The sequel to Wanderers, this story has quite a different focus from the first book. In a post-pandemic world, the US has fallen into chaos. The sleepThe sequel to Wanderers, this story has quite a different focus from the first book. In a post-pandemic world, the US has fallen into chaos. The sleepwalkers and shepherds live in their own 'bubble' in the mountain town Ouray, Colorado as they try to rebuild and reestablish society. Without giving too much away, the main premise of this books' plot focuses around Black Swan, the AI system, and its over-reaching power in Ouray and beyond. Very unique story with lots of twists and turns, great writing, and fantastic characters that you can connect with. It is a long read, 800+ pages, but it kept me enthralled until the end....more
The first book of the Wanderers sci-fi duology. WARNING: Big book, almost 800 pages! The story follows a near-future, dystopian sci-fi where a sleepwaThe first book of the Wanderers sci-fi duology. WARNING: Big book, almost 800 pages! The story follows a near-future, dystopian sci-fi where a sleepwalking epidemic drives fear and eventually violence across the US. Unstoppable sleepwalkers gradually gather in a flock moving toward an unknown destination. In parallel, strange deaths start to occur in other parts of the US, with bodies seemingly taken over and killed by a zombie-ant fungus. Are the two happenings related? What is causing both of them?
To be completely honest, the premise of this book sounded dumb to me at first (another end-of-world zombie story) but I saw it had good reviews so I decided to give it a try. In the end, it was very much worth the read and I've already started the second book (Wayward)! The story takes unexpected turns and the reader is left surprised until the very end....more
Intelligent life has been found hiding right under our noses, in the ocean! An advanced species of octopus has developed its own language and culture.Intelligent life has been found hiding right under our noses, in the ocean! An advanced species of octopus has developed its own language and culture. The area where they live, a remote area of Vietnam called the Con Dao Archipelago, has been sealed off - to protect them? to study them? or to take advantage of them? The story principally follows the experience of Dr. Ha Nguyen, a cephalopod expert who is eager to understand and communicate with this intelligent life, and Evrim, an AI-powered android working alongside Dr. Ha. The meaning of intelligence and consciousness is explored, while touching on other themes such as killer drones, corporate corruption, overfishing, and AI. Good story overall but I'm left wondering more about the octopus, and it's not a strong ending....more
The (unnofficial) 4th book of the Three-Body Problem series. Although not written by the original author Cixin Liu, he gave support for this fan-fictiThe (unnofficial) 4th book of the Three-Body Problem series. Although not written by the original author Cixin Liu, he gave support for this fan-fiction continuation of the multi-award-winning series that he began. Author Baoshu wrote this mix of a paraquel and sequel in an attempt to answer many of the unanswered questions generated by the original books, and to keep the story going. It explores several unanswered mysteries, as well as continues the story to settle the aftermath of the conflict between humanity, the Trisolarans and the universe as a whole (the Dark Forest). Quite a good story, impressive how well this wraps into the original trilogy. It becomes even more far-fetched and bizarre compared to the already out-of-this-world storyline. Worth a read if you enjoyed the Three-Body Problem and didn't want the story to end, like was my case!...more
"The ultimate fate of all intelligent beings has always been to become as grand as their thoughts." WHAT an adventure, magical and out of this world s"The ultimate fate of all intelligent beings has always been to become as grand as their thoughts." WHAT an adventure, magical and out of this world storytelling. This third book of the Three Body Problem trilogy spans a period of billions of year, as the fate of Earth, the Trisolarans, and even the universe are challenged. I loved it! Extraordinary imagination exemplified by the author. This book is heavy sci-fi and is even more unusual than the previous two books, warping the extremes of physics, math and astronomy....more
Last book of the silo trilogy and it does not disappoint! Usually sequels are not as good as the first book, but this trilogy has kept the high-level Last book of the silo trilogy and it does not disappoint! Usually sequels are not as good as the first book, but this trilogy has kept the high-level of entertainment throughout. Pure sci-fi genre, this dystopian future has humans stuck living below ground in massive 'siloes' of 100+ levels. But throughout each book, things are not what they first seem and even into this last book, the reader continues to be surprised with twists and turns. I highly recommend this for sci-fi fans, but be sure to follow the order of the books (Wool > Shift > Dust) so that you can properly follow the story....more
Fantastic second book of the Silo trilogy! Set in a post-apocalyptic world where what is left of humanity has been forced to live underground in siloeFantastic second book of the Silo trilogy! Set in a post-apocalyptic world where what is left of humanity has been forced to live underground in siloes, this second part of the trilogy uncovers the backstory. What led to an inhospitable Earth? How was the Silo designed? How did people get forced underground? What started the beginning of the end? Highly recommend this for fellow sci-fi fans!...more
Book 1 of the Silo trilogy. Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where humans are confined underground in the 'Silo', a 144-floor self-sustaininBook 1 of the Silo trilogy. Set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where humans are confined underground in the 'Silo', a 144-floor self-sustaining city. Earth's atmosphere has become inhospitable, confining humans indoors and underground with a fear of the outdoors. I don't want to give too much away but it's an excellent story with lots of twists and turns, as well as great characters that you can relate to. It feels like one of those 'near future' sci-fi stories, a worst-case scenario if we don't get our own impact on the environment under control. As a sci-fan fan, I can be picky about this genre, but I loved this - already ordered book 2 Shift and book 3 Dust. ...more
I'm reading through the entire trilogy and it really sets the bar high for hard sci-fi. It's wildly imaginative and I find it hard to put down, I'm eaI'm reading through the entire trilogy and it really sets the bar high for hard sci-fi. It's wildly imaginative and I find it hard to put down, I'm eager to see how it all ends. You really must read the first book, Three-Body Problem, to be able to follow this second book.
The story follows a near-future scenario where the Earth is preparing for a coming alien invasion. The aliens are remarkably more advanced, technologically speaking, than humans and we know very little about them - they know almost everything about us. We have four centuries to prepare for their arrival as they make the interstellar journey. There is still hope but defeatism runs rampant through society. So what happens? The ending is a complete surprise!
The biggest challenge up against us? "..the sophons: super-smart subatomic machines sent from Trisolaris (the aliens) that see everything on Earth and block advances in fundamental physics, while communicating with Trisolaris in real-time through quantum entanglement." That's a mouthful, you'll only be able to follow if you read the trilogy!
The title Dark Forest for the 2nd book is wisely chosen. The dark forest hypothesis is a possible solution to the Fermi paradox. The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence. (~Wiki) The dark forest hypothesis states that civilizations exist in the universe but are both silent and hostile, remaining silent out of fear of being destroyed by other hostile civilizations....more
FANTASTIC collection of 10 sci-fi short stories out of China, all by renowned author Cixin Liu (the same writer of best-seller The Three-Body Problem FANTASTIC collection of 10 sci-fi short stories out of China, all by renowned author Cixin Liu (the same writer of best-seller The Three-Body Problem trilogy). Each of the stories explore dystopian futures where humanity attempts to navigate and survive extreme scenarios. I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology. Well-deserving of 5 stars, I was drawn into each of the stories and often forced to challenge my way of thinking. 5 of the stories won the highly acclaimed Chinese Galaxy Award, so it's no surprise this book is so good. If you're a sci-fi fan like me, I HIGHLY recommend checking out this collection....more
Humankind is on the brink of extinction, of our own doing thanks to human-driven climate change. A distant planet has been found in the 'Goldilocks zoHumankind is on the brink of extinction, of our own doing thanks to human-driven climate change. A distant planet has been found in the 'Goldilocks zone' - conditions allow for human habitation. In the near future which very much reminds me of The Handmaid's Tale, women's freedom has been restricted. But a rebellious group of 5 women step up to settle on this newly found planet, Cavendish, in humanity's last hope for survival. Great sci-fi story with a feminist twist. This is a mix of end-of-world scenarios, long-distance space travel, terraforming new planets, and how to rebuild society the 'right' way. I recommend this book if you're into sci-fi like me! ...more
A classic, a sci-fi novel written by Walter Tevis in the 1960s. Protagonist TJ Newton is an alien who travels to Earth on a mission. He takes extreme A classic, a sci-fi novel written by Walter Tevis in the 1960s. Protagonist TJ Newton is an alien who travels to Earth on a mission. He takes extreme measures to integrate himself into society, slowly taking the steps necessary to reach his undercover goal. But as he's getting closer to achieving it, he is overwhelmed with loneliness, despair and a realization that things aren't quite as he thought... I thought it was a great story overall. Highly recommend it to my fellow sci-fi fans!...more
Interesting sci-fi story set in deep space, with an unexpected love story within. Protagonist Rosalyn is on the run from her past and has become a 'saInteresting sci-fi story set in deep space, with an unexpected love story within. Protagonist Rosalyn is on the run from her past and has become a 'salvager' (a nicer name for a 'space janitor') - she cleans up vessels where the crew has died. But after a couple of odd clean ups with similar characteristics, she starts to suspect that something is amiss. Her latest clean up though becomes a fight for her life, with a parasitic alien virus the culprit of so many expeditions gone awry. I'm a huge sci-fi fan and found this story worth a read!...more
Largely considered a prequel to The Three-Body Problem saga, I enjoyed this story. It's not quite as out of this world as The Three-Body Problem triloLargely considered a prequel to The Three-Body Problem saga, I enjoyed this story. It's not quite as out of this world as The Three-Body Problem trilogy, but it explores its own wild ideas that push the boundaries of physics, ethics, warfare and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. The story begins when the protagonist Chen watches his parents incinerated by ball lightning and throws himself into a lifetime pursuit of understanding the rare phenomenon.
I didn't know that ball lightning was a real thing until I began reading this book. The descriptions in the book about 'the characteristics and behavior of ball lightning are based on historical records as of 2004.' Fascinating to learn about this real-world phenomenon!...more
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