The Caloris Rim Project, by Glenn P. Mac Donald Book Review

The Caloris Rim Project, by Glenn P. Mac Donald, is a hit and miss military/space adventure containing all the requisite elements: the hero(s), the love interest, the corporate/government conspiracy, rogue military operatives, and interstellar war. Mac Donald gets a lot of things right, but just as often swings and misses. He delivers some great action scenes and inventive alien species, but his characters often seem cut from a broad and stereotypical cloth. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book -- I did -- but I enjoyed parts of it a lot more than I enjoyed others. I was left feeling as though I'd just read a lot more words than the story needed to be told.

I had some problems keeping track with what was going on and why. About two-thirds of the way through, I sort of gave up on trying to figure out how the overall plot fit together and just followed along for the rest of the rise. It's as though there are two different books here. The story Mac Donald ended up finishing didn't feel like the same story he started. I think a good editor might have loped off the first third of the book and tightened up the rest, and it would have been better for it.

The Caloris Rim Project, by Glenn P. Mac Donald Book Review

The Fifth Dimension, by Martin Vopenka Book Review

The Fifth Dimension, by Martin Vopenka, has been translated from it's original Czech. After my reading, I'm not sure The Fifth Dimension qualifies as speculative fiction. There really are no integral speculative elements, although there are some I would call metaphysical -- mainly questions and rambling observations about the nature of reality and time and existence. Not all that interesting to me, but that doesn't mean it won't be interesting to someone who might be more into a naval gazing nature-of-it-all type story where nothing really happens.

After answering an ad for a job and completing a rigorous assessment protocol, a Czech man named Jakub is selected -- after a long and involved series of tests -- as a test subject in an experiment being conducted by a mysterious American corporation. The experiment requires him to live a year entirely alone in the high Andes as a hermit, almost completely devoid of human contact. If he makes it through and doesn't violate any of the myriad rules regarding his isolation, he will be awarded with a sum of $200,000 dollars. In his current financial state, and out of a desire to provide for his family (a wife and two children)

The Fifth Dimension, by Martin Vopenka Book Review

A Murder of Mages, by Marshall Ryan Maresca - Book Review

A Murder of Mages is the first book in the Maradaine Constabulary series, although there was a previous book called The Thorn of Dentonhill that's set in the same city (with different characters and not dealing with the constabulary). I enjoyed that first book, so of course picked this up and read it right away.

The premise: Satrine's husband, who worked for the constabulary, is waylaid and beaten near to death. Unable to support herself and her children on the pittance the constabulary offers her now that her husband can no longer work, she fakes some papers and takes up a position as a constable in a different section of the city in hopes that no one will recognize her. She's partnered with Minox, an oddball but brilliant investigator who happens to be an untrained mage. The two are presented immediately with the ritual murder of a Circled mage. If they can't find out who's killing mages in the city, it may spark an all-out mage war between the Circles . . . which could spell the destruction of the entire city!

A Murder of Mages, by Marshall Ryan Maresca Book Review

Lock In, by John Scalzi - Book Review

This science fiction crime thriller is set in a really intriguing world with a fascinating premise.

Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. Most of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. A few suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And 1 per cent find themselves 'locked in' -- fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. It may not seem like a lot. But in the US alone that's 1.7 million people 'locked in'... including the President's wife and daughter.

Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering. America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can fully restore the locked in, but two new technologies emerge to help. One is a virtual-reality environment, 'The Agora', where the locked in can interact with other humans. The second is the discovery that a few rare individuals have minds that are receptive to being controlled by others, allowing the locked in to occasionally use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse...

Lock In, by John Scalzi Book Review

The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell Book Review

Anyone who has spent any time on this site will know that I'm a huge fan of Mitchell -- Cloud Atlas is one of my all time favorite books. So would I enjoy this offering?


Run away, one drowsy summer's afternoon, with Holly Sykes: wayward teenager, broken-hearted rebel and unwitting pawn in a titanic, hidden conflict. Over six decades, the consequences of a moment's impulse unfold, drawing an ordinary woman into a world far beyond her imagining.

Right from the first page, I was drawn into this episodic narrative. Holly has run away after discovering her best friend in bed with her boyfriend. Though I was reading it on an autumn night, I was whisked away to the blistering heat as Holly has an emotional meltdown. And during this starting point, events unspool during that particular afternoon that go on having consequences for decades to come. The next five episodes that comprise the whole narrative all circle around that primary event, in one way or another as we also chart Holly's life. It's a difficult life. Being singled out doesn't make for an easy time of it. But Mitchell does what he does best -- provide a series of sharply written, beautifully crafted slices of action that allow us to join up the dots and provide the overarching narrative. My personal favorites are the first one -- 'A Hot Spell', 'The Wedding Bash' and the chilling final 'Sheep's Head'.

The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell Book Review

Prisoner of the Horned Helmet, by James R. Silke, Frank Frazetta Book Review

Alright, before I start, I would like to point out that I have gone back to reread one of my all-time favorite books. Prisoner in the Horned Helmet is not just a superb novel, but it is also a cool project. World famous fantasy artist, Frank Frazetta, teamed up with James Silke to bring one of his most impressive paintings to life in a four book series, often called the Death Dealer series after the title of the painting, which inspired the concept.

I love the idea of art inspiring art. I have often based a story on a painting or a character in a role playing game on a new lead figure I had purchased. But this novel is not a lark or people trying to move into an area they are not ready for. This is a finely crafted novel on multiple levels. The story is strong and riveting. The characters are well crafted and intense. The villains match the heroes in intensity or perhaps surpass them. They in fact have a thing for villains and make them all seem horrid, dangerous, and unique. The writing is also tight and inspired. "He wore his sweat like an extra layer of armor—the night was as dark as a buried stick." Simple, but nice.

Prisoner of the Horned Helmet, by James R. Silke, Frank Frazetta Book Review

Reawakened, by Colleen Houck - Book Review

Okay I got another YA book, but at least it wasn't written in present tense. This one is written from a teen-aged girl's perspective. She is also beautiful and one of the richest girls on the planet. So yes, putting myself in her shoes felt a bit awkward, but Lily is a likable gal and her life of extreme luxury has not made her as pampered and annoying as it could have.

As the book begins, Lily's chief concern is her desire to follow her own path in life instead of the one being dictated by her overbearing parents. This quickly changes when she is on hand for the reawakening of an ancient mummy named Amon who is brought to life to save the Earth from the evil god of Chaos Seth.

Amon is young and handsome and you guessed it, she falls for him hard, although it does take a little while to get over his strange manner and magical feats. Soon, however, the 'honeymoon' is over as Lily becomes involved with life and death struggles that mix danger, travel, monsters, and magic.

Reawakened, by Colleen Houck Book Review

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman - Book Review

I uploaded this book on the recommendation of awesome blogger, book fan and author Sara Letourneau, who said it was one of the best dragon series she'd read. Would I agree?

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman Book Review

The Art of Mad Max Fury Road, by Abbie Bernstein Book Review

I am not a professional art critic, but that is okay, because there is not much to criticize in this artistic exploration into the new Mad Max movie, Fury Road. What I do have going for me is a long lived appreciation for the Mad Max movies, or at least the first two. But enough about me, let's talk about this book of dystopian road warrior art.

George Miller spearheaded making the movie happen and also writes a great introduction to this work. The author Abbie Bernstein takes care of the rest of the prose and does an excellent job of doing so. They help set a stage and provide information that completes what the artwork delivers.

The Art of Mad Max Fury Road, by Abbie Bernstein Book Review

Breathe, by Sarah Crossan Book Review

I loved the cover on this YA dystopian science fiction book, so plucked it off the shelves hoping it was an engrossing read.

When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides who will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years later society has divided into Premiums and Auxiliaries. Only Premiums can afford enough oxygen to live a normal life. Dissenters to the regime are ejected from the Pod.

Alina belongs to a rebel group and when one of her illegal expeditions to illegally harvest cuttings to grow trees ends in tragedy, her subsequent actions are set to uncover the shocking truth about the Pods.

This is a very interesting world. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the favored few who have sufficient oxygen to exercise -- and those who have to pace themselves because they are constantly coping on limited air. And when the twists come, it was initially quite a shock to discover exactly what was going on. The science is also secure on this one -- I liked the way Crossan has woven in established fact in order to make this plot point work. Nicely done.

Breathe, by Sarah Crossan Book Review

Eden, by Martin Roy Hill Book Review

It's a bit of a shock to find someone who can tell his story in 100 pages flat. Usually it's a trilogy at least. But Hill pulls it off.  Sequels are possible, but I liked it well enough to hope he doesn't. I think of Against the Fall of Night / The City and the Stars (and sequel), 2001:  A Space Odyssey (and sequels), and "With Folded Hands" (expanded into a novel, The Humanoids, with sequel), and hope he doesn't.

Eden is an Ancient Aliens and the Origins of Humanity story, which is not a spoiler, because Hill tells us this in a note at the beginning.  More points to him for not trying to use this used theme as a Big Reveal and Punch Line.

Eden is set in southern Iraq, "northeast of Basra", a "sun-scorched landscape" that is not many people's idea of Eden. Conditions have deteriorated since Adam and Eve. 

Eden, by Martin Roy Hill Book Review

The Shadow Throne, by Django Wexler - Book Review

The King of Vordan is dying, and his daughter, Raesinia, is destined to become the first Queen in centuries -- and a ripe target for the ambitious men who seek to control her. But politics knows no loyalties, especially for Duke Orlanko. He will bow his knee to no Queen. Freshly returned from their recent victories abroad, Colonel Janus, Marcus d'Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass must defeat the Duke using muskets, magic and every weapon at their command.

Wexler has been smart in completely changing the backdrop to this adventure, thus immediately giving it a different tone and feel. While the first book was set in a dry, desert country where our protagonists were the outsiders, this volume has them back home, grappling with palace politics.

The Shadow Throne, by Django Wexler Book Review

The Death House, by Sarah Pinborough Book Review

Looks like my streak of reviewing the best books ever in one year is continuing. I loved The Death House even if it is a Young Adult book. I will also throw this out there. I think it is the best young adult book I have ever read. In fact it is so good, parents might hold off on giving this one to their kids until they are a little older. Perhaps the 16+ range. Although I would have devoured it at age 13 myself. 

This novel revolves around Toby who, along with a few dozen other children has been sent to a cold island located off the shore of Great Britain. These children were removed from their families because they have a deadly disease that will eventually kill them. The author keeps the world and the disease vague and focuses more on the children and their lives.
The Death House, by Sarah Pinborough Book Review

Aurora: Eden, by Amanda Bridgeman Book Review

When I selected this book from the latest releases on Netgalley, I wasn't too concerned that this was Book 5 as I have a long and dishonorable tradition of crashing halfway into an established series while still enjoying the experience. However, with this particular book it was far more of an issue.

In the wake of the tragic events in Centralis, Captain Saul Harris stands with the weight of the world on his shoulders. With the truth of UNFASP revealed, he realizes that he must embrace his ancestry if he is to survive the coming onslaught. But how far will Harris go to protect the future? Will he sacrifice life as he knows it and become a Jumbo? Or can he face the future as a common man? Meanwhile Sergeant Carrie Welles has been left devastated by what has happened. Uncertain of the future ahead, and with her nemesis, Sharley, on the brink of control, she struggles to pick herself up. But she is left surprised when help comes from the unlikeliest of places. As her life veers off in a direction she never expected, Carrie soon understands that she is running a course with a destiny that lies far beyond her control.

Aurora: Eden, by Amanda Bridgeman Book Review

Human for a Day, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Jennifer Brozek Book Review

The Mainspring of His Heart, the Shackles of His Soul by Ian Tregillis:  The anthology starts off with a steampunk story and tick tock automaton who, in cohoots with his human best friend, hopes to find the key that would free him from servitude and give him a soul.  All he has to do is escape the ship he works on while in New Amsterdam and find the Underground Railroad.  A cool, touching story to start of the anthology.

The Blade of His Plow by Jay Lake:  In this story, we get to see Longinus, cursed to live forever as punishment for his role in what happened that "one hot morning in Judaea."  He's drawn to battle and sees many horrific sights as penance before someone arrives and makes him mortal for a day, his punishment over.  An interesting take on Longinus and the many stories surrounding his name.

Human for a Day, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Jennifer Brozek Book Review

Shadows, by Paula Weston Book Review

In response to the recent release of the final book in The Rephaim series, Netgalley offered reviewers a chance to read, Shadows, the start of the series. As I'd heard a fair amount about this YA Fantasy series, I took the opportunity to download it and judge for myself.

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Shadows, by Paula Weston Book Review

The Flaxen Femme Fatale, by John Zakour Book Review

This is the sixth book in the series, and the fact that I'm still reading tells you something. The books are about "the last PI on Earth," set in a very tongue-in-cheek future with a definite old-style pulp/detective noir feel.

In this book, Zach, the last remaining private eye, is hired by the government to find and retrieve the "flaxen femme fatale," a genetically-engineered woman named Natasha. She's escaped from her training ground and the military fears her powers, which are extensive, and the fact that Natasha isn't really trained in how to control them. If she gets angry or annoyed or even peeved, her thoughts can kill. So Zach and his trusty holographic sidekick HARV (hardwired into his brain) and enthusiastic intelligent gun Gus head off to investigate and bring her back. 

But, of course, not everything is as it seems.

The Flaxen Femme Fatale, by John Zakour Book Review

The Iron Ghost, by Jen Williams Book Review

There was a time not so long ago when I'd open up an epic Fantasy tale half-expecting to abandon it before the end of the first chapter, as yet another turgid trek through a medieval landscape with a bunch of charmless Tolkien wannabes trudged across the pages. But that was before I encountered the passionate writing of Sophie E. Tallis, the vivid characters depicted by Sammy H.K. Smith, the intelligent plotting of Joanne Hall. And Jen Williams' The Copper Promise. So does this sequel sustain the high standard Williams set in her success debut?

After their defeat of the dragon-god Y'Ruen, the trio of mercenaries who call themselves the Black Feather Three find that demand for their services as swords for hire is high, and it's the lure of money (the copper promise) that entices them to the northern city of Skaldshollow, high in the mountains. They have been asked to retrieve a stolen artifact, but this relatively simple job takes on multiple levels of complication as our sell-swords find themselves embroiled in a war between the stone-crafting Skalds and their neighbors and rivals, the cold-blooded Narhl. They are fighting an ideological war for the very soul of the mountains, in a land steeped in ancient magic, while below the surface of the earth something even more ancient, more magical, and more evil, is stirring...

The Iron Ghost, by Jen Williams Book Review

The Rebel Within, by Lance Erlick Book Review

This is a dystopian near-future novel and the start of a series with at least one sequel.  It's told in present tense, which isn't my favorite.

Sometime in the early 21st century, either right-wingers tried to turn back the clock, or hard-core feminists staged a coup. Either way, the Second American Civil War resulted and was won by the hard-core with the help of mech warriors. These are like Heinlein's Starship Troopers, but all women. Space and the rest of Earth seem not to exist. 

Seventeen years later, men and boys have been forced from power, and from most areas by zoning commissions. They aren't wanted, but are hunted down and killed or imprisoned if they try to escape. Most of the United States is the Federal Union, though traditional society, more or less, holds out in the Outlands (Appalachia, the southwest border, possibly elsewhere). 

The Rebel Within, by Lance Erlick Book Review

Sexbot, by Patrick Quinlan Book Review

I'm not sure who came up with Sexbot for the title, but I think it does the book a disservice, as does the over-the-top cleavage-based cover. Not because I'm some sort of prude, but because it might lead potential customers to shy away, since it screams "erotica" to anyway who even glaces its way.

The problem that creates it two fold:

1. Anyone attracted to it by the lure of the title and cover is going to be disappointed. While there are some sexy bits, it's not as explicit as one might be led to think by the title and cover. Erotica it's not.

2. On the flip side, Anyone avoiding it for the same reason as above will miss out on a pretty good near-future action thriller. And that's too bad.

Martin and Susan are hotshot computer and artificial intelligence scientist working for Suncoast Cybernetics. In the course of their research to build an ever better and more human artificial intelligence (which their company uses to build realistic androids to sell as sexual companions), they stumble across a method that allows the "uploading" of a person's mind to a machine intelligence. This, combined with the ever advancing androids they are able to build, offers potential immortality... to those who can afford it of course.

Read the rest at SFReader.com: Sexbot, by Patrick Quinlan Book Review