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Canadian
Report - August 2002
By Asta Sinusas
   
Images link to reviews,
Amazon.com, or publisher pages.)
As publishing gets warmer and
fall approaches, I thought I’d take the time to cool off with a few impressive
young adult novels.
Canadian publisher publishes SF!
The
Witches of Willowmere by Alison Baird
(Penguin Canada; ISBN 0141313730;
C$18.00)
Like the TV show
Charmed, but have gotten bored with the trio
vanquishing evil each week? Then this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
Claire is inexplicably drawn to a house in her neighborhood. She befriends the
owner as she delves into the whys and wherefores of Wicca, and realizes that
she has powers of her own. The first in a series, The
Witches of Willowmere
is a wonderful tale of where curiosity can lead you. The best part is that it
throws in some neat facts with the fiction – pink dolphins in the Amazon – who
knew? I can't wait to see how things get witchier.
Blue
Roan Child
by Jamieson Findlay
(Doubleday
Canada; Hardcover; Aug 2002; ISBN
0385658338;
C$27.95)
Findlay’s
quiet, lush descriptions make you feel like you are in a dew-kissed meadow in
the middle of spring, and the prose draws you quickly into the tale. Syeria is
an orphaned stable brat, but her life changes when Arwin, a wild horse from
Arva and her two colts enter her life. When the colts are kidnapped, Syerian
and Arwin must reluctantly trust each other to go on the rescue mission of a
lifetime. Findlay uses personalities of the different countries and landscapes
to give the story deeper meaning. The result is a handsome narrative combined
with vivid images makes this a journey to remember
Below the 49th parallel: Young
Adult SF books by Canadian authors
that are available in Canada but published by US houses.
Mars
Diaries Mission # 9:
Manchurian Sector
by Sigmund Brouwer
(Tyndale; ISBN 0842356339;C$8.50/$4.99)
Mars Diaries Mission # 10:
Last Stand
by
Sigmund Brouwer
(Tyndale; ISBN 0842356347;C/$8.50$4.99)
From the
publisher of the bestselling Left Behind series, both Mars
books released in paperback April 2002 are a pretty cool read with the pacing
of a thriller novel. Manchurian Sector starts with
Tyce controlling a robot that pulls a core of uranium from a nuclear reactor
only minutes before it blows, saving the city of Los Angeles. This is because
he has a biological implant that allows him to manipulate robots (from nanno
to life-size) at great distance with his mind.
However, knowledge of his capabilities has been kept a secret, until
now. Last Stand returns Tyce to Mars just in time
for it to threatened by the Manchurians who want to control the carbon dioxide
production that will give the planet an atmosphere. In Brouwer’s future,
Russia has been overshadowed by China’s ascendancy as a superpower but all
nations belong to the World United Federation. That is until Manchuria seceded
from China and became the lodestone for the opposition. In the midst of
adventure the author manages to raise the questions of genetic testing as a
means for exclusion at birth based on DNA, and the expansion of Earth's
population to the Moon and Mars as well as the difficulties of creating a
livable atmosphere. The science is very well done - explained simply and
blended seamlessly into a flawless narrative.
In other news,
Rob Sawyer will be piloting a radio show called "Faster
Than Light" on CBC Radio One in September. The hour-long program includes
a poem by Carolyn Clink (nepotism, nepotism), an adaptation of Tom Godwin’s
“The Cold Equation” and an interview with Nalo Hopkinson. The warehousing
situation at General is winding down, with sales of its Boston Mills, Irwin
and StoddartKids divisions. Perhaps that means I can
finally get my copy of Dave Duncan’s West of
January. Amazon.ca seems to be here to stay, although inconsistencies
abound and are slowly being sorted out by the staff. Finally, there’s a
review
in this month’s issue of To Trade the Stars, by
recent Aurora winner Julie Czerneda and with it brings an invitation:
The Board of
Directors of the Leacock Museum
cordially invite you to a
Writer's Reception
honouring the success of local science fiction author
Julie E. Czerneda
Wednesday, August 28th at 8 o’clock in the evening
Swanmore Hall, Leacock Museum, 50 Museum Drive, Orillia, Ontario
Ms. Czerneda
recently received two Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Prix
Aurora Awards. In the Company of Others won for Best Long-Form Work in
English and "Left Foot on a Blind Man" won for Best Short-Form Work in
English. Ms. Cerneda will read from her award - winning short story. She
will also be on hand to sign copies of her published works, which will be
available for sale.
Refreshments
& Cash Bar Following
RSVP if attending to 7-5-329-1908
(see Asta's review at:
To Trade The Stars)
That’s all she
wrote. Until next month, if there’s something I missed mentioning about the
Great White North, please email me at
asta@sfrevu.com See you at ConJose
and remember that you’re vacationing at your own risk if you’re flying this
summer.
© 2002 Ernest Lilley /
SFRevu
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