Run To The Stars (©1982)

I got lucky and found this in a used bookstore. Set in the far future the earth, corruption is the rule, and men of honour are rare. Mark is a rare man, and while on vacation he finds himself in the middle of a cover-up. To make matters worse he's also the head of security. Along the way he finds more than he bargains for.

This is the only SF book by Mike to date, and it's very good. I read it about a month ago and it's still pretty fresh in my mind. Which is a good thing, because for the most part "My Brain is Like a Sieve (a Thomas Dolby song for those who care).

Reviewed June 26, 2001

Chase the Morning (©1990)

I read The Gates of Noon in 1995 while I was finishing a course in International Marketing, and I thought it was great. Not everyday you get a business man hero. The story was one that stuck with me, and since then I had been on the lookout for the other books in the series. Now, it must be said that I hate starting books out of sequence, but sometimes accidents happen.

One of my pet peeves is the alternate reality fantasy story. The transition between one world and the next is often very poorly done. To his credit the author does a great job of moving characters between the Spiral (out there) and the Core (here). The main character Stephen Fisher is a suitable fish (excuse the pun) out of water. Along with a colourful assorted cast of goodies and badies Mr. Rohan propels the story along. It has the feel of a long dream, and the climax blurs the two realities to the point where I was thinking that maybe Steve would wake up and pronounce the whole thing a bad dream.

It's a shame that these books haven't received decent distribution in North America. I suppose its an English thing. Until Michael is willing to dummy up his writing he'll probably remain a favourite child of the commonwealth.

Reviewed April 3, 2001

The Gates of Noon (©1992)

It had been a few years since I'd read this book, and before reading Cloud Castles I wanted to refresh my memory. So I read it again (combination of skimming, and slowing down for the really good bits). This was the first book I'd read by MSR, and it was a pleasant surprise the first time around, and equally entertaining the second. The images and the feel of the world Mike creates is something you don't come across very often in fantastic fiction.

The character of Ape the sorcerer is great, and the Maori warrior te Kiore is a blast. The Bali side of the story and the reason for Steve being in the Spiral is actually the weakest part of the story for me. However, I was swept along and enjoyed the ride.

Reviewed April 25, 2001

Cloud Castles (©1993)

Well, here we go again. Steve Fisher is now the head of his own company, and by all accounts he's just shy of snagging the brass ring. But of course before Steven can truly enjoy the good life, he's sucked into a maze of intrigue and world shattering danger. Before you can say "Holy Grail" Steven is back in the Spiral assembling his trusted friends Jyp and Mall (oh to have had Te Kiore show up would have been icing on the cake) and they're off to save the world - recover the Holy Grail (yup) and make the universe a safe place for everybody.

I'm not sure if this is the best or the worst of the trilogy. It certainly holds together well, and as always the dreamy way in which MSR can propel the reader through the various levels of reality are handled extremely well. I loved how Steven picked up the Knights with the dirigible. Fun stuff. It's really a shame that more people don't know about this talented writer.