SF Reviews, Views and General Musings
Publisher: Tor Genre: Hard SF/Space Opera Pages: 825 Publication Date: 15/09/2020 Verdict: 3/5 As humanity expands into the universe, it finds evidence that it is not alone. Nor is it the first species to come this far. First contact leads to a galactic war, and one woman finds herself caught in the middle of events … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, by Christopher Paolini
Publisher: Tor Genre: Thriller/Hard SF Pages: 597 Publication Date: 20/08/2020 Verdict: 3.5/5 People go missing. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes, they bring others back with them. The walls around our reality are breaking down, and if they cannot be fixed, who knows what might come through next . . ? Time and time again, Adrian … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: The Doors of Eden, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Cast: Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang, Don Lake Episodes: 10 Genre: Comedy, Hard SF Broadcaster: Netflix First Aired: 29/05/2020 Verdict: 5/5 Inspired by the terrible idea of the same name, Space Force is the latest in a series of new SF-based comedies hitting our screens. Following the natural … Continue reading TV REVIEW: Space Force, Season 1
Aliens have been a part of science fiction for a very long time. You only need to look the success of Star Wars and Star Trek to see this. Both franchises suggest a galaxy teeming with alien life, from the cellular level to interstellar empires. Aliens that could be anything from a human with a … Continue reading LET’S SEE THEM ALIENS: The Fermi Paradox & The Kardashev Scale
Publisher: Tor Series: Children of Time (#2) Genre: Hard SF/Space Opera Pages: 565 Publication Date: 16/05/2019 Verdict: 5/5 A group of scientists arrive on a remote world, intending to terraform it for human habitation. But the planet is not as empty as they first thought . . . Centuries later, Portia's descendants and their … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Children of Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Head of Zeus Series: Standalone (ish) Genre: Hard SF (ish) Pages: 479 Publication Date: 09/08/2018 (Chinese Edition 2004) Verdict: 4/5 When Chen witnesses a natural phenomenon kill his parents on his fourteenth birthday, he knows it will change his life. Little does he realise how much his obsession with ball lightning will change the … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Ball Lightning, by Cixin Liu (translated by Joel Martinsen)
Publisher: WordFire Press Series: Selected Stories: Science Fiction (#1) Genre: Various Pages: 369 Publication Date: 14/08/18 Verdict: 4.75/5 A collection of short stories and novellas from over forty years of Anderson's writing. Kevin J. Anderson is one of the most prolific writers in modern science fiction. With well over a hundred books spanning Dune, Star Wars, The … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Science Fiction Volume 1, by Kevin J. Anderson
Publisher: Gollancz Series: One Way (#1) Genre: Tomorrow Fiction/Murder Mystery Pages: 330 Publication Date: 23/08/18 Verdict: 3/5 In 2048, a team is sent to establish a permanent base on Mars. But these are not trained astronauts. To save money, the XO company have sent a group of criminals to the red planet. Each … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: One Way, by S. J. Morden
Publisher: Gollancz Series: Standalone Genre: Tomorrow Fiction/Hard SF Pages: 225 Publication Date: 09/01/19 (originally 1951) Verdict: 3/5 In the early 21st Century, humanity has reached Mars. Science Fiction author Martin Gibson has received special permission to travel to the red planet, to document the lifestyle of the colonists and to promote further investment. Not … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: The Sands of Mars, by Arthur C. Clarke
