Like any collector, I collect what I like. I like Science Fiction. Forget over-flowing bookshelves! We have those, but even they are full! We have boxes of books to rummage through. Still can't get enough! This month, I'm going to review two recent acquisitions ( and one that I received some time ago, and just got around to reading).

Blue Limbo by Terence M. Green Copyright 1997 1st Mass Market Ed. 3/98 TOR Science Fiction

Think you've had a bad day? Mitch Helwig seems to be having a bad life! He's a hard-nosed cop on the Metro Toronto Police Force. His wife wants a divorce, a crime-lord wants him dead, and a Deputy Chief of Police wants his hide. That's when it starts to hit the fan. Its got lots of high-tech equipment (what did you think they'd use next century), and a gritty realism that would wake the dead. Its not for the squeamish, though. Its a cross between Rambo and William Gibson. Hell, Gibson was an optimist, compared to this guy! If you enjoy seeing the bad guys get it in the neck, don't miss this!

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Cloud's Rider by C. J. Cherryh Copyright 1996 1st Paperback Ed. 9/97 Warner Aspect

I'm a big fan of Ms. Cherry, so why did I wait so long to read this? Well, I wasn't all that impressed with the first book. Its really not her fault - its those tricky publishers, once again. They've taken a large piece of writing and carved it up into a "series" of three or four books. This not-quite-science-fiction story of hers happens on an alien world where most of the wildlife is telepathic. Most of the human population lives locked away from that world behind barred gates. Things can get especially bad during the Winter, when all those telepathic creatures get hungry. Cloud's Rider is the second installment of a piece of epic literature which began in A Rider at the Gate. The people we met in book one continue to grow up, and develop character, until they seem as real as the next-door neighbors. I use the word "epic" in a most literal meaning here! If the rest of this story is as good as this, then its a literary work to rival Milton, Melville, and Homer. Its a very good read.

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Carlucci's Heart by Richard Paul Russo Copyright 1996 1st Paperback Ed. 11/97 ACE Science Fiction

This is another cop story (and I hate cop stories), but I love this book! This is the third volume about a 21st Century San Francisco where things have gone bad. Carlucci was a bit player in Destroying Angel, before he got the lead in Carlucci's Edge. Now he's back again, ready to make the best of a bad situation. The action is pretty fast, but this is really an investigation of Frank Carlucci's character - Carlucci's Heart. Old Frank just can't seem to keep from digging into thing he shouldn't mess with. Due to this decidedly anti-survival trait, he manages to uncover a conspiracy which could . . . Let's just say, I lost sleep over this one! Stayed up late reading - and almost fell asleep at work. Once again, Mr. Russo does not disappoint.

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Text Copyright © 1998 Paul Roberts

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