Sci-Fi – Page 2 – The Spine View

Worlds of Light & Darkness edited by Angela Yuriko Smith and Scot Noel

Worlds of Light and Darkness is a collection (Volume One) of short stories curated from DreamForge and SpaceTime. As with most anthologies of this type, it is a mixed bag of stuff. There are twenty stories in all, way too many to list individually. They run the gambit in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres. If you love both genres this is a collection you need to own.

One of the things I loved about the collection is the variety of stories. There were light hearted and quirky stories, such as The Feline, The Witch and the Universe about a feline familiar that goes missing. Smudge is the consummate cat personality and the reason I liked this story so much. In my mind, I can just see his smug little cat face.

A more speculative story, is The Spiral Ranch, in which cattle rustling is not a thing of the past but still very much alive in this version of the future. I liked the author’s vision of the future. Realistic and the plot was believable. Concise but well written short.

I enjoyed all of the stories. If I had to pick my favorite it would be Hands of a Toolmaker. It reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. The MC, Silas, must decide if he wants to get “Tooled”. All children must make this decision when they turn fifteen years old. Tooling modifies the brain in order for it to be receptive to be programed for a specific job at a later date. To Silas, tooled individuals tended to talk like they are part of a “hive mind” and it makes him angry that it seems expected that he will get Tooled. He does not want this, instead he “wants to shake things up”. Liked that about this character.

This is a notable collection of short stories. They are thought provoking and highly entertaining. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys Fantasy and/or Science Fiction.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Calie Sorosiak

After reading Leonard (My Life as a Cat) I will never look at a cat the same way. In fact, I just might have encountered an alien or two in my life time. Knowing the cats that have owned me, they no doubt think I’m the alien!

Leonard has an immortal life as a corporal being on a planet far from Earth. He has been anxiously awaiting his 300^th birthday. Three hundred is very special to his species as they are allowed to travel across the cosmos to Earth and for one month assume the body of any creature. Leonard chooses to be human and wants to be a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park. He has planned everything out, down to the smallest detail.

Then in the briefest moment of inattention on his trip to Earth, his well laid plans go awry. He crash lands in a tree during a tropical storm in South Carolina. He is miles and miles away from Yellowstone, which is both his drop off and pick up point. How will a cat get to Yellowstone? Fortunate for Leonard Olive rescues him and he embarks on an adventure more exciting and fulfilling the one he planned for himself.

This is a delightful, middle grade story. The plot is about what happens with things don’t go as planned. However, the message of the story is one of love, friendship and how they save us. The character of Leonard was quirky and perfect. His desire to experience things like movies and bowling made for some humorous moments. It also contains some excellent life lessons, such as it is okay to be different. I ask you, what is wrong with a cat walking on a leash?

I was originally drawn to this book because I am an animal lover. Yet, it is a story for all types of readers. I highly recommend this one for everyone who wants a funny, feel good story full of life lessons. I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Voyagers: Twelve Journeys Through Space and Time by Robert Silverberg

Voyagers is classic Science Fiction at its best and Silverberg is the master. I have read most of the author’s novels but few of his large collection of short stories. Therefore, I was excited to get my hands on this book for review. It totally cemented my love and respect for Silverberg as one of my favorites in the genre.

This collection of short stories, twelve in total, showcases his prowess at writing short fiction. All the stories have been published in the past, mainly in magazines. Silverberg has written a short introduction to each that I found insightful. Not only does he explain a bit about how the story came about, he gives us a small look into his world and thought processes as a writer.

All the stories in the collection center on the theme of travel. Some stories, such as the first, In Another Country, involve time travel. Other stories involve travel in other forms. An example of this is Looking For the Fountain which involves an alternate universe. My favorite of the group, and the longest in this collection, is We Are For the Dark which involves traveling vast distances across space.

Regardless of how you like your travel, these stories are a fabulous curation. I highly recommend this anthology to lovers of classic Science Fiction. This is a book anyone would be proud to have in their collection. I received a free copy from the publisher, via Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program, in exchange for my honest review.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This is Andy Weir at his best! Project Hail Mary reminds me of his book The Martian in that it has this amazing main character that you fall for immediately and a sets of events that will have you on the edge of your seat. And did I mention, lots of great science. Folks… Weir is back!

Dr. Ryland Grace has been a junior high school teacher ever since he left the academic world over a controversial paper he wrote. In the paper he claimed that life does not need water to exist or evolve. Little did he know that this paper would lead him to be the expert on an alien life form and that would ultimately lead him to being part of a three person manned mission to another star to save humanity.

There is just one catch. He cannot remember any of this. He is awoken by an advanced medical robot protocol and at first he does not even know his name. All he knows is there are two corpses on beds next to him. Slowly his past comes back to him in bits and pieces as he works on finding a solution to Earth’s problem and avoiding the next mass extension event.

I know I am being obtuse here but I don’t want to spoil one minute of this excellent story. It is a mix of Space Opera and hard science. By the way, Weir does a beautiful job of marrying the two. The action is never ending. Just as Grace solves one problem another one arises. He also has a habit of plowing ahead while working on a problem and not thinking through all of the consequences. In other words, he is human.

Thinking of being human, Weir has created a character that is incredibly likeable. Grace is fallible in a believable way and this makes him relatable. A couple of times I wanted to shout to Grace, “What did you expect!” I love when I get so invested in a story that I want to talk to the character(s).

I know you can tell that I loved this one. However, If YOU loved The Martian as much as I did, you have to read this book. Even if you have never read a book by Weir be sure to pick this one up. I promise you it will be well worth it. Double kudos to Weir for writing such a wonderful book. I am looking forward to seeing this one on the big screen. I received a free ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review.

Leviathan Wakes by John S. A. Corey

This book, Leviathan Wakes, might still be on my wish list if not for a friend, and fellow bibliophile, gifting me a copy for Christmas. She knows how much I love a good Sci-Fi story and this one delivered. So glad she choose this book because after watching the first season of The Expanse I was wanting to read the books before watching further episodes.

At this point I would normally give a short synapses of the book. However, given that it is already a TV show, it feels unnecessarily redundant. I want to point out that though the TV show is close to the book there are a few differences. I liked the book better, no surprise there, and I understood the characters better in the book.

The authors (Corey is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) put a lot of work into the world building. The politics and racism in the book are spot on for what you would expect in the future where humans have inhabited the entire solar system. Earth looks down on people not born on Earth and the Belters, those born on asteroids or space stations in the Asteroid Belt, are at the bottom of the list.

While this book is not hard core Science Fiction, it still ticked all the boxes for me. Told from two POVs, Jim Holden, captain of an ice hauler, and Detective Miller on Eros station in the Belt. The characters were portrayed realistically. The two are polar opposites and once their paths become intertwined the story gets riveting. The character development is as strong as the plot and together they make for a book that is hard to put down.

I highly recommend this book to all those who love Science Fiction. I can see why it won so many awards. Totally looking forward to book two.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

The Last Watch, by J. S. Dewes, has a Battlestar Galactic vibe. If you crossed that, with something like, The Expanse it would make a fairly accurate description of this epic space adventure. It is an excellent blend of characters and action that makes it a thrilling read and has established Dewes firmly in the category of authors to watch in the Sci-Fi world.

Told from two POVs, Cavalon Mercer the disowned royal heir and Adequin Rake the commanding officer of the decommissioned battlecruiser, now jail of sorts, Argus. The ship sits on the edge of the universal, literally. The edge, called the Divide, is the point where the universal has quit expanding. The job of the Argus and her crew, along with similar other vessels, is to guard the Divide against their enemy the Viator.

There is just one problem, the universe has started to collapse and it will swallow everything in its path. There is no one else at the Divide and no way to reach the Core to get help. Therefore, this ragtag bunch of criminals and misfits maybe the only way to stop disaster.

Though this is a debut novel, it reads with much more sophistication than I expected. The characters are well rounded and the author gets you inside their heads so that you not only understand them, but you have empathy for them. Even the minor characters you understand their motives and actions. For example, you know why Griffith is serving aboard the Argus. It was no surprise to me what he revealed to Rake at the end, though she refused to see it. However, I think deep down she knew and was just afraid to admit it to herself.

The plot was fast paced and I found myself caught up in the action. In a couple of places I was biting my nails over the suspense. I also liked the twists and most were unexpected. However, one negative thing, though minor, I suspected some of the things that happened in the end. Yet, I felt this did not detract from the story in the slightest.

There are so many directions the next book could go in. I really want to find out more about the other characters, like Puck. I want to understand the underlying politics better and lastly I want to know more about the Viator. I am so looking forward to book two. Not looking forward to the wait! I want the second book NOW!

This is an all-around great opening to a series and I highly recommend this book for all loves of Sci-Fi. It will especially appeal to those that like Space Opera. I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

I have been waiting on the edge of my seat ever since I found out there would be a sequel to Ready Player One. All that waiting for nothing, just terribly disappointed with Ready Player Two. I am so disappointed I almost don’t know where to start because almost nothing worked for me in this story. Ugh!

Let’s talk about Wade first. His character totally changed in the second book. All he did was whine until something like the last 10 pages. He was also rather shallow and self-absorbed in this story. I get that the author wanted to “grow” the character, but it felt like Wade actually regressed. He was no longer the poor kid from the ghetto that everyone could root for. Instead, he acted like the spoiled rich kid that was not getting his way. The result was I was not able to connect to his character any longer.

I really loved the 80s cultural references in the first book. However, in the second book I hated them. I felt like Cline just went through all the 80s and picked as many as he could and haphazardly put them onto the page and wove the story around them. What was he thinking? This is a classic example of the saying, “less is more”. I especially felt this way when the story reached Prince’s (the pop singer) world. It was way overdone.

Then we get to the plot. Why, oh why could we have not explored some new territory here? But no, we had to have another egg hunt. You would think at least Cline could get that part right. Wrong… so very wrong. Not only where there way too many 80s references, there was also the idea that no one could solve the first riddle, including Wade, for several years then all of a sudden he can solve all of them in just a few hours. Granted he got help with all of them, especially the first. What happened the genius riddle solver from book one?

There is some good news here. I read a couple of five star reviews; therefore, some people loved it. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. In fact, it appears that I am in the majority. In summary, I found this one to be a hot mess.

The Girl From Far Away by Jennifer Austin

Pub. Date: 31-July-2020
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Girl From Far Away by Jennifer Austin is a YA fantasy story that has elements of Science Fiction also. It was an interesting take on alternate worlds and has an XMen feel to it. An enjoyable read.

The story is told from two points of view. The first is Jess’s and she is from Earth. The other POV is Ella’s whom lives on an alternate earth, called Biack, which has more advanced technology. The two characters are linked somehow (there was never really a good answer on this and I’ll talk about this later) because they both experience the others life through their dreams.

Jess’s life has been difficult. She has lived with an abusive stepfather and a mother who appears to be an absentee parent. Also, it turns out her friends are not much of friends. Her brother is the only person she is really close to and he is no longer around after a run in with their stepfather. On the other hand, Ella has lived the life of privilege as the daughter of the King and she will one day become the Queen of Biack.

It has been foretold that Ella and others will be born with special abilities and they come in a time of great need for Biack. Jess discovers she has a special ability when the “falls” into Biack. She is disoriented but found and quickly befriended by Ella. Yet Jess does not trust easily and ends up in the hands of the Red Shirts an organization that is trying to start a coup. She will have to learn to trust before she can be saved.

I liked the characters in this book. Not only did they feel real but the actions and dialogue were correct for the age. I especially enjoyed the character of Jess. The author did a great job of rounding out her character and I understood her. However, I wished we had gotten more character development for Ella and the some of the secondary characters. The roles they played warranted it and further development would have enhanced the story. I have a feeling that this was intentional because the ending was such that I can see a sequel in the future. If the author spilt all the beans now there would be nothing to look forward to.

The beginning, roughly 20 pages or so, was a little slow. Once you get a little deeper into the story there is a lot more action and the pace picks up a bit. I never got bored with the plot. There was enough meat there to keep me interested and the subplot worked nicely, though it didn’t really get resolved.

In addition, there were also things hinted at but never really explained. Like theories on how the kids’ special abilities were acquired. The story just says they were born with them. I wanted to know if it was a mutation maybe because of the radiation from the sun or if it was believed to be something else that caused it. Again, I have a feeling this is intentional for the reasons I have already mentioned. Intentional or not, I missed it and wished there had been a little bit more world building.

This is a good solid debut YA story. I have no doubt that it will appeal to lovers of YA. I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler is one of the masters of Science Fiction and this book is a great representation of her work. It is a dystopian story, set in the near future, about a girl that is just nineteen when her world is turned on end by the destruction of her home and family.

Lauren has grown up in a world in which climate change, poverty, drugs, and racial divides are magnified and the result is a society that is crumbling. Crime is rampant and a new drug called Pyro is the drug of choice. The drug is called pyro because addicts set fires just to watch them burn and the high they get from the drug is reported to be better than sex.

Despite Lauren’s community being walled and patrolled, it is broken into by these addicts and they set fire to the entire neighborhood. Lauren is forced to flee and becomes separated from her family. She manages to meet up with two neighbors who inform her that her family was killed in the attack. The three of them strike off to the north to what they hope will be a better life.

Really great story! The world building and characters are well done. The plot is very well thought out and moves along nicely. This is Science Fiction as its best.

The only negative thing I have to say is that the character was a little too prophetic for her years. I think Butler was trying to show that in this type of society children grow up fast. That might be true to some degree but it just didn’t work that great for me.

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

I adore a good Sci-Fi book and I was not disappointed with Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis. It is a look at what first contact with an alien race might be like. It was an entertaining, fascinating read and it made me stop and think about how first contact might really go. A total pleasure to read and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.

Caro Sabino is a young college dropout. She is just trying to find her footing in the real world. Her estranged father is the CEO of the equivalent of WikiLeaks and he has just released the leak of a lifetime. The evidence he presents purports that the US government has made first contact with an alien race. However, the facts suggests they have not been able to communicate with them. That is until Caro unwittingly steps into the picture.

The story was outstanding. It is creative, well thought through and has a great cast of characters with just enough suspense and twists to keep you engaged. The plot moved quickly and I was engaged throughout the entire book. However, the relationship between Ampersand and Caro is what really made me enjoy this so much. The connection and eventually trust that developed between the two was well done and I loved the path it took in the book.

I also liked how the author handles the government cover ups. It explored some interesting ideas and made me think about the lengths government will go to keep people in the dark. Also the reoccurring theme of truth being a human right brings up whole host of ideas on that topic. In short, besides being a good story (which it is) it raises some interesting questions about morality, compassion and what it means to be human.

This is a great book for those true lovers of the Science Fiction genre. I would like to be able to recommend it to others but I doubt, for example, a person who is a Historical Fiction fan would like it. Yet, for you Sci-Fi people like me, you have to read this one!

I received an ARC, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.