Ace, Apr. 1998, 330 pp.
ISBN: 0-441-00520-9
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Reviewer: Craig Little
Reviewed: 5/5/98
Excerpt:
"Jon wanted to break something. He was good at breaking things — that much he knew. His memory of the time before his restructuring was a dim and fractured jewel, but he remembered all too well the things he'd done since he became a cyborg. He had traveled to many planets before coming to Pellay, in the employ of the corporation that built him, and he had left his mark on every one. He wished to God he hadn't... His first blow shattered a rock as big as he was, and the scream Jon let out had nothing to do with pain-not the nerve kind, anyway. He smashed that boulder into halves, crushed the halves into rubble, and stomped the rubble into gravel. When he was done, he found another, bigger rock, and went at it twice as hard. Deep in the tunnel shaft, the workers heard what they thought was distant thunder. 'The sky's gonna cry tonight,' they said, but the storm Jon was kicking up was long past tears."
"...Don DeBrandt has avoided the 'save the galaxy' kind of story in favor of something simpler, much smaller scale. And the result is a moving, exciting, often poetic, and thoroughly enjoyable story...." [full text]
Review by Jean-Louis Trudel of Steeldriver
"When academics refer to science fiction as the mythology of the modern age, they have stories like this in mind. The science fictional accouterments of Steeldriver are nicely worked out, but they're mostly peripheral to the mythic dimension of the main characters...." [continued]
South Miami, FL USA
June 15, 1998
Highly recommended.
[5 out of 5 stars]
"Energetic prose creates a new kind of cyber-myth.
Don DeBrandt has skillfully created a fast paced,
exciting and creative novel set far in the future, but
resonating with mythology as old as mankind...."
excretia@yahoo.com from Calgary, Alberta, Canada , June
11, 1998 [3 out of 5 stars]
"...DeBrandt creates an effective tale, without the usual stereotypical branding found in the neo-folk tale."
The Quicksilver Screen
The Denver Post:
"A promising first novel... a rousing piece of cyberpunk adventure with an intriguing premise."
The Vancouver Sun:
"Vibrant ideas that enrich cyberpunk's sub-genre..."
Under The Ozone Hole:
"DeBrandt integrates artist and morality with writing as sure as John Shirley."
Timberjak
Ace Books, May 1999
ISBN: 0441006264
Science Fiction Weekly, #105
"Timberjak is utterly hilarious. Even readers who don't usually laugh out loud may find themselves chuckling..." [full text]
A.M. Dellamonica
"A richly imaginative work, great characters; polished.
... Don
Debrandt's Timberjak is full of a wonderful energy, a unique blend of Science Fiction, poetry, friendship, loss, humour and high drama. Read it." [full text at amazon.com]
Raven C. Wright (corvuscorax@usa.net) from Canada , April 13, 1999