Reviews, 2002Home
These days I regularly write up books for Amazon UK, as theoretically linked below (but Amazon's ghastly database keeps losing the reviews from their pages). My stuff mostly appears in Amazon.co.uk's SF and Fantasy Area. Sometimes the same reviews turn up at Amazon.com. Previous years' entries now deported to separate pages: 2001 • 2000 • 1999. See current log page for latest entries.
November 2002 - [13 Nov] Neal Asher, The Line of Polity -- Tor UK (Pan Macmillan) sf, trade paperback. Proof copy received; scheduled March 2003.
October 2002 - [28 Oct] John Meaney, Context -- Bantam sf hardback. Sequel to Paradox; "Book Two in the Nulapeiron Sequence".
- [21 Oct] Richard Morgan, Broken Angels -- Gollancz hardback sf. Proof copy received. Scheduled March 2003. Also trade paperback. Sequel to Altered Carbon.
- [15 Oct] Ken MacLeod, Engine City -- Orbit hardback sf. Book three of "Engines of Light".
September 2002 - [12 Sep] Stephen Baxter, Evolution -- Gollancz hardback sf. Proof copy received. Scheduled November 2002. Also trade paperback.
- [5 Sep] Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Legends of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad -- Hodder & Stoughton hardback.
- [5 Sep] Richard Morgan, Altered Carbon -- Gollancz paperback of 2002 hardback. Reviewed in hardback.
- [2 Sep] Michael Gerber, Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody -- Gollancz fantasy, hardback. "Utterly unauthorized and totally exploitative" J.K. Rowling spoof.
August 2002 - [28 Aug] Harry Harrison, Stars and Stripes Triumphant -- NEL paperback. "Book Three: Stars and Stripes." Reviewed for Amazon in hardback.
- [20 Aug] Robert Rankin, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse -- Gollancz fantasy, hardback. Their first Rankin title since poaching him from Doubleday.
- [13 Aug] Christopher Priest, The Separation -- Scribner's, trade paperback. The Priest alternative history novel, characteristically strange.
July 2002 - [24 Jul] M. John Harrison, Light -- Gollancz sf hardback. Harrison's return to heartland sf. Proof copy received; scheduled 17 October 2002. Also trade paperback.
- [21 Jul] Ben Bova, The Rock Rats -- NEL paperback. "The Asteroid Wars: II." Previously reviewed in hardback.
- [18 Jul] Peter F. Hamilton, Misspent Youth -- Macmillan sf hardback. Proof copy (signed and numbered) received; scheduled 8 November 2002.
- [16 Jul] Adam Roberts, Stone -- Gollancz sf trade paperback.
- [15 Jul] Stephen Baxter, Phase Space: Stories from the Manifold and Elsewhere -- Voyager hardback sf. Collection of 25 stories with framing material. Many have links to the "Manifold" trilogy (Time, Space, Origin).
June 2002 - [28 Jun] Peter Hamilton, Fallen Dragon -- Pan sf paperback. Reviewed in hardback edition.
- [18 Jun] Alastair Reynolds, Redemption Ark -- Gollancz C-format paperback sf.
- [17 Jun] Walter Jon Williams, The Praxis -- Earthlight trade paperback sf. Also hardback"Book One of Dread Empire's Fall." A second proof copy received -- scheduled 7 October.
- [11 Jun] Kevin J. Anderson, Hidden Empire -- sf space opera. Proof copy of trade paperback received (again) from Earthlight; scheduled 1 July 2002. Also hardback. "The Saga of Seven Suns: Book One."
May 2002 - [23 May] Harry Harrison, Stars and Stripes Triumphant -- Hodder & Stoughton hardback sf. Third in alternate history series.
- [21 May] Peter Crowther, ed, Infinities -- Gollancz hardback sf anthology. Four novelettes: "A Writer's Life" by Eric Brown, "The Human Front" by Ken MacLeod, "Diamond Dogs" by Alastair Reynolds, "Park Polar" by Adam Roberts. Third in "Foursight" anthology series.
- [20 May] Robert Silverberg, The Longest Way Home -- Gollancz trade paperback, standalone sf novel. Also hardback.
- Jonathan Carroll, The Wooden Sea -- Gollancz paperback. Reviewed earlier in hardback.
April 2002 - [24 Apr] R.A. Salvatore, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones -- Century sf hardback. What can one say?
- [24 Apr] Harry Turtledove, American Empire: Blood and Iron -- NEL paperback. Third in alternate-history WWI series.
- [22 Apr] Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt -- Macmillan hardback. Ten short chapters of the unfinished title novel, two short stories, about 50 nonfiction pieces (some very brief), and opening/closing material by others.
March 2002 - [18 Mar] John A. Keel, The Mothman Prophecies -- NEL paperback. Movie tie-in edition of this, er, classic of the woo-woo genre.
- [13 Mar] Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of Science Fiction -- Robinson sf trade paperback. Editor's choice of 22 sf stories from 1901 to 2002 (the latest being originals by Stephen Baxter and Eric Brown, the rest reprints).
- [11 Mar] Robert Rankin, The Fandom of the Operator -- Corgi sf paperback. Previously reviewed in hardback.
February 2002 - [11 Feb] Richard Morgan, Altered Carbon -- Gollancz sf hardback, reviewed earlier; finished copy now received. Also trade paperback.
- [6 Feb] Ian McDonald, Ares Express -- Earthlight sf paperback, reviewed earlier in hardback. Magic realism and big trains on Mars -- lots of fun.
- [1 Feb] Greg Egan, Schild's Ladder -- Gollancz sf hardback edition (see below for large-format paperback).
January 2002 - [31 Jan] Stephen Baxter, Icebones -- Gollancz sf paperback. "Mammoth Book Three."
- [31 Jan] Alan Dean Foster, Star Wars: The Approaching Storm -- Century sf hardback. "Prologue to Star Wars: Episode II."
- [31 Jan] Greg Egan, Schild's Ladder -- Gollancz sf C-format paperback. Finished copy now received. More wildly ambitious sf of ideas.
- [29 Jan] Ben Bova, The Rock Rats -- NEL sf hardback. "The Asteroid Wars: II."
- [17 Jan] Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, The Science of Discworld II: The Globe -- Ebury Press proof copy, hardback scheduled 2 May 2002. Half Discworld story, half pop-science.
- [8 Jan] Tom Holt, Falling Sideways -- Orbit hardback comic fantasy.
Past entries for 2001