Pounce is a robot and a nanny for 8-year old Ezra. Pounce is not master of its own life. It‘s all bullshit and graffiti, no free choice. But Pounce loPounce is a robot and a nanny for 8-year old Ezra. Pounce is not master of its own life. It‘s all bullshit and graffiti, no free choice. But Pounce loves Ezra. There’s a robot revolution, it’s the end of the world. Murder, mayhem and scary code. Pounce has to save Ezra and together they travel through dangerous ground to make it to safety.
I, Robot and Terminator meet Disney. Violence, death, murder, quite a lot of action and animated bipedal tigers and teddy bears. Quite the visual.
The robots sound very human, you can barely tell the difference when you listen to Pounce. I was not convinced. If you want something stranger with a more serious look and a heavier does of SF, I recommend Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This was a bit too straight forward and simple for my taste. Not bad, if you are looking for something lighter discussing free will and the choices we make. Parts of it were pretty creepy.
Decent audio, although my mind kept wandering off during the fight scenes.
* "From Enceladus, with Love" by Ryan Cole, 4970 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dizzie, a blind passenger hitches a ride on a colony ship headed for Enceladus. Human* "From Enceladus, with Love" by Ryan Cole, 4970 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Dizzie, a blind passenger hitches a ride on a colony ship headed for Enceladus. Human are leaving an Earth that is being taken over by AIs. Too strange that Dizzie keeps hearing a heartbeat below decks� This was fun. I can see a sequel or something longer. Good plot bunny.
* "Pollen" by Anna Burdenko, translated from Russian by Alex Shvartsman, 5330 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nika and Bunny are stranded in a habitat on a colony planet. Something unexpected happened and it’s not quite clear what is real and what isn’t.
* "Mindtrips" by Tlotlo Tsamaase
* "Those Uncaring Waves" by Yukimi Ogawa
* "Hook and Line" by Koji A. Dae
* "The Sound of the Star" by Ren Zeyu
* "Funerary Habits of Low Entropy Entities" by Damián Neri
Non-Fiction
* "For Sustainable Space Colonies, Let There Be Soil" by Gunnar De Winter * "Falling for Characters: A Conversation with Lee Harris" by Arley Sorg * "Permission to Experiment: An Interview with Julie Dillon" by Arley Sorg * "Editor's Desk: The Best from 2024" by Neil Clarke
Bodyhoppers by ROCÍO VEGA, translated from Spanish by SUE BURKE, 5280 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️½, a consciousness hopping to a new body in search of a loved one.
KBodyhoppers by ROCÍO VEGA, translated from Spanish by SUE BURKE, 5280 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️½, a consciousness hopping to a new body in search of a loved one.
King of the Castle by FIONA MOORE, 6280 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½, back in a post-apocalyptic Wales with Morag. I read another story with her in Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 217, October 2024. The King of the Castle could have had a nice life with Morag and the other villagers, but he couldn‘t adjust to the new reality. Morag is a recurring characters—there are several more stories with her on Clarkesworld. I might catch up one of these days, Morag and her robot Seamus are a fun duo.
We Begin Where Infinity Ends by SOMTO IHEZUE, 9270 words, novelette, ⭐️⭐️½, Nigeria, about friendship and saving fireflies, with a touch of romance. Fairly quiet story, despite one dramatic event. I took a look at some reviews and most people liked this story a lot. It didn’t do anything for me. I thought the pacing was uneven and I didn‘t connect with the characters.
A Planet Full of Sorrows by M. L. CLARK, 13110 words, novelette, ⭐️⭐️¾, another one that didn‘t really do much for me. Spacers coming to a new planet with alien structures. Finding something exceptional and figuring out how to protect it. Some commentary on our present. It was ok, I liked the ending, but I did not really enjoy reading this and skimmed a lot. It was too slow and didn’t have not enough plot progression.
The Hanging Tower of Babel by WANG ZHENZHEN, translated BY CARMEN YILING YAN, 6380 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, interesting take on the connection of space exploration, radiation exposure and Alzheimers. A son cares for a father that has been an absent parent, a space elevator is to be dismantled and the past is remembered. I liked this one.
Numismatic Archetypes in the Year of Five Regents by LOUIS INGLIS HALL, 3560 words, ⭐️, couldn‘t get into this at all. Roman coins and emperors, riots and a final coin minted for someone unexpected. Didn‘t do anything for me.
Celestial Migrations by CLAIRE JIA-WEN, 3090 words, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, a mining planet and megafauna traveling through space. Has a Hard SF feel to it. I liked the beginning, but got lost with the latter half.
This edition and the stories can be found here:
This was not my issue. Not sure if it was the stories or me, but this was really up and down. I might look for more from Fiona Moore....more
It‘s not a good sign when I can‘t remember the title of the book I am reading and struggle with the characters� names.
The audio of this book didn‘t wIt‘s not a good sign when I can‘t remember the title of the book I am reading and struggle with the characters� names.
The audio of this book didn‘t work for me. The narrator was continuously very breathy and tense and always on the same monotone level without any punctuation or emphasis on anything. I just could not get a grip on the story.
40% into the book and it felt as if the plot would fit onto a paper napkin. Nothing really momentous happened. It did not drag me in. The flashbacks often did not fit and felt pointless. There was not sufficient character development to make up for the lack of plot. By the time we met the first community during this road waterway trip, I had lost interest.
Too much literary fiction and not enough thriller. I feel as if I should have liked this more. Sorry, but moving on. It‘s probably me and I need to try this again in print at some point....more
College setting with student athletes. Our main narrator is Scarlett, a platform diver still recovering from a serious injury and Luke, a very successCollege setting with student athletes. Our main narrator is Scarlett, a platform diver still recovering from a serious injury and Luke, a very successful swimmer. Scarlett is dealing with trauma and struggling to recapture her pre-accident performance levels. On top of that she is working hard on her curriculum, working hard towards entering med school. When her diving partner and best friend outs her kink to Luke, the world champion swimmer, their worlds collide and they enter into a sexual relationship. It‘s never that easy though, as emotions enter the equation eventually.
Funny. Unexpected kink. More explicit sex than I care for. Bearable drama, even if it‘s based on a fairly far-fetched premise. I don‘t think many would put up with that in real life. Nice epilogue.
The audiobook is mostly narrated by Scarlett. Luke‘s voice is done by a male narrator, which is nicely done and works well.
This is my second book by Alice Hazelwood. The other one, Bride, was ok. I think I had more fun with this one. I would read something else by the author....more
There is nothing a dragon loves more than gold. And Ember is no exception. But he‘s so small and so adorable and just not very good at finding gold� CThere is nothing a dragon loves more than gold. And Ember is no exception. But he‘s so small and so adorable and just not very good at finding gold� Cute little picture book....more
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