December
3 Stars to Can't Have It Both Ways by Rob St
Description
If you are forced to participate in a competition that's reserved for adults only, doesn't that mean you should be considered an adult? Harry gets some much needed help and advice before having some fun by allowing his marauder heritage out to play. H/Hr
Review
I've enjoyed some of Robst's other works quite a lot. Here I've never seen the tournament turn into quidditch before, although many of the other things had been done. Shorter than my usual fanfic and without too much adult themes, this is a reasonably entertaining look into what might happen if the Goblins step up.
3 Stars to Time’s Ellipse by Frasier Armitage
Description
No solution saves everyone. Only one keeps us human. The hope of a dying Earth rests on a crew of astronauts. Their find a new home. But when they touch down on a distant planet, a time-bending anomaly traps them in a situation that no one could've predicted, causing them to question the nature of humanity, the snare of destiny, and the shape of time itself. Time's Ellipse spans generations, orbiting the lives of the scientists and astronauts involved in this historic mission as they discover that escaping the planet is simpler than evading its legacy.
Review
Obviously the suspension of disbelief is important in fiction. Most of the science fiction novels I enjoy are based on a future that hasn't happened or around some technology that is as yet impossible. The idea of orbital locking as posited in this story took a lot of getting my head over, though, and the fact that none of the characters seem to get how it works until it serves the plot for them to do so is a bit of a mark down, too. You can argue that the work is a bit of a character study or exploration of how a group of people with a minimum viable population degenerates into chaos, which then makes one question the purpose of the story around that whole thing which falls a little flat. So yes, it was ... OK. Not my favourite book of the year. I'd go for another Armitage , I never give up on an author after one book, but the thrust of the main idea of this one, combined with the execution of that idea being so weird in the first place, takes a bit of adjusting to.
3 Stars to Reformed, Returned and Really Trying by Starfox5
Description
AU. With Albus dead, there's only one wizard left to continue his fight. His oldest friend. His true love. There's no better choice for defeating a Dark Lord bent on murdering all muggleborns than the one wizard who gathered them under his banner once before. True, things went a little out of hand, but Gellert Grindelwald has changed. If only everyone else would realise this... Humor/Adventure Words: 52,946 fanfiction.net/s/13045929/
Review
As funny takes go, this was OK. I wish I had better German to understand everything and the ending was good.
4 Stars to Foundry by Eliot Peper
Description
This is a story about two spies locked in a room with a gun. This is a story about how semiconductors are refactoring 21st century geopolitics. This is a story about the greatest of games, the game that subsumes all other games, the only game that really matters: power. This is a story about finding yourself before they find you. This story is a trap.
Review
"It’s strange how the world can turn on dimes this banal. If history had any sense of propriety, exciting things would happen in exciting settings, preferably scored by John Williams." I got into this eventually, although trying to read whilst a lot of festive things happens around one with a story of such breathtakingly short chapters with so cleverly put-together words is a struggle. I've enjoyed Peper's other works a lot and getting into the mindspace of the lead proved a bit of a jump here, but I'm very glad I did and am ready to pick up more of the books to see where things go, or have been. I caught the nod to Reap3r and found this a clever noir look into Peper's world.
4 Stars to The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller by Douglas E. Richards
Description
The gripping near-future thriller by the author whose books have sold more than three million copies. Oliver Scott’s technology breakthroughs are revolutionary. But he’s hiding a devastating truth . . . Oliver Scott is the reclusive genius and trillionaire behind countless world-changing breakthroughs. But how does he innovate at such a furious pace? And while most hail him as a savior, what if he’s actually the most dangerous tyrant humanity has ever seen? A man who will stop at nothing to gain absolute power. Liam Dunne is an elite American operative enhanced with next-level technology, including a prototype supercomputer implanted in his brain. When an encrypted data file is transmitted into this implant, Liam is thrust into a battle for the very soul of humanity. Because the file holds the key to unlocking the mystery of Oliver Scott—and stopping a nightmarish future. As Liam and the woman he loves race to unravel the truth, they become the targets of a lethal manhunt initiated by the ruthless trillionaire. If they can survive long enough to access the enigmatic file, they can lift humanity to unimaginable heights. But they’re facing impossible odds. And time is running out . . . The Breakthrough Effect is a propulsive, action-packed thriller with big ideas, mind-blowing technologies, and twists and turns you won’t see coming. The novel explores such profound concepts as immortality, supercomputer implants, whole brain emulation, and virtual reality, along with nothing less than the nature of the universe—and the meaning of existence.
Review
EHO's become a staple of Doug's latter work and I really enjoyed the recruitment here. Things got a bit higgledy-piggledy when we started going all uber fast mental time and optical computers hosting people rather than AIs. The Genesis of these ideas has been present in other works and it's quite strong here. The final reveal is masterfully done, if a touch obvious to a long-time Doug fan, and this is another fabulous entry in his chronicles.
3 Stars to Memorial Bot by Benjamin Wrax
Description
Can you bear to learn about the troubled past and all the secrets of your dead lover by bringing them back to life in the virtual realm? Is the metaverse the best place to find love beyond the grave? Malcolm, a young Londoner, is forced to revisit the past after the mysterious suicide of his ex-girlfriend Leonora when he sets up a memorial bot to recreate her as a virtual being to heal his grief. Her past, as it turns out, is a lot more troubled and much darker than expected. Malcolm falls in love again with Leonora's virtual persona. He is a good guy at heart but in his naivety and desperation, he will do everything to keep Leonora, even if this turns him into an accessory to murder.
Review
Stories where some technology does weird stuff black mirror style can be quite compelling. The writing here had that odd, diffident British feel to it which made it a bit tricky to get into the headspace, and there is a lot of progress for the sake of the plot which stretches credulity on occasion. The names felt a bit weird at times, the twin thing in particular was a wrench and I was a bit disappointed that we never found out how she knew what she knew, if I can speak in circles to avoid spoilers. Not a bad work, but with definite areas to polish.
4 Stars to Metaman by Graham Storrs
Description
Becoming a metaman was more of an escape from Ross McGowan's downward-spiralling life than a job he really wanted but years of isolation, degradation and drudgery in the service of the Post-Human Collective would give him plenty of time to regret the choice. The company of Tracey Lane, his magnificent captain and mentor, might have helped him through it, if the discovery of an ancient Martian technology hadn't thrown him into deadly peril and set Earth and the post-humans on the path of war. And crucial to everything that was happening, was the answer to Fermi's old question, "Where are all the aliens?" Trapped millions of kilometres from home and pressed into service as a human guinea-pig for the post-humans as they pursue their desperate ambitions to escape Earth before the war escalates beyond control, Ross, ever haunted by the trauma of his past, steers a fine line between survival and revolt. As events around the post-humans evolve at breakneck speed, Ross and the other humans in the same predicament are branded collaborators by the governments of Earth and escape from the Post-Human Collective becomes a death sentence. Metaman is the exciting new novel from best-selling science fiction writer, Graham Storrs, author of the highly-acclaimed Timesplash novels, the Placid Point novels, and many others.
Review
I don't know where this fits into Graham's other works, it feels like it has the seeds of other things but also that it stands alone. it was at once uplifting and quite horrifying. The Australianness shone through almost as strong as with Time and Tyde, and there's quite a bad picture of Humanity painted. Still, a lot of ethical considerations to ponder and very much a blow to the wow factor of transhumanity
4 Stars to The Artifact by Peter Cawdron
Description
Five hundred miles from the Mediterranean, deep in the interior of Libya, lost in the heart of the Sahara itself, lies an oasis trapped in the past. With no surface water, Harat Zuwayyah barely supports any life at all. The scorching wind howls across the desert, driving the sand and threatening to bury the village. Professor Susan Taylor excavates an Egyptian tomb dated to prehistoric times. She uncovers the mummified remains of a wealthy family that died on the trade route, revealing insights into a lost culture, but it's the talisman watching over the grave that causes her heart to race. Red eyes glow from the back of the cave... FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
Review
It was interesting to me that our lead is from wales, that being the country of my own birth. I sort of began to think about wondering, hang on, when do we see any alien interaction at all? And then it just totally didn’t matter. The story was about us, too. More in some ways. The alienness was interesting, the vignette from their perspective utterlrly chilling, and some of the exposition – O’connor’s scientific thing was a work of art – rendering the whole book pretty captivating from start to finish. Not perhaps in my top 3, but certainly glad I baught it and will be after anything else Peter writes.
3 Stars to The Merging by Shaydrall
Description
Fandom: Harry Potter
The Dementor attack on Harry leaves him kissed with his wand broken in an alleyway. Somehow surviving, the mystery remains unanswered as the new year draws closer, buried by the looming conflict the Order scrambles to prepare for. Buried by the prospect of his toughest year at Hogwarts yet. In the face of his fate, what can he do but keep moving forwards?
Review
I'm sure I'd already read this, but the fanfictions do ... well I was going to say blur, but merge works too. If you can get over the somewhat overpowered theory of the Kiss doing what it does to begin with, there's much to enjoy here and it's quite a safe thing, without much of the gratuitous sex or too much character bashing. It does waft a vague innocence, very little is made of some important characters and people Harry's own age seem to get short shrift. But on the whole, I enjoyed the execution, even if I did have to suspend my disbelief for the idea.
4 Stars to The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow
Description
It's thirty years from now and we're making progress, mitigating climate change, slowly but surely. But what about all the angry people who can't let go? For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn't controversial, it's just an overwhelming fact of life. But so are the great efforts to contain and mitigate it. Entire cities are being moved inland from the rising seas. Vast clean-energy projects are springing up everywhere. Disaster relief, the mitigation of floods and superstorms, has become a skill for which tens of millions of people are trained every year. The effort is global. It employs everyone who wants to work. Even when national politics oscillates back to right-wing leaders, the momentum is too great; these vast programmes cannot be stopped in their tracks. But there are still those Americans who cling to their red trucker caps, their grievances, their anger, their nostalgia for the golden age of assault rifles. Their 'alternative' news sources reassure them their resentment is right and pure and 'climate change' is a con. They're your grandfather, your uncle, your great-aunt. They're not going anywhere. And they're armed to the teeth.
Review
I enjoyed this, actually. Despite being grim and dark and scary in many places, it was also hopeful and powerful and ... well, young, I suppose. It's one of the first times I've read a novel of youth and vigor and thought I was perhaps getting a little old! I didn't find any of the locality particularly relatable, of course, enjoyed a lot of the food though.
5 Stars to Memory Reborn (Living Memory #3) by David Walton
Description
“Walton has brought hard sci-fi roaring back to life.” —WALL STREET JOURNAL PAST AND FUTURE CLASH in the final book of the globe-spanning paleontology thriller that began with Living Memory. The threat of extinction by killer organism leads to world war as national powers vie to control the powerful technology uncovered in Thailand. Samira and her team are on the run from the United States, even as a Chinese scientist mirrors their discoveries and resists her own government's demands. Will the ancient creatures they found turn the tide and save humanity before it tears itself apart?
Review
Brilliant to read, although it's a slight shame that the title of the book gives so much away. I loved every turning point, the end of chapter 10 got me, and the whole story and indeed the series was very much worthwhile.
November
3 Stars to My Pretties by Jeff Strand
Description
A novel of terror from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of PRESSURE. A serial kidnapper is preying upon women. He abducts them, then locks them in one of the cages dangling from the ceiling in a soundproofed basement. There, he sits quietly and just watches them, returning night after night, hoping he'll be in the room at the moment his beautiful captives finally starve to death. Charlene and Gertie have become fast friends at the restaurant where they work. But Charlene is concerned when she hears how her co-worker spends her evenings: Gertie's cousin is one of the missing, and Gertie wanders the city streets where many of the abductions took place, using herself as bait with a high-voltage stun gun in her pocket. Charlene reluctantly offers to trail her in a car, just in case she does lure the kidnapper and things go wrong. Unfortunately, the women find themselves the source of unwanted fame. And now they're on the radar of a very, very dangerous man...
Review
Not one of my favourites, although the whole family being totally psychopathic was great and what happens to them is totally deserved. Enjoyed as a light and entertaining read!
October
3 Stars to Rush (The Game, #1) by Eve Silver
Description
So what's the game now? This, or the life I used to know? Miki Jones's carefully controlled life spins into chaos after she's run down in the street, left broken and bloody. She wakes up fully healed in a place called the lobby - pulled from her life, through time and space into some kind of game in which she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Every moment of the game is kill or be killed, and Miki has only the questionable guidance of Jackson Tate, the team's alluring and secretive leader. He evades her questions, holds himself aloof from the others, and claims it's every player for himself. But when he puts himself at risk to watch Miki's back, he leaves her both frustrated and fascinated. Jackson says the game isn't really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival. And the survival of every other person on the planet. She laughs. He doesn't. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.
Review
This grew on me as I read it. It's not got a great deal of innovation to it, but certainly is great stuff for the teen market. I'd be keen to try one of her adult novels having read this and will read the sequel, if there is one.
3 Stars to Ares by Jayson L. Adams
Description
Jayson Adams, the award-winning author of Infernum , delivers an exciting, fast-paced mystery set on the dusty red plains of Mars. Commander Kate Holman is on the verge of her life’s dream as the leader of the first manned mission to Mars. Minutes before setting foot on the red planet, her world comes crashing down when she’s abruptly relieved of command. Replaced by the mission’s security officer, she learns that a secret military objective is the true reason for their journey. What military purpose could Mars possibly hold? The question takes Kate to the fabled “Face on Mars” and a mysterious discovery excavated from deep within. Is it an exotic, new element? Evidence of life? An alien artifact? Scurried away by the security officer, she can only speculate. An astronaut dies. Systems malfunction. Some claim it’s the result of a rumored Martian “curse” that won’t lift until the unearthed item is returned. Kate seeks a more rational explanation for the problems befalling the mission, but suffers under debilitating headaches and the fear of their possible connection to her past. When Kate uncovers the nature of the item, a secret some would kill to protect, can she overcome the powerful forces allied against her and make it back to Earth? Visit www fictionfactorybooks com/ares for a preview
Review
Unfortunately, this didn't click with me. It felt rushed, the characterisations felt markedly overblown, and many of the concepts and ideas didn't seem to click together as I would have expected. Not sure if it's just Adams style of writing, perhaps I'll give his other novel a go. Little details like the misuse of t minus for times, the phrase vaginal cavity, the use of centigrade, and the pathos of the moon backstory all served to bother me more collectively than they should.
4 Stars to The Space Machine by Christopher Priest
Description
First edition hardcover with unclipped dust jacket. Light shelf wear to the cover and page block, otherwise in an unread condition. LW
Review
I wasn't expecting the feelings of the Palma Map of Time novel, but up they came. With the latter chunk of the book not a surprise in retrospect. Priest has been publishing novels since the 60's. I'd love to sit down and have a chat with him, that sort of life experience is something that I, in my thirties, really can't imagine. This was really quite a clever work, poking much fun at the attitudes of a bygone era whilst taking some of the best science fiction of the 19th century for an extra spin. Enjoyed.
5 Stars to Ghosts by Peter Cawdron
Description
When an alien spacecraft four times the size of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier enters the solar system, tensions run hot within the UN, but the alien vessel doesn't approach Earth. Instead, it sits off at L4, over a hundred million miles from Earth, baffling scientists from around the world. Chris 'Crash' Williams leads an international crew to investigate the appearance of this ghost ship, but he quickly learns that the spacecraft isn't as dead as it seems. Ghosts was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1973 novel Rendezvous with Rama, which went on to win the Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Rendezvous with Rama is a classic. It examined a plausible, realistic alien encounter, considering not only the physics involved but also the inevitable politics and religious implications. FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
Review
I read this in a single sitting and found it utterly gripping. Molly annoyed me a very little bit, and there is, on the surface at least, a very black-and-whiteness to things with the superpowers. But there are plenty of nuggets of wisdom buried deep, and as a first contact story it was brilliant.
2 Stars to Talbot (Talbot #1) by Richard F. Weyand
Description
They created an AI to solve a problem. Now the AI IS the problem. Frank Talbot knows rockets can never be used for interstellar travel. Even in the ideal case, they're just too slow, and space is too vast. But the vastness of space may allow other possibilities. Does fringe-theory physics hold the key? To find out, Talbot's committee funds all the fringe theories in physics. String theory, wormholes, hyperspace, alternate dimensions. To aid in that research, they fund the creation of a massive supercomputer to do the simulations, the Autonomous Re-entrant Neural Intelligence Engine. But havoc ensues when the massive machine wakes up. 'Arnie' is determined to help humanity in every way he can, whether humans like it or not. Now what do they do? Frank Talbot, his son Jeff and his wife Cindy, and computer entrepreneur Cooper Hartley set out to rein in the powerful machine. Will they succeed? Can they succeed?
Review
THE synopsis appealed very much and I had high hopes, but ... didactic is the word that comes to mind. There was action, but it was quite muted. None of the thought processes of the characters were different, i.e. the AI drew a connection between A and B, then the Humans made the exact same connection for the exact same reasons. The author drew them, in other words, and it felt like one person's hand putting the same words in multiple people's mouths. The setup was protracted (so and so went to here, studied this, learned that), and much of that was then spat back out near the end during the aftermath, which doubled the misery. Also, despite the mental health aspects which were very well done, the "hey ho, poor bastard" nature of a child's own parents grated a little, especially after the first time. Weyand's writing of any sort of emotive scene feels out-of-whack to me, I didn't connect, emotionally, with the parents because of their son's health troubles, with the AI for wanting to better Humanity, with those fighting against it to stop his actions or indeed with anyone at all. Even the activity at the end of the book which had the potential to be quite awe-inspiring felt written at a remove, and the idea that any of this could happen in our world with such chummy, ... simpaticoness, is hard to swallow. Not a real fan, unfortunately.
5 Stars to No Man's Land (Poor Man's Fight, #6) by Elliott Kay
Description
“I DON’T BELONG IN THE MILITARY. I DON’T WANT TO BELONG.” Tanner Malone never aspired to heroism. For him, the Navy and the Debtor’s War were all about survival. Lately, his life has turned to better days with college, friends, and a growing relationship. He’s not interested when a Union Fleet admiral brings him a mysterious alien threat, but he can’t turn away Alicia Wong. Ancient warfare between humanity’s alien neighbors threatens to reignite. While tensions rise, the Fleet detects a massive alien craft sneaking through human space. The commando team sent to investigate is tough, competent, and straight out of Tanner’s worst fears. Surviving this will push Tanner to his limits—and he’ll definitely need a note for class.
Review
Oh, yes. This was the best 4 hours of my weekend. I love these books, and the structure and pace of this was excellent. The climactic chapters, 23-26, were un-put-downable. Alicia shone, Tanner is just brilliant, and the whole galaxy Kay’s made is now just alive with great aliens, worryingly pumped officers and dangerous politics. This series goes from strength-to-strength. I really hope Tim comes back to do the audio, that guy voices the series brilliantly. I know I’ve only just finished book 6, but I want book 7 already! Or to go back from the beginning all over again.
5 Stars to Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Description
Now a New York Times bestseller! Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good. In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.
Review
Oh yes, this was great. I am always wary of intelligent cats, but it worked here. I am usually worried about intelligent dolphins, ever since Douglas Adams scared them all away. And lasers and lava and hitmen, oh my! It was brilliant. Short and snappy, with a similar feel to the Preservation Society in standalone tone and texture but with enough standout points to make it work in its own right, I enjoyed every page and will absolutely read again one day.
4 Stars to Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver
Description
It’s 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife. Now he must uncover the truth: was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide? A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. A former US President campaigns against the first AI politician for the position, but someone is trying to sway the outcome. Tully must convince the world to face the truth and make hard choices about the future of the species. But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost? An enthralling murder mystery with a vividly realised future world, forcing readers to grapple with hard hitting questions about the climate crisis, our relationship with Artificial Intelligence and the price we'd be willing to pay, as a species, to be saved. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Harlan Coben, Neal Stephenson, Philip K. Dick, Kim Stanley Robinson and RR Haywood.
Review
Despite seeing the ending coming, I really enjoyed this. As a detective story it had a slight noir sense, as a climate change continuation it’s quite frankly terrifying and as an extrapolation of the current technological milieu, it’s worryingly addictive. I won’t go into too much detail; it’s not an overlong work. But there’s certainly scope for another book and I hope that Mr Weaver is planning one.
2 Stars to Shadow and Bone (Shadow and Bone, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Description
Alternative Cover Edition #1 Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Review
A grim opener to a series, I confess that although I enjoyed it for itself, I'm not overly sunk on following up. I enjoy some bleak fiction, but there's a nebulous nature to the powers called that has yet to really be defined and, if I'm being brutal, I've just spent 22 chapters reading about an orphan girl hiding her powers because of another orphan while some sort of centuries old planner tries to bring things to fruition. We've not yet been told about any ancient or mysterious reason for this, the old-woman-as-mother trope was easy to spot from the beginning and almost everything present was muted: - the training for talented kids although set in a palace was only briefly covered. The creepy priesthood is very much underrepresented by the apparat. The political mess of the other lands only really comes into any sort of meaning in the final chapter, and the actual people are really only given form in the hierarchy of Corporalki versus Summoners, with serving girls who don't know their place, Orphans with mysterious scars, and trackers who never actually explain their tallents and seem overpowered to the story anyway. A quite unsettling mix of things which, I would hope in future works, would fall onto a more even keel but for me here and now left me felt a touch disappointed.
4 Stars to Airside by Christopher Priest
Description
Hollywood actress Jeanette Marchand was beautiful, talented, beloved by audiences. During a time of personal crisis, she declares she is going to take a vacation in England, to explore the possibilities of working in London, before returning to the USA. She never returned to the USA. She never even left the airport. At least – no-one saw her leave. Years later, a young film student finds himself digging deeper into her disappearance. Where did she go? Was she really dead? Who was the mysterious man who sat beside her on the flight across from New York?
Review
I found myself oddly compelled to keep reading this. There were glimpses, particularly in the Seoul hotel and Gimpo airport when I felt like the whole world would fall apart, and we'd crack through into whatever Matrix-like edifice we were actually in. The aviation stuff was interesting, of course, and I suppose having that as a thread, along with film, made for an interesting and learnable yarn. I never quite felt at ease with the timing of things, Justin's life felt oddly compressed or contracted. I felt like smartphones and the era of propellers had an uneasy detente in the book, and neither were quite comfortable with the other on the page. A book I'd read again? Maybe, for the illusive detail. One I am comfortable I've understood all the nuances of? Not a chance.
4 Stars to A Marauder's Plan (A Marauder's Plan, #1) by CatsAreCool
Description
Fandom: Harry Potter Relationship: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Sirius decides to stay in England after escaping Hogwarts and makes protecting Harry his priority. AU GOF.
Review
I stuck with this to the end, and at nearly 900,000 words, that's a big job. I can't admit to being overly impressed either: there were 35 occurrences of kisses being dropped or placed on the side of someone's head, every time a mirror call took place the wavering of the image was mentioned more than once, and nobody was bad. I mean apart from the bad guys we knew going in, literally everyone else was made good. I can take that for a particular arc, but everyone? It was a bit of a stretch. yet, for all that, I enjoyed myself, because the ways in which people spin off Potter are legion and it's nice to see an interpretation of that. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, compelled to read like I have been with others, but I still kept going and am glad I know how the story ended.
August
5 Stars to The Art of War by Peter Cawdron
Description
Commander Lisa Chao works in the US Navy’s Strategic Planning Center in Pearl Harbor. When tensions rise with China over Taiwan, she has to unravel exactly what is happening in the Pacific and why. What she uncovers leads America to war, but not with China. Bullets and bombs are no match for an extraterrestrial warship that can fly between stars, but perhaps the answer to the coming war lies not in the present but in the past. Could Sun Tzu’s The Art of War provide humanity with a fighting chance against a technologically superior alien enemy? FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
Review
"ET is going to have to skedaddle mighty damn quick if there’s a CASM on his tail." Oh, yes. How can you not enjoy this sort of thing? So the All-American Dreamboy thing is a little strong with this one but it works, because we see ISRO and all sorts of fantastic things happening too, puncturing the mystique. you actually come away thinking NASA maybe isn't top dog, which is a clever twist; perhaps even more impressive reading it now thinking about Chandrayaan-3. “Hang on,” the 2IC says, scratching the side of his head, still looking at the orders. “Am I the only one that doesn’t understand what’s going on here? What the hell is a non-indigenous orbital expeditionary force?” Though perhaps less cerebral in some ways than other works of Peters, this was still hugely engaging, with good action bits but also clearly held together by scientific rigger and clear thinking. Another great one. Very glad I paid for it.
5 Stars to My Sweet Satan by Peter Cawdron
Description
The crew of the Copernicus are sent to investigate Bestla, one of the remote moons of Saturn. Bestla has always been an oddball, orbiting Saturn in the wrong direction and at a distance of thirty million kilometers, so far away Saturn appears smaller than Earth's moon in the night sky. Bestla hides a secret. When mapped by an unmanned probe, Bestla awoke and began transmitting a message, only it’s a message no one wants to hear: “I want to live and die for you, Satan.”
Review
We've had a similar idea of a space-based Human without their full memories in another one of Peter's books. In Cold Eyes, Dali was also a younger version of himself if I remember rightly, and that lead to all sorts of interesting consequences and is another one of my favourites from this fantastic author. Here, though, Jazz's memories of her training are gone (hopefully not too big a spoiler - it's revealed very early on). That opening scene on the swing was one of the most intriguing mental pictures I've had for a long time in a book, the juxtaposition was just brilliant and it totally compelled me to keep reading. It's funny, having read the whole book and enjoyed it greatly, it's still that shattering, fun-house mirror impact of that opening scene that lingers in my mind. I just know that, when I run my virtual eye down the books on my virtual shelf for a real reread, it'll be that which leaps off the page into my head in a year or so. SO many parallels to other great sci-fi here too, of course; 2001 and, surprisingly one of my favourite novels by another science fiction author, Golden Fleece by Robert J. Sawyer. I'm astonished that the whole of Peter's back-catalogue of First Contact books haven't been picked up and spread far and wide by a forward-thinking publisher yet, because they approach things so differently yet with such eloquence, forethought and insight.
4 Stars to Going Zero by Anthony McCarten
Description
From four-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten comes a breakneck, wickedly entertaining thriller for our times, a twisty, action-packed novel reminiscent of the best Michael Crichton technothrillers, in which a woman must find a way to elude the most powerful forces of government and high tech. In the name of national security, the CIA in partnership with Silicon Valley wunderkind Cy Baxter have created the ultimate surveillance program known as FUSION. Ahead of its roll out, ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test the groundbreaking system. At the appointed hour, each of the ten will have two hours to “Go Zero”—to turn their cellphones off, cut ties with friends and family, and use any means possible to disappear. They will then have 30 days to evade detection and elude the highly sophisticated Capture Teams tasked to find them using the most cutting-edge technology. The goal is to see if it is possible to successfully go “off the grid” and escape detection. The stakes are immense. If FUSION is a success, Cy Baxter will secure a coveted 10-year, $100 billion dollar government contract and access to intelligence resources he truly believes will save lives. For any participant who beats the massive surveillance, it means a $3 million cash prize. Among the contestants is an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day. She’s been chosen as the gimme, the easy target expected to be found first. But Kaitlyn excels at confounding expectations. Her talents at this particular game are far more effective than all the security experts suspect, and her reasons for playing far more personal than anyone can imagine. . . .
Review
I was hooked right up until the last day or so, but the final segment saw things devolve a little into something of a mess. The cleverness and strategy seemed to go out the window a little, and I found myself wondering just how many times revealing the same secret, all-be-it to different people, could work. Nonetheless this was an engaging and exciting story for the most part, and I'd have no hesitation in picking up another novel by this author, who's very clearly mastered writing for screen with those short, punchy chapters and dramatic action scenes.
4 Stars to Time Loves a Hero by Allen M. Steele
Description
Earth’s past and future are altered by twenty-fourth-century time travelers in this “significant work of science fiction” from the author of Arkwright (Rocky Mountain News). Chrononaut Franc Lu has come a long, long way—from the twenty-fourth century, in fact—to be in New Jersey on the evening of May 6, 1937. Traveling four hundred years into the past, he and his partner have been sent by the Chronospace Research Centre to observe the infamous explosion of the zeppelin Hindenburg. But when the German airship touches down safely on the airfield in Lakehurst, Lu realizes that something has gone terribly wrong—or rather, horribly right. His presence at the landing has set in motion an alternate historical timeline, and now everything will be different, though not necessarily in a good way. The consequences of Lu’s mistake could prove catastrophic for every living soul on Earth, now and forever, unless the past and the future are somehow repaired—and that is a burden destined to fall on the shoulders of visionary NASA scientist and wannabe science fiction author Dr. David Zachary Murphy. An expansion of his Hugo Award–winning novella “ ‘. . . Where Angels Fear to Tread,’ ” Allen Steele’s Time Loves a Hero is at once thrilling, surprising, startling, and thoughtful—a mind-blowing masterwork of speculative fiction that radically reimagines time travel, alien contact, alternate history, and a host of other well-worn science fiction tropes.
Review
a truly riveting time travel story, I really enjoyed it. Brilliant stuff.
July
3 Stars to Resistance (Star Trek: The Next Generation) by J.M. Dillard
Description
The USS Enterprise is ready to rejoin the fleet. The body of the great starship – which managed to survive the deadly Romulan-Reman attack only with Data's ultimate sacrifice – has been restored. With the departure of first officer William Riker and ship's counselor Deanna Troi, Picard has to replace two of his most trusted advisors. A Vulcan is granted the commission of ship's counselor. Logical and pragmatic, T'Lana is a highly decorated member of Starfleet who served with distinction during the Dominion War. For his Number One, Captain Picard has only one candidate: Worf. The captain is looking forward to putting the shadows of war behind him, shaping his new crew, and returning at last to being an explorer. However, the Klingon refuses the promotion. And Picard senses that his new counselor does not approve of Worf. Starfleet hands the Enterprise a simple assignment perfect for a shakedown cruise. Picard is confident that this is all he needs to bring his crew together. Before the mission commences, the captain once again hears the song of the Borg Collective. Admiral Janeway is convinced that the Borg have been crushed and are no longer a threat. Picard knows that she is wrong, and if he doesn't act immediately, the entire Federation will be under the domination of its most oppressive enemy.
Review
This almost felt like a second go round at First Contact, picard exorcising the Borg once again. Despite new crew being mentioned, I didn’t feel as connected with them as I had in the other recent books I’ve read set a few years after this. Resistance in fact very much felt like the Jean-Luc and Beverly show, which was fine as far as it went, but not what I was really expecting. janeway’s cameo also felt quite out-of-character, which was a shame. SO all-told, this felt like just another Borg story really.
4 Stars to The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4) by Matt Dinniman
Description
New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure. You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent. A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps. It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked. Here's the thing. It's never easy. Carl and his team can't go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted? Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.
Review
what can I say? these are just ... stupidly gripping! Loved the epilogue, things are really hotting up in that direction. MORE, PLEASE! And it is 4 in the morning, for the benefit of my future self checking out review dates. First weekday morning of summer vacation too. Gonna be a long day!
5 Stars to The Bug by Ellen Ullman
Description
The Bug is a mesmerizing first novel about a demonic, elusive computer bug and the havoc it wreaks on the lives of the people around it. This rare combination–a novel of ideas and a suspense–is a story about obsession and love that takes readers deep into both the personal and virtual life. In 1984, at the dawn of the personal-computer era, Roberta Walton, a novice software tester at a SiliconValley start-up, stumbles across a bug. She brings it to its inadvertent creator, Ethan Levin, a longtime programmer who is working at the limits of his knowledge and abilities. Both believe this is a bug like any other to be found and fixed and crossed off the list. But no matter how obsessively Ethan combs through the depths of the code, he can't find its cause. Roberta runs test after test but can't make the bug appear at will. Meanwhile, the bug, living up to its name, "The Jester," shows itself only at the least opportune times and jeopardizes the fate of the company. Under the pressures of his obsession with the bug and his rapidly deteriorating personal life, Ethan begins to unravel. Roberta, on the other hand, is drawn to the challenge. Forced to learn how to program, she comes to appreciate the intense intimacy of speaking the computer's language. As she did in Close to the Machine , Ellen Ullman brilliantly limns the space between human beings and computers–a space we all occupy every day as we peer into our monitors. Ullman has been a computer programmer for more than twenty years, and having switched from code to prose, she has shown herself to be a unique, revelatory writer. She is the insider who can articulate the realities of the technical world, taking readers to emotional and intellectual places fiction has never brought them before. With The Bug , Ullman proves she is not only a remarkable essayist but also a master storyteller. From the Hardcover edition.
Review
"a kind of obsessional energy that was nonetheless pleasingly addictive. As the examples and assignments became harder, I began making errors, having trouble getting code to compile, link, run. Yet this trouble only drew me in, created in me a fierce determination to get it working. I had never before built anything—not a tree house, not a soapbox racer; I’d never even been able to finish a woven pot holder. I was bad with my hands and I lived in my head, and for me there was only one way to build something: programming." This paragraph certainly sounded very familiar. The whole atmosphere of the work is gripping and thrilling on a couple of levels. We've all, of course, personified bugs in our code, but to see the effects of that on a whole team of coders and testers is quite scary. Then to look back at the systems and tools of the day and to see actually that the testing procedures still work today. TO see another ploughing through Kernighan and Ritchie's book with such evident enjoyment was gratifying, and the last chapter was almost elegiac. SO not a book for everyone, as is so often the case, but with a splendid couple of characters, a dollop of nostalgia and a glimpse into the shadowy world of the computer program too.
5 Stars to The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #3) by Matt Dinniman
Description
Welcome to the Gun Show! The top ten list is populated. The sponsorship program is open. The difficulty is ramping up. The first three floors were nothing compared to what Carl and Donut now face. The Iron Tangle. An impossibly-complicated subway system built out of the world's subterranean railway systems, all combined and then tied together into a knot. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations are less than safe, and the exit is always just a few stops away. But there is hope. For the first time, the crawlers are all working together. The loot is better than ever. And the secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly-useless book. Welcome, crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.
Review
I think this was my favourite so far. The God battle was just epic, even if a bit short. Totally enjoying this series.
4 Stars to Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #2) by Matt Dinniman
Description
"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin." The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Carl still has no pants. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.
Review
No content provided.
4 Stars to The Gardener by Guy Portman
Description
A slave and a stoner’s dreams are going up in smoke. Illegal immigrant Hoàng was hoping to see Buckingham Palace. But as he was locked in a shipping container, he never even saw the White Cliffs of Dover. Now the Vietnamese national is holed up in a cannabis farm hidden from the light of day. If the modern-day slave gets a shot at freedom, he will have to seize it. Teenager Amelia is a sextortionist with a penchant for video games and smoking weed. Unfortunately, the wayward adolescent hails from a long line of prestigious accountants, and she is obligated to follow in the family tradition. A crucial exam is just days away. Amelia’s only hope is to blackmail the teacher. Failure is not an option. If you’re a fan of suspenseful fiction, you’ll relish these two darkly humorous tales.
Review
Both brilliantly-told in Guy's wonderful style, I enjoyed these tremendously. I won't go into any plot detail because they're quite short but these work for anyone already a fan, or as a great introduction to Guy's works
4 Stars to Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Description
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church. Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Review
No content provided.
4 Stars to Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1) by Matt Dinniman
Description
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here. The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition. You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what. Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show. Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not. Includes part one of the exclusive bonus story “Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.”
Review
So, cliches much? Cats. Why is it always cats? And cats with the power to talk? But despite that, I found myself chuckling at spots. It was an enjoyable story, even if utterly nonsensical in many ways. Yes, I’ll pick up book 2 soon, just to see what happens
June
4 Stars to Veiled by Jeff Strand
Description
The first time their eyes lock, it’s an amused and sympathetic look from Alice at the next table. She can tell Nate’s blind date is going horribly awry. The second time is a chance meeting at a grocery store. Or is it by chance? It’s a little weird, but either way, Nate and Alice hit it off immediately. He really likes her. They have great chemistry. But there’s something a little off—okay, a lot off—about her. Not just the unexplained sadness. It’s an intense desire, almost a desperation, for things to move much faster than Nate is comfortable with. Alice has an obvious secret. What’s she hiding? When Nate finds out…well, nobody said this was a romantic comedy… From the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of My Pretties and Autumn Bleeds Into Winter comes…. Veiled .
Review
sadly the ending let me down for the second time in a row with a strand, but I enjoyed most of the book. There's something reassuring about these works, you know what you are getting and, for the most part, it lives up to expectations.
4 Stars to The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Description
In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in the dark during the course of a fraudulent séance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and revelation as they vie to outwit and expose one another. Their rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers, but with terrible consequences. In the course of pursuing each other's ruin, they will deploy all the deception their magicians' craft can command--the highest misdirection and the darkest science. Blood will be spilled, but it will not be enough. In the end, their legacy will pass on for generations...to descendants who must, for their sanity's sake, untangle the puzzle left to them.
Review
With particular enjoyment as to the appeal of both the style of writing and events repainted across more than one viewpoint I found myself rather hooked well before the midpoint of this disconcerting yarn. I'm still ever-so-slightly creeped out now, and hope my sleep isn't haunted by gaunt - but well-dressed - shadowy figures.
3 Stars to The Dream Millennium by James White
Description
With corruption and pollution destroying Earth, John Devlin is sent on a one-thousand-year mission to find a new planet for mankind
Review
One of whites more peculiar divergences, this was interesting, especially with the Belts giving a heinlein-style Beyond This Horizon feel. The memory idea is just bananas.
May
4 Stars to Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee
Description
An immortal Knight of the Round Table faces his greatest challenge yet—saving the politically polarized, rapidly warming world from itself—in this slyly funny contemporary take on Arthurian legend. Legends don’t always live up to reality. Being reborn as an immortal defender of the realm gets awfully tiring over the years—or at least that’s what Sir Kay’s thinking as he claws his way up from beneath the earth yet again. Kay once rode alongside his brother, King Arthur, as a Knight of the Round Table. Since then, he has fought at Hastings and at Waterloo and in both World Wars. But now he finds himself in a strange new world where oceans have risen, the army’s been privatized, and half of Britain’s been sold to foreign powers. The dragon that’s running amok—that he can handle. The rest? He’s not so sure. Mariam’s spent her life fighting what’s wrong with her country. But she’s just one ordinary person, up against a hopelessly broken system. So when she meets Kay, she dares to hope that the world has finally found the savior it needs. Yet as the two travel through this bizarre and dangerous land, they discover that a magical plot of apocalyptic proportions is underway. And Kay’s too busy hunting dragons—and exchanging blows with his old enemy Lancelot—to figure out what to do about it. In perilous times like these, the realm doesn’t just need a knight. It needs a true leader. Luckily, Excalibur lies within reach. But who will be fit to wield it? With a cast that includes Merlin, Morgan le Fay, the Lady of the Lake, and King Arthur himself—all reimagined in joyous, wickedly subversive fashion—Perilous Times is an Arthurian retelling that looks forward as much as it looks back . . . and a rollicking, deadpan-funny, surprisingly touching fantasy adventure.
Review
Well, this was certainly an interesting take on the legends. A clever mix of the ancient and the modern with heroes to actually get behind, but also perhaps not actually admire all that much in some ways. An intriguing mix.
4 Stars to Verity by Colleen Hoover
Description
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
Review
Not my usual sort of a read, and I quite enjoyed the buildup. The final reveal ws intense and clever, in a Before I Go To Sleep sort of a way, I felt. Not particularly varied in terms of writing style, this was nonetheless readable and satisfying.
4 Stars to The Marriage Act (Dark Future, #4) by John Marrs
Description
What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey? Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills — the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single. But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives — monitoring every word, every minor disagreement — and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey.
Review
I found myself wondering exactly what the next reveal was going to be here: they came, mid-chapter, without warning and with tremendous shock value. Although I enjoyed the Passengers more, I still found this an insightful and thought-provoking read. Marrs can also seriously do creepily shady government types well, which is also neat to read.
5 Stars to Critical Mass (Delta-v, #2) by Daniel Suarez
Description
In New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez's latest space-tech thriller, a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth's climate crisis could well hang in the balance. When unforeseen circumstances during an innovative—and unsanctioned—commercial asteroid-mining mission leave two crew members stranded, those who make it back must engineer a rescue, all while navigating a shifting web of global political alliances and renewed Cold War tensions. With Earth governments consumed by the ravages of climate change and unable to take the risks necessary to make rapid progress in space, the crew must build their own nextgen spacecraft capable of mounting a rescue in time for the asteroid's next swing by Earth. In the process they'll need to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon's surface—all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable, but possibly humanity's best hope for a livable, peaceful future.
Review
I waited a long time to read this sequel, but yes, it was worth it. Lacking some of the surprise of the initial story, this one yet caps the first with a tremendously triumphant tone whilst not shying away from ethical and moral issues.
5 Stars to Cloudthinker: A Science Fiction Thriller by Andrew McGlinchey
Description
Numbers don't lie. But people do. Boogie Wu was supposed to be a genius success story: child math prodigy, Stanford PhD, rising star at Magenta Labs. Then she burned out, flamed out, and disappeared. Now, years later, the trillion-dollar company that cast her aside has launched a startlingly skillful AI. It drives. It cooks. It thinks. It takes more and more jobs from humans. And Boogie’s long-lost proof—the one she cracked in a sensory deprivation tank in rural Japan—might be the code running underneath it all. As old friends resurface, whistleblowers go silent, and protest turns violent, Boogie is pulled back into a web of ambition, regret, and dangerous invention. She thought solving the math was the hard part. But when your mind is the blueprint for a machine that could reshape the world, Boogie must decide: expose the truth and risk everything, or fight a machine intelligence that knows her better than she knows herself.
Review
I found myself impressed by the synopsis of this one and very much enjoyed every page. The timeliness of the AI progression nailed it, I think - everything from Wuhan to the current state of language models felt like the changes were worryingly plausible and as a debut novel, it was both coherent and exciting all the way through. Very reasonably priced on Kindle and a few hours of total escapism.
5 Stars to Deadly Memory (Living Memory, #2) by David Walton
Description
THE PAST TURNS DEADLY in this sequel to the globe-spanning paleontology thriller Living Memory. Ancient genetic technology drives world politics as China and the US vie for the power contained in Thailand’s fossil deposits. Deep in an underground CIA facility, Samira studies an unprecedented find but fears her discoveries will be used as a weapon. Meanwhile, from the depths of the ocean, a killer organism surfaces that hasn’t been seen in two hundred and fifty million years. Will world powers share what they know in time to save humanity?
Review
I closed this book feeling more strongly that I want book 3 than I did after the first. The characterisations are all strong, the story utterly compelling, and without doubt another amazing trio of stories to add to David's already staggeringly strong series of books. Bring on the climax!
4 Stars to Travel by Bullet (The Dispatcher, #3) by John Scalzi
Description
The Audible and New York Times best-selling "Dispatcher" series returns with a brand-new mystery, performed by Zachary Quinto. The world has changed. Now, when someone is murdered, they almost always come back to life—and there are professionals, called "dispatchers," who kill in order to save lives, to give those near the end a second chance. Tony Valdez is a dispatcher, and he has never been busier. But for as much as the world has changed, some things have stayed the same. Greed, corruption and avarice are still in full swing. When Tony is called to a Chicago emergency room by an old friend and fellow dispatcher, he is suddenly and unwillingly thrown into a whirlpool of schemes and plots involving billions of dollars, with vast caches of wealth ranging from real estate to cryptocurrency up for grabs. All Tony wants to do is keep his friend safe. But it’s hard to do when friends keep secrets, enemies offer seductive deals, and nothing is ever what it seems. The world has changed... but the stakes are still life and death. ©2022 John Scalzi (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.
Review
There's only so much noir I can take after a while but I'm glad the favour came into play, as a solid nod back to the first instalment.
4 Stars to Murder by Other Means (The Dispatcher, #2) by John Scalzi
Description
In the world of the Dispatchers, a natural or accidental death is an endpoint; a murder pushes the do-over button and 99.99% of the time the victim comes back to life. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher who’s been taking shadier and shadier gigs in financial tough times, and after witnessing a crime gone wrong, he finds people around him permanently dying in a way that implicates him. He has to solve the mystery of these deaths to save the lives of others–and keep himself out of trouble with the law.
Review
I kinda wish we'd had more background on what causes dispatching to work after the first of these, but enjoyed this a lot nonetheless.
5 Stars to Apothecary by Peter Cawdron
Description
In 1558, during the reign of Bloody Queen Mary, Earth is visited by extraterrestrials who initiate First Contact. Their mission is to gather samples of life on Earth and observe, but not interact with humanity. After witnessing a brutal execution, their patience is tested beyond breaking point... FIRST CONTACT is a series of stand-alone novels that explore humanity's first interaction with extraterrestrial life. This series is similar to BLACK MIRROR or THE TWILIGHT ZONE in that the series is based on a common theme rather than common characters. This allows these books to be read in any order. Technically, they're all first as they all deal with how we might initially respond to contact with aliens, exploring the social, political, religious, and scientific aspects of First Contact.
Review
This was a tremendously exciting read: I had no idea where it was going to go at first, but as soon as we left the planet my excitement rocketed along with the spacecraft. by the time we catch up with the modern era, I am thoroughly hooked, and the story played out with, yes, some predictability but, for all that, a sense of satisfaction and rightness.
April
3 Stars to Quantum Radio by A.G. Riddle
Description
At CERN, a scientist has just made an incredible discovery – a breakthrough that may answer the deepest questions about human existence. But what he's found is far more dangerous than he ever imagined. Dr. Tyson Klein is a quantum physicist who has dedicated his entire life to his research. At CERN, he analyses data generated by the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most powerful particle accelerator. Now, Ty believes he's found a pattern in its output. It looks like an organised data stream, being broadcast over what he calls a quantum radio. Could it be a signal from another universe? A message sent from the future? Or something else entirely? As Ty peels back the layers of his discovery, he learns that what he's found isn't what he thought it was. The encoded message is far more profound. It may alter our understanding of human existence and the universe. But Ty is not the only one looking for it. Someone has been following his research for a long time. And they'll do anything to prevent him from unravelling what is being broadcast by the quantum radio... Because the first one to discover the truth may well control the future.
Review
I had high hopes for this and came away feeling a little … Meh. I presume there’ll be a big reveal in the next books about the origin of the besuited agents (there are 4, so any real surprise?) It also feels a bit off that we’ve had a glimpse into the endgame of a perfect quantum world, which on one hand is an excellent allegory for determinism but on the other makes you wonder just how dangerous things will be going forward. Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong and there will be more twisty and turny satisfaction.
4 Stars to The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Secret Projects, #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Description
A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?
Review
I'm behind in my reading of Sanderson's main corpus and so diggint into the secret projects has been a bit of a chance. This, being standalone, was really good, and I totally enjoyed the contrast of the main story action and the wonderful commentary from the Book itself. I didn't quite feel like I was reading Brandon in spots, but I enjoyed the story a great deal and will reread one day to grasp more nuances.
3 Stars to Demonic by Jeff Strand
Description
From the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PRESSURE and AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER, comes a new novel of unrelenting terror. Corey is falling in love with his co-worker Quinn. This is a problem. Not only because Quinn is married, but because her husband is a serial killer known as the Toledo Trasher, who has been forcing her to participate in his savage crimes. With nothing but Quinn’s best interests in mind, Corey shows up at their home with a gun in his pocket and a knife in his hand. Unfortunately, there are some very dark forces at work, and Corey makes Quinn’s situation worse than he could have ever imagined. And now things are about to get really, really bloody... With his trademark frenetic pacing and pitch-black humor, DEMONIC is Jeff Strand at his devilish best.
Review
A shame about the ending, although in an odd way it kinda worked.
5 Stars to Insignia (Insignia, #1) by S.J. Kincaid
Description
The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game. The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones. As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay. . . .
Review
This was one of the best YA books in a long time. Exciting in all the right places and with a tremendous amount of both action and spooky things to think about - mind altering uploads, anyone? I really enjoyed.
4 Stars to Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaić
Description
No content provided.
Review
Ok, so after finishing the first published arc and knowing there was more, I had no choice, obviously. And despite things piling up on my to-read pile whilst I was ploughing through this, I persisted. I'm glad I did. It's nice when this sort of work has an end to the story, and although at times a few of the chapters were a little jarring, overall it was well worth reading. Obviously it's not for everyone, but I am very glad I persisted.
February
5 Stars to Fair Trade: An Alien Invasion Story by Mackey Chandler
Description
Most of my writing is in a series people seem to enjoy but there is a constant small crowd who I'd really like your take on an alien invasion story. Well this is for them. The bulk of the aliens come to Earth stories assume their vast superiority, sometimes invincibility. Sometimes they suddenly appear on the white house lawn dictating terms. I have yet to see one with them appearing at the Kremlin or Canberra which seems rather parochial. Other times they are so advanced they quarantine the Earth or Solar System without discussion because we are such barbarian slime-balls. They may alternately be impossible to talk to and attack without mercy. All these assume they come with a plan and the means to carry it out. Our own age of exploration showed things happen much less orderly. Islands and natives were happened upon while seeking someplace else or even because a storm or miscalculation left the ship lost. In that case there is no plan but survival with the assets at hand. As with any game remember that turnabout is fair play.
Review
The more I read, the more I wondered about the subtitle. And then chapter 28 happens, and I got walloped over the head. I love books that do that. This is a great alien story and has a very satisfying ending, which is brilliant. Very much glad I gave it a go.
2 Stars to Hindsight by Proton6
Description
Snape died alone at the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry may have defeated the Dark Lord at Hogwarts, but the piece of Voldemort's soul in his scar remained. Six years later, Harry and Hermione are mysteriously sent back in time after a friend betrayed them. Will they correct their mistakes and defeat Voldemort once and for all? HP/HG. DarkGrey!HHr, GreaterGood!AD, Ron!Bash, Good Ginny
Review
So, ehh ... Subjectively this was very poor. Dumbledore was not even a 2d character, the Super Harry thing was done shamelessly, the sex was not depicted strongly but omnipresent and almost every thread was predictable. However, this is whatFanfic in this universe was when I was reading it every day 2 decades ago. teeny. riddled with obviousness and all that entails. So I stuck with it because it made me wonder just what about this sort of work I'd enjoyed. I haven't got any answers, but strangely I don't begrudge the7 hours or so of reding time it took me either.
3 Stars to Port State by William Bowden
Description
There are many ways to test humanity to destruction. Serving tea and cakes is one of them. And it is over tea and cakes that the enigmatic Mr. Day makes his proposition to skeptical diplomat Thaddeus Maine. The offer is for the United Kingdom to become the sole distributor of technology so advanced as to be out of this world. A conduit, delivering wonders to the rest of the globe. Naturally, the United Kingdom will want to attach a premium, to cover their costs and so forth… But when it comes to a sufficiently advanced technology, we are so conditioned by what we see at the movies that the real thing no longer seems magical. And unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens.
Review
Potentially exciting, but clearly it connects into a larger universe that I need to know more about. Liked it, but more context needed.
5 Stars to The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus, #1) by Jonathan Stroud
Description
Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.
Review
Not since Artemis Fowl has a young adult fantasy gripped me with such a firm fist, and Artemis was a long time ago. I loved the juxtaposition of the modern and the mythic, there's an almost God-like disregard for commoners amongst the elite and it was refreshingly honest to see that here without any holds barred. Whilst the denouement held no reveal of the sort I was particularly hoping for, it was classy and worked to close the end of this story whilst setting up future instalments, which is always a good thing. more for me to read? yes, please! Thank you, Mustafa, for the recommendation.
4 Stars to The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev by Eric Silberstein
Description
For fans of Neal Stephenson, Andy Weir, and Liu Cixin comes a novel reviewers describe as "a great Black Mirror episode" with the "page-turning pacing of Michael Crichton." The year is 2100. The lack of trust that characterized the early Internet era is long behind us. Mathematical proof ensures neural implants can't be hacked, and the Board of Reality Overseers blocks false information from spreading. When undergraduate Sergei Kraev, who dreams of becoming a professor, is accepted into the Technion's computer science graduate program, he throws himself into his research project: making it possible for neural implants to transmit information directly to the brain. If he succeeds, he'll earn a full professorship. But Sergei falls under the influence of Sunny Kim, the beautiful and charismatic leader of a K-pop dance cult. Sergei believes in Sunny's good intentions and wants to protect her from critics, leading him to perform a feat of engineering that leaves billions of brains vulnerable to attack. With the clock ticking towards catastrophe, can Sergei see the truth about Sunny and undo what he's done? Weaving together compelling characters and spanning decades and continents, The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev is a classic tale of love, ambition, and self-interest building to a shattering finish.
Review
This was gripping. I struggled a little in the beginning, the lack of a focus on the Western World viewpoint we’ve all come to expect from this class of fiction was jarring to start with, and I think because it wasn’t set off-planet in some futuristic diaspora, recognizing that there are cultures other than our own so much a part of the world was interesting and derailed me some from the message. It didn’t last, of course, culture shock can only last so long, and I found myself flipping pages with feverish intensity as the time ticked down and bad things were about to happen. I enjoyed the character dynamics, the maths, the ideas of an engaged and implanted world coupled with the respect for the Pre, even the cautionary tale of the implants creators all added layers to a very engaging and powerful story.
1 Stars to Time Pirate by Eric Vall
Description
One day, I’m just trying to make ends meet as a security guard at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Then I happened upon a mysterious pocket watch and ended up in the year 1814. Time traveling takes a little getting used to, but it definitely helped that I found a pretty blonde woman to help me navigate 19th century DC. And when I discovered I could take things from the past and bring them to the future, a very lucrative idea took root in my brain…
Review
I really need to look at genre's a bit more carefully. Throughout, Francis was a total and utter ... douchebag. A womanising, cock-happy jock with seemingly not two brain cells to rub together. if this is how your stereotypical security guard in the US views women I'm amazed the world hasn't yet imploded. And of course then right at the end of the book the author drops harem, and I'm all ah, yes, now that makes sense. Only didn't DNF because I was captivated by the sheer ludicrous nature of the story, but wouldn't have picked up had I seen the harem bit. I need to read something clean now.
5 Stars to Contacts by Mark Watson
Description
James Chiltern boards the 23:50 sleeper train from London to Edinburgh with two pork pies, six beers and a packet of chocolate digestives. At 23:55 he sends a message to all 158 people in his contacts, telling them that he plans to end his life in the morning. He then switches his phone to flight mode. He's said goodbye. To him, it's the end of his story – and time to crack open the biscuits. But across the world, 158 phones are lighting up with a notification. Phones belonging to his mum. His sister. His ex-best friend. The woman who broke his heart. People he's lost touch with. People he barely knows. And for them, the message is only the beginning of the journey. Funny and wise, tender and deeply moving, Contacts is a beautiful story about the weight of loneliness, the importance of kindness – and how it's never too late to reach out.
Review
"James was not a stuntman; he was a ponderer. He’d once caused a Monopoly game to be abandoned by deliberating so long over a hotel purchase that their guests went home." Since I read Eleven, I have known Watson has had the ability to make me stop and think. This very much holds true here, and although of course the subject matter is troubling, the execution is actually quite positive. The humour is just perfect, and there's enough of it to keep you cheerful, even as you contemplate the disintegration of lives. I really felt for James, of course, which is the intent, and even if retrospectively it's hard to say how bad a place he was really in, you can still appreciate how things haven't gone his way. yet more of me clung to other characters, and it is their reactions that truly sell the work. From young emigres in London to family in Australia, to his dear mum Jean, the windows onto the lives of all these people are rich and diverse and wonderful to see. I think Jean is my favourite, her age, reactions, feelings and thoughts so perfectly speak to me as a person now somehow (and worryingly quickly) in his midthirties. For all that everything happens over one night and there is arguably not a lot of story, there are plenty of stories, and it's these that make the book so ... wedgy. it wedges itself into your brain and you start to think about how other people might react to the things you do or say, to what might be going on in their lives of which you are oblivious.
January
5 Stars to Emergence by Guy Portman
Description
This young psychopath is hellbent on revenge. Twisted teenager Horatio can’t stand his single mother’s derisive dosser boyfriend. At every opportunity, he mocks the wannabe gangster’s lack of education and vulgar gold tooth. As tempers flare, their spat threatens to turn deadly. Hostility isn’t limited to home. Following a vicious attack on the school bully, Horatio’s been suspended. Now he can plot revenge against the man who has abjectly failed to replace his mysterious absent father. It won’t take him long to stumble across a depraved solution. While scorning a patronising psychiatrist and fooling his family, this acerbic adolescent waits for an opportunity to strike. Readers who appreciate darkly humorous, anti-woke sentiments will relish this journey into an emerging serial killer’s mind. Grab your copy. ‘Guy Portman is a wonderful satirist’ – Fully Booked ‘Emergence is as hilarious as it is dark ...’ – M.Ryles (Vine Voice)
Review
Oh, yes! Sublime! He's grown up, and far from learning how to say table, he's eyeing up bodies to rest on one! The previous trilogy was macabre, and it worked. I'm so thrilled to have another character taking up the baton. Horatio is so very much his father's son, with a delightfully young naivety to grow out of and he's a dab-hand with a screw driver already. Excellent!
4 Stars to Strangers from the Sky (Star Trek: The Original Series Unnumbered) by Margaret Wander Bonanno
Description
In the twenty-first century humanity has united after countless years of warfare, and turns toward the stars. But when an alien spacecraft crash-lands in the South Pacific bearing visitors from another world, the Vulcans, Earth must decide whether to extend the hand of friendship, or the fist of war. In the distant future, horrible dreams torment Admiral James T. Kirk, dreams prompted by his reading of Strangers from the Sky, a book about that historic first contact. He dreams of an alternate reality where he somehow changed the course of history, and destroyed the Federation before it began.
Review
Whilst much of this novel has now of course been outcanoned and probably retconned to boot, it was compelling for its time. I never quite felt the emotional connect I wanted to, I think Federation still holds my top spot for a good read in the Pre-Kirk era, but I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to nevertheless.
4 Stars to Imzadi Forever (Star Trek: Signature Edition) by Peter David
Description
Imzadi: to the people of the planet Betazed, including Counselor Deanna Troi of the Starship Enterprise,� it means "beloved" and denotes that which can never be truly broken.
Review
For some reason, enjoying Imzadi didn't mean I had read the sequel. I don't think I even knew about it until I saw this signature edition, which is a bit poor of me given my appreciation of both the Trekverse and PAD as an author. So yes, it's contrived. Peter's written a story into an era already lapsed onscreen, so we know what happens afterward. Of course he knows that we know this, but we know that he knows we know too, so the story has to be careful. and it works, it's a clever series of contretemps based on the Rikers, a cleverly circumnavigated ménage à Deanna, with plenty of backreferences to good Next Generation stuff and a sprinkling of Peter's original trek work. as an opener to a new year, it is somehow very satisfying to pull something out from the solidity of Classic Star Trek.