Enjoy SciFi

The Heartbreak of Donna — Doctor Who

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:49:03 -0700

In the legendary science fiction series, Doctor Who, I discovered captivating dynamics of companionship. My article vividly portrays the critical role companions fulfill, offering continuity and human connection. When I first watched the Donna Noble episodes, I found her unmemorable. But in rewatching them years later, I’ve realized how truly heartbreaking her character arc is.

Girl of Fire and Thorns

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:24:41 -0700

Immerse yourself in the uniquely captivating journey of Elisa, the protagonist in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, as she transforms from a pampered princess to an empowered leader. Take a fantastic ride as she defies the familiar tropes of a YA fantasy, facing her insecurities and growing through challenges, ultimately inspiring those around her to ignite their inner strengths.

Nettle and Bone - A Fun Fairy Tale

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 14:57:39 -0700

Dive into the bewitching world of Nettle & Bone, a fairy-tale spun with an exciting twist that embraces the familiar while playfully defying expectations. Experience the captivating journey of the valiant heroine Marra, exploring her intriguing kingdom, and unlocking surprises with every turn of the page.

Valdemar was Disappointing

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:36:44 -0800

This book took a long time to come out. And it ended up feeling like a book written by a committee made up of super fans who just wanted to make sure their favorite lore was included. If you are a fan of Valdemar, you’ll read this book regardless. But if you’re new to the series, start with one of the older books, like Arrows of the Queen.

The Raven Tower

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 18:00:15 -0800

A review of the epic fantasy novel The Raven Tower by the author of Ancillary Justice Ann Leckie.

Books to Read

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 17:55:46 -0800

A list of most of the fiction books on my Kindle that are marked as ‘unread’. I’m trying to complete them all.

Midlife Bounty Hunter

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 15:23:49 -0800

Review of Midlife Bounty Hunter by Shannon Mayer

I have been reading Young Adult fantasy for a few years now, so when one of my favorite authors came out with this one, I was a little taken aback. I felt almost attacked. Yes, I’d love to believe that I could become a magical bounty hunter if I had to, even at my (ahem) “advanced age.” But I also know that I would be the first to be eaten by the werewolves. They wouldn’t bother trying to change me. Why should they, when I’m so nice and juicy.

Plan on Buying All Seven Books

Sun, 20 Oct 2019 01:07:14 +0000

If you start reading the Will Wight Cradle books.

And if you’re like me, you’ll be upset that book eight is not out yet.

My friend recommended Cradle to me a few years ago. I ignored him. I had a lot of other books on my plate at the time. Then a month or so ago, he told me that the first three books in the series were on sale. So I got them.

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Fri, 01 Jun 2018 21:43:03 +0000

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Blade Runner 2049

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 00:56:27 +0000

Today I read the Hugo Award nominations. Blade Runner, by virtue of it starting with the letter B, was the first film listed in the category “Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.” I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I admit that I was.

I was looking forward to this movie. I posted back in May 2017 that I wanted to see it. In fact, I was really disappointed when I couldn’t see it on release day. I was terrified that it would no longer be in theaters when I finally got to see it on October 28th. And honestly, that fear was justified. It should not have lasted that long.

Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:19:39 +0000

I couldn’t do it. I’ve enjoyed some of the other Ilona Andrews books that I’ve read, but I couldn’t bring myself to like this one—not even a little bit. There are just some themes that should not be in fiction at all, and especially not mucking up decent SciFi and Fantasy.

And the number one theme that fits that category is the romance novel trope of Stockholm Syndrome.

The book Alphas: Origins starts out funny. I loved the first line, even read it out loud to my family at Costco. I could relate to the main character. She’s a mom with a middle-grade aged daughter taking her and some other kids on a field trip. While driving, one of the kids announces that he has to go to the bathroom. So she calls another mom she’s been following and says “I’m going to stop at the exit right here for a bathroom break.” The other mom makes confused noises that makes it clear (to the reader at least) that she doesn’t see this exit, or the motel, or the blue sign. But Karina ignores her and so we as readers know that she’s off on her adventure. That beginning was spooky and disturbing, perhaps less so if you don’t have your own middle-grade child in tow, but I do so it worked.

Blade Runner 2049: Who else is looking forward to October 6?

Sun, 14 May 2017 22:39:24 +0000

https://youtu.be/gCcx85zbxz4

“Your story isn’t over, there’s still a page left.”

Ryan Gosling. Harrison Ford. Ridley Scott. Yes, I’m hooked. I know what I’m doing this October. “Blade Runner 2049,” who’s with me?

[!spoiler]- It was very disappointing

An Awesome Bundle of SciFi Books

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 04:14:07 +0000

Humble Bundle is doing an offer right now that I immediately had to purchase: Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy book bundle. At the lowest price point you get books like Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and Kate Elliot’s Jaran. And since this is the Humble Bundle, you can pay as little as $1, and get some great books. If you pay slightly more you’ll get Robin McKinley, more Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Hand, Jo Clayton, and others. And if you pay $15 or more you get even more books. This is a great deal for anyone who likes Science Fiction. I haven’t read every book in this bundle, but the ones I have are excellent. When I found out about this bundle I immediately went and paid for the top tier, as these are books I know I would want to read or re-read as the case may be.

Small acts of kindness make all the difference

Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:01:40 +0000

“I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

— Gandalf (The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien)

“Arrival” — First Contact with White Male America

Sat, 25 Feb 2017 23:57:14 +0000

I just finished watching the movie “Arrival” which I really enjoyed. This didn’t really surprise me as the protagonist is a strong woman who is also a Linguist and it was a Science Fiction story about first contact. Now I admit, I made the obligatory “E.T.” and “Close Encounters” jokes during the film, but in general, the movie was engaging and interesting. I enjoyed the twist (spoiler: there’s a twist…) and was fooled along with most everyone.

A Different Type of Urban Fantasy Series

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 03:59:50 +0000

InCryptid Series Review

Lately I’ve been filling my book shelves with urban fantasy books and I especially like reading books in a series. The benefit to a series is that if I like the characters and the books, there are more. I don’t have to wait.

I hate waiting. :-)

I first read the “October Daye” series by Seanan McGuire and when I ran out of books, I discovered her “Incryptid” series.

Annoying Your Readers

Fri, 19 Aug 2016 19:02:41 +0000

The Twenty-Sided Sorceress Review

I’ve been reading the fast and fun series by Annie Bellet called The Twenty-Sided Sorceress series. I have read the first five books of this seven-book series. They are:

This is, as I said, a fast and fun series about a sorceress who is also a gamer. She plays Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and likes pop culture, especially nerdy pop culture. This means there are a lot of quips and quotes from a multitude of fantasy and scifi works. Fans, like myself, will enjoy the references and the apparent in jokes that she regularly works into the stories.

Stealing Symbols & Souls Stole My Heart

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 03:10:11 +0000

There are some books that I wish would never end. I wish I could live in their world and follow the adventures of the characters forever. Stealing Symbols & Souls is one of those books. I started reading this book and couldn’t put it down. In fact, the way I got myself to put it down was by reminding myself that if I read it too fast it would be over. And since this is the first (hopefully) in a series of books about Stephanie Blackraven and her friends, there’s nothing yet to follow it. (Hint, Hint, D.T.…)

Banished of Muirwood Book Review

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 21:20:35 +0000

When I first started reading this book I was pleased to see that it wasn’t just another cookie cutter high fantasy novel. The characters are interesting and the world is different enough from our world or other fantasy worlds to be engaging, but not so much that I was confused. It starts out like a coming of age story, with the main character, Maia, traveling with a hired killer called a kishion. She is either on the run or in hiding—it’s not clear which and has to make her way across some inhospitable lands to save herself and her kingdom.

World War 97 Part 1

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 19:27:08 +0000

Update: Book Discontinued Prior to February 25, 2017

I just discovered that this book is no longer available for sale on Amazon, and I cannot find it anywhere. But I have left the review intact in case Mr. Normoyle reconsiders.

Review of World War 97 Part 1

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I was not disappointed. In fact, if there was any disappointment at all, it was that it’s a serial and I had to wait to read Part 2. The story starts out quickly with a character who is immediately engaging and interesting. It’s a fun surprise to learn that his brother is the president of the United States. So often books star the obvious people, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a sibling of someone famous. Not that this book really answers that question…

The Book Needs Work, But Hopefully the Author will Consider Resurrecting It

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 20:16:15 +0000

I received a free copy of this book and it looked interesting. But this book is really more of a first draft than a final manuscript, no matter that it’s published and sold on Amazon. I have been in several writing groups for years and that experience combined with my own writing efforts makes me think that this story needs more work before it’s ready to be read.

Some of the problems I had with it include:

It’s written in first-person with mostly I-subject sentences. In other words, most of the sentences read:

Mystery, SciFi, Alternate History—It's All Here

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 21:36:29 +0000

This story is hard to describe. It’s an alternate history story, but it’s set in modern day Seattle. It’s a modern crime investigation, but the deaths are being discovered in the 1800s. It’s science fiction, but it’s also a murder mystery.

I started reading this book and immediately got hooked. The main character, Gina Stone, is engaging and interesting. She presents a believable portrait of a beleaguered police officer who has decided to take a less stressful job in a small town. It’s just that her small town is New Essex and it’s across a portal in a world where the American revolution never happened.

Friends Change—More Great Space Opera

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 23:47:53 +0000

A few years ago I got to read and review the book Gift of Change by D. T. Sanders (Buy on Amazon). So when the sequel came out, I was intrigued. From the very first page, Friends Change did not disappoint. It is just as fast-paced and fun as the first book, but with a lot more characterization.

Jason and Fallon Change A Lot

The change in the title of this story is not a misnomer. Jason and Fallon go through momentous changes in this book and come out at the end almost inhumanly different. Their lives are very scary and I would not want to live them, but reading about them sure is a lot of fun! The first section sees Jason and Fallon barely making it back to the space port with their ship practically in pieces. It’s a miracle that they were able to get there at all. Almost immediately they are captured in the guise of getting them healing. And Fallon and Jason have to get free of a sadistic group of sex peddlers who only keep them alive because they hope they can figure out the technology keeping Fallon and Jason alive.

Finished my Christmas Present—Peacemaker

Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:52:41 +0000

[pods name=“book” slug=“2”] [/pods]Peacemaker is the fifteenth book in the Foreigner series. And the protagonists for this book are Bren Cameron and Cajeiri the heir. It starts almost immediately where Protector leaves off, with a bit extra at the beginning and end. I read this book as a Kindle ebook, so I realize that a lot of the issues I had were because of poor formatting in that version, but it still made it hard to finish completely. But let me start at the beginning. The first 12% of the book (according to my Kindle) was exposition explaining how the characters got to the point we were at in the book. I realize that after 14 novels in a series, this type of thing is needed for people who haven’t been reading it since book one, like I have. But let me tell you, exposition gets very boring after a while. I struggled with completing that first section, and considered skimming until there was some action several times. But I did wade through it. If you’re going to skip, I recommend moving to when the train they are on gets to the Bujavid. It’s pretty boring up until that point. The next portion of the book was the actual story. It jumped between Bren and Cajieri and was basically a build up to Cajieiri’s fortunate ninth birthday. There were three human children from the space station visiting Cajieiri and Jase-aiji was there from the station as well. Meanwhile Bren and his bodyguards are enlisted to clean up the assassins Guild. If you’re wondering why the description is so sparse, it’s because the book was pretty sparse. There was very little from Jago, and even Bren didn’t have much action. Banichi had been injured in Protector and he was still injured in this book, and so that was repeated many times. Even the hijinks of the kids were pretty tame, as they were all on good behavior. The worst thing to happen was Cajieiri forgetting his birthday speech, and so making one up on the spot. Bren was hit in the head in the Guild operation, but other than being light headed, he was okay too. The only other excitement was Cajieiri’s mother. But I won’t say what in case you want to read the book. At the end of the book is another 8% of exposition in the form of a report from Geiji-ji and commented on by Bren. This report is basically a summary of the events leading up to book one in the series and then covering the actions that happened during the series. I honestly don’t know everything it covered, as I got bored again and stopped reading. However, if you’re not already interested in Bren and Cajieiri, I would give this book a pass. I would have liked it more if there were either more action or less exposition, or best, both!

Ideas

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:00:51 +0000

Do you have ideas for SciFi stories that keep popping into your head? I do, and I’ve decided to write them down here. Just so I can remember them and stop waking up in the middle of the night thinking about them.

Vision - Our vision is largely made up by our brains. We only really “see” what’s right in front of us, and only when we want to. What if there were a being that could use this feature of our vision to hide in plain sight? Like it only moves in the millisecond of time when our eyes aren’t moving and thus can’t see it. Or it relies on our brains to fill in what we “know” should be there and so can stand right in front of you without you knowing it.
Senses - Have you ever had the sense that someone was looking at you, staring at you? What if this were a real thing - and that empaths or telepaths really are walking among us and can sense that type of thing. What if someone honed that skill to an art form?
Computers / Ghost in the machine - teh interwebz are getting pretty big now, and it might be large enough for sentience to evolve. But what if it evolved in the internet and then decided that it didn’t want to reveal itself to us? If it were smart, hiding would almost certainly be a safer strategy. But would an artificial sentience be willing to sacrifice people to protect itself? Would an AI have morality? Or would it do whatever it took to stay alive and hidden, and protect the secret of its existence at all costs?

I’m sure I’ll come up with more as time goes by.

Almost Human Gone - Fox Sucks - #bringbackAlmostHuman

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 16:07:48 +0000

I don’t know why I’m so surprised. But I was holding out hope that Fox would have learned its lesson from “Firefly” and actually let a good SciFi show carry on. But no. Instead, they handled “Almost Human” in almost exactly the same way they handled “Firefly.” It’s like they have a playbook for how to kill a good show:

Air the episodes out of order, so that any over arching theme is confusing at best and most likely destroyed at worst.
Make sure that the episodes that introduce the characters most effectively are buried somewhere in the middle of the season, since you’re already airing them out of order. That way any casual viewer will see no reason to give a rats ass about what’s going on.
Skip weeks with no information on when (or if) the show will be back on the air.
Then return with a show that clearly should have been aired earlier in the season because, well, because you can.
Don’t bother with PR. If the fans cared, they would watch.
And when they do watch, ignore them.
Make sure that whatever ads or PR you do do for the show focuses solely on violent car chases or robots getting blown up. Because the only demographic for SciFi is 18-year-old male. And those same males only like car chases and blown up robots. Oh and maybe a sexbot or two.

Maybe they’ll add to their playbook:

These SciFi images are amazing

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:05:06 +0000

What a glorious list of images.

SciFi as Classic Lit

Mon, 03 Feb 2014 21:56:51 +0000

I had the opportunity to write a guest article for the About.com Classic Literature site. And because my passion is Science Fiction and Fantasy, of course I wrote about that. What do you think? Can SciFi Be Considered Classic Literature? Or should it remain in the sub-genre basement as “Classic SciFi” and not compare it to other genres.

Fast Paced Indy Space Opera

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:01:33 +0000

One of the things I miss from science fiction these days are the hard core space opera novels My favorites right now are the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks, The Lensman series by E. E. “Doc” Smith, and the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. Banks and Bujold are still writing and adding to their series’, but there aren’t a lot of other authors writing space operas right now. So, when I got the opportunity to read the book Gift of Change by D Sanders (I received a review copy from the author), I was very pleased to get to read true space opera, it’s been a long time waiting.

Existence is hard… Existence by David Brin, that is

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:29:49 +0000

I am really enjoying Existence by David Brin but it is hard to read. Perhaps it’s because I’m reading it late at night, or perhaps it’s just me, but I find I’m only able to read about two pages a day. Which, since the book is 560 pages long, means I’ll probably be still reading it sometime in 2017. As someone who typically reads 2–3 books or more a week, this means that the book is a slog. But I’m loving it! Don’t get me wrong, this book is really interesting and fun, it’s just hard and slow to read. My biggest frustration right now is that there are so many POV characters that I get frustrated when the scene switches to someone else – until, that is, I get into their POV again and then I’m frustrated when we switch back to the first character. There are several engaging characters:

Curiosity is never sated — But it has landed!

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 20:47:11 +0000

[caption id=“attachment_210” align=“alignleft” width=“300”] Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech[/caption] This weekend was fabulous! The NASA Mars rover Curiosity landed last night successfully after 7 minutes of abject terror. The landing was a success and now we can look forward to lots of new images from Mars. I love that this is not fiction but fact! We are exploring Mars in my lifetime! I have read books like Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson and thought they were amazing, but not likely something I would see. But with these successful rover landings it seems so much more likely! Curiosity’s landing will generate a lot of geological and chemical data about the makeup of Mars, but it also paves the way for getting larger landers and landers that can land on Mars and then return, and finally landers that can bring people to Mars. I love it when science fiction becomes science fact!

Don’t stop thinking

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.”

— Jerry Pournelle

Why I like SciFi

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“I’m a sci-fi girl. If I can have anything in life, I’d want tons of great science-fiction movies and stories. It’s so progressive, beautiful, and imaginative.”

— Zoe Saldana

Enacting change

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“The powerful don’t make revolutions.”

— Marge Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time

Where are the Strong Women?

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:28:12 +0000

Nora Ephron didn’t direct Science Fiction movies. But her death is a loss to all of us, and especially women. She made movies that women like, movies for and about strong, caring women. Science Fiction movies, on the other hand, tend to be for, by, and about men. Even when women are in them, they are either glorified sex objects or men with breasts. Part of the reason Sigoourney Weaver was so funny in Galaxy Quest was because she was playing the only role women have had in most Science Fiction movies — the phone operator. It was especially ironic to cast her in that role when she’s best known as Ripley in the Alien movies. But Hollywood seems to forget women all the time. When the Avengers came out, 40% of the opening day tickets were bought by women, and yet the only strong female character was reduced to acting as a dogs-body and gopher for all of the other “real” super heroes. Why is this and why do women tolerate it? Yes, Ripley is a powerful female character, but even though I can name dozens of strong female protagonists in SciFi books, I can’t name even ten strong female characters in movies. Here’s what my husband and I came up with. We were able to come up with 9 when we included TV as well.

Fear

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Catching your prey

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“If you want to catch something, running after it isn’t always the best way.”

— Lois McMaster Bujold, Borders of Infinity

When not to read

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“A book’s alright when the weather’s foul and there’s nothing else to do, but why sit and read when the wind is calling your name?”

— Mercedes Lackey, By the Sword

To read, reading, read…

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:33:43 +0000

I love to read, I always have. But as I get older I find myself more and more willing to stop reading mid-stream. Ironically, eBooks have made this even more likely, as I stop reading something, thinking “I’ll come back to this…” all the while knowing that, well, I won’t. Devil’s Punch (2012) by Ann Aguirre Thus we come to today. I finished Devil’s Punch by Ann Aguirre. This was a good book. It’s the third I’ve read about Corine Solomon and I’m enjoying the ride. Corine is a woman who can sense the history, especially strong emotional history, of items when she touches them. In recent books she has undergone some changes to become more of a witch, but as is the course of many urban fantasies, she has to make choices that on the face of them are evil and so has been branded a black witch by most other practitioners. When her best friend is stolen by demons and taken to hell (Sheol), Corine puts her life and soul on the line to go save her. That is some friend! Of course, in the course of getting to hell and saving herself and her friends, she has to make more gray choices. There were bits in the middle that were confusing, especially as Corine is slowly being subsumed by a demon queen who has been a parasite on the Solomon line for hundreds of years. But right before the point where I would get so confused about who was in control of Corine’s body, it would be made clear again. The action was fast paced and fun, and the story didn’t stick to standard tropes in fantasy, so I was surprised at how she ended it. The story starts in Mexico, moves to Sheol, and ends up in London. And Corine saves her friend, but with a large cost to herself and her soul. After the break are two more reviews of a book I’m reading and another that I am starting to read. Warrior (2010) by Zoe Archer This was the book I interrupted to start reading Devil’s Punch. I got through 49% before my library copy expired, and I was almost relieved that that happened, as then I wouldn’t have to slog through it any more. The problem with this book was not that it was bad — it wasn’t. It is a mystery set in the early 1900s or late 1800s about a mystical group that is dedicated to protecting the world’s natural magical wonders from falling into the wrong hands. The problem was it felt like it was trying to be two types of book at the same time:

Being Different

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“It is not wrong to be different. Sometimes it is hard, but it is not wrong.”

— Elizabeth Moon, The Speed of Dark

Pain

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 02:01:18 +0000

“Pain means I’m still here, fighting.”

— Corine Solomon in Devil’s Punch by Ann Aguirre

Reality and belief

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”

— Philip K. Dick, I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon

What are cats?

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.”

— Jules Verne

Taking advice

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“One of the advantages of being a captain, Doctor, is being able to ask for advice without necessarily having to take it.”

— James T. Kirk in ‘Dagger of the Mind’ from Star Trek (1966)

Things that work

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“If it is stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid. (a Shin’a’in saying)”

— Owlknight, Mercedes Lackey

What to learn

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn.”

— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Journeys

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

— Ursula K. Le Guin

Brave

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:51:37 +0000

“Brave” (2012) Starring Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell (Buy soundtrack) Brave is going to have a special place in my heart because it’s the first feature film my son watched all the way through in the theater. (I don’t count Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because he was only a few months old at the time, and slept through the whole movie.) He and his father went to see Cars 2 last summer, but only made it through about 30 minutes before they had to leave. So, in order to be sure that we got to see the whole movie, we resorted to bribery (if he sat through the whole movie he got to go to Barnes and Noble afterwards) and chocolate raisins. And that worked. I’m not sure how much he really got out of the movie, but he did sit and watch the whole thing, only asking interminably if it was over yet during the credits. And I think he even liked it. Brave is a fairy tale, but not an insipid or sexist one. It is the story of a young girl trying to find her place in the world, which was not the same place her mother wanted her to enter. This is a common theme for both girls and boys — their choices might not be the same as their parents’ and they have to figure out a way to reconcile it. I particularly liked that this was a story about a girl. Pixar has been fairly boy-focused up until now, and I admit I wasn’t confident that they would be able to pull off a female main character, without going the Disney route of “reading” to prove she’s smart (Beauty and the Beast), annoyingly jealous and bitchy to prove she’s tough (Tinkerbell), or dependent on a big strong man (Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, etc.). So I went in expecting a standard girl-wants-to-be-boy type plot. But I was pleasantly surprised. For one thing, Merida doesn’t necessarily want to be a boy, she just wants more choices then her role as princess of the realm afford her. As the first born, her father dotes on her, and teaches her archery and how to ride and she uses this to her advantage when the other clans come trying to win her hand in marriage. If you are familiar with the record Free to Be You & Me you might remember the story of Atalanta. In it, Atalanta, the daughter of the king, is to be married off to the man who wins a footrace. She trains for the race as well, and on the day, is able to beat all but one of the contenders — coming in first place tied with Young John. She asks to be given the chance to choose her own fate and Young John asks to be given the chance to get to know her and become her friend, possibly winning her hand in marriage, or possibly not. The plot to Brave is similar to that of Atalanta, and Merida would like to change her fate the way that Atalanta changed hers. But in order to change her fate, Merida must come to grips with her relationship with her mother. She hopes that if she can change her mother, that will change her fate. But changing her mom into a bear is not exactly what she had in mind, especially as her father is the “bear king” who kills every bear he finds. I enjoyed the scenes of her mother trying to act like a proper woman while a bear. The flouncing walk and attempts to use silverware made from tree branches are particularly funny. But there are other humorous touches. The triplets are hilarious whether they are three ginger boys making trouble or as three bear cubs, as is Billy Connolly playing her father. There are some scary scenes in Brave. Mor’do, the evil bear, was scary, but Merida and then her mother are both willing to stand up to him, and it’s not surprising that a bear would attack. But overall, it’s not any scarier than the other Pixar films and in many ways is less scary than Charles Muntz (“Up”) and much less disturbing than Lotso (“Toy Story 3”). If you’ve read any other reviews, you know how beautiful this movie is. There are scenes that look almost photo realistic. Merida’s hair is wiry and wild and amazing on screen. And even her riding looks realistic (although I don’t know anyone who could stay on his back through some of the jumps he does). Scotland got some great PR in this movie. I loved Brave, and I look forward to when it comes out on BluRay, so that I can watch it with my son over and over again. It was a fun story and a great message about choosing your own fate, not blindly going along with what other people want for you. And this message is true for girls and boys.

Sleepers (The Swarm Trilogy, Vol 1)

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:06:50 +0000

Sleepers by Megg Jensen One of the things I like best about my iPad is reading books on it. And with the proliferation of ebooks there are so many more available to read. I check a lot of books out of the library using Overdrive, but I also like to check out authors I’m not familiar with, especially if they offer inexpensive or free copies of their books. Sleepers was on my list of recommendations from Amazon, and it has the wonderful price of free — hard to beat that. So, I downloaded it, and read it. And honestly, I wish I could get that time back. I realized when I was around 81% through the book that the only reason I was continuing to read it was because I was so close to the end, I wanted to get it finished. Ironically, at that point I decided to go to Amazon.com and write a review of it there. I figured, with only 19-20% of the book left, how much could I be missing? Famous last words. When I wrote the review on Amazon, I disliked it because it was clichéd, boring, the world is fairly undeveloped, and things happen unbelievably quickly (e.g. the main character is in love with one person one day and someone completely different the next). In my Amazon review, I wrote “All I really know is that two countries warred, her country lost, and she was made hostage to the winning country with two child compatriots.” After that review went live, I finished reading the entire book, and realized that that statement is wrong! Oh, it’s correct for the first 80-85% of the book, but at the end the author pops some surprises, and one of the major ones in this story [spoiler alert] is that the “losing” side of the battle was really the winning side. They had used their magic to basically enslave the entire country to prepare it for their invasion. And one of the bits of that magic was to have them all believe that they were the winners in a war. If you are asking yourself, “why would they do that?” Believe me, you’re not alone. This twist seemed somewhat pointless. But there are many other twists that come along in the last 20% of the book, including:

Thinking is the enemy of creativity

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:40:31 +0000

“Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.”

— Ray Bradbury

The 12 SciFi and Fantasy Books Currently on My Kindle

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:15:31 +0000

I have fallen in love with my iPad primarily because of the Kindle and iBook apps. I love that I can keep dozens (if not hundreds) of books available for me to read whenever the mood strikes me. I love that I can make comments and notes right inside the book, and not ruin the book itself. I love that I can download samples to see if I really would want to purchase the book. And I love that when a new book comes out that I’ve pre-ordered, it shows up on my desktop right away — no trip to the store required. Because of this, I always have a bunch of books available to read on my iPad. Here are the SciFi and Fantasy books I am currently or soon going to read:

Protocol and Cats

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:56:57 +0000

“Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat.”

— Robert A. Heinlein

What SciFi or Fantasy are You Reading?

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:00:23 +0000

Sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to read, so here I’m posting a list of the NPR Science Fiction and Fantasy Vote for 2011. Which of these books have you read? 1632, by Eric Flint 1984, by George Orwell 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne The Acts Of Caine Series, by Matthew Woodring Stover The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan American Gods, by Neil Gaiman Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman Anathem, by Neal Stephenson Animal Farm, by George Orwell The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers Armor, by John Steakley The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard Beggars In Spain, by Nancy Kress The Belgariad, by David Eddings The Black Company Series, by Glen Cook The Black Jewels Series, by Anne Bishop The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley Bridge Of Birds, by Barry Hughart The Callahan’s Series, by Spider Robinson A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein Cat’s Cradle , by Kurt Vonnegut The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov The Change Series, by S.M. Stirling Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke Children Of God, by Mary Doria Russell The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson The City And The City, by China Mieville City And The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton The Company Wars, by C.J. Cherryh The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard Contact, by Carl Sagan Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King The Day of Triffids, by John Wyndham Deathbird Stories, by Harlan Ellison The Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester The Deverry Cycle, by Katharine Kerr Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson The Difference Engine, by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick Don’t Bite The Sun, by Tanith Lee Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert Earth, by David Brin Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart The Eisenhorn Omnibus, by Dan Abnett The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card Eon, by Greg Bear The Eyes Of The Dragon, by Stephen King The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde The Faded Sun Trilogy, by C.J. Cherryh Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser Series, by Fritz Leiber Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb The Female Man, by Joanna Russ The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge The First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys The Foreigner Series, by C.J. Cherryh The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley The Gaea Trilogy, by John Varley The Gap Series, by Stephen R. Donaldson The Gate To Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway The Gormenghast Triology, by Mervyn Peake Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World, by Haruki Murakami The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams The Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison House Of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury The Incarnations Of Immortality Series, by Piers Anthony The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne Kindred, by Octavia Butler The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss Kraken, by China Mieville The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey Last Call, by Tim Powers The Last Coin, by James P. Blaylock The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle The Lathe Of Heaven, by Ursula K. LeGuin The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore The Lensman Series, by E.E. Smith The Liaden Universe Series, by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia Butler Little, Big, by John Crowley The Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb Lord Of Light, by Roger Zelazny The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien Lord Valentine’s Castle, by Robert Silverberg Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees The Magicians, by Lev Grossman The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick The Manifold Trilogy, by Stephen Baxter The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury Memory And Dream, by Charles de Lint Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn Trilogy, by Tad Williams Mindkiller, by Spider Robinson The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein Mordant’s Need, by Stephen Donaldson More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy, by Robert J. Sawyer Neuromancer, by William Gibson Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman The Newsflesh Triology, by Mira Grant The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith Novels Of The Company, by Kage Baker The Number Of The Beast, by Robert Heinlein Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi On Basilisk Station, by David Weber The Once And Future King, by T.H. White Oryx And Crake, by Margaret Atwood The Otherland Tetralogy, by Tad Williams The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan Parable Of The Sower, by Octavia Butler The Passage, by Justin Cronin Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville The Prestige, by Christopher Priest The Pride Of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh The Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker The Princess Bride, by William Goldman Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke Replay, by Ken Grimwood Revelation Space, by Alistair Reynolds Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist Ringworld, by Larry Niven The Riverworld Series, by Philip Jose Farmer The Road, by Cormac McCarthy The Saga Of Pliocene Exile, by Julian May The Saga Of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt Jr. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman The Sarantine Mosaic Series, by Guy Gavriel Kay A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick The Scar, by China Mieville The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks The Shattered Chain Trilogy, by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien The Sirens Of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell The Stainless Steel Rat Books, by Harry Harrison Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner The Stand, by Stephen King Stardust, by Neil Gaiman The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein Stations Of The Tide, by Michael Swanwick Steel Beach, by John Varley Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein Sunshine, by Robin McKinley The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind The Swordspoint Trilogy, by Ellen Kushner The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn Tigana , by Guy Gavriel Kay Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger To Say Nothing Of The Dog, by Connie Willis The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell Ubik, by Philip K. Dick The Uplift Saga, by David Brin The Valdemar Series, by Mercedes Lackey VALIS, by Philip K. Dick Venus On The Half-Shell, by Kilgore Trout/Philip Jose Farmer The Vlad Taltos Series, by Steven Brust The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold The Vurt Trilogy, by Jeff Noon The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells The Watchmen, by Alan Moore Watership Down, by Richard Adams The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger Wicked, by Gregory Maguire Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi World War Z, by Max Brooks The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Edison The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon

Children of Men

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:50:21 +0000

“Children of Men” (2006) Starring: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen and Chiwetel Ejiofor Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón This movie came out a while ago, but I was lucky enough to see it in the theatre, even though my local theatres don’t usually play art films or nearly any film that isn’t first run. I don’t like to have to drive to Seattle just to see a film, so it’s nice when the local theatres get something new. I learned of “Children of Men” from a friend who isn’t a fan of Science Fiction. She had seen it and told me I had to see it, no matter what. And she was right. As I said to her “this is why I read and watch Science Fiction.” The best Science Fiction is fiction that makes you think and this movie does exactly that. This is a movie about a near future where the human race has stopped having children. This has caused panic and insanity and a lot of terrorism. On the surface, this movie is a classic of scifi — a post-holocaust society. Only the holocaust is more subtle than a nuclear war or asteroid destroying the world. But what I like best about this movie is the twist. It’s not just a post-holocaust, you see, the human race has stopped having children. But one girl is pregnant. There is a scene where a huge fire fight has occurred in the refugee ghetto when the baby is born in the middle of it. Baby and mother come down the stairs and as the soldiers see her, they put their guns down and stare in awe. They, just like the mother, have never seen a baby human before. Some drop to their knees, others cross themselves, and all fighting stops. It was a hugely moving scene. Even if you don’t normally like Science Fiction, you’ll like this movie. That same friend I mentioned at the beginning of this article responded to my comment “but this isn’t really Science Fiction, is it?” Yes, I believe it is, but beyond that it’s just good fiction.

Doctor Who: The Complete First Series

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 22:50:13 +0000

Read my original review of the Christopher Eccleston season of Doctor Who.

Gridlinked

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:36:10 +0000

Gridlinked by Neal Asher This book took me a few more pages than normal to get into. There are a lot of concepts in the book that are left up to the imagination of the reader. This includes things like the reason the main character is “Gridlinked” and who he is and what type of military he is. I felt like I’d missed the first book in the series. But because this is Asher’s first book, I’m not sure how that is. But I didn’t give up on the book, and eventually I got into it. Once I stopped worrying about the aspects of the story that I didn’t understand, it was a lot more fun. The main character, Ian Cormac, is a tough character - a lot like James Bond. Humans have given over most government to AIs and the AIs take better care of the universe than humans ever did. They control a network of “runcibles” that allow for instantaneous transport across the universe. When one of the runcibles explodes, taking out an entire planet, it appears to be sabotage and Ian Cormac is sent in to solve the problem and figure out who caused it. But he’s being chased by a wealthy psychopath who will do anything and kill anyone to get to Cormac. I wish this story were more like cyberpunk - but the main character has been linked for too long, so at the very beginning of the story he is removed from the network. So much for the title…. And the “Dragon” is a bit strange. I’m looking forward to more books by Asher. There are so few books of hard science fiction, and this one, while flawed, was good.

SciFi Book Meme

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 14:34:58 +0000

Below is a Science Fiction Book Club list of the most significant SF novels between 1953–2006. The meme part of this works like so: Bold the ones you have read, strike through the ones you read and hated, italicize those you started but never finished and put a star next to the ones you love.

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien *
Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov *
Dune, Frank Herbert *
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein *
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
Neuromancer, William Gibson *
Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Book of the New Sun, Gene WolfeShadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel
A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Caves of Steel, Isaac Asimov
Children of the Atom, Wilmar Shiras
Cities in Flight, James Blish
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett
Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison
Deathbird Stories, Harlan Ellison
The Demolished Man, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card *
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams *
I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin
Little, Big, John Crowley
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
Mission of Gravity, Hal Clement
More Than Human, Theodore Sturgeon
The Rediscovery of Man, Cordwainer Smith
On the Beach, Nevil Shute
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Ringworld, Larry Niven
Rogue Moon, Algis Budrys
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson *
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner
The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
Stormbringer, Michael Moorcock
The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks
Timescape, Gregory Benford
To Your Scattered Bodies Go, Philip Jose Farmer

Firefly

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:54:08 +0000

Firefly: The Complete Series Firefly was an amazing television show. It was created and developed by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The premise of the show is that mankind has spread out across the universe and this has resulted in anarchistic regions almost like the old-West. There was a big war that the Federation won, and the heros of this show were on the losing side. Now they live on the fringes of society, spending most of their time running from authorities, getting into and out of trouble, and having adventures. The great thing about this show is that it’s so diverse. Yes, it’s Science Fiction, but it’s also a Western. Plus it’s got drama and humor and a wonderful ensemble cast. In fact, it’s the cast that really brings this show home. There are a lot of people who travel on Serenity, from Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), the discontented captain to Innara (Morena Baccarin) the prostitute who uses one of Firefly’s attached shuttles, to Simon (Sean Maher) and River Tam (Summer Glau) two fugitives from strange blue-handed, creepy “men-in-black”. Fox, in its infinite wisdom, cancelled this show after only a few episodes. This was a huge blow to television SciFi, especially as Farscape was also cancelled. Since it was cancelled so quickly, it’s a very good chance you didn’t see this show, but if you can buy the DVD you won’t be disappointed. There are so many open ends waiting to be filled in, it could go in many many directions, which makes it very exciting. Plus, Joss Whedon is releasing Serenity in the summer of 2005. This is very exciting!

Tru Calling

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 18:07:06 +0000

Tru Calling: Season 1 Tru Calling is an interesting show about Tru Davies (Eliza Dushku), a woman who can relive days in order to save the lives of people who die before their time. She discovers this talent when she applies for a job at the morgue and the body of a young woman rolls over and whispers “Help me”. She is then plunged back in time to the morning of the same day which she relives and decides to save the life of the woman who asked for her help. This series was, in some ways, doomed to be canceled, first because it aired on Fox (land of the “reality” shows), and second because of the premise. Don’t get me wrong, the premise is really interesting. But how many times can you show a woman running through her days twice? There are only so many ways this premise can be used. And this first season pretty well ran through them all. About half-way through the first season, it appears that the writers realized that they were boxed into a very rigid corner, so they added a bad-guy, in the form of Jack (Jason Priestley). Unfortunately, this appeared to be more of a “get a well-known star onto the set to save the show” than any effort to work with the premise in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, the character of Jack was very flat and uninspiring. Priestley did an admirable job making the character interesting in a creepy way, but ultimately his character was just annoying. If you’re interested in Science Fiction television shows, there isn’t a lot out there for you to watch. And it looks like Tru Calling was cancelled by the Fox network before it could air it’s second season. The DVD of the first season is available with some interesting extras, such as commentary and three shorts discussing the show. I enjoyed Tru Calling, and the DVDs were fun to watch again. It’s too bad it was cancelled, but not as big as loss as Firefly.

The Tombs of Atuan

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:45:41 +0000

The Tombs of Atuan After reading A Wizard of Earthsea I, of course, picked up The Tombs of Atuan, the second book in the series. Just like the first book, this book did not disappoint me. It has all of the excellent writing and storytelling that I expect of Ursula K. Le Guin. One of the best aspects of this book is the point-of-view. It’s not told from Ged’s viewpoint. In fact, he doesn’t show up in the book until the middle. It’s the point-of-view of Tenar or Arha (The Eaten One) and her job as the Priestess for the Nameless Ones. As the reader, we’ve already been given hints that Ged is going to show up in the Tombs at some point because he is destined to do something with the Ring of Erreth-Akbe, at least we’re told that in A Wizard of Earthsea, but he’s not the focal point. What makes this especially intriguing for me is that in typical fantasy, his would be the obvious focal point. After all, he’s the hero, he’s the one who saves the world, he’s the person with the super powers, and, worst of all, he’s the man. Instead, Le Guin takes us into the mind of Tenar who is, in some senses on the side of the enemy. She’s been raised from age 5 to be the Priestess of the Nameless Ones, the ones who are holding half of the ring. And yet we care about her. In fact, it wasn’t all that clear to me that the Nameless Ones were as horrible as Ged portrays them to her. That is the weakness of the story. The dreaded evil Nameless Ones aren’t really as evil as the other priestesses that Tenar lives with. They were creepy and scary in a way that the lightless tunnels and the labyrinth were not. In fact, one of Tenar’s friends wants to run away from those priestesses. So when Ged shows up and talks her into foresaking her gods and leaving with him, I don’t completely buy it. But it’s okay. The book is very interesting and fun and a new take on the Ged Sparrowhawk character after he’s found his adulthood but before he’s come into all of his powers. If you read A Wizard of Earthsea you should read The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore just for completeness sake. And again, you won’t be disappointed. I liked Tombs, I just wish that the character rationalizations were a bit stronger.

A Wizard of Earthsea

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 23:28:58 +0000

A Wizard of Earthsea I last read this book when I was around 10 years old, and I know I enjoyed it then. But when A Legend of Earthsea came out on the SciFi Channel, I decided I needed to read it again. I wasn’t disappointed.

Ursula K. LeGuin is not a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame because she writes bad books, and A Wizard of Earthsea is just what you would expect from a Hall-of-Famer. In fact, I would say that anyone who wants to know the Fantasy genre should read this entire series, but especially A Wizard of Earthsea. Some things you should note:

A Legend of Earthsea - on the SciFi Network

Thu, 30 Dec 2004 18:45:41 +0000

A Legend of Earthsea SciFi Channel

Let me first say that I haven’t read A Wizard of Earthsea or The Tombs of Atuan since I was 10 years old or so. So, bearing that in mind, I watched A Legend of Earthsea on the SciFi Channel without a lot of expectations. I’d watched them mess with their original series Farscape until it was just a bunch of loose ends and then tie it back together again when the fan-base screamed bloody murder. So, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this movie.

Crucible

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:15:01 +0000

Crucible by Nancy Kress When I first picked up this book and read the inside cover, I thought “I haven’t ever read the first book in this series, so I don’t want to read this one yet.” But something made me pick it up anyway, probably that it was by Nancy Kress who’s Beggars in Spain impressed me deeply in the 90s. It turns out that I had read the first book in the series (Crossfire), but the blurb was so different from my memory of the story that it confused me. Crucible was a disturbing story for me, especially in the aftermath of the United States 2004 Presidential election. It is the story of a planet of farmers. They came to their new world in a colony ship with four approximately equal groups: Chinese, Arabs, Quakers, and whites. I’m not going to describe their colonization, that’s the subject of a different book and review, but suffice it to say that they lived in veritable peace and harmony for a long time. There was some relative wealth and relative poverty, but in general the society was fair and egalitarian and it seemed to work. Then the spaceship, The Crucible, arrived from earth. It was carrying, ostensibly, a group of scientists and military who wanted to study the first non-human intelligence that had ever been found and that shared the planet with the colonists. But it turned out to contain a lot more than that. What was disturbing to me was the similarities I saw between the leader of that ship and the elected leaders of the United States. One in particular fell in love with the planet Greentrees, and so did all in his power to protect her. This amounted to declaring martial law, because there was a possibility that the aliens could come back to the planet and destroy all the humans. Of course, this hadn’t happened in decades, but he was able, by increments to convince the populace that what he was proposing was not only necessary, but right and desirable. And the population went along with him and, in general, loved him for it. I’m not going to spoil the end for you, but let me just say that the parallels between the U.S. right now and this book were scary to me. And I hope that the parallels stop short of how Kress ended her story. This is a very strong scifi story with lots of twists and turns. There are aliens and space battles, and even sentient plants. But in the end it is really a story with a commentary about life as we live it today. And as a hint, don’t read the inside cover blurb. While it is essentially accurate, it is very misleading about the true tone of this book.

Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 11:59:50 +0000

This was a bitter-sweet mini-series for me, because it appears that they really won’t be making any more episodes of this wonderful series. Without giving any spoilers, let me just say that the ending is even more of an ending than the series ending was. If you’re not familiar with Farscape, it is a story of an astronaut, John Crichton, who is “shot through a wormhole” and ends up on the other end of the universe. There he meets up with a living ship, named Moya and becomes friends with her crew. It is a story of adventure and drama as everyone on the ship is a fugitive and wants to get to his or her respective home. Over the course of the seasons, we learn more about the different races and cultures that make up the Peacekeeper universe. It’s not peaceful, let me make that clear right away (as if the title of this mini-series doesn’t give that away). And the wars are just as stupid and inane as they are on Earth, just with larger weapons. In the course of the TV seasons, John has been given the knowledge to control and manipulate wormholes. This knowledge is highly sought after, because the Scarans and the Peacekeepers believe he can use it to make a super weapon. He can’t, but they don’t believe him. The Peacekeeper Wars opens exactly where Farscape, the series, ends. [spoiler alert]Aeryn and John are not dead, just crystalized. And Rygel swims around the ocean floor picking up all the crystals so they can be put back together. Of course, they appear as they were when they crystalized - locked in an embrace. But they quickly recover and have their blasters out (yes, Winona is still around) and aimed at the surrounding people. The action is all there, the humor is there, and the relationships just get better and better. Some of the characters that I was annoyed by in the series are not nearly as annoying in this episode (Jewel - yes, I mean you). There are sad points and happy ones and all in all it’s a very satisfying 4 hours - end of the show notwithstanding. The SciFi channel went a long way towards redeeming themselves with this mini-series. It doesn’t make up for the show being cancelled, but it’s a very good mini-series a lot of fun and interesting for sci-fi junkies and Farscape lovers alike.

Forty Signs of Rain

Wed, 27 Oct 2004 23:17:26 +0000

Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson I don’t generally like books that don’t have clear cut endings. Bad guy is caught, white hats save the day, etc. Forty Signs of Rain isn’t like that. In a way, the white hats fail and the bad guy is mother nature taking back what she gave. It’s not really a story of hope. But then again, it could be. In this election year, I find myself thinking a lot about politics and how we govern ourselves. Clearly, Mr. Robinson had that in mind with this book. He very blatantly discusses the politics of Washington D.C. and the NSF and is not terribly impressed. And as we vote ourselves more bread and circuses, I have to say I don’t particularly blame him. But this isn’t a political novel, not really. It’s set just a few years in the future (“Phone, call Roy” is the most technological advance you see - and that’s around now) and global warming has taken a turn for the worse. The arctic ice pack has broken up and the gulf stream may have stalled causing, possibly, rapid climactic change. This was a fascinating look at the way that politics and science collide. And while it is a disaster novel, it also has suggestions for what we can do about it. I found the references to game theory and “The Prisoner’s Dilemma” interesting, but Frank, the character who brought them up spent 3/4ths of the story a flat, boring character who was only interested in analyzing life rather than living it. Luckily, Frank was not the only character. Charlie, the work-at-home dad who was the environmental adviser for a member of Congress, was by-far, my favorite character. His discussions with his toddler son Joe were humorous and he had very strong beliefs that he was happy to expound upon. His wife, Anna, works at the NSF and is just a little less flat than her co-worker Frank. Then there’s Leo back in California, who seemed to be introduced mostly as a foil to all the rain in Washington, D.C. But we don’t read SciFi for characterizations either. The science is interesting and inventive, the moral is not too heavy-handed, and the destruction is ultimately quite satisfying. This book is not Robinson’s best, but it’s a fun read with some interesting twists and turns throughout. If you find yourself feeling preached at, that’s probably a common feeling, but Robinson didn’t let the preaching get in the way of showcasing how science and government collide.

For Us, The Living : A Comedy of Customs

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 21:14:56 +0000

For Us, the Living by Robert A. Heinlein Heinlein is one of my favorite authors. He has been for years. I would read and re-read his books no matter where I was and always found something to love, whether it was Pixel the cat or the doors that dialate or Friday killing a man in the first paragraph of her book. So, when I saw For Us, the Living available years after his death, I knew I had to buy it. Perhaps Virginia Heinlein had found an old manuscript or maybe this was an unpublished work from his early years. Whatever, I had to have it. If you are a true Heinlein fan, you will recognize many of the subjects that he would cover later in his books and stories like “The Roads Must Roll”, Time Enough for Love, and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and so on. What’s interesting to me is that this book was written before any of them, and before his “juveniles” and other stories. He wasn’t making up the ideas he had about money and society, in fact his ideas and discussion about economy and socialism are based on Social Credit, an economic theory. It’s clear why this book was banned from being published, as it’s very rough. In many spots, Heinlein sounds more like he’s preaching than he sounds like he’s telling a story. But even with that it becomes clear that he’s got a lot to tell in this story. And the fact that many of his later stories seem to come from this book is not surprising, as there’s a lot here. If you’re a Heinlein fan, you should read this book.

Broken Angels

Sat, 02 Oct 2004 15:31:18 +0000

Broken Angels by Richard Morgan After I finished Altered Carbon I wanted to read every book I could find by Richard Morgan. While Broken Angels is not the gripping story that Altered Carbon was, it was still interesting and enjoyable, and true Science Fiction, which there seems to be a lack of in US bookstores these days. This is the continuing story of Takeshi Kovacs, a mercenary who can change bodies, or sleeves, when his current sleeve is too damaged. His mind and memories are stored in a computer to be re-downloaded. But this story is less about that, than it is about corporations and how they manipulate people. Kovacs joins a group of archaeologists who have possibly found the ultimate prize that will make any government all-powerful or any corporation who can control it as rich as they wanted to be. But power corrupts, as they say, and ultimate power… But that would be giving things away. This is a surprising book. I thought I had the whole book figured out and then right near the end Morgan changes the rules one final time. It was fun and interesting. But if you’re looking for the clarity and diamond-hardness that Altered Carbon brought, then you should look again. This is not a book so much about science as it is about how people use those discoveries, for good or ill. But it’s set in a war-zone and Kovacs is a mercenary, so expect action and excitement throughout the book. I read it in about 2 days and then turned around and read it again as there is so much to miss the first time through.

Altered Carbon

Tue, 21 Sep 2004 00:05:53 +0000

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

This is possibly the best pure Science Fiction book I’ve read in a long time. One of my big frustrations at U.S. bookstores right now is the massive preponderance of The Lord of the Rings clones. And if I can avoid those, I’m looking at Harry Potter clones. So, when I had the chance to go to a bookstore in London, I found Altered Carbon a welcome relief.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 11:23:26 +0000

Last night I had the opportunity to see a pre-screening of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie). This was a fun, over-the-top fantasy set in the 30s, the golden era of Science Fiction. Giant robots attack New York City, and rayguns that shoot concentric circles set the stage for a journey back to the Science Fiction of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs. If you’ve been reading SciFi for a long time, you will probably love this movie. It has a lot of charm and the style is very reminiscent of old-style Science Fiction. I love the ray gun. How can you not love a movie that has a ray gun? Movie fans who loved Superman will see a lot of similarities in style to this film. There are also references to the War of the Worlds and King Kong. If you are a fan of CGI work, this is also another good reason to go see this film. In the commentary by the director after the film, he said that every scene was composited with CGI. Items that the actors touched (like the ray gun) were real, but anything they just looked at or stood near was most likely CGI. This kept the price down, but it also meant that the actors had to do a lot of imagination just to get through their scenes. The principles worked together on set (Jolie was filmed over only 3 days), but any extras were filmed alone in front of blue screens and then composited into the shots. Sir Lawrence Olivier is even in the movie! Go see this movie! It is fun and great scifi and you’ll love it.

A Fistful of Sky

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 20:43:57 +0000

A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

I first read A Fistful of Sky about two years ago, when it first came out. But they fooled me with the new cover and so I bought and read it again. Luckily, there is nothing to complain about in reading it again, it’s a fun story with a lot to enjoy.

This is the story of Gypsum, middle child in a family of witches who has not come into her powers. By the time she’s 20, everyone assumes that she doesn’t have any powers, and she becomes something of the Cinderella in her household. Because she doesn’t have powers, her siblings (and even her mother sometimes) boss her around and use magic to force her to do what they want her to do.

Survival

Fri, 27 Aug 2004 23:39:35 +0000

Survival by Julie Czerneda
There aren’t a lot of SciFi books about biology. So it’s interesting to read one. I first found Czerneda with her book A Thousand Words for Stranger. I was hooked. So of course, when I saw Survival I knew I had to read it. In this story, Mac is a biologist studying salmon in a wilderness preserve in the Pacific Northwest. She is a very insular person, has never been off-world, and has never wanted to. She just wants to study her salmon and be left alone. But she’s not left alone. Instead, she’s dragged into an interstellar war that’s been going on since before Earth knew we were not alone in the universe. The concepts and ideas come thick and fast, as you may expect from better science fiction. And since Czerneda is herself a biologist, she brings the personalities of the scientists in the story to life in a way that only someone who works with them would know. As with all of her stories the aliens in this story are very well thought-out. That makes the whole thing that much more interesting. But unlike her earlier stories, the reason I enjoyed this one so much was because of her human characters. Mac herself is very fun and believable, and the other humans she meets are as well thought out as the aliens. I enjoyed this book so much that when it turned out that my copy was missing something like 30 pages, I didn’t want to stop reading. So I just skipped ahead and kept reading in the car while we headed back to the bookstore to get a more complete copy. I missed some crucial parts, but nothing I couldn’t figure out and the rest of the book was worth it.

Angel: Season 1

Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:54:52 +0000

Angel - Season One Angel is a really good show. It’s amazing that it was cancelled, but at least it’s out on DVD to watch over and over. Detective dramas are a dime-a-dozen, and if you saw my review of Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff, you know that the “genre” can be a bit over the top even in good books and shows. But Angel is the spin-off character (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) that could carry it off. David Boreanaz plays the brooding title character, Angel, a vampire with a soul. But before you groan and click away, it’s really not that bad. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is what makes it so much fun to watch. The action is dark and can be relentless, but that just makes it more exciting. This first season DVD set comes with extras that expand on the show and make it more interesting for the die-hard fan to watch. Some of the commentaries can be very dull to listen to, but when Joss Whedon talks, the episode is actually enhanced. He has a very clear vision for where he wants his show to go and he works hard to get it the way he wants it. If Joss Whedon is associated with a TV show or movie, you can be sure it will be good.

Smoke and Shadows

Tue, 24 Aug 2004 07:34:18 +0000

Smoke and Shadows by Tanya Huff This book was not, by any means, a difficult book to read. It took about 2 days (with time off for working) and was fun. However, often throughout the book I got the sense that I was missing something. I thought I had read the other books about these characters, but the main character, Tony Foster, wasn’t familiar to me. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me at all, but there were a lot of references throughout the book to other stories that I wasn’t familiar with. This is the story of Tony Foster, protege of Henry Fitzroy, vampire detective. But really, Henry was nothing more than the hired muscle. Instead, the main action was played by Arra, a reluctant wizard, and Tony, a young production assistant for a third- (no second-) rate production company. When shadows start moving by themselves, Tony is the only one to notice. And when they start killing people, he steps up to the plate to save the day. Why is it that most urban fantasy always seems to be little more than mind-candy? This book is very enjoyable, a fun read, and quick, but there isn’t much substance. Guessing what happens isn’t terribly difficult, and even the quasi- “twist” isn’t all that twisted. The only real morals I got out of this book were that Vampire straight-to-syndication TV shows are not generally very good, most actors are pompous idiots, except for the misunderstood co-star who is “a better actor than anyone gave him credit for”. I spent long segments of the book speculating if Lee was meant to be Spike (from Angel) and wondering if there were a Vampire Slayer in the background somewhere. If you’re looking for something deep, you should keep moving, but if you’re looking for a fun read that is easy on the mind and a good romp, then Ms. Huff delivers the goods. I enjoyed this book, but probably won’t be reading it again any time soon.

Zulu Heart

Sun, 15 Aug 2004 12:03:37 +0000

Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes Book two in the series, this is a second look into an America where Africa conquered the world, and enslaved the whites. I don’t know enough about African culture to know how much of what I know and what I read is true and how much is just stereotyping. But that didn’t deaden my enjoyment of this story. In this episode, Kai has grown up a little more and has to deal with the death of his uncle, father, and older brother. Aidan has his freedom and has built a home for himself and his family along with a number of other freedmen. But in order to stop a war, Aidan has to go back into slavery to help his childhood friend Kai. That was what I struggled with the most in this book. Why would Aidan, even for the love of a childhood friend, be willing to go back into slavery? Many other characters asked him the same question, often many times. I, along with them was not totally convinced by the answer he gave. A lot of the book felt like it was re-running episodes in US history, only with the skin color changed of the primary participants. It got me very interested in both African history and history from the Civil War era. But the real strength of this book is the way I was sucked into thinking about the characters. After the first few pages, I never gave a thought to the color of the skins and instead was cheering and dismayed for everyone. This is a book that will make anyone take a long look at the US culture and how it was built on slavery and really start questioning it.

Futurama Volume 1

Sun, 15 Aug 2004 04:02:39 +0000

Futurama Volume 1 This is a very fun 3-disc set including all 13 episodes from Futurama volume 1. If you never saw Futurama, you should seriously consider getting or renting this DVD set. And if you have seen Futurama, well, you probably already have it. There is so little Science Fiction on TV, so it is really nice to see Matt Groening (of Simpsons fame) putting his incredible talents to this series. It was a huge disappointment when it was cancelled. Especially when you consider the number of lousy reality shows that Fox airs in its place. Futurama is the story of Fry, accidentally cryogenically frozen in the 90s, who wakes up in the year 3000 (or thereabouts). He meets his great-great-…-nephew and joins the Planet Express company as a delivery person. Every episode he meets aliens, deals with crazy robots, talks with reanimated heads of famous people from the 20th century and more. This is a hilarious series and not to be missed for the true SciFi afficianodo who wants a laugh.

The Morgaine Saga

Tue, 18 May 2004 18:24:36 +0000

The Morgaine Saga by C. J. Cherryh DANG! That’s all I can really say. This book was three books in one, but it took me about as long as it takes me to read like 6 or 8 books. It was very slow reading. It follows a man who has indentured himself to a half-elven woman (okay I’m embellishing, but that’s what she felt like) who’s only goal in life is to close the gates to Elfland in all the worlds she can. Granted, it’s set as SF (so Elfland is incorrect), but her race are taller than humans, paler of skin, wield what appears to be magic, and appear through a portal into worlds of men. What I noticed was that as the main character began to understand his liege more the books became more understandable. It was a slow and often painful process, but by the end I felt like I almost knew what was going on. It’s sad, I think I should have just quit reading it, as it was a lot to comprehend while also studying Negotiations and International Management. But I stuck it out and finally finished it on Monday night.