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17
'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen': such a waste!
If not for Sean Connery and a few of the better special effects, this spectacular exercise in fantasy rates low at the "bof!" end of the scale for making so little of a fine idea.
16
'Misspent Youth': a missed opportunity
Peter Hamilton's brief but radical departure from intergalactics to a near future on one planet turns rejuvenation treatment and family life upside down. It may disappoint many a fan of his space epics.
15
'Eater': small cast, vast imagination
Physicist and prolific author Gregory Benford brings many a new twist to the theme of 'first contact' with a very alien intelligence in a novel which aroused a genuine sense of wonder.
14
'Underworld': an impressively disappointing confrontation
Pitting vampires against werewolves with high-tech weapons, trendy atmospherics, dollops of gore and mayhem for a soundtrack is an enjoyable idea, undone by grievous holes in the characters.
13
'Pashazade: The First Arabesk': heat, handled with flair
Before he swaps a Seattle prison for the seething snake-pit of Iskandryia, ZeeZee has no idea that he was fathered by a man of prominence and power. Awaiting him are a potential wife, a murder riddle, sudden violence — and a new identity and social standing.
12
The 'Two Towers' and those who thought different: one European perspective
When the attacks came, I was as dismayed and aghast as everybody else in the newsroom, watching the tragedy unfold. But yesterday, while most in the blogosphere appropriately laid their "9/11" wreaths, I went in search of those who took an alternative line.
11
'Probability Sun': bending the chances of survival
You'd think human beings could leave World in peace, after all the trouble they caused last time.
French writer and musician Daniel Ichbiah would like to see artists rally in protest at software protection techniques which today threaten the long-term future of the very creative work the tools are intended to help.
9
'Probability Moon': an alien artefact to alter the odds?
Hard science fiction at its best. The science is essential to the fiction, but Kress gets the key points across without slowing the pace of a dangerous adventure, with characters who invite interest and real involvement as they hurtle towards an explosive climax.
8
'Gridlinked': warning — works fast, potentially addictive
Any book which begins with a space travel engineer saying the equivalent of "Beam me up, Mr Scott" and unintentionally blowing up a planet on his arrival has potential. 'Gridlinked' lives up to the promise.
BC Writer of the Day
