I used to enjoy Catherine Asaro's short fiction back in the 80's, occupying a very short but ravenous SF period for me where I actually had subscribedI used to enjoy Catherine Asaro's short fiction back in the 80's, occupying a very short but ravenous SF period for me where I actually had subscribed to SF magazines rather than focusing entirely on novels. That being said, I had successfully MISSED all her novels ever since.
And why? I HAVE NO IDEA. Or rather, the bookshelves in bookstores conveniently didn't stock them. I got all the Lois McMaster Bujold SFs, the Vorkosigans, which are similar to this, but nobody had pushed Catherine Asaro where I lived. It just... fell beneath the cracks. I'm sad. So many great SF authors fell that way during the 90's, and then never got any reprints, and are generally lost to history because there was no electronic versions until a decade later.
*rages*
Ahem, anyway, my ears perked up THIS MUCH LATER and now I hunted all these down and now I'm finally RIGHTING A MASSIVE WRONG.
Mid-nineties SF is some of the best. It's pretty hardcore science with the fiction with thoroughly balanced characters, romance, intrigue, action, and heart. Basically, it has a lot of everything and doesn't skimp. Sure, it's a light adventure-type SF with princes and princesses, but it is also full of battle-hardened psy-tech-AI warriors, a little trauma, and a lot of pretty great worldbuilding that will probably last a good long time.
In other words, I'm thrilled to find something like this. Onward!
After his last novel, I expected a solid SF with real-world good stuff, but I didn't quite expect his next to be so hard-hitting.
Conservation and fighAfter his last novel, I expected a solid SF with real-world good stuff, but I didn't quite expect his next to be so hard-hitting.
Conservation and fighting for the rights of almost-extinct animals is a sore spot with me. Far too many economic complications make what should be a no-brainer issue into a real nightmare.
Mix not just elephants but a future with brought-back mammoths, some really cool SF sidewinding plots, and a ton of great characters and the low grumble in my gut of fear, and this turned out to be something quite special.
Short, hard-hitting, and it's also rather gorgeous. A great little SF that hits way too close to our home. ...more
After so much heartbreak, I wondered if I would ever get back into this series, but here’s the thing: even time can heal certain wounds. Right, Marko?After so much heartbreak, I wondered if I would ever get back into this series, but here’s the thing: even time can heal certain wounds. Right, Marko?
Life goes on, even if it is hardscrabble, bittersweet, or just a bit of recovery even while being on the run. But life does go on. People will grow even while pulling the same shit. Others will pull all the old shit while others just feel all the new pain of what has just happened.
What I’m saying is this: life is a REAL MESS and this comic spells ALL of that out in pureblood technocolor.
I’m loving it again. It all boils down to what you expect to get out of the tale. And from the very start, it was always a glorious mess. I should never have forgotten that. We will continue to lose our loved ones. Over and over and over. That’s life....more
Honestly, if this sparks a whole future explosion of a genre of FORENSIC ACCOUNTANTS, then I could not be happier.
I see this kind of thing much too raHonestly, if this sparks a whole future explosion of a genre of FORENSIC ACCOUNTANTS, then I could not be happier.
I see this kind of thing much too rarely. It’s usually very niche and hardly ever in the realm of FICTION, but tracking down a good DD is especially delicious, especially when it touches to righteously on the very real graft, cons, and purely evil-spirited world of our own nasty high finance.
This is a case of reality — as explained through fiction — and done so well, so deftly, so smartly, that it should be required reading for ANYONE interested in the world of big money cons.
Cory Doctorow is spitting some awesome words here. This isn’t the first novel I’ve read that follows Martin Hench, forensic accountant, but it is the earliest one in the narrative timeline.
Let’s just put it this way: I am FASCINATED. Endlessly so. I could read this forever. Please, please, let me have more!...more
It's one thing to say that a Jodi Taylor time-travel historian hijinx tale is a true holiday tradition, but you'd be wrong. It's a MARKHAM Jodi TaylorIt's one thing to say that a Jodi Taylor time-travel historian hijinx tale is a true holiday tradition, but you'd be wrong. It's a MARKHAM Jodi Taylor time-travel historian hijinx tale.
And it is, as we think, all about the pie. Fun stuff, as always!...more
First thing first, this isn't the Expanse. It is, however, a truly fascinating exploration of a vast prisoner's dilemma on the scale of many, many civFirst thing first, this isn't the Expanse. It is, however, a truly fascinating exploration of a vast prisoner's dilemma on the scale of many, many civilizations.
A hive-like alien civilization basically hoovers-up every alien species in its range, and we humans just happen to be in its path -- on this lonely, strange, colony world.
We follow its scientists and survivors among what amounts to an absentee landlord that just cherry-picks the best parts of our civilization, or any civilization, and us humans are forced to try to survive not just our total captivity, but also our own shit.
Great start to a series. I'm all down for it. It's exciting and enraging just like our reality, only put on a much bigger display. There's choice, but not really. There's huge stakes beyond just us, too, with the threat of another vast enemy. So it's not like we can simply just choose sides. The premise is difficult, complex, and fascinating.
I didn't know what I was headed into when I picked up this highly-acclaimed mainstream book that just so happens to be an SF.
I mean, there's a numberI didn't know what I was headed into when I picked up this highly-acclaimed mainstream book that just so happens to be an SF.
I mean, there's a number of books that were always middle-of-the-road SF stories told in middle-of-the-road SF ways but were always touted as above and beyond mainstream, but rarely do I see one that is Kim Stanley Robinson level Hard SF getting slipped in as regular popular fiction.
And yet, here we go! This goes hard with marine biology -- and interstellar travel. I like these stories a lot. Good, interesting characters, the troubles of long journeys, and we've even got so many of the trappings of Aurora built right in, while MacInnes makes it all his own.
What can I say? I've always enjoyed this sub-category of SF and thought this one was well above average. Give me the hard science, the feeling of wonder, the troubles of survival, and lots of new places. I want to soar -- and this book gives me that. :)...more
Here's a bright surprise of an older YA SF book. This 1968 novel reads perfectly as if it were of the modern type. Bright and clear in all ways, it giHere's a bright surprise of an older YA SF book. This 1968 novel reads perfectly as if it were of the modern type. Bright and clear in all ways, it gives us an exploration of life aboard a huge generational spaceship and its interactions with colony worlds.
Most importantly, it's fantastic for the very reason of its title. It's about growing up, learning more and more about your own society and how it clashes with others, of where you or they can be wrong, and where you could or should fit within it.
That's an exceedingly simple description, of course, but I'll point out that this well-written novel is quite down-to-earth in every way possible. It's fascinatingly straightforward and really digs into prejudices and misconceptions. The best part is that its pretty damn universal.
I could had this book to just about anyone, regardless of preferred genre, and I can pretty much promise that it will not offend and it will likely stay with you a long time afterward.
One thing I will point out: it gives me an impression of being a much better YA than most I have read. The best parts are the questions....more
Quite a claustrophobic post-apoc alternate reality novella. No complaints with the feel.
Taken out of context with many other great post-apoc SF, it eQuite a claustrophobic post-apoc alternate reality novella. No complaints with the feel.
Taken out of context with many other great post-apoc SF, it even seems to shine a bit: a monastic crew aboard a nuclear sub, barely surviving after a nuclear war that sparked after the Bay of Pigs.
But it's the rest where I have a few minor quibbles. I'm a big fan of the Fallout game series and this novella just feels like a minor scene in the milieu. When it comes to the monastic feel, it's super easy to recall A Canticle for Liebowitz or especially the superlative Anathem -- but those two did it a lot better in every way.
I'm forced to think a bit deeper in this novella, unfortunately, about the incomprehensibility of keeping a nuclear sub going for so long... using stolen children. It's not like you can truly jury-rig the whole setup.
But that being said, the FEEL is pretty good....more
No, it's not about genres. It's about live venues vs. remote, where it suddenly becomes illegal to haveThis is our definitive musical conflict novel.
No, it's not about genres. It's about live venues vs. remote, where it suddenly becomes illegal to have large gatherings thanks to something a bit worse than Covid. It's about corporate stoogery versus real connection. It's about the very real dystopia of our lives that could easily swap out with anything we do, when we're progressively losing our social identity, the reality of real people.
The music underlines it as, truly, most stories of music always does. Let's face it, there's hardly anything better suited to this theme of rebellion and belonging than music.
I really enjoyed this novel. It may not have completely blown me away in every aspect, but what it does right, it does very well.
This novella took me on a few interesting turns. I really, really enjoyed the worldbuilding in it. I was totally invested from the get-go. Post apocalThis novella took me on a few interesting turns. I really, really enjoyed the worldbuilding in it. I was totally invested from the get-go. Post apocalyptic, great potential set-up for a whole series, even.
And then it went in a direction that seemed like dithering until I realized the entire novella wasn't about a new start in a very interesting post-apoc world at all. Once I got THAT through my head, I was fully back on board.
The real moral of the story? Well? Should I spoil? No. I won't. But I did appreciate it for what it actually became. The THEME was the real twist.
But really? I think I would have loved to see a full SF series. Who knows, maybe later, but that might mess with the impact of this one's message.
I decided to read this mainly because of a renewed interest in Doctor Who AND a whim that I should always have read Stephen Baxter's entry into the seI decided to read this mainly because of a renewed interest in Doctor Who AND a whim that I should always have read Stephen Baxter's entry into the series.
So, I did. And while I didn't hate it, it suffers from a bit of don't-care-ism. It's the Second Doctor. And while we do see a lot of Jaime (kinda a weird companion at any point) and we spend a lot of time near Saturn, I never quite vibed with either this tale or this particular doctor.
I did want to like it more than I did, of course, and I did enjoy the actual Science bits, but the rest was rather deflating. Alas. ...more
Check this out: a nineties cyberpunk-ish novel that focuses on not only identity-skipping, some complicated sexual abuse issues, and LGBTQ+ themes, buCheck this out: a nineties cyberpunk-ish novel that focuses on not only identity-skipping, some complicated sexual abuse issues, and LGBTQ+ themes, but -- get this --
Sewage Treatment.
The first is grounded and fascinating and keeps my interest, but it's the latter that is the real hook for me.
I mean -- Cyberpunk SF revolving around SEWAGE TREATMENT. I guess, in a way, that's the true grounding factor in this tale. Slowly moving grounding.
Honestly though, it was just unusual enough to be pretty damn cool even if it didn't utterly spark my cyberpunk-loving imagination. It WAS interesting, if not utterly brilliant. I can also probably say that this WILL be memorable, and that is nothing to sneeze at.
This old '82 Nebula nominee seemed to be a good starting point to read Bishop, who, alas, I had neglected up till now. He had just died a month ago buThis old '82 Nebula nominee seemed to be a good starting point to read Bishop, who, alas, I had neglected up till now. He had just died a month ago but I had heard his name plenty of times in the past.
So there's this book. There's plenty good and some that's slightly icky, but not so bad if you consider the time in which it was written. It obviously wants to be strong and freeing, with a main character that is black, smart, and courageous. He going all out to get what he wants, honoring traditions, using his dreamtime/hallucination power to travel far back in time, make changes there, and most importantly, LIVE and love.
He goes far back enough to encounter and live among near, pre-human hominids, finds love there, and more, the novel is about belonging, growth.
Where I like it: It's smart, well thought-out, and rather deep. We avoid most prejudices by working through them the hard way, by engagement. It may as well be a roundabout way to tackling our own modern issues. Indeed, the science-fantasy bit of a cutting-edge almost Wakanda-like civilization was both heartening and quite amusing in a good way.
Where I don't like it: That same avoiding prejudices bit may as well be a double edged sword for the reader. A snide look at the premise of the book, as it is also written by a white guy, in conjunction with the realization that this black man may as well be marrying a theoretically sub-human hominid, have a baby with her, might come across as -- complicated. And by complicated, I mean under many various interpretations that might very well be -- quite racist.
I don't believe the book is intentionally racist at all, honestly. It is careful and quite exploratory, which makes it a good novel, but let's face it: optics are a thing, and while it's often used crazily, it is always worth considering. Of course, that's rich that I should be mentioning this 41 years after it was written AND after the author's death, but I'm still doing it.
It IS a quite interesting time-travel novel....more
We go back in time to the height of the Prador War in this standalone hard-SF and I have to admit I enjoyed going back to the genesis of some great siWe go back in time to the height of the Prador War in this standalone hard-SF and I have to admit I enjoyed going back to the genesis of some great side-plot-character points in a number of other novels. The reptilian AI symbiote? Hell yeah.
But more-so, I thought it was pretty fantastic to see the creation of one of the greatest generals (with the help of AIs and some pretty nasty scientists) of the Prador War. When it comes to hard-SF, Neal Asher is rather a master. Tons of great elements woven together into constantly great stories, but more importantly, great characters wrangling with the implications of all such.
In this particular novel, I loved the total philosophy about power. Truly impressive battles, overwhelming force, and the implications of mental control all made this a rather important piece of the entire series. It really focused on it. Very enjoyable. ...more
This is a nice, more classic mix of LitRPG with a slightly more unique core reason than most of this type. (Yay for generational starships and new plaThis is a nice, more classic mix of LitRPG with a slightly more unique core reason than most of this type. (Yay for generational starships and new planets.) The actual LitRPG is pretty much a standard world-exploration fantasy world with limited quests.
What makes this one a bit special is the hints that the players have been doing NPC-type things for an AWFULLY long time, so a spattering of random skills appear to be way overpowered despite the character starting out, nearly memory-less, at level one.
I think it's always pretty fun to goof around with that kind of thing, and this randomly thrown-together small party grows together and learns to trust one another as they reveal what the hell has been going on in this place.
Not bad. Entertaining. Somewhat normal for the type, but nonetheless fun....more
We get other PoV's following the first book, and while I appreciated the bold change as an idea, I may not have quite clicked with it. I preferred theWe get other PoV's following the first book, and while I appreciated the bold change as an idea, I may not have quite clicked with it. I preferred the first book's style. That being said, this book had more changes than just that.
This wasn't a normal LitRPG as the other. This was a tower defense, with wave after wave of attackers. It absolutely required a very different style. No casual adventuring. Just siege, a few story reveals and progressions, and more siege.
Maybe my mood was for more of the previous, alas, but this was still pretty decent. Hobgoblins are obviously a HUGE part of this. :)...more
I was just telling my good buddy reader how much I wanted to see something like Scavenger's Reign on my bookshelf, and here, lo-and-behold, it arrivesI was just telling my good buddy reader how much I wanted to see something like Scavenger's Reign on my bookshelf, and here, lo-and-behold, it arrives!
Of course, there are a number of really great books that go the whole bio-punk route, but either way -- I really, really appreciate them whenever they come my way.
Here, we have an alien world, with tons of exploration, science, MYSTERY, more science, and a whole world of political, anti-authoritarian goodness. In my humble opinion, I think we need a whole lot more.
Wherever there is a boot heel on the neck of people, or specifically on scientists, artists, or any portion of the population that would naturally rebel against the CONTROL gets out of control, I do find it rather fascinating just how much the authoritarians go gaga over those rare scientists (or artists) who functionally sell themselves out to the boot.
Those who sell out aren't the majority. Most will reluctantly or angrily work within the system, or not at all, but then there are those who throw in with the boot -- dragging everyone else down to pavement.
Suffice to say, I would rather like to see mother nature (or mother alien nature) give us a potent tool against such CONTROL. It's the main reason I love this novel.
When I discovered that the new Booker prize for '23 was a Dystopian SF, I, of course, had to read it.
Why I decided to read it on Christmas day is beyoWhen I discovered that the new Booker prize for '23 was a Dystopian SF, I, of course, had to read it.
Why I decided to read it on Christmas day is beyond me. This is a huge warning novel. It can never happen here novel. Ireland has always had its share of problems, but this one hits too close to home, even if you're not in Ireland.
The hits keep coming, the rise of auth-right extremism and brutality overwhelming these poor people, page after page.
It's not an easy novel to get through, but then, that's also true for most Dystopia. I'll just say this: my ability to stomach fictional dystopia decreases every time our world comes ever closer to it. Indeed, it is like the enemies of kindness itself are reading these novels as a how-to manual.
So. Assuming you like a nice little descent into chaos, I will recommend this pretty good novel.
If you don't, or just can't stomach it anymore, then please avoid....more
I had a good time with this SF LitRPG adventure. The whole "Amazon-clone takes over the multiverse" SFnal post-apoc dystopia vibe was, even with all tI had a good time with this SF LitRPG adventure. The whole "Amazon-clone takes over the multiverse" SFnal post-apoc dystopia vibe was, even with all the slimes, the hobgoblins, the mega-corp exploiters, and huge scorpion herds, extremely close to our own dystopian world. I FELT it.
We're only one step away from selling all the corpses we make. Yay.
I suppose I really enjoyed the hell out of maybe 5/6th of the novel until we got the actual resolution for the main quest plot. I mean, I knew we had to get here eventually, but it felt kinda rushed. I don't know if there will be more, but I'll definitely be here for it if there is. I want to see ALL of BuyMort go down. But either way, I kinda wish we had a more natural build-up toward this particular end, even if it would require 3-4 more novels. Like I said, it was fun....more
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