Newsletter 103 PDF - 2-column format - expanded ... - Uncle Hugo's

Back in 2006 a wonderful debutfantasy novel came out, The Lies ofLocke Lamora ($7.99) by Scott Lynch,and it’s been on our recommendedfantasy shelf for many years. Set on aworld that is clearly not Earth, in the cityof Camorr (built by the alien Eldren andthen abandoned perhaps 30,000 yearsago and now filled with humans), this isthe story of Locke Lamora. An orphanwho began his life of crime at the age ofsix, he eventually comes to lead the bestteam of con men in the city, theGentlemen Bastards. Part of the funconsists of the clever plots to removewealth from the decadent nobles, but alarge part of the fun are the clever linesthat the Gentlemen Bastards fling at eachother.A year later, Red Seas UnderRed Skies ($7.99) came out. To avoidrevealing too much about the ending ofLies, let me just say that two of theGentlemen Bastards, Locke and Jean,move on to another city to practice theircons on a fresh set of victims. WhileRed Seas was fun, it was not asoutstanding as Lies, largely becauseLocke and Jean could not fling as manyclever lines at each other as the wholeteam had been able to fling in the firstbook.The next year (2008), the thirdbook was supposed to come out, but waspostponed. And postponed again. Andpostponed again. Finally, The Republicof Thieves ($28.00) will be released inOctober, and it is very good.Since they were about six yearsold, Locke had a crush on Sabetha, thered-haired little girl who grew up to bethe only Gentle(Lady) Bastard. At thebeginning of the book, it’s been over 5years since he last saw her, but he’s stillobsessed with her. Much of TheRepublic of Thieves consists of scenesthat happened in the past, showingearlier cons run by the GentlemenBastards that the reader has notpreviously seen. This allows the readerto learn that the relationship betweenLocke and Sabetha is more complicatedthan Locke would like to admit, but italso lets the reader watch the full team ofBastards flinging clever lines at eachother.But, the plot also movesforward. The bondsmagi rule the city ofKarthian, but to keep the factions ofmagi from using their magic to killmembers of other factions, they holdPratchett, TerryPratchett, TerryPratchett, TerryRuss, J/Mandelo, BSasarman, GheorgheShawl, N/Ward, CShirley, JohnSimmons, DanSingh, VandanaStrahan, Jonathan (ed)Thomas, ShereeTofield, SimonTofield, SimonVanderhooft, J (ed)Weinbaum, Batya (ed)Willingham, Bill et alWilson, G. Willow et alWilson, G. Willow et alWilson, G. Willow et althe forces that pursue them. A hero may yet arise).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7.99The Color of Magic (Discworld #1: Reissue; Imagine, if you will, a flat world sittingon the backs of four elephants who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. Andnow, something hitherto unknown on the Discworld has arrived: a tourist! Twoflower wantsto take in the sights, but he has chosen a most inappropriate tour guide, the remarkablyinept wizard Rincewind. Accompanying Twoflower is the Luggage, which has a mind of itsown. And feet. And teeth)............................................. $9.99Sourcery (Discworld #5: Reissue; There was an eighth son of an eighth son. He was,quite naturally, a wizard. And there it should have ended. However (for reasons we'd betternot go into), he had seven sons. And then he had an eighth son, a wizard squared, asourcerer. Will the sourcerer lead the wizards to dominate all of Discworld? Or canRincewind's tiny band stave off the Apocalypse?). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99Pyramids (Discworld #7: Reissue; Being trained by the Assassin's Guild in Ankh-Morpork did not fit Teppic for the task assigned to him by fate. He inherited the throne ofthe desert kingdom of Djelibeybi rather earlier than he expected (his father wasn't toohappy about it either), but that was only the beginning of his problems). . . . . . . . $9.99We Wuz Pushed: On Joanna Russ and Radical Truth-Telling (PBO; Alengthy essay examining the influence of feminist sf writer Joanna Russ).. . . . . . . $12.00Squaring the Circle: Fantastic Tales (Collection; 35 brief stories about fantasticcities, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $16.00Writing the Other: A Practical Approach (Nonfiction; a slim how-to guide forsuccessfully bridging cultural differences when writing fiction). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.00New Taboos (PBO; Collection; a story, an essay, a speech, and an interview with one ofthe originators of cyberpunk)......................................... $12.00The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz (Reissue; Novella; originally publishedin Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance)................. $35.00Distances (PBO; Award-winning novella. When mathematicians from the planet Tiranaask Anasuya's help in solving a series of equations, she is intrigued, but she soon comes tosuspect that the equations have a sinister significance that the Tiranis are concealing)................................................................ $12.00Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron (YA; Anthology; 17 original storiesand 1 poem celebrating witches)....................................... $10.99Shotgun Lullabies (PBO; Slim collection of stories and poetry in which memory is theonly force strong enough to counter the terrors of a scarred and forgetful world). $12.00Simon's Cat (Based on the internet sensation. Black & white line drawings depict thedaily escapades of the food-demanding pet and his doting human). . . . . . . . . . . . $13.99Simon's Cat Beyond the Fence (PBO; Based on the internet sensation. Black &white line drawings; when the cat gets frustrated with his loving human, he decides to runaway, which leads to all sorts of adventures both simple and complicated - and of coursethe search for food). ............................................... $13.99The WisCon Chronicles Volume 7: Shattering Ableist Narratives(Nonfiction. Includes a CD-ROM with MOBI, EPUB, and PDF versions of the book. Thisvolume of the WisCon Chronicles seeks to smash ableist narratives that keep disabled peoplefrom full participation in the present we inhabit and the speculative futures we hope tocreate. Includes essays, interviews, panel write-ups and more). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00Feminist Voices: The Best of Femspec's Creative Work, the FirstTen Years (A slim anthology of speculative fiction and poetry from the feminist journal)................................................................ $16.00The Hidden Kingdom (Fables: Fairest Volume 2: PBO; Full color graphic novel. Notfor kids. Collects issues 8-14 of the comic book).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.99Air Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries (Full color graphic novel. Not forkids. Reprints issues 1-5 of the comic book. The Etesian Front are looking for Zayn, claiminghe's a terrorist. Blythe, a flight attendant, knows that Zayn has a secret that will change theway we fly - and see technology - forever). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99Air Volume 2: Flying Machine (PBO; Full color graphic novel. Not for kids. Collectsissues 6-10 of the comic book. Blythe's mysterious rescuer reveals a secret tied to the originof hyperprax flight. As the race to find the device begins, Blythe must master her skills asa hyperpract)..................................................... $12.99Air Volume 3: Pureland (PBO; Full color graphic novel. Not for kids. Collects issues11-17 of the comic book. To unravel the truth from the lies, Blythe makes a dangerous