Today is, as you may have noticed, the second of January. That means two things. First, it’s the one hundred and second anniversary of Isaac Asimov’s birth. Second, it’s National Science Fiction Day for those of you living in the United States. Since there is an abundantly clear connection between the two, and in the name of community outreach, I’ve decided to come up with a little book tag to celebrate the day, even if I’m not an American.

The Alternate Asimovs
A book you’d like to change the ending of

Earth is Room Enough
A book set entirely on Earth

The End of Eternity
The longest series you have finished

Foundation
The first book you’re reading/have read/plan to read this year

Foundation’s Friends
A book written by an author who did not create the setting for the book

The Gods Themselves
A book that features religion

I, Robot
Your favourite artificial intelligence in a book

Nemesis
A book you found difficult to finish

Pebble in the Sky
A fictional planet you’d like to visit

Space Ranger
A book set on more than one planet

My picks are as follows:

The Alternate Asimovs
Oblivion’s Gate, by David Mack – The more I think about the end of the Star Trek Litverse, the less I like it. I can understand what the authors were going for, but I’d like it to resemble a suicide pack a bit less than it ended up doing.

Earth is Room Enough
Cage of Souls, by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Most of the time, I want to read about anywhere but Earth. This one, however, makes Earth the alien world, and takes us to the very end of the planet’s life.

The End of Eternity
Honor Harrington, by David Weber – Though I still have spin-offs and prequels to finish, the main saga is complete. Fourteen novels, and they’re not short on page count either.

Foundation
Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth, by D.W. “Prof” Smith – Possibly the weirdest Star Trek tie-in I’ve ever read, it’s basically a recreation of an old pulp magazine. Really cheesy so far, but in the best way.

Foundation’s Friends
Allegiance, by Timoth Zahn – I could have put dozens of Star Wars books in this category, but Allegiance deserves the spot for having the most complex stormtrooper characters in the Expanded Universe.

The Gods Themselves
Ephrael Stern: The Heretic Saint, by David Annandale – I struggled to think of one for this, as science fiction tends to be either insulting of religion, or overtly preachy. This story of a warrior angel manages to be neither.

I, Robot
Andrew (The Bicentennial Man, by Isaac Asimov) – The quintessential robot in search of their own humanity, Andrew set the bar very high for all the Datas, Doctors, Androids and Machines to follow.

Nemesis
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini – This is a good book, it’s just so, so very long, and the story keeps reinventing itself every few hundred pages. I don’t regret reading it, but it took me some time.

Pebble in the Sky
Risa (Star Trek) – It appears in the tie-in novels so I’m allowing it in a book tag. It’s a literal paradie planet, where you can do everything from go clubbing to read a book in the sun, alone. Something for everyone.

Space Ranger
The Stars Now Unclaimed, by Drew Williams – A post-apocalyptic story on a galactic scale, this whole series is full of inventive worlds, and neatly sidesteps technological uniformity making everything the same.

Book tage completed. Happy New Year, Happy Science Fiction Day, and if you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged!