Reviews (4)

A Tight Science Fiction Novel
I found that Star Dragon gave many themes thoughtful treatment over the course of a relatively compact novel.An AI struggles with its desgner limited awareness and artificial recollection of a past human life, human characters deal with the specie's new found immortality in radically different ways, and a 'star drive' which balances singularities as a means of propulsion are some of the themes which are well thought out and treated with depth.Overall I found the plot well paced and the characters' varied approaches to life and the stresses of the vayage intersting and well developed.

Sometimes too much
There's an endorsement from David Brin on the cover of the book, saying something along the lines of "*this* is science fiction."And I am the kind of guy who really does enjoy reading about ramscoops and ansibles.But I found Brotherton's descriptions of the ship's propulsion and the binary star system to be a bit much to read through.

I like the world he's created, with the abundance of cheap biotech (as will be crammed down your throat in the first three pages), but compared to the richness of the technology, his characters are relatively flat.The story is servicable, but holds no great surprises.A fine book overall, but won't become one of my all-time favorites.

Reviews (10)

Was fine up to a point
I picked this book up on a whim, it had a recommendation by one of my favorite authors on it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It wasn't a bad book, although it does go pretty weird at one point.

In the future, genetic engineering for existing diseases is outlawed, thanks to one Dr. Mahn whose potential cure for a life threatening disease caused even worse problems in those not affected. Despite it being illegal, there are still doctors and scientists that will do genetic engineering, for a price. Geoffery is willing to pay that price to be rid of the cystic fibrosis that he's lived with all his life. He finds a doctor willing to make his cure, and it works. Within days he's much improved, but then strange things start happening.

People who attend a dinner party he throws start coming down with rare genetic diseases, and from there it spreads. It's up to Lilith to find the person responsible for the disease, and find a cure or some kind of containment for it. This is the main plot of the book, and as it stands it would make a pretty good futuristic thriller in the vein of the Andromeda Strain. That's not the only plot in the book though.

Another character, Idaho, was a child who showed immunity to Mahn's disease, back when he was a small child. However, his sister, Blue, was not so lucky, and died as a result. Idaho's never really gotten over her death, and still carries some pretty serious emotional baggage. He's also a computer whiz, and spends most of his time plugged into what the internet has become in the future. When he reads about the plague and discovers his quasi-girlfriend is affected by it, he sets up a small lab to find a cure for her.

Along the way he discovers that by altering certain genes, he can make himself faster, stronger, and pretty much change himself however he wants. He starts experimenting, and eventually turns his girlfriend into a clone of Blue, and gives his friends all kinds of enhancements. As word gets out people are willing to do almost anything to get Idaho to perform his gene therapy.

The two plots tie together when a vaccine is found for the plague. Idaho's friends help synthesize the vaccine in exchange for body modification, and the rest of the world gets a vaccine to help those not affected.

The whole secondary plot about genetic modification was really strange, and started to twist the book. As the book goes on and the plague becomes secondary, it just gets kind of weird, and the last two chapters or so are really, really strange. It's like the author decided that it was okay to deviate from the story by fast forwarding 80 years.

It's not a bad book, but it does go kind of strange, and unfortunately it's strange enough to affect my enjoyment. Hard core science fiction lovers will probably love this.

Flat, cliche'ed genetic-SF thriller. 2.5 stars
__________________________________________
So, here's a new novel of a technogenic plague, from a gengineered virus
intended to cure cystic fibrosis that's gotten loose. The genetics
appears meticulously researched, the book has gotten very good notices,
the author's a babe [note 1], decent hard-SF is never in oversupply. So,
why don't I like this book?

Because the characters are thinner than cardboard, and
the cliche'-meter is pretty much off-scale.

OK, let me try Amazon's "search inside the book" feature to find you a
particularly repulsive passage:

Well, crud, you can look but not copy. And there's nothing horrible
enough in the unencrypted sample at the author's website. Sigh. OK,
fingers, get typing:

We're in uber-hacker Idaho's subterranean singlewide:

'She was tall and thin. Today she wore a black latex miniskirt over
red-and-white stockings....

Exeter set the box next to his chair and squatted next to him. She
snaked a heroin-thin arm around his waist. "Idaho," she purred. "I've
brought your supplies."

Idaho resisted the urge to push her away. He'd never gotten used to
Exeter's liberties...'

OK, this isn't *awful*, but the banalities are cumulative. Usually I can
soldier through this kinda stuff and get on with the story -- I mean, I
like most of Robert Forward's novels, for chrissake -- but this one is
getting to me (I'm at p.99, with the plague getting well established.)

So. End of rant. I'll put the thing down, maybe try again later. Maybe
it's just me, since I can't find a single negative comment about the
book online... But, trust me, this is crappy writing. With other merits,
to be sure.

Catty thought -- maybe Mitchell caught this from husband Eric Nylund.
But, no, Nylund's problem is bad *science*, not bad writing. Maybe they
should collaborate. Or at least, cover each other's weaknesses.

Grumpily, Pete Tillman

1) I know, shallow of me, but I'm a sucker for a pretty face in the
author photo spot.

[This was a Usenet post, and drew this reply:

"Being a big apocalypse fan, I will read most things dealing
with major plagues, population implosions etc., so I did finish it but I
think I was simply skimming toward the end to see what she did with it. If
you have anything better to do, like clean your belly button or pick your
teeth, I recommend doing that. I can't conjur up a single positive think to
say about this novel."

Bob H.

Canberra, Australia

Reviews (68)

Make another Halo book please!
I have to say that when I reviewed this book I wasn't expecting a whole lot because the last book The Flood was not a good as i expected, but when I read this I was so intrigued about the detail of the book and the gore. This book actually made me go and buy a Xbox and the game because it sounded so good. This book is officially one of my favorite books ever. I just thank God that Eric Nylund came back to write this book. The other author was a piece of crap compared to Nylund. I just hope that there is another book beacause it will start were Halo 2 started and make the series more easily understood. So, please make another book.

One hit Wonder!
As this was the first book I had read in the Halo series, at first I was convinced it was going to be another kiddy book with scary monsters(wait a second?)and final showdowns between the hero and the villain. It was the exact opposite. The book was great and after the first wary 50 pages I couldn't put the book down. The plot was great and I enjoyed the fighting scenes a lot. I felt it was a great sequel to the video game. I loved because it focused on the idea of the humans actually fighting back and also the section of the book where the exciting recon mission on Reach took place. Well Done Eric Nylund and Xbox on a fantastic book!

Reviews (8)

new author
This book was the first I read by Eric Nylund, and it had me searching all of the used book stores for more. I was enthralled from page one, and never put it down. I'm frankly not that much into sci-fi any more, but this was a rare find and a fun read.

We need more like this...
I thought A Game of Universe was a great book, and I'm certain my wife hated it.Every free moment I had I had my nose in the book.The author does a great job merging fantasy and science fiction.The two genres areblended wonderfully in this work, and it is easy to envision the world(s)in the novel.The action in the book was continuous, which is why it wasso hard to put down.The last few pages where you get to find out aboutthe great battle between good and evil and a third player wrap the book upsplendedly.I highly recommend this book, but only pick it up if you havetime to read it continuously!

Reviews (203)

An easy read
Leaves nothing to be desired in the area of compelling plot, suspense, and necessary difficulty.Highly reccomended for any age or background, (no matter how much you might not appreciate the UN!)

Extremely Well Done
This book, the prequel to the great vidoegame Halo, is almost better than the actual game itself. The story is as follows: In the 25 years or so before the actual Halo events occured, a woman named Dr. Halsey is researching a new kind of "super soldier", codenamed "SPARTANS". It is then she and the famous (from the first Halo game) captain Keyes go out searching for the ones who will become these SPARTANS. The main character, John, later known as "Master Chief", is taken from his homeworld at the age of nine or so, along with 70 some-odd others form different planets. They are taken to the secure UNSC base on planet Reach, where they are trained to become SPARTANS. They become battle-hardened soldiers. From there they go on to various missions, until an unkown enemy engages the UNSC forces, the unstoppable onslaught of the Covenant. It will be up to John and the other SPARTANS to save all of mankind, whatever the cost may be......

The battle sequences are the biggest highlight. Eric Nylund has done an excellent job in describing the many tactics and battle sequences that can leave you in suspense on what will happen. The thing that particularly stuck out were the superb space battles. Never before has the battles of Halo been better described, and with such detail that you REALLY feel like you are there next to the chief.

For anyone that has an interest in Halo, this is a MUST HAVE book. This is the same even if you have the slightest inetrest in science fiction. Absolutley great. I also highly reccommend Eric Nylund's other Halo book, First Strike, which picks up just when the original Halo game left off. But, don't be fooled by the 3rd Halo book, The Flood. This is by a completely different author and is merely a repeat of the original game. Once again, this book is better that the story in Halo 2, but only almost as good as Halo 1. But, if you are looking for the best Halo videogame, Halo 1 is MUCH, MUCH better than Halo 2.

Anyway, just get out to the bookstore and BUY THIS BOOK!!!

Reviews (24)

It's an abstract and not a detail.
For all the no brain reviews that I have read just now there should be at least one that expresses the real intent of Murphy's Gambit, which was to present an abstract of the future and not to be misled by just a few mistakes.It was an excellent prelude to the real possibilities dealing with Astro-Physics which the author is very capable of handling and did so with expertise.The space ship presented a very real example of what is possible in Einstein's universe if the people who write reviews could just imagine, but they are too concerned with a glob of paint on a canvas when they should just back away and look at an excellent work of art.

Kinda different from all the rest
This book was intriguing enough to make me buy another from the author.I have read probably 500 science fiction books and I think this one had some worthwhile ideas.

I loved the idea of floater culture and grounders described in a believeable way.I always wondered how that would work out in real life.I love the fact that she doesn't end up with the man at the end.I love the plastic reshaping prison cells.I'm not quite sure I buy the whole 13th seat in the collective, but I was hoping for some illumination in a sequel.

Don't believe all you read from other commentors.This book was not formulaic, I couldn't put it down.

Editorial Review

Beluthahatchie and Other Stories is kind of an eyebrow-raising collection: the author had seen barely more than nine stories in print at publication time, and he's got a gorgeous hardcover collection from a respected publisher, containing nine of those stories plus two previously unpublished. Andy Duncan had better be great.

Isbn: 1581822529
Sales Rank: 945442
Subjects:  1. Alternative History    2. Anthologies (multiple authors)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Men'sAdventure    5. Historical - General    6. Veterans' writings, American    7. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975    8. War & Military    9. War stories, American   

Reviews (25)

The real deal
Many AT thru hikers claim that Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods inspired them to hike the trail. Personally I don't see how a book written by a man that hiked only small sections of the trail and didn't bond with the trail's culture could do this.
Kelly Winter's is the real deal. She hiked all the way, in one stretch from Georgia to Maine. She talks about the high points as well as the low points without sounding overly mushy or whiny - something all too common in books about thru hikes.
The opening pages about her strange boyfriend had me worried that the book would contain mostly personal stories and not much trail information. Thankfully this sidetrack was neccesarry because it told the reader where she was in her life and why she chose to hike. The rest of the book is a great description of the trail, the people and animals, and the thoughts in her head.
This is the story that should inspire people to hike the AT.

Personal Pilgrimage
The writing style of K. Winters made the book and enjoyable and easy read.The message was clear; the Trail is not an easy hike.
I was taken in to her struggles and almost feel her exhaustian and her pain, however, it was her personal pilgrimage.
There were times when I had hoped the story would take a huge emotional turn, as she related her personal journey more to the trail.Parts had me laughing and parts had me almost crying, but the parts I liked least were the [many] parts of negativity on the trail.
Over all a good read. 4-4.5 starts.
* I would reccomend "A Journey North; One Womans' Story of Hiking the Appalachian Trail" by Adrienne Hall before reading "Walking HOme".It is a mUch better journey.

Editorial Review

Eric Nylund's fourth novel is touted by the publisher as "hyperpunk," but what is that, exactly? Is it the spastic child of cyberpunk? The willful offspring poking Father Gibson in the eye? While Signal to Noise introduces some fascinating virtual sleights of hand, the overall impression is of a continuation of the nano-techno-cyberpunk genre rather than a leap in evolution to a new form of fiction.

This latest offering from the former Microsoft employee will undoubtedly thrill writers of code and the romantics who call themselves hackers. Nylund's main characters are affixed with permanent implants allowing instant access to cyberspace; a virtuality so vivid that they often prefer the virtual over the reality. The trouble begins when Jack Potter, an encryption expert who's done some shady work for the NSO, finds and decodes a message buried in old astronomical data. Contact with the outreaching alien and information bartering result. Unfortunately, someone else is watching, too. "Down the hall, bars rattled. It was a nice touch. Cold churned in Jack's stomach, diffused down his legs and up his spine. It was synthetic fear generated by the bubble. He fought it. DeMitri took a set of keys from his pocket, picked one out, then opened a cell door ... 'Alcatraz'--he spread his arms in a grand gesture--'is a reflection of what's on your mind, Jack. Feeling guilty about something?'"

Editorial Review

Reviews (22)

Interesting read despite the flaws.
I had first read Nylund when I picked up his book Dry Water, which I found to be promising, but not really fulfilling.

A Signal Shattered, to my mind, gets a lot closer to a mature work by a talented author. This is true despite some problems that I had with the book while reading it.

My biggest problem was that I was one of the unlucky few who did not realize that this was a sequel, and so I read this book without having read Signal To Noise. As a result, it took me a *long* time to figure out what was going on and probably longer than most people to get into the plot. I would agree that this was probably the wrong way to go about the book. For me, it is a pretty strong statement about the quality of the book that not only did I eventually get into the plot, I enjoyed reading the book quite a bit.

While Nylund has cyberpunk elements to his writing, I think he would be more reasonably compared to a writer like Tim Powers than to more traditional cyberpunk writers. His predominant strengths as a writer lie in his mix of concept and science with a strong lean towards the mystical in places. I would agree that perhaps more attention could have been paid to developing the character reactions to the situation they find themselves in, but I also should say that I was only a little bit bothered by the absence.

Nothing to see here
"A Signal Shattered" isn't very good.The story rotates (har har) around a group of scientists and international men of mystery stranded on the moon after a nasty alien named Wheeler destroys the Earth and kills most of the human race.They spend their time hunting for new sources of oxygen and working on new whatsits.If any of them feels lost, guilty, or afraid after the near-extermination of their species, they keep it well hidden.Indeed, characterization is the weakest point in this book.Other than protagonist Jack Potter, there's zero depth.For instance, sidekick Kamal is your comic-strip stereotype of a Buddhist, offering up platitudes and metaphors while apparently having no thoughts or feelings of his own.

True to its word, the plot does move pretty quickly, and you never have to wait too long for something to happen.However, that's about the only positive thing I can find to say about this book.As always, computer whizzes clash in a virtual world where elaborate action sequences are presented for our benefit.However, "A Signal Shattered" never comes close to matching the intensity of greats like "Neuromancer" or "Hyperion".There's also the problem that you can shoot Nylund's characters, stab them, poison them, blow them up, and apply weird genetic tricks to them, but they simply won't die.This removes much of the suspense.Jack's hunches also undermine the book's intrigues.He gets a hunch about what almost every character is up to, and they always prove correct.Well I've got a hunch that I won't be reading any more of Nylund's books any time soon.

Reviews (18)

the birth of sci-fi
i used to hate sci-fi...i mean i really loathed it, but then i read technogenesis. ever since, i haven't been able to stop reading them. i'm even taking advanced sci-fi classes now, all because of this book. but anyways, Technogenesis...i read the whole thing in less than one whole day. it was great! i've read it about 100 times now. the way the author details her text paints a vivid picture in people's mind. the whole time i could "see" what i read...as if it were a movie, just in my mind.

Interesting Look at the Future of the Net
In "Technogenesis" Syne Mitchell does what I wouldn't have thought possible--she's created character-based cyberpunk. Her Jasmine Reese is conflicted and capable and Mitchell's look at a future Net in which an AI uses people's minds as, well, human resources is chilling.

The book's heroes (if you can even use that word) have a touch of larceny and the villains (ditto) turn out to have good reasons for their apparent villainy.

This is Mitchell's second book (her first, "Murphy's Gambit," is a reworking of classic space opera) and she has a flair for fast-paced action and fluid prose.

An author to watch.

Editorial Review

Reviews (1)

Reviews (5)

Pretty Good!
Short Review for quick buyers,
I liked this book. I was hoping more on Nathan Zachary (the main charcter of the Video Games) But its got some pretty cool tales on his enimes like Paladin Blake.
This is for the aviator or mystery type reader.
Check it out!

Fun, but sloppily written
'Crimson Skies' is an enjoyable read, and serves to provide some detailed background material to the game. While all three of the stories were well done and had good character development (although the bad guy in the second story should have been a bit nastier), I found the 'technical' side of the stories to be sadly lacking. Granted, 'Crimson Skies' is a fantasy set in an alternate world. But when you start describing helium-filled Zeppelins as having steel frames, extensive armor plating and batteries of five inch guns, you are leaving all resemblance to reality far behind. I guess some might consider this to be poetic license, but to me it just seems like sloppy research. I mean, the U.S. Navy really did develop a series of airships in the 30's that were designed to launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft. In the age of the Internet, it's pretty easy to find the history, plans and specifications of the 'Akron' or the 'Hindenburg'. Why describe Zeppelins that defy the laws of physics when, with a few hours of research, you could describe realistic airships instead? For another example, the final story makes use of the fact that the hero has a 'secret weapon': his mechanic has equipped his plane's engine with a 'nitro boost' system - but it can only be used for short periods of time because 'the pump has to build the nitro pressure back up'. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that by the 1930's people had figured out how to build pressurized canisters. And even the briefest research into the history of drag racing would show that the time limit on the use of nitrous oxide was based on the fact that the dramatically increased horsepower tended to cause engines to throw rods, pistons and other normally internal engine parts through the side of the block. The problem with nitro wasn't running out of it, but shutting it off before the engine blew up. So why did the author invent an elaborate problem that doesn't exist, when the real problem is both simpler and more dramatic? The stories actually have some very clever ideas in them (like using nitrous oxide in an airplane engine, or building a Zeppelin with a full-length flight deck), but they're spoiled by the authors not bothering to find out how these ideas could actually work.

A little serious research would have paid off in other ways as well. The 1930's was a Golden Age of Aviation, and the chances for an airplane buff to play 'what if" are almost unlimited: What if a helicopter like the Bell 47 was developed in the '30's? What if Howard Hughes had gotten the Spruce Goose to fly? How about some top-secret plans for the fighters and bombers that were really used in WWII? Did the wide spread use of military Zeppelins preclude the development of navel Aircraft Carriers? (this last point was a serious debate in real life). And a little research into how to fly airplanes (or better yet, a few hours of actual flight instruction in a Cessna) would have yielded much more realistic descriptions of the flight scenes. Of course, I'm sure this book was targeted at people who are into video games rather than those who are seriously into classic airplanes. And I didn't expect the publisher to hire a Martin Caidin or a Tom Clancy to write a tie-in book to a video game. But they could have at least given the three authors a copy of Microsoft Flight Simulator and said "Here, play with this for a week and then write the story".

Awesome action and adventure
I picked up this book after getting the original PC game, and having fallen in love with the storyline and setting, I figured it'd be worth it to read up on some of the fiction. I haven't played the new XBox game at all, and the plots of the three stories don't deal with the game much (more its setting and characters than its actual plot) although the third story, "Bayou Blues" implements some characters I've heard are in the XBox game.

The first story, about Paladin Blake, while interesting, came off as a little dry to me. Some of the "plot twists" were a little contrived for my tastes, but the action was solid enough, and the ending was great.
The second story, about Johnathan "Genghis" Kahn, was easily my favorite. I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy a story that made the "bad guy" out to be the hero (and he IS a bad guy - he steals, he lies, he cheats, he kills for fun - he's definately an unsavory character) but the story was hilarious, and a lot of the plot twists totally broadsided me; I never saw 'em coming. It was great, especially the very end.
The third story, about Nathan Zachary, was a bit shorter than the others, and I wasn't sure I'd like it at first. The portrayal of Nathan wasn't what I was used to based on the PC game (I don't know how he's portrayed in the XBox game and if it's different) and I was expecting a wider array of characters instead of focusing mainly on Nathan. The action, however, was the best of the three stories, and the "air race" at the end was absolutely great. The story simply got better as it went along.

Reviews (17)

It's Like Eating Raw Brocolli...
It's fresh, and it's not something I eat everyday, but it's just not that good...

Paper Mage holds a lot of promise. A fantasy based on the Eastern world would surely stand out in the middle of all the other European-based fantasy. And it succeeds on that one thing alone perhaps; it is quite believably set in China. But the overall effect of this is that it's candycoated.

Many parts are difficult to digest. Although the writing is poetic, it jerks around and contains an awful lot of unecessary information. For instance, I do not find it a good idea at all that every time something is described, references to old stories are mentioned. Because this book is described through Xiao Yen, the main character's point of view (basically), the overall effect of this makes it sound fake, as if it's trying TOO hard to be authentic. "Fu Be Be walked without hesitation, like the ghost Wu Quang Yin on her way to collect more souls." Even as a child raised on stories, I do not think this way. It's just not right.

And then there's the constant shifting of chapters. It's just not necessary either, and distracts from the storyline.

Xiao Yen herself is difficult to like. Although I should easily be able to identify with her, being 'away from my home and family' and being 'different' kind of thing, I sort of detested her. Her way of showing her homesickness is not very convincing; it just sounds as if she's complaining. It could have been done in a better way, but the author chose to wrote it in a painfully obvious and excruciating manner. Not to mention her constant detachment from her companions is annoying; no wonder she's so lonely, she won't let anyone in her life! In the end she learns nothing 'new', and I feel disappointed that how I had expected the novel to end as per the first real chapter is how it ended. Everything was predictable.

In short, it is a somewhat vaguely entertaining book if you're looking for something Eastern. Probably a good rent from the library. That's what I did. Go for it.

Skill with brush and paper sets this one apart
Set in a fantasy equivalent of T'ang China, it's dependent upon a more subtle grasp of the culture of the time.It may be alien to many Western readers for this reason, but the psychology behind the characters' motivations will be appreciated by fans of Chinese literature.The author has obviously done boatloads of research into the real-world analogue of her world, and her attention to detail is manifest in her rich landscapes and exotic mythologies.She does a good job of describing a scene with the right number of words -- verbose where detail is warranted, but able to capture an emotion in a brief phrase if needed.I will certainly be looking for her other books; I enjoyed every word of this one, and will reread it to catch nuances I missed the first time through.

Reviews (4)

Deeply impressive dark fantasy
In the heavens of fantasy, Leah R. Cutter is a new, brightly shining star distinguished as much for her attention to historical/legendary detail as for her sharply poignant prose.She does not describe the settings in which her fiction takes place; she transports you there in such a way that you experience all the sights and sounds of the drama for yourself.In her first novel, Paper Mage, she recreated the world of China during the Tang Dynasty.Now, in The Caves of Buda, she takes the reader on a detail-oriented excursion to the living world of Hungary, where a powerful demon waits for the curses that turned him to stone to be eradicated - and for the former young child with whom his destiny has become intertwined to return and so begin the end game of his release from captivity deep within the caves outside Budapest.

We all have our demons; in the case of Laci (pronounced LAH -tsee), an old man now living in Arizona, the demons are all too real.As a young boy in war-torn Hungary, Laci encountered the demon Belusz in the caves of Buda.Forced into the foul thing's presence by horrific magicians who used to be men, Laci lost his own magical sight but managed to return the demon's curse before escaping.Twelve years later, Laci fled Hungary with his little girl after the Communists killed his wife, and he is now an old man suffering the loss of his mental faculties.Dementia has taken away a large part of the man that Laci's granddaughter Zita knows and loves, so the young lady puts little stock in her grandfather's ravings about returning to Hungary to kill the demon.Then her grandfather escapes from the hospital, and Zita finds herself hurrying across the world to search for him in the land of his birth, unaware of the dark and painful part she will play in the end game of demonic infiltration.The lifting of the first four of five curses is linked to dark events in human history, and only Laci knows the danger that the whole world will face should Belusz be freed completely of his bonds.

Ephraim Cohen also makes his way to Hungary, breaking free of the chains of ritual and changelessness that have always bound him.In the land of his ancestors, Cohen discovers that the rituals he has always relied upon subconsciously are more than just empty motions, for he has magic within him, the kind of magic Belusz needs to gain his freedom - and the kind of magic Laci, now joined by Zita, needs in order to stop and kill the demon.By the time the trio comes together, the reality of demonic forces is no longer a matter of speculation, and the three unite in a desperate attempt to save the world from unimaginable horror.

These are complex characters drawn with masterful touches by Cutter.Past and present interweave in Laci's troubled mind, drawing the reader into Hungary's troubled past as well as its demon-threatened present.Zita and Ephraim are deeply human characters battling their own demons in preparation for the fight to come with Belusz.Laci must overcome his great fear and the dementia that makes his thought processes a tangled web of reason and unreason; Zita must conquer the fear that she will fail and disappoint the grandfather she loves so dearly as well as overcome her weakness for external control currently represented by her unfeeling boyfriend back home; Ephraim must come to terms with the unhappiness of his old life and recognize the intrinsic self-worth of his own existence.The ultimate confrontation with Belusz, when it comes, holds surprises for the reader and plays out in a marvelously crafted fashion.

Cutter's commitment to her writing is impressive indeed.At the end of the book you will find a rarity among novels - a bibliography of works consulted in the construction of the history, myth, and tradition of the entire novel.The Caves of Buda is a product of both extensive research and the magical creativity of Cutter's inspired imagination, and the end result is a highly literary novel that takes on a living and breathing life of its own.

Excellent fantasy/horror tale
Laci - an older man who escaped the horror of facing a mighty demon while being a young boy living in WWII Budapest - must return to the city of his past and destroy the demon Belusz before it frees itself and destroys the world. His beloved granddaughter, Zita, thinks he is loosing his mind, but follows him back to Budapest. While there, she meets Ephraim, a young man with magical gifts. Slowly realizing that Laci is telling the truth, both Zita and Ephraim stand along the old man and face Belusz and his minions in the final confrontation. Original, with great characters, superb narrative and a deeper meaning.This is a great novel from Leah Cutter. Highly recommended.

Reviews (3)

A South of the Future.
Southern fiction today, for the most part, shows the changes which began before the Civil War and 'accelerated' afterwards.We have TVA and Tullahoma with its wind tunnel (a part of the U.S. space program) in Tennessee, Missile development in Huntsville, Alabama, the Houston, Texas space center, and Cape Canaveral in Florida.

I enjoy the fantasy works of Stephen Donaldson, which is nothing like the short pieces included here.All of the writers have some connection to the South (however, one was born in L.A., Calif.), but many moved East as did James Agee and Richard Marius.At UT, we have professors determined to change Southern writing, one in particular who plans his own version of Agee's A DEATH IN THE FAMILY.

Some of these writers have had books published, like Fred Chappell.These stories are not necessarily 'of the South' nor literary.We are not a "crossroads" per se, but a destination.You might be surprised to learn how many transplants claim the South, but they don't talk Southern.No way.

Fine short story anthology with broad appeal
The two Southern writers who edited this book are apparently interested in the intersection of two Southern literary streams: Science fiction written by writers from the South, and literary fiction with a Southern flavor, as exemplified by William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor.

Hence the subtitle of the book, "Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic." This book features prominent science fiction writers, such as Gene Wolfe, Jack McDevitt, Michael Bishop, Michael Swanwickand John Kessel (and for that matter, the editors), and it's published by noted SF publisher Tor. Yet there are also stories here by non-science fiction writers, such as Daniel Wallace (whose novel "Big Fish" was made into a movie) and Sena Jeter Naslund, who wrote "Ahab's Wife: or, The Star Gazer." The anthology is a mixture of originalstories and reprints. A fantastic element is present in many but not all stories, with the editors settling for violence in a few cases.

About the only safe generalization I can make is that all of the stories are well-written. I have read many science fiction anthologies in my time, and this one is well above average. I liked some stories better than others, as happens whenever one reads a story collection, but because all of the stories were well-written, everything here is at least very readable. Because of the variety of literary backgrounds of the authors, the reader is likely to discover good stories by authors he has never heard of before.