Sci Fiction 2005

File Updated: 23/10/2005

Tangled Web UK: New Sci Fiction Titles 2005

Robert Reed The Well of Stars Pbk published December 2004 by Orbit at Ł6.99 ISBN: 1-84149-256 6

The great ship is home to a multitude of alien races and a near-immortal crew. They have toured the Milky Way for millennia, the best and the brightest from a thousand worlds, but the true purpose of the ship has remained hidden. Now, time is running out. The huge spacecraft is heading for the dark, immense region of space known as the ink well, and the only entity in the universe more vast and mysterious than the great ship is lying in wait ... Robert Reed returns to the epic universe of Marrow in this stunning new novel.
'One of the most audacious creations in recent SF… Wonderful far-future SF of the best kind: imaginative, epic, mind-blowing' Alastair Reynolds
'The new century's most compelling SF voice' Stephen Baxter
‘An exhilarating ride in the hands of an author whose aspiration literally knows no bounds’ The New York Times
‘Compelling, exhilarating, ambitious… buy it now’ SFX
‘Relentless. A bold work by a visionary writer’ David Brin
About The Author
Robert Reed is the author of more than half a dozen SF novels, as well as a multitude of short stories appearing in major magazines and best-of-the-year anthologies. The first Grand Prize Winner of the Writers of the Future contest, he has written a number of stories that have been finalists for the Hugo and Nebula Awards. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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by Robert Reed at Amazon.co.uk

Dan Simmons Olympos Pbk published June 2005 by Gollancz at Ł10.99 ISBN: 0 575 07262 8

The stunning sequel to ILIUM - a landmark in modern SF

Helen of Troy is in mourning for her dead husband, Paris. Killed in single combat with the merciless Apollo. His body a scorched and blasted thing.

Hockenberry, her lover, still sneaks from her bed after their nights of lovemaking. And the Gods still strike out from the besieged Olympos. Their single-molecule bomb casings quantum phase-shifting through the moravecs’ force shield and laying waste to Ilium. Or so Hockenberry and the amusing little metal creature, Mahnmut, have tried to explain to her.
Helen of Troy does not give a fig about machines. She must dress for the funeral. And man and the gods and the unknown players in this tragedy must prepare for the final act. And a battle that will decide the future of the universe itself.
OLYMPOS is the sequel to ILIUM. Together these books are set to be the SF event of the decade. An awe-inspiring melding of Homer’s Iliad and cutting-edge epic space opera.
Reviews for I LI U M
‘Exuberant. Visceral detail, breathtaking audacity’ Justina Robson, The Guardian
‘Sets the standard for SF in the new century’ Peter F Hamilton
‘Grade A hyper-imaginative space opera and about as unmissable as Science Fiction gets’ SFX
About The Author
Dan Simmons, a former teacher and director of programmes for gifted children, now writes full time. He lives with his wife and daughter in Colorado, USA. He has always been interested in writing/composing his first short stories at the age of nine. Since then he has been co- winner of the first Twilight Zone Magazine short story contest, winner of the Rod Serling Memorial Award and the winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel with Song of Kali.
Dan Simmons is also the author of the internationally acclaimed Hyperion, winner of the 1990 Hugo Award and Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, Phases of Gravity and Carrion Comfort, winner of the 1990 Bram Stoker Award, British Fantasy Society Award and Locus Award for Best Horror Novel.

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by Dan Simmons at Amazon.co.uk

Martin Sketchley The Affinity Trap Pbk published February 2005 by Pocket Books at Ł6.99 ISBN: 0 7434 6848 1

By the beginning of the 24th century, social breakdown and environmental decay have led Humanity to withdraw into gigantic habitat towers, insular, safe and sterile. A new governmental system has evolved: Structure, imposing order upon Earth so that mankind may prosper among the stars. Some prosper more than others, however; beneath Structure’s superficially benevolent exterior is a military dictatorship headed by General William Myson - leader, profiteer, sybarite. A man whose many political enemies would dearly love to know that his already vast personal fortune is secretly being swollen through arms deals with the mysterious, alien Sinz.
Seriatt is home to an exotic three-sex race bound by tradition and honour and located near to the wormhole gateway used by the Sinz. The Seriatts see Myson’s arms dealing as a threat, and with tensions rising, Myson realises he must link Earth and Seriatt politically to ensure that his grip on power remains firm. After many diplomatic overtures, it is agreed that he will father a child by Vourniass Lycern, the assigned child-bearer to the Seriattic Royal Household.
But when Lycern decamps to the quasi-religious Affinity Group, Myson orders Alexander Delgado to fetch her. Once a feared and respected officer in Military Intelligence, the changes that followed Myson’s rise to power have seen Delgado’s status plummet, his independent character and unorthodox methods unwelcome under the new regime. Resentful and bitter, Delgado sees the mission not as a chance to regain his former status, but as an opportunity to engender far greater change. When he comes into contact with Lycern, however, his carefully laid plans fall apart and the choices he must make will change his life forever.
Martin Sketchley’s first novel skilfully blurs the boundaries between good and evil, male and female, human and non-human. Sexuality, gender roles, the nature of authority - the very essence of what it is to be human - are explored within a gripping narrative that highlights the contrast between what we perceive ourselves to be, and what we really are.

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by Martin Sketchley at Amazon.co.uk

Martin Sketchley The Destiny Mask Pbk published April 2005 by Simon & Schuster at Ł10.99 ISBN: 0743256808

After the death of Vourniass Lycern, child-bearer to the Seriattic Royal Household, her twin sons, fathered by former Military Intelligence Officer Alexander Delgado, have grown up ignorant of their relationship. Michael has been raised on Earth as the son of General William Myson, while Cascari has been brought up within Delgado’s terrorist group. No one knows Michael and Cascari are brothers, and both believe they are rightful heir to the position of Monosiell - head of Seriatt’s Royal Household.
When the existing Monosiell dies suddenly, the long-awaited opportunity presents itself: with Cascari in power, Delgado knows he could strike at Myson more effectively, while Myson seeks the strategic value of Seriatt’s proximity to the M4 wormhole.
Moreover, the Seriatts are developing time travel capacity, using technology extrapolated from The Destiny Mask - the artefact Seriattic Oracles use to predict the future. Delgado knows that with time travel capability, Myson would represent an immeasurable threat - one which he must prevent.
While strange occurrences in the vicinity of the wormhole go unnoticed, on Seriatt the Oracles predict the coming of a saviour; but who this will be, no one can tell.
This is the second novel in Martin Sketchley’s acclaimed Structure series.
Praise for The Affinity Trap:
'In the best British SF tradition' Guardian
‘The characters are fresh, feisty and vigorous ... Compelling. There are plenty of twists and turns before the shock ending. Good pacy, racy, spacey stuff. Great anti-hero, gripping action and an interesting take on the whole addiction culture’ Dreamwatch
‘Sketchley’s fast-paced first novel combines elements of military SF, future dystopia and individual rebellion ... Rousing stuff’ SFX

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by Martin Sketchley at Amazon.co.uk

Allen Steele Coyote Pbk published February 2005 by Orbit at Ł6.99 ISBN: 1-84149-367 8

Embark on an incredible journey of courage, ambition and discovery
Forty-six light years from Earth, six moons orbit a gas giant three times the mass of Jupiter. Each has been designated a name from the animal demigods of Native American mythology: Dog, Hawk, Eagle, Coyote, Snake and Goat.
Only the fourth moon, Coyote, is likely to sustain life. The crew setting out on Mankind’s greatest adventure know that the success of the mission will depend on how well they adapt to their new home. There is no going back.
But Coyote is also known as the trickster.
‘An homage to wonder, hope and determinism’ Stephen Baxter
About The Author
Allen Steele was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and received his BA in Communications from New England college and a Masters Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. Before tuning to science fiction, he worked as a staff writer for newspapers in Tennessee Missouri, and Massachusetts, as well as Washington, D.C. He is a two-time winner of the Hugo Award in the novella category. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Whately, Massachusetts.

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by Allen Steele at Amazon.co.uk

Charles Stross Iron Sunrise Published March 2005 by Orbit at Ł15.99 ISBN: 1-84149-335 X
Charles Stross’s visionary debut novel, Singularity Sky, was hailed as ‘a carnival of ideas’. Now he confirms his reputation as a writer at the very cutting edge of science fiction with his stunning follow-up novel, Iron Sunrise
When the planet of Now Moscow was brutally destroyed, its few survivors launched a counter-attack against the most likely culprit: the neighbouring system of trade rival, New Dresden. But New Dresden wasn’t responsible and, as the deadly missiles approach their target, Rachel Mansour, ‘agent for the Interests of Old Earth, is assigned to find out who was.
The one person who does know is a disaffected teenager who calls herself Wednesday Shadowmist. But Wednesday has no idea where she might be hiding this significant information. Time is limited and if Rachel can’t resolve this mystery it will mean the annihilation of an entire world…
Praise for Charles Stross
‘One of the most significant works of SF this decade’ Guardian
‘Stross is an author who anyone interested in SF should read and relish’ SFX
‘A carnival of ideas… the Next Big Thing in science fiction’ Michael Swanwick
‘Where Charles Stross goes today, the rest of science fiction will follow tomorrow’ Gardner Dozois

About The Author
Charles Stross is a full-time writer who was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He studied in London and Bradford, gaining degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs, including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer and freelance journalist. He has won international acclaim for his short fiction, and Singularity Sky is his first novel.

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by Charles Stross at Amazon.co.uk

Charles Stross Singularity Sky Pbk published February 2005 by Orbit at Ł6.99 ISBN: 1-84149-334 1

In the twenty-first century, life as we know it was changed forever by two events: the discovery of faster-than-light travel and the creation of the Eschaton, an artificial intelligence that achieved independent sentience. Four hundred years later, the far-flung human colonies that arose as a result of these two extraordinary occurrences are scattered over three thousand years of time and a thousand parsecs of space.
One such colony, the New Republic, exists in self-imposed isolation. Founded by men and women suffering from an acute case of future shock, the member-planets want no part of the Eschaton or the technological advances that followed its creation.
But their backward ways are about to be severely compromised in an attack from an information plague that calls itself The Festival. And as advanced technologies suppressed for generations begin literally to fall from the sky, the New Republic is in danger of slipping into revolutionary turmoil.
The colony’s only hope lies with a swiftly dispatched battle fleet. But secret plans, hidden agendas and ulterior motives abound, both on the rescue ships and among the populace of the beleaguered colony. And watching it all is the Eschaton, which has its own very definite ideas about the future of mankind ...
‘Breathtaking… a real contender for the title ‘space opera of the year’ Locus
`A.fast, fizzing firework of ideas’ Ken MacLeod
`Stross is an author who anyone interested in SF should read and relish’ SFX
‘A hyperkinetic, exuberantly organised clash of ideologies, darkly funny and crackling with hi gh-bandwidth ideas’ Paul McAuley
`There seems to be a consensus across the board:. Charles Stross is the cutting -edge of modern science fiction’ SF Site
About The Author
Charles Stross is a full-time writer who was born in Leeds, England in 1964. He studied in London and Bradford, gaining degrees in pharmacy and computer science, and has worked in a variety of jobs, including pharmacist, technical author, software engineer and freelance journalist. He has won international acclaim for his short fiction, and Singularity Sky is his first novel.

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by Charles Stross at Amazon.co.uk

Scott Westerfeld The Risen Empire Pbk published March 2005 by Orbit at Ł12.99 ISBN: 1-84149-371 6

The undead Emperor has ruled the Eighty Worlds for sixteen hundred years. His is the power to grant immortality to those he deems worthy, creating an elite class known as the Risen. Along with his sister, the eternally young Child Empress, his power within the empire has been absolute. Until now.
Now, the empire’s great enemy, the Rix, are again moving against the Eighty Worlds. Cold and relentless, they have battled for centuries to supplant the Emperor’s rule with their own cybernetic dynasty. And they hold the Child Empress hostage.
Charged with her rescue is Captain Laurent Zai of the Imperial Frigate Lynx. It is already a perilous mission but when Imperial politics are involved the stakes become unimaginably high, and Zai may yet find the Rix the least of his problems. On the homeworld, Zai’s lover, Senator Nara Oxham, newly appointed to the Emperor’s War Council, must prosecute the war against the Rix while holding the inhuman impulses of the Risen councillors in check. If she fails at either task, millions will die.
And at the centre of everything is the Emperor’s great lie: a revelation so shattering that he is willing to sanction the death of entire worlds to keep it secret ...
'Superior space adventure' Locus
‘Recalls some of the best of Asimov but written with a more concise and breathless speed. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read science fiction I’ve enjoyed more’ Interzone
‘In Westerfeld’s hands, science fiction’s cutting edge is wielded with both the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel and the wild abandon of a machete’ Wil McCarthy
‘A literate space opera ... Westerfeld succeeds admirably’ New York Times

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by Scott Westerfeld at Amazon.co.uk