Tag Archives: Hugo /nom

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Posted on October 23, 2018 by

Read October 2018 Recommended for fans of  Bloody folk tales ★    ★    ★    1/2 Nominated for a Hugo, Nebula, and Shirley Jackson Awards,* The Ballad of Black Tom is a fine little novella, made accessible to horror dilettantes by … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, fantasy, Urban fantasy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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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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 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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When Gravity Falls by George Alec Effinger

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

Read  June 2017 Recommended for people who enjoy futuristic detective noir ★    ★    ★   ★    1/2 I don’t even. This book engrossed me, sucked me in, took me to the seediest bar in town, plied me with cheap booze and left … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Posted on April 9, 2017 by

Read April 2017 Recommended for fans of character-driven stories, sci-fi ★    ★    ★   ★    ★   I understand that some people weren’t fans of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Personally, in my heart of hearts, I kind of … Continue reading →

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Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente

Posted on July 21, 2016 by

Read July  2016 Recommended for fans of mythology, Valente  ★     ★     ★     ★ Take fairy tale mythology, the sideways structure of Native American folklore, a Wild West setting, weave it through with themes on race and gender … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, fantasy | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Goblin Reservation by Clifford Simak. No reservations needed.

Posted on May 1, 2016 by

Read April 2016 Recommended for fans of Pratchett, Thursday Next, Doorways in the Sand  ★     ★    ★    ★ Some days, I need silly and yesterday, The Goblin Reservation fit the bill perfectly. Familiar with Simak through the beautifully pastoral … Continue reading →

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The Diamond Age, Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson.

Posted on April 24, 2016 by

Read March to April 2016 Recommended for hard core Stephenson fans  ★     ★ Initially, I wasn’t tempted by The Diamond Age, but the subtitle drew me in. A book advising young women? Interesting. However, given a choice between this … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by Ted Chiang

Posted on January 1, 2016 by

Read December 2015 Recommended for fans Baghdad bazaars, time travel  ★    ★    ★    ★    ★   he Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate is made up of four intricately woven stories: the titular story, “The Tale of the … Continue reading →

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