Category Archives: Science fiction

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Posted on May 23, 2019 by

Read May 2019 Recommended for fans of sci-fi, world-traveling ★   ★  ★   ★  ★   With reservations. What do you mean, what do I mean? There’s something about it–as good, as inclusive, as remarkable as it is–that just fails … Continue reading →

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The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

Posted on May 14, 2019 by

Read May 2019 Recommended for fans of dark thrillers It’s almost impossible for me to review Bacigalupi. Check my other reviews, you’ll see. The Windup Girl, Pump Six and Other Stories; the only one I did justice to was Ship Breaker, his YA … Continue reading →

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The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds

Posted on April 28, 2019 by

Read April 2019 Recommended for sci-fi fans  ★     ★    ★    1/2 When I sat down to read The Prefect, I thought I was reading a sci-fi mystery along the lines perhaps of Leviathan Wakes. Then I thought … Continue reading →

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Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Posted on April 12, 2019 by

Read April 2019 Recommended for fans of exploration sci-fi  ★     ★      ★     ★   1/2       ‘Aldebaran’ is a red star whose name comes from the Arabic word for ‘follower,’ because it seems to follow the Pleides. Interesting … Continue reading →

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Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer

Posted on April 6, 2019 by

Read February and March 2019  ★     ★    ★     ★   ‘Cat Pictures Please,’ the titular story, won a Hugo and Locus, and was nominated for a Nebula, which rather implies Kritzer’s short stories are something to look … Continue reading →

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The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

Read December 2018 Recommended for fans of survival stories ★     ★    ★    ★    1/2 Totally Unauthorized Review It was very good, just the sort of read I wanted. Read it if you enjoy survival stories, or caving, … Continue reading →

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Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

Posted on October 14, 2018 by

Read October 2018 Recommended for fans of Pollyanna, sloppy stories ★    ★    Here’s the part where you think I’m going to eat my words. But I don’t think I have to: think of it as being able to love Star … Continue reading →

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Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Posted on October 11, 2018 by

Read October 2018 Recommended for fans of Murderbot, AIs ★    ★   ★    ★     “Or Miki was a bot who had never been abused or lied to or treated with anything but indulgent kindness. It really thought its humans were … Continue reading →

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Spares by Michael Marshall Smith. Not spare. Quite full, actually.

Posted on September 30, 2018 by

Read September 2018 Recommended for fans of sci fi and detectives ★     ★    ★    ★    1/2 Calling Spares a ‘hard-boiled detective’ story is like calling Ben&Jerry’s Wavy Gravy ‘chocolate swirl ice cream.’ Sure. I guess, if … Continue reading →

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Blindsight by Peter Watts

Posted on September 18, 2018 by

Read September 2018 Recommended for fans of hard sci-fi ★     ★    ★    ★    1/2 This is a very dense book, packed with ideas. Although Watts mentions he’s a biologist by training, you wouldn’t know it, between … Continue reading →

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