| Authors | Title | Series | Description | Format |
|---|
| S. Andrew Swann | Emperors of the Twilight (The Moreau Series, Bk. 2) | The Moreau Series | | Paperback |
| S. Andrew Swann | Specters of the Dawn (The Moreau Series, Bk. 3) | The Moreau Series | | Paperback |
| S. Andrew Swann | Fearful Symmetries: The Return of Nohar Rajasthan (Moreau, Bk. 4) | The Moreau Series | | Paperback |
| S. Andrew Swann | Partisan (Hostile Takeover, No. 2) | Hostile Takeover | | Paperback |
| S. Andrew Swann | Profiteer (Hostile Takeover #1) | Hostile Takeover | | Paperback |
| Michael Swanwick | Vacuum Flowers | | Like most of the genre, Swanwick's cyberpunk novel takes off from '40s crime thrillers and films noir, his basis here being the amnesiac seeking her own past. Eucrasia Walsh had been a persona buma tester of plug-in personalitiesuntil one of the implants accidentally burned itself into her brain, blanking out her own identity and leaving her the sole template of the valuable new persona. Corporate giant Deutsche Nakasone and its graymarket rivals are both after her, but while on the lam she becomes involved in the struggle between Earthnow a single communal mindand the colonies of individuals scattered through the solar system. As with Swanwick's first novel, In the Drift, the story peters out toward the end, but until then it is inventive and playful, poetic and ingratiating. SF Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Michael Swanwick | The Iron Dragon's Daughter | | Swanwick's nihilistic tale features a human changeling who tries to make her way in a cutthroat society that mirrors contemporary life. While the players are elves, dwarves, lamies and other "magickal" creatures, they could be 20th-century juvenile delinquents and power politicians in a society ruled by caste snobbery, drugs, a mall culture and child labor. Determined to end her slavery in a steam dragon plant, the young human Jane escapes with the help of a rusted old dragon hulk named Melancthon. Thereafter, she goes to school disguised as a fey in order to learn the magic necessary to repair the ravages inflicted on the dragon by time and battle. But the misfit Jane finds school horrifying, and she turns to shoplifting to gain friends. She falls in love with a young man destined to be the annual sacrifice; when she loses her virginity, her usefulness to Melancthon as a magic-maker is ended. After her lover's tragic death, Jane is taken under the wing of a power-hungry elven lord, Galiagante. Eventually she joins Melancthon once again as he sets out to destroy the Universe. Nebula Award-winner Swanwick ( Stations of the Tide ) develops a powerful, yet dark and hopeless fantasy that should forever shatter charming illusions of Faerie and its folk.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. | Trade Paperback |
| S. C. Sykes | Red Genesis (The Next Wave, Book 1) | The Next Wave | The first two entries in a new series that "couples a complete science fiction novel with a related article about cutting-edge scientific phenomena" deal respectively with two of sf's most enduring themes: the fascination with Mars and first contact with alien intelligence. Sykes's story of a corporate genius exiled to the red planet as part of a cruel but arguably necessary experiment transcends its "hook" to become a powerful study of one man's triumph over adversity. The accompanying essay by MIT professor Eugene Mallove realisticially views the obstacles surrounding any attempt to colonize Mars. Challenging the premise that humans and aliens can learn from each other, Leigh's novel describes an encounter in space with a civilization based on the inability to willfully lie. Mathematician/sf writer Rudy Rucker's companion essay offers an invigorating commentary on the current search for extraterrestrial life. Featuring introductions by the ever-prolific Isaac Asimov, both novels exhibit uniformly high standards; the essays are well written, but nonintegral extras. Recommended for libraries seeking to fill a demand for quality sf.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Paperback |
| Judith Tarr | A Fall of Princes (Avaryan Rising #3) | Avaryan Rising | Two princes of mutually hostile lands find themselves thrown together in a battle for survival that forges an unlikely bond between them that could saveor destroyboth their kingdoms. The author of "The Hound and the Falcon" trilogy brings her latest three-volume work to a startling conclusion in a fast-paced novel that stands on its own as a strong, intelligent fantasy. Recommended for all fantasy collections. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Judith Tarr | Spear of Heaven | | Tarr's usual blend of magic and cultural and gender exploration seems forced in this slow-moving sequel to Arrows of the Sun that matches its rhythms to the stately build of political and romantic alliances. Daruya, granddaughter of the emperor, wants to get out of the palace and do her ambassadorial duty, but one of the "Worldgates" has collapsed, and her grandfather forbids her to go on a risky overland mission. So Daruya sneaks out, as does her four-year-old daughter, Kimeri. Since both are heirs of the Empire and direct descendants of the Sun God (with the appropriate inherited magical powers), neither love nor misguided priests nor outmoded political systems are remotely capable of standing in their way as they explore the world beyond the imperial palace and, eventually, use their magic to battle mages who would topple Worldgates willy-nilly. While this fifth book in Tarr's Avaryan Rising series boasts better writing and more penetrating observations than typical sword-and-sorcery fare, it is undermined by Daruya's frequent railing against her own heart, a chorus of lament made all the more tedious since it's glaringly obvious that love will triumph and all will be well by book's end. Fortunately, the spirited Kimeri and the shadowy warriors who bodyguard the imperial heirs are much less predictable than Daruya's fate, and much more fun.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Judith Tarr | The Golden Horn (The Hound and the Falcon Trilogy #2) | The Hound and the Falcon Trilogy | | Paperback |
| Travis Taylor | Warp Speed (Warp Speed #1) | Warp Speed | "In the tradition of Golden Age SF explodes with inventive action. Even more dazzling is the imaginative playfulness with cutting edge scientific possibilities, there's plenty of stimulating and satisfying speculation." Publishers Weekly" | Paperback |
| William Tedford | Hydrabyss Red (Timequest #2) | Timequest Trilogy | | Paperback |
| William Tedford | Rashanyn Dark (Timequest #1) | Timequest Trilogy | | Paperback |
| Sheri S. Tepper | The Awakeners | | Contains Volume !: Northshore, and Volume 2: Southshore. | Hardcover |
| Sheri S. Tepper | A Plague of Angels | | Tepper ( Sideshow ) cleverly adopts elements of both fantasy and science fiction in this portrait of a world on the verge of chaos. Looking to space for a better world, most of Artemesia's inhabitants have deserted their land for the stars, leaving behind crumbling gang-infested cities, fortified suburbs protected by dwindling technology and a half-wild, half-rural land where renascent mythical beasts and fairy tale "archetypes" now live. There Abasio, a farmboy who is being pursued by vengeful gang members, meets Orphan, who is herself being pursued by the minions of Witch. Witch is convinced that in accordance with a delphic prophecy, Orphan can provide the "guidance system" for her space shuttle and thus allow her to settle the moon. Abasio, Orphan and their few allies are called to fulfill their destiny and defend the battered Earth from Witch's mad scheme for world domination. If the fantasy and SF elements don't always merge seamlessly, the setting is well-realized and Witch's psychosis is lurid and frightening. Tepper's prose is colorful and, while occasionally strident, tempered with wry wit and astute observations about human nature.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Sheri S. Tepper | Sideshow | | Loosely related to her earlier books Grass and Raising the Stones, Tepper's newest big novel questions the desirability of further evolution. A sentient fungus has infested most of the galaxy, reworking the life forms it inhabits to enhance their physical and spiritual comfort. The people of the planet Elsewhere, however, see the fungus's contented hosts as slaves; to preserve free will on Elsewhere, the rulers have imposed absolute cultural relativity within which pleasant and unsavory societies coexist, their integrity rigidly maintained by Enforcers. But powers have arisen to challenge the status quo: creatures resembling dragons are reported in unexplored regions, and evil entities in the computer network are manifesting themselves in a deadly way. The planetary provost, Boarmus, sends a crew of three Enforcers with an assortment of misfits to investigate the dragons, while he tries to thwart the net-beings. The pointlessly complicated plot veers off into long digressions that add only pages to the main story, and though Tepper tries to raise the stakes with debates over current issues such as isolationism and sexism, she fails to grapple with the complex implications of these concerns. After her last book, Beauty , this one is a disappointment.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Walter Tevis | The Steps of the Sun | | Uneven but warmly involving "soft" sf - from the author of The Man Who Fell to Earth and the recent, non-sf The Queen's Gambit. 21st-century Earth, even with a declining population, is desperately short of energy, as most natural resources have been used up: "Safe" uranium is a theoretical possibility, but none exists on Earth. So middle-aged tycoon Ben Belson, restless and dissatisfied, buys a spaceship and goes prospecting - illegally - for "safe" uranium on distant worlds. He discovers planet Belson, a wilderness of obsidian with patches of grass; the latter has roots that go deep into the planet, shrieks when injured, sings when pleased. . . and says it loves Ben Belson! He does discover his uranium, but on another world. And, while the ship goes back to Earth with a cargo of it on board, Ben - now addicted to morphine - remains alone on Belson, reflecting on his messed-up psyche: resentment over unaffectionate parents, guilt over a failed marriage, impotence, etc. Then, after near-fatal ups and downs (deadly rain, miraculous recovery), the ship returns - but Ben now learns that he's been declared an outlaw, his uranium impounded. So he must return to Earth and battle the powers-that-be. . . as things bog down in aimless, ho-hum sexual/political ironies. Still, Tevis' delivery is agreeably fluid and deadpan, and narrator Belson has enough craggy, amiably sardonic appeal to hold the reader's interest. . . nearly all the way. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. | Hardcover |
| Walter S. Tevis | Mockingbird | | "A moral tale that has elements of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Superman, and Star Wars."--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Set in a far future in which robots run a world with a small and declining human population, this novel could be considered an unofficial sequel to Fahrenheit 451, for its central event and symbol is the rediscovery of reading."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Because of its affirmation of such persistent human values as curiosity, courage, and compassion, along with its undeniable narrative power, Mockingbird will become one of those books that coming generations will periodically rediscover with wonder and delight."--The Washington Post
"I've read other novels extrapolating the dangers of computerization but Mockingbird stings me, the writer, the hardest. The notion, the possibility, that people might indeed lose the ability, and worse, the desire to read, is made acutely probable."--New York Times bestselling author ANNE MCCAFFREY
"Walter Tevis is science fiction's great neglected master, one of the definitive bridges between sf and literature. For those who know his work only through the movies, the lucid prose and literary vision of Mockingbird and The Man Who Fell to Earth will come as a revelation."
--AL SARRANTONIO, Author of The Five Worlds saga --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. | Hardcover |
| Paul Theroux | O-Zone | | Theroux's view of humanity is becoming increasingly bleak even as he stretches his reach with this novel that brilliantly depicts the world as it may become. In the not-too-distant future, America has turned into a police state and a rigidly class-obsessed, terrifyingly racist society. On the verge of anarchy, the country is fragmented into many chaotic parts. The Owners, the remnant elite who live in armed enclaves protected by fearsome security forces, feel menaced by aliensalso called Roaches, Trolls, Skells, Starkiesall those who lead desperate lives of poverty and despair. A group of eight Owners, including a near-genius adolescent, seek an adventurous thrill in a rocket trip to the forbidden area of the O-Zone, formerly the Ozarks, which has been sealed off following massive nuclear contamination. The experience changes all of them, and a second, secret voyage there has terrifying consequences. Theroux has vizualized every detail of his desolate, all-too-plausible world. His scathing social commentary is powerful and convincing; his characters, while too unappealing to win the readers' sympathy, etch themselves in the mind. This highly literate science fiction is not a pleasant book to read, but it is a significant contribution to the literature of what may be a preapocalyptic world.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |
| Lewis Thomas | Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony | | Late Night Thoughts on listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony | Trade Paperback |
| W.R. Thompson | Debtors' Planet (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 30) | Star Trek | | Paperback |
| Robert Thurston | Alicia II | | | Hardcover |
| Mark W. Tiedemann | An Isaac Asimov Robot Mystery: Mirage (Isaac Asimov's Robot Mystery) | | Mark W. Tiedemann has a reputation for psychologically complex and strongly plotted short fiction (see, for example, his contributions to Vanishing Acts and Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers). He uses these traits to great effect in his first novel, a robot mystery set in the world created by the late Isaac Asimov. In a future where humankind is divided into three broad coalitions--Earther, Spacer, and Settler--positronic robots are governed by the three laws of robotics, designed to make it impossible for them to harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm. However, positronic robots are outlawed on Earth.
The book opens as a Spacer delegation arrives on Earth to negotiate the repeal of the antirobot laws. Special Agent Mia Daventri is assigned to security for the Earther negotiating team, along with a specially modified robot, Bogard, the only one of its kind on the planet. Neither human nor robot is able to prevent what happens next, something that should have been impossible: the public massacre of both negotiating parties. Mia survives the assassination, thanks in part to Bogard--who does not act according to design specifications--but her life is still in danger. Bogard and Mia join forces with returning franchise characters Derec Avery and Ariel Burgess to unravel the corporate and political conspiracy behind the slaughter of the diplomats.
Dialogue and plot are crisp and tight, and the characters are distinct and multilayered. This is superior franchise fiction, designed for adults with a taste for mystery and rigorous logic. An ambiguous ending hints at future installments. --Luc Duplessis | Trade Paperback |
| James jr. Tiptree, Andrew Smith (ill.) | Her Smoke Rose Up Forever | | The stories of Alice Sheldon, who wrote as James Tiptree Jr. ( Up the Walls of the World ) until her death in 1987, have been heretofore available mostly in out-of-print collections. Thus the 18 accomplished stories here will be welcomed by new readers and old fans. "The Screwfly Solution" describes a chilling, elegant answer to the population problem. In "Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death," the title tells the tale--species survival insured by imprinted drives--but the story's force is in its exquisite, lyrical prose and its suggestion that personal uniqueness is possible even within biological imperatives. "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" is a future boy-meets-girl story with a twist unexpected by the players. "The Women Men Don't See " displays Tiptree's keen insight and ability to depict singularity within the ordinary. In Hugo and Nebula award-winning "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" astronauts flying by the sun slip forward 500 years and encounter a culture that successfully questions gender roles in ours.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. | Hardcover |