Simon Petrie

It had been known since the early 1950s that high levels of radiation could induce gigantism in certain species. But since most of the early cases had involved arthropods and poisonous lizards of, it has to be said, a rather aggressive disposition, the commercial implications of this line of research were not as obvious as they might otherwise have been.

“Nuclear Physics for Market Gardeners,” p. 126, by Hank Bremsstrahlung

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Chasing the Dragon – Justina Robson
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
400 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-057-508562-6

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

This is the fourth instalment in Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series. I enjoyed the first two, but missed #3, Going Under. When reading Chasing the Dragon, I noticed quite a few story arcs and characters that would be confusing to the new entrant to the series or if you missed one or more of the novels. If you enjoy a mix of SF and fantasy, cyberpunk mixed with magic and dragons, you’ll enjoy reading the whole series.

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Ambulances and Dreamers – Bel Schenk
Wakefield Press, 2008
82 pages
RRP: AU$19.95
ISBN: 978-1-86254-818-3

Reviewed by Lynne Keenan

Bel Schenk’s collection of poems Ambulances & Dreamers captures some truly insightful moments in life which explores to some extent, the angst of the human condition.  She is obviously well-travelled and draws on her experiences in far-off places to fuel her creativity. Her settings are urban and her often fragmentary style suits the themes she explores.

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Trent Jamieson

The Prosperity Act needed good people. Not everyone could handle the work. Not everyone could kill children.

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Patrick Hew

Hell to a violinist is the ticking of a metronome, the robotic, relentless and remorseless tick, beating out the time, beating the soul out of the music. And in every tick of the metronome, you can hear The Devil. Practising.

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Lets just say the last 4 months haven’t been ideal in the electronic land of ticon. First we were randomly trashed by the beige hats of hackerdom, then our webhost* deleted everything.

It’s a new year, and we’d like to put 2009 behind us, but not before graciously and gratefully acknowledging the efforts of those who contributed last year, many wonderful folk whose efforts sadly didn’t receive the attention they so richly deserved. We’re sorry, and will do our best to make sure it won’t happen again.

It’s going to be a busy few months at Ticonderoga. We’ve got a whole lot of great fiction and reviews to put up here at ticon4, as well as the expected publication of 3 new books. You’ll hear more about them shortly.

Please, grant us a little patience as we iron out a few teething issues, and take the time to have a look around at the wonders this site offers.

Many thanks!

* the web host was 3ix, thoroughly not recommended, and we’re no longer hosting through them.

Soulless – Gail Carriger
Orbit, 2009
384 pages
RRP: US$7.99
ISBN: 9780316056632

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

Soulless is the first in a series of steampunk whodunits, The Parasol Protectorate, set in an alternate Victorian era, where werewolves and vampires have their own niches in Society just like the rest, and where the rules of etiquette apply to them just as much as everyone else. The heroine of Soulless is Alexia Tarabotti, is a spinster of the advanced age of twenty-six, whose prize possession is her trusty brass (but silver-tipped) parasol.

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Conan the Barbarian Omnibus – Robert E Howard
Allen & Unwin Crows Nest, 2009
653 pages
RRP: AU$29.99
ISBN: 978-1-74175-851-1

Reviewed by Kate Smith

Conan the Barbarian was excellent.  It was an easy enough read to be enjoyable, with enough in what would appear to be a fairly basic premise to be interesting.  Many people are acquainted with Conan at least in passing but this will be knowledge from the movies that have been made at various times.  Less people, perhaps, will be familiar with the novels that have been written by others.  I have enjoyed the movies but not so much the novels, and I approached this volume of short stories curious but without any great expectations.  Very quickly I was engaged.

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The Best of his Macabre Tales – Edgar Allan Poe
Crows Nest Allen & Unwin, 2009
652 pages
RRP: AU$29.99
ISBN: 978-1-74175-850-4

Reviewed by Russell B. Farr

It should have been an easy, quick review. Get in, talk about how great it is to have a big, hefty, fine looking volume of Poe, collecting so many fine stories, including all the big ones. Talk about how great it is to have them all in one place, complete and unabridged (I always wonder how much of my childhood was abridged). If I felt like putting myself into the review, I could throw something in about the merits of reviewing the work of someone who has been in the ground for 160 years, after all, it’s not like he’ll really care what I say.

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A Madness of Angels – Kate Griffin
Hachette Livre Orbit, 2009
472 pages
RRP: AU$22.99
ISBN: 978-1-84149-733-4

Reviewed by Kate Smith

A Madness of Angels was a read that I could not put down, enjoyable not only because it was an interesting story but also because it was different to the norm of this genre of novel.  While the plot for the story does not appear to be particularly distinct from the blurb, from the first chapter it is clear that there is something different to Griffin’s work.  Matthew Swift is a sorcerer who has been fundamentally betrayed by his mentor and friend.  He must bring together groups with little in common apart from their enemy to find ways to trust each other and to work together to bring about the demise of the monolithic organisation that is the evil within London.  However, despite what appears to be several familiar story lines, including the seeking of revenge, there is so much more to this novel.

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