A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days (Tor, $24.95, 0312871996) which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course, an icon of the science fiction genre, while Baxter is a major new talent. The future they envision, taken from some of today’s darker headlines, is one in which one-time grasslands are turning into wastelands and nations are at war over water supplies.

Set against this background, news tycoon Hiram Patterson is trying to find a way to cover news hot spots instantly, without getting a news crew into position. His solution is the creation of the WormCam, a device which can provide real images of any place in the world. As the global population tries to cope with this invasion of privacy, Hiram and his sons introduce refinements to the WormCam which allow viewing through time as well as space. This results in a 12,000 Days project to record the life of Jesus. Both Clarke and Baxter have made names for themselves by extrapolating future trends from current technology, and The Light of Other Days is full of the big ideas which are so often proposed in science fiction novels. Their future world is anything but utopic, however, and the technological advances they show clearly create a new set of problems. Patterson frequently compares his WormCam to the advent of the Internet, and it becomes apparent that the issues surrounding these two advancements have much in common. While Clarke and Baxter don’t necessarily provide perfect solutions to the questions they raise, they do open a discussion about issues of privacy, intellectual property ownership, and the manner in which people deal with the past. Another interesting view of the future can be found in Lodestar, the third book in Michael Flynn’s series about preventing a major asteroid strike on the Earth. In his earlier novels, Flynn described the schools and industries started by Mariesa van Huyten in response to her primal fear of an asteroid strike. In this novel, Flynn begins to turn his attention to the children raised in those schools who, even when working towards van Huyten’s ultimate goal, have their own motivations. Rather than continuing the focus on space exploration, Lodestar examines the evolution of the computer and virtual reality. Leading us on a journey is Jimmy Poole, a hacker-turned-security expert whose interest in a space station is sparked by his inability to bypass its security. Flynn has an ability to make his view of the future seem real. Throughout Lodestar, the characters use slang invented by the author, and no definition of terms is required. The society Flynn portrays is neither too similar or too outrageously different from our own, and each of Flynn’s changes can be seen a possible outgrowth of current trends. In many ways, Lodestar stands on its own. No knowledge of the earlier works, Firestar and Rogue Star, is required to enjoy this new entry in the series, although the reader may find in Flynn’s references to the earlier books some hints about where he intends to take his story. If the future is the realm of science fiction, fantasy is frequently set in the past. The second, and concluding, volume of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors (HarperCollins, $24, 0061051217), demonstrates what fantastic literature can be when well written. Considering the slight appearance of magic in Lord of Emperors, Kay’s book could almost be classified as an historical novel. However, by changing the names and places slightly, Kay indulges in story telling without worrying about the constraints of the historical record.

Kay manages to bring his city and world alive, populating Sarantium with complex characters in a rich and lively city. Kay’s world is populated by emperors and dancers, soldiers and doctors, artisans and sandal makers. All of these characters have their own hopes and dreams the only difference between the artisan and the emperor is a matter of scale. Kay’s concern is not how these people will react to a world filled with magic, but how they will respond to each other.

Steven Silver writes from Northbrook, Illinois.

A timely journey to other days Bridging the gap between the future and the past, Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter have teamed up to write The Light of Other Days which looks into the near future and also into the distant past. Clarke is, of course, an icon of the science fiction genre, while Baxter is a major new talent. The future they envision, taken from some of today’s darker headlines, is one in which one-time grasslands are turning into wastelands and nations are at war over water supplies.

Set against this background, news tycoon Hiram Patterson is trying to find a way to cover news hot spots instantly, without getting a news crew into position. His solution is the creation of the WormCam, a device which can provide real images of any place in the world. As the global population tries to cope with this invasion of privacy, Hiram and his sons introduce refinements to the WormCam which allow viewing through time as well as space. This results in a 12,000 Days project to record the life of Jesus. Both Clarke and Baxter have made names for themselves by extrapolating future trends from current technology, and The Light of Other Days is full of the big ideas which are so often proposed in science fiction novels. Their future world is anything but utopic, however, and the technological advances they show clearly create a new set of problems. Patterson frequently compares his WormCam to the advent of the Internet, and it becomes apparent that the issues surrounding these two advancements have much in common. While Clarke and Baxter don’t necessarily provide perfect solutions to the questions they raise, they do open a discussion about issues of privacy, intellectual property ownership, and the manner in which people deal with the past. Another interesting view of the future can be found in Lodestar (Tor, $24.95, 0312861370), the third book in Michael Flynn’s series about preventing a major asteroid strike on the Earth. In his earlier novels, Flynn described the schools and industries started by Mariesa van Huyten in response to her primal fear of an asteroid strike. In this novel, Flynn begins to turn his attention to the children raised in those schools who, even when working towards van Huyten’s ultimate goal, have their own motivations. Rather than continuing the focus on space exploration, Lodestar examines the evolution of the computer and virtual reality. Leading us on a journey is Jimmy Poole, a hacker-turned-security expert whose interest in a space station is sparked by his inability to bypass its security. Flynn has an ability to make his view of the future seem real. Throughout Lodestar, the characters use slang invented by the author, and no definition of terms is required. The society Flynn portrays is neither too similar or too outrageously different from our own, and each of Flynn’s changes can be seen a possible outgrowth of current trends. In many ways, Lodestar stands on its own. No knowledge of the earlier works, Firestar and Rogue Star, is required to enjoy this new entry in the series, although the reader may find in Flynn’s references to the earlier books some hints about where he intends to take his story. If the future is the realm of science fiction, fantasy is frequently set in the past. The second, and concluding, volume of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Lord of Emperors (HarperCollins, $24, 0061051217), demonstrates what fantastic literature can be when well written. Considering the slight appearance of magic in Lord of Emperors, Kay’s book could almost be classified as an historical novel. However, by changing the names and places slightly, Kay indulges in story telling without worrying about the constraints of the historical record.

Kay manages to bring his city and world alive, populating Sarantium with complex characters in a rich and lively city. Kay’s world is populated by emperors and dancers, soldiers and doctors, artisans and sandal makers. All of these characters have their own hopes and dreams the only difference between the artisan and the emperor is a matter of scale. Kay’s concern is not how these people will react to a world filled with magic, but how they will respond to each other.

Steven Silver writes from Northbrook, Illinois.

Fred Pohl is one of the grand masters of science fiction and fantasy. His collaborations with Kornbluth in the ’50s, his editorship of the leading science fiction magazines in the ’60s, and his Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Gateway novels in the ’70s and ’80s are ample evidence of his high standing in the genre. With O Pioneer! (Tor, $21.95, 0312861648), Pohl once again demonstrates his special ability to evoke a sense of wonder. Evesham Giyt and his new wife are immigrants on the colony world of Tupelo, which is inhabited by five different alien species. Giyt achieves the dubious distinction of becoming the political mayor of the colony whereupon he discovers a treacherous plot by the humans that can only be stopped through Giyt’s sacrifice. Pohl has scored again with this novel.

Reviewed by Larry Woods.

If you enjoyed last year’s science fiction blockbuster, Men in Black, you should rush to buy A Hunger in the Soul by Mike Resnick. Medical researcher Dr. Michael Drake disappears in the wilderness of an alien world, and journalist Robert Markham sets out to find him. Markham embarks on the search because the galaxy needs Drake’s knowledge to combat a new plague. Much like Stanley seeking Dr. Livingstone in darkest Africa, Markham is determined to bring Drake back whether he wants to return or not. This is adventure on a galactic scale exotic, alien, and wondrous. As proven through his many previous novels, Mike Resnick can be counted on for high adventure and a satisfying conclusion.

Reviewed by Larry Woods.

A distinctly different alternative kind of future is depicted in The Innamorati by Midori Snyder. This fantasy novel establishes an alternative Renaissance movement centered in a fictitious Italian city called Labirinto. Four companions, the innamorati, band together in this land alive with magic and seek the great labyrinth which is at the heart of Labirinto. Their adventures are replete with mystery, comedy, and imagination as they follow their heart’s desire through the Maze. Reviewed by Larry D. Woods.

A fantasy world is artfully described in Otherland by Tad Williams. This is a near future thriller in virtual reality. Otherland is a multi-dimensional universe built over decades by the most agile and creative cyberspace minds of the 21st century. It is the key to a universe of possibilities for the human race, but it is controlled by The Grail Brotherhood inhibiting a group of outsiders who intervened and now seek to return. To do so, much like Philip Jose Farmer’s World of Tiers novels, they must encounter and survive a series of strange worlds inhabited by exotic creations, alien powers, and carnivorous monsters.

Reviewed by Larry D. Woods.

Melissa Scott’s The Shape of Their Hearts presents readers with an all too easily imagined future in which the desire for information has become the driving force at all levels of society. Power rests with those who have the ability to access and harness data, regardless of their motivations.

In a world where religious cults abound, it should be no great stretch to imagine an artificial intelligence (AI) as a deity. It is easy to envision an army of believers who accept their deity’s command to convert others to their beliefs by whatever means necessary including violence. In The Shape of Their Hearts, the will of the Deity is interpreted by its priests, and commandments are handed down to the faithful. The Deity and its followers have made the planet Idun (also called Eden) a risky place to leave unguarded, and the Territorial authority responds with a complete blockade to the planet. To complicate matters, there is a programming bug in the Deity that threatens to destroy all computer systems on Eden and anywhere else it can spread. Someone or something must purge the virus from the huge network, and only Anton Tso, blackmarketeer and software genius, has the expertise to repair the damage a task that threatens both Tso and the Deity.

Scott has created an alien world with characters that readers will recognize, and a society that is almost too familiar. The true terror comes with realizing what little separates our world from a world such as Eden. The Shape of Their Hearts is entertaining and chilling. Scott has the talent to bring her imaginings to life with insights into human nature that will surely cause her audience to examine their own lives more closely.

Reviewed by Lisa DuMond.

The science fiction genre has long been noted for themes such as exotic exploration and alternative futures. Some of the best writing in the field extrapolates today’s social, economic, and political trends into the near-term future, and examines their impact on the quality of human and alien life. Joe Haldeman in Worlds; Robert Heinlein in The Sixth Column; Arthur C. Clarke in 2001, and certainly Kim Stanley Robinson in his Gold Coast series and Mars trilogy, mastered this school of futuristic fiction. Robinson continues his recent near domination of this sub-genre in Antarctica. In Robinson’s panoramic saga, a radical environmentalist political group plots an “ecotage” their form of sabotage used to protest the corporate pillage of Antarctica as they cut off communications for explorers, scientists, and commercial interests in Antarctica, and as they destroy oil exploration encampments who are attempting to engineer the drilling and export of 50 million barrels of untapped oil. As you might anticipate, these eco-saboteurs have the best of intentions, but in this harsh environment, even organized plans may not be realized and small mistakes produce large and terminal disasters. Their illicit purposes are much like the continent that Robinson writes so eloquently about: “First you fall in love with Antarctica, and then it breaks your heart.” Robinson depicts Antarctica itself so well that it seems almost like an alien world. Intrigued by the fact that Antarctica is the part of earth most like his beloved Mars, Robinson took literary research to new heights in this book with the help of a grant from the National Science Foundation, which afforded him a six weeks adventure in Antarctica.

Reviewed by Larry D. Woods.

Picture Hope and Crosby in space. But instead of Dorothy Lamour in a sarong, there’s an android in drag. Now you’ve got the general idea behind The Road to Mars, the zany sci-fi novel by Eric Idle, an original member of the zany comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Idle is not new to the written forum. His previous works include a novel, Hello, Sailor,; a play, Pass the Butler; and a children’s novel, The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat, for which he received a Grammy nomination.

The author spins a yarn reminiscent of the works of Douglass Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, et al). The comedy team of Lewis Ashby and Alex Muscroft, along with Carlton, their robot-Friday, are simply trying to land a good gig. Instead they find themselves caught up in interstellar intrigue complete with crumbling planets, terrorists, anti-terrorists, gravity-free romance, and a diva on the order of one of today’s most popular (some would say grating) talk show hostesses.

The duo, based on the likes of Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and similar slim/portly comedians, finds a cushy job aboard the equivalent of a premier luxury-liner, only to see their subsequent jobs canceled, seemingly by the husband of the diva, whom they may have inadvertently insulted. From there, the twisting plot takes them to a space colony where havoc breaks loose: the city’s protective dome cracks, causing the chaos and confusion on which the author seems to pride himself. The Road to Mars is, in a sense, similar to Idle’s Circus days: it’s a bit mad-dash, all over the place. There is the main story, which is told in something of a flashback style by the narrator, who has his own agenda. Then there’s the subplot, as Carlton searches for the meaning of comedy in the universe. (His theory, that levity is the opposite of gravity, would earn him the Nobel Prize if he were human). Like a tone-deaf whistler attempting a pleasant air, his efforts are an indication that no matter how well you try to build an artificial person, there are some things you just can’t include. This has long been a subplot for robot lore in science fiction. Data, the android on Star Trek: The Next Generation, has also made an effort to dissect and incorporate humor into his programming.

The narrator has a tendency to break into the story at inopportune moments, but that just enhances the drama, especially towards the end, when all plot lines hurtle together and bring the tale crashing to the climax.

Ron Kaplan has two baseball book columns online, purebaseball.com and warningtrack.net.