Hannah’s Book Round-up
The latest geeky news and releases from the world of books, hosted by Hannah Wise...
Book News
What’s new in the world of the literary geek?
2010 SF Hall of Fame Inductees
This week it’s a week of awards, pats on backs and general thumbs up to our beloved sci-fi authors. With that in mind, let’s begin by announcing the 2010 SF Hall of Fame Inductees as Octavia E. Butler, Roger Zelazny, Douglas Trumbull, and Richard Matheson. The induction ceremony will take place right in the middle of the Science Fiction Awards Weekend, which will be held on the 26th June 2010 at the Experience Music Project Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Washington. This date is also, coincidentally, my birthday. Did the organisers realise this when they were planning the event? I like to think so. They’re good people, they’d have remembered.
Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award announced
The Horror Writers Association has announced the winners of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award. Are you ready? Sitting comfortably? Ok, then get this. The Lifetime Achievement award goes to both Brian Lumley (famed for the Necroscope series) and William F. Nolan (author of the epic Logan’s Run series). The awards will be presented at the World Horror Convention in Brighton. But the people at the Horror Writers Association aren’t quite as giving as the SF Hall of Fame people and are choosing to hold the ceremony later this month, on March 25-28th. But I’m ok with that… Sniff.
Book to movie adaptation readies
Finally, a book based on another book, is going to be made into a film! Dean Koontz’s modern day version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was co-authored by Kevin J. Anderson and will now be transformed for the big screen. The book, Prodigal Son, will be developed by Producers Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick along with 1019 Entertainment.
Out Now
Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky
Metro 2033 is the tale of what happens when mankind manages to almost wipe itself out, using the usual tools of fighting and radiation. In this case, after the humans are done almost killing each other, the terrain becomes uninhabitable for the survivors. This results in a new species developing and taking over, whilst the surviving humans are driven underground to live in the biggest air raid shelter ever built, the Moscow Metro.
Survival is key and society crumbles into different, tiny microcosms with differing ideas and religious beliefs. However, when a terrible threat appears that could wipe out all of humanity, it falls to one man to journey to the heart of the Metro to try and warn everyone. But with so many rival groups fighting so relentlessly, will anyone listen?
With the recent release of Metro 2033, the game, the book may well fall slightly to the wayside. But with a story this dark and depressing, it’s surely worth another glance
Hellboy: The Wild Hunt (Volume 9) by Mike Mignola
Evil queens, monster hunters and ancient giants. Three things you need to make a good comic and, luckily for us, The new Hellboy has all three.
Set in Britain, The Wild Hunt sees Hellboy join forces with an ancient band of monster hunters to defeat an equally ancient band of giants. But when Hellboy is betrayed, he finds himself instead hunting the Queen of Blood, who is still determined to put a end to humanity.
During the journey, Hellboy realises the only way to stop her and save the world is to face a few unwelcome truths about his own dark heritage.
Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynold’s Terminal World, is set in such a precise and imaginative realm, it’s hard to know where to start. Set in a futuristic landscape where, once again humanity is dwindling, the story revolves around one character called Quillon, who finds his world changed when a near dead celestial being turns up in his mortuary. The angel turns out to know an awful lot and, unfortunately for Quillon, predicts him a pretty grim future.
Our unlikely hero has to abandon his work as a pathologist and travel to realms unknown in order to try and save his own life. Trouble is he gets more than he bargained for when he discovers that reality itself is in jeopardy.
Will he be able to save not only himself but, well, existence itself?
Coming Soon
The Dead Tossed Waves By Carrie RyanFrom a relatively new writer on the block, The Dead Tossed Waves is the middle book of a triology and has had some good preliminary reviews. The heroine of the story, Gabry, lives a quiet, unassuming life, behind ‘The Barrier’, a protective fence which safeguards her and her village from The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The previous book saw Gabry’s mother face fear, mystery and possible death when she was forced to go into the forest and, due to some bad choices made on Gabry’s part, it looks like she’ll have to do the same. Could the boy she likes really be worth half her generation being imprisoned and the other half dying? He’d better be a looker, that’s all I’m saying.
Release date: unknown
Old Classics
The Shrinking Man by Richard MathesonIn honour of Richard Matheson’s induction into the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame, I thought we’d take a closer look at one of his slightly lesser known works. I say slightly lesser known because, although it’s a familiar name and was made into a film, The Shrinking Man, never quite reached the dizzying heights of fame enjoyed by Matheson’s other classics, What Dreams May Come and the poorly recreated I Am Legend.
This long list of well known, well loved titles shows just what a talent Matheson has for truly gripping story ideas and The Shrinking Man has one of those plots you just can’t help but get intrigued by. Namely, how can the story of a man who is visibly shrinking, day by day, end well?
Scott Carey is a man like any other and to celebrate this fact he decides to go on holiday. However, that’s where his normality ends, as whilst out enjoying the sea, sun and surf, he gets inexplicably splashed by a cloud of radioactive spray. After this bizarre event, he finds he’s shrinking by a small, but noticeable amount each day. Science can’t help him, medicine can’t help him and, as a result, Carey has to live up to the fact that it’s not going to stop.
At first this means a serious amount of adjustment in his personal and professional relationships. But as time goes on, human contact becomes less of a concern to Carey and things like finding shelter and battling giant insects and house pets, become much more of a priority.
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