Barbara's Corner

by BAJ on

The Fey Changeling by Kristine Kathryn Rush

Alien Influences by Kristine Kathryn Rush

Flight Over Fire by Jenny Jones

Sorcerors of Majipoor by Roger Silverberg

Moving Mars by Greg Bear

The Rainbow Abyss by Barbara Hambly

Wicked Pleasures by Penny Vincenti

The Proteus Operation by James P. Hogan

Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle

The Feathered Serpent by Peter Hayes

That way lies Camelot by Janny Wurts

Sorcerors of Majipoor by Roger Silverberg Sword and sorcery with the accent on the sword. Power struggle in an alien environment. Characters appear to exchange personalities on their quest for truth & justice. I found it curiously cold & unemotional. I couldn't really believe it was happening. Not an author I would go for again.

Moving Mars by Greg Bear A rather technical sci-fi story of life on Mars in 2171. Mars is resisting attempts to be absorbed and dominated by the powers-that-be on earth. Struggle for independence becomes bloody & quantum logic saves the day. I nearly gave up on this one, but for sci-fi buffs a good example of the genre.

The Fey Changeling by Kristine Kathryn Rush My second book by this author - different genre this time. Pure fantasy - magic, power struggles, racism. Gripping & imaginative - very convincing. The fey is a series I shall definitely follow.

Alien Influences by Kristine Kathryn Rush A taut & gripping SF adventure mystery. She makes you feel the atmosphere - what an imagination! Not too technical, the focus is on the feelings and cultural differences between the humans and the aliens & how they may cross over.

Flight Over Fire by Jenny Jones This is a new fantasy writer for me & she tells a spell binding tale. Poor, unhappy Eleonor, rich & pampered, is transported by magic from here & now on Earth to a wild wet & dismal Chorolon, where she is less than welcome, and an unlikely saviour. A good yarn in the best fantasy tradition. In vol. II, having been returned to Earth, & even unhappier, she is needed again on Chorolon, as the climax she helped to bring about at the end of vol. I is not such a good deal after all. I'm waiting for vol.III. Very vivid storyteller. Vol.I Fly by Night Vol.II The Edge of Vengence

The Rainbow Abyss by Barbara Hambly Fantasy in the medieval vein, first of a series. Life is tough for wizards in the Forty Realms trying to make an honest living and treated with suspicion & disdain by all & sundry. A fairly light read, but interesting nonetheless.

Wicked Pleasures by Penny Vincenti Typical bestseller. Saga of the rich & famous, lies, sex & deceit & skeletons in the cupboard. Three children discover that they all have different fathers, none of whom is their mother's husband. No-one is who they appear to be. A search for the truth follows. Good holiday read.

The Proteus Operation by James P. Hogan Arthur C. Clarke meets Jack Higgins. Wide appeal, Fantasy/SF/History/Nuclear Physics. Weaves the fiction into factual events plausibly. Basically: Group of power hungry officials in 2025 travel back in time to 1926 to give Hitler a hand on his quest for world domination. "Fair-players" from 1975 do the same to foul their plans. Along the way Churchill/Albert Einstein get involved. Lots of action, angst - mainly a good yarn.

Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle A wonderfully vivid & evocative story of an envoy from Earth establishing contact with the peoples of a planet, Carrick V. The reactions of the many races inhabiting the apparently backward planet are in the main hostile & the ensuing adventures gripping.

The Feathered Serpent by Peter Hayes A first novel billed as a story of espionage, centring round a group of people living in New York but in exile from a fictional Central American country. The efforts of the deposed elected president to arrange a coup & the spiritual/mystical experiences of a young american are woven together in a strange but fascinating way. Not a run-of-the-mill thriller. (sorry, no longer available :-()

That way lies Camelot by Janny Wurts A varied collection of short stories which illustrate beautifully the talent and broad imagination of this writer of science fiction/fantasy. Excellent.