Tag: science fiction

  • Review: Love Across the Universe by Stars & Stones Books

    Disclaimer: I am friends with the majority of the authors in this collection. I won my hardcopy in a raffle basket supporting an academic scholarship. This science-fiction romance collection was an excellent summer read. The stories themselves were a mixed bag for me, with a few being stand-outs. Favorite Stories “The Pirates and the Pacifist”…

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  • Review: Tiamat’s Wrath (The Expanse #8) James S.A. Corey

    After the rise of the Laconian Empire in the previous book, the crew of the Rocinante is spread across the universe once again. Naomi and Bobbie are both fighting an underground war in the ways they do best. These women continue to be my heroes and I adore them. This book especially shows the power…

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  • Review: Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S.A. Corey

    I put off reading this installment of the series for longer than I should have, because my husband mentioned in an offhand comment that a lot of time had passed since the previous book. I didn’t want to read about new characters and new situations. Instead, what I got was a Rocinante crew who are closer…

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  • Balticon 53 Schedule!

    Once again, I look forward to returning to my local convention this year, Balticon 53 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor over Memorial Day weekend. And by local, I mean that I literally worked 2 blocks away from the host hotel for over 10 years. It will be super easy to find me this year, since for…

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  • Review: Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S.A. Corey

    We’ve reached the point in this series where it’s okay for the authors to throw a bunch of points of view at the reader. By now, the world-building is solid and the political landscape is pretty clear. The downside to this is that the only POVs I really want are Holden, Naomi, and the others…

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  • Book Excerpt & Giveaway: Into the Ashes (Taine McKenna Adventures #3) by Lee Murray

    Last month I posted a spoiler-free review of the latest installment of Lee Murray’s thriller series, the Taine McKenna Adventures. In Into the Ashes, Taine faces his biggest foe yet: the active volcanic isles of New Zealand itself. Check out an excerpt from the book below, then follow the link to enter a giveaway for an…

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  • Review: Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) by James S.A. Corey

    It’s a little crazy that this is the first book that gives us point-of-view scenes from all four members of the Rocinante crew: Holden, Naomi, Alex, and Amos. On the downside, this is because for much of the book none of them are together! While I hated to see the “family” broken up, it was awesome…

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  • Review: Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) by James S.A. Corey

    After the whirlwind of the previous book in this series, this book should have felt like a time to breath. Unfortunately, I think the authors took things a bit too far in the other direction. They teased us with a Bobbie-centered prologue, and then things started to drag. On top of it all, I wasn’t…

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  • Review: Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse #3) by James S.A. Corey

    This series was perfect vacation reading, and I’m now caught up the first three seasons of the television show, which is all that has been released at the time of this writing. For a series that was supposed to be about “the little guys” who happen to get involved in solar system-spanning action, it seems…

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  • Review: Caliban’s War (The Expanse #2) by James S.A. Corey

    Since I read this book after watching the first three seasons of the television show, The Expanse, my opinions of the book are colored by my experience with the adaptation. For example, my favorite thing about this book was finally meeting two of my favorite characters in print. Avasarala and Bobbie are amazing and I…

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  • Review: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey

    I purchased this ebook when the first season of the television adaptation aired, but didn’t get around to reading it until a recent vacation. I’ve seen three seasons of the show so far, so that will obviously color my interpretation of the book (such as visualizing actors as their characters and such). My husband and I…

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  • Review: An Acceptable Time (Time Quintet #5) by Madeleine L’Engle

    For the final installment of my 2018 Resolution Project over at Speculative Chic, I reviewed An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Unfortunately, this series did not end with a bang for me. You can read the full review here, and check out an excerpt below: This series, which gave us everything from aliens to angels to…

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  • Review: That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

    Let’s start with the title: I would love to find out the author’s original title for this work, but what is was published under makes no sense and smacks of interference on the part of a publisher’s marketing department (though the cover is absolutely gorgeous). Which is a shame, because this novel was a delight…

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  • Cover Reveal: Wolf Smoke (Langyan Series #1) by Poe Casavant

    Today, I’m pleased to share the cover for Wolf Smoke, the first in a new science-fiction series by Poe Casavant! I’ve received an advanced copy of this novel that I’m excited to read, so look for a review here on my blog soon. For now, enjoy this stunning cover with artwork by l0cke. ABOUT THE…

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  • Review: Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

    As someone who adores epic space opera tales written by female authors, I was excited for this book. I’d never read anything by Valente before, and this seemed like a great introduction to her work. It absolutely was a fantastic primer on her delightful and illustrative writing style, but this was not the intricate political…

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  • Review: The Litany of Earth (Innsmouth Legacy #0) by Ruthanna Emrys

    This novelette is available to read for free at Tor.com. This novelette serves as a fantastic introduction to the universe of this set of stories, giving intriguing background and introducing us to an interesting character while still leaving the reader wanting more. 

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  • Review: Exile’s Throne (Empress Game #3) by Rhonda Mason

    Disclaimer: I consider the author a friend; however, I purchased a hardcopy of this book for full price. Mason concludes her stunning space opera trilogy with absolutely nothing you expect, which makes this book all the more perfect. Since I’ve started reviewing every book I complete, I’ve gotten into the habit of taking down random…

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  • Author Interview with Jessica McHugh

    By now, you all know that I’m a total wuss. I don’t like jump scares. I can do gore in movies/on television because I desensitized myself through a research binge on practical effects, but there’s no protective layer between the visceral on the page and my imagination. So while I desperately wanted to read Jessica…

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  • Book Spotlight & Review: Rights of Use (Black Book Project #1) by Shannon Eichorn

    Today, I’m happy to help celebrate the birthday of a book I’ve been looking forward to for literally years, ever since the author and I met at a a convention and found kindred souls in our shared delight over Stargate, NASA, writing, and speculative fiction. Rights of Use brings me back to my teenage years, when…

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  • Author Interview with Shannon Eichorn

    To celebrate the release of her first novel, I was delighted to interview author Shannon Eichorn about topics near and dear to both of our hearts. If you’re at DragonCon this weekend, be sure to track her down in the armory and pick up a copy of Rights of Use for yourself! For those of…

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