https://youtu.be/tiysvCXILfw Another fast-paced novella courtesy of Alastair Reynolds, Slow Bullets makes for one of those reads you can't step away from. After reading the first scene in the library, where I picked this title up, I sat down in the evening and didn't stop reading until there was no more Slow Bullets left to read.... Continue Reading →
Trope Check: Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hullo, lovely people! It’s time to do something I really mean to make a habit of – have meant to, for an entire year! It’s not gone well. Anyway: Trope Check returns for Eyes of the Void, following a year-long hiatus after the first book in The Final Architecture was released. I’ll do a list... Continue Reading →
Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Book Review
https://youtu.be/7KUHU75NvP8 Published by: TORGenre: Science fiction, space operaSeries: The Final Architecture (#2 of many, hopefully)Pages: 593 pagesFormat: paperback The sequel to 2021’s Shards of the Earth was among my most-awaited sci-fi titles of this year. When I read Shards I fell in love with its characters, a mishmash of memorable scoundrels who made for one... Continue Reading →
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein – Book Review
https://youtu.be/B7nV20cD6ec This book has got me in a bind. It’s easy to relegate it to one of two neat classifications: either a straight-faced satire that takes the piss out of the military-industrial complex; or else, a fully realised celebration of the serving man’s fraternity, of the sacrifice of the individual for the collective’s greater good,... Continue Reading →
A Case of Conscience by James Blish – Book Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCOPQofBjPQ What a complex topic James Blish tackles in his 1959 Hugo award-winning novel! Father Ruiz-Sanches is one of a committee of four researchers sent to explore the world of Lithia and offer advice on what this planet’s role should be regarding humanity’s expansion. When the Father discovers that the Lithian race of perfectly rational... Continue Reading →
Sunday Star Wars: My Thoughts on the Book of Boba Fett
I had such a great time watching the Book of Boba Fett - not only did I have the best company but I also adore spending time in that galaxy far, far away. Six hours of high-quality visuals certainly didn’t hurt my fondness for the ol’ Mouse money cow. That said, much as I wish... Continue Reading →
When Your Villain is an Abstract Concept — Short-Form Essay
There's something delectably fun about a villain that's perfectly defined by their name, especially when that name is a monosyllabic nouns like "Pride" or "Sin" or "Ruin". Everything's on the label - you can be comfortable in your expectations as to the goals they'll pursue but how they get there is anybody's guess! It's also... Continue Reading →
The Big Time by Fritz Leiber Is Weird | Reading the Hugos
I don’t know where to begin with this one, really I don’t.
Double Star by Robert A Heinlein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxRaOQUz99A The first sci-fi novel I ever read by Robert A. Heinlein got me from the very first: If a man walks in dressed like a hick and acting as if he owned the place, he's a spaceman. It is a logical necessity. His profession makes him feel like boss of all creation; when he... Continue Reading →
THE DEMOLISHED MAN BY ALFRED BESTER (Book Review) | Reading The Hugos
Old science fiction! It can be endlessly entertaining in wholly unintentional ways—I owe linguistic drift alone for more than a few chuckles as I explored the very first novel awarded the Hugo for best sci-fi, all the way back in 1953. Despite certain antiquated notions, The Demolished Man made for exciting reading and I can see why it still holds a place in the science fictional canon.