Asimov's SF, December 2009
Page 21
At this point, things start to get really weird. Del encounters lake monsters, dodges a cult militia in black helicopters that tries to kidnap him, and we get closeup vignettes of several other demons in action. One is a railway worker who takes over trains and leads them to destruction; one relentlessly punishes impostors; one euthanizes the elderly or terminally ill. Lew and Del take off on another journey, to a place where revelations await, and the story's loose ends are spectacularly tied together.
Gregory's alternate society—obviously, turning demons loose in modern America is going to have profound effects on the day-to-day unfolding of history—is both familiar and unsettling. (To give away too many details would spoil a lot of the fun.) The book is full of allusions, overt and otherwise, to SF, comics, and fandom—Philip K. Dick is just the tip of the iceberg here. And the conclusion, while it remains faithful to the fantastic premise, has more the kind of logic of a science fiction plot than of a horror or supernatural one.
An impressive first novel—if Gregory has more like this up his sleeve, he is very much an author to keep your eyes on.
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THE SHADOW YEAR
By Jeffrey Ford
Morrow, $25.95 (hc)
ISBN: 978-0-06-123152-0
Set in Long Island in the 1960s, this tale combines nostalgia and terror, with just a taste of the fantastic.
The unnamed first-person narrator is just about to enter sixth grade. We meet his family: his mother, a wino who dabbles at painting; his hard-working, down-to-earth father; his grandparents, who live in their garage (converted to an apartment); his older brother Jim, and their younger sister Mary. There's an immediately likable sort of wackiness about them. Mary can adopt a sort of idiot-savant persona called Mickey, who can do complex math at lightning speed. Grandpa, an ex-boxer, likes to sing old songs on the mandolin. Nan, the grandmother, reads fortunes. Jim is both mentor and tormentor to the narrator, as older brothers often are.
In the basement, the brothers have built a replica of the town, using junk and discarded toys to represent the neighbors and their homes. Botch Town seems at first a kind of parody of their world; but as events begin to unfold, Botch Town takes on a kind of life of its own, with the movements of characters there predictive of the real world. The boys realize that younger sister Mary is somehow moving the figures around the model town, with odd foreknowledge of where the real people actually are. How does she know?
Mary's odd skill becomes important when a prowler starts haunting the neighborhood. At first he seems to be a peeping Tom, but then one of the local schoolboys disappears. The brothers believe their school friend has been murdered and his body dumped in a lake not far from their town. But there is a deeper fear: has the murderer left town, or is he lurking in wait for more victims? The brothers suspect a man in a white car they have seen driving around the neighborhood after dark. Of course, there is no way they can get anyone in authority to listen to their theories.
Ford balances the building tension of the boys’ hunt for the suspected killer against the normal dramas of growing up—mean teachers, school bullies—and the popular culture of the day (pop songs, baseball, TV shows—drawn from various points in the general era, so that it's impossible to pinpoint the exact date the story takes place). He also manages to capture the character of Long Island, showing the essence of suburban life without falling back on the cliches too many writers use to trivialize it.
The Shadow Year is one of those rare fantasy books that you could easily give to a reader who doesn't normally appreciate the genre. The writing is strong, the characters are sufficiently rounded to justify independent interest, and the fantastic element, while necessary to the plot, enters the story gradually and without ever appearing so improbable that a hard-headed reader can reject it outright.
A strong performance by a highly versatile writer—Ford has won honors as a mystery writer as well as in the fantasy field. Recommended.
Copyright © 2009 Peter Heck
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Department: SF CONVENTIONAL CALENDAR
by Erwin S. Strauss
Our own Shelia Williams will be at CapClave near Washington DC, the weekend after Columbus Day; and so will I. Plan now for social weekends with your favorite SF authors, editors, artists, and fellow fans. For an explanation of con(vention)s, a sample of SF folksongs, and info on fanzines and clubs, send me an SASE (self-addressed, stamped #10 [business] envelope) at 10 Hill #22-L, Newark NJ 07102. The hot line is (973) 242-5999. If a machine answers (with a list of the week's cons), leave a message and I'll call back on my nickel. When writing cons, send an SASE. For free listings, tell me of your con 5 months out. Look for me at cons behind the Filthy Pierre badge, playing a musical keyboard.—Erwin S. Strauss
Copyright © 2009 Erwin S.
OCTOBER 2009
9-11—ConClave. For info, write: Box 2915, Ann Arbor MI 48106. Or phone: (973) 242-5999 (10 am to 10 pm, not collect). (Web) conclavesf.org. (E-mail) coninfo@conclavesf.org. Con will be held in: Romulus MI (if city omitted, same as in address) at the Crowne Plaza Metro Detroit Airport. Guests will include: T.S. Taylor, astronomer Guy Consolmagno, B. Gehm.
9-11—AlbaCon. 973242-5999. albacon.org. Best Western Sovereign, Albany NY. Elizabeth Hand, Steve Hickman.
9-11—GayLaxiCon. gaylaxicon2009.org. Minneapolis MN. Margaret Weis, Andy Mangels. For gay fans and their friends.
9-11—Spooky Empire. (954) 258-7852. spookyempire.com. Wyndham Resort, Orlando FL. Horror.
11-18—Star Trek Cruise. (888) 361-5708. Sailing from Los Angeles CA. Tim Russ, G. Wang, Chase Masterson, Alan Ruck.
15-18—Con on the Cob. (330) 734-0337. cononthecob.com. Clarion Hotel, Hudson OH. Larry Elmore, Jamie Chambers.
16-18—CapClave. caplave.org. Hilton, Rockville MD. Sheila Williams, Harry Turtledove, Bob Balder of the FUMP.
16-18—Arcana. (612) 721-5959. arcanacon.com. Best Western, St. Paul MN. Kim Harrison. Theme: “The Dark Fantastic.”
16-18—ValleyCon. (701) 232-8722. valleycon.com. Doublewood Inn, Fargo ND. George R.R. Martin. SF and fantasy.
16-18—Fur Fright. furfright.org. Connecticut Grand Hotel, Hartford CT. “Furry Halloween.” Anthropomorphics/furries.
16-18—Autumn Dream. (661) 940-8307. autumn-dream.com. Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Lancaster CA.
16-18—New Moon Rising. +44 (01234) 782-485. Park Inn, Northampton UK. Gatheg, Burke, Birmingham. “Twilight” media.
16-18—Festival of Fantastic Films. +44 (01617) 073-747. manchesterfantasticfilms.co.uk. Sackville St., Manchester UK.
22-25—Ohio Valley Filk Fest, 3824 Patricia Dr., Columbus OH 43220. ovff.org. Dublin OH. SF & fantasy folksinging.
22-25—OklaCon, 4801 Mackenzie Dr., Monroe OK 73160. oklacon.com. Roman Nose State Park OK. Anthropomorphics.
23-25—NecronomiCon, Box 2213, Plant City FL 33564. stonehill.org. Tampa FL. Catharine Asaro, R.L. Byers, P. Briggs.
23-25—Geek.kon, Box 5191, Madison WI 53705. Celebrating “All things geek.”
23-25—The Hub, 46 Campion, Great Linford Bucks. MK14 5BH, UK. masiveevents.co.uk. Birmingham UK. Torchwood.
23-25—Motor City Nightmares. myspace.com/motorcitynightmares. Sheraton Detroit, Novi MI. Horror and SF.
29-Nov. 1—World Fantasy Con, Box 61363, Sunnyvale CA 94088. worldfantasy2009.org. Fairmount, San Jose CA. Nix.
30—VulKon, Box 551437, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33355. (954) 888-9097. vulkon.com. Hilton North, Orlando FL. Media event.
30-Nov. 1—HalloWhedon, 46 Campion, Great Linford MK14 5BH, UK. masiveevents.co.uk. London UK. Whedon's work.
30-Nov. 1—SabotenCon, 401 E. Dunbar Dr. #45, Tempe AZ 85282. sabotencon.com. Hilton, Mesa AZ. Mignona. Anime.
NOVEMBER 2009
6-8—AstronomiCon, Box 31701, Rochester NY 14603. (585) 342-4697. astronomicon.com. Radisson.
6-8—Pacific Media Expo, 914 Westwood Blvd. #586, Los Angeles CA 90024. pacificmediaexpo.com. LAX Hilton
. Anime.
6-8—Chevron, 46 Campion, Great Linford MK14 5BH, UK. masiveevents.co.uk. Northampton UK. T. Higginson. Stargate.
7-8—ZenkaiKon, 93 Heights Lane #7, Feasterville PA 19053. zenkaikon.com. King of Prussia PA. R. Axelrod. Anime.
7-12—Browncoat Cruise, c/o Neish, 2220 S. Alaska Ave., Provo UT 84606. browncoatcruise.com. From San Diego CA.
AUGUST 2010
5-8—North American SF Convention, c/o SAFE, 2144 B Ravenglass Pl., Raleigh NC 27612. raleighnasfic2010.org.
SEPTEMBER 2010
2-6—Aussiecon 4, GPO Box 1212, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia. aussiecon4.org.au. World SF Convention. US$175.
AUGUST 2011
17-21—Reno Worldcon, Box 13278, Portland OR 97213. rcfi.org. Reno NV. The 2011 World Science Fiction Convention.
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