This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 3, 2012.

Armageddon 2419 A.D.

By Philip Francis Nowlan – Amazing Stories – August 1928

Review by Robin Marx

Published in a 1928 issue of Amazing Stories, this novel is both a fun pulp adventure and the origin of the Buck Rogers character of comic strip and radio serial fame.

The premise is simple but intriguing. World War I veteran and scientist Anthony Rogers (he doesn't gain the “Buck” nickname until the comic adaptation) finds himself caught in a mine cave-in and immersed in radioactive gas. He awakes to find himself nearly 500 years in the future, where after a devastating second World War Mongolians have taken over the world, with Americans reduced to a semi-tribal existence hiding in forest camps. Although there's a tinge of the Yellow Peril themes prevalent of the time, the Mongolians aren't painted in too racist a light. They're decadent and soft, unlike the hard-living Americans, but they're also clever and technologically advanced. Given the period the book was written in, I was surprised by the egalitarian role of women in the story as well. Wilma Deering plays a strong, active role, working and fighting alongside the men.

The writing itself is workmanlike. There are some bits of info-dump style exposition, and none of the characters are very complex, but the action is engaging and the pace brisk. The technology presented in the story (anti-gravity belts, rocket pistols, levitating airships, etc.) is fun and exciting, even today. The main theme, of an outsider leading a group of underdogs to victory against technologically-advanced enemies, is pretty well-worn territory, but it may have been fresher at the time. It was interesting how Rogers serves as sort of a reversed example of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court: he's from a primitive past, but his knowledge of WWI tactics—lore lost over the centuries—ends up playing an important role in the story's battles.

While this book didn't quite enthrall me as much as Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars, a thematically similar pulp yarn, I enjoyed this look at Buck Rogers's origins. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Airlords of Han.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #Armageddon2419AD #BuckRogers #PhilipFrancisNowlan

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 28, 2012.

The Master Mind of Mars

By Edgar Rice Burroughs – A. C. McClurg – 1928

Review by Robin Marx

Despite being the 6th novel in the series, in this story Burroughs proves that there are plenty of stories left to tell on Barsoom, and that John Carter or Carthoris don't need to be present to have a compelling story.

Our protagonist is a World War I soldier with the incredibly badass name Ulysses Paxton. When he gets blown in half by an artillery shell, he finds himself on Barsoom, a planet he knows well from Edgar Rice Burrough's stories. I like that—as with John Carter's original teleportation to Mars—Burroughs doesn't go into detail about how the journey takes places. Paxton himself has no time to care, he immediately gets attacked by an angry local. I also like that there aren't any An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge hints that Paxton's adventures are dying hallucinations. Paxton's adventures are genuine.

Like many of the Barsoom stories to date, the plot involves a dashing man's quest to rescue a damsel in distress. While this is familiar territory, Burroughs gives it a twist in this story by having the body of Paxton's love interest be spirited away, while (due to a brain transplant at the hands of a fun mad scientist character) her mind remains prisoner in the used-up body of a rich harridan.

Through charisma and respect-earning manliness Paxton quickly assembles a team of trusted comrades, including a master assassin and an experimental gorilla/human hybrid. The pace of the book is brisk and there's plenty of swashbuckling action to be had. Burroughs is clearly sticking to an established recipe, but the meal is satisfying.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #Barsoom #TheMasterMindOfMars #EdgarRiceBurroughs

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 24, 2012.

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris Volume 1 – The Colossus of Mars

By Arvid Nelson (Writer), Carlos Rafael (Artist) – Dynamite Entertainment – November 1, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Set four hundred years before the events of Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars, this comic focuses on the adventures of Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium. This five issue miniseries is about a renegade jeddak (Martian chief) and his attempt to destroy rival city-states through the use of an ancient golem-like war machine.

While it'd be disingenuous to deny that cheesecake artwork—Dynamite's specialty—is a major selling point (as in ERB's original stories, Martians wear very little clothing, and they don't call her “the incomparable” Dejah Thoris for nothing), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the storytelling.

If anything, Dejah Thoris is a stronger character here in the comics than in the original Barsoom tales. While in the novels she tends to function as a kidnapping victim or quest object, here she takes a much more pro-active approach. She's generally in a leadership role, comfortable in battle, and proves herself to be exceedingly competent and resourceful. She's got more depth than the cover would suggest.

This story was much more engaging than Dynamite's other Warlord of Mars spin-off, Fall of Barsoom. I look forward to future volumes.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #ScienceFiction #SwordAndPlanet #Barsoom #EdgarRiceBurroughs #DynamiteEntertainment #WarlordOfMars #DejahThoris #ArvidNelson #CarlosRafael

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 29, 2012.

Winterfair Gifts

By Lois McMaster Bujold – Spectrum Literary Agency – January 5, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Winterfair Gifts first debuted in a genre romance anthology called Irresistible Forces, but I'd only recommend it to those already familiar with the Vorkosigan stories, as it doesn't stand on its own very well. While not an indispensable entry in Bujold's long-running Vorkosigan series, this novella was a very satisfying read, one of those rare stories that left me with warm fuzzies after the story's conclusion.

Taking place between A Civil Affair and Diplomatic Immunity, plot is secondary in this story. This is a trait shared with some of the other recent Vorkosigan books, but this isn't a gripe. People read Bujold for her characters, which are second to none. With more than two dozen Vorkosigan stories available, Miles Vorkosigan, his family, and comrades have all become like friends to this reader. Every new Vorkosigan story is a welcome chance to visit with these longtime friends again.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #WinterfairGifts #VorkosiganSaga #LoisMcMasterBujold

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 16, 2013.

Starfish

By Peter Watts – Tor Books – July 1999

Review by Robin Marx

Starfish tells the story of the rifters, a group of misfits surgically altered and equipped to work deep undersea on a geothermal power plant. It takes a special breed to cope with the psychological extremes of such a habitat, and it turns out that those best suited to the environment are abuse survivors and sociopaths. The Juan de Fuca Ridge station ends up populated by an unusual crew that includes an incest victim, a wife beater, and even a serial child molester.

While the plot is fairly low-key for the first three quarters of the book, the setting and characters were so compelling that I raced through this book. Already set apart from the bulk of humanity by their violent and traumatic pasts, it was interesting to watch how the rifters, altered by both their implants and their living conditions, gradually became post-human. While some may find the characters unsympathetic and hard to relate to, those readers would be missing the point. They start off damaged humans and end up even more alien.

The climax was exciting and interesting, if a little cryptic in parts. This is the first book of a trilogy, and while I'm excited to see what happens next, I hope that even with the drastic changes introduced at the end of Starfish the series continues to stick with the deep sea setting.

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #Starfish #RiftersTrilogy #PeterWatts

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 20, 2015.

Coldbrook

By Tim Lebbon – Titan Books – April 8, 2014

Review by Robin Marx

Zombie Stargate. If this premise appeals, by all means pick this book up.

The beginning was intriguing and exciting, reminiscent of the beginning of the Half-Life video game. Scientists working Coldbrook, a top-secret underground research complex, succeed in tearing open a rift to a parallel Earth. After days of passive monitoring by the scientists, one of the alternate Earth's inhabitants stumble through the portal. Unfortunately for the researchers, their first contact happens to be with a zombie.

The situation goes to hell almost immediately, and in a realistic manner. Despite all the protocols in place, one highly placed staff member has a very human moment of weakness, choosing to flee the facility and ensure the safety of his family, rather than stay for the security lock-down. While selfish characters in zombie stories tend to get their just desserts fairly soon after their betrayal, Vic remains for the remainder of the book as one of the main viewpoint characters, lending an interesting perspective to the apocalyptic events that follow.

While I enjoyed this book—the first half was unputdownable—there were some issues that kept it from greatness. Despite an abundance of action, it still felt like the second half lost steam. Many interesting elements (the culture of the alternate Earth humans, the search for a cure, etc.) were introduced, only to receive only perfunctory or lackluster development. Without revealing too much, the backstory behind the mysterious Inquisitor turned out to be a disappointment, nowhere near as exciting and cool as initially hinted. New characters (such as a biker gang leader named Chaney) were introduced too late and in too convenient a manner for me to care much about their eventual fates.

I also noticed a few Britishisms crept into the text. Seeing multiple American point-of-view characters referring to their flashlights as “torches” took me out of the story, and it was particularly jarring when a rough-and-tumble all-American biker promises scared children candy and ice cream “for tea.” Sure enough, the About the Author mentions that Lebbon is Welsh. It's a minor point, but I feel like the editor should have caught these anachronisms.

Coldbrook was a good read, but not quite a great one. While there's plenty of room left for a sequel, I think I'm satisfied with just the one book.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Horror #ScienceFiction #Coldbrook #TimLebbon

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 28, 2020.

Aliens Omnibus, Vol. 1

By Mark Verheiden (Writer), Mark A. Nelson (Artist), Den Beauvais (Artist), Sam Keith (Artist) – Dark Horse – July 3, 2007

Review by Robin Marx

This volume collects the first three story arcs in Dark Horse Comics' classic Aliens series. The first two parts, Outbreak and Nightmare Asylum, are absolute classics that made a greater, more positive contribution to the Aliens canon than several of the films. The third part, Earth War (here titled Female War), is a much weaker story, however.

Set after the second movie, Outbreak follows the further exploits of Corporal Dwayne Hicks and Newt. Hicks' trauma and unanswered questions about his previous mission has led him to have a rocky career in the Colonial Marines, prone to drunken brawls. With Ripley nowhere to be seen, young Newt ends up involuntarily committed to an insane asylum, spending much of her time in a drugged daze. When Hicks finds himself drawn into a mission involving a trip to the alien home world, he breaks Newt out of confinement and smuggles her aboard his ship, hoping that the both of them can find closure despite the deadly circumstances. As always, however, the company has a different agenda.

I first read Outbreak circa 1991, collected into graphic novel format and purchased at a mall Waldenbooks. I was a devout Marvel kid, and had never read anything much darker than some Punisher and the original Eastman & Laird Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. These early Aliens comics came as sort of a shock to my preteen system. The black and white art was moody and grim, and although I was a fan of the movies I wasn't accustomed to seeing this much detailed gore in my comic books. I was a little unsettled by the Aliens comics, but I also found them incredibly compelling. I would spend hours practicing my own xenomorph illustrations based on the artwork from the comics.

Thirty years later, Outbreak still holds up. Hicks and Newt were renamed Wilks and Billie in reprints when both characters were perfunctorily killed off in the opening credits of Alien 3 in 1992, but the story works best as a sort of alternate timeline and I therefore mentally filled in the original character names whenever the retconned ones came up in the text. The artwork in the omnibus has been colorized, which diminishes some of the stark impact of the original black and white, but it's still a fantastic-looking series.

For me, if Outbreak was the appetizer, Nightmare Asylum was the main course. With Earth overrun by aliens, Hicks and Newt find themselves unwilling guests on an orbiting space station run by a ruthless Colonial Marine officer obsessed with the idea of weaponizing his growing stock of xenomorphs and using them to reconquer Earth. The premise of the story—the attempt to tame and weaponize the aliens—is a natural fit for the Aliens universe, and echoes of it later turned up in Alien: Resurrection. Unlike Outbreak, the Nightmare Asylum artwork was color from the very beginning, and incredibly vivid color at that. For a franchise that tends towards dark tones, the effect was striking. Nightmare Asylum remains a great-looking miniseries.

The omnibus includes with Earth War, here retitled Female War. Ripley, heroine of the movies, returns, but her introduction feels strange with the renaming of Hicks and Newt. Why are they so happy to see her? Why does she care for them? Just ignore it and blame Alien 3 for the awkwardness. This time, the story involves yet another return to the alien home world, this time to pick up a “Queen Mother” xenomorph that manages to look far less imposing than the cinematic alien queen. The xenomorphs are psychically connected and it's hoped that by dropping her on Earth they can get all the aliens to flock to her and then conveniently nuke them all in one massive strike.

While the first two story arcs were important parts of my youthful comic collection, I always left the Earth War graphic novel on the Waldenbooks shelf unpurchased. The artwork always struck me as so ugly, and such a major step down from Nightmare Asylum. I bought this omnibus because I finally wanted to read Earth War as an adult, with a more sophisticated palate. Unfortunately, younger me was right not to spend his precious allowance money on this particular installment in the series. The artwork still felt ugly and poor to me, and despite sharing the same writer as the previous series both the plot and characterization seemed to take a step down. The newly introduced Colonial Marines are characterization-free, the premise is kind of goofy, and the whole operation is taken care of with surprising ease. Compared to the first two volumes, Earth War felt muddled and rushed.

Despite ending on a tremendously weak note, this omnibus contains some excellent comics that add a great deal of flavor and excitement to the Aliens universe. Wholeheartedly recommended to fans of the movies.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #ComicReview #ScienceFiction #DarkHorse #AliensOmnibus #Aliens

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on February 4, 2013.

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

By Lois McMaster Bujold – Baen Books – November 6, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

It's always a treat when a new Vor book arrives. This book focuses on one of the series' supporting characters rather than Miles Vorkosigan himself, but the book was no less satisfying because of it.

Like Cryoburn, plot took a bit of a back seat in this book, with the characters first and foremost. The story itself was interesting, but it progressed in a much quieter direction than the first quarter of the book suggested. There was also less action than I expected. I'm used to the diplomatic direction the recent Miles stories have taken, but cousin Ivan has always been a man of action. This series' books are gradually turning from science fiction novels into romance novels with science fiction trappings. And you know? Strangely enough, I'm OK with that. Bujold's well-rendered characters have always been her strong point, and they feel so real and familiar to me that listening to their conversations and spending time with them is enough. The mortal danger so common in previous volumes isn't necessary to keep my interest. Ivan and his family are like old friends, and new character Tej is a worthy addition to the cast of characters.

I look forward to the next installment in the series, and I hope it lasts forever.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #ScienceFiction #CaptainVorpatrilsAlliance #VorkosiganSaga #LoisMcMasterBujold

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 20, 2019.

When Gravity Fails

By George Alec Effinger – Arbor House – January 1987

Review by Robin Marx

This sleek cyberpunk novel is set in the Middle East after the decline and Balkanization of the Western superpowers. It focuses on Marîd Audran, a low-level fixer in the Budayeen, the seamy red light district of an unnamed city. When a number of his acquaintances are viciously murdered, he finds himself breaking a number of his personal rules—including becoming entangled with powerful underworld figures and adopting personality-changing cybernetic enhancements—in an effort to find the chameleonic killer.

While very different in terms of subject matter, this book reminded me a bit of the contemporaneous Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams: solid cyberpunk fiction that includes popular cyberpunk genre hallmarks while adding some innovation of its own. Like many of the best cyberpunk novels, When Gravity Fails draws inspiration from hardboiled detective novels, peppering the narrative with shady cops, dangerous mob bosses, femmes fatale, sympathetic bartenders, and a world-weary protagonist. On the other hand, the Middle Eastern setting and “moddies” (personality modifying software) in particular felt very fresh. I was also pleasantly surprised to see multiple transgender characters presented as sympathetic human beings in a book published in 1987.

When Gravity Fails had everything I like to see in cyberpunk fiction plus some new twists. I look forward to reading the sequels.

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #Cyberpunk #ScienceFiction #WhenGravityFails #GeorgeAlecEffinger

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 11, 2013.

Callisto

By Lin Carter – iBooks – July 14, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This book collects the first two installments in Lin Carter's eight-volume Callisto series: Jandar of Callisto and Black Legion of Callisto, both originally printed in 1972. They're planetary romance stories specifically written in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars/Barsoom series. This is both a strength and a weakness. Fans of the Barsoom novels will see a lot of fun familiar elements, but the imitation is too slavish, frequently crossing the line from homage to outright fan-fiction (a common complaint regarding the work of Lin Carter).

The hero of the series is Jonathan Dark, and the books are written in first person POV. Like the classic Barsoom stories, there's a goofy metafiction element where Lin Carter directly addresses the reader, insisting that he is not the author of the Callisto stories, he's only acting as editor of a series of mysterious manuscripts delivered to him through unorthodox methods. (This particular collection of the novels goes even further, with a new introduction by publisher John Betancourt that somewhat crassly hints that the late Lin Carter isn't really dead, he's just joined Jonathan Dark on Callisto.)

Jonathan Dark is a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam war who ends up on one of Jupiter's moons—Callisto—after crashing in the jungle and encountering a mysterious portal. Just as John Carter was captured by the four-armed Green Martians, he's taken prisoner by mantis aliens. Like John Carter, he grows to understand their ways, gradually winning the respect of their leader. Like John Carter, he encounters a bodacious alien princess with whom he is immediately smitten. Like John Carter's lady-love Dejah Thoris, she gets kidnapped frequently. This series is like John Carter.

To be fair, things do get shaken up a bit. It's not a straight-up retelling of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. Most of the events, aliens, and interactions are different enough to keep things interesting. But while I was pleased to read new (to me, anyway) stories written in the tradition of the Barsoom novels, the Callisto stories would've benefited had Lin Carter taken the basic “stranger in a strange land” premise and done his own thing, rather than directly translate nearly every element found in the Barsoom books. After a while it starts to feel like the author is working from a checklist. Skyships? Check. Romance with a princess? Check. Alien warrior BFF? Check. Despite being a Vietnam War-era American, Jonathan Dark speaks in the same antiquated, slang- and contraction-free manner as Civil War Veteran John Carter. Why?

While not unexpected given what I know about the author, the imitation was a little disappointing. Complaints aside, I did enjoy this volume. It's not as good as the best Edgar Rice Burroughs, but these two stories were better than some of ERB's less-inspired work, and among the better Lin Carter output I've read. I'd like to read the subsequent volumes, but I think I'll work through the last few remaining Barsoom novels before spending any more time on Callisto.

★★★☆☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndPlanet #PlanetaryRomance #ScienceFiction #Callisto #LinCarter