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Discussing speculative fiction in South Austin since
2007
All meetings start at 7 PM and are held at the Pleasant Hill Branch of the Austin Public Library System, where we are an official program.
Upcoming Meetings
Apr 24
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Water Rites
Fairwood Press, Inc (February 1, 2007)
"We failed to check global warming. In this dry future water is the most valuable resource. It is power. And in the US, the Army Corps of Engineers has become the guardian and keeper of water. Life is metered by water - by it's lack and its location. And who controls it. Major Carter Voltaire, newly in charge of The Pipeline, the enormous water project that keeps much of the western US alive, finds himself standing between thirsty locals and the need to provide water to the many. He has seen devastating water riots and must find a way to prevent that from happening here, while protecting precious water. There are no good answers." |
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May 8
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Bridge of Birds
Del Rey (April 12, 1985)
"When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox found master Li Kao. Together they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure, and together they discover adventure and legend, and the power of belief.... " |
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May 22
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The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (June 5, 2007)
"An astounding literary debut that brings a beloved genre of the past roaring into the twenty-first century, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril casts the rivalry between two of pulp fiction's most legendary writers into its own amazing saga, which bursts from the pages with blood, cruelty, fear, mystery, vengeance, courageous heroes, evil villains, dames in distress, secret identities and disguises, global schemes, hideous deaths, beautiful psychics, deadly superweapons, cliff-hanging escapes, and other outrageous pulp lies that are all completely true." |
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Jun 12
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Mainspring
Tor Science Fiction (April 29, 2008)
"Mainspring is the story of a young clockmaker's apprentice, who is visited by the Archangel Gabriel. He is told that he must take the Key Perilous and rewind the Mainspring of the Earth. It is running down, and disaster will ensue if it's not rewound. From innocence and ignorance to power and self-knowledge, the young man will make the long and perilous journey to the South Polar Axis, to fulfill the commandment of his God." |
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Jun 26
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Un Lun Dun
Del Rey (January 29, 2008)
"Award-winning author China Miéville (King Rat; Perdido Street Station; The Scar; Iron Council, HHHH Jan/Feb 2005) claims that he meant Un Lun Dun for younger readers, but, like the Harry Potterseries, the novel will appeal to a wide range of ages. While it includes the basics of the genre—magic, monsters, quests, heroes—it breaks the mold in many ways. An urban adventure with a strong environmental message, the novel harkens back to London's Great Smog of 1952, which bridges the real and the fantastical. Miéville's playful, clever language and plot, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's, also impressed most critics, though a few thought them contrived and tedious. "Finding it as a grown-up may not be the optimum way to stumble into UnLondon," concludes Salon, "but it's pretty miraculous all the same." " |
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Jul 10
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The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Harper Perennial (April 29, 2008)
"Its hard to improve on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, but Michael Chabon tries admirably in his long awaited follow-up to THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY. While the prose may not quite match that of his earlier work and the ending is a bit disappointing, Chabons latest is somewhat more accessible to the masses. Its a bit of a detective story mixed with a pungent commentary on the politics of Judaism and the State of Israel. Peter Riegert adeptly handles the numerous accents and inflections necessary to convey the life of Jewish refugees in a post-Holocaust homeland. Riegert not only uses timbre effectively, he does so while creating distinct and memorable personalities for Chabons diverse cast. " |
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Jul 24
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Magic for Beginners
Harvest Books (September 5, 2006)
"Link's second collection has a McSweeney's-like tendency to digress, but does so without irony. Whether describing witches filled with ants that carry pieces of time, or an orange-juice-colored corduroy couch that looks as if it "has just escaped from a maximum security prison for criminally insane furniture," these stories examine American middle- and lower-middle-class life from unexpected angles that mix fairy tale, science fiction, and zaniness. In Link's worlds, a village takes refuge in a magical handbag, and a convenience store serves zombies as an experiment in retail. Two stories with zombies is perhaps too many, though the first effectively marries humor and horror. Reading Link, one has a sense that sometimes a person needs to wander off for a better perspective, and sometimes a person simply needs to wander off. " |
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Aug 14
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The Forever War
Eos (September 2, 2003)
"Private William Mandella is a hero in spite of himself -- a reluctant conscript drafted into an elite military unit, and propelled through space and time to fight in a distant thousand-year conflict. He never wanted to go to war, but the leaders on Earth have drawn a line in the interstellar sand -- despite the fact that their fierce alien enemy is unknowable, unconquerable, and very far away. So Mandella will perform his duties without rancor and even rise up through the military's ranks . . . if he survives. But the true test of his mettle will come when he returns to Earth. Because of the time dilation caused by space travel the loyal soldier is aging months, while his home planet is aging centuries -- and the difference will prove the saying: you never can go home. . ." |
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