Last week, in about a 24-hour period, I read Multireal, the second book in David Edelman's SF trilogy.  What I found most interesting about the book is its ability to reintroduce strangeness into the science fiction experience.  Frankly, most SF seems all too familiar these days, as the rate of real-world change overtakes the ability of most writers to incorporate it.  Edelman's world feels distinctly odd in the best possible way.  It is not a linear projection from today's lines of development.  It's a world that has experienced a dramatic cultural break with its past, and has developed a radically new techno-culture.  It's a possible world of the imagination, not a probable world of near-future extrapolation.  Combined with its originality, this makes Edelman's future very interesting. 



Because of it's alienness, another author might have set this society offworld, but I don't care much for the details of different gravities and sky colors.  Keeping the story here on Earth just highlights how strange things have become.

I've been far too late getting the word out about this one:   if you're looking for an epic summer film with at least some connection to reality, Mongol is a lot of fun.  This story of the young Genghis Khan takes the already hyperbolic Secret History of the Mongols and exaggerates a bit from there, but the most shocking thing is how much of this wild story has some basis in fact.  And in between the scenes of carnage, you can enjoy the beauty of the Central Asian steppes.  It won't be on the big screen forever, but it's a big screen movie, so you may want to catch it soon.

For those of you on my friend's list who don't already know, David Edelman is having his book release party for Multireal starting at 5:30 on July 16 at Dan Regard's home in Dupont Circle, 2016 R Street NW .  The venue means that an RSVP is required, so let me know if you'd like to attend, and I'll let them know you're coming.



Why "book orgy"?  Because the mass-market paperback of the first volume of his trilogy, Infoquake, has also just been released.  As Tennessee Williams would say, "Orgee confessed!"

My reading of "The Wizard of Macatawa" is now online.



http://www.filefreak.com/pfiles/64333/macatawa.mp3



Enjoy!  Tom.

My story "The Wizard of Macatawa" is on the recommended list for the British Fantasy Society award for short fiction. http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/news/?p=300

If you know any potential BFS voters, please have them contact me at tmdoyle2@yahoo.com for an electronic version of the story.