Alison Stine’s debut novel Road Out of Winter was a great read, but Trashlands built upon that groundwork and ran with it in mesmerizing ways. In the desolate environs of a junkyard, Stine has evoked raw, honest humanity, the connective tissue of community, love, heartbreak, perseverance and the notion that optimism can exist in a place such as this.
Science Fiction
Review: Sunreach (Skyward #2.1) by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
delightful must read novella set in Skyward (after Starsight) that furthers the world and plot as we expect events to conclude in upcoming Cytonic.
Review: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Elder Race begins as a classic fantasy story with a young princess out on a quest to prove herself by going to get the reclusive of a sorcerer to come fight the demon hurting her people. However, this is Tchaikovsky, so nothing is quite as it seems.
If a different kind of fantasy story mixed with science intrigues you, I highly recommend picking this up. Well written, good characters and filled with interesting ideas and developments, this is a great novella.
Blog Tour and Review: The Offset by Calder Szewczak
Angry Robot always introduces me to the most unique novels, and The Offset is not the exception. No joke, this novel is brilliant, dark, and frightening.
Review: From The Neck Up And Other Stories by Aliya Whiteley
moment I read and loved Skyward Inn and From The Neck Up just cemented this. Each and every story stands out and there isn’t a single story that is weaker than the others. Whiteley is a power house in spec fic writing and you just need to start reading her works if you haven’t already.
Review: The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel
The Body Scout is my first Lincoln Michel book, and I have to say I was impressed with the writing, for the most part. Lots of intrigue and mystery, and characters with interesting storylines. The author did a great job of catching – and keeping – my interest.
Review: The Quantum Magician (The Quantum Evolution #1) by Derek Künsken
The book follows the exploits of Bel (isarius), a Homo quantus (genetically engineered human quantum computers who crave knowledge about the fundamentals of space/time). Due to a ‘flaw’ in his engineering, he chose to abandon his people and lives as a con-man in outer edges of space. He gets an offer to move ships across a wormhole where both of its ends are protected by a species called the Puppets. To do his he recruits a team of genius people with diverse talents, each having their own agenda. What happens next makes for the plot of the book.
Review: The Art of Space Travel and Other Stories by Nina Allan
In the authors note at the very beginning Nina Allan talks about her journey as a writer, and about the stories that are within the book. She lets you know that the first three are very early stories, and that she has mostly left the stories untouched, except for some minor edits and clean up. The first three stories are definitely different to the rest, they show huge potential and give you a lot less answers than the rest of the stories. They’re ones that leave you wondering just what was going on, and to be honest it wasn’t my favourite. However, where they really shone was to show just how much Allan’s writing has grown and developed over the years.
Review: Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter
Activation Degradation is well-known author Marina J. Lostetter’s latest published novel, and I found it to be a really interesting story. Dubbed as “The Murderbot Diaries makes first contact…”, I only found a tertiary connection to the famous cyborg. Honestly, though, it does not need the comparison, as the story is able to stand on its own two feet.
Review: Pieces of Eight (The Guardian of Empire City #2) by Peter Hartog
Pieces of Eight was a nearly perfect sequel to Bloodlines and I am so excited to see what the Guardian of Empire City must confront next. Hartog’s character work is so well done that choosing a favorite character is almost impossible. While parts of the ending fell a little flat for me, my overall enjoyment of the book was not affected. The Guardian of Empire City series has become one of my favorites and I can’t wait for the next entry.
Review: Hard Reboot by Django Wexler
I’m typically not a big fan of reading Novellas and prefer longer formats and this month I read 3, and Hard Reboot was a good one. I would have preferred to read this premise in a longer format to get a better picture of the world, characters and main storyline, but Django maintained my interest and kept me turning pages despite the shorter format.
Review: Dare to Know by James Kennedy
James Kennedy has crafted a premise and a novel that starts in one place, and ends up somewhere completely and utterly different. It only takes 300 pages but it works perfectly and at no point does it feel rushed, or like anything is missing. We follow our narrator in across almost his entire life. Intertwined with the present day parts are bits and pieces from his past. It ranges from Physics camp with his new best friend, days out with his ex-girlfriend and affairs while he travels. Every moment is important, every moment somehow leads into that ending. You get something entirely different to what the blurb promises, but in the best possible way.