A little bleaker, a little less "gosh-wow" sensawunda (due to familiarity), a lot closer to home, Terra Insegura is the perfect balance to Marseguro: you've got to read this one if you read the first. It does stand on its own, but why deny yourself the pleasure of the full literary tapestry Edward Willett weaves with these two...
Robert J. Sawyer tells us about several intelligences "waking up" to the world, finding their way as the thinking, sensing beings they weren't moments before. He tells a good story in an accessible style...
Allen Steele's sixth novel set in his Coyote universe is one of exploration: exploring a planet, exploring the hidden potentials in the human mind, and exploring interpersonal relations individually and collectively. It's a well-told tale with a frustrating ending... (Warning: this review contains some spoilers.)
Another of Heinlein's "juveniles", this one really holds up to a modern reading, with a rollicking adventure of a family feeling a little too hemmed in on the Moon, and seeking new frontiers...
A species worth of planets is on the move, the galaxy is exploding, and the economy is tanking: who better to solve your problems than a true paranoid, who thinks everyone is out to get him?
The fifth installment in Naomi Novik's wonderful alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons is the darkest yet, with more military tactics and maneuvering than the previous books...
Damien Broderick's look at the near and not-so-near future of humans and humanity falls under its own scope, but provides plenty of fascinating mental nuggets along the way...
For a writer I still think of as "one of the new guys", Michael A. Burstein is an experienced, accomplished author whose first collection is a wonderful compilation of moving stories...
It's a time-traveling, fantastical, magical, religious mystery. A more cerebral, relaxed Indiana Jones story, but stakes even higher, and revelations around most corners...
Seeds of Change sets out to tell stories of paradigm shifts, and how they'll affect people experiencing them. It succeeds, and tells some good stories at the same time...
Stanley Schmidt's newest non-fiction work shows how seemingly unrelated concepts can be wed to create the world we live in, and the world we may be living in...
Josh Howard's teenage immortal is fighting the ultimate evil, while searching for the truth about her own past. It's bloody and messy, but holds the interest...
How can you not love the newest book by the author/illustrator of The Book of Bunny Suicides and Great Lies to Tell Small Kids...
A little bleaker, a little less "gosh-wow" sensawunda (due to familiarity), a lot closer to home, Terra Insegura is the perfect balance to Marseguro: you've got to read this one if you read the first. It does stand on its own, but why deny yourself the pleasure of the full literary tapestry Edward Willett weaves with these two...
Robert J. Sawyer tells us about several intelligences "waking up" to the world, finding their way as the thinking, sensing beings they weren't moments before. He tells a good story in an accessible style...
Allen Steele's sixth novel set in his Coyote universe is one of exploration: exploring a planet, exploring the hidden potentials in the human mind, and exploring interpersonal relations individually and collectively. It's a well-told tale with a frustrating ending... (Warning: this review contains some spoilers.)
Another of Heinlein's "juveniles", this one really holds up to a modern reading, with a rollicking adventure of a family feeling a little too hemmed in on the Moon, and seeking new frontiers...
The Reel Stuff gathers the original stories that gave rise to a wonderful collection of movies; in many cases, the original stories are even better...
Ben Bova writes comic social commentary like he knows what he's doing… because he does. This is a good selection from a quarter-century's output...
A species worth of planets is on the move, the galaxy is exploding, and the economy is tanking: who better to solve your problems than a true paranoid, who thinks everyone is out to get him?
The fifth installment in Naomi Novik's wonderful alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons is the darkest yet, with more military tactics and maneuvering than the previous books...
Damien Broderick's look at the near and not-so-near future of humans and humanity falls under its own scope, but provides plenty of fascinating mental nuggets along the way...
Turtledove's sixth Crosstime Traffic novel takes us to a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles and asks "what started World War III"...
John Scalzi's first novel, now in a widely available format, is a good story, and will hold your interest to the end...
For a writer I still think of as "one of the new guys", Michael A. Burstein is an experienced, accomplished author whose first collection is a wonderful compilation of moving stories...
A slim volume trying to elucidate the themes within and differentiating the various Star Trek television series. It mostly succeeds...
It's a time-traveling, fantastical, magical, religious mystery. A more cerebral, relaxed Indiana Jones story, but stakes even higher, and revelations around most corners...
Sadly, Arthur C. Clarke's final, posthumous, collaboration with Frederik Pohl involves big ideas, but doesn't live up to either's reputation...
Seeds of Change sets out to tell stories of paradigm shifts, and how they'll affect people experiencing them. It succeeds, and tells some good stories at the same time...
Excellent worldbuilding and extrapolation lead to unfortunately horrible, depressing thoughts. But it's a good story, worth the read...
