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Monthly Archives: December 2010
Surface Details, Iain M. Banks (Orbit, 2010)
Surface Details is a very good read and a ripping yarn told in a post modern manner. In brief, it is a multi-perspective piece examining events surrounding a virtual war taking place in a virtual Hell. It has good action, good characters and though it never raises to the quality of his best works, Surface Details remains an enjoyable read throughout. If you like Science Fiction, you should consider picking up this book. If you like Iain M. Banks, you should definitely pick up this book (though to tell you why would be a spoiler).
1632, Eric Flint (Baen, 2000)
1632 is the very enjoyable first book in the Assiti Shards/1632 series (q.v.), in which a modern town from West Virginia (USA) is transported into the middle of the Thirty Years War. While some of the history is greatly simplified, and there is a tendency to make good-guy bad-guy associations with Protestants (good) vs. Catholics (bad), Flint generally keeps a relatively good historic perspective and creates one of the most innovative and interesting speculative fiction pieces to be published in a long time. Continue reading
Backshot: Starfist: Force Recon Book 1, David Sherman and Dan Cragg (Del Rey, 2005)
Set in a contemporary timeframe with the other Starfist books, this story speaks to a good deal more than you’re ordinary milfic book. It has social and political commentary that those who do not know the genre may find quite surprising, and truly expands the Starfist Universe. If you like Military Sci-fi, or are interested in seeing how MilFic can make social and political commentary, I would highly recommend reading this book.
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Crashed: Skinned Book 2, Robin Wasserman (Simon Pulse) {Audio version: Brilliance Audio, Narrator: Kate Reinders}
The “Skinned” continues the story of Lia Kahn, a girl whose mind was downloaded into a realistic android body after a fatal accident. While Crashed is a solid, enjoyable story, it suffers from “middle of the trilogy” syndrome. While it could read as a stand alone, I doubt I would have enjoyed it half as much had I not already cared about the characters. Similarly, while there is a degree of closure at the end (unlike say… The Two Towers or Empire Strikes Back), there is a sense of unfinished business that leaves one hanging. Having said that, like its predecessor in this series, Crashed goes to show that YA books are not just for teens. Continue reading
Posted in Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Series, Strong Characters, YA
Tagged Arts, Cyberpunk, Fiction, Jude, Short story, Wired, Young-adult fiction
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The Archaeologist's Guide to the Galaxy.. by Thomas Evans 