Stuart Clark

• Rated 5 stars

“It is a desperate time in Earth's future. Global warming is taking its toll. The polar ice caps are melting, raising sea levels and contaminating fresh water supplies. Man has two choices. Rely on D-salt, itself a much sought after commodity, to remove impurities from tainted water, or look to the heavens for a new home. Doyle Gage is the poster boy for the promised Gaea future. A long serving United Earth Coalition (UEC) soldier, Doyle has been hand picked to be commander of the Gaea-02 spaceship. Its mission, to forge a new colony on a distant planet called M38 But Doyle unexpectedly finds himself alone to raise his young son and resigns his post, electing only to accompany the ship on its six month, slingshot test flight as a civilian consultant. On returning to Earth, the crew of Gaea-02 are horrified to discover that the Asian Pacific Alliance (APA) has started all out war with the UEC. It soon becomes clear, the APA are after one thing, the Gaea ship and all its technology, so they can mount their own bid for M38. Stranded in space, and considered fugitive by the APA, the crew of the Gaea-02 will be forced to make difficult decisions and Doyle must decide if he should return to Earth and learn the fate of his son or head for the stars and fulfill the Gaea dream.

Gaea: Beyond the Son, is the brilliant first offering from P.D. Gilson. Crammed full of action and with a plot played out by believable, likeable characters, it's hard to put this book down. If you're looking for hard, techhy sci-fi, then this isn't for you. But if you like your SF a little on the pulpy/adventure side with a splash of military thrown in for good measure, I heartily recommend it. The initial premise is good, the future world Gilson writes about not too much of a leap of faith given current warnings about global warming and climate change. The characters are engaging and their individual stories are slowly revealed to the reader through a series of flashbacks and hibernation dreams. Yes, it's been done before but it's executed well, bringing to the surface conflicts and motivations that draw you into the story as the book progresses. The crew of the Gaea-02 get thrown from one situation to the next, and the action scenes are exciting and written well, yet none of the obstacles or hardships encountered seemed contrived to pad the story out, they just added to the snowballing pace of the plot. If I had one minor criticism of Gaea: Beyond the Son, it would be the use of unexplained acronyms. Lovers of SF will have no problem, with a little bit of thought, figuring out what they all stand for, but readers new to the genre might not be familiar with them all. It's a minor issue. Completing the package is the gorgeous cover art of Tomas Kuklik. A beautiful collage of scenes from the book, you'll find yourself constantly flipping back to view it and pictorially relive the scene you just read. They say never to judge a book by its cover but I'm afraid to say I did - and I wasn't disappointed in the least. ”

Stuart Clark wrote this review Wednesday, February 13 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Storms of Vengeance is the debut novel from fantasy author John Beachem. Billed as Book One of The Lorradda Stone, Storms of Vengeance appears to be the prelude to a sweeping, epic saga. When intruders break into the city’s capital the Kingdom of Faranin is thrown into turmoil. The Merphite councilman Relex Unara lies dead, slain in his own bed and the imposters, who seem to be versed in the outlawed practice of magic, have fled after stealing an ancient artifact which, to the casual observer, seems to be nothing more than a piece of rock. Questions need to be answered. Who is the murderer and why did they want the Merphite dead? And who are the strangers and what do they want with a simple stone? Thrown into this chaos and turmoil are two young friends, Calton Relas and Ratel Eresgot. Both members of the city guard, both now being called upon to do their part for their King and the Kingdom. The ensuing investigation will see both of them facing dangers as they travel the Kingdom in search of answers. Answers that hint at something dark and forbidding. Something that has been set in motion and threatens to destroy them all. Storms of Vengeance is an impressive debut from Beachem. In it he has crafted a complex mystery played out by engaging characters. Whilst it is clearly fantasy, Beachem has succeeded in shaking off some of the genre’s clichés, introducing new races over and above the usual fantasy fare and giving elves a working over which sees them as vicious, feral creatures feared by all. It makes for a refreshing change. The cast of characters is enormous and Beachem handles this aspect of the book well, bringing enough back story to each to make them identifiable and keep the reader interested but never over-doing it to the point where it becomes confusing. At times I found the book a little slow but I think that was just symptomatic of the need to create the world and characters within the book. Clearly, the Lorradda stone series is an ambitious trilogy. The story definitely hit its stride once Beachem could concentrate more on the story telling than on the world building. Storms of Vengeance leaves you on a cliff hanger which may irk some, but to those I say the good news is that book two of the series “The Hunter and The Marked” will be released soon. For more information about the author and The Lorradda Stone series, visit www.beachembooks.com ”

Stuart Clark wrote this review Saturday, December 8 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I’m not normally a reader of short story collections but seeing as how Doctorow seems to be the next best thing in Science Fiction, I thought I’d give “Over Clocked” a try. On finishing it, I realized why I don’t read short story collections.

The problem is, short story collections inevitably end up being like CD’s. Sure, there’s one, maybe two great tracks on it, a few mediocre tracks and then some that are positively awful. Over Clocked suffers the same malady.

One of the strongest stories is “When Sysadmins ruled the world.” An interesting tale that describes how a technologically dependent world gets brought to its knees by rampant worms and viruses and how the system administrators (Sysadmins of the title) may be the only people skilled and tech-savvy enough to fight humanity’s corner.

Equally enjoyable is I robot. Winner of the 2005 Locus award and a finalist for the Hugo and British Science Fiction award in the same year. You’d expect for it to be a good read with those credentials.

Holding the middle ground for the book is Anda’s game – which will no doubt be a favorite with the gaming readers - and provides a virtual backdrop for the rich minority vs depressed minority scenario to literally be played out once more.

After the Siege, where the horrors of future war are exploited for entertainment value, also provides food for thought. One can’t help but think that this story might not be a statement about today’s news media.

I enjoyed all of these stories but then that’s where I ran into trouble. Perhaps in no other genre than speculative fiction does the phrase “Suspension of belief,” come into its own. Every author asks you to suspend your belief and go along for the ride, and for the majority of Over Clocked I was prepared to do that. Rampant computer viruses I can do. Robots I can do. Future war and gang warfare on the net I’m prepared to go along with. With I Row-Boat, Doctorow lost me.

Over Clocked’s subtitle is “Stories of future present.” Most of the stories seemed to be a reasonable extrapolation of science and technology today with a dark, dystopian slant, but I found sentient rowing boats and coral reefs a little beyond what I was prepared to accept. As a result, I just couldn’t get past the first five pages of I Row-Boat.
Similarly, I found the very short, short story (2 pages) Printcrime, equally hard to swallow.

Overall, I’d give Over Clocked a 3 out of 5 rating. Of the six stories contained within, there are a couple of gems, a couple of easy reads and a couple that I would skip if I had a “Next Chapter” button.

Maybe that’s a future present.
”

Stuart Clark wrote this review Thursday, June 7 2007. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 0 stars

“From the author:[br/][br/]Synopsis:[br/]Project U.L.F is a Science Fiction drama played out on an inhospitable planet millions of miles from Earth. It is a story of betrayal and one man’s struggle to unite an unlikely band of characters and ensure their safe return home.[br/]Wyatt Dorren is an ex-con. Imprisoned for a crime of passion, Wyatt has managed to turn his life around thanks to the state prison rehabilitation programme. Initially placed at Chicago’s Interplanetary Zoological Park (IZP), Wyatt was employed as a trapper, travelling to known star systems to capture alien life forms for exhibition at the zoo. Today, he has reached the levels of middle management and heads Project ULF (Unidentified Life Form), a department of highly skilled personnel who travel to newly discovered planets to capture new and previously unknown forms of life.[br/]Wyatt’s unexpected success poses a threat to Douglas Mannheim, a conniving, underhanded man who has blackmailed his way to the position of Managing Director of the IZP. Mannheim recognises the danger that Wyatt represents and, based on information supplied to him, plots to send Wyatt and a rag-tag team of trappers on a bogus mission to a remote, uncharted planet from which he knows no-one has returned, thereby eliminating his latest challenger.[br/]Unknown to Mannheim, a University graduate, Kate Frere, is assigned to Wyatt’s crew, since on paper the expedition has been arranged to look like a routine assignment.[br/]Both Wyatt and Kate are blissfully ignorant of their predicament but because they have different expectations from the expedition they rarely see eye-to-eye. It is this conflict and Kate’s naiveté that will ultimately expose the awful truth of what has befallen them.[br/]Now, with a stricken ship, faulty equipment, inexperienced crew members and a rogue element to deal with, Wyatt must unite his team of men and women and find a way to get back home.[br/]There is of course one other problem. They are no longer the hunters but the hunted.”

Stuart Clark wrote this review Friday, September 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's personal account of the 1996 Everest disaster that left 8 people dead on the roof of the world.

A seasoned climber and journalist, Krakauer had harbored desires to climb Everest since a young man and was handed the opportunity when Outside magazine agreed to cover his costs as a client on a guided climb. Krakauer's assignment was to report on the increasing commercialisation of Everest and the safety considerations for taking relatively inexperienced climbers on what, even today, is a technically difficult climb.

Climbing is not the only difficulty to overcome on Everest. The effects of high altitude and cold are debilitating and the weather a factor that can change in a heartbeat. Never in his wildest dreams did Krakauer think he would become involved in one of the most tragic days in Everest's history. To this day, controversy rages on about the catalog of events that led to disaster.

Into Thin Air is a great book. Despite it being Krakauer's attempt at making peace with himself (A case of mistaken identity high on the mountain by the author himself left one victim's family devastated), it doesn't read like a cathartic outpouring. Moreso, an account of what happened that fateful day on Everest told in a very honest manner.

If the gripping story isn't enough to hold your interest, Krakauer's practised journalistic style makes this an easy read. Interesting to both climbers and non-climbers alike, Into Thin Air is a great book for both adrenaline junkies and armchair sloths.”

Stuart Clark wrote this review Sunday, June 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )