Review: Brumbies by Paula Boer (& Illustrator, Rowena Evans)

Brumbies, a children's adventure set in the Australian Snowy Mountains, and the first of a five part series, is a wonderful read for the 8 to 12 year old set, but certainly enjoyable for all ages. This is IFWG Publishing's first venture in publishing a book written in Australian English, in part to retain the authenticity of the characters and setting, as well as recognizing that Australian children – especially those who love horses – will be the primary readers. But don't misunderstand me – this book is a classic horse adventure and could very well turn into a classic, much like "The Silver Brumby".

The story is about a horse-loving city girl moving into the country – the highlands of Australia where, surprisingly for those who aren't Australian, can get cold and even snow in winter. A hardy wild horse, the Brumbies, roam the diminishing countryside, and have, to some extent, become a 'pest' to local farmers and parks. There is an annual mustering of Brumbies for the purpose of putting them down, and this shocks Louise, one of our protagonists. She and Ben, a local boy she befriends, work hard to find a way to save some of these beautiful creatures. This is the basis of the story for the first book.

I love reading children's titles as they take me back to when I was a child and enjoyed reading. My taste was quite eclectic, but I certainly can remember reading every single one of WIllard Price's 'Adventure' series. Reading Paula Boer's Brumbies rekindled those enjoyable years, and I certainly can thank her (and illustrator Rowena Evans) for that. While not a horse story reader, I can only imagine how wonderful stories will be for those with an equine bent.

Five deserved stars.

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Review: The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovitch

This is an amazing book. Larry Ivkovich describes The Sixth Precept as an urban fantasy – and it certainly is in the sense that it is a fantasy and quite a bit of the adventure is set in a modern day US city – but a lot of the adventure is also set in medieval Japan. And stuff happens there. Yes, it is an urban fantasy, but it doesn't deserve simple labeling. For example, it has a neat, convincing detective story feel about it as well.

I'm raving – and probably because this fantasy adventure has everything, all in the right proportions.

I wont give too much away of the plot, as it would be a spoiler indeed, but I can say that the key storyline is about a woman in
medieval Japan with an amazing psychic gift, who is playing a key part in a great cosmic 'game', who sends the young girl she is protecting, through a rift into the future. That's just the beginning, when it comes to time travel as well as strange and miraculous people and creatures. I simplify this, because the most powerful feature of Larry's writing is the smoothness of the plot and the sustaining of adventure and entertainment. It is complex, but not distracting.

I normally am not a fan of time travel stories (although I should point out that time travel is not necessarily the sole, core element of
this novel), as I often find authors handling paradox particularly badly. For me, the best time travel stories enable travel into the
future, but impossible to travel backwards. However, there are a select few authors for me who handle forward and backward time journeying with flair – beautifully enabling the reader to suspend disbelief. Larry is one such author.

Another feature of the book that I liked was the treatment of some of the antagonists. They are complex. They are not necessarily black and white in the depiction of evil (with one deserved exception). The bestial creature who is supposed to hunt down the protagonists in modern day is an example of such a complex figure – while hated and dreadful in many ways, there are moments of sympathy as well. It makes the book memorable.

Larry Ivkovich's debut novel is way more polished and mature than a typical first work. I would strongly advise any fantasy reader –
especially paranormal and urban fantasy readers – to buy and enjoy this 5 star piece.
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Review: Whirl Wind by Jennifer R. Resetar (illust. John Powers)

This is a special book for me. It is targeted for children in the 8 to 10 age group (I think) and it covers two topics extremely well – school bullying and children with disabilities.

Jennifer R. Resetar has clearly got an intimate understanding of the topics and uses the theme of superheroism as the springboard to cover them. She does it well and it makes for a good story and provides lessons without actually teaching, thrusting it in one's face.. This was important for me.

John Powers is a caricaturist and his excellent skills with illustration supports Resetar's story very well. He chose a cartoon-like, naive style that perfectly matches the age group and style of prose. The cover extends this effect.

I sincerely believe that there isn't enough children's literature out there to help address attitudes and responses to the two key topics in this book. This work is sorely needed, and really should be picked up by schools and parents.

Five deserving stars.
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Biased Review: Constellation Station by Gary Alexander Azerier

I have had the privilege of being the editor of this fine work. It is an amazing labor of love. The story – a children's story, was written by Gary Alexander Azerier some time ago, and we discussed turning it into a children's book. It was clear that this needed to be illustration-rich, and eventually we acquired the services of an amazing illustrator by the name of Ioanny Dimov. This project started in November 2009 – it was not a short effort, nor should it have been.

The story has an interesting twist, but essentially it is about a boy who takes a ride in a super train that actually allows the
passengers to view many of the Northern Hemisphere's famous costellations. It is a phantasmagorical ride! The words are skillfully
crafted and doesn't 'talk down' to children – in fact, it edifies them. As I said above, the illustrations are magnificent.

If a parent wants to buy a book that is delightful in story, and enables a young one to appreciate astronomy, this is definitely for them.

5 joyful stars – watch out, this will win awards

Book Review: Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome by Rudy Simone

Being a parent of a girl with autism biases my reading interest toward books on the topic, and to date I have read a lot. Aspergirls is quite atypical of many i have read and refreshing in style.

Rudy Simone has Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and has been a strong advocate for those with the condition for some years. Her approach to writing is to say it as it is, and simply. She does this to good effect. What I particularly like about this tome is she quotes regularly from interviewed girls and women with AS and consequently adds many voices to hers in her coverage of a myriad of topics, from challenges in schools, to the impact of puberty on aspergirls. Nothing is taboo. There were also a few quotations that caused me to laugh out loud – it's good to be able to infuse some humor in what is a topic that can get quite serious.

Another aspect of the structure of the book is that at the end of each topic (chapter), Rudy summarises by providing direct advice to aspergirls, followed by advice to aspergirl parents. This is smart, very smart, as the two target audiences are vastly different and covers her audience well – and more importantly, sends clear messages to the two most important groups that affect aspergirls.

I found the book useful, but I have to concede that the book is overwhelmingly targeting Asperger's Syndrome, not other folk on the Autism Spectrum. My daughter is a high functioning autistic girl, and has many challenges that differ from AS. And yet the common ground was useful, evidenced by having discussions with my wife on various statements made.

All in all I found the book useful, clearly written, and sensibly structured.

Four stars.

Book Review: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Like all avid scifi readers, I heard of Bacigalupi’s Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel, and I certainly wanted to read it. I fairly recently read a great short story of his previously, ‘Pop Squad’, in Brave New Worlds (a very well written, disturbing dystopian story), and I wanted to read more of him.

The Windup Girl is one of the best novels of any genre I have read, in many years. It deserves its Hugo and Nebula awards, as it is a masterpiece of futuristic world building, within the confines of Earth’s future. It’s characters are sensitively portrayed in detail, and the plot is intricate, surprising in its turns, and penetrating in theme. It is what any aspiring speculative fiction writer wants to achieve. It is a benchmark, a masterpiece. I don’t use superlatives like these too often. The novel is that good.

Perhaps the only criticism I can lay before you – and it is more a case of personal taste than a technicality – is that I am not overly enamored of the third person, present tense POV for works of any substantial length. It took me quite a while to avoid the distraction of this less-than comfortable style of writing (albeit, I accept that it was useful for enhancing the immediacy of the tension of the tenor of the novel). Even in Bacigalupi’s case, I don’t necessarily think pros outweighed the cons with regard to this matter. Given the mastery of the writing, plot, characterization and themes, this criticism is a small matter.

The world building astonishes me. As I hinted above, Bacigalupi creates a future society within the context of a future Earth, but transformed beyond expectation. Genetics is the keystone of what technically (and culturally) drives society, in a backdrop of an energy-starved population. It smack of truth, given the inroads in genetics and the Monsantos of this world. It also smacks of truth with current issues with regard to environmentalism. What makes this particular powerful, however, is representing this future world in the microcosm of a future Thailand. This was masterful, and Bacigalupi clearly researched this part of the world meticulously. I use the term ‘microcosm’ lightly, because it turns out that this future Thailand is a special place, unique and more than just a representative of humanity-to-come – it is in many ways the center of humanity’s universe.

Bacigalupi paints his characters well, and not a single one of them is just noble and righteous. They are all flawed, due to the circumstances of their lives, and because, quite simply, they are human. Even the New People. The key characters, Anderson, Hock Seng, Kanya, Jaidee, and The Windup Girl (Emiko), are expertly drawn and attract reader empathy, and yet are scrutinized for their frailties, whether they were self-constructed or were thrust upon them.

Anyone with a predilection for speculative fiction, and particularly dystopian themes, will be immersed in The Windup Girl, and will want to read more. If you have discomfort with the Third Person, Present Tense POV style, try hard to ignore it – it’s still well worth it.

Five sparkling stars.
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Book Review: Lincoln, by David Herbert Donald

It is a little difficult for me to write a review of a book that covers the US Civil War period, and notable people of that geography and era – it has fascinated me for decades, and I suspect what some people consider dry, I consider absorbing. Nevertheless, I believe I can be reasonably detached with this work.

Donald is an accomplished writer – two Pulitzer Awards, and the research and style/flow of writing of Lincoln is perfect. Seriously. More importantly, he covers the life of Lincoln with a rigor for truth and evenly weighted probability masterfully, and this is the reason why I enjoyed the book so much. As a non-American, but nevertheless mid-Eighteenth Century US student, I have developed a view of who Lincoln was. I saw his as a visionary and as an eloquent statesman, and also as a self-made man. The burden of his responsibilities during the Civil War were always permeating the total picture of the man, and there seemed to be an endless collection of anecdotes about Lincoln’s axe-swinging, frontier-living, small-office and saddle legal days. And much more. What Donald did was take the filters away, but at the same time analyze the self-same filters when appropriate. I discovered the real man, and with the meticulous research, feel confident that I really know the truth.

As a non-US citizen I feel that I understand the United States better, by understanding Lincoln, and his times – a period in history that has had, and continues to have, a profound influence on that great nation. Donald’s book is one of those definitive sources to ensure that the understanding is complete.

I rate this 5 stars out of 5.

Book Review: The Way I See It by Temple Grandin

As a father of a child with ASD/AS, it would be inevitable that I would find this book useful – and I did. I have read her two most famous books – Thinking in Pictures and Emergence, which I rated high, and which complemented each other, telling us the Temple Grandin story. This book isn’t like that – it is essentially a re-edited compilation of articles that she wrote over 8 years for a leading ASD/AS magazine.

This format slightly takes the publishing sheen off the book – there is some repetition (which would not have been evident in the individual articles), and the organization of the articles are commendable, but not perfect.

Having said this, there is a LOT of good stuff in the book, of a practical, common sense nature – particularly for parents with young children. This is not a book for adults with ASD/AS (there are only a few pages devoted to college/workforce aged people).

I certainly would recommend this book to parents with young children in the spectrum.

4 stars.

Review: Dark Minds (Anthology)

SPOILER ALERT

I enjoyed this small anthology by Dark Minds Press (their debut) – none of the stories were poor and no small number were well above average in quality. It is great seeing new and emerging writers do their thing. While the cover is excellent, I have to make an early point – the editing and proofing really needed to be better – the choice of font and internal formatting was, in my mind, weak, and there were typos and lack of indenting of a fair number of paragraphs – this does detract from the overall experience. However, it is not a major factor.

I offer the following reviews against each story.

The Ghost Rain (Gary McMahon )

This was a story that started great and disappointed somewhat in the end. This is the first time I have read Gary and there’s no doubt we have an accomplished writer here – his style, and the way he interweaves character issues with the plot, oozes craftsmanship and talent. The concept of rain as a tangible symbol of the protagonist’s haunted past (which in effect transfers to his present), is thoughtful and interesting, and the way he was able to depict the rain in a myriad of ways, growing in darkness, is commendable.

Even the relationship with the protagonist’s wife is consistent and contributes to the build up of tension, along with the unfulfilled excitement of a new relationship.

Then we had the ending. I love horror and without a doubt there are large slivers of the genre that warrant and are in fact fundamentally right in having oozing, slavering, pinchering supernatural creatures – but not for all stories. Some benefit from the hidden darkness, some aren’t about tangible monsters but instead are about the psychological state of the protagonist, and just some undefined ‘other’ place. The psychological and the dark was the theme of the first three-quarters of McMahon’s story, and then he inexplicably went b-grade at the end.

I give 3 stars, on the basis of the start and middle of this good, but not great, work-horse short story.

Berlin Shushi (Benedict J. Jones).

A short piece that treats the brutality of war very well, despite the poor taste title (this is such a well depicted, serious piece, then Jones throws in a pun/lighthearted title, sheesh). Aside from this weakness, Jones painted a realistic end of war Berlin, and even the cannibalism, as unlikely an outcome as it is, nevertheless resonated well as a metaphor of the consequences of the war.

Well done, I give 4 stars.

The House of Constant Shadow (Stephen Bacon)

A brilliant short story, on a number of levels. This story skirts horror, as it really is a psychological piece about the degradation of Ernest, an aging curmudgeon, who made a fundamental mistake in his youth, and paid for it for the rest of his life – and yet the storyteller paints a picture where (despite himself) the protagonist had found a form of niche in his world, which included tormenting his unwitting disabled wife. His is an ugly, unsightly world, and Bacon paints it very well indeed.

What I particularly like about The House of Constant Shadow is the well crafted characters – the protagonist and his wife are incredibly real, unique, and even the bit players, like Crystal, the aged prostitute and the unsavoury neighbours. The metaphors of the football stadium casting a shadow of their home, the hooligans, the young couple who moved in across the street and reminded him so much of himself.

Is this horror? Yes, of a psychological nature, but I’m not so sure it was necessary to add an extra layer with the mysterious man who stared at him/his home at night – perhaps stretched it slightly too far.

I give this 4 stars.

The Rat Catcher’s Apprentice (Ross Warren)

Warren writes a nice period piece, describing the grotesque story of a rat catcher’s apprentice being disfigured by a large rat, and turning into a…I suppose you could call a ‘were-rat’. It is well constructed and the characters of Black and his wife are convincing and interesting. I think Warren’s effort at Victorian English is weak, and the style and grammar is slightly unpolished. An archetypical example is the use of the modern term "urban legend". I was also distracted by the inexplicable choice of the editor to use single quotation marks for dialogue (which I hate anyway), inconsistent with stories read thus far (and unfortunately used again in one later story).

This is a good work-horse piece. I give the story 3 stars.

The Anchorite’s Daughter (Shaun Hammel)

I have mixed views of this story. There’s a lot of metaphor and symbolism, each individually creative, evocative, insightful. And yet I feel he crammed too much in it. Too many cooks have spoiled this broth. I also have an issue with the extent to which he changed POVs – doesn’t hurt as a principle and can be effective, but this had a loss of symmetry, which is what you at least want, if you have to do it at all. Having said all this, I did like the way it all came together – what we saw, through the eyes of several protagonists, was the degradation of a community to very dark ways, paralleled with the degradation of two men (maybe 4 if you count the itinerants).

This is an ambitious piece that didn’t quite succeed, for the very reason that he tried too much. 3 stars

Gehenna (Anthony Watson)

This is a very well written WWI supernatural story. It doesn’t cover anything original – the number of stories written about the twilight of life and death on the battlefield (and especially WWI) is legion. And yet, Watson was able to add freshness to his short piece, and vividly painted the backdrop.

4 stars

Last Laugh (Colin Hersh)

I enjoyed this story, in its simplicity and its portrayal of the thoughts of an aged stroke victim. I particularly liked his stoicism, right until the end. The twist in the end is not far reaching, nor brow raising, yet it was apt.

I know a few folk who are the main character’s age and have a similar philosophy of life, and that is why it resonated with me.

4 stars

The World Shall Know (Jason Whittle)

I have an issue with this story – not the writer or the story itself – in fact, it is quite reasonable. What my issue is that it isn’t, in any way you look at it, horror. It is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian story, which makes it science fiction, if anything. Since the publisher/editor claims it is a horror anthology, I think this is poor form.

Now that I have that out of my system, I can talk about the short. Whittle doesn’t create anything significantly original in terms of plot, but I do like the characterisation of the main protagonist. A woman – a real woman, but with balls. She will do anything to save her son. I liked it, and I like the way she kept her head high and beat the bastards. I also think that the story is a little unrefined in plot construct and style. The ending, while satisfying for the protagonist (and reader), just didn’t feel like an ending – is there true optimism for the mother and child, or is there a dark future?

3 stars

Blood Loss (Colin Drewery)

This is an (almost) great short story. Getting into the head of a small time hood, beautifully portraying organised crime with all its brutality. Vengeance, so strong, you can taste it. Then the changes that happened to the protagonist – inexplicable, and surprising at the end. As a reader I had the nagging concern why he survived the shot to the gut, and so quickly, and yet it made sense in the end – this was done at just the right level. Very very good. The only concern I have is the need for an explanation at the end. I think it spoiled the story somewhat. Drewery didn’t even need to say ‘vampire’ – it was bleeding obvious (excuse the pun). All he had to do was hint at the blood transfusion – the incredible coincidence, or perhaps intervention. It just told too much, without showing, and somewhat insulted the reader’s intelligence. I think it was unnecessary to paint Alex as some ‘new breed’.

Still, a powerful, wonderful story.

4 stars

Vengeance of Hades (Joe Mynhardt)

This has depth for a zombie story. The bulk of the story is reminiscent of a classic zombie movie – a bunch of people hold up in a derelict house, being assailed by an army of zombies, some of whom were friends. Classic. His action sequences and descriptions kept the interest going, instead of the reader ho-humming and going to the next story. Some character interaction (could have been explored a little more, I think) also held interest, in particular between Nick and Sarah, and it becomes important at the conclusion of the story. The conclusion lifts the story – or should I say more accurately, is the purpose of the story. Love conquers all, including common sense. In a dark, twisted way, Sarah and Nick are joined again. Tragic but with undertones of poignancy.

If Mynhardt had developed the characters just a little more at the beginning – to add the extra sheen of the ending, then I believe this would be a classic zombie story. I praise the author nevertheless for making something that is the ‘taste of the month’, and essentially boring now, into something fresh.

4 stars

Under a Setting Sun (Clayton Stealback)

This story explores, in essence, what would have happened if Father Damian Karras (of The Exorcist fame) failed to kill himself when the demon Pazuzu transferred to his body. It would be unkind to suggest that Stealback exactly intended this, and believe me, this is a compliment. Aside perhaps from an incredibly short exorcism at the start of the story, the short paces extremely well and provides a thorough description of Father Michael’s transformation.

Father Simon’s character is also very well wrought. The ending was appropriate and cosmic in nature – no mean feat.

Aside from the short exorcism, I wonder about the dialogue of the demon – I get it that it speaks perfect English (even idiomatically appropriate to who hears him), but I feel that perhaps the dialogue combined with description should be more otherworldly. Otherwise, the technique (as used) is a little worn.

Terrific story. 4 stars

Bury the Truth (Carole Johnstone)

Probably the best for last. Johnstone’s story is rich with the thoughts and emotions of the protagonist, and reveals information in iterative cycles until the end. It has sorrow and regret, but most of all it has a horrifying inquisitiveness in the main character. I personally cannot find fault – this is an excellent story.

5 stars

I rate the anthology, overall, as 4 out of 5 stars
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Book Review: Brave New Worlds (anthology)

Wow. Where do I start? 30 of most of the best dystopian short fiction in the English speaking world’s history. Nothing less.

I normally like to review each story (or the key stories) in anthologies, but this is difficult for 30 of them, spanning nearly 500 close-printed pages. Also, I feel inadequate to comment on specific stories that are now legendary.

The worst stories were still very good. The best are unmatched. Pure and simple. These stories were more than entertaining, they were thought provoking and challenging. I haven’t been intellectually challenged like this for years.

If there is any negative statement – and it isn’t really a deficit, more of a warning, is that reading them straight through is being inundated with (largely) depressing situations for humanity, and notably, the protagonists in the stories. It could dampen one’s spirit, while at the same time lift awareness. Fortunately this is a temporary phenomenon, but tangible indeed.

Bravo to the publisher and the stellar editor – this anthology lives up to it’s industry reputation of greatness.

If you haven’t read it, and you like dystopian stories, just read it. Do yourself a huge favour.
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