Mind Meld | Memorable Book Covers

John over at SF Signal invited me to take part in the recent Mind Meld feature they run over there, this time on memorable book covers. I couldn't resist the topic as there is so much good (and not so good) artwork gracing covers nowadays - head over and have a read :)

Cover Art | Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton (Tor UK)

Above is the new cover for the paperback release of Nights of Villjamur, although the below blurb is from the hardcover release:

Political intrigue and dark violence converge in a superb new action series of enthralling fantasy.

An ice age strikes a chain of islands, and thousands come to seek sanctuary at the gates of Villjamur: a city of ancient spires and bridges, a place where banshees wail the deceased, cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and where, further out, the dead have been seen walking across the tundra.

When the Emperor commits suicide, his elder daughter, Rika, is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire, but the sinister Chancellor plans to get rid of her and claim the throne for himself.

Meanwhile a senior investigator in the city inquisition must solve the high-profile and savage murder of a city politician, whilst battling evils within his own life, and a handsome and serial womanizer manipulates his way into the imperial residence with a hidden agenda.

When reports are received that tens of thousands of citizens are dying in a bizarre genocide on the northern islands of the Empire, members of the elite Night Guard are sent to investigate. It seems that, in this land under a red sun, the long winter is bringing more than just snow . . .

I actually quite like this cover, it's definitely one of the better character covers that are about nowadays. So far the covers for Mark's work all have a slightly different style, but the covers for the hardbacks are both nice and I'm hoping the style stays the same for any future releases in the series, while the paperback is definitely suited for that market.:

Left to right: Nights of Villjamur HB, City of Ruin HB and Nights of Villjamur PB

Cover Art | Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley (Pyr)

The Quiet War is over. The city-states of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, founded by descendants of refugees from Earth's repressive regimes, the Outers, have fallen to the Three Powers Alliance of Greater Brazil, the European Union, and the Pacific Community. A century of enlightenment, rational utopianism, and exploration of new ways of being human has fallen dark. Outers are herded into prison camps and forced to collaborate in the systematic plundering of their great archives of scientific and technical knowledge, while Earth's forces loot their cities and settlements and ships, and plan a final solution to the "Outer problem."

But Earth's victory is fragile, and riven by vicious internal politics. While seeking out and trying to anatomize the strange gardens abandoned in place by the Outers' greatest genius, Avernus, the gene wizard Sri Hong-Owen is embroiled in the plots and counterplots of the family that employs her. The diplomat Loc Ifrahim soon discovers that profiting from victory isn't as easy as he thought. And on Earth, in Greater Brazil, the democratic traditions preserved and elaborated by the Outers have infected a population eager to escape the tyranny of the great families who rule them.

Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the Solar System, a rag-taggle group of refugees struggle to preserve the last of the old ideals. And on Triton, fanatical members of a cabal prepare for a final battle that threatens to shatter the future of the human species.

After a conflict fought to contain the expansionist, posthuman ambitions of the Outers, the future is as uncertain as ever. Only one thing is clear. No one can escape the consequences of war—especially the victors.

Here's the cover for Pyr's release of Paul McAuley's Gardens of the Sun, due in March 2010. It follows the very excellent style that was used for the release of The Quiet War. I like it, quite a lot.

News | Final Fantasy XIII Special Announcement

Finally (no pun intended!), the release date for Final Fantasy XIII in Europe and North America has been announced in a special video released today. Have a look below:




FFXIII is my most eagerley awaited game since, well, FFXII was released in 2007. This time we've got the game coming in full HD on the PS3 and Xbox 360 with an amazing setting and what looks like a very interesting battle system. I am very excited about this one - can't wait!

Review | Mirror Space by Marianne de Pierres (Orbit)

Title: Mirror Space
Author: Marianne de Pierres
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Release Date: 5th November 2009

Araldis is still under occupation by hostile forces, and with the Orion League of Sentient Species seemingly unable - or unwilling - to help, Mira Fedor is forced to turn to the mercenary captain, Rast Randall, if she is to save her planet.

But while Rast's contacts may be free of political constraints, what they lack in red tape they more than make up for in ruthlessness. As some of their hidden strategies are revealed, others become even more opaque. Why have the philosophers of Scolar been targetted? How far does the Extropist influence extend into Orion space?

From Lasper Farr, the Stain War veteran and ruler of the junk planet Edo, to the Sole initiates at Belle Monde to Rast herself, everyone is pursuing their own agenda. But are they really separate goals?

Or are events rushing to a single, terrifying conclusion . . . ?

Mirror Space is a book I've been eagerly awaiting this year. So far the Sentients of Orion series has gone from strength to strength with the slow build up in Dark Space (review) to the full space opera of Chaos Space (review). What I was really hoping for in Mirror Space was a story that not only continued the events from Chaos Space, but also added more to the mix and started answering the questions that had been building up throughout the previous two novels. What I got was exactly that, but delivered in such a way that fulfilled and exceeded all my expectations while adding some interesting things to the mix.

Once again Marianne splits the book up into sections that follow various characters, each in different situations after the dramatic ending of Chaos Space. Mira has been taken by the alien Extropists and effectively held prisoner on one of their planets; Rast and Jo-Jo are on Insignia, although they are split up from the biozoon during the story; Tekton and Thales find themselves, rather coincidentally, on the junk planet of Edo that is ruled by Lasper Farr; Trin, Djes and the survivors on Araldis are moving from island to island hoping to find a safe haven. Suffice to say that these individual stories are now coming slowly together for the grand finale in Transformation Space, something that is clearly evident by the way Mirror Space finishes.

One thing I will say about this series is that it's been one build up after another. Marianne has cleverly laid clues in Dark Space and Chaos Space as to the direction of the story and it's now paying off extremely well. The central focus is once again on Mira, this time with her unborn baby which is something that the Extropists are very interested in studying due to the ability that allows her to fly a biozoon. Although Mira's storyline is the main one throughout the series it was the one I found least enjoyable this time around. It's not that it's bad, just that the other plot lines are such good reading. Tekton and his quest for the quixite throw up some interesting scenarios, while Thales truly seems like a lost puppy thrown into a situation he has no idea how to handle. While the sections following Rast and Jo-Jo are interesting, it's the discoveries made by them and Insignia that ultimately throw more light onto the situation surrounding the invasion of Araldis. I found myself enjoying the story of the Araldis survivors again this time around, with their travels enjoying mixed fortunes and Trin starting to be accepted by some as their leader.

Not only do we continue to follow interesting and gripping story lines, Marianne shows us how she can create vivid and memorable locations. The Extro planet we visit with Mira is amazing and completely alien while Edo, the junk planet, is great and completely believable. While Marianne has created a realistic setting she has not done so through excessive world building or explanations. The story flows along very nicely and the pace doesn't falter at all, even during the slower sections where we're not quite sure what's going to happen, although the final few scenes are particularly memorable and left me wanting more.

I only really have one gripe with Mirror Space, although this is something I suspect will come to the fore mainly in the last book. Sole, the god entity, is almost completely off the page during the story. While a lot of what goes on indirectly relates to it, we don't have any progression as such for that storyline. It's not a huge problem at all, but one that is noticeable.

Despite the one issue I had, I really can't say how pleased I am with Mirror Space. Not only has it improved once again on its predecessor, it offers a more refined and thoroughly enjoyable space opera experience. While the series may ultimately hang on the finale in Transformation Space and the answers it will reveal, Mirror Space has once again shown that the Sentients of Orion series is one that deserves your attention and that Marianne is a writer worthy of praise. Highly recommended.

Overall rating 9/10

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk