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My birthday yesterday (I was also born on Good Friday, so I'm still accepting birthday greetings today before calling you late). Meh, too old to really get worked up about it.
So let's move on to Book Foo!
Finished: The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
Most of the world is gone, the results of a war with a terrible weapon that effectively erases targets from existence... but there is fallout, monsters and nightmares and stranger things that form out of the stuff left behind. One man tells his memories leading up to and including the war, and an effort to save what's left from the forces that came after.
This is a rather strange book. It's a mix of memoir, speculative fiction adventure tale, and satire, at times deeply silly and campy and at others deep.( Read more... )the book was a lot of fun, something I expect I may read again, and definitely put this author on my radar.
Finished: Murasaki (shared world anthology)
Around a nearby star, a pair of twin planets orbit a point in space, as though each are the moon of the other. And because both planets support life, it's only natural for Humanity to send expeditions. This is the case of the star christened Murasaki, and the planets Genji and Chujo, and Murasaki tells a series of stories about humanity's explorations of these planets and what they learn about the inhabitants, and themselves.
Take two classic SF authors known for hard science fiction. Tell them to design a planet, or in this case, two, following science as much as possible, and create alien races for that planet. Then, open the world up to other authors, specifically, authors who have won the Nebula award (given by other SF writers and editors). ( Read more... )In the end, it's an interesting experiment, and may well be worth reading for that alone, and as a textbook example of worldbuilding in action. But for sheer enjoyment? I'd put it between two and three stars, probably settling more towards the "okay" end rather than "I liked it." I liked it a little, and I'm glad I read it, but I wanted to like it much more than I did.
Finished: Trident's Forge by Patrick S. Tomlinson
Full disclosure: I was able to read an electronic advance reader's copy of this through Netgalley. I don't think it affected my review. Sequel to last year's "The Ark", so synopsis is behind cut. ( Read more... )readable, fun and yet still at it's core good science fiction.
Finished: The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The mixed-species crew of the Wayfarer, including their newest hire, Rosemary, take on a year-long job that involves building a wormhole tunnel to a distant planet controlled by a group who has decided to join the Galactic Commons... even though the rest of their species has not. Along the way, there's friendships, family, romance, secrets, adventure, food, and stops at various trading posts.
This book has been getting a lot of attention, and one of the reasons why is that it's a very different type of book from most space opera. It's quieter, more personal, and in many ways a series of short vignettes rather than a full-fledged story. ( Read more... )It's also not the kind of thing I want every story to be, but once in a while, this kind of thing can really hit the spot, especially when done well. Worth giving a look, if nothing else, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick up the sequel.
Finished: Crisis in Zefra by Karl Schroeder
In the near future, Canadian forces are on-hand in Zefra, a new and struggling African city-state, to peacekeep and prepare for their first democratic election, but when terrorists strike they must go into action to deal with the threat. The methods of warfare may have changed with new technology, but the dedication remains the same.
This isn't your usual story. It was specifically commissioned by the Canadian Armed Forces as a way to explore how emerging technologies may change the shape of war a couple decades down the line. ( Read more... )Even though I only rated it two stars, I remain quite impressed and proud that this exists at all, and that there's a sequel, Crisis in Urlia. Despite my somewhat lukewarm reaction, I do eventually plan to read it.
Finished: Nekropolis by Maureen F. McHugh
While the future may have brought many things, it hasn't brought to everyone equally. Poverty still exists and, in certain places, so do new kinds of slavery. Hariba is one such, a young woman who has undergone a procedure called "jessing" which makes her loyal to an employer, and unable to defy him without life-threatening consequences... in addition to legal ones. But at least it is a job, an opportunity, and her master treats her well. But then there is Akhmim, a harni, a created being who is owned outright, by the same master. At first Hariba despises Akhmim, but then starts to develop feelings for him that make her decide to take a huge risk for both of them.
I'm mixed on this book. It's not the type of thing I normally go in for, but it's interesting for the most part. ( Read more... )Hard to score this one. I think it might appeal a lot more to someone other than me... it might even wow certain people. I didn't dislike it, I just found my reaction somewhat subdued, so much that I'm not even sure I'd call it a "like." So I think two stars it is, while recognizing there was a lot of craft, it just didn't fully connect and engage me.
Finished: Faith by John Love
Hundreds of years ago, an advanced alien ship attacked the Sakhran Empire and then disappeared. Shortly after that, the Empire collapsed. Now, hundreds of years later, the ship, dubbed Faith, has been sighted again, and the ship sent after it is the Charles Manson, a ship crewed by psychopaths and criminals who are willing to do whatever's necessary, that must confront and destroy Faith.
I wanted to like his book so much. ( Read more... )It is, however, the author's first novel, so I won't give up on him entirely, but I have to give it a two because I was so disappointed with how it turned out.
Finished: Engineering Infinity (short story collection)
Engineering Infinity is a collection of modern day hard science fiction stories, of a number of different styles and authors. ( Read more... ) Worth a look particularly if you're interested in modern hard SF, although if you've already read a lot of short story collections from this century you'll probably also see a lot of overlap. That may be the reason I'm only rating it 3 stars instead of 4... if they were new to me, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more (although even so it's probably closer to 3.5).
Finished: Starfarers by Vonda McIntyre
Mankind is finally preparing a mission to a different star, one they believe holds intelligent life. It's an international effort full of scientists, and after years of preparation, they're months away from launch... but political winds are starting to shift, and the US is interested in converting the ship towards more military purposes back home, purposes that would put the entire mission at risk.
This is a bit of a weird book, firstly because it's clearly the first part of a series. And, while I suppose it might count as a spoiler,( Read more... )I wouldn't call the book one of my favorites overall, but it was one of my favorites of the ebook bundle I got it in (a Women in SF bundle), and I liked it enough that I probably will try to track down at least the next book in the series.
In Progress (or finished and haven't yet written reviews): Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks (reread), The Diving Bundle by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter, Marooned In Realtime by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Oh, and for my birthday, I bought/ordered: The Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, A Darkling Sea by James Cambias, an anthology I can't remember the title of because it was in the bargain book list online, and, the day before I got at a used bookstore (so I'll count it as a B-Day purchase), The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson and a new copy of Neal Stephensons The Diamond Age which I can't seem to find anywhere and feel like reading again since I don't think I've read it since the first time, around when it came out.
So let's move on to Book Foo!
Finished: The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
Most of the world is gone, the results of a war with a terrible weapon that effectively erases targets from existence... but there is fallout, monsters and nightmares and stranger things that form out of the stuff left behind. One man tells his memories leading up to and including the war, and an effort to save what's left from the forces that came after.
This is a rather strange book. It's a mix of memoir, speculative fiction adventure tale, and satire, at times deeply silly and campy and at others deep.( Read more... )the book was a lot of fun, something I expect I may read again, and definitely put this author on my radar.
Finished: Murasaki (shared world anthology)
Around a nearby star, a pair of twin planets orbit a point in space, as though each are the moon of the other. And because both planets support life, it's only natural for Humanity to send expeditions. This is the case of the star christened Murasaki, and the planets Genji and Chujo, and Murasaki tells a series of stories about humanity's explorations of these planets and what they learn about the inhabitants, and themselves.
Take two classic SF authors known for hard science fiction. Tell them to design a planet, or in this case, two, following science as much as possible, and create alien races for that planet. Then, open the world up to other authors, specifically, authors who have won the Nebula award (given by other SF writers and editors). ( Read more... )In the end, it's an interesting experiment, and may well be worth reading for that alone, and as a textbook example of worldbuilding in action. But for sheer enjoyment? I'd put it between two and three stars, probably settling more towards the "okay" end rather than "I liked it." I liked it a little, and I'm glad I read it, but I wanted to like it much more than I did.
Finished: Trident's Forge by Patrick S. Tomlinson
Full disclosure: I was able to read an electronic advance reader's copy of this through Netgalley. I don't think it affected my review. Sequel to last year's "The Ark", so synopsis is behind cut. ( Read more... )readable, fun and yet still at it's core good science fiction.
Finished: The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The mixed-species crew of the Wayfarer, including their newest hire, Rosemary, take on a year-long job that involves building a wormhole tunnel to a distant planet controlled by a group who has decided to join the Galactic Commons... even though the rest of their species has not. Along the way, there's friendships, family, romance, secrets, adventure, food, and stops at various trading posts.
This book has been getting a lot of attention, and one of the reasons why is that it's a very different type of book from most space opera. It's quieter, more personal, and in many ways a series of short vignettes rather than a full-fledged story. ( Read more... )It's also not the kind of thing I want every story to be, but once in a while, this kind of thing can really hit the spot, especially when done well. Worth giving a look, if nothing else, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick up the sequel.
Finished: Crisis in Zefra by Karl Schroeder
In the near future, Canadian forces are on-hand in Zefra, a new and struggling African city-state, to peacekeep and prepare for their first democratic election, but when terrorists strike they must go into action to deal with the threat. The methods of warfare may have changed with new technology, but the dedication remains the same.
This isn't your usual story. It was specifically commissioned by the Canadian Armed Forces as a way to explore how emerging technologies may change the shape of war a couple decades down the line. ( Read more... )Even though I only rated it two stars, I remain quite impressed and proud that this exists at all, and that there's a sequel, Crisis in Urlia. Despite my somewhat lukewarm reaction, I do eventually plan to read it.
Finished: Nekropolis by Maureen F. McHugh
While the future may have brought many things, it hasn't brought to everyone equally. Poverty still exists and, in certain places, so do new kinds of slavery. Hariba is one such, a young woman who has undergone a procedure called "jessing" which makes her loyal to an employer, and unable to defy him without life-threatening consequences... in addition to legal ones. But at least it is a job, an opportunity, and her master treats her well. But then there is Akhmim, a harni, a created being who is owned outright, by the same master. At first Hariba despises Akhmim, but then starts to develop feelings for him that make her decide to take a huge risk for both of them.
I'm mixed on this book. It's not the type of thing I normally go in for, but it's interesting for the most part. ( Read more... )Hard to score this one. I think it might appeal a lot more to someone other than me... it might even wow certain people. I didn't dislike it, I just found my reaction somewhat subdued, so much that I'm not even sure I'd call it a "like." So I think two stars it is, while recognizing there was a lot of craft, it just didn't fully connect and engage me.
Finished: Faith by John Love
Hundreds of years ago, an advanced alien ship attacked the Sakhran Empire and then disappeared. Shortly after that, the Empire collapsed. Now, hundreds of years later, the ship, dubbed Faith, has been sighted again, and the ship sent after it is the Charles Manson, a ship crewed by psychopaths and criminals who are willing to do whatever's necessary, that must confront and destroy Faith.
I wanted to like his book so much. ( Read more... )It is, however, the author's first novel, so I won't give up on him entirely, but I have to give it a two because I was so disappointed with how it turned out.
Finished: Engineering Infinity (short story collection)
Engineering Infinity is a collection of modern day hard science fiction stories, of a number of different styles and authors. ( Read more... ) Worth a look particularly if you're interested in modern hard SF, although if you've already read a lot of short story collections from this century you'll probably also see a lot of overlap. That may be the reason I'm only rating it 3 stars instead of 4... if they were new to me, I'd have enjoyed it a lot more (although even so it's probably closer to 3.5).
Finished: Starfarers by Vonda McIntyre
Mankind is finally preparing a mission to a different star, one they believe holds intelligent life. It's an international effort full of scientists, and after years of preparation, they're months away from launch... but political winds are starting to shift, and the US is interested in converting the ship towards more military purposes back home, purposes that would put the entire mission at risk.
This is a bit of a weird book, firstly because it's clearly the first part of a series. And, while I suppose it might count as a spoiler,( Read more... )I wouldn't call the book one of my favorites overall, but it was one of my favorites of the ebook bundle I got it in (a Women in SF bundle), and I liked it enough that I probably will try to track down at least the next book in the series.
In Progress (or finished and haven't yet written reviews): Against A Dark Background by Iain M. Banks (reread), The Diving Bundle by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter, Marooned In Realtime by Vernor Vinge (reread)
Oh, and for my birthday, I bought/ordered: The Edge of Dark by Brenda Cooper, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, A Darkling Sea by James Cambias, an anthology I can't remember the title of because it was in the bargain book list online, and, the day before I got at a used bookstore (so I'll count it as a B-Day purchase), The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson and a new copy of Neal Stephensons The Diamond Age which I can't seem to find anywhere and feel like reading again since I don't think I've read it since the first time, around when it came out.
