China Mieville is one of the most unique writers you will come across and this book is a prime example. Essentially a police procedural/murder mystery, what makes it very different is the fact that it takes place in the paired cities of Beszel and Ul Qoma. And by paired, I mean overlaid and by overlaid I mean that if you are in one city, you must not “see” the other city and vice versa. You must “unsee”. If you violate this, you are in “breach”, a […]
Kid, I’m Gonna Make You a Star!
What with all the focus on Hollywood, Sony, the Interview….time to revisit an old favorite. “Agent to the Stars”. The premise here is that the alien Yherajk would like to make “first contact” with Humanity. Trouble is, they are hideous and smelly. Lucky thing they realize the need for a good agent! Hot young agent Thomas Stein gets the challenge of a lifetime when they contact him and request that he successfully manage Earth’s first alien encounter. They seriously need a makeover, some spin, perhaps a little work […]
Bone of the Rings!
Yes this is like Tolkien! a bit….in a graphic novel…with perhaps a bit more humor but also with depth and ancient evil and dragons and plot twists and cow racing! This was another recommendation from iO9. Graphic Novel. HUGE fat thing at 1300 pages -it’s the compilation of ALL the Bone comics which were apparently released over 10 years – 1994-2004. An epic fantasy saga – very funny, clever, good story telling. To summarize: “After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone […]
Unique World Building.
This is a really unique book – recommended by iO9. (recommend io9.com ) It’s magic and it’s a bit steampunk but it’s also quite a bit modern in its thinking. No “medieval fantasy tropes” here. Our hero is Tara – recently graduated (and tossed out – literally) from the Hidden Schools as a “Craftswoman” – a type of magician. Very very skilled and smart. She makes her way home to the dirt town she grew up in to recover, but that doesn’t last […]