The Galahad Legacy
Dom Testa
Tor Teen, Feb 14 2012, $17.99
ISBN: 9780765321121

On earth, mankind is dying out. Only 250 chosen teens were sent into space on board the Galahad to find a new home for what is left of the species (see The Cassini Code). One year away from their home, the survivors have faced a difficult journey, but so far prove that the adults who selected them picked those with the right stuff. However, the latest problem seems insurmountable as the vessel is falling apart having gone through the normal rigor of outer space, but amplified by alien attacks, internal sabotage and worm hole devastation (see The Comet’s Curse and The Web of Titan). Days remain with no exit strategy as a virus loaded to the computer has speed up the doomsday countdown.

That is until Council leader Triana Martell returns from her journey through a wormhole (see Cosmic Storm). Accompanying her back to the Galahad is the ambassador of the Dollovit who offers them a chance to survive but at what price.

This is a strong finish to a great teenage science fiction thriller. The storyline is fast-paced as the leader returns with an option that may save the crew but can they trust this alien race after meeting a bellicose species early in their journey. Readers will enjoy the adventures of the space crew Galahad as Dom Testa provides a fabulous space odyssey in which he sums up in his afterward note to his audience that like those on board, the cool person is the smart person.

Harriet Klausner

The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Plus
Cory Doctorow
PM Press, Nov 1 2011, $12.00
www.pmpress.org
ISBN: 9781604864045

“The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” The world ended not with a bang but with a wumpus; as everyone wanted control of technological change leading to the Mecha Wars. In Detroit, Jimmy Yensid, his dad Robin and the pack reside in abandoned Comerica Park. Dad restored the classic Carousel of Progress; currently he recommends preservation of this last standing city as a heritage site. Being transhuman Jimmy ages slowly so though he has lived for decades he remains preadolescent. He spots a wumpus near a crumpled Ford factory. Riding his dad’s mecha and accompanied by his canines packs piloting air drones, he attacks the wumpus. A gang riding eight smaller mechas attacks Jimmy. He fights back feeling like a murderer as life in abandoned Detroit is never dull.

“Creativity vs. Copyright.” This fascinating essay/presentation focuses on proposed copyright laws in the electronic publication age. The impact on corporate profits has been discussed many times. Mr. Doctorow provides a fresh focus on the digital rights management (including monetary – how an author makes a living from Net sales is beyond my comprehension) of intellectual property in a world in which many users assume “information is free.”

The thought provoking novella is a dark thriller that turns upside down the “future” as progress does not necessarily mean better. The exciting storyline looks deeply at change as everyone insists implementation of theirs; and customized technology may just lead to a wasteland. The well written essay/presentation provides the audience with insight into Mr. Doctorow’s views especially on intellectual property ownership in an on demand digital world. Finally there is also included “Look for the Lake” Cory Doctorow Interviewed by Terry Bisson.

Harriet Klausner

Gift of Magic
Lynn Kurland
Berkley, Jan 3 2012, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425245200

Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of his evil sire Gair, Ruithneadh of Ceangail hesitates becoming a mage. However, he has no choice but to undo what his notorious father wrought. Thus Ruith and dreamweaver Sarah of Doire, who uncannily can see the deadly spells on a map of sorts, follow the spell trail to destroy them though she believes someone purposely set this up to bring the pair to whoever this individual is.

As the pair find and destroy spells, other Nine Kingdom mages want control of Gair’s legacy and will kill anyone, even innocent civilians, to obtain the enormous but dangerous power. Sarah and Ruith know failure is not an option as that would plunge the world into eternal darkness as each wonders what awaits them at the end of the enchanted trail.

The final tale in the latest Nine Kingdoms quest fantasy (see A Tapestry of Spells and Spellweaver) is a great finish to a strong trilogy. The exciting story line is fast-paced from the onset until the final confrontation against evil. Although readers will know who awaits the lead heroes at the end of the spell trail, it does not matter as Lynn Kurland spins another fabulous fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Galactic Courier
A Bertram Chandler
Baen, Dec 6 2011, $12.00
ISBN: 9781451637632

“Star Courier.” Former Federation Survey Service Commander John Grimes establishes the Far Traveler Couriers. As owner and solo operator he makes deliveries from his home base of Tiralbin to Boggarty on board his Little Sister vessel until the Shaara capture him and display him as a low level beast.

“To Keep the Ship.” Little Sister remains under arrest to be auctioned to pay Grimes’ fines on Pangst for taking native animals to the New Syrtis Zoo. Grimes needs money so he takes the tedious job on the Bronson Star. However, when he rescues Susie and her friends; they reciprocate by taking over the cruiser and threatening to kill him unless he cooperates.

“Matilda’s Stepchildren.” On the Bronson Star, Grimes transport muckraker Fenella Pruin so that she can do a story on the sex industry of Venusberg. The pair mutually detest one another though the boring voyage is made fun by fighting for top potion. Grimes ends up in the midst of a clean-up operation and meets Underpeople Shirl & Darleen

“Star Loot.” After Little Sister is sold, Grimes buys Epsilon Scorpii; which he rechristens as Sister Sue. He joins the El Doradan Navy as a privateer.

The third exciting John Grimes omnibus saga (see To The Galactic Rim and First Command) reprints his adventures as a Galactic Courier. There is somewhat a sameness in tone as Grimes meets females fatales who “help” him step into the crosshairs of dangerous rogues. The best two tales are the fresh Star Courier in which Grimes starts his new career and Star Loot in which much of what is going on is deftly tied together with an exciting climax. Fans of Grimes will relish his time as a courier.

Harriet Klausner

Ghoul Interrupted
Victoria Laurie
Obsidian, Jan 3 2012, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451235503

Ghoul Getters TV reality show investigator M.J. Holliday, her lover Heath Whitefeather whose late grandfather Sam is her spirit guide, and her BFF Gilley Gillespie are on ghost busting tour. The trio is on their way to Dunkirk when the spirit of Holliday’s mom warns her that she will soon be on the most dangerous hunt of her perilous career. Sam informs her that a horrific evil attacks the Pueblo and if not stopped will kill all Whitefeather kin just like what happened to Heath’s late uncle.

Heath receives the call his uncle is dead. He informs M.J. he must go to the Zanto Pueblo in New Mexico. M.J. and Gilley accompany him. They learn that a demon, freed from a long incarceration, is causing deadly havoc. No one believes the threesome’s assertion even after a humongous claw mark is found embedded in a tree. The dragon-shaped demon continues its killing spree while the trio risks their lives to end the murders even though most of the tribe including the elders thinks they are loco.

The latest Ghost Hunter mystery (see What’s A Ghoul to Do?) is a fantastic paranormal serial killer thriller as the group battle against a demon of Native American mythos. Heath fears for his kin (and himself) while Gilley brings eccentricity, humor and loyalty as he supports her Georgia childhood friend in dark deadly scenarios; this time with no local help. However, once again M.J. is the star who rushes in where the brave dare not enter as she takes the hill first and thinks afterward how crazy her actions were. Victoria Laurie is one of the best at creating exciting supernatural mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

The Guardian
Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin’s, Nov 1 2011, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312550059

With some Egyptian God in his blood, Seth the Guardian has never lived the life of a deity as he has spent millennia being betrayed as an exile. Over the past several thousand years he has been a tortured slave to the god Noir who assigns him to use any means necessary to obtain from the incarcerated Dream Hunter Solin where the key to Mt Olympus is hidden. To ensure a successful expedited mission is accomplished, Noir the impatient god threatens Seth and others.

Hybrid Dream-Hunter Kattagarian Lydia enters the Nether Realm to rescue her father Solin. Instead the Nether Realm’s most terrifying Guardian Seth captures her. Expecting nightmarish torture from this vicious miscreant, she is stunned to find instead a tortured soul who has never been loved and expects Lydia to betray him if he displays his attraction to her.

The Guardian is a strong Dream-Hunter romantic fantasy that has ties to the rest of the vast Kenyon mythos. Filled with action and pathos, readers will root for Lydia as she falls in love with her worst nightmare (Stockholm syndrome comes to mind), but wonders how to teach a person to accept love when they never received anything positives from relationships. Although the confrontational climax feels abrupt, fans of the saga will relish the love story between a Guardian allegedly with no heart and a Hunter giving him her heart.

Harriet Klausner

The Goblin King
Shona Husk
Sourcebooks, Oct 1 2011, $6.99
ISBN: 9781402259852

A thousand years ago the druid exiled Celtic King Roan and his warrior horde including his brother into the Shadowlands. A lump of symbolic gold replaced his heart, but time is running out on the former monarch; if not saved by the love of a human he will either vanish into nothingness or join the soulless Goblin Horde.

Eliza Coulter summons Roan to protect her from the rage of her fiancé Steven Slade. An heiress she trusted Steven after her dad died, but no more. She knows he has stolen from her and fears his temper. Thus she has turned to the Goblin King. Roan hopes to make Eliza his queen, but she would have to give up so much for him. Destroying his wardrobe will not keep her safe from the abusive Steven, which he knows is his prime mission.

This is an intriguing romantic fantasy with an interesting psychological spin in which the duo worlds of Sharon Husk seem real yet also metamorphic. Roan is a heroic individual who willingly sacrifices his chance for the return of his soul to keep his beloved safe. Eliza is the more fascinating protagonist as she is the ultimate damsel in distress unable to function without a man’s protection. However, her passivity to the nth degree helplessness is two edged as readers observe an emotionally crippled person failing to take action beyond calling for help to protect hers even when facing peril but also makes her too damaged to be the lead female in a contemporary setting.

Harriet Klausner

Ganymede
Cherie Priest
Tor, Sep 27 2011, $14.99
ISBN: 9780765329462

In New Orleans, brothel owner Josephine Early asks her former lover Andan Cly to pilot the Ganymede submarine to the North. Since this mission fits his prime assignment to bring needed supplies to the human Seattle underground in which zombies and gas rule the surface, Cly agrees as he tries to go a bit more legal with his endeavors.

However, Jo fails to inform the air pilot of the Naamah Darling that the ship has never been driven successfully, that the ship sits at the bottom of lake Pontchartrain, and the Texian and Confederate armies, who wait at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, will kill to possess it. If he survives the military forces waiting for his run, Cly still has to drive the vessel that has proven to be a death trap for all his predecessors.

The latest Clockwork Century steampunk historical fantasy (see Boneshaker, Clementine and Dreadnought) is a great alternate Civil War thriller. Cly is a super antihero who wants to atone for his dealing in sap with the supply run though not quite going totally legal as gun running remains a lucrative activity. Loaded with action, fans will appreciate the reunion of the Union spy brothel owner and the bootlegging air pilot.

Harriet Klausner

Glow
Amy Kathleen Ryan
St. Martin’s Griffin, Sep 13 2011, $17.99
ISBN: 9780312590567

The two ships (the New Horizon and the Empyrean) are the only hope for mankind to find a new earth as the old planet is dead. However, Pastor Anne Mather on the New Horizon wants to establish a theocracy so believes her vessel must land on the new earth first and needs the young breeding females on board the sister ship; as there are none on her vessel. She leads a preemptive attack killing most adults on board the Empyrean and abducting all the breeding age females and younger girls.

Pastor Mather explains to her female prisoners they were rescued to birth the next generation. The young women and girls are stunned but turn to fifteen year old Waverly for leadership; she directs a passive resistance. On the Empyrean rival teenagers, Waverly’s boyfriend Kieran and sly Seth, compete for control of the rudderless ship.

The first Sky Chasers outer space thriller is an entertaining young adult science fiction. The fast-paced story line rotates perspective between the twin ships fueled by betrayal (not just by Pastor) being the means of choice to achieve a certain end. Although the male lead teens on the Empyrean seem incompetent with Kieran hesitant and Seth uncaring about others when compared to heroic Waverly who quietly leads her troops in opposition, readers will enjoy Amy Kathleen Ryan’s engaging tale.

Harriet Klausner

Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense
Edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers
Harper Voyager, Sep 6 2011, $14.99
ISBN 9780061999710

In the Introduction, editors Nick Gevers and Jack Dann explain that the premise of this excellent anthology is to explore the “great paradox of the Victorian age” in which the Queen declared the enlightenment yet superstition and paranormal species still held a grip on the people. Perhaps Laird Barron’s “Blackwood’s Baby” is the best example of that unbalanced scale between enlightened understanding and suggestive fears of the unknown. Thus the Enlightenment is a transition into the modern world. All seventeen entries are excellent examples of “Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense”. “The Iron Shroud” by James Morrow opens the superior collection with Jonathan pondering insects and hell as his dead mentor remains interred. Just after Princess Maude married the future Sultan, four men living in a rooming house learn why Turks write down everything even “Music, When Soft Voices Die” by Peter S. Beagle. Margo Lanagan provides an engaging insightful focus on the changing class combat in “The Proving of Smollett Standforth.” “The Curious Case of the Moondawn Daffodil Murder as Experienced by Sir Magnus Holmes and Almost Doctor Susan Shrike” (by Garth Nix) pays homage to the great Victorian detective and his sidekick in a razor sharp thriller. All the other entries are excellent as this may prove to be the historical fantasy (and horror) collection of the year climaxing with Jeffrey Ford’s gloomy ghostly ruins of “The Summer Palace.”

Harriet Klausner