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Review: Q & A (Star Trek: The Next Generation) by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this paperback at full price. This twentieth-anniversary celebration of Star Trek: The Next Generation novel is a fitting tribute to the lasting mark Q has left on the franchise. And I can’t think of a better writer to infuse Q’s ridiculousness into text form. This…
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Review: Silver Shark (Kinsmen #2) by Ilona Andrews
I enjoyed this Kinsmen tale much more than the first. While this book is a romance, it certainly doesn’t start out feeling that way. I’d even argue that this is a solid science-fiction story that just happens to include romantic elements as part of the plot. The world-building regarding Claire’s home planet and how psychers…
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Review: Altered States of the Union edited by Glenn Hauman
Disclaimer: I am friends with some of the authors in this anthology; however, I purchased the hardcopy version of this book for full price. This was a fun collection of different story-telling styles that explored how events might have been altered in the history of the United States of America. Most of the stories were…
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Review: Navigating the Stars (Sentinels of the Galaxy #1) by Maria V. Snyder
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price. The premise of this book is an interesting conceit that reminds the reader that once Earth reaches the stars, it will be all of Earth that goes. This book still felt very “Western” despite the characters of mixed heritage, but…
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Review: The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
This story is an example of true alternate history done right. It’s a combination of events and conceits that shouldn’t work together, but absolutely do because of the talent of the author. It’s also a great example of how non-chronological storytelling is occasionally essential. I could have done with a bit less of the elephant…
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Review: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
I made it through the first quarter of this book before I realized that not much had really happened. Well, lots of things had “happened,” just not much of a plot. But I was intrigued by the world-building, so I decided to sit back and enjoy the story as more of a travelogue than an…
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Review: Wild Seed (Patternnist #1) by Octavia E. Butler
I devoured this novel on a travel day, starting in Baltimore and ending in Indianapolis. I enjoyed many separate elements of this book, from the two very different main characters and their interactions to the historical and scientific elements. Doro and Anyanwu are fantastic foils to each other. While their interactions were sometimes uncomfortable, great…
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Review: Strange Dogs (The Expanse #6.5) by James S.A. Corey
This novella is a beautiful vignette about early life on Laconia. It doesn’t answer many greater questions about the ecosystem of this world due to the limited point-of-view of the main character. But it answers quieter questions about how Duerte came to power and how he imposed his views on the burgeoning society. On the…
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Review: The Vital Abyss (The Expanse #5.5) by James S.A. Corey
This novella in the midst of the epic saga of The Expanse fills in some interesting blanks. It explains the missing years of a relevant character’s life and how he eventually ends up where Our Heroes encounter him again. It also shows the evolution of the character and his history on Earth, accomplishing some interesting…
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Review: All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells
This novella has won ALL OF THE AWARDS, which makes it difficult to review. There’s not much I can add to the discourse about it that hasn’t already been said, and it doesn’t need the advertising help. But it was a wonderfully fun read, so if you’re one of the five science-fiction fans after me…
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Review: Gods of Risk (The Expanse #2.1) by James S.A. Corey
This novella brings us back to the series roots of interstellar events occurring as a backdrop to regular people’s normal lives. But this normal person is the gifted sixteen-year-old nephew of Bobbie Draper, so how normal is he? Certainly normal enough for some health doses of adolescent angst while he gets mixed up in the…
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Review: The Expanse: Origins edited by James S.A. Corey
Favorite Story “Naomi Nagata” by Georgia Lee (illustrated by Huang Danlan): This isn’t Naomi’s “origin story,” which is covered very well in the books themselves. Instead, it shows us the first introduction between Naomi and Amos prior to the events of the books/television show. I loved the growth shown by both characters even in such…
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Review: Homeworlds (SG-1/SGA Traveler’s Tales #3) edited by Sally Malcolm
Disclaimer: I am friends with the editor and multiple authors in this collection; I purchased a hardcopy of this book from one of the authors for full price. Favorite Story “The Mysteries of Emege” by Jo Graham: I could say that the ending of this story had enough emotional impact to bring me to tears…
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Review: The Churn (The Expanse #3.5) by James S.A. Corey
Despite it’s placement in the series order recommended by Goodreads, I’m glad that I read “The Churn” after book 8, Tiamat’s Wrath. Names are important in this book, and Amos hasn’t always been known as Amos Burton. In a way, this novella is as much about Earth as it is about Baltimore, and as much about…
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Review: “The Butcher of Anderson Station” (Expanse #0.5) by James S.A. Corey
I’m on a mission to read all the short fiction installments in The Expanse series before season 4 of the television show premieres in December 2019. This story was a good place to start, especially if you’re a fan of both the books and television version of this series. It does a lovely job of…
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Review: Silent Blade (Kinsmen #1) by Ilona Andrews
This is an older book by the authors, and I’m impressed by how far their writing ability has come (though this wasn’t poorly written by any means). They’ve always been excellent storytellers though, and this novella stands out in this regard. The society worldbuilding here reminds me a lot of the Hidden Legacy series, though…
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Starbase Indy 2019 Schedule!
This Thursday, while my family stays home and eats delicious food, I’ll be boarding a flight to Indianapolis for my first Starbase Indy! I’m looking forward to checking out a new con, meeting new people, and catching up with old friends. For the majority of the convention, you can probably find me in the Writer’s…
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Review: Seder in Space and Other Tales by J.D. Blackrose
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author; however, I purchased this ebook for full price before I ever met her in person! Favorite Story: “Seder in SPACE” is a short science-fiction story that embodies one of things I find in the best science-fiction stories — that the more things change, the more things stay the…
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Con Report: Capclave 2019
Note: If you are here to find a copy of my alternate history presentation, see below! I spent a lovely weekend in Rockville, Maryland, as part of Capclave 2019! Highlights included being on panels with both guests of honor (Robert Sawyer and Martha Wells) and giving my alternate history presentation to a small but participatory…
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Review: The 5th Gender (Tinkered Stars Mystery) by G.L. Carriger
As someone who regularly speaks at writing and fandom conventions about the topic of “genre blending” or “genre blurring” in contemporary writing, I have some pretty strong opinions on the subject. Carriger’s science-fiction/romance/mystery is certainly one that I will now hold up as a great example of how to blend things right. This novel could…
