benjamin wald

November 27, 2018

Really quite terrific, Lavie Tidhar’s suspenseful UNHOLY LAND provides a complex meditation on the possible paths of modern Jewish history

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized andy cox, benjamin wald, chicago tribune, forbidden planet, gary k wolfe, interview, interzone, lavie tidhar, read well, review, sarah anne langton, sfrevu, suncerae smith, unholy land

Reviews keep flooding in for Lavie Tidhar’s fascinating UNHOLY LAND.

In INTERZONE (278 NOV-DEC), Andy Cox praises the novel.

This is really quite terrific. The story of the missing woman is intriguing, a proper detective novel plot, while the reality-shifting elements play an important role and reach an astonishing apotheosis towards the end in a sequence that puts Lovecraft to shame. It’s another Lavie Tidhar book that is full of ideas and unafraid to tackle big, controversial, important issues. Warren Ellis compares him to Michael Moorcock in an afterword, and like Moorcock, Tidhar writes books that are unpredictable and experimental, consistently and reliably surprising, yet always readable and engaging. UNHOLY LAND is another corker.

Gary K. Wolfe for CHICAGO TRIBUNE lauds the work.

Here, in UNHOLY LAND, he turns his attention to his own homeland, in a scenario that seems wildly unlikely until we realize it was actually proposed in the early 20th century: namely, relocating European Jews to part of what is now Uganda. When pulp writer Tirosh returns to his home in “Palestina,” he learns that his niece has disappeared while researching the early history of the country. While this mystery provides the spine of the plot, we also meet an ominous investigator following Tirosh for his own reasons and a historian working for a shadowy Border Agency, whose job is to monitor various timelines. By the time their stories all braid together, Tidhar has turned a suspenseful adventure tale into a complex meditation on the possible paths of modern Jewish history.

At SFREVU, Benjamin Wald enjoys the book.

Tidhar goes out of his way to make this clear; for example, Palestina is in the process of building a massive wall to separate themselves from their neighbors; a clear reference to both Trump and to the existing “security fence” between Isreal and the West Bank. Using Palestina to talk about Israel is a remarkably effective tool. Having the displaced peoples be Africans instead of Palestinians short-circuits many of the assumptions and habits of thinking about the conflict, or at least it did for me. Opinions on Israel are in many cases so entrenched that fantasy can be the most effective way of approaching them. This wouldn’t work if Tidhar has made Palestina a cardboard villain or crude satire of Israel. Instead, Tidhar paints a rich vibrant land, inhabited by real people. But none of this can conceal the violence on which it is founded.

That on its own would make UNHOLY LAND a fascinating work. But, this being Lavie Tidhar, alternate history is not enough. He also builds a whole network of alternate worlds, built around the kabbalistic idea of the tree of the Sephiroth. And some people, either accidentally or intentionally, can move between these worlds. Tirosh himself, it turns out, has unbeknownst to him slipped into Palestina from an alternate world. And someone is trying to tear down the walls between the worlds, with disastrous consequences.

As well as making for a gripping story, complete with trans-world agents tasked with preserving the Sephiroth, this conception allows Tidhar to even more explicitly consider the historical accidents that lead to the creation of Israel, and to consider the reaction of those from Palestina to our own Isreal.

Suncerae Smith on READ WELL reviews it.

I love the slow, surreal unraveling of UNHOLY LAND, both in terms of plot and genre. Without quite realizing it himself, Lior transitions from writer to detective, from an uneventful life to one filled with murder and intrigue, narrowly escaping multiple factions who want him dead. Then, it’s not just Lior’s memories that slip away, but reality itself, as Lior finds he can travel through alternate realities.

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At first blush the plot seems over-the-top and action-packed, and it is at times. But at its heart, the novel is slow and subtle and abstract and unnerving.

Lavie Tidhar and cover artist Sarah Anne Langton at Forbidden Planet (photo: Jon Harrison via Twitter)

In a FORBIDDEN PLANET blog interview, Tidhar talks type, time travel and clowns.

Can you tell us a bit about your latest novel, UNHOLY LAND?

I think of it as the last of that loose sequence of weird novels I’ve been writing since Osama. It’s an alternate histories-noir detective-metafictional-political thing (what Adam Roberts I think started to call “Tidharian”!). It’s about a guy called Lior Tirosh, who time-slips into an alternate history world where Jews settled in what was then British East Africa (based on a real historical offer from 1904!) and then things slowly get much weirder. Along the way he starts thinking he’s a hardoiled detective from one of his own novels, and there are people after him, and it turns out there’s more than one reality at play. It’s both sort of very playful and very serious at the same time – I can’t seem to help myself in that I like doing the political stuff, but there has to be some sort of cheap gags thrown in too!

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Can you tell us what you’re working on next?

The next book that’s going to be published in The Circumference of the World, which is sort of about God and science fiction. It’s sort of like, what if this 60s writer came up with a ridiculous theory about the nature of the universe – but it might just be that he was right about everything? It’s sort of a bibliomystery and it plays with a lot of different literary styles and voices. I suspect I may have been a little too ambitious with it! We’re still editing it…

But like I said, moving on, I am working on something very different, my first epic (in the sense of, it’s LONG!) novel, a sort of historical fantasy novel. But this being me it still has a lot of very ridiculous stuff in it, and it also addresses some pertinent political issues and so on. But there are swords! And I think there’s even a dragon at some point! A DRAGON! And it’s surprisingly fun to do, I’m having a blast with it.

For more info on UNHOLY LAND, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Sarah Anne Langton

July 19, 2018

The noir backdrop of Kameron Hurley’s thrilling APOCALYPSE NYX is enlivened by a double helping of gritty violence

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized apocalypse nyx, bel dame apocrypha, benjamin wald, booklist, elizabeth story, john denardo, john keogh, kameron hurley, kirkus, llama reads books, Marty Halpern, More Red Ink, review, sfrevu, the fantasy inn, wadim kashin

The recent release of Kameron Hurley’s APOCALYPSE NYX spawns some excitement.

At SFREVU, Benjamin Wald praises the collection.

The influence of noir on Nyx and her worldview was either absent or lost on me in the original novels, but is inescapable in this collection. Nyx sees the corruption and evil of the world she inhabits, where the rich profit while the poor are fed into the meat grinder of war or scrabble for survival. She likes to think she is inured to this injustice and purports to be out only for herself, but time and again she can’t help trying to protect those around her and right what injustices she can, often despite herself. Indeed, several stories feature femmes fatales who drag Nyx, against her better judgment, into intrigues that underline this message.

But this noir backdrop is enlivened by a double helping of gritty violence. Nyx is a self-admitted terrible shot, but she makes up for it with her scattergun, sword, and sheer bloody-mindedness, leaving a trail of corpses through the stories–most of whom might possibly deserve it, if you squint a bit, but some of whom just find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nyx is a killer and her tragedy is she can neither accept this in herself nor bring herself to walk away from the violence by which she makes her living.

This collection starts off with two longer stories, “The Body Project” and “The Heart is Eaten Last” that do an excellent job of introducing Nyx and her team and setting a pattern that other stories will elaborate on. In each story, Nyx and her team take on a job, find out that the job is not quite what they had been led to believe, overcome danger and obstacles (often with significant injuries and moral quandaries), and finally achieve an ambiguous victory. Sometimes, victory is just survival. While this might seem formulaic, it is a perfect frame for the character moments that lie at the heart of the stories, while giving plenty of space for the gritty action scenes that Hurley does so well.

Hurley always innovates enough within the pattern for the stories to feel fresh. APOCALYPSE NYX is an excellent introduction for those wondering whether to pick up the original trilogy or a great way for those who have already read the previous books chronicling Nyx’s adventures to spend a bit more time in Nyx’s violent world.

John Keogh for BOOKLIST enjoys the book.

The plots are taut, thrilling, gritty, violent, profane, magical—everything Hurley’s readers expect. New readers will not feel lost in this world—Hurley has created one of the most engrossing environments in modern sf—but fans will delight in learning how Nix meets Khos and the first time she hires Anneke. Though there is not much personal growth, all of the characters are well realized, even in the short story format, and each story covers familiar interpersonal conflicts and emotional highs and lows. These stories were previously published online, but fans of sf adventure stories with lots of political intrigue will welcome them in print.

THE FANTASY INN delights in their introduction to Nyx.

To put it lightly, Nyx is not the easiest person to love. She is almost completely selfish. For example, in one scene a crew member saves someone’s life and leaves something valuable behind; Nyx berates them for not getting the valuables first and going back to see if the person was still alive. She is incredibly stubborn and gives off a vibe that she doesn’t really care about the majority of her crew as individual people. She just cares that she has a crew. Yet Nyx is competent and acknowledges were weaknesses. Doing something about her shortcomings, though? Nah. And while she will leave a crew member to die if it benefits her in the short run, she still does depend on them. Her character is excellently written, along with the others.

Another positive about this book is how it incorporates grimdark and new weird elements (bugpunk, for example) seamlessly in the world. Nyx’s moral seems to be, “A job is a job. If it pays well, take it.” The world is full of morally grey characters. Nyx might be extreme, but her crew isn’t innocent either. And despite the perspective being mainly hers, the other characters are still well developed.

LLAMA READS BOOKS also found interest her first meeting with Nyx.

As a first introduction to Nyx, I think it works pretty well, and it definitely made me interested in picking up the rest of the books in the series to see more of Nyx and her team. Recommended for fans of kickass flawed heroines and grimdark SF&F!

Marty Halpern on his MORE RED INK blog is excited about the book’s release.

Last week I received my contributor’s copy of APOCALYPSE NYX, Kameron Hurley’s collection of stories set in her Bel Dame Apocrypha world of God’s War. The book should have arrived within a couple days of being mailed as I live only about fifty miles south of the publisher, Tachyon Publications…but that’s not taking into account the mode of transport: the United States Postal Service! So the package was mailed in San Francisco, Tachyon’s home; upon checking tracking updates, I discovered that the package was transported to a Los Angeles USPS receiving station (about 350 miles south of me), before, eventually, making its way back to good ole San Jose, where I live. I believe it was about six days after being mailed that the package was actually delivered. Six days to really travel only about fifty miles….

In my December 11, 2017, blog post, I wrote about my work on APOCALYPSE NYX. At that time the book was scheduled for publication in July 2018 – and here we are! Aside from the quality of their books, Tachyon Publications have always met their release dates (rare for an independent publisher… I could tell you stories about other publishers….), and I’ve been working with them since 2002. In fact, I just looked up the details: my first invoice was dated February 19, 2002.

As Kirkus states at the conclusion of its review of APOCALYPSE NYX “For established fans, a bittersweet reunion with old friends; for new readers, a reasonable enticement toward the superior novels of the series.”

For KIRKUS, John DeNardo includes APOCALYPSE NYX in If You Could Read a Book a Day, These are the 31 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books You Should Read for July.

For more info on APOCALYPSE NYX, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Wadim Kashin

Design by Elizabeth Story

February 7, 2018

Jane Yolen’s recommended THE EMERALD CIRCUS is genius

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized benjamin wald, elizabeth story, emma rose hollands, Jane Yolen, sfrevu, the emerald circus, the emerald city book review, why words work

A trio of fresh takes on Jane Yolen’s THE EMERALD CIRCUS.

Photo: Jason Stemple

Benjamin Wald at SFREVU praises the collection.

My favorite stories in the collection are those that riff on other authors’ work. “Blown Away”, despite having almost no plot elements in common with the Wizard of Oz other than Dorothy being carried off by a hurricane, manages to construct a fascinating dialogue with that famous work while telling a rich and affecting story in its own right. “Lost Girls” questions the gender dynamic of never-never land to great effect. Indeed, I wish this story were longer–it sometimes feels like a novella or short novel compressed into a few short pages. And, while a bit less substantial than these stories, “The Gift of the Magicians, with Apologies to You Know Who” mashes up the “Gift of the Magi” with “Beauty and the Beast”, with hilarious and gruesome results.

Arthurian legend is another frequent source of inspiration for Yolen. “The Confession of Brother Blaise” tells of Merlin’s birth, “Evian Steel” of the forging of Excalibur, and “The Quiet Monk” of Lancelot’s search for the tomb of Arthur and Guinevere to ask forgiveness. I have only a passing familiarity with the Arthurian story, so I feel that I missed some of the nuances of these stories, but “The Quiet Monk” in particular succeeds as a story despite this ignorance.

The story notes at the end of the collection are a special treat, offering a selection of poems along with insight into the inspiration for, and writing of, the stories collected here. This behind-the-scenes peek is a lot of fun, and Yolen has the rare gift of being as interesting when she talks about her writing as the writing itself is.

This collection represents the self-assured and confident voice of a writer who has perfected their own voice. If you enjoy reading fresh, sometimes subversive, but always affectionate takes on the stories that we all grew up with, I recommend this collection without reservation.

THE EMERALD CITY BOOK REVIEW enjoys the book.

Other standouts for me were “Blown Away,” which imagines an alternative fate for Dorothy from the point of view of one of the Kansas farmhands (including a stint in the Emerald Circus of the title), and “Sister Emily’s Lightship,” which makes the unlikely pairing of Emily Dickinson and an alien visitor seem almost inevitable. Yolen has made me look asquint at all the classic books and authors on my shelves now…what antics might be going on just beyond or around those hallowed pages?

For WHY WORDS WORK, Emma Rose Hollands recommends the work.

Easy to read, easier to be drawn into, this collection maintains the feeling of childhood nostalgia the original stories brought. There is a sense of wonder, pleasant and unnerving, that runs through all of the stories within THE EMERALD CIRCUS.

In addition, the stories in this collection are able to build upon the themes of the original stories. For example, in Jane Yolen’s re-telling of Peter Pan – a story with themes about growing up, accepting childhood and adulthood – the lost girls fight the patriarchy with union strikes.Taking a story that promotes the wonderful escapism of an endless childhood, and changing it to a story about using maturity to save the day. That…that is genius.

In fact, my favourite stories came from surprising origins. Peter Pan, Robin Hood, The Wizard of Oz, King Arthur – Jane Yolen’s re-telling of these stories were some of the most original, interesting, and thought provoking stories in the collection. Perhaps its because these stories aren’t re-told as often – or because there were more characters/ideas to work from – but I found the stories based on legends and classical literature to be the best in the collection.

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Overall, I would recommend this collection to people who enjoy re-tellings of classical stories. I would also recommend it to those who love stories which aren’t all that they seem. The Emerald Circus may be easy to read, but once you sink into its charm, you’ll soon find that Jane Yolen’s collection weaves these classic characters, stories, and themes, into something deeply modern, marvelous and magical.

For more info on THE EMERALD CIRCUS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

January 10, 2018

THE OVERNEATH finds Peter S. Beagle operating at the height of his powers

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized benjamin wald, best of 2017, elizabeth story, peter s beagle, review, stephen case, strange horizons, the arched doorway, the overneath

Benjamin Wald for SFREVU praises Peter S. Beagle’s THE OVERNEATH.

There is a distinct pleasure to be found in reading a true master of the craft of writing. You can relax with the knowledge that you are in good hands, and savour the facility with language and character that shines from every page. Reading Peter S. Beagle provides exactly this variety of pleasure, and his newest collection of short fiction, THE OVERNEATH, will not disappoint. Beagle is a master of prose and his every sentence delights. In addition, he combines aa shrewd appreciation of character and human nature with a warmth and sympathy that makes even his least impressive characters instantly sympathetic. While best known for the deservedly beloved The Last Unicorn, Beagle has lost none of his skill in the intervening five decades of writing and his work remains one of the jewels of the genre.

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Overall, this is an excellent collection from an accomplished fantasist operating at the height of his powers. Pull up a chair, open the cover, and relax. You are in good hands.

Photo: Rina Weisman

At STRANGE HORIZONS, Stephen Case chose the collection as one of his genre favorites of 2017.

My first was Peter S. Beagle’s collection THE OVERNEATH, which besides some excellent urban fantasy revisited a character from The Last Unicorn and offered a sequence of stories featuring unicorns in various settings (including Colonial America) without being trite. In fact, this whole collection pretty much nailed it, showing Beagle at his wry and whimsical best.

THE ARCHED DOORWAY includes the book, without comment on their 15 Books We Enjoyed In 2017.

For more info on THE OVERNEATH, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story