We posted the "A Kiss From Tokyo", Theatrical Trailer (1964)a little while ago on LateMag. The trailer directed by Stephane Coedel was created to tie in with artist Kevin Darts new book "Seductive Espionage: The World of Yuki 7".
The ever marvelous NOTCOT got their hands on a copy of teh book and it's well worth jumping over there for a look.
The story begins in Wolf Brother, set 6000 years ago in Northern Europe. The book makes a striking start with savage killing of Torak’s father by a bear possessed with a demon. Having been separated from the clans for most of his life, Torak is left to fend for himself in the forest. When he comes across an orphaned wolf cub Torak’s first reaction is to slay it for food. However Torak can’t bring himself to kill the cub and instead they form an unlikely companionship and together they travel north. They are intercepted by a hostile clan who imprison Torak. His future looks bleak until Renn, a girl of his own age in the clan, prophecies that Torak is ‘The Listener’, destined to defeat the possessed Bear that has been terrorizing the forest. Together with Wolf, Torak sets out on a journey to find the three components of the magical Nanuak which he must deliver to the Mountain of the World Spirit in order to save the forest.
In Spirit Walker the story continues. Although the Bear has gone, danger is still imminent as whoever made the Bear is still at large and is now devastating the clans with a dreadful and deathly sickness. Nobody knows of a cure and only Torak can track down the culprits – the Soul Eaters. Tracked by a mysterious and menacing Follower, Torak journeys across the sea to the island of the Seal Clan. After many near death misses Torak faces a treacherous nemesis and uncovers a truth that will change his life forever.
Spirit Walker is definitely the better half in this pair. That not to say Wolf Brother is without merit but the plot in Spirit Walker is more complex and finishes with unexpected twist that makes it appear the more competent of the two. In both novels you can tell that Paver did her research. From the way the clans think and behave to the tools and methods they use to survive, everything is authentic. The vivid descriptions enable you to picture the earth as it was 6000 years ago. Perhaps the most endearing element in both is the narrative through Wolf’s eyes. Wolf refers to Torak as Tall Tailless, the sea is the Big Wet and the “Hot Bright Eye in the Up” refers to the sun in sky. The story is told from three perspectives Torak’s, Wolf’s and Renn’s but for me it is Wolf’s part that lifts the story.
Where as a lot of fantasy can be a pure adult/kid hybrid Wolf Brother/Spirit Walker definitely tends more towards children’s fiction, probably due to the smaller size of the books as well as the style of narrative. In fact unlike many others I do not think there is an adult version with a more “grown up” cover available. That being said it is enjoyable whatever your age. I mean I enjoyed it and I’m in the latter half of my twenties. Hmmm…I won’t worry what says about my intellect. In seriousness though providing you are happy to sit on the train without the “adult version” cover to hide behind Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker are substantial and unique enough to be enjoyed by all ages.
Buy it Amazon.co.uk Wolf Brother | Spirit Walker
Buy it Amazon.com Wolf Brother | Spirit Walker
As you may have gathered by the above, I personally find the Earthsea Quartet highly overrated. To quote one of my trusty Amazon buddies; “an amazing fantasy that combines breath-taking detail” this is not. In fact The Earthsea Quartet is the literary equivalent of golf; relatively pointless with small spurts of action in-between long intervals and ultimately full of holes.
Earthsea is a world made up of an archipelago of uncountable islands where a beings true name, be it person or dragon, is their power. The throne in the capital of Havnor has been empty for hundreds of years and disorder is slowing eating away at society. Wizards and sorcerers hold the only power in the lands but they cannot rule the people of the sprawling islands without a leader at their helm, especially as dark powers seek to overturn the ancient ways and old language for their own personal aims of eternal life.
The first 3 books in the quartet; A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore were written in the 1970’s with the final book Tehanu a follow-on published in 1990. The time gap is noticeable in the sense that Le Guin’s focus as an author seems to have changed in the last novel (not to mention the typeface change that bizarrely is adopted in the printed text). The first 3 explore schismatic themes around intrapersonal conflict between good and evil and faith versus power, whilst still deep rooted in the fantasy genre. The 4th shifts into feminism territory with the mention of a dragon thrown in, on perhaps no more than 4 or 5 pages, to maintain a feeble link.
The quartet feels disparate in many other ways too. Despite the sleeve informing you that all four books follow the story of Ged from boyhood as an apprentice wizard to adulthood as the one of the greatest wizards and Archmage of Earthsea, this should be taken in the loosest possible sense. Ged features strongly in the 1st book and equally shares with another character the 3rd, but the 2nd and 4th books are entirely dominated by Tenar, priestess of the tombs of Atuan. Ged’s character is almost unrecognisable from book to book, from his persona to his manner of speaking. Because the books do not follow on immediately from each other, but more conclude at the end, the gap between each tale is around a 15 year span and does not allow us to see how Ged’s character develops but more we are told that it has. This is generally a classic flaw in Le Guin’s ‘masterpiece’; there is far more ‘tell’ than 'show'. For example, we are told of all the great things that Ged has done to become Archmage but are only shown a hint of them in each book. This leaves the reader wondering what all the fuss is about regarding this supposedly great wizard. In conjunction with this, Le Guin concentrates so hard on Ged’s human flaws and physical weaknesses we forget that he is anything more than a wandering nomad suffering from a personality transplant from novel to novel.
Ged is not the only character to suffer. From book to book we are introduced to characters that are never fully explored or developed by the conclusive chapters of that instalment and then are not brought up again throughout the quartet. Whilst Ged may be the obvious protagonist there is noticeably a lack of antagonists, and those that are wrought are mentioned at such flickering intervals we know barely anything about them, their origins or their motives.
Action in the quartet is few and far between and when it does happen Le Guin glosses over details in such a vague and rushed way that it suggests she simply didn’t know how to write it or couldn’t fully develop the ideas, not that it was purposely done to leave the reader guessing. This seems a little under accomplished seeing as there are no complicated sub plots that need weaving together. The lack of action would be fully acceptable if the focus lay more in character and interpersonal evolvement, but considering this is also weak, the story does not have any concrete underlying themes or foundations to fully support it.
There are many examples where Le Guin, like may other fantasy authors, tries to deliver profound messages but subsequently writes words around those shallow golf holes, ultimately managing to say nothing of substance.
The archipelago itself contains some interesting ideas, notably the Children of the Open Sea, a sea dwelling community that meanders the ocean on a town of rafts, though most notions are not explored enough. The nature of an archipelago also lends itself to one of the most confusing maps ever to grace the fore pages of a fantasy novel. You are constantly referring back to it to find mentioned places and often having to resign yourself to the fact that they simply aren’t marked on the map.
Despite all my criticisms The Earthsea Quartet is still readable. There are definitely areas that grab your attention, though disappoint in the way they don’t follow through. If you have nothing better at hand then give it a go but it certainly won’t be making it onto my favourites list.
Buy it from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Having spent the past few years working my way through the standard fantasy offering in fiction, you know the type; elves, dwarves and societies not dissimilar to Earths middle ages, I felt it was time for a change. Now don’t be alarmed, I didn’t mindlessly wander into the Chick Lit or Richard and Judy’s Recommended section of Waterstones; hell my obsession with other worldly make believe wouldn’t let me. I still faithfully stuck with my favourite genre but thought I would widen my tastes a little. Traditionally I would reach for the novel that took me as far away from my mundane life as possible, discovering the wonders and mysteries of imaginary worlds without a single mention or link to reality. However after a while the standard formula began to get a little repetitive, leading me to discover Charles De Lint’s ‘Moonheart’; his twist on Native American and Celtic folklore, the Faerie Otherworld and Ottawa, Canada.
Sara Kendall and her uncle James Tamson live in Tamson House, a labyrinthine residence that covers 4 acres of downtown Ottawa, built by James’ grandfather at the turn of the century. The house is like a drop in centre for travellers, with many of the sprawling rooms housing a whole array of passing characters over the years from artists and poets to tattooed bikers. Currently living in the house with Sara and Jamie are Fred, the gardener, Sam, an author and Blue, the Biker and Blue’s girlfriend Sally. Their adventures begin when Sara uncovers a strange painting of a Celtic bard and an Indian Chief, and a bag of bone discs in the backroom of their antique shop.
Keiran Foy is the apprentice of the elusive Thomas Hengwr in the mysterious Way, a teaching that strives for internal silence and harmony with the surrounding world, a side effect being paranormal powers. When Thomas Hengwr goes missing, Keiran follows his trail to Ottawa where he soon discovers the local RCMP are hot on their trail, wanting to question the pair as part of their paranormal research operation.
When Jamie takes one of Sara’s strange bone discs to the museum to have its use identified, their troubles really begin as the bone disc turns out to be one of Thomas Hengwr’s weirden stones and the police are informed. They soon discover that being wanted in connection with a renegade wizard by the RCMP are the least of their worries as they find themselves transported into Thomas Hengwr’s Otherworld, through the portal that is Tamson House.
The Otherworld is inhabited by ancient magic, ageless bards and many other beings of native American and Celtic folklore. The residents of Tamson house, along with Keiran Foy and Inspector Tucker must collaborate with the Otherworld’s inhabitants, not only to find a way home but to also stop the evil Mal’ek’a that threatens to suffocate their world and our own. Unfortunately though the only person who can help them, Thomas Hengwr, lies in a coma in the bedroom.
Moonheart is original, fast paced and straddles many different fictional facets seamlessly. In essence this is a fantasy novel but the juxtaposition of Ottawa, the Otherworld and the RCMP investigation make ‘Moonheart’ a creative mix of fantasy, fiction, crime, folklore and romance all rolled into one. The characters of our world are refreshingly multi-dimensional, much like the plot and veer away from the cliché, especially Blue the Biker, a tattooed hell’s angel with a penchant for watercolour painting. That said, the breadth of characters is vast and some like Keiran’s friend Jean-Paul are somewhat redundant. This isn’t helped by the unpronounceable names of the native American mythical beings, and whilst authentic, endless characters with names broken by random apostrophes such as Tep’fyl’in and Ha’kan’ta can lead to confusion.
The overall story weaves itself in unexpected threads, leaving the reader baffled as to what is going to happen next, though this may be more due to the unfamiliar folklore and cultures rather than any intricate plot. However no one can fault De Lint’s research and knowledge in this archaic sphere. Those more accustom to native American mythology and Celtic folklore may not find such an air of mystery or originality in the tale as those that don’t, though the twists in character development and unexpected dispositions should keep even the most informed reader eager to turn the page.
The book is not without it’s faults (please can someone explain to me how Madison and his troops were able to enter Tamson House, see debris of the fight with the Tragg’a and then leave again back into Ottawa when none of the others can?), but it is nonetheless an exciting and innovative read.
tags: fantasy
At the turn off the twentieth century London is a city at the dawn of a new technological era. Glistening airships emerge from the relentless fog to soar the skies and shiny clockwork automatons carry out menial tasks for those lucky enough to afford their servitude. Testament to the genius of the minds in hidden laboratories, Queen Victoria still reigns, her life dependant on mechanical, medical contraptions. Yet below the dazzlingly wealth of industrialisation lies a scarred underbelly of sinister shenanigans, with disease and poverty scourging the lower denominations of London’s populace. With revenants roaming the slums of Whitechapel, the streets of Victorian London are a place only ventured by the brave or insane after dark.
A string of grisly murders reportedly perpetrated by ethereal glowing policemen already have Scotland Yard trying to deduce fact from fiction but when an Airship carrying foreign royalty crashes with no survivors, Sir Maurice Newbury, secret investigator to the Crown, is called upon to investigate. With new assistant Veronica Hobbes in tow, Newbury sets out on a mission of gentlemanly heroics to solve two mysteries with one laudanum fuelled chase.
The Affinity Bridge is your typical Steampunk concoction of rewritten history and bubbling imagination. Our protagonist Newbury cuts a dashing figure as a quintessential example of Victorian chivalry mixed with foppish vices and is an instantly likeable character. Perhaps this is also due to his forward thinking manner, defying the sexism of the age by appointing the young, yet sharp witted, Veronica Hobbes as his partner in crime busting investigation. The developing chemistry between the pair, whilst never realised, adds to the characterisation and also opens up further storylines, for The Affinity Bridge is the first volume of the Newbury of Hobbes Investigations series by author George Mann.
In terms of genre, we are strictly talking Steampunk but with an added sprinkling of murder mystery. However, despite being a fluid and satisfying read, I couldn’t help but feel the story fell a little short when compared to exemplary examples of either genre. In terms of Steam Punk fare, the setting certainly harbours all the archetypal characteristics of the genre, yet those accustom to the plotting prowess of the likes of Tim Powers may yearn for more. The Murder Mystery element, whilst certainly adding another dimension, lacks some of the “who-dunnit” thrill associated with the twists and turns common to the expected. Despite some added sub plots, these never really lead the reader into a false sense of deduction and by the end of book seem a little inconsequential. However for those that like the loose ends all tied up, Mann certainly doesn’t disappoint, though some may find this an unnecessary addition to the last couple of chapters.
That said, The Affinity Bridge, is still a thoroughly enjoyable read due to the authors skill in narration, characterisation and depictions. The dialogue is not only perfect for the era but adds wit and personality to the characters, with Newbury’s vices humanising his almost superhero characteristics. Veronica’s institutionalised yet insightful sister Amelia provides an extra character dimension who I’m sure will play a more prolific role in future episodes of the series.
As is common with many a book you find in the Sci-fi and Fantasy sections of your local bookshop, The Affinity Bridge doesn’t sell short of social commentary either – with the notions of technology replacing the human workforce, the elite abusing technology to remain in power and survive, there are many parallels common to conspiratory (or realist, inset your own interpretation here) thinking of our own age.
Remove your preconceptions of the “textbook” genre definitions and The Affinity Bridge is a great read and I, for one, am very much looking forward to the nest instalment of Newbury & Hobbes Investigations.
tags: steampunk
Abaddon books is an exciting genre imprint dedicated to publishing the best in high-action Science-Fiction, Horror and Fantasy.
After a bit of unconventional exploration in the town’s local graveyard, Kenneth and Corrie Tyler discover that their bootlegging father wasn’t actually buried in the casket that they had paid for. Fuelled by curiosity, the siblings subsequently learn that their father wasn’t the only victim of the local undertaker, Fenton Breece as the rest of the town’s dead are also either missing, their caskets containing weighty amounts of garbage, or they have been significantly altered in death from what they had been in life. Judging by the grotesquely manipulated corpses, ranging from eunuchs to in-afterlife-only couples, laid to rest forever in some morbid display of demented perversion, the fate of the missing can only be shuddered at.
Hell bent on revenge and personal financial gain, Corrie convinces Kenneth that the photographic evidence they now have in their possession should be used to bribe the grisly undertaker for a good deal of money, instead of being handed over to the local police that have a reputation for corruptness. With Corrie convinced that the rich undertaker would manage to wriggle away from justice with only a suspended license and a quick stint in a psychiatric ward, she persuades Kenneth that they may as well get something out of it – a new life in the city.
Inevitably, Corrie’s plan backfires when Breece hires renowned maniac, Granville Sutter to retrieve the photographs for him instead of coughing up the cash. With a murdered sister to fuel his conviction, Kenneth Tyler must first outrun Sutter in a twisted game of cat and mouse through the eerie Harrikin forests, in order to reach the law-abiding law enforcement in the next town.
An old mining location, the Harrikin is rife with perils from rusted machinery in sinister states of decay to overgrown mining shafts, all long abandoned and left remaining as homage to past industrial glory. And only those who can’t move on from those lost times dwell in its depths, a sprinkling of characters detached from modern society. With only a broken shotgun for a companion, Kenneth must navigate his way through the tangled woods and encounter its unconventional inhabitants of whom some will aid him and some will hinder him as he tries to outrun and outsmart the blood-crazed Sutter.
I was shopping with a friend when I first picked up Twilight from the “New Releases” stand in Waterstones. After quickly perusing the book’s covers and discovering the authors photo, her first comment was “he looks like he’s got a good story in him”. With the hard-set, life-lined face and ragged hair of William Gay starring out at me, I couldn’t have agreed more. This fellow certainly looked like he could weave a darkly constructed tale rooted in America’s deep south with haunting sincerity. Despite not usually being one for horror or anything of a flesh desecrating nature, the copy’s promise of a Southern gothic fairytale with eccentric squatters, old men and witches, coupled with Gay’s “good storyteller” looks had me enticed.
After completing Twilight, I’ll deduce that William Gay did have a good story in him but it wasn’t quite the one I was expecting. It’s definitely southern and definitely gothic but fairytale and witches were certainly misleading descriptions, with the overall effect strictly dark humoured thriller. For me, the first half of the book is more prominent than the second, where Kenneth enters the Harrikin with Sutter hot on his trail. It was at this point I was expecting the fairytale element to kick in and an array of dazzlingly peculiar characters to explode off the pages. Though the inhabitants of the Harrikin are typically deep south and detached from modern American society I felt slightly let down by their lack of mythical qualities and major involvement in the plot. This may have been because I was expecting something more along the lines of Terry Gilliams “Tidelands” than what is fundamentally a good old scary woods chase between Tyler and Sutter. This is by no means to say the story is a disappointment on the whole though, just not what I was personally expecting – those with a preference for thrillers over folklore and the supernatural will not be disappointed.
It’s also not as gruesome as I’d thought it would be. Sure, the word painted images of Fenton Breece holding polite dinner conversation with a girl he’s stuffed and embalmed are disturbing but Gay injects just enough humour in the prose to take the edge off any revulsion that may be congealing in your stomach. Instead of portraying Breece as a sinister character, it’s only his actions that are; the man himself is rather pathetic and pitiful, removing any glamorisation and mystery so often associated with characters in this subject matter.
Whatever personal faults or let downs I found with the story itself cannot be mirrored in Gay’s writing ability. Gay is a wordsmith of the highest order and writes with such fluidity and controlled prose it is nigh on impossible to find anything to criticise. As a master of metaphor and simile, Gay’s narrative is astoundingly imaginative, almost poetic in its form, yet always accessible and not contrived.
One point of contention I have with Twilight is the formatting, or more appropriately, the lack of. Gay has a peculiar aversion to speech marks which makes it hard to distinguish between narrative and dialogue. Not only do I find this bordering on pretension but also mildly irritating. Granted you get use to it after a while but it doesn't exactly help the flow when you are constantly double taking to check if a sentence has come out of a character's mouth or the author's. Along with inverted commas, Gay also appears to have a dislike for chapters. I'd settle for chapter-less if I was at least provided with some page breaks, but alas, they also seem to be on Gay's hit list. Not as annoying as the camouflaged dialogue but unless you are particularly organised with book marks finding your place again can prove irksome.
I would recommend Twilight for Gay’s writing style alone (ignoring the formatting) but there is also plenty to be admired in the story itself. Despite being disappointed in the characters of the Harrikin, this is not to say the others are not of substance. Sutter is frighteningly convincing as the hired heavyweight with a demented and unaffected disposition and Fenton Breece is also complex in his conflicting personality traits and pastimes. Overall an original thriller, but don’t be mislead by the copy on the cover.
I, Zombie is Part of Abaddon Books, Tomes of The Dead series, which aims to showcase some of the "very best eyeball popping, gut munching, zombie fiction around".
Written by Al Ewing author of "El Sombra" and a contributor to cult UK comic 2000AD (Most famous for fascist future cop Judge Dread). I, zombie follows the exploits of John Doe, a man desperate to just fit in with the rest of us. Only its not quite as easy as John would like, what with his deathly cold skin, lack of heartbeat and a rather disturbing hunger for ... brains.
At the start of the novel we find John working as a London based hit-man for hire. His past is hazy as he remembers nothing further back than 10 years. Things are going OK for him he has the trendy flat, alphabetically ordered DVD collection and a selection of the "right" books on his shelf. That is until he goes to meet an associate only to be confronted by something more deadly than himself. Nine foot of hair covered muscle in the form of a werewolf, and its hungry for icy cold flesh. After that things go from bad to worse for john who finds himself the prisoner of a mysterious ex-boxer and even more mysterious telepathic freak who inform him he is destined to end the world. From that point on things start to unravel for John and then finally everything goes berserk. The second half of the book pretty much turns I, Zombie into the novel of the greatest B movie never filmed.
Unashamedly modern pulp fiction I, Zombie is packed with pop culture references particularly those of a filmic nature. Al Ewing seems to really understand the way his probably sub 40 audience will take its imaginative cues from the films they have watched and he plays on this throughout the novel. Also he has a rather impressive talent for bait and switch when it comes to cliches which should keep the reader constantly surprised and entertained. This is the kind of fiction you would probably only find in a graphic novel, especially with the constant barrage of action. For this type of writing the authors experience of writing for a medium which demands interest levels be kept high at all times has really paid off. Though the obligatory Lovecraft references are there, this is pulp in far more in the vain of Robert E. Howard, rapid paced, visually descriptive and brutal.
If you fancy reading some apocalyptic zombie fiction (and if you don't whats wrong with you?) I, Zombie really is great fun.
When Theo finds his dead uncle’s manuscript locked away in a safe housed by possibly the most bizarre bank in San Francisco, he thinks it’s the beginnings of a fantasy novel. The descriptions of fantastical like creatures in a faerie world with sky scrapers and horse-faced cab drivers is certainly apt to that genre, but it seems a little strange that his uncle choose to write it in diary style, but perhaps more bizarrely, so convincingly.
However fanciful his uncle’s imagination seems to be, it’s a welcome release from his mundane and somewhat depressing life. Struggling to ever form a bond with his parents, his father is long dead and his mother has recently succumbed to the same route. Matters are made worse when his girlfriend miscarries his baby then subsequently dumps him. His career as a struggling musician has also taken a turn for the worse when he walks out on his much younger and more pretentious band after a series of falling outs. Thinking things couldn’t get any worse Theo seeks solitude in a remote country lodge and whiles away the time reading his uncles diary. When a foot-high sprite named Applecore, complete with an Irish accent and a foul mouth, appears out of nowhere to rescue him from something that looks mostly dead attempting to break through the lodge window, Theo realises his troubles are only just beginning.
Dragged out of his own world and into the land of Faerie, Theo realises that his uncle’s diary wasn’t so fictional after all. Faerie is a cruel world that is nothing like folklore describes it. For one thing Faerie society evolves in very much in the same way as human society does. Despite a few geographical eccentricities, such as places having an irksome tendency to move around, things are not too dissimilar to the world Theo grew up in. The Faerie city is a sprawling metropolis with many of things you would associate with a human city; trains stations, school buses, and even an aristocracy of Flower Lord Families that rule above the common folk. Perhaps one of the most noticeable differences is that Faerie technology isn’t powered by electricity like our own, but with the life blood of its own citizens, the common folk used as battery-like sacrifices for the comfort and prosperity of the Flower Lords.
To make matters worse, a large proportion of the Faerie community isn’t all that keen on mortals, namely most of the Flower Lords who unfortunately happen to rule the roost. With a swearing, winged midget as his only friend, Theo must seek out those few Flower Lords that seek to live in harmony with humans and can therefore help him to return home. But little does Theo realise that home may not be where it first appears, and maybe his uncle isn’t so dead after all.
If nothing else, The War of the Flowers is certainly original. Despite having a tendency to lean towards meaty trilogies, I found this to be an immensely satisfying read that contains enough depth of detail and scope of imagination to be engrossing. The Characters are imaginatively eccentric and highly likeable, especially the foul mouthed Applecore. Williams’ writing style is immediately accessible and the story flows fluidly with a good balance of narrative description, character development and plot. The finale contains a twist that may be mildly predictable for the more acute reader but is still written with enough flair to be entertaining regardless.
I would highly recommend this to those of you looking for a quick fix of highly imaginative fantasy fun.
