{"id":330,"date":"2010-08-11T20:51:21","date_gmt":"2010-08-11T20:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2010\/08\/11\/stuff-received-81110-part-i\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:18:38","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:18:38","slug":"stuff-received-81110-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2010\/08\/11\/stuff-received-81110-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuff received 8\/11\/10 Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s take a quick look to see what\u2019s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All Clear<\/span><\/a> by Connie Willis<\/span><\/p>\n

Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n

In Blackout<\/span><\/a>, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060\u2014the setting for several of her most celebrated works\u2014and sent three Oxford historians to World War II England: Michael Davies, intent on observing heroism during the Miracle of Dunkirk; Merope Ward, studying children evacuated from London; and Polly Churchill, posing as a shopgirl in the middle of the Blitz. But when the three become unexpectedly trapped in 1940, they struggle not only to find their way home but to survive as Hitler\u2019s bombers attempt to pummel London into submission.<\/p>\n

Now the situation has grown even more dire. Small discrepancies in the historical record seem to indicate that one or all of them have somehow affected the past, changing the outcome of the war. The belief that the past can be observed but never altered has always been a core belief of time-travel theory\u2014but suddenly it seems that the theory is horribly, tragically wrong.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in 2060 Oxford, the historians\u2019 supervisor, Mr. Dunworthy, and seventeen-year-old Colin Templer, who nurses a powerful crush on Polly, are engaged in a frantic and seemingly impossible struggle of their own\u2014to find three missing needles in the haystack of history.<\/p>\n

Told with compassion, humor, and an artistry both uplifting and devastating, All Clear<\/span> is more than just the triumphant culmination of the adventure that began with Blackout<\/span>. It\u2019s Connie Willis\u2019s most humane, heartfelt novel yet\u2014a clear-eyed celebration of faith, love, and the quiet, ordinary acts of heroism and sacrifice too often overlooked by history.<\/p>\n

RevSF Books Editor had this to say about Blackout<\/span> and All Clear<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quote:<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Despite its cliffhanger of an ending, Blackout<\/span> is an engaging and suspenseful read. I have no doubt that when All Clear<\/span> is released, Willis will give us a satisfying ending.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

City Island<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n

\nVince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is a lifelong resident of the tiny, tradition-steeped Bronx enclave of City Island. A family man who makes his living as a corrections officer, Vince longs to become an actor. Ashamed to admit his aspirations to his family, Vince would rather let his fiery wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies) believe his weekly poker games are a cover for an extramarital affair than admit he\u2019s secretly taking acting classes in Manhattan. When Vince is asked to reveal his biggest secret in class, he inadvertently sets off a chaotic chain of events that turns his mundane suburban life upside down. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, City Island<\/span> spins a web of misrepresentations, misinterpretations and misunderstandings into a smart and charming comedy about a family that stops at nothing to avoid the truth. <\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

The Ragged Man<\/span> (Book Four of the Twilight Reign<\/span>)<\/a> by Tom Lloyd<\/span><\/p>\n

Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n

Continuing the powerful epic that started with The Stormcaller<\/span><\/a>; the Lord Isak is dead, his armies and entire tribe in disarray. It falls to King Emin to continue the war alone, and the Menin are only too happy to meet his challenge. In Byora, Ruhen is developing his ‘Saviour’ persona. The Harlequins start preaching in his name and many of the pilgrims who flock to him are recruited to be ‘Children’, disciples who spread Ruhen’s message. All over the Land people are starting to see Ruhen as the answer to their troubles. A showdown is coming: battle lines are finally drawn and the atrocities quickly mount. The spectre of the Great War looms, but in this age the Gods cannot and will not come to King Emin’s aid. With the peoples of the Land turning against Emin and his few remaining allies, their only chance for survival lies in the hands of a dead man. <\/p>\n

\nMore in Part II<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s take a quick look to see what\u2019s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound. All Clear by Connie Willis Promo copy: In Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060\u2014the setting for several … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n