Tag Archives: Science Fiction

Review

Dreadnought And Shuttle

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Dreadnaught-And-ShuttleLittle time has passed between the end of Ithaka Rising and this new book, throwing us into Micah’s life after he shuttled out of book 2, pretty early on. He’s still suffering from the injuries inflicted in Derelict and hoping to make a new life for himself. However, the despicable Alain Maldonado has other ideas. When Micah’s university room mate is kidnapped, it’s up to him and Halcyone’s crew to fly to the rescue.

Halcyone’s almost running smoothly – perhaps as smoothly as a forty year old ship that crash landed can be expected to run. That’s good, because almost everything else in the characters’ lives is falling apart. There are gigantic conspiracies, and it feels like every character in the book has a secret agenda.

Ro and Barre both pull off some pretty impressive stunts along the way, proving they have the brains and guts to take on the vast number of problems that can arise in space.

The story has a great combination of action and intrigue, with excellent pacing, as I’ve come to expect from the previous books in the series. The characters and their relationships with each other are well written, and I find myself caring about them. That’s a nice change from my usual fare on TV, where I find myself watching shows where I don’t like many of the characters (The 100, Fear the Walking Dead).

This book has a satisfying ending while leaving a lot of open questions for future books. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

Review

Catskinner’s Book

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catskinners_bookWhen required to place this book in a genre Burnett has previously chosen science fiction and urban fantasy. It might also be categorised as supernatural fiction or horror. The opening scenes have an ambience of crime noir and spy thriller. While the book very definitely contains speculative elements, the story takes precedence over the speculation, refusing to be confined by genre.

This novel is the first in the Book of Lost Doors series. The protagonist, James Ozryck, has shared his body with an inhuman consciousness since early childhood; a consciousness he calls Catskinner. Catskinner gives him access to superhuman abilities but also kills without apparent reason or compassion. He finds work as a contract assassin but the murder of his boss reveals Catskinner is not the only unnatural being in the world, and not all of them are as content to merely exist. Before James can build himself a new future he must try to understand his past.

At the core of this novel’s strength is the characterisation. As with Byronic heroes such as Milton’s Lucifer and Hammett’s Sam Spade, James Ozryck is unashamedly not a good man, but from the first page Burnett paints him a character flawed by extreme circumstance and environment; a man worthy of our sympathy. Catskinner is similarly well handled, possessing a distinct intelligible character without sacrificing its otherness. The competing drives of the two main characters blend to produce a dynamic balance between ensuring survival and having a reason to survive.

The complexity of motivation in James/Catskinner continues into the other characters. While characters might be of a particular gender or sexuality they act like individuals and not stereotypes, each displaying personal goals that temporarily coincide or conflict with others. However Burnett does not fall into the trap of making characters defy stereotypes for the sake of it; beyond the nuanced interaction of the key characters are many background interactions which realistically portray the hollow biases that power our stereotypes.

A similar depth is evident in the cosmology. The reader is slowly exposed to more of the magic concealed within every day society, each piece building on others and providing new possibilities for previous events until the disparate pieces fit together to not only show they are all aspects of one whole but also ignite speculation about how it might explain anomalies in the real world.

The book is written entirely from the perspective of James, which portrays very well his search for answers and frustration when he does not find them; however this identification with James can instil the same drive and the same frustration in the reader. As the book is well paced, and Burnett does not withhold information merely to extend the story, this frustration is quickly eased, but this is not a book for readers who do not enjoy the satisfaction of a hard-won explanation.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. The fusion of an engaging plot with a complex world make it enjoyable both as a thrilling adventure and a metaphysical exploration. I recommend it to anyone who does not limit themselves to strict realism.

About The Reviewer

Dave_Higgins

Dave Higgins writes speculative fiction, often with a dark edge. Despite forays into the mundane worlds of law and IT, he was unable to escape the liminal zone between mystery and horror. A creature of contradictions, he also co-writes comic sci-fi with Simon Cantan.

Born in the least mystically significant part of Wiltshire, England, and raised by a librarian, he started reading shortly after birth and hasn’t stopped since. He lives with his wife, two cats, a plush altar to Lord Cthulhu, and many shelves of books.

It’s rumoured he writes out of fear he will otherwise run out of books to read.

Learn more about Dave and his work at http://davidjhiggins.wordpress.com/

Review

Strictly Analog

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Strictly-Analog-187x300In Richard Levesque’s Strictly Analog I was pleased to find an innovative story of provocative imagination. Set in not so distant future Los Angeles and Orange County, California, the story presents itself as a noir private investigator romp. Indeed, the beginning may seem to meander a bit to show us the main character doing his strictly analog shtick before the meat of the action drops on our table. But what we have experienced during the first course provides us with a seamless all-show-very-little-tell story that introduces us into quite a world.

Our protagonist has thus far managed to survive in a society where corporations run for elective office—governor even—everyone is interconnected through a myriad of electronic to human interfaces, which in turns means those who can tap all their data streams can see what they can. Who needs surveillance cameras if you can access what each person can see? But our gumshoe has made it his brand to avoid all that connectivity. How? By staying strictly analog. He doesn’t avail himself of all those wearable and built-in devices, which means he can stay off-grid, and his clients like it that way just fine.

Things would keep going that way if not for his daughter landing in jail for the murder of her secret police boyfriend. As her father does his level best to find evidence of her innocence before she’s deported out of California—and not to Mexico—he will have to navigate obstacles and dangers that challenge his ability to stay strictly analog.

For fear of spoiling the story, I’ll leave it there, going on to say, I loved this story. Told in first person, we get to know our protagonist from the inside out. He takes us along his journey with a wonderful, evocative voice that is just right—not over the top, but commanding our attention. The narrative paints this world he lives in with lively color and gritty texture. We also come across a supporting cast of characters that are real and distinct. Above all, though, through a compelling page-turner, we explore a world with many advances, and a lot of pain. Apparently technology doesn’t solve our innermost needs. We find a lot of angst here, a lot of loneliness, perhaps even despair, all of it interconnected at the speed of light.

If you were to strip this story of all its technological elements, you would be left with a pedestrian procedural. But that’s just it. You can’t do that. The case our protagonist solves inextricably intertwines and integrates with the technology of the day. You have to really sink into this world and its tech components to get this story. And that, perhaps more than anything, is why I loved this story.

Now… will there be a sequel?

About The Reviewer

Eduardo_SuasteguiIt took Eduardo Suastegui a while to discover he was an artist trapped in an engineer’s body. With formal education in math and science, affirmed through hands-on engineering experience in designing, building, and integrating gadgets of varying complexity, he always kept daydreaming. Throughout his life, that daydreaming fed technological innovation.

More recently, that daydreaming has engendered stories about hackers, rogue AIs, and space travel, with more than a few stories about a dog trainer and her K9s sprinkled in. Eduardo loves to dive into fast-flowing, character-driven stories. With each of the books he reads or writes, he hopes to continue that adventure.

More than anything, through his writing, he hopes to connect with readers. He seeks to share a piece of himself with those who pick up and delve into his work.

Learn more about Eduardo and his work at http://eduardosuastegui.com/

Review

Ithaka Rising

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ithaka_risingIthaka Rising by LJ Cohen is the second in the Halycone Space series. It can be read and enjoyed by readers who missed the first book (Derelict), but I recommend reading both books.

Ro Maldonado, a gifted engineer, is the kind of young woman people might describe as “difficult.” Certainly, her childhood as the daughter of a complicated father with unclear loyalties hasn’t made friendships or trust easy for her. But she’s learning and, now that she has friends, she would do anything to help them, including taking on a dangerous mission in a not-quite-fully-functional ship to rescue one of them.

I admire the realism of this story in that there are no easy answers to the complex problems the characters face. A great adventure story that left me both satisfied and anxious for a third book!

About The Reviewer:

BRYANT-CroppedSamantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now for sale by Curiosity Quills.

Learn more about Samantha and her work at http://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/

Review

Past The Borders

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past_the_borderI’ve known of Christopher Ruz through mutual writer friends, but this was the first time I properly sat down and read his work. And let me tell you, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. (In fact, when I put Past the Borders side-by-side with my own collection Hungry For You, I confess to a tingle of envy.)

Past the Borders is an unsettling speculative fiction collection of six short stories plus a novella. While the length varies widely from story to story, the crisp, sharp writing and almost naked honesty of emotion remain consistent throughout, creating a truly escapist read.

The collection starts off with a bang—the first story, Black Rain, is a stunning, nail-biting piece with subtle imagery and a quiet horror. A couple is trapped in a house by ceaseless black rain that plunges them into despair. How much of the darkness is real? How much of it is paranoia?

Then there’s Unknown Hunger. What begins as a straight up detective story strays off the beaten path and into the paranormal. An alcoholic man witnesses a mysterious death and is suspected of murder. The cops are sure of his guilt, but he can barely remember his own past… and at the heart of his memory loss lies a dangerous secret.

The collection continues from strength to strength with the cyberpunk They Trade In Eyes, which is my favourite piece (tied in first place with Black Rain). Here, Ruz explores a world where people upgrade their eyes to mechanical alternatives, depicting a bleak vision of the future (pun intended!). Choice excerpt: “People aren’t buying eyes to see. They’re buying eyes to know.”

Occupied is a strange, quietly sad story with excellent characters. A boy finds a note in a bathroom and decides to reply, striking up a lifelong correspondence with an unusual man. No Exit is a newspaper article set in the year 2094 in a post-apocalyptic Australia. The Aliens Came Alphabetically is a cleverly written ABC story about first contact.

The collection closes nicely with the longest piece, The Ant Tower, in which a magician leads a group of mercenary soldiers through the desert to recover a forgotten relic. I loved the world-building of this story, and the ending left me hungry for more.

What I most enjoyed about this dark collection was that each story offers a fresh take on the speculative. Christopher Ruz explores some highly original ideas whilst creating evocative settings and very believable characters.

If I had to nitpick, this collection is lacking in female perspectives, as the majority of protagonists are male. But why complain when what is on offer is so good?

What are you waiting for? Grab Past the Borders. You won’t regret it.

About The Reviewer

AMHarteA.M. Harte is a London-based speculative fiction enthusiast and chocolate addict whose work includes the dark fantasy novel “Above Ground” and the zombie love collection “Hungry For You”. She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what ‘free time’ means, and enjoys procrastinating at http://amharte.com

Review

Derelict

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derelict_coverThis is great!

As a matter of fact, I think it’s the best indie book I’ve read, and I’m going to put it in my mental list of books I’d suggest for my kids to read when they’re older.

The four main characters are well fleshed out and following their individual stories fully immersed me in their lives. Each character had problems with their parents (who doesn’t at that age?), but as the story unfolds you learn more and more that puts you fully in the kids’ corners.

I think the only thing I found to be somewhat unbelievable was how each of the four kids on the backwater space station was a genius at something. Ro and Jem with their programming, Barre with his music, and Micah with his botany. If there were other young people on the station, I don’t remember them being mentioned, but the fact that it’s a lightly populated base makes it statistically improbable that you’d have 4 kids who are undoubtedly geniuses.

That one minor point aside, the book was incredible. Just when you think things can’t get worse they do. I was waiting for one other shoe to drop at the end, but it didn’t play out the way I anticipated. And that was fine. I like being wrong sometimes, and by the end of the book I was more than ready for the kids to have one less obstacle in their paths!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast-paced, intriguing stories with no shortage of action and suspense.

About the Reviewer

ToxopeusRyanmedHusband, father, and researcher, Ryan Toxopeus spends his free time working on his epic fantasy trilogy, Empire’s Foundation. He started writing the first book, A Noble’s Quest, in 2010 and fell in love with all aspects of storytelling. He focuses on fast paced, character driven plots. His motto: “If I’m bored writing it, others will be bored reading it.”

Learn more about Ryan and his work at https://prcreative.ca/ryan/

Review

Bodyguard of Lies

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Bodyguard-of-Lies-187x300E. M. Hartshorn’s Bodyguard Of Lies takes the reader into the gritty underbelly of a not-Earth civilization in a future where the struggle for daily bread leads some to the gladiatorial arena.

This well-crafted tale follows Sabra in a journey from the arena to the highest echelons of corporate skulduggery. When she’s contracted to serve as the bodyguard for one of the drug cartels, she discovers her brother enmeshed in the mercenary forces of a rival company.

Hartshorn kicks the reader out of anything like a comfort zone with face-shifters, religious fanatics, and corporate greed. She weaves a tale of families and betrayal, of comrades and combat. Not exactly military SF. Not exactly space opera. Not exactly your average dystopian tale of failure and despair. The grim darkness of her tale glimmers with a quiet undercurrent of hope and potential redemption.

Grab a sample and see for yourself.

About the reviewer:

NathanLowell_150x150Nathan Lowell has been writing science fiction and fantasy most of his life. He started publishing in 2007 and has no intention of stopping any time soon.

Learn more about Nathan Lowell and his works at http://nathanlowell.com