I knew I’d love this book. From the very first page Adrian had me hooked and I carved out reading time so I had to put Mushroom Blues down as little as possible. I was utterly enthralled.
Science Fiction
Review: Ninth Life (Book #3 of the Factus Sequence) by Stark Holborn
Synopsis The Ballad of Halo Jones meets Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers by way of 3:10 to Yuma; a clash of law and lawlessness, storytelling and truth in a headlong romp across the stars. After forty years of wreaking havoc across the galaxy, the outlaw Nine Lives – AKA Former General Gabriella Ortiz – has finally run […]
Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 26 – Jonathan Weiss
An idea squeezed into my head in 2023, after seeing so many of the book community gathering at conventions across the US and UK. And once my FOMO subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a […]
Review: Umbra (Sentient Stars #1) by Amber Toro
Umbra is science-fiction with a bit of everything: Exploring worlds, dogfights, politics, and a slow-burn romance.
Book Review: Centauri’s Shadow by Ross Garner
TL;DR Review: Great character work. A solid mystery driving the plot. A fascinating exploration of first contact and its ramifications. Synopsis: ‘Eight years ago they sent a single ship to test our defences. Now they’re building an armada.’ Cole grew up in the shadow of grief. Kyoko grew up in the shadow of war. Two […]
Review: Theft of Fire (Orbital Space #1) by Devon Eriksen
Synopsis At the frozen edge of the solar system lies a hidden treasure which could spell their fortune or their destruction—but only if they survive each other first. Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to […]
Australian & New Zealand Author Showcase No 24 – Calum Lott
An idea squeezed into my head in 2023, after seeing so many of the book community gathering at conventions across the US and UK. And once my FOMO subsided, I got to thinking about who might be gathered together if we had similar conventions closer to home. Pending the master planning required to arrange a […]
Author Chat: Adrian M. Gibson (Mushroom Blues)
If you’re a regular around these parts, you’ll already know that Adrian M. Gibson is a total legend. He’s the creator and co-host of the SFFAddicts podcast, where he interviews authors about their books and their writing process, and over the years that he’s been doing the podcast, he’s proven himself to be a true […]
Review: Beyond The Burn Line by Paul McAuley
Synopsis What will become of us? In the deep future beyond the burn line of the Anthropocene and the extinction of humanity, the city states of an intelligent species of bear have fallen to a mind-wrecking plague. The bears’ former slaves, a peaceable, industrious and endlessly curious people, believe that they have inherited the bounty […]
Review: Fractal Noise (A Fractalverse Novel) by Christopher Paolini
Synopsis On the planet Talos VII, twenty-three years before the events of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, an anomaly is detected: a vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So a small team is assembled to learn more – perhaps even who built […]
Book Review: Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
TL;DR Review: Engaging, fascinating, and set in a unique and riveting world. Strong characters and a compelling sci-fi detective noir story. A truly stunning debut. Synopsis: TWO YEARS AFTER a devastating defeat in the decade-long Spore War, the island nation of Hoppon and its capital city of Neo Kinoko are occupied by invading Coprinian forces. […]
Review: The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
Synopsis When you bring back a long-extinct species, there’s more to success than the DNA. Moscow has resurrected the mammoth, but someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out, again. The late Dr. Damira Khismatullina, the world’s foremost expert in elephant behavior, is called in to help. While […]