science fiction – Page 2

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.

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.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher

In this post-apocalyptic story, A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher, the reader is treated to a story in the vain of Station Eleven. Since I had recently read Station Eleven and loved it, I was very excited to finally have time to read this one. While I could draw a lot of similarities between the two stories, the themes of this book are loyalty, courage and family.

In this future post-apocalyptic story, most of the entire human race has died and of the few left most are not able to reproduce, further dwindling the numbers to the thousands. The main character, Griz, lives with his family on a small island off the coast of the UK totally cut off from what is left of humanity, except for a small family that lives on a nearby island. It has been years since they have had contact with other people.

Then one day a red sail appears on the horizon. The boat is maned by a lone trader. He is young, charming and enchants the family with his tales of travel. While he expounds upon his adventures, he also poisons them and in the dead of the night he sneaks off with Jess, Griz’s dog. Female dogs are rare and therefore she is valuable. Enraged, Griz takes off after him in his own boat. This leads him into an adventure he was not prepared for.

As with Station Eleven, this book it is not a hard-core Science Fiction tale but, as stated earlier, it is about loyalty and family and what binds us together. There is not a lot of action in the story though the plot moves nicely. In addition, the entire story is told from Griz’s POV through a journal he has kept. This allows the author to reflect on the themes of the book and present his idea of what humanity would be become after a mega disaster. The author pulls no punches in presenting the bad side of humanity. In fact, I think he was kind on humans. He could have made it so much worse.

The story is very compelling and the author spends a lot of time on character development, at least with the main character. So you really get to know Griz, which sets you up for the big plot twist at the end. I totally did not see that coming. Also, while the story was rather bleak in terms of the fate of humanity the author presents a case for hope and shows there will always be good in the world. By the end, I was full of conflicting emotions and had to noodle on it before writing this review.

This would be a great story for a book club because there is a lot of thought-provoking themes explored in this book. The prose was excellent and though the scope of the plot was ambitious it worked well within the confines of the story. I recommend this book to anyone who likes reflective stories regardless of what genre they fit into.

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Fated Sky is the second book in The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. It is as great an adventure as the first book. It cemented my respect for the author as a great writer and I am most definitely a fan.

The International Aerospace Coalition (IAC) is now making regular trips to an established colony on the moon. The Lady Astronaut, Elma York, now regularly pilots these shuttles between the colony and earth. It has become almost routine. For Elma, she has realized her dream of getting to space and now she dreams bigger. She wants to go to Mars!

The IAC is now planning that all important first mission to Mars. Unfortunately for Elma, the mission is deemed too dangerous for women. Yet, if you want a colony on Mars there will have to be women. After all, the whole point of going is to insure the survival of the human race. Then the IAC also has the problem of needing a human computer during the trip to Mars. The question is, Will Elma get her wish?

I loved how the author handled real questions and problems that would arise if this was the reality we lived in. The continuing prejudice against people of color and women, especially women of color, that was a central theme in the first book, and I might add is spot on, is still present in book two. In addition, how the author imagined the zealous religious factions would react to the need to move humanity to the stars was also realistic and grounded in facts. In short, she convinces the reader, for the time they are reading, that it is a real history and not just an alternate they are reading. Many kudos for that!

Then her characters were just so human, flawed but done flawlessly. By that, I mean flawed but never in a way that it felt forced. For example, Elma grappled with her desire for getting to Mars with her desire to have a family. Also, I noted that her reactions to the various situations presented were not always elegant and that is exactly how humans react at times. What I am sure took the author many hours to develop seemed to be effortless and authentic. So, so well done.

This is one of those books that is, and will continue to be, loved by fans of various genres. The science parts are not heavy handed in a way that would turn off readers of say historical fiction, women’s fiction, etc. Therefore, I am comfortable in recommending this book to everyone.

The Last Human by Zack Jordan

The Last Human by Zack Jordan is a coming-of-age, space opera tale. It is the prefer book for fans of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy.

It is a quirky tale about Sarya the daughter, the last of her kind. Her kind being humans. She is raised by an adopted mother of another species. A mother who loves her and will give her life to protect her. Yet, she has a burning desire to know where she comes from and if there is possibly more of her kind still alive.

How can Sarya find out any information about humans when humans are the most feared species in the galaxy? Since she was very young her mother has carefully kept her hidden. No one should know that she exists; especially, since the human race was eradicated over a thousand years ago. Sarya will find out this and much more when a bounty hunter tries to capture her and she is forced to change her view on all she has ever known.

Unfortunately, I never connected with Sarya. I think it was because I found the story was just weird and not in a good way. I struggled to finish it. I put it down multiple times to go on to something more enjoyable. Each time I picked it back up I hoped it would improve. Finally, it got to the point I just wanted to be done.

The writing was good and I liked that it was reflective towards the end. It made me think about humanity and what makes us different and what makes us the same. Also, I thought about race and inequality because these two things came up repeatedly throughout the story. Ultimately, this is what kept me reading even though I never connected to the MC.

I think in hind sight I can say this one was just not my cup of tea. However, I think there are lots of fans out there of this type of story. I also think this would be a great book for a Sci-Fi book club. The story lends itself to a good discuss about cultural and political issues.

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

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

This novella, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, is in the vain of Octavia Butler. It is a quick read and the action pulls the story along rather swiftly. The prose was really good. The basis of the plot was not new but that was OK because the execution was good.

The only thing I longed for was a little bit more character development. I felt there was so much to Binti we did not understand. For example, why she felt she must leave her family and all she has known for an unknown future at Uni. I hope the next books will fill in the gaps for me.

This is one for fans of YA Sci-Fi . In addition, if you are a fan of Butler then you most likely enjoy this story. However, this is not a heavy on the Science book. Therefore, hardcore fans of the genre may not find this one to their liking.

Book Blurb:

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself – but first she has to make it there, alive.

Contagion by Teri Terry

Contagion by Teri Terry is a dystopian YA Sci-Fi story set in the near future. The story totally took me by surprise. I loved every minute of it. A deadly virus grown in a lab that escapes, people who have special abilities after being infected, a ghost set on revenge, it all worked so well.

The story begins in an underground research facility in Shetland, UK. Where a group of researchers are working on a cure for cancer. Callie, subject 369X, is being “cured” which results in her death. Instead of moving on to the afterlife she becomes a ghost. Shortly after her death an explosion occurs in the underground facility and the facility is destroyed in the fire that follows. This allows a deadly virus, later named the Aberdeen Flu, to be released.

Meanwhile, Shay, a typical teen except for her photograph memory, has her eye caught by a flyer of a missing girl. Turns out she saw the girl on the day she went missing. Shay calls the number on the flyer and later meets Kai the missing girl’s older brother. This missing girl in none other than Callie. Unfortunately, Shay is not able to provide must assistance to Kai since she only saw Callie briefly. However, they do form a bond.

By now the virus is wreaking havoc all over Scotland. Ever containment line the government sets seems useless and the virus is spreading like wildfire. This “flu” is so deadly it kills 95% of those infected within 24 hours. There are a lucky few who are immune. Those that do survive are changed and either kill themselves or are hunted down by the government.

While Kai is one of the lucky immune, Shay is infected and becomes a survivor. Shortly after her recovery Shay discovers that she can talk to the dead, including Callie. Together the three set out to discover what really happened in Shetland.

Fantastic story! Usually the characters are my favorite part of a story. Not so this time, I was pulled into the story from the start. I especially liked that it was not far-fetched and I feel something like this is plausible. The execution of the plot was spot on, fast paced but not rushed so there was a slow buildup of tension as the story progressed. There were a couple of twists to the plot I was not expecting and some hints about what is to come… I think. Then there is the cliff hanger, of course.

The characters are good too. There was a fair amount of character development which never fails to surprise me in an action novel. I crave a story that lets me understand and connect to the characters. Each of the three main characters has a distinct voice and yet the story is told through the eyes of the female characters only. It was an interesting way of seeing things. The author did a good job of connecting it all together so it flowed seamlessly. The only negative, I have to wait to read the next book!

I highly recommend this book to fans of near future Sci-Fi and YA Sci-Fi stories. There are a few scenes that maybe disturbing to the younger readers. Nothing overly graphic but the story does contain mild violence and the subject matter some may find unsettling.

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