Day Zero, as the name suggests, starts at the beginning — well, the beginning of the end — of the human race. See, technology has advanced to the point of true AI, with androids serving most basic functions in society, with the exception of a few that are solely left to the realm of man. For instance, teachers are still human, as are the military, which brings us to the laws of robotics.
Science Fiction
Book Tour: Bloodlines (The Guardian of Empire City #1) by Peter Hartog
Welcome to FanFiAddict’s stop on the book tour for Peter Hartog’s Bloodlines (The Guardian of Empire City #1). We want to thank Justine & Timy @ Storytellers on Tour for letting us be involved and a big shoutout to Peter on the release of his debut!
Review: Fugitive Telemetry (and previous 4 books) by Martha Wells
n the end, I truly enjoyed Fugitive Telemetry and the previous four books, but not as science-fiction literature or its robot-driven narrative, but truly for its exploration on human nature and its reflection from the perspective of a rich-humanized robot.
Guest Post: Author D. Ellis Overttun
My slot on the blog today is a guest post from Author D. Ellis Overttun. It is a really thoughtful look at themes the author explores in his books as well as an excerpt from his upcoming release and 4th book, Mirror in Time. Enjoy!
Review: Light Of The Jedi (Star Wars: The High Republic) by Charles Soule
Mini-Review: Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent
Eight Cylinders is just one of several in the Jason Parent portfolio. Parent has authored books in many genres, including: science fiction, horror, thriller, and speculative fiction, among others. I reviewed another of the author’s books, Apocalypse Strain (a horror/thriller), in 2020 and found it to be quite an interesting read. Eight Cylinders (speculative fiction) is quite different from that book in many ways, though not any less interesting. I have chosen a mini-review format for this book for two reasons: it is a novella (right around 100 pages), and because it is so short almost any pieces of information I will get into spoiler territory; so the less I talk about the book directly, the better.
Book Tour: In the Orbit of Sirens (The Song of Kamaria #1) by T.A. Bruno
Welcome to FanFiAddict’s stop on the book tour for T.A. Bruno’s In the Orbit of Sirens (The Song of Kamaria #1). We want to thank Justine & Timy @ Storytellers on Tour for letting us be involved and a big shoutout to T.A. on the release of his debut novel!
Review: Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6) by Martha Wells
You all heard that right: It’s a Murderbot Murder Mystery! Your favorite human-hating android is back with a brand-new mission: find the killer. And I have to say that author Martha Wells proves her genius over and over again by putting Murderbot into different types of situations and scenarios and demands that it find a way out.
Review: Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells
Network Effect is book #5 in Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries, and the first full-length novel in the series. I gave the previously-released 4-novella set a glowing review here. As for my review of Network Effect, you are going to find more of the same.
Recommended Reading: The Murderbot Diaries (#1-4) by Martha Wells
Let’s not bury the lede, here, and get right to the crux of what makes The Murderbot Diaries what it is: the rogue SecUnit known as Murderbot, though not everyone knows its name.
Review: The Fall of Koli (The Rampart Trilogy #3) by M.R. Carey
The Fall of Koli is the third and final book in The Rampart Trilogy by M.R. Carey, and I am going to admit something right up front: I was crying from page one. If you have been following my reviews (if not, they can be found here: The Book of Koli; The Trials of Koli) you know this has really been an emotional journey for me. From being introduced to Koli and friends I have grown to care more and more about them with every line, with The Fall of Koli being the pinnacle of that relationship. This is my first Carey series, but it is easy to see that connection to the books comes from the author’s phenomenal writing.
Blog Tour: Dragonfly Girl by Marti Leimbach
Dragonfly Girl is a really interesting story that combines elements of science with political intrigue along with really good character development.
As I mentioned, there is a lot to like about this book. The science-y elements bring a lot to the story. It is not hard science, but there is enough talk about what is being done in this lab regarding life vs death to make one think about the possibilities. Cell regeneration, gene stimulation, neuron reactivation, nerve revitalization, organ regeneration, etc. With a book like this it would have been unfeasible to go into more detail for something that is not scientifically possible right now, but I enjoyed reading about it to the extent that it could.
The best part of the book for me was the character development. The story is told from Kira’s perspective, and being able to experience the ins and outs of things from her point of view allows the reader to get to know Kira really intimately. That is really important for a book like this because the narrative not only focuses on scientific events surrounding her, but also how she feels about them. For that to work the reader has to care about Kira, and Leimbach does a great job of that. There are not a lot of characters, though, with most of the secondary being people Kira works with in the lab and the scientific community (along with Kira’s mom, who also has a presence). As supporting cast each one of them plays their role well and fill out the character card successfully.
One aspect I want to bring up is that I think the story has a little bit of an identity problem. Is it science-y science fiction or is it a political spy novel? I do like the involvement of the international community in the story because it brings an element of depth (and a bit of realism), but I think this part of the story was taken too far toward the end. It almost felt as if the author was pulled in two different directions and tried to split the baby. I would encourage the author to pick a side on this one.
That being said, Dragonfly Girl is a good read. The science talk and character interactions are what kept my interest and make this book worth a read. I recommend for fans of science fiction written in YA style.