Maybe it's overstating matters to say to say that this is something the World has been waiting for with baited breath, but I think I can safely state that the fans of broad-stroke, far-future Space Opera with a solid amount of action have definitely been looking forward to Neil Asher's new series, now called Transformation, of which Dark Intelligence is the first installment. And, I'm happy to report, without the pitfalls which turned me off his Owner series.
It is, as The Technician hinted at (that book links previous events in the Cormac series into the new one, but is apparently not counted as part of it) centered around Penny Royal, an AI which went 'dark' ('mad' does not really cover it, but gives you an idea of what this entails) during the Prador war. And it is, if I need to mention this after the above, set in Asher's Polity universe, again in contrast to the Owner series.
If the previous paragraph does not make any sense to you then let me just tell you that Neil Asher writes Space Opera in a universe where humanity has spread across space (aka The Polity), is governed by AIs (the core ones are called ECS, for Earth Central Security), have encountered a few alien civilisations in passing, and one (the Prador) heads on due to their genocidal mind set. AIs fly space ships, or control drone bodies, and are considered full citizens of the Polity. And Penny Royal turned dark during the war against the Prador, bombed the Polity forces it was supposed to evacuate, and abandoned the war.
It had gone to ground on an Asteroid in the Graveyard, as the now established buffer zone between the Polity and the Prador Kingdom is affectionately known. In it renegade, criminals, salvages, and general chancers and rejects from both races mix, trade, and kill each other, without any government to speak of. Some people have approached Penny Royal due to its unmatched Biotech/Genetics capabilities with requests for special abilities – these wishes come, even when fulfilled, frequently with unwanted and unwelcome side effects, as Penny Royal (or at least one of the 8 states of consciousness if fell apart into) is patently deranged. One of those beneficiaries/victims is Isobel Satomi, a power player in a local crime syndicate, who asked to be turned into a Haiman, a being as close to a melding of human and AI abilities as is possible. But now she's changing, and turning into something much more hideous, dangerous, and decidedly non/inhuman...
This is a Sheason story, set in a culture which follows a path of pain, and more relevant, suffering; all in the name of finding themselves, and keep themselves grounded in reality and the world. By bringing a stranger, foreign to their ways, into their midst it talks about being human, about how new thoughts can fit in with old and established ones, and about bitter lessons that need to be learned.
It also comes with a gorgeous illustration by Tommy Arnold - click through to the story to see it in all its glory.
If the title of this reminds you of that fabulous little book by Arthur C. Clarke (Tales from the White Hart, for those for whom it does not remind - definitely something you should read!) then you’d be right - this is not just a knock off, but is dedicated to the great man, both literally (as in: written in the front of the book), but also in spirit; this is much more that just nicking the format, it is as much a homage to a SF Classic as it is a collection containing some well-known contemporary writers which can stand on its own.
And yes, we’re talking of the likes of Neil Gaiman, Stephen Baxter, Charles Stross, James Lovegrove, Adam Roberts, Liz Williams, or Ian Watson here. You might have heard of the odd one of them?
Fables from the Fountain is edited by Ian Whates - himself an SF writer, but also an Editor, and Head Honcho at Newcon Press, the publisher for this volume.
Let me start by confirming that this is a great topical collection, with a variety of approaches and styles of tales (much more than the original, which was written by one writer only!); and that you definitely should get this to read yourself if you like such collections, liked the Clarke book, or enjoy fannish banter and references (also known as ‘talking toot in the pub’ by a friend who shall not be named here).
I definitely had much fun puzzling over the cryptic names of the writers and fans in the stories (well, cryptic for some of them), and I’m sure I missed a lot of the in-references. Not that you cannot enjoy this volume without getting any of them, mind.
Below is a run-down of the writers, their stories, what they are about, and what I thought of them. If that kind of thing affects your enjoyment reading the book then stop here, get your wallet/credit card, and head over to your favourite bookshop to obtain a copy. For everybody else - here we go:
Here’s a story which is different, both in origin and outlook. Cixin Liu is a Chinese SF writer - the most prolific and popular one, sources have it (I cannot judge, so might repeat misinformation here). He’s the author of a good number of books and stories, some of which have been/are being translated into English; he’s the recipient of several Galaxy SF Awards, and two Nebula Awards (Chinese version, not the US/UK one we’re used to!).
The Three-Body Problem is the first book in a trilogy - initially serialised in the magazine Science Fiction World in 2006, then published in novel form in 2008, and having, apparently, sold 400.000 copies. Which, in a market of 1.35 Billion People (US usage of the word, evidently), maybe is not Harry Potter level. Still, I don't think any of the writers in my circle of acquaintances would turn that figure down I reckon...
Anyway, it’s the most successful SF novel in China, ever, and has led to a (re)surgence of SF, and more generic acceptance of the form beyond its previous genre ghetto. The book is now (as of October 2014), translated by award-winning author Ken Liu and published by Tor Forge, and thus available to those of us with insufficient grasp of Chinese, too. The 2nd book in the series (Dark Forest) is planned for next year, and is translated by Joel Martinsen. The final instalment (cheerfully titled Dead End) will come out in 2016, and will again be translated by Ken (or by Joel, depending on which source you believe).
I have no idea why Tor (who publish this book) advertise it as “the First Chinese Science Fiction Novel Translated Into English” - friends who follow the market in translated SF (and there is much more available than most people assume there is) strongly insist that it's not, except maybe for Tor. But either way, having more variety available in this US/UK dominated market is greatly appreciated, all the more so if it comes in the shape of such an engrossing and fascinating read. Yes, it's a step outside our comfort zone, outside our normalised societal expectations especially, and thus exactly what SF should be and do, in my opinion.
Just a short notice to let you know that the 6th chapter in Daniel Lieske's gorgeously drawn Wormworld Saga online graphic novel is now available for your reading.
It's good to see that he has started to publish these stories as books now, too, initially in German, but English versions seem to be under way, too (the online chapters have been and are being translated into umpteen languages by fans); plus there's any amount of merchandising and extra content available for a little cash, too, whilst the actual story remains free to read.
For those not familiar with the Wormworld Saga (you know who you are!) - it follows the travels and adventures of a boy, Jonas, who slips into a parallel universe from his Grandmother's attic. Neither the setting nor the topics dealt with are new (very few things are), but both the storytelling and especially the artwork are superb, and the format with a very long/tall image, with the story flowing through it is unusual (and must be challenging for conversion into books!).
