who
presides over a land where a witch lives in a well, a wolf is the
queen’s counsellor and fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf.
As Christine grows addicted to Mayfridh’s faery world, where
mortals feel no pain, so Mayfridh grows addicted to Christine’s
and falls deeply and dangerously in love with Jude. But while
jealousies, betrayals and secrets begin to unpick the threads of
their lives, they are unaware of the ghastly threat which stalks
them: the cruel and brilliant billionaire Immanuel Z, who is
hunting faery bones for a grand sculpture… Tp $29.95 463pp. This is quite different from Wilkins’
normal fare, but fans won’t be disappointed. Jude, Christine and Mayfridh are wonderful characters,
and while some of their actions are not totally honest, their motivations are true. People make
mistakes and do stupid things, and are rarely “good” or “bad”. Then there’s Immanuel Z - who is
just downright creepy. Fantastic! Steph
HARRY TURTLEDOVE
JAWS OF DARKNESS
Darkness #5. The grand conflict for
control of the continent of Derlavai rages
on, in a battle with all the drama and terror
of WWII - only the bullets are beams of
magical fire, the tanks and submarines are
great lumbering beasts and the fighters and
bombers are dragons raining fire upon their
targets. Yet hope may be dawning at last.
The terrible onslaught of the conquering
forces of Algarve - who power their battle
magics with the life energy of their murdered
victims - begins to founder as it runs into
Habbakuk: a sorcerous ship of ice used by
embattled nations of Lagoas and Kuusamo
to ferry their deadly dragons across the seas
to strike at the very heart of Algarvian
power. Hb $68.95 576pp
VIVIAN VANDE VELDE
WIZARD AT WORK
The wizard has big summer plans: To
garden, fish and nap. The only thing better
would be if he had someone nice to share
the days with. But the only people who show
up want him to rescue yet another princess,
lift the usual vile curse, confront a fearsome
ghost, deal with a pack of magical hooligans,
harvest a crop of golden cucumbers, and on
and on… With everything he has to do, it’s
no wonder the wizard is all by himself!
Who’d want to help him do all of that? Hb
$45.00 134pp
JOHN VARLEY
RED THUNDER
A manned mission to Mars becomes a
personal mission for an unlikely bunch of
astronauts - seven suburban misfits who
have constructed a spaceship built out of old
tanker cars and held together with allAmerican ambition. They call her Red
Thunder. They plan to be the first people on
the Red Planet... despite China’s big head
start. If it didn’t sound so crazy, it would be
history in the making... Hb $61.00 411pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
HOWARD WALDROP (ED)
CUSTER’S LAST JUMP AND
OTHER COLLABORATIONS
Story collaborations
between Howard
Waldrop
and
numerous other
celebrated science
fiction and fantasy
writers are collected
for the first time in
this unique volume.
One Horse Town
combines elements
from the sack of
Troy, Homer’s early
days, the last day in
the life of a Trojan warrior and the
archeological dig at Troy. In Custer’s Last
Jump!, the legendary Crazy Horse uses
Confederate monoplanes in his famous
battle against General Custer. Each story
features an introduction by Waldrop and an
afterword by the co-author. Hb $64.95 254pp
SUSAN WRIGHT
SLAVE TRADE
Rose Rico never believed the rumours,
that the government was secretly selling
human beings to the Alphas in exchange for
advanced alien technology. The idea that
human sex slaves were a luxury item
throughout the galaxy was just too ridiculous
to take seriously - until Rose found herself,
along with hundreds of other human captives,
bound for the far reaches of space and
compelled to cater to the depraved desires of
her new alien masters. As a rule, pleasure
slaves don’t live very long, especially the
stubborn ones. But Rose refuses to give up.
Someday, somehow, she’ll win back her
freedom - or die trying! Pb $18.95 339pp
8
MAY 2003
JOHN WRIGHT
THE GOLDEN AGE
Phaethon, of Radamanthus House, is
attending a glorious party at his family
mansion to celebrate the 1,000-year
anniversary of the High Transcendence.
There he meets first an old man who accuses
him of being an impostor and then a being
from Neptune who claims to be an old
friend. The Neptunian tells him that essential
parts of his memory were removed and
stored by the very government that
Phaethon believes to be wholly honourable.
It shakes his faith. He is an exile from himself.
And so Phaethon embarks upon a quest
across the transformed solar system to
recover his memory, and to learn what crime
he planned that warranted such pre-emptive
punishment. Pb $18.95 407pp
LAURENCE YEP
THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH
A magic paintbrush transports Steve and
his elderly caretakers from their drab
apartment in Chinatown to a world of
adventures. Pb $13.95 89pp
HORROR
LAURELL HAMILTON
CERULEAN SINS
Anita Blake #11. Now, Anita learns what it’s
like to be at the new end of a centuries-old
bloodline - and just how far she’ll let herself
get pushed around by one of the oldest
vampires alive... or should we say dead? Hb
$58.95 405pp
RICK HAUTALA
BEDBUGS
From the subway tunnels of Boston to the
rain-swept streets of Quebec City to the
deepest snow-filled forests of Hilton, Maine,
no one in these chilling stories is safe from
the darkness or the dangers that lurk in the
shadows. Waiting for us. Reaching for us....
Bedbugs is a career-spanning collection of
stories that whisks you away on a guided
tour of the darkest reaches of the human
mind and soul. Pb $16.95 390pp
STEPHEN KING
DREAMCATCHER
25 years after saving a Downs-syndrome kid
from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy now men with separate lives and separate
problems - reunite in the woods of Maine
for their annual hunting trip. But when a
stranger stumbles into their camp,
disoriented and mumbling something about
lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four
friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle
with a creature from another world where
their only chance of survival is locked in their
shared past - and in the Dreamcatcher. Pb
$18.95 694pp
Galaxy Bookshop
143 York Street Sydney 2000
Ph
MAGGIE SHAYNE
EMILY LAFORGE
BENEATH THE RAVENS MOON
TWO BY TWILIGHT
When the Raven swallows the moon, darkness
Run from Twilight: A serial killer who strikes
descends and sometimes people die.... That’s
by the light of the full moon has made Mary
what Catherine Carmichael was told as a child
McLean his next target. She knows she should
growing up at Ravenswood, the forbidding
be cautious, but she can’t stay away from
mansion built by her grandfather on a
Michael Gray, a mysterious man with an
remote peninsula in upstate New York. Now,
unearthly secret. But is he there to protect
20 years after her mother’s spirited her away
her? Or is he the real danger? Twilight Vows:
to safety, she returns to the shadowy old
Longing to learn his secrets, Rachel Sullivan
manor for the reading of her eccentric uncle’s
found herself a willing captive of Donovan
will. There, she must confront a legacy of
O’Roark, but the young Irish beauty never
evil — and an urbane, dark-haired stranger
envisioned his true identity and neither one
who sparks in her the passion she needs to
was prepared to face the growing hunger
unlock her family’s secrets and banish forever
they felt for each other... Pb $16.95 296pp
the darkness from Ravenswood... and her
JOHN SHIRLEY
own heart. Pb $18.95 387pp
DEMONS
JEAN LORRAH
The apocalypse has
BLOOD WILL TELL
surpassed
all
When Professor Everett Land is found dead,
expectations. Hideous
detective Brandy Mather has a puzzle on her
demons roam the
streets in an orgy of
hands. The body is definitely his, but
Professor Land is in his forties and the body
terror,
drawing
is that of a very old man. What could have
pleasure
from
torturing humans as
caused him to age so rapidly? Why is the
corpse smiling? Brandy enlists the aid of
sadistically as possible.
Divided into seven
computer scientist Dan Martin, who is almost
clans, these grisly
too good to be true and Brandy soon falls in
love. But something is off about Dan… very
invaders
seem
off. Brandy’s investigation soon throws her
horrifically to belong in our world. Ira, a
into the midst of small-town politics, bank
young San Francisco artist, becomes
involved with a strange group of scientists
robberies and vampires. Tp $42.00 277pp
and philosophers desperately trying to end
KATHERINE RAMSLAND
the bloody siege. Yet through it all, Ira
HEAT SEEKERS
continues to paint – for in his canvasses lie
His name – ironically - is Christian. He
crucial clues to the demons’ origins. Yet the
belongs to the kamera, or clan, who have
demons draw their strength from an all-toochosen the snake as their totem. For
familiar evil–a deadly malevolence supported
centuries, they’ve moved among mortals like
by some of the greatest powers on earth,
shadows, seducing… taking only what they
concealed beneath the trappings of status,
need. But now, something is preying upon
success and abused power. Ira and his allies the kamera - a contagion that paralyses them
including a compelling young seeress – come
slowly. Their only hope for an antidote lies
to believe these demons didn’t just appear…
in the blood of one extraordinary mortal,
they were summoned. But the most
but there are those who would gladly see
shocking revelation is yet to come. Tp $42.00
the kamera perish: The Others. They stalk the
372pp
darkness, led by a vampire thought longdead, a manifestation of all that is evil. Now,
as the sun sets, Christian and his kind have
one last chance to find a cure - before The
Others raise Hell... Pb $17.95 348pp
MICHAEL ROMKEY
THE VAMPIRE’S VIOLIN
Many years ago, the Vampire owned and
lost a violin that sang with the voice of the
angels. Now this unearthly monster will do
anything to press the instrument once more
against his neck. Maggie O’Hara was a
talented if unremarkable violinist—until the
day her grandfather gives her a violin he
had brought home from World War II. From
the moment Maggie hits the first note, her
playing is transformed. With this remarkable
violin in her possession, all of her dreams
are eerily becoming reality. But she has no
way of knowing that a nightwalker is
tracking her down and that he has every
intention of taking back, through bloodlust
and terror, what is rightfully his... Pb $18.95
294pp
ROBERT WESTALL
BREAK OF DARK
Is there a barrier that divides the dark
unknown from the everyday world around
us? If so, is it broken sometimes by the dead
returning, by the undead or by alien
creatures? Pb $15.95 197pp
RECOMMENDED
02 9267 7222 Fax 02 9261 3691
M E D I A
ALIAS
LYNN MASON
DISAPPEARED
Sydney is sent to pose as the heiress of
a former ruling family of Romania now
mixed up in the black market. Except instead
of collecting intelligence, something goes very
wrong. One by one people end up
disappearing. When someone is found,
they’re dead. Will Sydney be the prime suspect
or the newest victim? Pb $16.95 203pp
ANGEL
JEFF MARIOTTE
SANCTUARY
#18. Angel and co. are enjoying a rare
moment of relaxation at the karaoke
bar Caritas when a loud explosion draws the
gang - and the rest of the bar’s patrons outside. A building across the way is on fire,
but the conflagration is nothing more than a
diversionary tactic to distract people from a
drive-by shooting! And when the smoke
clears, Fred is missing. Pb $16.95 307pp
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
GLEN LARSON & ROBERT THURSTON
THE TOMBS OF KOBOL
The Galactica reaches the planet Kobol
in search of a clue to the location of
Earth - but attaining such knowledge will
come with a heavy price... Pb $16.95 213pp
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE
SLAYER
JAMES SOUTH (ED)
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER AND
PHILOSOPHY: FEAR AND
TREMBLING IN SUNNYDALE
How can Buffy’s religious symbolism be
squared with creator Joss Whedon’s professed
atheism? Is Buffy truly a Kierkegaardian
knight of faith? Do Faith’s corruption and
return to the good life demonstrate Platonic
eudaimonism? Or do they illustrate the flaws
in Nietzsche’s superman concept? What does
the show’s treatment of vampires, demons,
and other entities say about ethical attitudes
toward nonhumans? These are some of the
questions asked and answered in this lively
collection of essays that link classical philosophy
to this long-running series. Tp $48.00 335pp
READING
KELLEY ARMSTRONG
BITTEN
Elena’s trying hard to be normal. She hates her strength, and her wildness,
and her hunger for food, for sex, for running in the night, for the chase and
the kill. She wants a husband, children... even a mother-in-law. Or at least
that’s what she tells herself. And then the inevitable happens. The Pack
needs her. The Pack she loves and hates is under siege from a bunch of
disreputable and ruthless mutts who are threatening to expose them all,
breaking all the rules that have kept them safe. The loyalty of her nature
calls her home, and into the fight, which tests just who Elena is: the wild
woman or the wistful would-be human. Pb $19.95 460pp A romanticised
werewolf novel, with a feisty heroine, and very little in the way of horror
elements, this is good light entertainment from a first time novellist - bring
on the next one! - Jo
9
www.galaxybooks.com.au
Nexus #180
DR WHO
BIG FINISH CDS
JUBILEE
#40. The deadly Daleks are back! But
never fear. The Doctor is on hand to
sort them out. With his beautiful assistant,
Evelyn Smythe, by his side, he will fight once
again to uphold the beliefs of the English
Empire. This story takes place between The
Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani. $49.95
(2 discs)
NEKROMANTEIA
#41. The Doctor, Peri and Erimem face
the terrors of Talderun and the wrath
of a corporate empire as they struggle to
understand the hideous secret of the domain
of the dead - a district known in legend as
Nekromanteia. This story takes place
between Planet of Fire and The Caves of
Androzani. $49.95 (2 discs)
DALEK WAR:DALEK EMPIRE II
#1. This is a four part mini-series that
continues the story begun in Dalek
Empire. $36.95 (1 disc)
DRAGONLANCE
MARGARET WEIS AND TRACY HICKMAN
DRAGONS OF A VANISHED
MOON
The War of Souls #3. This concludes the
bestselling War of Souls trilogy and contains a
preview chapter from the next title, Empire
of Blood. Pb $16.95 629pp
HALO
WILLIAM DIETZ
THE FLOOD
#2. The Master Chief must lead the
scattered troops in a brutal race to unravel
Halo’s darkest mystery - and unleash its
greatest source of power. Pb $18.95 341pp
SMALLVILLE
NANCY HOLDER
HAUNTINGS
#3.When Clark and Lana befriend
Ginger, a new student whose mother
has just rented a farmhouse, they find
themselves in the path of a sinister menace.
Can Clark fight the disembodied spirits of
the dead? Pb $17.95 280pp
N OVELISATION
(Written version of Film,
TV, Radio Drama
Production, Comic or Game)
B ASED
ON
( CONCEPT )
FILM
TV SHOW
COMPUTER GAME
ROLE-PLAYING GAME
COMIC
REFERENCE
www.galaxybooks.com.au
DAVID CODY WEISS & BOBBI WEISS
ANIMAL RAGE
#4. Clark Kent is the only person in
Smallville who can stop a shape-shifting
animal rights activist in her revenge-fuelled
rampages. Pb $16.95 161pp
CHERIE BENNETT & JEFF GOTTESFELD
SPEED
#5. Clark Kent tries to solve a slew of
racially motivated attacks and confront
the culprit in ‘frozen time’. Pb $16.95 201pp
STAR TREK
GREG COX
THE EUGENICS WAR: THE RISE
AND FALL OF KHAN NOONIEN
SINGH
#2. Takes the reader from the beginnings of
Khan’s consolidation of his power, through
the events that lead to his flight from Earth
on the DY-100-class sleeper ship SS Botany
Bay. Pb $18.95 435pp
J M DILLARD
SURAK’S SOUL
Enterprise #6. Pulled, once again, into
one of Captain Archer’s dangerously
impulsive attempts to make first contact, the
sub-commander finds her life threatened.
T’Pol reacts, draws her phase pistol and kills.
It was a simple act of self-defence. But is killing
ever simple? Has she forsaken the teachings
of Surak? Pb $18.95 218pp
LARRY NEMECEK
STAR TREK: THE NEXT
GENERATION COMPANION
Here is the complete official guide to every
episode of the television adventures of the
Starship Enterprise and all four of the major
motion pictures from Star Trek Generations
to the latest, Star Trek Nemesis. This
companion is a compendium of information
including plot summaries and credits for each
show and motion picture, as well as
fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into
the creation of The Next Generation. Tp $32.95
372pp
NIKKI STAFFORD (ED)
TREKKERS: TRUE STORIES BY
FANS FOR FANS
Here the dedicated fans of this sci-fi mainstay
tell their own stories, in their own words.
Some of these fans have taken Star Trek’s
ideals to heart, trying to live without
prejudice because of lessons learned from the
show. Others tell tales of meeting the stars or
finding true love at Trekker conventions. All
of them are proud to call Star Trek a way of
life and their tales illustrate why it means so
much. Tp $29.95 177pp
STAR WARS
TERRY BISSON
CROSSFIRE
Boba Fett #2. Boba Fett is trapped in the
lair of someone who he thinks is a friend...
but is really an enemy. Escape becomes the
only option, though attempting to escape has
its own risks. Boba must survive to fight for
what he believes in... and for survival. Pb
$13.95 133pp
10
MAY 2003
ELIZABETH HAND
MAZE OF DECEPTION
Boba Fett #3. Boba Fett must regain his
fortune — and battle against both other
bounty hunters and Jedi foes. Pb $13.95
137pp
R A SALVATORE
STAR WARS EPISODE II:
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
Anakin Skywalker has come of age in a time
of great upheaval and the 19-year-old
apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi is an enigma
to the Jedi Council and a challenge to his Jedi
Master. Pb $19.95 344pp
W I TC H B L A D E
MIKE BARON
DEMONS
Witchblade #3. Could an ancient Japanese
warrior be on the loose in New York - and if
so, can even the Witchblade stop him before
Sara loses her own head...? Pb $14.95 296pp
X-MEN
STEVEN ROMAN
RED SKULL
Chaos Engine #3. With time running out,
the X-Men make one final, desperate
attempt to destroy the Chaos Engine and
restore Order to the cosmos before their
entire reality is wiped from existence by an
all-powerful alien race. Pb $19.95 375pp
DV D / V I D E O
ANDROMEDA
#2.9. The Things We Cannot Change & Fair
Unknown. Video $20.95 DVD $30.95
#2.10. Belly of The Beast & The Knight, Death
and the Devil. Video $20.95 DVD $30.95
BLADE II
Video $20.00
DOCTOR WHO: THE TIME LORD
COLLECTION BOXED SET
The War Games, The Three Doctors & The Deadly
Assassin. Video $99.95
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER
OF SECRETS
Video $29.50 DVD $45.50
MUTANT X
#1.8. Lazarus Syndrome & Interface.
Video $20.95 DVD $30.95
#1.9. Presumed Guilty & Ex Marks the Spot
Video $20.95 DVD $30.95
RED DWARF
Series 2. DVD $49.95
ROBOTECH MACROSS SAGA
DVD box set #4. $60.95 (3 discs)
DVD box set #5. $60.95 (3 discs)
X-MEN 1.5
Video $18.20 DVD $39.95
Galaxy Bookshop
143 York Street Sydney 2000
NON-FICTION
RODNEY BROOKS
ROBOT: THE FUTURE OF FLESH AND
MACHINES
This text speaks to those who think about
humanity’s relationship to technology and
our place in the world, discussing what will
happen when intelligent robots become too
smart. Pb $24.95 260pp
YORICK BROWN & MIKE FLYNN
THE 500 BEST URBAN LEGENDS EVER
Have you ever heard an improbable story
told about a friend of a friend? Did you ever
listen awestruck to extraordinary tales of
ordinary life? Don’t believe everything you
hear - you’ve just been exposed to an urban
legend! From phantom hitchhikers to deadly
clouds of floating flatulence, these are tall
tales of extremely dubious origin. More than
500 brain-mangling, credibility-straining
stories arranged conveniently by theme
contained in one fun volume. Pb $14.95
251pp
THOMAS BULFINCH
BULFINCH’S MYTHOLOGY OF GODS
AND HEROES
Beautifully recorded here by such esteemed
actors as Olympia Dukakis, Richard Dreyfuss
and Edward Herrmann, these tales of
Pandora and her fateful box, Apollo playing
his lyre, Cupid with his provocative arrows,
and others, bring alive the themes, people
and places of writings that have survived
through the centuries, making this important
source of all Western literature available to
everyone. Six audio-cassettes. $88.95
JAMES CLARKE
GEORGE LUCAS
Pocket Essentials Film Guide. The book covers
the landmark movies - from student movies
to Indiana Jones and the latest Star Wars
episode Attack of the Clones - and also looks at
Lucas’ achievements beyond his work as a director
with his creation of Industrial Light and Magic,
Skywalker Ranch and other media ventures,
particularly his advocation and development of
digital cinema. Pb $10.95 96pp
GEORGE DYSON
PROJECT ORION: THE ATOMIC
SPACESHIP 1957-1965
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the US
Government sponsored a project that could
possibly have sent 150 people on expeditions
to Mars or Saturn. The project was codenamed Orion and centred upon the effort to
develop a fast, manoeuvrable, nuclearpowered space vehicle for long-range
voyages in space. The proposed 4000-ton
spaceship would be propelled by nuclear
bombs but, strictly classified, the project was
never given a chance to succeed or fail - due
partly to its apparent absurdity - but its mix
of sublime physics, madcap engineering and
a cast of Cold War warriors and would-be
intergalactic engineers made the mission a
tantalising “what if” story. Pb $24.95 345pp
Ph 02 9267 7222 Fax 02 9261 3691
PETER ELLIS
CELTIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS
This is an enchantingly told collection of the
stirring sagas of gods and goddesses,
fabulous beasts, strange creatures, and such
heroes as Cuchulain, Fingal and King Arthur
from the ancient Celtic world. Included are
popular myths and legends from all six Celtic
cultures of Western Europe - Irish, Scots,
Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton. Tp $42.00
629pp
BRIAN HERBERT
DREAMER OF DUNE: THE
BIOGRAPHY OF FRANK HERBERT
One of the most popular science fiction novels
ever written, Frank Herbert’s Dune has
become a worldwide phenomenon, winning
awards, selling millions of copies around the
world. In this biography, Frank Herbert’s
eldest son, tells his father’s story and brings to
light the events in Herbert’s life that would
find their way into speculative fiction’s greatest
epic. Containing family photos never
published anywhere, this biography offers a
unique personal perspective on one of the most
enigmatic and creative talents of our time. Hb
$68.95 576pp
DAVID JONES
AN INSTINCT FOR DRAGONS
From J R R Tolkien’s treasure-hoarding
Smaug to the bright red beasts of the Chinese
New Year’s celebration, dragons are
ingrained in our culture. But where did the
dragon originate? And how is it that people
from Africa to China to America picture it
the same? The author finds that the dragon
is in fact a universal image. Not only does
every culture in the world have a name for
it, but dragons everywhere share many of
the same characteristics. And his conclusion
is that not only is our fear and fascination
with dragons a direct result of the predators
who threatened our evolution, but
humankind is essentially hardwired to
believe in this creature. Tp $39.95 188pp
NICHOLAS MURRAY
ALDOUS HUXLEY: A BIOGRAPHY
The son of biologist
T H Huxley, Aldous
Huxley was educated
at Eton and Oxford
despite an eye
infection that left him
nearly blind. Having
learned braille, his
eyesight
then
improved enough
for him to start
writing and by the
1920s he had become a fashionable figure,
producing witty and daring novels like
Crome Yellow (1921), Antic Hay (1923) and
Point Counter Point (1928). But it is as the
author of his celebrated portrayal of a
nightmare future society, Brave New World
(1932), that Huxley is most remembered. This
biography is a reassessment of one of the most
interesting writers of the 20th century. Hb $75.00
496pp
11
BRIAN ROBB
JAMES CAMERON
Pocket Essentials Film Guide. This book explores
the life and work of this unique director,
examining his career and reviewing and
analysing each of his movies. Pb $10.95 96pp
KEITH TUTT
THE SCIENTIST, THE MADMAN, THE
THIEF AND THEIR LIGHTBULB
This work reveals the work of inventors and
scientists who have struggled to develop clean
and “fuel-less” new ways to produce the
electricity we need for the 21st century and
beyond. It also investigates the complex
psychology of invention and reserves a
chapter for those inventors who are either
self-deluded mavericks or charlatans who
aim to trick gullible investors out of their
savings. Pb $22.95 354pp
SPENCER WELLS
THE JOURNEY OF MAN: A GENETIC
ODYSSEY
This is an epic tour through the history and
development of early humankind - relying
not on archaeological or historical
speculation, but on analysis of human
genetics to provide definitive answers to
questions we have asked for centuries.
Questions which, in an age obsessed by our
biological inheritance, are more compelling
than ever. Hb $45.00 224pp
PAUL WOODS (ED)
TIM BURTON: A CHILD’S GARDEN
OF NIGHTMARES
This definitive study of Burton’s career tracks
his life and work. Articles and interviews
span his years as a malcontent animator at
Walt Disney Studios through his creation of
the pop-gothic aesthetic that marks all of his
work. The book also features commentary
by the editor on the origins of Burton’s ideas,
a thorough analysis of each of his films and
images from the movies. Tp $39.95 176pp
GLENN YEFFETH (ED)
TAKING THE RED PILL: SCIENCE,
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION IN THE
MATRIX
This
thoughtp r o v o k i n g
examination of The
Matrix explores the
technological
challenges,
r e l i g i o u s
symbolism, and
philosophical
dilemmas the film
presents. Essays by
r e n o w n e d
s c i e n t i s t s ,
technologists,
philosophers, scholars, social commentators
and science fiction authors provide engaging
and provocative perspectives. Explored in a
highly accessible fashion are issues such as
the future of artificial intelligence and virtual
reality. The symbolism hidden throughout The
Matrix and a few glitches in the film are revealed.
Tp $48.00 277pp
www.galaxybooks.com.au
What We’ve Been Reading...
Things I’ve learned this month: when you’re tired and cranky, read a small
book by your favourite author. The Dreaming Place by Charles De Lint (Pb
$16.95 134pp). A young adult Newford novel, with a character I know I’ve
encountered before but can’t place. This was so what I needed – food for the
soul. - Steph
Changeling Plague by Syne Mitchell (Pb $18.95 327pp). Apart from the epilogue,
which elicited an “oh please…” from me, this was unreal. In the near future, a
human engineered virus nearly wiped out humanity. The world unanimously outlawed
this sort of tinkering, but a young, seriously rich man dying of Cystic Fibrosis
has managed to convince someone to illegally make him a cure. All hell breaks
loose. A hard science thriller with a story that is all too believable. - Steph
S M Stirling’s Conquistador (Hb $61.00) is another excellent alternate
time-line story from the author of Peshawar Lancers (Pb $18.95). Although
the initial premise is a bit hokey (it’s amazing what you can do with a short wave
radio) and the female lead is too good to be true, the story is taken through to
a well-thought-out conclusion. Characterisation is, for the most part, strong
and the climax will grip you to the end. - Adam
The Briar King by Gregory J Keyes (Hb $66.00) is the first volume of
Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. This was a stunning story. Keyes builds up the
character detail quite well and the antagonists are suitably conniving and horrific.
Be prepared for major character deaths! This could be as good as the fantasy
benchmark series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin. - Adam
Q: How do you know you are reading a techno-thriller? A: When every fourth
word is an acronym. When it’s as fast paced as Icefire (Pb $21.95) by Judith &
Garfield Reeves-Stevens, you hardly even notice. What happens when terrorists
break a slab of ice the size of France off the Antarctic ice shelf? It’s up to exNavy SEAL (see acronyms!) Mitch Webber and oceanographer Cory Rey to find
out who is responsible and stop the devastation. - Adam
Now for a couple of light-but-fun reads. The Battletech universe consists of
interstellar governments that continually fight for more than their share of
worlds. To assist in the fight, they use Battlemechs: 6-9 metre tall robotic
warriors that are piloted from inside. The regular series of this has just been
ended and the publishers have restarted their efforts, this time from about two
generations on. The interstellar governments have been under one rule for some
time, though not without dissent. When a crippling series of attacks by unknown
assailants destroys most of the communications network, the dissent grows and
this is where the new series, called Mechwarrior: Dark Age, begins. I read the
first two books Ghost War (Pb $18.95) by Michael Stackpole and Call to Arms
(Pb $18.95) by Loren Coleman. Although nothing earth-shattering, they were
enjoyable simply to read about giant machines fighting each other. - Adam
An Intimate Knowledge of the Night by Terry Dowling (Pb $16.95). Terry
has been a regular and welcome caller at Galaxy for many years now, so I
thought I’d check out his work. This is a collection of linked stories, beginning
with The Bullet that Grows in the Gun, an intriguing examination of imposed
reality and the resulting consequences, whether objects that are designed for
a purpose are haunted by that. The Maze Man concerns James Quinlan, who
wakes one morning to find that he has become trapped in a maze that no one else
can see or feel. As he wends his way through the maze, accompanied by TV crews
and scientists, he begins to feel that something is in the maze with him… The
general feeling in these stories is a thinning of reality, an almost dreamlike
quality that makes you feel menaced and uneasy. There are elements of horror
here too, but this is horror fiction done well, where sometimes (as in The Gully)
the perfectly natural achieves the hyper-real. Then, anything could be waiting,
just around the corner. Highly recommended. - David
Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll (Pb $19.95). Thomas Abbey has come to
the small town of Galen to write a biography of the late elusive children’s
author, Marshall France. With him is his girlfriend Saxony, as his assistant.
The idyllic town soon reveals a darker heart, as the two discover that the
fantasies that France created have spread into the real world… I love this
author’s work. He is consistently a master storyteller and this book is no exception.
It is Carroll’s first novel and the beginning of his foray into the urban fantasy
that he creates so well. The characters are familiar yet human and the ideas
wonderful. It’s so good when writers can actually write… - David
COMPETITION!
To win a signed photo of Kim Stanley Robinson, name the award that his new novel,
Years of Rice and Salt, has been nominated for. Send in your answer along with your
name and address by 15 May 2003. Entry open to Galaxy Cardholders only.
COMPETITION WINNERS!
Samantha Hamilton has won a copy of Stardust signed by Neil Gaiman. Congratulations!