Mini-Review: Hurricane Fever by Tobias S. Buckell

I have something to admit that is likely not a surprise to anyone who pays attention to what I read and review here at the blog (but let’s face it, how many people are actually paying attention to that). I’m rather limited in what I read – it’s mostly fantasy, and generally some form of second-world fantasy. Yes, I read some SF in there, some urban fantasy, some historical fantasy, some thrillers, and a few books that are either all or none of those and find themselves described with trite phrases like ‘transcends genre’. I say this because even though we in the SFF world certainly claim Tobias S. Buckell as an SFF author, some of his latest books are much more thriller/adventure/spy books that have as much in common with the books of Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy, and those fall outside of my typical sphere of reading. But that doesn’t mean that us SFF fans shouldn’t be reading those books – especially anyone who is looking for some form of near-future SFF that actually presents a very possible future that doesn’t immediately become overly post-apocalyptic.

Hurricane Fever is Buckell’s second book about a not-to-distant from now world where climate change has changed everything. His first book of the vein, Arctic Rising (my review), follows a young UN pilot who becomes wrapped up in a global conspiracy. In Hurricane Fever, Buckell focuses on a secondary character form Arctic Rising, the Caribbean spy, Roo, who is forced out of retirement and becomes wrapped up in a global conspiracy. Yes, these books are full of the typical spy thriller tropes that we’ve all come to love, and there are not a few jabs poked at those that have popularized that genre, most obviously James Bond.

The difference is that Hurricane Fever (and Arctic Rising) are very smartly written. They feature non-standard protagonists doing things just as well as the white guys. The future world is eerily possible – the socioeconomic, political and military possibilities presented are scarily likely. Seas have risen, balances of power have shifted, the weather is crazy, and drones change everything. This is the future.

And it’s shown through the lens of a good, old-fashioned, shoot’em up spy thriller. Smart and fun. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Arctic Rising: My Review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon

Hurricane Fever: Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon

Review: Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell

As a geologist, as a concerned citizen, as a parent of 2 young children, I’m horrified by the (lack of) actions of my country regarding global warming. It’s happening, it’s real – it’s a problem that society needs to deal with. And as much of an issue as it is, it’s surprising how little it’s been explored in fiction, particularly near-future science fiction. Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell (BookDepository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound) does just this in an intelligent, fun and action-packed fashion. It is near-future science fiction, it is a techno-thriller where the world has warmed, the seas have risen, the Northwest Passage is ice-free, and money and power are not far behind.

The thawing of the arctic seas has opened the lands and waters to economic exploitation. Lands once buried in ice are rich in minerals. The seas have some of the last remaining oil and gas in a world past peak oil. The rising power and influence of the ‘Arctic Tiger’ nations has a global shift in power in an increasing unstable world and new a melting pot of opportunity. And a ‘green corporation’ has risen as the most powerful corporation on earth with a goal of reversing the climate trend, a goal at odds with economic boom of polar waters.

Anika is a young UN pilot patrolling the polar waters. She and her partner find a positive reading for radiation on a passing ship. Their airship is shot down with a surface-to-air missile. Anika survives only to find herself at the center of a conspiracy quickly spiraling out of control.

Thrillers are generally good, fun reading, but not necessarily a place to expect the best writing. The writing is usually adequate, but it’s the story and the action that dominate. In Arctic Rising the story is action-packed with compelling characters and it’s got quality writing. This is a smart thriller – Buckell has done his research. And for a book that set in a time reacting to the consequences of global warming, it’s not the didactic global warming research you may think of. The United States military has done lots of contingency planning based on what could happen in the future due to global warming – Buckell takes these studies and uses them to create a convincing story through the eyes of middling UN pilot of a new socio-economic order of nations and corporations battling it out in the arctic. There are spies, there are mercenary soldiers, there is a criminal underworld. There’s torture, redemption, hopelessness, nano-technologic wonders and an errant nuclear bomb.

All of this is told from the viewpoint of Anika, an unlikely character to be at the heart of a thriller. Buckell could have stuck to the tried and true protagonist – a white American guy from the coast, or even a nice white American girl from the Midwest. Instead, Buckell looks to his own mixed routes as an immigrant from the Caribbean and chooses a female protragonist who is from Nigeria. The perspective of Anika as someone from the developing world and her interactions with an independent spy, Roo, from the Caribbean are a fascinating touch. The lingering effects of colonialism are present, the distrust of the big developed nations and their corporations is palatable and the repeated jabs to the presentation of international espionage from James Bond are hilariously sharp.

Equally refreshing is the inevitable love story subplot. As the story progresses, Anika develops a potential relationship with an underworld boss. Only as cliché as this could be, Buckell throws expectations a curve ball with Anika being a lesbian. The story could have easily been told with a traditional man-woman love story, but instead it’s a same-sex romance. And the best part – it’s just there. This isn’t some big statement and it doesn’t control some critical part of the thriller plot. The romance just happens to be same-sex, and it’s presented as being as normal as apple pie. I look forward to the day that such a romance is normal enough to not merit mention in a review like this.

And Anika is wonderfully strong protagonist. She’s tough and vulnerable. She’s conflicted about her feelings for Vy and what she owes a criminal boss who has seemingly selflessly helped her so much. She has an interesting past as a pilot and was even something of a child soldier. She’s a victim and a survivor. But she doesn’t lay down and take it, and she doesn’t rely on a rescuer – to the best of her ability she stands up to take as much control of the situation as possible.

OK, this is my soapbox paragraph, so if you’re not interested in how I see this sort of novel as important to getting the message out to the public about the reality of global warming, just move along to the next paragraph and be thankful that even though Buckell writes about a world changed due to global warming, he never actually gets on a soapbox (though plenty of interesting statements populate the novel). Arctic Rising is just the sort of fun, intelligent fiction that needs to permeate through pop culture to help educate society on the reality and potential of global warming. When people see enough of it, they will slowly come to accept it’s real and something needs to be done. We see the shift in climate, we see the last refuge of the polar bear and we hear the regret of the loss of a hometown to rising seas. And I love that ‘the other side’ that Buckell presents is the very real truth that there will be at least some economic opportunity that results from global warming (access to new minerals and other natural resources). That and the big bad environmental corporation and its vision of saving the world. This is the sort of alternative view that should be shown, rather than climate denialsts, which to me is like giving equal time to those that believe the earth is flat.

Tobias Buckell has written an intelligent, fun and even poignant thriller in Arctic Rising. It’s set around a likely future that should warn us of the consequences of global warming, yet most of its focus is on the new opportunities that arise and the Bond-like escapades of Anika as she tries to figure out who shot her out of the sky and why. This is what a thriller can be and I highly recommend it.

Speculative Horizons edited by Patrick St-Denis

Often one of my favorite parts of an anthology is the introduction by the editor. The framework of the anthology is laid out, the thematic strings that connect often wildly different stories are tied, and I usually learn something. In Speculative Horizons (Book Depository, Powell’s Books, Indiebound, Subterranean) editor Patrick St-Denis does not include an introduction, which while disappointing, doesn’t have much impact one way or another on the anthology as a whole. However, if he had written one, it may have gone something like this:

Speculative Horizons is simply the culmination of my wanting to see some of my favorite authors in the same anthology. I suppose it could be argued that the result is showcase of wide range of possibilities within science fiction and fantasy; however, it is very interesting that this result also managed to form a mostly coherent theme between stories of vastly differing scopes and styles. Perhaps even more curious is the theme itself – love. Whether love between family, lovers, or even the quaint ‘love’ of simple kindness to strangers, each of these stories could be called a love story, though in some cases it would surficially seem quite a stretch to do so. However perverse it may be to view this collection as a collection of love stories, it does hammer home the idea that science fiction and fantasy often deals with the deep connections of people to one another. In the context of love stories, it can’t be ignored just how jaded this anthology seems – love is a powerful emotion and the pain and scars it leaves behind last a lifetime. I’ll leave the implications of that to reader to reflect on, but I can’t help but feel it’s says something about where society is at this moment in time.

Genre’s hackles may often rise in needless defense of itself and it certainly takes a beating from so-called literati, but we should all just relax and let the words speak for themselves.

Speculative Horizons features stories from C.S. Friedman, Tobias S. Buckell, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Brian Ruckley, and Hal Duncan. Editor Patrick St-Denis is best known as the force behind the popular blog Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist and this is his first foray into the editing world. It is also worth noting that much of the proceeds of this anthology will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

“Soul Mate” by C.S. Friedman begins the anthology. In this story a young woman meets the perfect man who turns out to be too perfect. It’s a good beginning and well-written story, though it’s not likely to stick with you for very long.

“The Eve of the Fall of Habesh” by Tobias S. Buckell is a small tale within a larger world that the reader never gets to see. In this world to use magic one literally uses their life up, so either someone only rarely uses small bits of learned magic or people are enslaved and forced to use up their lives. An invading force threatens destruction of the city and one magical enforcer is confronted with a decision.

It’s fun to see Buckell do fantasy while he better known for science fiction. This world is a very interesting creation and the story takes an interesting turn. As with the Friedman story, it’s well written and entertaining, if not the sort to haunt you after reading it.

In “The Stranger” by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. a mysterious man on the run invites the hospitality of a family of herders. The inevitable does happen just as you would expect. This is a return to the world of the bestselling Recluse Saga, though if like me, you haven’t read those books you will not be at a loss in spite of perhaps not fully appreciating everything in the story.

“The Stranger” is fun and straight-forward. It is also the biggest stretch from love theme I spoke of above. Unfortunately it bears little in common with the much better known story of the same name.

“Flint” by Brian Ruckley turned out to be the biggest surprise of this collection. Ruckley is best known as a relatively new author of a big, fat, epic fantasy trilogy and to my knowledge is not known at all for short stories. In “Flint” he writes of a small Neolithic clan surviving on an unnamed shore. A young shaman struggling to prove his worth must stop an affliction threatening to kill off his clan, an affliction of the spirit world.

“Flint” is a surprisingly well-rounded story that includes flashes of humor along with darker subjects. Love, murder and pranks are all central to this story that rivals Duncan’s for the best of this anthology.

“The Death of a Love” by Hal Duncan should be the best story of this collection by a long-shot, though it unfortunately falls short of its potential. A detective of Erocide, the murder of love, describes to the reader his world. Duncan’s writing is bitter, pained, and cynical in a creative, free-form, rant and clever discussion of love in the modern world. For anyone only familiar with Duncan via his blog they will be surprised to find his published writing more tame and readable. However, ”The Death of a Love” slowly looses containment as you can feel Duncan and the nameless, unreliable narrator gaining what feels like alcohol-fueled momentum. This is a story that does stick with you, though I think it could have greatly benefited from a more experienced editor.

It’s always tough to judge an anthology, especially one with such a wide-range of contributions. Overall, Speculative Horizons is solid, containing no duds and a couple of gems, though with only five stories, it’s not a big collection. For me it was worth it just to see what blogger St-Denis put together with the bonus of money going to a worthy cause. If that isn’t enough for you, know that the contents are quality, if short of excellent. But the real surprise was the commonality between the stories – it was an unexpected gift that really bonds this group of unusual suspects and makes me think on the implications for the genre as a whole. 7.5-8/10

Review: Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias S. Buckell

Short fiction is something I am woefully under-read in. I don’t read or subscribe to short fiction magazines (or e-zines) and I only rarely read collections and anthologies. The reason why is really quite simple – I don’t have the time. My reading time is very limited these days, so I set boundaries – no comics, no graphic novels, little to no non-fiction, etc. However, in reading Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias S. Buckell (Amazon, Wyrm), I am once again reminded (as I periodically am) of what I’ve been missing.

Since the vast majority of my reading is novels, I generally only get to see one facet of an author’s writing, often one that does not express the breadth and variety that any given author truly possesses. Tides from the New Worlds introduces people like me who are familiar with Buckell’s novels to another side of Buckell – actually several other sides – and a greater vision of the writer as a person. Since this collection literally starts at the beginning of his career, we also get to see Buckell evolve and improve through time.

Many readers are well aware of Buckell’s Caribbean origins and mixed-race, and these influences certainly show up in his novels. However, in reading Buckell’s short fiction, just how strongly these origins influence his writing becomes clear. Two themes at work throughout much of Tides from the New Worlds are the infusion of science fiction and fantasy with a distinctive Caribbean, multi-racial feel (including varied, typically non-Western settings) and the clash of the Western world other parts of the world, particularly the Caribbean. To these aims, Buckell utilizes many standard SFF tropes, adding his distinctive twists, with stories revolving around such varied ideas as first contact, slavery, zombies, ghosts, religion, sailing and the sea, ancient gods, dryads, dwarves, mythology, folklore, etc.

As I’ve become familiar with in his novels, Buckell uses characters to drive his fiction. While he can be (too) light on the description, the setting often comes alive through the characters themselves. In combination with this, I felt Buckell’s strongest stories come with a Caribbean-like setting – whether that setting is the actual Caribbean, Africa, or an imagined world sharing much in common with the Caribbean. “Four Eyes” may have been my favorite of the collection for capturing the side of the Caribbean that tourists don’t see. “Toy Planes”, “Spurn Babylon”, “Trinkets”, “The Duel”, “Necahual” and the dark, allegorical tale of “Death’s Dreadlocks” all capture another side of the Caribbean and its people.

Buckell also reveals a fascination with history that caught me off-guard. I suppose it makes sense to explore the past to understand the present, but it serves a reminder to me that the history of the USA is thoroughly entwined with that of the Caribbean, no matter how hard we try to forget that up here. “In Orbite Medievali”, “Trinkets”, and “The Duel” all explore this relationship in one way or another.

Attempting to comment on each of the 21 stories would be madness and not all can be easily lumped with other stories. But, I simply cannot pass by without mentioning “The Shackles of Freedom” (written with Mike Resnick). In this story, Amish colonists on an alien (and deadly world) struggle to survive and a doctor seeking freedom from the greater society agrees to minister to the colony – only the Amish generally choose not to accept his healing technology. The resulting exploration of freedom, technology, and love left me wanting to chuck the computer and cell phone out the window (though to be honest, this isn’t exactly an isolated feeling).

The best anthologies and collections introduce each story and in Tides from the New Worlds, Buckell does just that. We get a brief view into his mind as he explains things from intent and motivations to it being fun to write. It also allows us to see the mentoring and guidance that Buckell has seen from such writers as Mike Resnick and Nalo Hopkinson. And the introduction by Mike Resnick can only be described as fatherly.

All of this is presented in a beautiful, high-quality package by Wyrm publishing in a signed limited-edition. With the limited print, this book is aimed at Buckell’s existing fanbase, but people looking for a bit Caribbean spice injected into their SFF should not allow this one to pass by. If you’re on the fence, check out some of the free stories available on Buckell’s website – as expected there are strong and weak stories and just which one is which will depend on your own perspective, but I enjoyed the look into the whole of Buckell’s writing. 7.5/10

Related Posts: Review of Crystal Rain, Review of Ragamuffin, Interview with Tobias Buckell

Good Cover Art Gone Bad

On the whole, I think that the cover art by Daniel Dos Santos for Green by Jay Lake (US, UK, Canada, Indiebound, review) is quite good. It’s the kind of cover art that would make me pick up the book to see what it’s about – and I think it’s something that would likely appeal to a wide-ranging audience (even though it still somewhat fails the ‘would I want people to see me reading this in public’ test).

Then, I read the book. The character featured on the cover is the main character of the novel, also named Green. Yes, she is an adolescent girl, yes she cuts her face beneath a pomegranate tree (though I don’t recall her hanging upside down). So it fits. Only in the book Green is a person of color. In the very least she has dark skin – I always pictured her with a South Asian appearance to match my perception of the country she was born in, but her descriptions in the book leaves her appearance pretty open aside from the consistent description of dark skin.

So, why is a cover that is otherwise a fairly good representation of the content of the book misleading about this small bit? I’ve seen Jay Lake mention on either Twitter or his blog that he likes the cover a lot – now is he just saying this because that’s what a good author does, or does this little inconstancy bother him. I think it would really bother me.

The assumption I jump to is that there is a perception that a person of color in the place of the nice white girl we have instead could reduce the sales of the book. True or not, that really rubs me the wrong way. If it is true, nothing is going to change until there are more people of color on covers (see Tobias Buckell’s Ragamuffin with cover art by Todd Lockwood). Or it could be that the cover artist didn’t know that Green was a person of color, which is entirely possible since he was likely given only a short excerpt to base the cover art on).

Thoughts?

John Scalzi Answers Questions Five

John Scalzi has quickly risen to become one of the most popular science fiction writers out there right now. This has lead to nomination for several high-profile awards, including wins for the John C. Campbell Award and most recently, the Hugo for Best Fan Writer – he missed winning Best Novel for The Last Colony (US, UK, Canada) by less than 10 votes. He is best known for his series of books that starts with Old Man’s War (US, UK, Canada), with his latest, Zoë’s Tale (US, UK, Canada, my review), a stand-alone set within the Old Man’s War universe. However, Scalzi is possibly even better known for his blogging at Whatever, which he has been doing since 1998.

I thank John for taking the time to participate in Questions Five.


YA – Why or why not?

JS: Seriously? I think getting kids to enjoy reading is a pretty necessary step, and also essential for genre, which lives or dies on its ability to hook readers on its product before they're old enough to be convinced by a bunch of illiterate teenage popularity mongers that reading genre isn't cool. So we really need to lay the table for young readers. Not every SF/F writer can or should write YA, but we need to make sure that those who do write YA in SF/F are really good writers.

What advice do you have to give to men in their late 30s pretending to be teenage girls?

JS: Trying to hang around actual teenage girls (say, in the mall), will get arrested and/or having you collect those delightful documents known as restraining orders. Instead, rely on those women you know who are closer to your age, and have them use their own memories of being a teenager to check your character voice. No restraining orders or arrests (unless, you know, you're just that sort of loser), and your own level of self esteem will be considerably higher, because unlike teenage girls, these female friends of yours will not look at you with an expression of vague disgust.

Fill in the blank: Kids today just don’t appreciate the value of ___. How does Zoë’s Tale reflect this?

JS: Kids these days don't appreciate the value of my mortgage, and Zoë’s Tale gives them an opportunity to correct this by sending me money. Hopefully, many of them shall do just that.

More seriously, I'm pretty sure kids today have the same level of appreciation for the value of (x) as they did in my day, which is, not much unless it's directly some aspect of their lives that they need to focus on RIGHT NOW. Being a teenager is an inherently selfish process, because being a teenager is about defining one's self. You stop being a teenager (or more accurately an adolescent) when you start seeing others and their needs on the same level of consideration as you see yourself and your needs.

Why should Zoë’s Tale be the next book that everyone reads?

JS: It doesn't have to be; I'd be happy with it simply being the next book everyone buys (and then, you know, reads at their leisure). But I do hope they read it because I'm very happy with the character of Zoë; I think in fact that she's one of the best characters I've ever written. Also, the title really does reflect the book -- it really is her story, and how, to go back to a previous question, she moves out of adolescence and toward adulthood. Plus, there's snarky dialogue, and how can you not like that.

What peculiar qualities of Ragamuffin should readers be aware of?*

JS: They should be aware that this Nebula-nominated tale of action and adventure is fully and comprehensively made of win. Is this a peculiar quality? Well, as one of only five novels nominated for the Nebula last year, it is certainly rare, at the very least.

*Astute readers will quickly realize that Ragamuffin (US, UK, Canada) was written by Tobias Buckell and not John Scalzi. This is a rather embarrassing error on my part and clear example of the trouble cutting and pasting can get you into when you don’t take the time to review. Thankfully, John was a real sport about it and we agreed to leave it as is since pimping Toby is fine thing in and of itself. It is worth mentioning that the same day Zoë’s Tale is released (August 19, 2008), Sly Mongoose (US, UK, Canada) by Tobias Buckell is also being released. Since both authors live in Ohio, some people have begun referring to August 19, 2008 as “Ohio is Coming To Kick Your Ass With Science Fiction” Day – originally declared (of course) by John Scalzi.

Tobias Buckell on Early Reviews

Somone asked Tobias Buckell a very interesting question about his take on early reviews and pre-release buzz. His response is even more interesting.

Review: Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell

Tobias Buckell follows up his debut novel, Crystal Rain, with an explosion of scale in Ragamuffin – we move from Caribbean-inspired steampunk/science fiction to full-blown space opera. Buckell is an action-packed, fun author of both subtly and brevity who is too often overlooked.

Ragamuffin begins by introducing Nashara, a human clone with modifications that upgrade her to ‘kick-ass’ and hold a nasty surprise weapon for the ruling alien empire, the Benevolent Satrapy. Nashara is on the run from an essentially failed mission, seeking a way to get home to one of the human dominated worlds long since cut-off from the empire. Humans have enjoyed a degree of independence as they survive on the fringes of the Satrapy, but a new policy of apparent elimination emerges as Nashara and others fight for survival. About half-way through the novel, Buckell rejoins the survivors on New Anagada from Crystal Rain and joins the two plot-lines – escalating things even further and leaving the promise of more to come in Sly Mongoose (August, 2008).

Buckell is oft lauded for a return to the roots of space opera with an interesting Caribbean spin – an adventure of the sort Hollywood drools over. This emphasizes the strength of Ragamuffin, while covering up the more subtle aspects that I found more enjoyable – battles, explosions, and general mayhem are great (and covered extensively in other reviews), but underlying these is some satisfying meat. Crystal Rain struggles with the ultimate weapon and the consequences of its use – we see both result and potential presented in various forms throughout. Ragamuffin evolves this theme further as we confront the reality of two species coming together to achieve a common goal – survival. The wrongs of the past cannot be forgotten and the way of the future is uncertain to say the least as each will do whatever they feel necessary to survive. Parallels to the world we live in are there, and in the blink of another explosion, Buckell moves on. Whatever the hope for the future is, Buckell doesn’t get there in Ragamuffin, but I eagerly await seeing where it does go in Sly Mongoose – surrounded I’m sure by explosions, war, and Pepper and Nashara kicking serious ass.

Buckell keeps things moving quickly and page counts relatively low. For me, this is a huge plus in spite of it raising a few issues. Characterization often suffers a bit for this – the main characters are generally portrayed well, others are caricatures and some leave us wanting much more. Of course this isn’t always the case as I literally applauded the death of a particularly annoying character that I suspect I wasn’t meant to applaud. At times the pacing can feel as if it moves in fits and starts and some relationships between characters seemingly spring from nowhere. But overall, these issues are minor and don’t spoil a refreshingly enjoyable read.

Ragamuffin builds on the strengths of Crystal Rain in a huge escalation of scale. These Caribbean-inspired books are loads of fun with something to offer all fans – highly recommended. 7.5/10

Related Posts: Review of Crystal Rain, Tobias Buckell Answers Questions Five

Tobias Buckell Answers Questions Five

Tobias Buckell is the author of Crystal Rain (my review) and Ragamuffin (review) along with a bit short fiction.

Tobias S. Buckell is a Caribbean-born speculative fiction writer who grew up in Grenada, the British Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has published stories in various magazines and anthologies. He is a Clarion graduate, Writers of The Future winner, and Campbell Award for Best New SF Writer Finalist.

His latest novel, Ragamuffin, was released by Tor in June and I’m very happy to have him as the inaugural author in my ‘Questions Five’ interview format. Enjoy.


If Ragamuffin were a fortune cookie, what would its fortune be?

TB: 'The power to change the destiny of humanity is within you.'

A bit deep, huh, but then, sometimes fortune cookies are, in their own self-reflexive way.

Of course, you then have to add (in bed) to the end so you get:

'The power to change the destiny of humanity is within you, in bed.'

That's a whole other book. I hear when they make the movie version of something adult directors sometimes make a porno version, so that's the fortune cookie fortune of the movie version of Ragamuffin done as a porno.

How would you interpret this fortune if were your own?

TB: Humanity's screwed if the power is within me. I just want to sit in my office and write more books. Seriously, I'm really boring like that. I grew up in the middle of the invasion of Grenada, my life has had enough adventure, I like my little home office.

How do you picture the ‘natural habitat’ of Ragamuffin?

TB: Hopefully, reader's shelves. At the very least, bookshelves of major chains, faced out by adoring minions so that awesomeness of the cover compels passersby to purchase it.

What peculiar qualities of Ragamuffin should readers be aware of?

TB: There's a black woman on the cover with a very big gun doing crazy SF-nal adventurous stuff in outer space that often have only previously been done by manly manly men with square jaws and galactic empires behind them. Apparently this doesn't sit well with some people. My advice is that they should take the cover off and buy the book anyway, but it's bad advice, because she's the main character and kicks ass all up and down the book. There's no escaping her. But at least they'll have the book, and I can forgive a lot for that!

Why should Ragamuffin be the next book that everyone reads?

TB: Dreadlocked space pirates and starships called Starfunk Ayatollah. Crazy aliens that want to destroy humanity and their quisling human enablers who can wipe your brain and turn you into mindless analog equation solvers. Caribbean planets. Giant battles in outer space. Mind-controlling aliens. Plucky young heroines. Good food. Big guns. Really big explosions. Why shouldn't it be the next book everyone reads?

Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell

In a distant future humans expand to planets beyond Earth as they struggle for survival in a galaxy full of conflicting alien species. One distant terraformed planet brings humans into contact with an even larger conflict between two powerful alien species. Humans fight for survival and in loosing effort – in a last desperate action, someone (human or alien) activates a weapon that destroys the wormhole providing access to the planetary system. The consequences are huge – essentially all technology made useless. Humans and aliens alike are stranded and turn toward long lost basic survival skills in a world without technology.

Fast forward several hundred years to equatorial Nanagada – John DeBrun leads a peaceful life in a costal town near the Wicked High Mountains that divide Nanagada from Azteca – a land of brutal, invasion-minded people at the yoke of their vicious alien gods. DeBrun has a mysterious past – he washed up on shore 20+ years earlier with no memories. Since arriving he has lead a life of adventure to distant Capital City and the frozen north before settling down to a family life. War comes with a surprise invasion of the Azteca that threatens to destroy all of Nanagada with John’s memories and mysterious and powerful Pepper holding the key to survival.

Crystal Rain is Tobias Buckell’s debut and a great adventure novel. We see the struggle of a budding civilization in a post-apocalyptic world, alien domination, human sacrifice, blimps and sails, and battle all wrapped up in a solid science fiction framework. As a fun adventure, Crystal Rain succeeds well – immediately sucking me into the story and becoming a ‘page-turner’ of a novel, however, it provides much more than just adventure. In one such aspect, Nanagada was originally settled by people from the Caribbean region of Earth and Buckell’s Caribbean roots shine in the multicultural world that emerges. The distinct voice creates a depth to the setting not often achieved with so few words.

The most interesting part of Crystal Rain for me is only hinted at through the majority of the novel – the ultimate decision made hundreds of years ago to end the war, resulting in the destruction of civilization and the death of countless people. Who could make such a decision, how, and what would be the consequences to that individual of such a necessary evil? Could history repeat itself? Ultimately, this is an underlying theme, rearing its ugly head in various forms.

Crystal Rain was unfortunately and unjustifiably too often overlooked when released last year as it was eclipsed by such releases as The Lies of Locke Lamora and His Majesty’s Dragon and the popularity of authors like John Scalzi. The story stands alone, yet introduces us to continuing saga that is followed up by Ragamuffin (released in June 2007) and future novels. This is science fiction and the beginning of a space opera, but the style and feel of Crystal Rain will satisfy fantasy and sci-fi fans alike. Do yourself a favor – read Crystal Rain – it was one of the best and most overlooked releases of 2006. 8/10

Related Posts: Review of Ragamuffin, Tobias Buckell Answers Questions Five

Book Promotion and Book Buying

I saw this survey via Tobias Buckell’s blog (which has some interesting commentary on it). Basically, about 400 people responded to a poll about what has influenced book buying in the past – they were asked to select all that apply from a long list. These are the summarized results on what promotional tools led to the purchase of a book.

1. Previous familiarity with author’s work – 98% (it’s cutoff, so I tried to back calculate it)
2. Recommendation of a friend – 90.6%
3. Reading about the book on another person’s blog or website – 80.3%
4. Reading about book on author’s blog or website – 64.2%
5. Reading first chapter of book online or in store – 63.2%
6. Cover Art – 62.9%
7. Cover or flap blurbs (promotional quotes) – 57.7%
8. Published (print or electronic) book review – 56.4%
9. Attending a reading or signing event with author (including conventions) – 53.5%
10. Bookseller or librarian recommendation – 42.6%
11. Other – 8.1%
12. Contest sponsored by author or publisher – 7.6%
13. Receiving promotional email from author – 5.7%
14. Receiving postcard in mail from author – 3.9%
15. Receiving toys or other promotional gimmicks from author – 2.9%

I find this all very interesting on multiple levels – partly because I’ve speculated on the actual influence of cover art in the on-line world (at least how I feel about it) and mostly out of general curiosity as an avid reader. Of course since I am a blogger and fan reviewer I’m also very curious to see what kind influence someone like me has.

Of course the study is very unscientific and highly biased towards on-line and blog answers – after all it was a survey on the blog. Also I think that it may underrepresent the actual impact of some these. What happens when that one person who bought the book because a promotional gimmick writes a review of it on their blog, talks it up on various message boards, and highly recommends it to friends and family? There is some quality factor in there. Also, message boards and social networking sites aren’t really covered – perhaps they fall under the ‘friend recommendation’?

So, where do I fall in this mix – am I a published review provider (number 8), or a simple blogger (number 3)? I’m merely curious as I don’t feel it matters – bias aside, the importance of the internet, and blogs in particular, is striking (and good news for someone like me).

Thoughts?

Cover Art – Are Publishers Finally Getting It?

I’ve ranted about it before, most message boards have discussed, and people like Lou Anders have posted about it often – cover art. I read this great essay on cover art (via Tobias Buckell, but have seen it mentioned a couple of times elsewhere). In general, it seems that the publishers of SFF have finally realized that we aren’t all teenagers or 45-year old males living in a basement and playing with action figures. Just as many SFF readers appear ‘normal’ as ‘geeky’ and our aesthetic tastes range widely. I like the direction most cover art is going right now, but there is still progress to be made.

I’ll just give a bit of insight into my tastes before signing off.

The Good




The Bad

And The Ugly
(Not really different from the bad, but it felt incomplete without the ugly.)

In Defense of Escapism

Ahh…here is another one of those great internet discussions, spilling over from message boards to blogs about an issue that’s been discussed to death. This time it seems to have started with M. John Harrison posting this about the sin of worldbuilding, it was followed up with some message board discussion at wotmania and ASOIF. Then Larry/Dylanfanatic/Freebird posted this blog, Pat at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist followed up with this entry with Gabe Chouinard responding here. And several others have weighed in as well.

Fine, I’ve said what I have to say about worldbuilding elsewhere, so this is not really a direct response to any of that above, just an extension of my reaction to that discussion.

For whatever reason, admitting that you read for any sort of escapism is akin to admitting you like country music, Nascar, Natural Lite beer, live in a trailer, etc. You are immediately regulated to being less intelligent of a reader and just not getting it. Suddenly, you are less than respectful.

Well, I read for escapism – it may be the biggest reason why I enjoy reading as much as I do. It’s almost certainly the biggest reason why such a large proportion of my reading is in speculative fiction.

Let’s face it – reality sucks a lot of the time. I spend 9, 10, sometimes 12+ hours, 5 days a week working. I like my job, but I won’t pretend that I’d keep working if I won the lottery. Beyond that, it’s hard not to take a cynical view of the world today – there’s terrorism, unnecessary war, an idiot running the most powerful country in the world, religious extremism, global warming, etc. If I allow it to sink in it’s hard to not get angry, depressed, and unhopeful. Then, when I get home it’s time to various chores and projects, and of course there are family relationships to deal with.

So when I get some free time I absolutely want to escape this reality and fully immerse myself in some alternate world. I don’t need much; I just crave something that is different from my perspective, something that might require a suspension of belief. Speculative fiction of all sorts is where I most often turn to for this. This is what I enjoy; this is my hobby.

Am I looking for cliché, epic fantasy that is pure escapism – usually not, but sometimes I am. I do enjoy books that contain depth – that are thematic, metaphorical, political, great statements on the human condition, etc. I also enjoy books that are just plain fun, while not being particularly deep. And yes, in almost all cases, escapism is still the biggest driving force behind my enjoyment of reading. Loosing myself in the story, the world, or the language – yes this is an escape.

For whatever reason, it’s assumed that if you read for escapism, you must be reading some 10-book series of epic fantasy, something that is poorly written, easy for others to dismiss. I don’t get this – I can escape just as easily into something by Jeff VanderMeer, Haruki Murakami, Graham Joyce, or Hal Duncan. Escapism equating to bad writing is fallacy.

Perhaps the issue starts in the way people define escapism differently from one another. Maybe people deny things in themselves and others. Maybe people are just different.

People read for lots of reasons. Denying that escapism is one of the biggest is a mistake – it should be embraced. Looking down on anyone for their own reasons for reading is horribly short-sighted. Look, if escapism is an evil word to you – fine, just don’t tell me how wrong I am for embracing it. I can accept that you read for reasons different than my own; can you do the same?

Edit: Gabe adds another post and Tobias Buckell jumps in (thanks for the link).

Edit 2: Dylanfantic/Larry/Freebird reflects some more - some interesting ideas to think on, but ultimately I'm not sure he 'gets' it.

Edit 3: I think I'll stop adding edits after this, but there is some great discussion on this happening at The Lotus Lyceum. Deep Genre offers something tangental to the issue, and The Lotus Lyceum discusses that also.