This review only represents my personal opinion and does not reflect the entire judging team’s (Red Stars) thoughts or progression in the SPSFC4 competition.
Science Fiction
Review: The Unkillable Princess (The Kystrom Chronicles #2) by Taran Hunt
In between breakneck action worthy of the Mission Impossible franchise, reckless yet efficient spaceship piloting, and badass hand-to-hand combat, Hunt delivers another truly excellent romp, across planets and moons this time, that is in no way lacking in tons of heart and hilarity. You just need this in your life.
Book Review: Dark Space by Rob Hart and Alex Segura
TL;DR Review: A classic spy thriller…in space! Fast-paced, gripping, and intriguing. Synopsis: If life were fair, ace pilot Jose Carriles should have ended up a desk jockey like his former friend Corin Timony, back on the lunar colony of New Destiny. Instead, he’s the pilot of the Mosaic—a massive ship taking the Interstellar Union’s first-ever mission […]
Book Review: As Born to Rule the Storm by Cate Baumer
Synopsis: Cadet Charlotte Amsel will trade her life to win a war- but not all at once. As part of an elite group of experimental soldiers, she can move through time, with each jump taking months from her own fated lifespan as she struggles to prevent the cold war from boiling over into an apocalypse. […]
Review: A Stitch Between Worlds by Frasier Armitage
Synopsis: “The differences between worlds — they’re like two tapestries, one made of silk and the other of wool. But this door is a needle that sends me between them, and I’m what stitches them together.” A future where memory is currency; a land of dinosaurs seeking the refuge of outer space; a city where […]
Book Review: Falling Into Oblivion Aaron M. Payne
TL;DR Review: Colorful characters inhabit a futuristic world at once familiar and fresh. A cyberpunk thriller that had me enthralled from the first page. Synopsis: MODIFICATIONS COME AT A PRICE. Detective Sol Harkones is tangled in the wires of a deadly conspiracy involving defective body modifications causing permanent brain damage. A suspect is known, but […]
Review: A Stitch Between Worlds by Frasier Armitage
Synopsis “The differences between worlds — they’re like two tapestries, one made of silk and the other of wool. But this door is a needle that sends me between them, and I’m what stitches them together.” A future where memory is currency; a land of dinosaurs seeking the refuge of outer space; a city where […]
Review: Death of a Mad Dragon by Alex Valdiers (Standalone, The Roake Gang Series)
Synopsis There are good dragons and bad dragons. And then there are mad dragons … The Raoke Gang goes on a wild dragon chase. A horde of dragons crushes the Raoke Gang’s plans to rob a space cruise liner. In the heat of the battle between humans and dragons, the Raoke Gang vouches for the […]
Review: Vultures (Shadow Twins Series #1) by Luke Tarzian
Synopsis An enemy slain is not a conflict won… After decades of war the demon Te Mirkvahíl is dead. But its progeny endure, spilling from the Heart of Mirkúr, sowing death across the land of Ariath. If the people are to finally know peace, the Heart must be destroyed. Theailys An believes he can do […]
Book Review: New York Minute by Stephen Aryan
TL;DR Review: A detective thriller that feels instantly familiar but isn’t afraid to go in bold, unique directions with setting and character. Synopsis: A noir story, set in an alternate New York City. After years of being a cop, and now a private investigator, there’s little that surprises Cole Blackstone. But when someone working for […]
Review: The Ultimate Spider-man by Stan Lee, Peter David and more
Synopsis Beginning with a novella by Spider-Man’s co-creator Stan Lee and veteran Marvel writer Peter David retelling the wall-crawler’s origin, this exciting anthology has original stories featuring one of the world’s most enduring heroes. From Tom De Haven and Dean Wesley Smith’s look at Spidey’s early career to David Michelinie’s portrait of a dying reporter […]
Review: A Slow Ship to Oblivion by Jake Theriault
Synopsis Jett Dresden is an engineer aboard the mammoth generation ship The Cradle of Sky, 4,000 years into a 6,000 year voyage toward a new star system. But when the ship’s astronomers make a startling discovery about the Cradle’s destination, Jett learns that she may be the only person capable of righting the course of […]