Locus, April 2013
Page 20
10) A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent, Marie Brennan (Tor)
PAPERBACKS
1) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
2) The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
3) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
4) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
6) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey)
7) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Tor)
8) Fair Game, Patricia Briggs (Ace)
9) A Song of Ice and Fire box set, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
10) The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien (Del Rey)
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1) Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (Simon & Schuster)
2) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
3) The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
4) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
5) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Bantam)
MEDIA-RELATED
1) Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, Troy Denning (Del Rey)
2) Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Michael Reaves & Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (Del Rey)
3) Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, James Luceno (Del Rey)
4) Star Wars: Scoundrels, Timothy Zahn (Del Rey)
5) The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury, Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga (Thomas Dunne)
GAMING-RELATED
1) Forgotten Realms: Charon’s Claw, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
2) Warhammer 40K: The Horus Heresy: Angel Exterminatus, Graham McNeill (Black Library US)
3) Forgotten Realms: Neverwinter, R.A. Salvatore (Wizards of the Coast)
4) Warhammer 40K: Ciaphis Cain: The Last Ditch, Sandy Mitchell (Black Library US)
5) Halo: The Thursday War, Karen Traviss (Tor)
audible.com (audio)
SCIENCE FICTION
1) Fuzzy Nation, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
2) 14, Peter Clines (Audible Frontiers)
3) Reamde, Neal Stephenson (Brilliance Audio)
4) The Lost Fleet: Dauntless, Jack Campbell (Audible Frontiers)
5) The Lost Fleet: Fearless, Jack Campbell (Audible Frontiers)
6) The Lost Fleet: Courageous, Jack Campbell (Audible Frontiers)
7) Lucifer’s Hammer, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle (Audible Frontiers)
8) Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card (Macmillan Audio)
9) A Voice in the Wilderness: The Human Division, Episode 4, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
10) Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion (Blackstone)
11) World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks (Random House Audio)
12) Pandora’s Star, Peter F. Hamilton (Tantor)
13) 11-22-63, Stephen King (Simon & Schuster Audio)
14) Tales from the Clarke: The Human Division, Episode 5, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
15) The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein (Blackstone)
16) The Road, Cormac McCarthy (Recorded Books)
17) The Back Channel: The Human Division, Episode 6, John Scalzi (Audible Frontiers)
18) The End of Eternity, Isaac Asimov (AudioGO)
19) The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Audio)
20) On Basilisk Station, David Weber (Audible Frontiers)
FANTASY
1) A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
2) The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
3) Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books)
4) A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
5) A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
6) The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
7) A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
8) The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
9) The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien (Recorded Books)
10) Driving Mr. Dead, Molly Harper (Audible)
11) A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Random House Audio)
12) A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan& Brandon Sanderson (Macmillan Audio)
13) A Little Night Magic, Lucy March (Audible)
14) Beyond the Highland Mist, Karen Marie Moning (Brilliance Audio)
15) Theft of Swords, Michael J. Sullivan (Recorded Books)
16) Dead Witch Walking, Kim Harrison (Tantor)
17) The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Kim Harrison (Tantor)
18) The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (Brilliance)
19) The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan (Macmillan Audio)
20) The Lost Gate, Orson Scott Card (Blackstone)
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NEW AND NOTABLE
John Joseph Adams, ed., The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination (Tor 2/13) This (mostly) original anthology provides a range of takes on the Mad Scientist trope from authors including Theodora Goss, Austin Grossman, Harry Turtledove, Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Genevieve Valentine, and more. It’s ‘‘a really interesting anthology that gives us a number of perspectives, mostly funny but also often thoughtful, on this most clichéd trope of adventure fiction.’’ [Karen Burnham]
Poul Anderson, The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson: Volume 5: Door to Anywhere (NESFA 2/13) The ongoing series of the SF Grand Master’s short fiction continues with this collection of 21 stories, including some set in the popular Dominic Flandry, Hokas, Nicholas van Rijn, Stephen Matuchek & Virginia Graylock, and Time Patrol worlds.
Robert Jackson Bennett, American Elsewhere (Orbit 2/13) The Shirley Jackson Award-winning author gives us another atmospheric vision of America’s dark side, as a retired cop moves to the small, idyllic town of Wink NM – a place that’s literally too good to be true.
C. Robert Cargill, Dreams and Shadows (Harper Voyager 2/13) The screenwriter and critic’s debut novel runs the gamut from the comic to the tragic, taking place partly in magical worlds and partly in our contemporary one, with an ‘‘eclectic approach to fantasy, mingling the domains of Faerie, Djinn, and angels with modern Austin TX, for a book about changelings and worlds only a ‘veil’ apart.’’ [Faren Miller]
Robin Hobb, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince (Subterranean 3/13) This novella set in the Farseer fantasy series tells the truth behind a legend from the earliest days of the world’s history, about a headstrong queen-to-be, her maid, and a bastard child. ‘‘This is a tale of intrigues, resentments, and magics in a court small enough for matters to boil over into anger, then tragedy.’’ [Faren Miller]
Caitlín Kiernan, writing as Kathleen Tierney, Blood Oranges (Roc 2/13) The celebrated author of dark fiction takes a pseudonymous diversion into the ‘‘paranormal romance’’ genre, or at least a satire of same, with tongue firmly in cheek (and claws fully extended). This begins a series about junkie monster hunter Siobhan Quinn, who has a bad night and becomes both a vampire and a werewolf, bringing her to the attention of even scarier forces than usual. ‘‘It’s a lot of fun, and it will be interesting to see if it can ironically enjoy some of the successes of the very genre it subverts.’’ [Gary K. Wolfe]
Nancy Kress, Flash Point (Viking 11/12) Kress’s latest foray into YA SF follows a desperate teenager who signs up to appear on a cutting-edge reality show, hoping to make enough money to support her struggling family – only to find the show is actually a rigged and potentially deadly game.
New and Notable continues after ad.
Karen Lord, The Best of All Possible Worlds (Del Rey 2/13) This followup to the author’s debut fantasy Redemption in Indigo is part anthropological SF in the tradition of Le Guin, and part romance. ‘‘I don’t think I’ve quite seen anything like this combination in SF – a light romantic comedy in the shadow of a tragic apocalypse – but it ends up working better than you think it will…. [Lord’s] graceful prose, ingratiating characters, and palpabl
e love of SF knit it all together in a satisfying – and adventurous – departure from expectations.’’ [Gary K. Wolfe]
Evie Manieri, Blood’s Pride (Tor 2/13) This debut novel (published last year in the UK) begins the Shattered Pillars fantasy series, set in a quasi-medieval world where cultures reminiscent of Viking raiders and desert nomads clash over the fate of both individuals and civilizations, all amid strange magic and customs. ‘‘It’s a remarkable feat for a newcomer, and leaves me eager for the sequel, Fortune’s Blight.’’ [Faren Miller]
Tim Pratt, Antiquities and Tangibles and Other Stories (Merry Blacksmith 1/13) This new collection gathers 23 recent stories – three original – from the Hugo Award-winning author (and Locus senior editor). Includes Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist ‘‘Her Voice in a Bottle’’ and Stoker Award nominee ‘‘The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft’’ (with Nick Mamatas).
Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo & et al., The Mongoliad: Book Three (47North 2/13) This concluding volume in the epic alternate history Foreworld Saga chronicles the final clash between the freedom fighters of Europe and the Khan’s brutal invading Mongol army, with the meticulous medieval detail and sword-swinging adventure readers have come to adore.
Catherynne M. Valente, Six-Gun Snow White (Subterranean 2/13) This wild west fairy tale reinvents the classic story in a milieu rich in Native American mythology. ‘‘Valente rips the beating heart out of the old versions of the story, dissects it to see how it works, jams it back into this new tale, and gives it a jolt of juice to bring it back to life…. a vital marvel.’’ [Faren Miller]
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TERRY BISSON: THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
April 1, 2020. Romney does a Richard. The body of the presidential candidate, missing since late 2012, is discovered in a stalled car elevator in California. Tests to determine if he’s alive or not are inconclusive.
April 13, 2029. Celestial slap. The stadium-sized asteroid Apophis ‘‘skips’’ off Earth’s upper atmosphere, creating a shock wave that downs two 787s and a container zep. Asteroid Watch promises software update.
April 6, 2031. Robeson Hall. The legendary NY concert venue (formerly ‘‘Carnegie’’ Hall) is renamed in honor of the once-blacklisted singer and civil rights hero, born on this day in 1898. Pete Seeger hosts ceremony.
April 4, 2113. Drone attack. Chicago’s entire fleet of 344 surveillance drones is destroyed by suicide pigeons. Gang activity suspected.
–Terry Bisson
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OBITUARIES
Cuban SF writer ANGEL ARANGO, 86, died February 19, 2013 in Miami FL. Arango was one of the founding fathers of modern Cuban SF, with Oscar Hurtado (died 1977) and Miguel Collazo (died 1999). All three published major work in the 1960s, including Arango’s collection A dónde van los cefalomos? [Where Do the Cephalhoms Go?] (1964). Arango’s other significant works of fiction include collections El planeta negro [The Black Planet] (1966) and Robotomaquia [Robotomachy] (1967), and four novels in a SF saga: Transparencia [Transparency] (1982), Coyuntura [Conjuncture] (1984), Sider [Sider] (1994), and La columna bífida [Bifid Column] (2011). He also wrote nonfiction book Ciencia Ficción: categorías y conceptos y otros [Science Fiction: Categories and Concepts and Others] (2012).
Scott Edelman, Angel Arango (2002)
Ángel José Arango Rodriguez was born March 25, 1926 in Havana Cuba. He studied law at the University of Havana, graduating in 1949 with a specialty in aviation law. He moved to Florida to live with one of his sons in 2009.
ESTIMADO ANGEL by Grania Davis
In the year 2000, my husband, Stephen, and I visited Cuba. The Bush/Gore election was being fought in the courts, and we wanted to go before the rules tightened up under Bush. In my SFWA Directory, I had noticed the name of one Cuban member, Angel Arango. How did he manage to join SFWA? I wrote him a letter introducing ourselves, and telling him when we’d be in Havana. He sent a very cordial reply.
We met him in the lobby of classic Hotel National. That’s when we learned an oddity of Cuban law. We couldn’t invite Angel (or any Cuban) for even a cup of coffee. It was only for foreigners. So off we went in Angel’s battered old Fiat. As we drove, we talked, and the conversation grew more and more interesting. Angel worked as an aviation attorney for the government, and had traveled a lot, especially for a Cuban, including time in Russia. We had such a good time with Angel that we met the next day, and almost every day we were in Havana. We rode around in the trusty Fiat (which cost ten cents to park), and saw the sights. He showed me some stories, which had been translated into English, and I said I’d try to get them published in the US.
Then one day, a surprise phone call from Angel! He had moved to be with his son in Florida. The conversation shifted to maybe meeting at an East Coast con (which never happened, alas), and to publishing his stories. ‘‘The Bullet in the Air’’ was my favorite, a poetic piece of magical realism. It was translated by Medea Benjamin, of Code Pink fame, when she was in college. Angel was thrilled when it was published in the US (I don’t recall the details).
We continued to correspond by e-mail. He was excited about the easy access to information on the Internet. His e-letters always began with Estimado Grania. I got one from him just recently, and he seemed fine. Then I heard he had died, I don’t know how. Adios Estimado Angel.
–Grania Davis
Editor’s note: ‘‘The Bullet in the Air’’ appeared in both Spanish and English in issue #7 of The Gobshite Quarterly (8/04), and may be read online at:
•
Author DANIEL PEARLMAN, 77, died February 18, 2013 in Providence RI. Pearlman published short SF in magazines and anthologies regularly throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond. Some of his stories were collected in The Final Dream & Other Fictions (1995), The Best-Known Man in the World & Other Misfits (2001), and A Giant in the House & Other Excesses (2011), and his novella Brain and Breakfast appeared in 2011. First fantasy novel Memini appeared in 2003, though he also published literary novel Black Flames (1997). In 1995 he founded and edited the newsletter Council for the Literature on the Fantastic, which appeared in print for five issues before going online in 1999 and later on hiatus.
Pearlman was born in 1935 in New York City. He attended Brooklyn College and Columbia University, earning a PhD in Comparative Literature. He traveled with poet Ezra Pound across Italy in 1968, and published The Barb of Time: On the Unity of Ezra Pound’s Cantos (1969). During his years in Spain (1971-74) he wrote novels, then returned to the states to work as a professor at the University of Idaho and the University of Rhode Island, the latter beginning in 1980; he spent 25 years teaching there before retiring.
Pearlman had quintuple bypass surgery earlier this year, and seemed to be recovering well, but after a week at home he was rushed to the hospital and had a fatal aortic aneurysm. He is survived by his wife, Sandra.
DANIEL PEARLMAN TRIBUTE by Paul Di Filippo
The year had to be either 1985 or 1986. I had sold a few SF stories, and the knitwear-design career of my partner, Deborah Newton, was well underway. One of the knitters Deborah worked with, Janet, had a husband, Peter, who enjoyed reading science fiction.
One day Janet said, ‘‘There’s another couple in town besides us, where the woman knits and the husband writes science fiction. They’re very nice – you guys should meet them!’’
That couple turned out to be Sandra and Daniel Pearlman – Sandy and Dan – and the meeting blossomed into a warm, tight, close friendship of nearly 30 years, broken now in part by the unexpected, grief-heavy death of Dan. All deaths are more or less cruel, but Dan’s passing struck his family and friends as especially so, since he had been doing so well after a planned cardiac bypass operation, only to be felled too swiftly for goodbyes by an unforeseen weakness in his aorta.
Dan quickly became a cherished part of my life, to the point where no family holiday
meal was complete without him and Sandy at the table. Newly resident in the state back then, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, he joined various local writerly scenes – a longstanding workshopping group especially – and became friends with such fellow fans as Don and Sheila D’Ammassa (another SF writer and knitter combo!), Mike Blake, and Faye Ringel. When, a couple of years ago, we learned that the Rudyard Kipling house in Vermont was available as a vacation rental, the eight of us went up en masse for a weekend of book-shopping, sight-seeing, and steeping in the Kipling ambiance. I can still see Dan – trim, fit, a little gangling in Lincolnesque fashion – reclining under a soft golden light in Kipling’s study, looking timeless and perfectly at home.
Born in Brooklyn, Dan retained the quintessential, wry urban Jewish attitude associated with the natives of that fabled borough. Like Asimov or Eisner, he was a practical-minded dreamer, one foot on city pavement, one in the stars, unpretentious and enthusiastic about the sheer fact of being alive. His sense of humor was gently self-deprecating, but compassionate toward all human foibles. When he and Barry Malzberg became friends, on Barry’s regular visits to Rhode Island, the two men discovered much in common.
Well-traveled and cosmopolitan, Dan particularly relished the time he had spent in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. That easygoing Mediterranean vibe, a willingness to enjoy the good things life had to offer and discount the bad, typified his attitude toward existence. I never once saw him cantankerous or mean-spirited. Misguided editorial rejection was about the one thing that got him most worked-up – big surprise there! – and even then his ire passed swiftly, and out the bounced story gleefully went to another, hopefully more receptive venue.
Raised on Galaxy-era satirical SF, Dan found that mode extremely congenial when he began to write and sell his own stories. But as an academic – he was an expert on Ezra Pound, having spent personal time with the poet himself – Dan also injected a postmodern twist to much of his fiction. Dedicated to his craft, he delayed his scheduled surgery so that he could finish a final story. He leaves behind in manuscript a collection of linked novellas about his interdimensional detective hero, and a magical realist novel inspired by his time in Spain. The passages from the latter that I heard him perform at readings were marvelous, and future publication of both books, I think, is assured.