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 Laura E. Reeve, Science Fiction and Fantasy Author

 

The Eclectic Speculative Fiction Reader

I believe anyone who wants to publish in a genre, should read in that genre. So I read science fiction, fantasy, and some horror, which I call "speculative fiction." For a definition of speculative fiction, however, I can only mumble about futuristic or fantastic elements, then point to the SF/Fantasy section of the bookstore. The genre is defined by the readers who buy it, which isn't such a bad idea, is it?

Every reader has a different definition of this genre and subgenres. I have a friend who says Science Fiction is the Star Wars Universe, period. Another thinks my Kedros series is Fantasy (Has she seen the Vigilante cover? Is that fairy dust shooting from Ari's honking big weapon that she's never used?) The point is, under the sign that says "Science Fiction & Fantasy," you can find anything...

Laura, at her desk

The Eclectic Reader

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Jan
21

Year’s (2004) Best SF, 21st Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois

The problem with short stories, both in reading them and trying to get them published, is that they’re so subjective. As they say about Beauty, Story and Character are also in the eye of the beholder.

This collection of short stories comes from 2004 and I picked it up at the last MileHiCon. The last collection I read from Gardner Dozois kept me spellbound, through my vacation in Maui, no less. That collection had been put together in 2006 and I still remember most of the stories, if not the names of the authors. This collection… did not affect me in the same way.

I read in the evenings before bed and I usually look forward to that time. I usually have to put down the book reluctantly so I get enough sleep. Not this time. I had to force myself to pick up the book when I was in one of the (longer) short stories (I won’t go into which ones felt like a grind). After I finished the collection, with relief, I immediately turned to the table of contents to look over the stories and pick out my favorites.

Guess what? With two exceptions, I couldn’t even remember the stories—not their protagonists, world, environments, moods, or what I’d experienced while reading them—I was totally blank. The exceptions? I remembered The Fluted Girl, by Paulo Bacigalupi, because his dystopian worlds (not my favorite, because they’re so dark) are always memorable and at least the story was about someone interesting doing something interesting. Read more »

Dec
23

Ariel, by Steven R. Boyett (and Thoughts About Updating Backlist)

Back cover, which is a good summation:

It’s been five years since the change… Five years since the lights went out, cars stopped in the streets, and magical creatures began roaming the towns and countrysides of Earth.

Pete Garey, a young loner who survived the Change and the madness that followed, spent two years wandering and scavenging the near-deserted cities and towns alone—until the day he encountered an injured unicorn. He nursed her back to health and named her Ariel, and an unlikely friendship was formed.

But unicorns are rare even in a Changed world—and the power of their magic is highly prized.

A necromancer in New York City covets that power and will stop at nothing to possess Ariel, dead or alive. Sought by bounty hunters both human and inhuman, Pete and Ariel decide to make a stand against their enemy—and journey to confront the dark sorcerer in the ruined heart of the city he has made his own twisted kingdom.

All Things Considered…

This is a reprint of Boyett’s 1983 debut novel and I wondered why I’d never stumbled upon it, considering it featured a unicorn. In the past, I’ve studied unicorn lore and a “post-apocalyptic fantasy” that featured one was intriguing. It has a wonderful premise, but in the end the inconsistency in the world and the characterization balanced everything out to… a so-so book. [Warning: some minor plot spoilers follow]. Read more »

Nov
07

Knight’s Curse, by Karen Duvall

From the back cover:

Orphan. Crusader. Angel. Thief. A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact… or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin—her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom… and the love of her life.

This was a refreshing Urban Fantasy (no tired vampire tropes here). Chalice will learn that her mother was a Knight and her father was a Fallen Angel. That’s not a plot spoiler, because this heroine isn’t merely the sum of her parents. More powers and responsibilities will be heaped on her shoulders as the reader speeds through a taut plot.

And I do have a tiny complaint about the tautness. I really wanted to learn much more about the world, Chalice’s background, her mother’s history—but just when a morsel of information is provided or another clue is considered, something happens and we’re on the run again! I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next book.

Nov
01

Schism: Part 1 of Triad, by Catherine Asaro

Synopsized From Back Cover: Return to the early years of the Skolian Empire. Strife has riven the Skolian royal family. Sauscony, the eldest Skolian daughter, is ready to seek her fortune as an officer-in-trining in the military. When her father forbids her to undertake such a dangerous path, a wedge is formed as Soz chooses duty over family…

I’ll pick up at this point: Soz’s father Eldrinson disowns Soz and her brother Althor who is also in the military academy. Hence the schism in the family. Eldrinson quickly regrets his action, but can’t make amends because the family is immediately upset again—another son runs away, feeling he’s the reason for the disowning of Althor. Several days into the search, Eldrinson himself is kidnapped by an enemy, who decides to torture him (feeding off the pain of an empath). Now Eldrinson’s wife is dealing with a missing husband, a missing son, and two children at the academy who will soon be put in harm’s way.

Asaro had put together an entertaining space opera here. It was published in 2004, and it’s a prequel to many of the other books in her Skolian Saga. I don’t even know where I picked it up, but it was in my pile so I read it. Unfortunately, I think I’ve only read The Last Hawk and The Radiant Seas, and that was so long ago that I didn’t remember anything about her world.

Luckily, I didn’t have to know much. Asaro provided enough backstory for me to enjoy the story (and I never even looked at the historical annex). I checked to see if the sequel had really been published; it had, it’s called Final Key. Silly me, however, I kept looking for three books, since the subtitle is “Part One of Triad.” Well, the “triad” she’s referring to is the triad of empaths that Soz will form (later). Additionally, Soz is featured heavily in other books because she will rule this empire—but I enjoyed the book just fine without knowing her future. ;-)