Category Archives: Science fiction

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Almost ready.

Posted on March 27, 2018 by

Listened October 2012 Recommended for fans of the 80s ★    ★   ★    –audio version Interesting. As a child of the 80s, part of Ready Player One speaks to me. Then there’s the part that loves a great story. The book … Continue reading →

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The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard

Posted on March 7, 2018 by

Read  March 2018 Recommended for Sherlockian sci-fi fans ★    ★    ★    ★ In the age of fantasy books of ridiculous lengths–why, hello, Way of Kings–and series that may never be finished–ah-hem, George R.R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss–I’ve rediscovered my love … Continue reading →

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Sleepless by Charlie Huston. Alas, no.

Posted on March 4, 2018 by

Read  December 2017, sort of Recommended for sleepy people ★    ★    This should have been right up my alley. I really enjoy Huston’s writing and story approach, and I have a fondness for end-of-the-world stories, but this was a resounding … Continue reading →

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Starfish by Peter Watts

Posted on February 11, 2018 by

Read February 2018 Recommended for fans of the ocean deep, dystopia, character studies ★    ★    ★   ★   For the first half of the book, Starfish was shaping up to be one of my best sci-fi reads since Leviathan … Continue reading →

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The City & The City by China Mieville

Posted on January 24, 2018 by

Read  January 2018 Recommended for Fans of Miéville      ★    ★    ★     Can a city have a personality? I think so. Certainly the feel of Los Angeles is entirely different from NYC, and different again from Chicago, right? … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Mystery, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Collected Short Works of Poul Anderson, Vol. 3

Posted on January 17, 2018 by

Read  January 2018 Recommended for    ★    ★     1/2 Ah, the heady days of sci-fi, when men were men, women were women, and bug-eyed tentacled things were bug-eyed tentacled things. Picked up because of the Hugo and Nebula winner ‘The Saturn … Continue reading →

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Necropolis by Michael Dempsey. I’d live there.

Posted on November 29, 2017 by

Read  November 2017 Recommended for fans of Blade Runner ★    ★    ★   1/2 I keep my eye out for urban fantasy with an unusual angle. By ‘unusual,’ you can assume a distinct lack of werewolves and vampires. This one caught … Continue reading →

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The Saturn Game by Poul Anderson

Posted on November 15, 2017 by

Read  November 2017 Recommended for fans of classic sci-fi ★    ★    ★   Winner of both a Nebula and a Hugo, The Saturn Game tempted me by being a mix of both fantasy and sci-fi. I’ve had some success with Poul … Continue reading →

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One of Us by Michael Marshall Smith

Posted on November 7, 2017 by

Read  September 2017 Recommended for fans of sci-fi fantasy that messes with the rules ★    ★    ★    ★   I’ve chewed on this review for a ridiculous amount of time. After two months, I’m left with a movie analogy: I think … Continue reading →

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Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Must I?

Posted on September 17, 2017 by

Read  September 2017 Recommended for fans of classic sci-fi ★    ★     And today, mine is going to be unpopular. But remember the advice from 9th grade Advanced English teacher Mrs. Muench about metaphors. Or maybe I mean false equivalency. … Continue reading →

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