Synopsis: Mickey7, an “expendable,” refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place. Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one […]
Science Fiction
Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (Audiobook)
Synopsis: The Martian meets Multiplicity in Edward Ashton’s high concept science fiction thriller, in which Mickey7, an “expendable,” refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place. Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. […]
Review: The Engineer (A Chronicles of Actaeon Story) by Darran Handshaw
Synopsis “We are born in the shadow of fading memories and fallen dreams, living our days within the decaying bones of an age long gone.” When the Engineer, Actaeon, arrives at Pyramid in the heart of Redemption, nothing goes according to plan. Mysterious raiders pursue him relentlessly across the shattered remains of the ancient metropolis, […]
Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Barnes’ shithousery makes for an entertaining and likeable protagonist, the premise is original and excellent, plus the fact I had to scrabble to find two comp titles should give a good indication of what a breath of fresh air Mickey7 is to read!
Review: Upgrade by Blake Crouch
Synopsis An ordinary man undergoes a startling transformation—and fears that all of humanity may be next—in the mindblowing new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion “You are the next step in human evolution.”At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little . . . sharper. Better able to […]
Review: In the Quick by Kate Hope Day
Summary: A young, ambitious female astronaut’s life is upended by a love affair that threatens the rescue of a lost crew in this brilliantly imagined novel “with echoes of Station Eleven, The Martian, and, yes, Jane Eyre” (Observer). “The female astronaut novel we never knew we needed.”—Entertainment Weekly (Must-read books coming out in March) June […]
Review: 36 Streets by T. R. Napper
T. R. Napper’s debut novel 36 Streets is a rich, multi-layered thrill ride. On one hand, it delivers a slick, neon-soaked cyberpunk narrative, with a gruff anti-hero protagonist, tense action and near-future tech. But on the other, it’s a surprisingly thoughtful story, with nuanced explorations of family, identity and memory in the face of immense tragedy. Pair that with the living trauma of its Vietnamese setting (specifically its capital city Hanoi) and the result is a potent mix of futurism and the human condition.
The Shattered Skies (The Cruel Stars #2) by John Birmingham
The Sturm have been pushed back, but not defeated, their larger forces still roam the Volume; despite the efforts of McLellan and Herodotus and the rest of our cast, their threat isn’t gone – and this sequel treats us to a whole lot more of what the first did. If epic space battles and advanced tech are your thing, or you’ve read the Expanse and want more spaceships and AI, this is a series that should shoot to the top of your TBR.
Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Synopsis Dying isn’t any fun… but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonise the ice world of Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous – even suicidal – the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated […]
Review: Scarecrow Has A Gun by Michael Paul Kozlowsky
Synopsis Never trust other people’s memories, and watch out for your own. Sean Whittlesea was there when his wife was murdered. He saw the light leave her eyes. He held her dead body in his arms. He knows he wept, but he cannot recollect a single other detail. Tormented by the tragedy, Sean relives the […]
Review: The Light Years by R.W.W. Greene
An Amazon ‘Editor’s Pick’ for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy! Published by: Angry Robot Books (2020)400 pgsAudio: 7hs 38 minNarrators: Roisin Rankin, George Weightman Synopsis: A long-lost battleship and an arranged marriage may hold the key to faster-than-light travel and humanity’s future in R.W.W. Greene’s debut The Light Years Hisako Saski was born with her […]
Review: Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer
I’m a massive Jeff VanderMeer fan. His Southern Reach trilogy is one of my all-time favorite series, as are his Ambergris novels. That said, he’s not for everyone. I know that—I accept that. His brand of “new weird” can be pretty far-out a lot of the time, especially when he veers into a more literary writing style. So, when I heard of Hummingbird Salamander, I was surprised that he was leaning more mainstream with this near-future eco-thriller. I couldn’t help but think, how this was going to straddle the line between his longtime fans and those who were new to his work and/or intimidated by it? And the result? VanderMeer does manage to straddle that line effectively, telling an overall great story with a few hiccups and stumbles along the way.