|
Articles
from Issue 177.
August 2008. 
July
2008 circulation was: 799,983 readers,
who read 3.73 million articles, generating
48.1 million hits.
|
 Doctor
Wow!
02/08/2008. An
appraisal of the fourth season of Doctor
Who by GF Willmetts. How, asks Geoff, to
write a review of season four of Doctor
Who without spoiling it for everyone who
hasn't seen it across the world?
 Robots
and Slaves
02/08/2008. Our
science fiction reading group is discussing
a shorter work this month, says Mark. It
is Jack Williamson's novelette With Folded
Hands, which appeared first in Astounding
Stories in 1947. In the story a man who
sells in mechanicals - basically robots
- finds his business dying when new superior
robots come along to compete. The new robots,
streamlined black humanoids - are in every
way superior to the robots he had been selling.
But the new robots have more than superior
technology; they have an ideology.
 Bugbears
Of The Grammatical Kind
02/08/2008. We
all have bugbears, says Uncle Geoff. Things
that crawl under your skin and nag at you
to say something when something is clearly
wrong. They can range from simple to complex
things and you often wonder why they don't
bother other people or if they do why aren't
there more complaints. One of his tends
to be grammar and punctuation, an occupational
hazard mostly because I deal with it all
the time.
 Rolling
some thunder with John Varley
02/08/2008. SFF
author John Varley talks to Shaun Duke about
how writing science fiction is all he knows
how to do, why the core of SF is concepts
that you get by reading in science and other
SF stories, and how all John's ideas just
come out of the blue.
 Cheap
pleasures and cheaper thrills... and Jane
Austen
02/08/2008. Science
fiction in particular, says SF author L.E.
Modesitt, has tended to mix a combination
of elements - a sense of transition from
where we've been as a society, a commentary
on the present, and an extrapolation depicting
one of any number of possible futures. Given
the current popularity and market place
domination of the F&SF genres by fantasy,
it's often hard, especially for new readers,
to realize that for almost a century, science
fiction was certainly far more prevalent
and dominant than fantasy.
 A
PostScripts with Pete Crowther
02/08/2008. SFcrowsnest
book reviewer Gareth D Jones sits down with
editor Pete Crowther and chats about his
genre magazine, PostScripts, about why Pete
looks for writers and stories that can create
a sense of wonder and awe, and why the science
fiction and fantasy scene needs more magazines
and not fewer.
 WALL-E
- Mark's take
02/08/2008. Pixar
Animation is known for making good kids'
films that even adults can enjoy. But now
they really have crossed over the line to
make an adult science fiction film that
even kids can enjoy, says our Mark. WALL-E
is a light fun scifi comedy set against
a very grim background.
 Hellboy
II: The Golden Army - Mark's take
02/08/2008. Guillermo
del Toro makes great horror films like Cronos
and Pan's Labyrinth, says Mark. His graphic
novel films are just not his best work.
Hellboy II's visual images are spectacular
and the film is full of fights and action,
but there is only a bit of plot and that
involves an epic fantasy premise that would
have taken multiple films to do well. The
characters are flat and the film has no
centre. This is a film to watch, but there
is not much to think about. The conclusion
holds no surprises.
 Journey
To The Center Of The Earth 3D: Mark's take
02/08/2008. Fun
as a thrill ride, says Mark, but surprisingly
poor as film, this is a story of three modern
reluctant explorers who find out that the
center of the Earth is just as Jules Verne
described it with a lot of fast theme-park-like
rides. It has even less logic than Verne
gave it. Rent the 1959 version.
 The
Dark Knight (Mark's take)
02/08/2008. In
a year in which one film after another is
based on comic books this, says Mark, is
a super-hero film whose depth is like no
other. It plays with the whole philosophy
of the superhero and the whole nature of
superhero battles. It manages to bring together
an action film and a thought piece.
 Geek
Confidential with Rick Klaw
02/08/2008. Author
Rick Klaw talks to Matt Staggs about why
geek isn't a dirty word and there is nothing
wrong with it, his novel Geek Confidential:
Echoes from the 21st Century, and why, for
years, Rick refused to discuss his grandfather
with anyone.
 Warrior
and Witch: Marie Brennan interviewed
02/08/2008. Fantasy
writer Marie Brennan talks to the Fantasy
Book Critic about her Warrior/Witch duology,
writing a historical fantasy novel set in
the Elizabethan Age, the joys of faerie
fiction, and why she's tinkering with some
YA experiments.
 Avoiding
real and fantasy taxes
02/08/2008. While
I may not be the only writer to do so, I'm
certainly one of the very few to present
the taxation problem from the viewpoint
of a ruler in a fantasy novel. For those
interested, the character is Creslin, in
The Towers of the Sunset. The entire issue
of taxation, both in fantasy worlds and
in real worlds, seems to be stereotyped
in terms of "taxes are bad for the poor
and too low for the rich."
 The
Stross Formula
02/08/2008. Another
in Jonathan McCalmont's series of genre
and mainstream criticism essays. This
piece began as a review of Saturn’s Children
(2008), but as I began to write, I came
to realise that many of the things I did
not like about the book were not flaws in
the individual text but actual patterns,
present in many of Stross’ works that have
started to grate upon me due to their repetition.
Therefore, rather than simply write a review
and claim that Saturn’s Children feels overly
familiar, I thought it better to write about
what I think is an increasingly formulaic
writing style that has come not only to
characterise Charlie Stross’ work, but also
to confine it within a state of arrested
development.
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Book,
Comic, Magazine & DVD Reviews
from Issue 177.
August 2008.
|
 20th
Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
02/08/2008. pub:
Gollancz. 389 page hardback. Price: £14.99
(UK only). ISBN: 978-0-575-07007-3).
 Airwolf
Season Three DVD boxset
02/08/2008. Region
2 DVD: pub: Universal 824 948 3. 6 DVDs
16 hours 50 minutes 22 episodes with no
extras. Price: £15.98 (UK) if you know where
to look). stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Ernest
Borgnine, Jean Bruce Scott and Alex Cord.
 All-Star
Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder Volume 1
by Frank Miller, Jim Lee and Scott Williams
02/08/2008. pub:
Titan Books/DC Comics. 240 page illustrated
hardback. Price: £16.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84576-291-9).
 Alter-Ego
# 78 - June 2008
02/08/2008. pub:
TwoMorrows. 100 page quarto magazine. Price:
$ 6.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6890).
 Beautiful
Death (Mythomorphoses book 1) by Joely Sue
Burkhart
02/08/2008. pub:
Drollerie Press. 281 page E-book. Price:
$ 6.95 (US). ISBN: 978-0-9798081-9-7. Available
through: Drollerie Press, All Romance E-Books,
and BooksOnBoard .
 City
At The End Of Time by Greg Bear
02/08/2008. pub:
Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 476 page hardback.
Price: $27.00 (US), $32.00 (CAN). ISBN:
978-0-345-44839-2(pub: Gollancz. 550 page
enlarged paperback. Price: £12.99. ISBN:
978-0-575-08189-5.
 Concept
SciFi # 1
02/08/2008. pub:
ConceptSciFi. 53 page FREE pdf file.
 Darkest
Days by Stanley Gallon
02/08/2008. pub:
Pan MacMillan. 516 page paperback. £ 6.99
(UK). ISBN: 978-0-230-015990-9).
 Dead
Sexy (# 2) by Tate Hallaway
02/08/2008. pub:
Headline. 309 page enlarged paperback. Price:
£ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-07553-3657-9).
 Different
editions August 2008
02/08/2008. Books
we've reviewed with different prices, sizes
and even countries. Use our search engine
to see the original reviews.
 Doctor
Who: Assassin In The Limelight by Robert
Ross
02/08/2008. CD.
pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-317-0.
120 minute CD. Price: £14.99 (UK). Non UK
£11.50), read by Colin Baker, Maggie Stables,
Leslie Philips, Lysette Anthony, Eric Loren,
Madeleine Potter, Alan Marriott, Paul Dubois
and Mikey O'Connor.
 Doctor
Who: Grand Theft Cosmos by Eddie Robson
02/08/2008. CD.
pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-306-4.
60 minute CD. Price: £10.99 (UK). Non UK
£11.50). cast: Paul McGann, Sheridan Smith,
Michael Maloney, Christiger Benjamin, Colin
Spaull, Sebastian Armesto, Katarina Olsson
and Louise Fullerton.
 Doctor
Who: The Death Collectors by Stewart Sheargold
02/08/2008. CD.
pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-318-7.
120 minute CD. Price: £14.99 (UK). Non UK
£11.50)cast: Sylvester McCoy, Alastair Cording,
Katherine Parkinson, Derek Carlyle and Katarina
Olsson.
 Doctor
Who: The Zygon Who Fell To Earth by Paul
Magrs
02/08/2008. CD.
pub: Big Finish ISBN: 978-1-84435-309-5.
60 minute CD. Price: £10.99 (UK))cast: Paul
McGann, Sheridan Smith, Steven Pacey, Malcolm
Stoddard, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Lynsey Hardwick,
Katarina Olsson and Barnaby Edwards.
 Elephants
On Acid And Other Bizarre Experiments by
Alex Boese
02/08/2008. pub:
Boxtree/Pan MacMillan. 283 page enlarged
paperback. £10.00 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-7522-2674-3).
 Fantastic
Four - The Extended Edition
02/08/2008. Region
2 DVD: 20th Century Fox 3621101000. 120
minute film with extras. Price: £ 3.00 (UK)
when I found it in a supermarket). stars:
Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Jessica
Alba, Chris Evans and Julian McMahon.
 FutureWorld:
Where Science Fiction Becomes Science by
Professor Mark L. Brake and Reverend Neil
Hook
02/08/2008. pub:
Boxtree/PanMacmillan. 122 page illustrated
with index small softcover. Price: £ 9.99
(UK). ISBN: 978-0-75222-672-9.
Haadri:
Prime Contact by Joules Taylor
02/08/2008. pub:
Heartsown. 448 page enlarged paperback.
Price: £12.95 & P&P (UK). ISBN: 978-1-869817-54-1).
 Interzone
# 217 -
02/08/2008. bi-monthly
magazine: UK publisher/editor address: Andy
Cox, TTA Press, 5 Martins Lane, Witcham,
Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2LB. Price: £ 3.75
(UK) $ 7.00(US). ISSN: 0264-3596).
 Jupiter
# 21: SF MagazineJanuary 2008 aka Jupiter
4 XXI: Chaldene
02/08/2008. pub:
Ian Redman, 19 Bedford Road, Yeovil, Somerset
BA21 5UG, UK. 56 A5 magazine. ISSN: 1740-2069.
Price: £ 2.75 plus postage (UK)).
 Last
Argument Of Kings (The First Law: Book Three)
by Joe Abercrombie
02/08/2008. pub:
Gollancz. 666 page enlarged paperback. Price:
£12.99 (UK only). ISBN: 978-0-575-07790-4).
 Match
To Flame: The Fictional Paths To Fahrenheit-451
by Ray Bradbury
02/08/2008. pub:
Gauntlet Press, 5307 Arroyo St. Colorado
Springs, CO 80922, USA. 484 page hardback.
Price: $110.00 (US). ISBN: 1-887368-86-8).
 Radio
Command Dalek
02/08/2008. pub:
Product Enterprise Limited. RRP £19.99 (UK)).
 Reading
Comics And What They Mean by Douglas Wolk
02/08/2008. pub:
Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group. 405 page
illustrated with index enlarged paperback.
Price: $ 9.99 (UK), $16.95 (US), $18.50
(CAN). ISBN: 978-0-306-81616-1).
 Shades
Of Dark by Linnea Sinclair
02/08/2008. pub:
Bantam Books. 410 page paperback. Price:
$ 6.99 (US), $ 8.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-553-58965-8).
 So
Far, So Near by Mat Coward
02/08/2008. pub:
Elastic Press. 212 page enlarged paperback.
Price: £ 5.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-9553181-0-8.
 Soldier
Of Sidon by Gene Wolfe
02/08/2008. pub:
TOR/Forge. 319 page hardback. Price: $24.95
(US), $33.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31664-1319
page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US),
$17.25 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1670-7.
 Spectrum
14: The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art
edited by Cathy Fenner and Arnie Fenner
02/08/2008. pub:
Underwood Books. 248 page softcover. Price:
$29.95 (US). ISBN: 978-1-59929-007-2.
 Star
Trek: The Next Generation: Death In Winter
by Michael Jan Friedman
02/08/2008. pub:
Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster. 355 page
paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK); $ 7.99 (US);
$ 9.99 (CAN). (ISBN: 978-0-7434-9722-0).
Tall,
Dark And Dead (# 1) by Tate Hallaway
02/08/2008. pub:
Headline. 280 page enlarged paperback. Price:
£ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-07553-3655-5).
 Team
Zero by Chuck Dixon, Doug Mahnke and Sandra
Hope
02/08/2008. pub:
Titan/Wildstorm. 142 page graphic novel.
Price: £11.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84576-856-0).
 The
Edge Of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass
02/08/2008. pub:
TOR/Forge. 381 page hardback. Price: $24.95
(US), $27.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1516-8.
 The
Essential Batman Encyclopedia by Robert
Greenberger
02/08/2008. pub:
Titan Books/DC Comics. 385 page illustrated
soft cover. Price: £18.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-84576-957-4).
 The
SFWA European Hall Of Fame edited by James
Morrow & Kathryn Morrow
02/08/2008. pub:
TOR/Forge. 446 page enlarged paperback.
Price: $16.95 (US), $18.95 (CAN). ISBN:
978-0-7653-1537-3).
 The
Sword Of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
02/08/2008. pub:
Orbit/Times Warner. 1191 page enlarged paperback.
Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-84149-287-6).
 The
Third Lynx by Timothy Zahn
02/08/2008. pub:
TOR/Forge. 350 page hardback. Price: $24.95
(US), $28.95 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-7653-1732-2).
 The
Twilight Zone - Rod Serling's Lost Classics
(1994)
02/08/2008. Region
2 DVD: Network 7952905. 89 minute film with
no extras. Price: £ 7.99 (UK).
 The
Voyage Of The Space Beagle by A.E. Van Vogt
02/08/2008. pub:
TOR/Forge. 215 page enlarged paperback.
Price: $14.95 (US), $16.95 (CAN). ISBN:
978-0-7653-2077-3).
 The
Writer's Handbook 2009: 22nd edition edited
by Barry Turner
02/08/2008. pub:
Palgrave Macmillan. 790 page indexed enlarged
paperback. Price: £14.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-230-57323-9).
 The
Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
02/08/2008. pub:
Duckworth. 254 page enlarged paperback.
Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-7156-3318-2).
 Tigerheart
by Peter David
02/08/2008. pub:
Del Rey/Ballantine Books. 302 page hardback.
Price: $22.00 (US), $25.00 (CAN). ISBN:
978-0-345-50159-2.
 Titan
by Ben Bova
02/08/2008. audio
CD. pub: Audio Renaissance/PanMacmillan.
14 hours. 12 CDs. Price: $49.95 (US), $67.95
(CAN) ISBN: 1-59397-502-3)read by: Stephen
Hoye, Amanda Karr and Stefan Rudnicki.
 UFO
Café (1990)
02/08/2008. Region
2 DVD: Network 7952906. 91 minute film with
no extras. Price: £ 7.99 (UK), stars: Richard
Mulligan and Beau Bridges.
 Voyage
To The Bottom Of The Sea Season Three Volume
Two
02/08/2008. region
1. pub: 20th Century Fox B000TLTCTK. 3 double-sided
DVDs 660 minutes 13 * 50 minute colour episodes
plus extras. Price: $29.98 (US), stars:
Richard Basehart and David Hedison.
 Warrior
Wisewoman edited by Roby James
02/08/2008. pub:
Norilana Books. 271 page enlarged paperback.
$10.95 (US). ISBN: 9-781934169-89-6.
|
Art by Gavin Mundy: Red Spaceship
Daily
News Updates
These aren't the reviews you're looking for. Move along.
An incredibly negative review of the new animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie on genre entertainment web site Ain't It Cool News has reputedly been taken down. Ain't It Cool News contributor Moriarty is said to have posted news on his own site that the review was killed after pressure from Lucasfilm. If this is true, it's a bad day for the freedom of the science fiction press, and it sadly confirms the apathy we've felt ourselves at SFcrowsnest about this latest attempt to pump some extra medicloreans into the decaying bloated scifi corpse that is Star Wars.
Twilight
Online trailer for a new dark fantasy/horror horror movie called Twilight. This the one based on the YA vampire novel written by US author Stephenie Meyer.
Heroes season 3: Villains
An online trailer for the third series of Heroes. The company sees a mass-breakout of super-evil types from their notorious Level 5 facility. Guess who's left to do the clear-up?
Going La-la for Batman
La-La Land Records are inviting you to meet and get your CDs autographed in Burbank by the composers of the music scores from the Teen Titans and Batman DC/Warner animated series.
Forbidden Planet gets middle-aged
On Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September 2008, Forbidden Planet science fiction stores around the UK will be throwing birthday parties as part of their 30th Anniversary celebrations. You're invited, trooper.
Alt.Fiction expands to a weekend festival
Derby City Council today announced significant changes to its Alt.Fiction festival of fantasy and science fiction literature for 2009, growing to a weekend-long deal and adding movies too, at the city's brand new centre for art and film.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union does well at Hugos
The 2008 Hugo Awards for the best science fiction writing were given out at the world SF con, Denvention, on Saturday August 9th 2008. The Yiddish Policemen's Union won best novel.
The Painted Man
Peter Brett will be signing copies of his new horror novel The Painted Man at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday 4th September 2008 between 6-7pm.
Fringe comes to UK
Sky1 will be showing Warner's Fringe - the TV series not about a bad haircut - but the new sci-fi offering from JJ Abrams and his team behind the upcoming Star Trek movie, as well as Lost and Alias.
The Battlestar that wouldn't die
The SCIFI Channel has told us about an all-new Battlestar Galactica TV movie, set to air in 2009 following the conclusion of the last TV series and then released on DVD by Universal Studios. It will be directed by Edward 'Adama' James Olmos and written by Battlestar Galactica's Jane Espenson.
Sky1 to show Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica
Sky1 is to show Caprica in the UK, NBC's prequel to Battlestar Galactica.
Alt.Fiction goes residential
The Alt.Fiction literary festival is holding a horror writing weekend over November 7th-9th 2008, at the Dove Valley Centre, outside Buxton.
Hood homicide?
Jonas Armstrong, the actor who plays Robin Hood on the BBC TV prog. of the same name, is set to bow out of the third series on BBC One in the series finale. Shades of Michael Praed leaving for Dynasty, methinks.
Transmissions From Beyond
News reaches us of Transmissions From Beyond, a new biweekly podcast of science fiction stories from the pages of the TTA Press genre magazines stable.
Darkfever
US scifi publisher Bantam Dell has launched their audiobook podcast of fantasy author Karen Marie Moning's Darkfever. This is the first project between Bantam Dell and one of its authors to release the full version of a book for free as a podcast.
No flowers for Morgan Freeman
Looks like the Curse of the Joker has narrowly missed actor Morgan Freeman. One of Morgan Freeman's staff tells SFcrowsnest he'll be okay after his recent car accident and says you can send him well wishes - but no flowers or gifts, please.
The Turing Test
Andrew Hook of British small press genre publisher the Electric Press writes in to tell us that the launch of author Gareth L Powell's novel The Last Reef, and Chris Beckett's novel The Turing Test, will take place in London on Saturday 9th August 2008 (that's this coming Saturday) from 2-4pm at the Citte of York pub, 22 High Holborn, London.
BioHell
Ghost in the Machine podcast, hosted by fantasy author Gail Z. Martin, will be welcoming science fiction authors Andy Remic (War Machine, BioHell) August 1st-14th 2008 and gaming author Mike Lee, August 15th - 31st 2008.
Ticonderoga supporting Paul
Ticonderoga Publications is joining in the effort to raise funds for Australian science fiction fan Paul Haines.
Monsters versus Aliens trailer
Online trailer for the animated film Monsters versus Aliens.
Saving the world, one blog at a time
The US cable science fiction player, SCI-FI Channel, has just opened the doors to its new blog, howyoucansavetheworld.com. Their blog features ideas from top visionaries, innovators, and scientists providing new viewpoints to help overcome society's challenges... famine, global warming, energy poverty, war etc. No biggie then, sorted by tomorrow.
When publishing worlds collide
The science fiction and fantasy small press community are intensely worried about the implications of Amazon buying second-hand book retailer ABEBooks.
Scifi law suit end - Lucasfilm crushes stormtrooper helmet man
The English High Court has found that poor old British firm Shepperton Design Studios and its unlucky principal, Andrew Ainsworth, violated the US copyright of Lucasfilm by making Star Wars stormtrooper helmets and other science fiction costume replicas from the Lucas's movies.
All change on the board of the ASFA
Some interesting news - from a UK point of view - is that British space artist David Hardy is now the new Vice President of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists - the first time this role has been taken by a European or a Brit. The old board is still up on the ASFA site, but their new President is Elisabeth Humphrey, and the Secretary is Jannie Shea.
There's water on them thar' planets
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has identified water in a soil sample. The lander's robotic arm delivered the sample to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by heating samples. Water, water, everywhere, but nary a drop a drink.
Saturn's lovely lakes
NASA's white coats have decided that at least one of the massive lakes observed on Saturn's moon Titan contains liquid hydrocarbons, and have also identified the presence of ethane. This makes Titan the only body in our solar system beyond Earth known to have liquid on its surface ... the lakes of Saturn!
Run SMOFCon, run
San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions are to offer a scholarship of $500 to help convention runners in training to attend the SMOFCon convention-runners convention in Columbus OH this year (held the weekend of December 5th-7th 2008).
A hobbit's sword and Hellboy's gun
A lethal selection of fantasy and science fiction weaponry and armour is to go on display at the UK's Leeds Armoury Museum. It's part of a new show called Arms And Armour From The Movies – The Wonderful World Of Weta exhibition.
Acacia the movie
David Anthony Durham's excellent fantasy novel from Doubleday, Acacia: The War With the Mein, is heading for fantasy movie land after striking a deal with film company Relativity Media.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer
Online trailer for some strange new fantasy movie about a boy wizard or something. I really don't think this one is going to catch on.
The Princess and the Frog trailer
Disney don't make animations like this any more. And, some would say, with good reason. Where's the blood and the Matrix-style combat visuals? Blahhh.
Social networking for the scifi crowd
There's a new social network just been set-up solely to cater for science fiction and fantasy fans - it looks something like the mutant alien cross-breeding of FaceBook, MySpace and Bebo - and its name is HiveMind. How can you not resist becoming a member?
Call me Suvudu
Random House has put together a new blog for all its science fiction publishing units - including Del Rey Spectra Pulse, Bantam Spectra etc.
Tron 2
Here's the footage that was shown at Comic Con of the second Tron film. Cyberspace, now there was an 80s thang. Maybe we should all start wearing neon glowing uniforms at the Nest when we surf the web.
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