Reviews and Comments

An interesting start to the series. Written in the form of a memoir when she is much older, this book tells the story of Isabella, who becomes fascinated by dragons from childhood and grows up wanting to learn more about them. But she is constricted by the Victorian-like society that she grows up in that expect women to 'know their place' in society and not to stick out by doing unladylike things like being fascinated by dragons.

Then chance intervenes, and she gets the opportunity to go on an expedition to study wild dragons in a far country. But things don't start out well; their guide is missing and dragons are attacking the village. And in the process of their investigations about dragons, Isabella stumbles on to a secret that may well affect her natural study of dragons: for if the secret becomes well known, it may mean the end of dragons.

Most stories about dragons tend to focus on the fantasy part of dragons; this series attracted me because it hints that it would try to treat dragons as real life animals and attempt to portray them realistically. This first book concentrates more on the growing up of Isabella than of dragons, which only makes a brief appearance in the book. But it does provide some hints about the natural history of dragons, why they are worth studying, and what Isabella would have to do if she is to try to protect the secret about the dragons for now.

On to the next one in the series to see what other natural revelations about dragons will be revealed.

The next book in the series, this one has Isabella trampling over a region which resembles Africa in our world. Here, she goes to try to study the dragons that inhabit the region. But she becomes sucked into the politics and conflicts in the region when her desire to look at dragons that inhabit a dangerous swampy region of the country is allowed by the ruler of the country; on condition that she brings back the eggs of the dragon that the ruler dearly wants.

She agrees and enters the swamp to learn about the dragons, but that condition would come back to haunt her for as she gets to know the swamp's inhabitants (on which her survival depends), she starts to realize it may be an impossible condition to fulfil. Then as she finally gets to learn the secrets of the swamp dragons, she gets caught up in an attempted surprise invasion, which she helps to successfully repel, but at a high cost to her reputation.

As in the first book, this one tells a fascinating story about Isabella and her travels and adventures. But the information presented on dragons is still minimal and only revealed near the end. But then, that is the nature of natural history; sometimes you have to slowly gather the information instead of getting it dumped on to you. It would be more interesting to me to be provided with more information about dragons in this world.

Perhaps that will happen in the books to come in the series.

This is the third book in the memoirs of Isabella, the dragon naturalist, and it is finally starting to pay off. The first and second books in the series did not really feature must about the natural history of dragons but concentrated more on who Isabella was, her relationships with the people around her who, in a fantasy version of Victorian times, think she should 'stay in her place' (but of course, she doesn't) and the troubles she causes in her quest to understand dragons and to protect them from being hunted, possibly to extinction: for their bodies contains a secret that would greatly benefit the nation that takes advantage of it.

The third book skips directly to her observations with dragons, since the first two books have helped established the world she inhabits. Here, she is on a sea voyage to study sea dragons to understand their evolution and how the various types of sea dragons are related to each other. Along the way, she meets an archaeologist who is interested in a long dead civilization that had a mysterious relationship with dragons (alluded to in the previous two books).

When the ship suffers damage during a storm and she and her companions are asked to stay on an island while repairs are made, things start to turn hilarious; for she is compelled to enter an uncomfortable relationship to appease the native inhabitants. But when she attempts to perform a feat with sea dragons, she enters a forbidden area and makes a discovery that could change the world.

This is the most interesting and exciting book in the series so far and raises expectations for what can be resolved in the next two books.

The build up is starting to pay off in this series. Events mentioned in the previous books come together in this book satisfyingly, leading to more questions that may be answered in the final book of the series.

In this book, the secret behind the bones of dragons is out. In an attempt to ensure wild dragons are not slaughtered into extinction for their bones, Isabella reluctantly helps her country's military force to try to breed dragons, so that at least wild ones will be safe. The attempt would take her to the country where a certain gentleman she met and worked with while on the Basilisk (the previous book) resides, leading to all sorts of uncomfortable questions.

But that is a sideshow at first: for she and the site used for dragon breeding comes under attack from saboteurs. And then she would need to enter the infamous Labyrinth of Drakes (a maze of canyons) to continue her studies on dragon breeding. For that to happen, she must settle her relationship with the gentleman; which she does in a spectacular manner.

But enduring the hardships of the Labyrinth to study dragons would only be the start. For she and her companions would make a startling discovery in the Labyrinth that would answer some of the questions about the mysterious 'dragon people' of prehistory and raise new ones.

Some questions answered; new ones raised. The series is becoming very interesting and there is only one more book to come. That should well be a very interesting book to read.

A short fun piece, set after Brennan's "Voyage of the Basilisk" where Isabella doubts that a discovery by another person of an unusual dragon specimen is what the person says it is. This is played out on the correspondents page of the newspaper and ends with what happens when she finally gets to see it.

A fantastic and satisfying conclusion to the series. In this book, an unexpected visitor presents Isabella with a personal tale about finding the remains of an unusual dragon in a hostile mountainous area. With that, and other tantalizing information, she once again sets out to discover the truth behind the claims.

But then disaster strikes, and she is separated from her companions in the mountains. Then she is unexpectedly saved; and at that moment, she knows the world has been changed and the answers behind the questions that have been in the series about the 'dragon people' since the beginning of the series have been answered. But Isabella must first work hard to earn the trust of her rescuers, and then plan how to reveal their secrets to the outside world. But as usual, her plans are disrupted, and it is only with cunning can she hope to navigate the potential political and military conflicts that build up as the book builds towards it impressive conclusion.

What follows is my opinion of the entire series.

This has been an enjoyable series to read. The first book tempted me with the concept of looking at dragons as a natural part of the world and of a woman who, in an alternate version of the Victorian World, sets out to not only study dragons but to also break the barriers that restrict women of that era.

Well, that temptation has been enough for me to continue the series without regrets. The initial books were light on actual details of the natural history of dragons and of the world Isabella inhabits (a world with new country names but with cultures recognizable from our world) but from the third book onwards, the details have come pouring out, revealing secret after secret of the mysteries that have formed the background of the series and ending with the revelation of the biggest mystery in the last book of the series.

In terms of fantasy, there is very little (apart from dragons) but in terms of science, quite a bit. Not everything is resolved (as is usual in the natural sciences), but enough has been revealed to make the series a satisfying read, although I can well imagine more short stories being written about Isabella's world that ties up the various unknowns about dragon biology that are not yet solved.

In short, this series has been a wonderful series. It will probably not be to the taste of people who want dragons that burn armies to crisp in chapter after chapter, but for those who have a liking for stories with a light overlay of fantasy and attempt to provide a natural explanation for unusual creatures (dragons, in this case), this would be a wonderful series to get into.

An average issue, with some interesting stories by Jeremy Minton, Amy Griswold and Oliver Buckram. But the story by Juan Paulo Rafols stands out for imagining a world where a tiny 'privileged' minority is not afraid to give their children every advantage they can get in a warring future. Quite a number of tales feature unusual sexual encounters and relationships, which appears to be the dominant theme in this issue.

• "Evil Opposite" by Naomi Kritzer: a tale of being able to see parallel universes mixed in with the antagonism between a lab assistant and a researcher. The conclusion is reasonable and shows that, no matter how much you may envy the lives you may have lead in parallel universes, the one you are currently living may be the best one.

• "We Are Born" by Dare Segun Falowo: a fantasy tale with an African feel about the creation of a life out of mud, how it lived and how it was reborn in another form.

• "Leash On a Man" by Robert Reed: in a future where humanity has altered itself and the environment genetically, a horrible crime is committed on a space habitat. The criminal is stripped of abilities and sent to prison on Earth. But such is the crime that the prisoner is in danger, and only an unusual prison guard from another era may be the only one who can protect her from harm; or possibly harm her.

• "Tasting Notes on the Varietals of the Southern Coast" by Gwendolyn Clare: a short tale about the sweetness and varieties of grapes being carried on a guarded cart as it travels through a fantasy land.

• "The Care of House Plants" by Jeremy Minton: two agents trace a runaway worker who has stolen some genetically modified seeds. But what they find is a house overrun by the seeds, the man's mother, and no sign of the man. But lots of signs that something is very peculiar about the plants.

• "The Hermit of Houston" by Samuel R. Delany: a wild but hard to grasp story about a future where gender is fluid and relationships in various enclaves are mediated by 'hermits' who have access to vast computing powers.

• "On Highway 18" by Rebecca Campbell: a story about relationship and loss while travelling and hitch-hiking along said highway.

• "Hollywood Squid" by Oliver Buckram: an entertaining, light-hearted piece about a future where ET squids have landed and mostly moved on (due to their tendency to lie). A going-down-and-out film producer and a fellow squid try to market their story about a conspiracy theory behind the Oscars, but without success: until they learn there may be some truth behind the story.

• "Still Tomorrow's Going To Be Another Working Day" by Amy Griswold: a short piece about what happens in a future where people fail to pay their ongoing loans and almost anything can be repossessed and passed on to other buyers.

• "Bodythoughts" by Rahul Kanakia: a story of an alien (or aliens) who falls 'in love' with a human after watching his exploits and 'interspecies' behaviour in a film. A pretty uncomfortable read.

• "Riddle" by Lisa Mason: a charged story about a down-and-out artist who meets an unusual female who speaks in riddles. Physical and emotional mayhem ensues.

• "Children of Xanadu" by Juan Paulo Rafols: a long and fascinating story, set in a future where China has apparently dominated the world militarily. A doctor from the Philippines is 'requested' to work on a (secret and illegal) project to enhance the bodies and minds of children of selected families. The project is successful but came at a high human cost. Now the doctor has been asked to go to the city of Xanadu, home of the 'enhanced', to investigate and duplicate the work of a 'group-mind' by insurgents. But little do they know the doctor isn't who he claims to be and has other plans in mind for his project.

• "The Two Choice Foxtrot of Chapham County" by Tina Connolly: a fantasy tale about a friend who, against her society's conventions, helps a girl who is pregnant with an unusual baby. A tale about unusual choices made under the pressure of trying to conform and when you shouldn't.

• "Starlight Express" by Michael Swanwick: a man falls in love with a woman who appears out of nowhere from a matter transporter that shouldn't work. As he works to sorts out his feelings and learn more about where the woman came from, we learn more about this strange Earth of the far future. But even here, being lovestruck and failing to love can be painful.

An above average issue of Interzone. With only four stories on offer, they had better be worth reading. The stories are not instant classics but still worth paying attention too.

• "Blessings Erupt" by Aliya Whiteley: a story set in a future recovering after a war and extreme pollution by plastics. In this world, a group of unusual people are found who have the ability to consume plastics from the environment and become part of the environmental recovery programme. But the ability comes at a huge personal cost.

• "The Music of Ghosts" by Paul Jessup: set on a generational starship on a journey to a new planet after the Earth was lost in an unstated disaster, the story concerns memories: of those lost in the disaster, of those lost on the starship after a plague strikes and the effort to recover at least a shadow of those lost during and after the journey itself.

• "Ghosts of a Neon God" by T.R. Napper: in a future Melbourne, Australia under the domination of a foreign power, two petty criminals make a living stealing and selling small items to get by. But life changes when they run into a woman who pleads for help but is ignored. The plea would be noted by the authorities, who then have reason to find and eliminate them. The story feels incomplete and acts like it should be a part of a bigger story.

• "The Goddess of the Highway" by Erica L. Satifka: an interesting piece about a future where, after the release of some mysterious substance, people's intelligence has been lowered and the only way to regain it is via 'plates' attached to people's heads, leading to a caste system where plastic plated ones are for the lowest intelligent, with the top occupied by gold and platinum plates. The story starts with a driver with a plastic plate who apparently hallucinates about a highway goddess meeting a platinum plated girl who is rebelling and wants to end the caste system, with help from a mysterious organisation with whom they are trying to contact.

An interesting story set in the period after the ending of the (first) war between Earth and Mars. A sister returns to her home after the war, only to find her brother behaving strangely and constantly going to a nearby wood. She learns that earlier, one of the unaccounted for Martian war machines had been seen crashing into the woods, possibly felled by a lightning storm.

When she attempts to enter the wood to find her brother, she finds herself in a strange world, almost like Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood where the inside is bigger than the outside and appears to be not from our own time. She calls upon the help of the Narrator who documented the first Martian war (which is H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds) and together they explore the wood and discover who inhabits it, the mysterious force it uses and how it has a hold over the brother.

Initially sounding fantastical in the beginning, the story uses elements from Wells' earlier story effectively and is a good introduction to Baxter's own sequel to Wells' book, The Massacre of Mankind.

An interesting 'sequel' to the classic H.G. Wells book. Keeping to what is known at the time about the solar system and the information about the Martian invasion from the book, Baxter weaves a fascinating tale about the next Martian invasion and how it affects mankind. However, the book feels overlong: the resolution to the Martian invasion feels forced (bacteria play a small role here) and the ending hints at future problems in store for mankind.

Written after the end of the second invasion (so you know mankind survives), the story splits the tale into the viewpoints of people who are related (directly or otherwise) to the original Narrator of the Wells' tale, with the main viewpoint being a woman journalist who is in the thick of the invasion. The second Martian invasion is anticipated by the world and the British are prepared for it; or so they think.

As usual, the Martians are one step ahead and the next invasion starts with a devastating blow to the prepared defenders, followed by a swift attack that rapidly overwhelms the defences. Retreating, England is left to the Martians. The journalist, at the urging of the Narrator, returns to England to try to establish communications with the Martians. This is quickly subverted by a plan to hit them at their presumed weak spot at the heart of their compound.

This plan gets abandoned as the journalist realizes there is only one force that can stop the Martian invasion, but it has to be done fast: for the next wave of Martians now hits the rest of the Earth. In the end, the invasion is stopped. But now Earth must come to an accommodation with the Martians, and who knows what will be in store for the future.

The book does a pretty good job of extrapolating what happens to geopolitics and technology after the end of the first Martian invasion. Britain becomes militarized and co-operates with Germany, producing weapons based on the tools and materials the Martians leave behind while America remains isolated from the rest of the world. The Martians' devastating heat ray is used to good effect and the view of England under the heel of the Martians is grim, yet plausible knowing what we know about Martian biology and how they would treat mankind.

All that grimness is probably what pulls this book down. Despite valiant attempts by British, European and American forces, there is not really much hope of defeating the Martians, apart from disabling a few war machines. That probably is what makes the way the journalist uses to end the war somewhat 'hand wavy' and depend upon unsaid assumptions. And as the world picks up the pieces, the issue with the Martians is not over; for they are still around and may have other plans.

Still, an interesting book that is probably worthy to be called a sequel to Wells' book.

An anthology of stories by various writers released by the EFF. The quality and themes vary a lot, but there are a few stories that stand out for being thoughtful looks at what a future with less freedom could be like. Stories I liked include those by Paolo Bacigalupi, Cory Doctorow, Ramez Naam, Hannu Rajaniemi and a long, sex charged story by Carolyn Jewel.

• “Be Seeing You” by Madeline Ashby: in an enclave, a woman who is tasked with being a bodyguard needs to be fitted out with sensors that reveal her whereabouts. But when she tries to help a friend who is in trouble, being caught in a situation where people can't locate her will bring dangers.

• “I’ve Got The Music In Me” by Charlie Jane Anders: people are being punished for playing songs without paying the artist: even if the song is just one that plays in your head.

• “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi: when a coup overtakes Laos, and it drops off the internet, the refugees do what they can to keep in touch. In this story, a journalist from Laos who prefers to write environmental stories that few people read and is in danger of losing his job is given the chance to get eyeballs by interviewing a well-known Laotian. But will he use it to keep his job or will he keep writing what he wants, in an echo of his dissident father, still caught in Laos?

• “Slipping” by Lauren Beukes: set in a future where exoskeletons and bio enhancements are up for bidding, the story follows a girl from Africa who loses her legs in a running accident but is now given the chance to show off her abilities. But is it her running abilities on show here, or is she just a 'product' showing off her enhancements to the highest bidder?

• “The Smartest Mob” by David Brin: an excerpt from his novel, Existence, it follows a journalist who, while travelling on a floating dirigible, gets a chance to investigate a possible terrorist plot on it. But she will need the help of a networked smart-mob forming around her to help her investigate it.

• “Business as Usual” by Pat Cadigan: people may be told to do or not do certain things that may be bad for their health. But what if this is taken further and home appliances are the ones now telling you to stay healthy; and reinforcing it by monitoring your food intake (and output).

• “Scroogled” by Cory Doctorow: when Google run the Immigration services and gets to set what ads were displayed for your Google searches, Google Mail, etc. you better be careful of what you search for as one woman finds out. Yet, the story shows how easy it can be for people to rationalize their decisions, especially after a friend goes on the run for helping her to sanitize her search items.

• “Nanolaw with Daughter” by Paul Ford: in a future where terms and conditions are rampant, and you will get sued for not strictly following it, a man helps his daughter to navigate through the letters of demand for payment.

• “Changes” by Neil Gaiman: a story about a future when the cure for cancer can also do other changes on a person, leading to all kinds of social and cultural upheavals.

• “The Light Brigade” by Kameron Hurley: on a devastated Earth, one soldier in a war against aliens finds out that what he has been told about the war isn't the truth; and that he has the power to not only end (or start) the war, but to also save numerous lives.

• “Declaration” by James Patrick Kelly: a group of students working together are tasked to put together a declaration of independence and to spread its message. But the message and its intent has deeper meanings to some students, for in a world where people can be physically or virtually present, some want to be independent of their physical selves.

• “Water” by Ramez Naam: in the future, access to implants comes with a price: ads that implore you to buy their product, unless you can pay for ad-free access. The story follows what happens when a malware causing product rejection is introduced into one company's water product, leading to a world-wide free-for-all as other companies vie to win over that company's customers (including its now unemployed salespeople).

• “Unclaimed” by Annalee Newitz: a story that starts out interesting but has an unsatisfactory ending. A private investigator is asked to search for an author who has hidden herself from the world. The search would end when the investigator finds the author in an altered state, and became murderous when the author discovers what the media companies have done with her books about altered biological beings. But what I find hard to accept is that the author would not know what has happened to her books (made into games, movies, etc.) after all those years, despite having ready and quick access to the world, as made clear near the ending.

• “His Master’s Voice” by Hannu Rajaniemi: a dog and a cat gain intelligence in the hands of a master. But their world comes tumbling down when the master creates an illegal copy of himself and is sent to prison for his troubles. Missing their master, the cat and dog hatch a plan to rescue him.

• “Hive Mind Man” by Rudy Rucker and Eileen Gunn: a man who likes to hook into social networks and other online activities gets more than he bargains for when a deal to become even more connection for commercial purposes gets him really connected with the world.

• “Stompin’ at the Savoy” by Lewis Shiner: a rather dated piece about a cashier who suddenly ends up with a list of things "the government doesn't want the people to know". That leads to a chase and refuge among mutants who want to bring the government down.

• “The Brain Dump” by Bruce Sterling: a day in the life of a hacking community in Eastern Europe.

• “RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: MICROWAVE IN THE BREAK ROOM DOING WEIRD THINGS TO FABRIC OF SPACE-TIME” by Charles Yu: what happens when people don't follow email instructions and leave things in the microwave oven that can open time warps.

• “Dance Dance Revolution” by Charlie Human: Soldiers dance to control their weapons. Okay.

• “OMG GTFO” by S.L. Grey: written as a series of snippets, including social media post and comments about people suddenly speaking in tongues and relaying information from dead people who are in hell. It initially causes a drop in crime and misdemeanours and people try to repent, but then a further set of dead people in hell make themselves known, leading to a backlash from the still living.

• “Free Fall” by Carolyn Jewel: a long, interesting story about a world where witches, warlocks, mages and demons live among us. In this world is one witch who is aware of her powers but is barely able to contain them as she is untrained. Add to this mix a mage who may be physically and magically abusing her. She wants out of the relationship and calls on the help of the only man she trusts, who turns out to be a very horny (in the sexual sense) demon. The mage turns out to have been abusing magical beings to enhance his powers and now wants them dead. Before the climax of the story, there is a long section on sex between the demon and witch which probably is necessary to highlight their relationship, so be prepared for a lengthy digression.