A trio of reviews on works by Hannu Rajaniemi, Peter V. Brett, and Bob Leman.

Photo: (Hannu Rajaniemi)/(Bob Leman)/Karsten Moran (Peter V. Brett)

ELITIST BOOK REVIEWS praises the great HANNU RAJANIEMI: COLLECTED FICTION.

HANNU RAJANIEMI: COLLECTED FICTION is pretty much what it sounds like: a collection of short stories from the Science Fiction author Hannu Rajaniemi. Huzzah! A book that purports to be exactly what it is. And not only Science Fiction. GOOD Science Fiction. By now you should all know that I love to find that. Although, there was a little of what I’d term Fantasy as well in the collection, and that was fun to see, too.

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The best thing about these stories was the fact that essentially every single one of them told an emotional human-centric story that integrated highly science-fictional aspects into the story telling and did so at breakneck pace. Every time I go into a Science Fiction story, I want to see good character; I want to see Science Fiction imagination; I want to see emotional impact. I got that nearly every time I dove into a new story here. There were a couple that just didn’t push my buttons. There are bound to be those in any kind of short story grouping like this, whether they are all from the same author or not.

This guy has gotten a lot of love from the Science Fiction genre as a whole, and from what I can see here, he totally deserves it. The guy has an expansive imagination, he has the ability to write great character and great impact, and he has the science-based chops to throw in all of the intensely technical stuff and make me believe it.

Great stuff here people. Check this guy out.

THE CYBORG KNIGHT lauds Peter V. Brett’s treasure THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a treasure for fans of Peter V. Brett’s The Demon Cycle! For all those who have been hungry to know more about Arlen in his days as a Messenger, this collection of short stories spans the years between Arlen’s first trip as a Messenger apprentice to his transformation into the Warded Man. The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold features four new tales that enrich the amazing world of The Demon Cycle and includes and introduction to each story written by the author.

The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a must have for fans of The Demon Cycle! You should read The Warded Manbefore you start this collection, but the short stories are just as rich if you have just finished The Skull Throne. This is the book that I will be giving to all of my friends who are fans of Peter V. Brett. Christmas is right around the corner and I have just finished the majority of my shopping!

At APHOTIC INK, Frances Rowat recalls her experiences with Bob Leman.

I read “Instructions” long long ago; looking at ISFDB, it would either have been in the September ’84 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction or the ’85 Year’s Best Science Fiction, years after it was published.

I read “Window” in The Best Horror Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction collection. That was years after it was published, too. It stuck with me; I didn’t remember the author’s name at the time, though.

I don’t remember when I connected “Instructions” to the story I’d read. I know it was before 2014, because when I was at the Tachyon Publications table at LonCon, I interrupted myself with “You have ‘Instructions‘ by Bob Leman? Wait, the Bob Leman?” and the gentleman manning the table very kindly told me that I was well-read, and then introduced me to The Boss in the Wall by Avram Davidson and Grania Davis, who I hadn’t heard of at that point.

Anyway! I have been sadly poking around the Internet to see if there’s a copy of Feesters in the Lake that by some minor miracle is going for less than $250, and it turns out that while there isn’t, his daughter is hoping to put his complete fanzine online. So that will be something to look at and read through, as it goes.

For more info on HANNU RAJANIEMI: COLLECTED FICTION, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Lius Lasahido

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more in on INSTRUCTIONS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Michael Dashow

For more information about THE BOSS IN THE WALL, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Michael Dashow