Haul of Books 2010: Stuff For Me v.15

A few more things have been trickling in over the last few weeks. This is an attempt on my part to play catchup. I think I’m going to spend the next week or so getting fully caught up on all the stuff that has arrived at my door.

So, without further delay, here is the image for v.15 (after the fold, hopefully):

And the descriptions (from left to right, top to bottom):

1. Interzone Magazine, Issue #228, May-June 2010 (subscribed)

New science fiction and fantasy stories by Mario Milosevic, Jon Ingold, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Jason Sanford David D. Levine. Book reviews. Ansible Link by David Langford. Mutant Popcorn by Nick Lowe (film reviews). Laser Fodder by Tony Lee (DVD/Blu-ray reviews). Readers’ Poll results. Cover art is the third of six 2010 connected images by Warwick Fraser-Coombe. Illustrations by Dave Senecal, Jim Burns, Mark Pexton, Darren Winter, Richard Wagner. In colour!

(A note from me: one of the things that I think has drastically improved this magazine, which I already love greatly, is the new interior design. It’s sleek, visually appealing, and uncluttered. If you don’t have a subscription, get one now!)

2. SFRA Review, Issue 292, Spring 2010 (subscribed)

The issue contains calls for papers for journals and conferences, nonfiction reviews on a number of fascinating books (some on the Wizard of Oz world, Lovecraft, and H. G. Wells), fiction reviews (various authors, from Iain M. Banks to Ian McDonald), media reviews on Avatar, Pumzi, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and others, and an article on scholarly research and writing, which I actually found quite useful. I personally would like to see more articles in future issues.

3. Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton (won)

In this elegant volume, award-winning author Sarah Totton takes her readers on speculative journeys of the heart and mind that will both challenge and engage you. Within these tales, readers will learn the meaning of darkness and pain and fear. Yet they will also learn about love and happiness and laughter. Sarah Totton explores the full kaleidoscope of the human heart and peels it back, one layer at a time. She offers her readers a full palette of emotions and stories to sift through, never settling, never holding back, and never flinching. Whether she is writing about the loss of innocence through dark revelations, the point to which a human mind can be stretched before succumbing to the magic of faerie, or something as preposterous as cloud-fishing in a world with pink yaks, the stories in Animythical Tales are always told with an eye toward revealing something important about the human condition. If you have ever yearned to fall into fabulous adventures in unforgettable worlds, Animythical Tales is the collection for you.

4. Elizabeth Street: A Novel Based on True Events by Laurie Fabiano (won)

In Elizabeth Street, Laurie Fabiano tells a remarkable, and previously unheard, story of the Italian immigrant experience at the start of the twentieth century. Culled from her own family history, Fabiano paints an entrancing portrait of Giovanna Costa, who, reeling from personal tragedies, tries to make a new life in a new world. Shot through with the smells and sights of Scilla, Italy, and New York’s burgeoning Little Italy, this intoxicating story follows Giovanna as she finds companionship, celebrates the birth of a baby girl, takes pride in a growing business, and feels a sense of belonging on a family outing to Coney Island.

However, these modest successes are rewarded with the attention of the notorious Black Hand, a gang of brutal extortionists led by Lupo the Wolf. As the stakes grow higher and higher, readers share with Giovanna her desperate struggle to remain outside the fray, and then to fight for—and finally to save—that which is important above all other: family.

5. Starcraft II: Heaven’s Devils by William C. Dietz (won)

For the poor, hardworking citizens of the Confederacy’s fringe worlds, the Guild Wars have exacted a huge toll. Swayed by the promise of financial rewards, a new batch of recruits joins the fight alongside a slew of mysteriously docile criminals — and a few dubious military leaders. Eighteen-year-old Jim Raynor, full of testosterone and eager to make things right at home, ships off to boot camp and finds his footing on the battlefield, but he soon discovers that the official mission is not what he’s really fighting for.
For the first time ever, StarCraft enthusiasts will learn the origins of the enduring friendship between the young upstart Jim Raynor and the streetwise soldier Tychus Findlay. Watch as they battle on the front lines of a fierce interplanetary war and bear witness to the Confederacy’s rank corruption — corruption so reprehensible that it rains immeasurable death and destruction upon the government’s own people.

6. Extrapolation, Spring 2010, Volume 51, No. 1

Volume 51 is pretty world SF and history heavy. There are articles on Brazilian and Bengali science fiction, one article on African American SF before black power SF, some really interesting looks at theories of history, genre, and video games (specifically EVE Online), and an article by Ken MacLeod on how science fiction does and does not contribute to the public understanding of science. All in all, a well-rounded issue!

There you have it. So, what have you purchased or received recently?