The Sentinel by Jeffrey Konvitz
I’d never heard of Jeffrey Konvitz’s superb horror/thriller, The Sentinel (1974), until I saw it promoted on a couple of discount ebook newsletters I receive. The cover, while lacking any subtlety, sold me on the whole horror-wrapped-up-with religion angle. And while the image may be a bit over the top, The Sentinel slow boils its simple premise and bubbles with persistent and pounding tension.
The Sentinel is reminiscent of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby,
December 2nd, 2016. Jason Golomb´s rating: 4 | Jeffrey Konvitz | Horror | SFF Reviews | 8 comments |
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
William Mandella, a genius studying physics, has been drafted into the elite division of the United Nations Exploratory Force, which is fighting a seemingly never-ending war with the Taurans. After strenuous training with other elites on the Earth and in space, William and his colleagues are sent on various missions throughout the universe, traveling through black holes to get to each warfront. During each mission some of William’s friends die, but that’s expected. What’s surprising is that when he returns home, very little time has passed for him,
March 3rd, 2016. Kat Hooper and Stuart Starosta | Joe Haldeman | Audio, Hugo Award, Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett
Old-time fans of Leigh Brackett’s most famous character, Eric John Stark, would have to exercise a great deal of patience after the first three Stark stories — “Queen of the Martian Catacombs,” “Enchantress of Venus” and “Black Queen of Mars” — appeared in the pages of Planet Stories magazine, from 1949 – ’51. It would be a good 13 years before the author revisited her “Conan of the spaceways,” and then it was to only revise and expand the first and third tales to create the short novels The Secret of Sinharat and People of the Talisman.
January 27th, 2016. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | Leigh Brackett | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Hadon of Ancient Opar by Philip Jose Farmer
To most general readers of science fiction, Philip Jose Farmer is probably best known as the creator of the RIVERWORLD series, and possibly also as the Golden Age writer who brought sex into the Science Fiction scene through his stories “The Lover” (1952) and Flesh (1960). He also loved to dabble in other author’s created universes, to the extent that he wrote numerous pastiches and fictional “biographies” purportedly by and about such characters as Edgar Rice Burroughs’ TARZAN,
May 29th, 2013. Steven Harbin´s rating: 4 | Philip Jose Farmer | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Walk to the End of the World by Suzy McKee Charnas
In the mood for a good piece of post-apocalyptic, feminist science fiction? Well, then, I’ve got a doozy for you! Suzy McKee Charnas’ first novel, Walk to the End of the World (1974), is just such a book, combining a tough little tale with a healthy dose of sociopolitical rumination.
Taking place many years after mankind has destroyed its planet with wars and pollution, “leaving it to the wild weeds,” Walk to the End of the World introduces the reader to the society of the Holdfast,
March 29th, 2013. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | Suzy McKee Charnas | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Mote in God’s Eye, co-written by frequent collaborators Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, is a classic First Contact science fiction story which Robert A. Heinlein called “possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read.” The story takes place in 3017 AD in the future of Jerry Pournelle’s CODOMINION universe (though it’s not necessary to have read any of those books to enjoy The Mote in God’s Eye).
March 6th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven | Audio | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Seedbearers by Peter Valentine Timlett
The 1970’s were the heyday of the “sword and sorcery” boom that started a decade earlier with the publication of pulp fantasy adventure writer Robert E. Howard’s CONAN stories by Lancer Books. The popularity of Howard’s newly rediscovered (at least to young fantasy readers such as myself at the time) work, coupled with the earlier surge of interest in fantasy spearheaded by the mass market paperback editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and THE LORD OF THE RINGS published by Ballantine Books,
October 2nd, 2012. Steven Harbin´s rating: 1 | Peter Valentine Timlett | SFF Reviews | 9 comments |
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