I know I should have loved this one because it is one of those books that science fiction writers all refer to. However, I never quite connected with I know I should have loved this one because it is one of those books that science fiction writers all refer to. However, I never quite connected with the characters and despite the great ideas, I felt the story itself was rather fragmented and hard to follow. I know, that is sort of par for the course in PKD books, but I enjoyed his other books more than this one. ...more
This was a very strange and disorienting book about tiny little humans living inside a star. Yeah, it is bizarre and yet highly entertaining. It has aThis was a very strange and disorienting book about tiny little humans living inside a star. Yeah, it is bizarre and yet highly entertaining. It has a structure not dissimilar to that of Baxter's Raft in terms of elevation between societal strata and so forth, but it is truly interesting and good to know when you read the next book Ringin which the action of this one plays a significant (if small) role. ...more
This was a fast-paced and somewhat mind-bending experience at the end of the world. Baxter has an incredible imagination and his world-building here iThis was a fast-paced and somewhat mind-bending experience at the end of the world. Baxter has an incredible imagination and his world-building here is excellent as it oscillates between several future Earth periods with black holes and event horizons and time dilation. I liked the character Poole who we get so see again in Ring. I just need to read this cycle again to grasp all the characters and narrative frames in order to write a longer, more complete review....more
I enjoyed this first contact book very much from Tchaikovsky. The tone reminded me a lot of John Scalzi, but the voice was clearly that of Adrian. TheI enjoyed this first contact book very much from Tchaikovsky. The tone reminded me a lot of John Scalzi, but the voice was clearly that of Adrian. The characters here are compelling and the story and imagination are very engaging for the reader. This is one of my favorite books by this author!...more
I thought that this one was one of the better Age of Exploration novels that seem to take place kind of on the sidelines of the bigger Cherryh epics oI thought that this one was one of the better Age of Exploration novels that seem to take place kind of on the sidelines of the bigger Cherryh epics of Chanur, Alliance, Union, and the Faded Sun. It works well because of the extraordinary world-building with the fascinating Serpent's Reach space adjoining Alliance space that we have not explored elsewhere in Cherryh's novels. The adventures of Raen are entertaining as through her adventures we get to explore planets and stations and learn that despite this being Alliance space, it was colonized by Union and so, like in Cyteen, we encounter azi clones. Somewhat like in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?/Blade Runner, the immorality of enslavement of the azi is a major theme here which also adds to the attractiveness of the story. If you are unfamiliar with Cherryh, I would probably not start here, but I would recommend it once you have read at least Downbelow Station and the aforementioned Cyteen....more
This was a great short novel that kind of flips the narrative on first contact and has an alien raising a human orphan at the center of the story. As This was a great short novel that kind of flips the narrative on first contact and has an alien raising a human orphan at the center of the story. As usual, Cherryh does a fantastic job at world-building describing yet another alien species, the Shonunin, and how Thorn realizes his own identity and comes into his own agency. It is a standalone novel that is a real pleasure to read and could be one that I would recommend to folks unfamiliar with Cherryh to give them a taste before diving into the longer and far more complex stories that make up the larger cycles such as Alliance-Union. ...more
This is not one of my favorite Cherryh stories. There are some interesting ideas and it is always fun to be immersed in the Alliance-Union universe. TThis is not one of my favorite Cherryh stories. There are some interesting ideas and it is always fun to be immersed in the Alliance-Union universe. This one leverages the extinct aliens and dangerous AI tropes to function as a sci-fi horror story similar to her Port Eternity book. It is not as essential as the Chanur, Faded Sun, Union, or Alliance stories but still a short but somewhat entertaining narrative with that claustrophobic style that Cherryh is so good at....more
This is Cherryh's very first novel and as such it is not bad, I just felt that she hadn't quite hit her stride yet. This is somewhere between a medievThis is Cherryh's very first novel and as such it is not bad, I just felt that she hadn't quite hit her stride yet. This is somewhere between a medieval fantasy novel and a sci-fi book with the eponymous portal, the gate of Ivrel, being the central focus point. However, I wasn't inspired by the characters here and the narrative got confusing at points. Cherryh is working up to her third-person stream-of-consciousness style that works so well in the Chanur novels as well as Cyteen, but there are still some growing pains. As much as I love her stuff, I am not sure to carry on to the other 3 novels in this cycle. ...more
As with The Saint of Bright Doors, this one I felt was awful from page one. Whether it was the mil-sci-fi tropes or the obligatory same-sex charactersAs with The Saint of Bright Doors, this one I felt was awful from page one. Whether it was the mil-sci-fi tropes or the obligatory same-sex characters, it seems that every standard millennial trope was thrown in to this messy soup of a story. I don't see what the Hugo Award committee found so compelling in this book. Maybe I wasn't patient enough, but about 60 pages in I just could not continue. The character development is non-existent and it just felt like The Hunger Games mashed up with Lord of the Flies but without any subtlety or grit whatsoever. Maybe I am just becoming a grumpy old fart, but there seems to be a whole new generation of SFF writers that I cannot stand like TJ Klune and Vajra Chandrasekera. Is it a generation gap thing or is there a serious lack of originality in these new writers that seem just to use ChatGPT and a host of stereotypes and woke-types to build stories that just don't come off as original and seem to be begging Netflix or HBO for an on-screen treatment which this book by Tesh felt like it was doing in spades......more
The same team that brought us the excellent Expanse now delves into the biblical myth of Daniel and explores a future in which a super-powerful alien The same team that brought us the excellent Expanse now delves into the biblical myth of Daniel and explores a future in which a super-powerful alien species imprisons mankind. It is well-plotted and interesting but not quite as engaging or compelling as The Expanse, mostly because the science team here is not as colorful as the Alex-Jim-Naomi-Amos crew, but then that is a high bar to aim for. Maybe the second volume will give us a bit more character development because I think that is what is missing here. Kudos are due for the descriptions of the alien zoo and the conditions of slavery. ...more
I had a hard time getting into this series, but this 3rd installment got me a bit more excited about it. I thought the plot was a bit more coherent thI had a hard time getting into this series, but this 3rd installment got me a bit more excited about it. I thought the plot was a bit more coherent than The Jennifer Morgue. It occurs a few years after the previous episode and seems to outline a broader narrative around the threat posed by CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN. The character of Angleton is really intriguing. I also liked the relationship between Bob and Dom a lot. I miss the Ramona character though, I hope she comes back. I read that the style was supposed to be a pastiche of Anthony Price, but I have never read that author. All in all, worthy of my going on to the next episode in this series....more
Like the previous volume, The Fuller Memorandum, this episode continues the narrative as the threat of the end of the world represented by CASE NIGHTMLike the previous volume, The Fuller Memorandum, this episode continues the narrative as the threat of the end of the world represented by CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN. It shows Bob Howard rising in the nebulous world of the Laundry and confronting a television evangelist connected to some underworld gods. I thought the ending to this one was pretty great. I am getting more enthusiastic about this series and looking forward now to the next installment, The Rhesus Chart....more
While this was marginally better than the short stories in The Atrocity Archives, it was still a bit out there. I found Ramona to be the most interestWhile this was marginally better than the short stories in The Atrocity Archives, it was still a bit out there. I found Ramona to be the most interesting character and yet I get the feeling that she never comes back to this series of books. As for Dom and Bob, they just don't have very inteesting character arcs. I know this one was a parody of Ian Fleming's 007 books and it had loads of references to that thrown in alongside the rants about PowerPoint and useless paperwork, but some of the science and paranormal stuff just bored me as side-stepping the actual narrative and moving the story forward. I'll give Stross one or two more chances max with The Fuller Memorandum and The Apocalypse Codex....more
This one really disappointed me. The build-up in Dark Light seems wasted in this conclusion which left me wanting. I didn't think there was sufficientThis one really disappointed me. The build-up in Dark Light seems wasted in this conclusion which left me wanting. I didn't think there was sufficient payoff and did not connect with the characters. He did a better job winding up The Fall Revolution with The Cassini Division than with this one....more
I found that the Engines of Light trilogy was not as strong as The Fall Revolution. Nonetheless, this middle book of the trilogy made for good readingI found that the Engines of Light trilogy was not as strong as The Fall Revolution. Nonetheless, this middle book of the trilogy made for good reading and has some great ideas in terms of hard sci-fi....more
And thus ends the cycle of stories around Mark, aka Invincible. It was a fantastic run, another triumph for Kirkman and his team. I liked the plot twiAnd thus ends the cycle of stories around Mark, aka Invincible. It was a fantastic run, another triumph for Kirkman and his team. I liked the plot twists here and how we get a relatively smooth landing for the many characters. As a reader from the beginning of this series, I felt I got closure from most for the plot lines that interested me the most.
What I enjoyed about the whole Invincible universe was how it never took itself too seriously even with all the pastiches of various superheroes and cinematic universes. Mark remained a multi-dimensional character inside a universe of changing alliances and we got to see him grow as a human from a confused teen to a mature, wise adult who (naturally) saves the universe yet once again. The art is always spectacular with full-page graphics, two-page layouts of 32 boxes each...just a variety of formats with brilliant colors and homogenous artwork throughout. Highly recommended for fans of superheroes, sci-fi, and fantasy....more
Say it ain't so! Only one more issue after this! Mark is in trouble and fighting for his life! A huge cliffhanger at the end of this one will force yoSay it ain't so! Only one more issue after this! Mark is in trouble and fighting for his life! A huge cliffhanger at the end of this one will force you to grab the last volume ASAP to find out how it all ends!...more
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