Click on stars to FIND REVIEWS BY RATING:
Recommended: 
Not Recommended: 
For fans of mathematician Eric Temple Bell, who wrote science fiction under the pen name John Taine, the acquisition of titles in this modern era can be somewhat problematic: Of the author’s 16 sci-fi books, only three of them are currently in print. This reader had previously experienced Taine’s first novel, The Purple Sapphire (1924), as well as his fifth, The Greatest Adventure (’29),
August 17th, 2020. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | John Taine | Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers by Emily Levesque
In the very beginning of The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers (2020), Emily Levesque notes that “of the 7.5 billion people on our planet, fewer than fifty thousand are professional astronomers.” As the title implies, and as Levesque explains toward the end of her book, the number is perhaps more likely to shrink rather than rise. Luckily for us, Levesque is one of that select group, and so is able to fill the pages in between beginning and end with a number of entertaining stories about her own experiences,
August 14th, 2020. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
I recently learned the term Dark Academia, and while I’m probably too old to be a part of the subculture, I wish I’d had a name for it earlier. Schools and colleges with dark secrets have long been one of my favorite forms of literary catnip. It was probably inevitable that I’d be interested in Elisabeth Thomas’s Catherine House (2020), the story of a rudderless young woman attending a most unusual college.
The titular Catherine House is “not just a school,
August 5th, 2020. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Elisabeth Thomas | Edge, Horror, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack
In case these times weren’t providing enough anxiety, astrophysicist Katie Mack has arrived on the scene with something else for you to worry about — the end of the universe. More precisely, in The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) (2020), Mack explores five ways the universe might die: The Big Crunch, Heat Death, The Big Rip, Vacuum Decay, and a Bounce. Luckily, most won’t be coming along for some billions of years, so you can probably still get in everything you’ve been planning on — cleaning out the garage,
July 31st, 2020. Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Non-fiction | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 3: The Burning Seas by Charles Soule & Giuseppe Camuncoli
The early years of Darth Vader continue in Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 3: The Burning Seas, in which Charles Soule explores Vader and the Empire in the near-immediate aftermath of The Revenge of the Sith. As the Empire consolidates its rule over the galaxy, Vader is sent on various missions that test his abilities in the Dark Side and allow him to grow more comfortable with his ever more destructive powers.
July 24th, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Charles Soule | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 2: Legacy’s End by Charles Soule & Giuseppe Camuncoli
Charles Soule’s DARTH VADER comics explore the character’s thoughts, decisions and actions in the immediate aftermath of The Revenge of the Sith, in which the Empire is still consolidating its power and Vader himself grappling with his new identity as the Emperor’s apprentice.
This volume sees him training the Inquisitors (which featured so heavily in the first two seasons of Star Wars Rebels),
July 23rd, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Charles Soule | Comics | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1: Imperial Machine by Charles Soule & Jim Cheung
Although Charles Soule’s DARTH VADER: DARK LORD OF THE SITH was released after Kieron Gillen’s DARTH VADER, it’s chronologically set several years before, in what is almost the immediate aftermath of The Revenge of the Sith (whereas Gillen’s story was set after the destruction of the Death Star in A New Hope).
So the character featured here is a “young” Vader,
July 22nd, 2020. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4 | Charles Soule | Comics | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders by Aliette de Bodard
Last Friday night, I was feeling indecisive about what to read, so I emailed Jana and listed the options I was considering: YA Historical Fantasy? Creepy Medical SF? I admitted I was leaning toward Snarky Murder Novella. “It’s Friday,” she said, encouraging me to treat myself with Snarky Murder Novella, and I’m very glad I did.
Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders is part of Aliette de Bodard’s DOMINION OF THE FALLEN series,
July 21st, 2020. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Aliette De_Bodard | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
Hank Green’s A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (2020) is the sequel to his 2018 debut, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing which you’ll need to read first. There will be spoilers for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing in this review.
It’s been a few months since the life-shattering events that occurred at the end of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. The Carls are all gone and it appears that April died in a fire that was set by some extremists influenced by anti-April vitriol on social media.
July 21st, 2020. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Hank Green | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Labyrinth Lost (2016) is the first in Zoraida Córdova’s BROOKLYN BRUJAS series.
Alejandra “Alex” Mortiz is the middle daughter of a Puerto Rican bruja (witch) family in Brooklyn. Alex has been trying to suppress her power for years, because she believes it was the reason her father left the family.
Her sixteenth birthday is approaching, however, and with it her Deathday ceremony, a coming-of-age ritual during which she will receive a blessing from her ancestors.
July 20th, 2020. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4 | Zoraida Cordova | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
thanks for this really well-written review. You've definitely piqued my interest in this, particularly in how you highlight the still…
Thanks for the kind words, Ira! Much appreciated!
Fine review
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…