One thing’s for sure, The Power (2016 in the UK, Oct 2017 in the US) demands attention. Margaret Atwood has given it her blessing and I’ll eat my hat if The Power doesn’t have its own Netflix series sometime soon. Naomi Alderman could well be the next big name in subversive, feminist fiction.
The Power asks — what would happen if all women could physically dominate men? Over five years,
January 3rd, 2018. Katie Burton and Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Naomi Alderman | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
Central Station is a thoughtful, poignant, human take on a possible future. For the most part Central Station occurs at the titular port on planet earth. This space resides in what we know today as Tel Aviv, but in the distant future it has gone through many names and many people. Everything seems to begin in earnest when Boris Chong arrives in Central Station after spending a great deal of time away — some of which on Mars. Central Station,
January 2nd, 2018. Skye Walker, Bill Capossere and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 5 | Lavie Tidhar | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
The Last Days of Jack Sparks (2016) is a unique contemporary thriller. The protagonist, Jack Sparks, was a controversial journalist, now dead. The premise of the novel is that you’re reading notes from the book Jack was writing before he kicked it, released as-is by his brother, along with notes for his agents and editor.
Jack Sparks is an interesting character. At first blush he seems similar to some real-life culture journalists. He’s a man with a unique,
November 20th, 2017. Sarah Chorn´s rating: 4 | Jason Arnopp | Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived (UK 2016, US 2017), by Adam Rutherford, is a nicely measured work of popular science that, unlike far too many popular science books/articles, doesn’t overhype its subject matter — advances in deciphering the human genome and how such advances can be applied. Always seeking to inform rather than sell, Rutherford makes for a trustworthy guide whose down-to-earth, realistic perspective doesn’t at all detract from the inherent wonder of science.
He divides the work into two large segments: “the rewriting of the past using genetics,
September 25th, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Anna Smaill’s debut fantasy novel The Chimes won the World Fantasy Award in 2016. It became available in the USA in 2017. The Chimes is a dark and beautiful fantasy that is filled with music.
After the death of his parents, Sebastian leaves his home and travels to London. His mother has sent him, with her dying words, to find a woman named Molly. Sebastian has the clothes on his back and a knapsack filled with objectmemories.
August 28th, 2017. Marion Deeds´s rating: 5 | Anna Smaill | Stand-Alone, World Fantasy Award | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Tourist by Robert Dickinson
The good news is that, in terms of time-travel novels, Robert Dickinson does quite a lot of interesting things with The Tourist (2016): dual narratives — one straightforward and one circuitous, commentary on human nature, and the mechanics of time-travel itself, along with its social and economic effects on the 21st-century. The bad news is that the novel stumbles in the third act and never regains its footing, sacrificing clarity and plot in favor of poetic imagery.
The Tourist begins by describing the prison “you” reside in,
August 23rd, 2017. Jana Nyman´s rating: 3.5 | Robert Dickinson | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
I’m of two minds on Drew Magary’s The Hike (2016). On the one hand, it’s a fast, energetic, often funny and sometimes moving work. On the other hand, its plotting feels wholly capricious and arbitrary and some of the territory it wanders is well-worn or less profound than it seems like it wants to be taken. I mostly like my books with a bit more structured depth, and if you do as well, then I think you’ll zip through and enjoy The Hike while also being a bit annoyed.
August 22nd, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Drew Magary | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent by Larry Correia
The Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent is a fun, silly, sometimes clever, sometimes hilarious, sometimes stupid story with lots of geeky SFF in-jokes. Some readers will absolutely adore it while others will absolutely loathe it.
As the story begins, one of the Earths in the multiverse is being overrun by Purple People Eaters who are (of course) eating people. Fortunately, this particular Earth has a policy with Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent. He’ll take care of it quickly and easily because if there’s one thing that Tom Stranger is serious about,
August 4th, 2017. Kat Hooper´s rating: 2 | Larry Correia | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A World from Dust: How the Periodic Table Shaped Life by Ben McFarland
A World from Dust: How the Periodic Table Shaped Life (2016), by Ben McFarland, can at times be a difficult read, but despite that, and regardless of some writing/structural issues, it’s an often engaging and always confidently informative exploration of how life was driven down certain paths by the implacable requirements of chemistry.
McFarland’s perspective contrasts directly, as he describes on several occasions, with Stephen J. Gould’s pronouncement that if the “tape of life” were rerun from the beginning,
June 22nd, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Regional Office is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales
As I kept reading The Regional Office is Under Attack (2016) by Manuel Gonzales, whipsawing back and forth between being impressed and being annoyed, I found myself pulling for Gonzales to pull it off, and it was a near thing. In the end, I think I come down on the side of the novel frustrating somewhat more than it delights, though it leaves me intrigued to see what Gonzales comes up with next.
The titular office is an agency that,
May 24th, 2017. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3 | Manuel Gonzales | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.