{"id":9209,"date":"2012-06-11T00:15:37","date_gmt":"2012-06-11T08:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/?p=9209"},"modified":"2012-09-09T13:45:01","modified_gmt":"2012-09-09T21:45:01","slug":"for-a-small-island-weve-got-some-big-books-by-jared-shurin-and-anne-perry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/2012\/06\/articles\/for-a-small-island-weve-got-some-big-books-by-jared-shurin-and-anne-perry\/","title":{"rendered":"“For a small island, we\u2019ve got some big books…” by Jared Shurin and Anne Perry"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a duo of dual-citizens, we spend a lot of time bounding between the US and UK. Naturally, with every visit, we immediately rush to the bookstore and see what\u2019s changed. The little things always amaze us. When did our neighbourhood Barnes & Noble get such a huge graphic novel section? Why are the Joe Abercrombie covers so different in the US? (And the Daniel Abraham ones so much better in the UK?) Does the American edition Un Lun Dun<\/em> really have a glossary of British slang?! (It does! And now we have to buy it for the collection…)<\/p>\n

Since A Dribble of Ink<\/em> has a huge American audience, we thought we\u2019d pipe up for a few British talents that might not have been picked up by the US radar… yet.<\/p>\n\"Osama<\/a>\n

Given that Lavie Tidhar<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s breakout hit is called Osama<\/em> (2011), it is easy to appreciate why it hasn\u2019t stormed USA Today\u2019s bestseller list. But there\u2019s a reason that Mr. Tidhar\u2019s semi-slipstream, semi-meta, all-noir detective-SF-thriller-thing (seriously, that\u2019s the best we can do for a one-line description) has picked up critical attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Osama<\/em> has been a finalist for the Kitschies<\/a>, the BSFA<\/a> and the John W Campbell award<\/a>, and picked up glowing reviews from damn near everyone. <\/p>\n

Osama<\/em> is currently only available as an eBook<\/a> in the US – but it is far from being the only worthwhile read from the prolific Mr. Tidhar. Hunting down copies of An Occupation of Angels<\/em>, HebrewPunk<\/em>, The Apex Book of World SF<\/em> (which he edited) or his many, many short stories are all well worth the effort.<\/p>\n

\"Children's<\/a>Tor.com<\/a> readers will know Scott Andrews<\/strong> for his ongoing rewatch of Farscape<\/em><\/a>. And, indeed, his media criticism is insightful and hilarious (if you can find his guide to Dawson\u2019s Creek<\/em>, snap it up – it is brilliant; Anne read it cover to cover in one session of prolonged giggling). Mr. Andrews wrote the St. Mark\u2019s Trilogy<\/em> (School\u2019s Out<\/em>, Operation: Motherland<\/em> and Children\u2019s Crusade<\/em>) for Abaddon, a British pulp imprint that is available (with a bit of digging) in the US. The trilogy, featuring feral children in a post-apocalyptic boarding school, is re-released this fall as an omnibus edition \u2013 and we can\u2019t recommend it highly enough. Like Osama<\/em>, Children\u2019s Crusade<\/em> (2010) has been a Kitschies finalist<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It has all the escapist hallmarks of the best YA-PA-SF – teenagers entering adulthood, making tough decisions, doing nasty things and blowing shit up – but Mr. Andrews doesn\u2019t pull his philosophical punches. It isn\u2019t about good guys or bad guys, it is about the nail-biting nastiness of survival in a brutal land. Then, about the moments of calm, reflection and, ultimately, anguish. This is a hard-hitting series that mixes the cinematic with the introspective, and makes The Hunger Games<\/em> look like a middle-schooler\u2019s writing assignment.<\/p>\n

\"Deadlands<\/a>This is cheating, as Lily Herne<\/strong> isn\u2019t even out in the UK yet. Lily Herne is a rather unique writing duo, comprised of a mother-and-daughter team, Sarah and Savannah Lotz. Sarah Lotz<\/a> has more identities than Ethan Hunt – she\u2019s also half of SL Grey and<\/em> writes under her own name as well. Grab them all. But, if we had to guess, the Lily Herne Deadlands<\/em> series has US MARKET written all over it. <\/p>\n

Deadlands<\/em> is a zombie series, but stick with me, as it may be the best one you\u2019ll ever read – and therefore justifies the existence of all the others. Lele is a troubled student in a post-zombpocalypse South African city. The government is a dystopian sham, with the upper classes gleefully sacrificing the city\u2019s children to the mysterious \u201cGuardians\u201d in turn for protection from the zombie hordes. Lele soon encounters the \u201cMall Rats\u201d, rogues who manage to live outside the city, scavenging luxury goods from shattered malls and swapping them for food and supplies. It is fun, wild and packed with zombies, but most importantly, the book rings true. It stars a teenage protagonist who actually thinks<\/em> and acts<\/em> like a teenager, and not a self-loathing messianic nutjob. <\/p>\n

A hit in South Africa, Deadlands<\/em> (2011) finally reaches the UK in 2013, alongside its sequel, Death of a Saint<\/em>. For the US audience? I suggest making some overseas friends… and maybe sending a few pointed links to your favourite publisher.<\/p>\n\"Death<\/a>\n

Since 2000AD<\/em> is a very British comics tradition, I guess Al Ewing<\/strong>, one of the imprint\u2019s great writers, doesn\u2019t have the same sort of name recognition in the US. But he should. Like Scott Andrews, Mr. Ewing is an Abaddon discovery \u2013 and what a find. His first novel, Death Got No Mercy<\/em> (2009), has a trailer park serial killer tackling the gangs of California in search of enlightenment and\/or vital medical supplies. It also has the Greatest Cover Art Ever<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But Mr. Ewing\u2019s best book to date (he\u2019s got a new one out with Solaris later this year) is undoubtedly Gods of Manhattan<\/em> (2011) which we\u2019ll boldly declare the best deconstruction of superheroes since Alan Moore\u2019s Watchmen<\/em>. Superheroes in SF are super-trendy right now, but this book reigns supreme with its considered appreciation of pulp-era heroes, set in quasi-steampunk Communist New York (welcome to the USSA!). Mr. Ewing actually succeeds in recreating the atmosphere of a comic, and then bravely examining the familiar tropes. The result is both a vicious satire and a brilliant adventure. The entire Pax Britannia<\/em> series (with Jonathan Green redefining a steampunk Europe and Al Ewing romping around the US) is well worth finding.<\/p>\n

\"Cyber<\/a>Kim Lakin-Smith<\/strong><\/a> recently accomplished a rare double: Cyber Circus<\/em> (2011) is a finalist for both the British Science Fiction Award<\/a> and the British Fantasy Award<\/a>. Which, in its own paradoxical way, makes sense. The book is utterly uncategorisable. In a \u201cdustpunk\u201d landscape, a circus filled with troubled misfits floats across a ruined, resource-starved Midwest. The circus is less a ethereal metaphor than a physical haven; the characters are not struggling superheroes but agonised outcasts, stripped of their humanity. Ms. Lakin-Smith has a gloriously stylish tone of voice, but uses it to cut into thoroughly unpoetic subjects. <\/p>\n

Ms. Lakin-Smith\u2019s short stories can be found in a few collections, and her earlier book, Tourniquet<\/em> (2009) is a gorgeously Gothic murder mystery. Her latest is slightly lighter fare, a steampunk YA romp called Queen Rat<\/em> (2012). <\/p>\n

Cyber Circus<\/em> is published by NewCon Press<\/a>. eBooks are available (so have a read), but, again, it should really be on shelves…<\/p>\n

Many British authors, such as Jon Courtenay Grimwood<\/a>, China Mi\u00e9ville<\/a>, and Joe Abercrombie<\/a>, already have an established American presence, but we\u2019d love to see their ranks swell. The beauty of internet shopping and eBooks means readers can look further afield for fresh reading. So, America, why not peer over here for a bit? For a small island, we\u2019ve got some big books…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a duo of dual-citizens, we spend a lot of time bounding between the US and UK. Naturally, with every visit, we immediately rush to the bookstore and see what\u2019s changed. The little things always amaze us. When did our neighbourhood Barnes & Noble get such a huge graphic novel section? Why are the Joe… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[251,38,249,247,250,255,59,248,253,252],"class_list":["post-9209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-al-ewing","tag-fantasy","tag-kim-larkin-smith","tag-lavie-tidhar","tag-lily-herne","tag-pornokitsch","tag-science-fiction","tag-scott-andrews","tag-uk-authors","tag-zombies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n