From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon May 29 15:27:50 2000 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!newsfeed.direct.ca!newsfeed.cwix.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dreaderd!not-for-mail Sender: wex@deepspace.media.mit.edu From: Harriet Klausner Reply-To: harrietklausner@worldnet.att.net Newsgroups: alt.books.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Reviews: Daughter of the Forest, Soul In The Great Machine & The Fountains Of Youth Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Organization: none Date: 25 May 2000 09:46:15 -0400 Message-ID: X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.7/Emacs 20.4 Lines: 112 NNTP-Posting-Host: deepspace.media.mit.edu X-Trace: dreaderd 959262376 10902 18.85.23.65 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se alt.books.reviews:56473 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2728 Reviews Copyright 2000 Harriet Klausner DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST, Juliet Marillier Highly Recommended Of the seven Irish siblings only Sorcha, the youngest and only female, does not remember their deceased mother. Her older six brothers have fond memories of their mother, that is until, their malevolent stepmother Oonagh bewitched their father and changed the males into swans. Sorcha is the sole hope of rescuing her family. Sorcha enters the forest only to be raped. She manages to escape with the help of English nobleman Hugh of Harrowfield. Due to her vow, Sorcha hides her mission from Hugh. However, they marry and travel to England where Sorcha continues her quest to transform her siblings back into humans even as she becomes the focus of a deadly power struggle between Hugh and his enemies. DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST is an entertaining romantic fantasy that retells the legendary Celtic fairy tale of the swans. The story line is fast-paced, filled with action, and loaded with romance yet brimming with magical elements that seem real. The lead characters are warm, compassionate, and share a sense of family loyalty that adds to the adventure. Though her debut novel, Juliet Marillier shows the talent of a folk tale teller that will send fantasy fans and romance readers delightfully desiring similar set stories. %T Daughter of the Forest %A Juliet Marillier %I Tor %D May 2000 %O $25.95 hardcover %P 400 pp %G ISBN 0-312-84879-X SOULS IN THE GREAT MACHINE by Sean McMullen In 3931, technology is long gone, falling victim to the Great winter. The psychic Call dominates the Australian landscape. No one knows what it is or how to defeat it, but when the Call "sings" its siren song, any being not tied down or not living in the free city of Rochester is swept in its path. Once the Call has you, you mindlessly walk south into the sea to vanish forever. On the moon, machines are working on a long abandoned project to construct a colossal mirror that will reflect heat away from the Earth. That might have been needed during the alarming global warming threat, but in today's cooler climate will cause a pandemic disaster like has happened in the past. The Highliber Zarvora Cybeline is the last hope for humanity to stop the threats from above and below. She and her band of mathematical geniuses develop the Calculator as a means of controlling society and hopefully saving mankind from becoming as extinct as the dinosaur. However, the ruthless but brilliant Zarvora fails to calculate the threat from within mankind. With all the concepts and subplots that SOULS IN THE GREAT MACHINES contains, the story line should flop due to bloat. Instead the epic futuristic tale is a fast-paced, action-packed, and often satirical drama that captivates the reader. Zarvora is atypical of the heroes of SF because she seems human as she ruthlessly pursues her agenda while the Calculator appears so real that fans will believe in it. The audience will seek THE CENTURION'S EMPIRE and demand the publication of Sean McMullen's other works not published in North America. %T Souls in the Great Machine %A Sean McMullen %I Tor %D May 2000 %O $15.95 %P 448 pp %G ISBN 0-312-87256-9 THE FOUNTAINS OF YOUTH by Brian Stableford The Emortals that the human race has evolved into wonder why Mortimer Gray would write his epic tome, "The History of Death." It is to answer that question that he has posed to himself that has led Mr. Gray to write this autobiography of his five centuries of life. Mortimer was born in 2520 with nothing in his background to suggest he would become so famous for the epic work that has shaken humanity. In 2535, Mortimer climbs a Tibetan mountain where he meets world leader Julius Ngomi inside an ancient ruin. Julius explains that the dead past resides side by side with the Emortals. Not too long after that encounter, Mortimer tastes but survives death due to a shipwreck that shows that mankind may have defeated aging and disease, but accidents can still kill. Mortimer becomes obsessed with the way the past coped with death and begins his treastise that leads to many fringe groups claiming him as their guru and chronicler. THE FOUNTAINS OF YOUTH is a deep, thought-provoking science fiction tale that is not for everyone. Fans who enjoy action at the rate of Stars Wars need to pass on this tale. However, those readers who gain pleasure from a cerebral, philosophic futuristic look at mankind will relish this novel. Written more like an autobiography than a novel, Brian Stableford demonstrates his abilities to paint a distant future that raises questions about the present. %T The Fountains of Youth %A Brian Stableford %I Tor %D May 2000 %O $24.95 %P 352 pp. %G ISBN: 0312872062 Harriet Klausner