PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Ryu Fujisaki's Worlds came in second place for the prestigious 40th Tezuka Award. His Psycho +, Wqwq and Hoshin Engi have all run in Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine, and the Hoshin Engi anime is available on DVD in Japan and North America. A lover of science fiction, literature and history, Fujisaki has made Hoshin Engi a mix of genres that truly showcases his amazing art and imagination.
When not writing his novels, Kyle Mills prefers to spend his leisure time climbing some of the most dangerous rock faces on earth; an experience he finds 'refreshing'. If the reader is daunted by such a prospect, highly satisfying surrogate thrills may be found in the pages of Mills's novels instead. His protagonist here is FBI agent Mark Beamon, a man who refuses to play by the rules. Preferring to tread on toes and say the unsayable has resulted in Mark being consigned to the CIA Siberia of the Phoenix branch. But then it is discovered that a group of terrorists in the US has gained control of missile technology, and Mark is set on their trail. And as other agents begin to die, he discovers that the tendrils of the terrorist group extend into some unexpected places. The theme here is not new, but in Mills's hands it's fresh and exciting. His own father worked for the Agency, and the author includes some extremely plausible spycraft detail. Mark is a complex and interestingly drawn hero, and though the plotting here may initially seem to be a little discursive, it quickly focuses into something powerful and involving. Mills never underlines the topicality of his theme, but Sphere of Influence is always firmly fixed in the dangerous world we live in. (Kirkus UK)
