The Death I Gave Him has a great hook and, like a cyborg Agatha Christie, Em X Liu presents a sombre Sci Fi STEM mystery. Dare I say … STEMpunk?
Science Fiction
Review: Down Below Beyond by T.A. Bruno
Synopsis Levort Aatra is a prospector on the planet Tayoxe. While scavenging the wastes of the abandoned world, he discovers a mysterious starship and stakes his claim on it.Little does he know, he just put a big target on his back. DOWN BELOW BEYOND is a sprawling sci-fi fantasy adventure filled with aliens, planets, and […]
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown – Rising Above to Remarkable Heights
I’m always shocked that Iron Gold is considered the weakest book in the series by many people. It’s the best book in the series by a significant margin. With Light Bringer’s recent release, I’ve been seeing rankings popping up again. This is my response to the crime being committed at seeing Iron Gold consistently ranking at the bottom.
Review: The Hand of God (Dark Legacies #1) by Yuval Kordov
Synopsis The world ended—twice. Once at humanity’s hand and a second time at God’s, according to legend. Only Esther, the Eternal One, saw it all happen. Chosen by the Messiah to redeem humanity, she heads a holy sisterhood that rules Cathedral, the Last City. Except Cathedral isn’t the last city, and the source of the Revenant […]
Review: Purgatory Mount by Adam Roberts
Summary: An interstellar craft is decelerating after its century-long voyage. Its destination is V538 Aurigae ?, a now-empty planet dominated by one gigantic megastructure, a conical mountain of such height that its summit is high above the atmosphere. The ship’s crew of five hope to discover how the long-departed builders made such a colossal thing, […]
Review: I AM AI (A Novelette) by Ai Jiang
Synopsis If you have the opportunity to give up humanity for efficiency, mechanical invincibility, and to surpass human limitations. . . would you? Ai is a cyborg, under the guise of an AI writing program, who struggles to keep up with the never-blinking city of Emit as it threatens to leave all those like her […]
Review: One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie
A thought-provoking and humbling novel about what we would do if we were given the opportunity to test our sons for a gene of violent predisposition.
Review: The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Synopsis The archipelago of Prospera lies in the middle of a vast ocean. Created by a mythic genius known only as The Designer, Prospera exists in splendid isolation, forgetful of whichever untold horrors inspired its creation. Citizens of the main island enjoy fulfilling and privileged lives, attended to by the obliging support staff who live […]
The Diamond Device (Accidental Capers, 1) by M. H. Thaung
This is a review in conjunction with the 2023 Self Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC2 for short!) The Diamond Device is one of six semi-finalist that the judging team, Team Escapist, is reviewing as they seek a finalist to move forward in the competition. Synopsis After diamond power promises to replace steam, an unemployed labourer […]
Review – Light Bringer by Pierce Brown
Summary The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains. But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend. Marooned far from home after a devastating defeat on the battlefields of Mercury, […]
Review: The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence #1) by Emma Mieko Candon
Emma Mieko Candon is clearly a very talented writer, she’s created this incredibly unique world filled with fascinating ideas and intricate characters. The idea of AI Gods who corrupted and ruined the cities they created and kept is what really hooked me. Add in humans who can communicate with these AI and control what I imagined as huge mechs, this is a great book for anyone who loves a complex tale with sci-fi elements.
Book Review: A Space Girl from Earth (The Kyroibi Trilogy, 1) by Christina McMullen
Synopsis Yesterday, her biggest worry was failing an exam. Today, it’s saving the galaxy. From her six foot four inch height to the uniform white dots that peppered her skin in perfect geometric patterns, Ellie Whitmore was certainly unusual, but an alien from the other side of the galaxy? Of course not. That’s just what […]