Even if we haven’t managed to read as many books as usual of late, we’ve still found quite a few new(ish) things to recommend and as before we have also dug up some old favourites that deserve some more recognition. We’ve also snuck in a couple of non-book things.
Dreamsongs
Voyager’s edition of the hefty, brilliant collection first put together by Subterranean Press is a must-have for any fan of George R.R. Martin or the SF of the 70’s. We’ve seen the opinion put forward that GRRM’s work in the 70’s was the best SF short fiction of the decade, and we’re inclined to agree; and we believe you’ll agree, too, when you read stories such as, "A Song for Lya", "The Second Kind of Loneliness", "Sandkings", "The Way of Cross and Dragon", and more. This collection also includes later fiction, such as his World Fantasy Award-winning horror novella, "The Skin Trade", and the Ice and Fire-related novella, "The Hedge Knight". Each section of the collection, divided up in chronological order, includes a lengthy introduction by GRRM which reveals a lot about his personal history, the genesis of the various stories, and the process by which he works. It really is one of the finest SF/F story collections ever put together.
The Ice Dragon
Quite a lot of news was made when it was revealed that Tor’s young adult imprint, Starlight, was going to publish a book by GRRM. When it turned out to be his excellent, fairy tale-like "The Ice Dragon", with illustrations by Yvonne Gilbert, this was even better. It’s a beautiful, simply-told story, and really is suitable for children. Now, it’s true that when originally published, some material at the end was more in the vein of A Song of Ice and Fire—grim and heartrending—but George did a couple of tiny changes that fixed that up. So, if you’re looking for something for a GRRM collector, or a child, "The Ice Dragon" is definitely a brilliant choice.
1610: A Sundial in a Grave
Just like in Mary Gentle’s previous novel Ash: A Secret History, magic and science as well as time and the future play important parts in this story too. However, the plot is rather less convoluted and after the first few chapters it moves along at a quite brisk pace. The main character, Rochefort, is a duellist in service to a French duke. Against his will, he is made to take part in the assassination of King Henri of France, and finds himself forced to flee the country. On his way out of Paris, he finds himself saddled with the young, impudent Dariole, another duellist who despite his young years is more than able to give Rochefort a run for his money. While fleeing, they also end up picking up a third person, a samurai washed ashore after a shipwreck. Together, they head for England, where unbeknownst to Rochefort he is expected by a man who claims he is able to predict the future through astrology and who has grand plans for Rochefort.
Mélusine & The Virtu
We’ve recently added full-length reviews for these two novels by Sarah Monette, but they’re good enough to mention here again. They’re the first two of series that at the moment looks set to consist of four books. The narration is done from a first-person perspective and in these two volumes we meet two separate (and very different) narrators; Felix Harrowgate and Mildmay the Fox. Felix is a dashing wizard of the Mirador whose life is shattered as the past he thought he had escaped returns with a vengeance. He becomes the unwilling instrument of an attack upon the Mirador and in the process loses both his sanity and his powers. Mildmay, a cat burglar working in the Lower City, finds himself drawn into a plot that brings him in contact with Felix, and eventually the pair find themselves on a journey to find someone who can help Felix so that he in turn can try to set right what happened to the Mirador. As noted in the full-length reviews, these books are best read back-to-back.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
I felt so-so about this one, and I think it’s more of a “guy book”. So, here’s Elio to explain why this is a great holiday ready
Maybe Linda’s right, because this particular guy absolutely loved it. It’s not perfect (and Scott Lynch—who’s been so kind as to drop by the A Song of Ice and Fire board’s Literature forum—is the first to admit it), with some problems with pacing related to interstitial chapters and things of that sort. But what it is is amazingly good reading, regardless. Lynch’s setting and characters “pop”, and the dialogue and action are electrifying. It’s the energy, the dynamism, that’s sure to carry a reader away. Everyone who’s read the book appears to be eagerly awaiting the second book in the series.
The White Magic Trilogy
Released under romance-publisher Harlequin’s fantasy imprint Luna and written by Judith Tarr under the pseudonym of Caitlin Brennan this trilogy combines Tarr’s considerable knowledge of horses and history with a more romance-focused plotline. That is not to say, however, that they read anything like typical romance novels. The horses are the most important element and then I’d say the historical fantasy and the romance share second place. The main character is Valeria, the first woman to ever be Called to become one of the horse mages who ride the white gods of the Mountain in the Dance, a form of magic that foresees and controls the patterns that shape the world. The empire, strongly inspired by the Roman empire, is under threat from the barbarian tribes who worship the One and who harbour amongst them a powerful, nihilistic mage whose greatest wish is to unleash the Unmaking on the world, destroying it by unravelling all the patterns. You don’t have to be a rider to enjoy the series, but you shouldn’t be the type who gloss over any descriptions of horse behaviour, horse care, riding, etc, as you would end up skimming rather large sections of the books.
Temeraire
Naomi Novik’s first novels form a thoroughly enjoyable trio of books (though, be aware that there are more to come; a fourth is slated for 2007 and a fifth for 2008) set in an alternate history version of the Napoleonic period. The main alternate part is the fact that there are dragons around. Lots of them, in fact. And they talk. The books tell the story of what happens when a naval captain ends up partnerd with a very special dragon whom he names Temeraire. And it is the latter who is the most important and most entertaining character in the books. Temeraire is a delightful creation, combining a polished and very proper behaviour (which makes him seem very British) with some rather startling revolutionary thoughts about the place of dragons in the world.
Beauty and the Beast - The Complete First Season
After an extremely long wait, the cult-favorite Beauty and the Beast series is finally being released on DVD! GRRM worked on the show as a producer and writer, and his episodes are considered among the very best of the series. Beloved by its fans for its fine actors (including Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton, and Roy Dotrice) and its romantic storylines, this is an interesting example of good fantasy on a major television network.
Lord of the Rings Complete Recordings
The soundtracks for the three Lord of the Rings movies are without question some of the best soundtracks ever produced. But the CDs originally released do not contain all of the music recorded for the movies. Far from it, in fact, especially if you add in the music from the extended editions. Now, however, they’ve started releasing the complete recordings for each movie. This is something we don’t yet have ourselves, but we’d love to get our hands on it.
Fundamental
This might possibly be my favourite Pet Shop Boys album since the brilliant Very, though it would only be beating out the rest very narrowly. So far they haven’t managed to make an album without a lot of great songs. On this one, the highlights include the rather camp Sodom and Gomorrah Show, the ballads I Made My Excuses and Left and Indefinite Leave to Remain and the retro high-energy number Integral.