Previous SFF Author: Matthew Hughes
Equoid is a novella set in Charles Stross’ LAUNDRY FILES world. It isn’t necessary to have read any of the LAUNDRY FILES novels, but you’d probably get a little more out of Equoid if you first read at least the first two novels, The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue. This story takes place after the events of the fourth novel, The Apocalypse Codex,
February 16th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Charles Stross | Horror, Hugo Award | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Lady Astronaut of Mars, which won this year’s Hugo Award for best novelette, moved me. It was well-structured, all the ends tucked in and callbacks in the right places. It used symbolism and literary reference and pointed to issues of the human condition at large, like career versus family. All of this would usually add up to five stars from me, particularly since the author has as beautiful a voice on the page as she does when she speaks.
August 22nd, 2014. Mike Reeves-McMillan´s rating: 4 | Mary Robinette Kowal | Hugo Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
Nancy Kress won a Nebula and a Hugo in 1991 for her novella “Beggars in Spain,” about genetically altered humans who don’t need to sleep. In 1993 she expanded the novella into a novel and ultimately into a series.
The first quarter of Beggars in Spain is basically the original novella, in which the reader meets Leisha Camden, the genetically altered child of multi-billionaire Roger Camden. Lithe, golden-haired, blue-eyed and beautiful, Leisha is also extraordinarily intelligent and sleepless.
June 11th, 2014. Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Nancy Kress | Hugo Award, Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Nightwings by Robert Silverberg
Originally appearing as three separate but linked novellas in the pages of Galaxy magazine, Robert Silverberg‘s Nightwings was, remarkably, the author’s 35th science fiction novel in 15 years; just one of six that he came out with in 1969 alone (the others being Across a Billion Years, the remarkable Downward to the Earth, Three Survived, To Live Again,
April 24th, 2014. Sandy Ferber, Stuart Starosta and Kat Hooper´s rating: 5 | Robert Silverberg | Audio, Hugo Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
“Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.”
Isaac Asimov’s The Gods Themselves earned the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. About 15 years ago it was put on the Locus list of All Time Best Science Fiction Novels.
If you’re anything like me, that’s enough to put The Gods Themselves on your To Be Read List and,
March 31st, 2014. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Isaac Asimov | Audio, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
I had never read a David Brin book before reading Startide Rising. Hearing his background was in math, physics, astronomy, etc., I went about buying one of his books with trepidation. Isaac Asimov, Vernor Vinge, Alastair Reynolds, and other popular science fiction authors may be good scientists, but they lack the touch and feel of an inborn writer and the style of their novels suffers. Though it’s prose is not glorious, Startide Rising was nevertheless a pleasant surprise.
February 13th, 2014. Jesse Hudson´s rating: 3.5 | David Brin | Hugo Award, Nebula Award | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein
Most of Robert A. Heinlein’s adult novels have interesting ideas or premises but many lack likeable characters and/or fun quickly-moving plots. Fortunately Double Star has all the right elements and is entertaining from start to finish. It’s one of Heinlein’s best novels, I think, and I must not be alone in that opinion since it won the Hugo Award in 1956 and was nominated for Locus’ All-Time Best Science Fiction Novels. Double Star is a character-based novel that explores some important political issues without getting preachy.
October 2nd, 2013. Kat Hooper, Tadiana Jones and Stuart Starosta´s rating: 4, 5 | Robert A. Heinlein | Audio, Hugo Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 7 comments |
Space Magic by David D. Levine
Before picking up this story collection, I was only familiar with David D. Levine from a couple of his stories that I’ve read in anthologies. Space Magic sparked my interest because it contains a Hugo Award winning story (“Tk’Tk’Tk’”) and because it has recently been released in audio format, read by the author himself.
It rarely happens that I enjoy every story in a collection, but that’s what happened here. All of these tales are entertaining, I was pleased with the diversity of themes and styles,
July 17th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | David D. Levine | Audio, Hugo Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Best of Joe Haldeman edited by Jonathan Strahan
Stories by Joe Haldeman are always a good things and Subterranean Press has recently put out this “Best of” collection edited by Jonathan Strahan. The hardcover book has 504 pages and includes a general introduction by Joe Haldeman and 19 of his stories. Each story also has a short introduction which reveals some insight into its crafting — perhaps where the idea came from, or some trouble he had writing or placing it, or how he did his research, or his interactions with his agent or editor.
May 23rd, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Joe Haldeman, Jonathan Strahan | Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 4 comments |
Fast Times at Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge
Juan is an eighth grader in a near-future San Diego. Final exams have arrived and Juan and his friends are under a lot of pressure to perform well because those who don’t keep up in this fast-moving information-driven virtual-reality society are left behind. That’s what happened to Juan’s father. Juan is determined to succeed, so much so that he’s experimenting with cognition-enhancing drugs.
For one of their exams, students must work with a partner on a project of their choosing without outside assistance.
May 6th, 2013. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Vernor Vinge | Audio, Hugo Award, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Previous SFF Author: Matthew Hughes
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.
COMMENT Was I hinting that? I wasn't aware of it. But now that you mention it.... 🤔
So it sounds like you're hinting Fox may have had three or so different incomplete stories that he stitched together,…