BRIAN HERBERT
KEVIN J. ANDERSON
PRELUDE TO DUNE; HOUSE ATREIDES
Hodder & Stoughton, NEL Paperback, £6.99, 20 April 2000
The is the first book in the anticipated prequel to Frank Herbert's Dune.
It has been praised a lot and had a lot of great reviews by big magazines.
It should be very true to the original Dune series.
So if you're a Dune fan, this' a must have!
To be followed by Prelude to Dune; House Harkonnen in August.
HARRY TURTLEDOVE
COLONISATION; DOWN TO EARTH
Hodder & Stoughton, hardback, £17.99, 4 May 2000
The second in HT's follow-up series to the bestselling Worldwar. As the
alien race start to make Earth their permanent home, the countries of
the world are adapting - each in their own way. The Reich fight on, and
plan big and greater weaponry to catch up with the fine line between resistance
and appeasement. The USA has prospered since the war, and has expanded
their space programme - sending out a ship beyond the solar system. And
all over Europe the Reich's continued resistance is forcing Jews to choose
between aiding the aliens or their oppressors. In Down to Earth, Harry
Turtledove is continuing his breaktaking series onfalternate history,
with a twist! Not only has he brought into play names familiar to us from
our won World Wars, but he has created a cast of thousands of believable
human, and alien, characters involved in a spectacular tale of tyrrany
and freedom, destruction and hope.
999
Edited by Al Sarrantonio
Hodder & Stoughton, NEL paperback, £7.99, 18 May 2000
Compilations are difficult to review, because there apt to be stories
of very different quality. One can always pin out the best of them, but
that doesn't always qualify the book as 'compilation of the year'. This
book is no different: I won't comment every single short story, novellas,
novelettes, stories included in the book, but just state that there is
something in it for everyone. Surely. Perhaps this is as much the books
advantage as it's disadvantage. It's a very massive work, containing 828
pages and 29 stories total. It includes stories filled with horror and
suspense in its broadest form. You have the stories of vampires and of
love and betrayal and the gory ones, with intestines reaching out towards
you from the depths of the book. I myself wouldn't have selected the same
stories (I think the stories differ too much from the real essence of
horror, and perhaps just deals a bit too much with the ordinary (everyday/TV-series
scare), but would probably have selected the most horrifying ones. Perhaps
it's just a sales trick to make sure that there's something in the book
for everyone - and you don't ignore possible buyers, but what do I know.
Nevertheless, the book is a massive work; lets not forget that. Besides
it includes stories by (in no particular order =) Stephen King, Ramsey
Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Michael Marshall Smith, Steven Spruill and William
Peter Blatty (be sure to read The Exorcist; it's definitely one of the
best book ever to be written, honest). So you know there's something in
there for you, so just go buy it.
Stephen King:
" Riding The Bullet "
Scribner, 2000
www.simonsays.com
Bookreview by Daniel Henriksen
Just finished reading Kings newest short story, ‘Riding the Bullet’, and - erhm - I’m generally not impressed! I feel sad writing this as I think most Stephen Kings novels/short stories are in fact very good. But this story seems written like King would pour himself a glass of water if he was very thirsty; in a hasty, shivering manner. The depth of the story and the otherwise lively characters that he normally gives birth to his stories are not here. The thrill of a good horror-story, the real essence of fright isn’t there and you quickly get the idea that … well, I just wrote it a few lines above this. It’s like he just threw the words into his word processor, just to have something to publish. This could be a tactical move by Stephen King or his publisher if you will, because Riding the Bullet is only meant for electronical distribution and perhaps they both wanted to see how things went, before publishing bigger stories (?) But -hey- what do I know. Could just imagine the conversation: “Hey Stephen. Have you got something small and easy, you were about to throw away anyway?” “Sure. Got this one: Riding the Bullet it’s called. Can we use this?” And so it became Kings first attempt at publishing electronically. Another thing is of course the possibility of underground distribution of the document. Its only about 800KB and could be all around the world in no-time, but lets see if there is more to come from him like this in the next year or so. One could easily imagine his works being distributed both electronically and in the good old book/paper form (which I prefer).
Anyway, the story’s about Alan Parker whose mother just had a stroke and, because his car is broken, has to hitchhike his way to the hospital. Its of course late evening and surely something bad is apt to happen (you always know this in a King story, but that’s why one is tempted to read it, right?), and it does. Of course it does. But telling you much more than this, would actually be giving the story away, as its very thin, both written and in what happens in the story. Let me just say that he meets this ghost or Angel of Death or … perhaps he doesn’t, but he must’ve, because of the … and then he has to choose, which in the end he does, but nothing happens anyway. Peculiar.
Lines can be drawn from this story to ‘The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon’,
and I must admit that I prefer the latter. It might not be the typical
King (and on the other hand), but the characterisation and the depth of
the story is so much better and King has it with writing stuff, you just
can’t put down and perhaps Riding the Bullet has its moments: it
made me laugh, perhaps shiver once, but I’ve come to expect more
from King. I was in the end pretty disappointed. (DH)
STEPHEN LAWS
SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT
Hodder & Stoughton, hb, November 1996
"But it was the man's face which caused the greatest spasm of unreasoning fear. It was too much white; a horrible moon-mask, with dark craters where the eyes might be hidden. There was blood on the mouth, as if the had been eating messily. And as it took another lurching step, its head turned so that he could see ragged tracing of blood all around the thing's face. It reminded him of something he had hated and feared as a child. It was somehow the face of a clown."
The A1, Northumberland, Midnight. A crash, a fire, maybe a unfortunate collision between two worlds - two dimensions? Anyway, the stage is set for this new (well, it was then) thriller from the epic Stephen Laws, and it seems that he continues the style which he left in "Daemonic" - his own (I think) way of describing the characters, of building the story; from a terrifying beginning to a more intense ending. But unfortunately there not that much horror left in his works. "Macabre" dealt with creatures from Hell, some of these guest-starred in "Daemonic", but in "Somewhere South of Midnight" there's none but one thing left to terrify you, of creatures anyway - then there's the wicked humans, but they don't count. I think "Somewhere South of Midnight" is more of a thriller than what's characterises Stephen Laws other works. I still think that "The Frighteners", "Spectre" and "The Wyrm" are genuine unforgettable masterpieces of horror. They may not be as professionally crafted as his last three publications, but they have more heart and passion for the genre than any other. "Somewhere South of Midnight! reminds me somewhat of Dean Koontz' "Strangers" - good or bad? You decide. Now all this may sound like I don't like the book. I do. Really. Even though the ending still puzzles me somewhat.
Back to where I began: the A1 through Northumberland. A strange light.
A strange screaming. The crash. 86 dead in a big collision, and the fire
afterwards. Only seven survivors. Seven survivors which seems to have
gotten special abilities in/after the accident and is in contact with
each other in a very special way. There's something hiding deep inside
them. Something strange, something alien, maybe even evil. As the puzzle
unfolds it seems that there only is limited time left, to be freed from
their 'visitors'. An energetic experience. (DH)
JOHN DOUGLAS
ZOO EVENT
Hodder & Stoughton, hb, September 1996
"Mark led the way through the grey bodies, carefully judging each step so they could avoid an old woman's hand, a young girl's feet, a pregnant woman's belly, the policeman's twisted leg, the teenager's open eyes and mouths. There was black blood everywhere, in patches still sticky under his feet, most faces striped with it like camouflage make-up. Everyone seemed to have died violently, either in fighting or by being crushed. The madness that must have swept the place was unimaginable."
Woah! Wait a minute! I ain't got time to read this now, I have work to do. This issue of Trauma isn't due for the next months anyway, so let me give it a rest, put it down, see to that the work gets done. Argh! I give up. I can't. I have to keep reading, - let the fatal conspiracy of Douglas' words and my mind create the ultimate nightmare around me. OH! And I can even now sense the darkness fall again, hear the screams from the streets of Blair, smell - hell! almost taste the indisguiseable smell of death, as I drift on into this bold adventure: into a Hell named Blair and the pandemonium that has swallowed it. Violence now all around me. What a nightmare! What a book!
"Zoo Event" really turned my world around - my day, anyway.
Yes! That was all it took to read this fascinating book of terror. I just
couldn't keep my eyes from racing feverish from page to page - and what
a shame really: it might have taken several months or maybe even years
to write it. - But it's Douglas' own fault, really. He could have filled
it with unnecessary babble and passages which has'nt got the least to
do with the actual story, just so that it would creep up upon 400 pages.
But he didn't and thanks for that. "Zoo Event" is packed with
mayhem, which begins on page one and ends as you close the book when you're
finished. Brilliant. (DH)
STEPHEN KING
THE GREEN MILE
Penguin Books, pb, 1996
Internet address:
www.greenmile.com
Wow! Stephen King writing as Stephen King, or ... ?
Well, yes - true enough. This is a S. K. novel, even though one might
come to think otherwise. And ... it's really great. I must admit, I flipped
the pages as though I was only a heartbeat away from deadline - and to
think that a person can create such characters, such emotions and manage
to encapsulate a reader that way he does is more than fantastic. It's
Stephen King. And what can I say? I'm really hating myself for liking
this novel as much as I do, because it's not the classic King that I have
written so much about, but someone else: maybe an much older - more tired
King that we might just have to get use to? Two of his last four publications:
"Insomnia" and "Rose Madder" both have dealt with
evil in a much more "mature" (I can't find a better word for
it, sorry) or - yes! - maybe older sort of way - maybe King's realising
that he's not getting any younger and is having this sort of middle-age
crisis? But whatever, I'll - and probably the rest of you out there -
buy his books anyhow ... even if it's non-fiction about Tibetian monks
or ... well, you know what I mean, but now - don't say I didn't warn you!
"The Green Mile" is worth buying and you might just get surprised
how much you'll miss the atmosphere on Death Row. (DH)
MARK PEPPER
THE SHORT CUT
Hodder & Stoughton, hb, November 1996
"Outside the lift, a nude, waxen, hairless corpse with pure black pupils floated up to the doorway and bobbed about. Lake uttered a high-pitched whine. Dreave looked over his shoulder at the figure, then turned to it. He reached a hand out to its jaw and began waggling it up and down. In a silly voice out of a motionless mouth, Dreave said: 'is Nathan coming out to play?' ..." What have we here? A debut novel. Not quite unlike Stephen King "Salem's Lot", "The Short Cut" also is about this mysterious stranger, which comes to town offering some of his rare powers for a non-negotiable price. Only Conrad Dreave - that's his name, is only offering these powers to our main character Nathan Lake. Nathan Lake wishes for a role in the big-budget movies and not the boring low payment theather roles to which he might get lucky and participate in. Well, there's to road to fame and fortune: the light path and the dark path. Both offers the same goal, but the latter only spends an minimal amount of your precious time to reach that goal ... so, fausto, what're you choosing? Nathan Lake chooses the dark path, and suddently he finds himself in the position he'd only dare dream of. Unfortunately, the price is very high and the world around him seems to crumble and ruin.
Well, now there's the choice 'yes' or 'no', should I decide to recommend the book or not. If I wanted some time off, maybe relaxing a day or two, "The Short Cut" offers witty british dark humour, it's very easy reading (you'll probably finish the book in a day or two), it's sexy and it's somehow pure - I guess that's because it's a debut novel; not much to think about, not all these knots in the plot which have to be untied before the ending. Just a book you read and put aside afterwards, knowing you haven't missed anything. You probably never pick it up again - but you've spend the most of two days with it. If I should choose between this one and, errr, I don't know, lets say Dan Simmons novel, I'd go for the Simmons one. (DH)
STEPHEN SPRUILL
DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS
Hodder & Stoughton, hb, November 1996
In Steven Spruill’s "Daughter of darkness", we follow up on the story of Merrick Chapman, his wife Katie, his son Gregory, his granddaughter Jean Hrluska and - of course - his other son Zane, whom he buried alive at the end of "Rulers of Darkness". Now, ten years after, it seems that Zane has somehow escaped The Vault and has returned to try and convince his daughter, that she should not defy her inner self - the vampire (or Haemophage as Steven Spruill calls it: these vampires being more adapted to our modern times) - but let it take over. Merrick, whom once was one of the strongest of these Haemophage’s, and hunted the others down and buried them so they wouldn’t spill the blood of innocents, has taken something called Fraction 8 (which - it seems - is blood from someone aging fast), and is now aging and losing strength. Basically because he want’s to die with his wife and not go on living, hurting, seeing his loved ones die. As you probably already guessed, the story happens to be one where Zane stalks Jean, cautious, afraid that Merrick (it only occurs to him at the end of the book, though, that Merrick is no match for him at all) catches him again, hurting, even killing her friends and colleagues - offering them to her, tempting her with the warm blood in their veins.
The story about Merrick and the Haemophages are undoubtly great and has alot of myth and mystique from the ancient, original vampires surrounding it. I like the story, even though it’s very pure and has becomed more medical now than "Rulers of darkness" and not as dark and bloody as how we tend to characterize a vampire novel. At times, though, you (I) would’ve wanted more blood more horror. As I think it obvious material in this kind of story. Anyway, it’s great reading and definitely something for all you Anne Rice fans out there. (DH)
