The synopsis makes this book sound like excellent sci-fi and the concept of it is, but I was lost on the execution. I had the worst time trying to stiThe synopsis makes this book sound like excellent sci-fi and the concept of it is, but I was lost on the execution. I had the worst time trying to stick with the story. I can’t even tell you what it was that put me off. The characters were all good. The setting is Africa - very interesting place for sci-fi and it reminded me of District Nine. Seriously, I think it was a “me” issue.
I normally like McCammon but this was far from my favourite horror story. I was doing fine for the first third but then things got a tad cheesy. I knoI normally like McCammon but this was far from my favourite horror story. I was doing fine for the first third but then things got a tad cheesy. I know it’s because it’s been decades since this was written, totally not the author’s fault, but when you want to laugh while reading a horror then you know that book isn’t for you.
The first thing I thought was funny was that an evil alien ship landed on Earth and it turned out to be the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas. Not the actual hotel but an immense black pyramid with light beaming up from the top point of the pyramid. Sounds just like the Luxor to me.
The second funny thing was that the alien was a giant bug who would hide in a human, just like in the movie Men in Black. If you saw it then you know why I couldn’t be scared of that freaky visual.
The final funny thing was when the alien stole the famous quote from Cool Hand Luke - “What we have here is a failure to communicate”.
That was it. The final laugh for me. How can this make anyone fearful? I can’t fault him for me reading it years too late but unfortunately I just couldn’t take it seriously....more
This was written by the same guy who wrote We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and I think I may even like this better. No, I definitely like it better. TaylorThis was written by the same guy who wrote We Are Legion (We Are Bob) and I think I may even like this better. No, I definitely like it better. Taylor has some big sci-fi ideas and he’s really good at building a story and characters around them. For anyone who didn’t care for all the humour in WAL, you’ll probably like this better because, well, no Bob.
Who we do have is Ivan. He’s taken a job as a miner on a spaceship headed out to find an asteroid hopefully loaded with enough ore to sell so they don’t all have to go bankrupt. And there it is...the big find. Yay, but there’s a smaller rock so let’s go check it out. That’s where Ivan finds an alien artefact and he just can’t help himself - he decides to touch it. When it touches him back and won’t let go, things get bad for Ivan.
I want to keep telling you about this great story but you need to read this yourself. I don’t want to give away anything. It’s really good. Highly recommended for science fiction lovers, or likers for that matter....more
This was a great story. It’s officially a series but really it’s one giant story. It wound up nicely with an opportunity in the future to revisit thisThis was a great story. It’s officially a series but really it’s one giant story. It wound up nicely with an opportunity in the future to revisit this universe and see what the Bobs are up to.
This was the one that Bob’s humanity really came through on. He lost, and saved, loved ones. He/they realized what they should be doing going forward. Sentient beings were discovered, saved, and also destroyed. There was a lot going on.
This isn’t a series for everyone but if you like science fiction and discovering the (fictional) universe, then you’ll probably like this one....more
Did Andy Weir have a sit-down with Tchaikovsky after Children of Time and say “look Adrian I read your book, and while I thought it was good, it was lDid Andy Weir have a sit-down with Tchaikovsky after Children of Time and say “look Adrian I read your book, and while I thought it was good, it was lacking in details. You could easily double the length with the amount of detail you need. Just look at mine - and I got a movie deal”..... and so off AT ran to fill his book to brimming with so much I couldn’t help but skim through a lot of it. It was still good though. I love his imagination and his characters are great but I have the mind of a goldfish so I need to be stimulated with a great story and not filler, otherwise I tend to drift off.
This story takes place in a different star system with a different group of terraformers than in the first story, however Kern and the arachnids play an important part in this one. Also, it takes place over thousands of years but isn’t written as a direct progression through time. There is a fair amount of bouncing back and forth, but it only threw me off a bit. Now the ending...I really liked the ending. It finished up everything nicely but still left the door open to revisit these people.
Overall I liked it and would recommend it but only to people who can deal with the aforementioned clutter. ...more
This is my second time reading Tchaikovsky and I gotta say that I’m impressed. I was blown away a year ago after reading Children of Time and he’s donThis is my second time reading Tchaikovsky and I gotta say that I’m impressed. I was blown away a year ago after reading Children of Time and he’s done it again to me with Walking to Aldebaran.
Aside from the fact that both stories take place in space, they are nothing alike. WTA is about us finding an alien artefact in the furthest reaches of our solar system and then sending out an expedition to explore it. The artefact is known as the Crypt and it is huge. After doing some research in close proximity, a team is sent into the Crypt to find out more...and then things go horribly wrong.
It’s told from the perspective of Gary Rendell, a surviving member of the original team sent in. He’s been lost in the Crypt for months trying to find the original entry point so he can get out, and he’s now losing his mind. He speaks directly to you, you are forthwith to be known as Toto.
The story reminded me a bit of The Martian with it’s witty dialogue and The Stars Are Legion with it’s slow discovery of a very strange place.
The other main difference between this story and Children of Time is the length. This one is considerably shorter at 140 pages, which was kind of disappointing because the Crypt was such an interesting place. I could have roamed around with Rendell discovering new people, creatures, and places for a while longer, but alas it was not meant to be. It did, however, make it easy for me to read it twice, which was the first time I’ve ever done that with any book.
If you like science fiction and new discoveries, you’ll love this. Highly recommended!!...more
I liked this the least of the three in the trilogy. This happens more frequently than it should. I don’t know if I just didn’t notice in the first twoI liked this the least of the three in the trilogy. This happens more frequently than it should. I don’t know if I just didn’t notice in the first two but Binti seems like more of a child in this one than before. I found her annoying and weak, when it was clear this is the one she is supposed to look strong in. She’s bringing tribes together to end a simmering war but she seemed like the least-likely person to be able to do this. Which ultimately ended up being the case.
It also seemed to lack real direction when the war flared up again. It felt like the author just kept writing for the sake of writing. It was somewhat interesting but lacked any real reason for being there.
Overall it was a good series but not great. It won’t be one I recommend....more
I’ve just re-read my review below and trust me on this, I’m not doing this book justice. It was really good but I’m sick and don’t have the mental capI’ve just re-read my review below and trust me on this, I’m not doing this book justice. It was really good but I’m sick and don’t have the mental capacity at this time to do better. Let’s just stick with “You should read this!”
—————-
The Wrong Stars was a really good story filled with great characters. I would say it was a bit like a cross between The Expanse series and A Long Way To a Small Angry Planet. It’s set in the future long after Earth almost destroyed itself. Many colonies have been set up throughout the solar system and beyond with the help of aliens we call Liars. They lie about almost everything, even what they ate for lunch. When a five hundred year old Earth ship appears with only one person aboard in cryogenic hibernation, the crew of the White Raven set out to find out what happened and rescue the rest of the crew.
This can easily be read as a stand-alone but Pratt ended it with a great set-up for the next in the series, which I’m already dying to read....more
I was so sad when I read book 6 of the Gone Series. It was the last one. That was it. Gone made it to my short list of favorite series. It was just soI was so sad when I read book 6 of the Gone Series. It was the last one. That was it. Gone made it to my short list of favorite series. It was just so damn fun to read and so well written. I can't say enough great things about it. But then it was over. I never, or at least very rarely, re-read books but I have been thinking about doing just that with this series because I missed it. But then.....
OMG, look. A new Gone book *squeals like a schoolgirl but promptly gets ahold of herself*. This isn't just a re-hash of the old story. It's the same world but the Gaiaphage is gone, the dome is gone, the remaining children are safe...or are they??
If you are familiar with the series, then you probably love it as much as I do. If you aren't familiar, here's the super-quick version: A dome appears surrounding Perdido Beach and all the adults disappear. The kids can't get in or out. All hell breaks loose over the following year. As it turns out, an alien creature who was in a meteorite crashed into the nuclear reactor. Over time, a lot of the kids developed super powers and eventually it ended up being like Lord of the Flies meets Heroes. SO. MUCH. FUN!!
Grant pick up where he left off. As it turns out, that was only meteorite #1 that hit the power station. A few more are touching down and things are getting bad very fast. Of the characters that were still alive at the end of the last book, the only ones we've gotten to see again is Dekka and Drake. A few new characters have been introduced but we will be hearing from Sam and Astrid again fairly soon.
Maybe this isn't quite a five-star but I'm a Gone addict who's been dry for quite a while and finally had a hit. I'm still basking in the glow of story awesomeness. Try it...you'll like it....more
All I kept thinking while reading this was that it felt like an Arthur C Clarke story. You know, complicated science, great concept, crappy two-dimensAll I kept thinking while reading this was that it felt like an Arthur C Clarke story. You know, complicated science, great concept, crappy two-dimensional characters. I didn't like or dislike one character. They were there only to showcase the idea and the science.
Geologists happen across a large "rock" structure in Death Valley that wasn't there before. While investigating, they discover an alien. It can speak English (having learned it from our radio waves in space) and it says it is a hitchhiker with another entity that will destroy Earth. Meanwhile, a similar thing is happening in Australia but the message is one of peace. The more humans investigate and learn, the more the situation gets out of control. It's much more complicated than this but I don't want to give anything away.
I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, but then again I'm not a fan of Clarke's either. The story could also shed about 10% of the filler and be much better. If you like ACC, you'll probably like this as well....more
This book suffers from last-in-a-trilogy syndrome. The first is huge and different, and just so amazing. The second is quite good but the thrill isn’tThis book suffers from last-in-a-trilogy syndrome. The first is huge and different, and just so amazing. The second is quite good but the thrill isn’t quite as big. The third, just trying to wrap it up. I liked it but maybe I would have liked it more if I read it immediately after book two.
Well, I must say that was better than I thought it would be. Not that I thought I wouldn't like it, but the synopsis makes it sound a bit oddball. I'mWell, I must say that was better than I thought it would be. Not that I thought I wouldn't like it, but the synopsis makes it sound a bit oddball. I'm good with reading strange stories but this wasn't strange at all. In fact, I would say aside from our protagonist having a long history of alien contact, this could almost read as plain fiction regarding alien abduction stories. And then there was the writing. It was descriptive and vivid. I really felt like I was watching, rather than reading, the story unfold.
This is the story of Julia, a seemingly quiet girl - keeps to herself, has no friends, works as a cleaner. What we soon learn is that Julia has been keeping a secret for most of her life. She and her mother have both been visited by aliens. The difference between them is that her mother actively sought out the aliens. She would walk out into the forest and fields in the middle of the night to meet with them. Julia, however fought against it, them and her mother for the rest or her life at least up to the end of the story. She wanted nothing to do with them but even though they kept coming around, she made it known to them that she hated them.
One day, even though she seems to actively avoid people, she meets a man named John. They take a liking to each other, start dating and eventually they move in together. She's known from the day they met that he was a psychiatrist but she later learns that he actively tries to help people who believe they have been abducted. It's only through this coincidence of meeting and then falling in love with John that she learns more than she ever thought she wanted to about the aliens, the abductees and eventually her late mother.
I would recommend this to anyone. It's not as much about science fiction/aliens as it is about a girl who has built walls around herself emotionally and mentally, and is only now starting to take them down.
Little Fuzzy is one of those books that Goodreads has been recommending to me since I joined, so it's been going on for a while. I occasionally look aLittle Fuzzy is one of those books that Goodreads has been recommending to me since I joined, so it's been going on for a while. I occasionally look at it but then look at when it was written and decide against it. Some things don't age well and I really had the impression I was going to be reading a story with Ewoks in it.
Then I find out it's been remade, by Scalzi no less. OK, so now it's a must-read. Which I did in a day. And it wasn't what I thought it would be. It was much, much better and certainly more serious than I'd imagined. I honestly thought the Fuzzys were going to be more of a side show or comic relief.
Fuzzy Nation is about corporate greed mixed with a huge helping of the question of what determines sentience. The Fuzzys are discovered but it's unknown if they are really cute, intelligent animals or if they are this planet's version of Neanderthal. This is important to a major mining corporation who just came upon the motherload because you can strip a planet down to almost nothing if they just have animals, but if they have potential people, you can't take what's theirs.
This was sooo good and of course I recommend it but not just to science fiction lovers. This is something that everyone would enjoy....more
I thought Binti was a good story. Home is even better. The only downside is that it leaves off at a cliffhanger.
There is no reference given to time bI thought Binti was a good story. Home is even better. The only downside is that it leaves off at a cliffhanger.
There is no reference given to time but you have to assume this is thousands of years in the future. People can go to an intergalactic university, if they choose, alongside a variety of other alien species. Binti was the story of a young African girl going off to this school. Home is of course her going back to Earth, to her village.
It took me a few chapters to remind myself of the first story so I was a bit lost. I remembered what happened but I was getting names and species confused. It may have helped if I reread at least the last few chapters of Binti but I came through OK.
It's such a short story almost everything I say would be a spoiler so I will leave it at the basics. She learns more about herself, her family and most of all the desert people who live outside her village. There are some major revelations but because of the cliffhanger, I have no idea what it all means...but I can't wait to find out....more
For some readers, these three words will be enough to make them want to read this series. I can’t imagine who wouldn’t love a storGiant alien robots!
For some readers, these three words will be enough to make them want to read this series. I can’t imagine who wouldn’t love a story with giant alien robots, however for those who’d like to know just a bit more, I’ll see if I can assist.
This is book two in a series but as of right now I don’t know if it will end up a trilogy or longer. For anyone who hasn’t heard of or hasn’t yet read book one, Sleeping Giants, here is the very, very short version leading up to this one: A small team is put together to locate parts of a giant robot which have been scattered and deeply buried around the globe. Once assembled, the robot can be operated from inside. They have determined the robot is of alien origin but they don’t know what it’s for or really how to operate it.
Waking Gods takes place ten years after. The aliens have discovered we assembled the robot. We know this because they show up on Earth in their own robots – 13 of them placed around the globe in densely populated areas. But what do they want? How do we communicate with them? How do we fight them? What happens next had me thinking this was going to end up being a robot apocalypse. I guess since the series isn't over yet, it could still play out that way.
I don’t know if it’s a matter of ‘right book at the right time’ or if Neuvel is that great a writer but I’m loving this series. It’s just so much fun but unfortunately over so quickly. It’s listed as 320 pages and I finished in a day, which should underscore the addictiveness of it. Highly recommended!!
I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ...more
This would be a great movie. In fact, I think it might even be better in movie format than as a book.
There isn't a whole lot I can say without givingThis would be a great movie. In fact, I think it might even be better in movie format than as a book.
There isn't a whole lot I can say without giving something away. I had one main issue with the story but otherwise it was really good. My issue for those who have already read the story: (view spoiler)[ Why would some alien race scoop up all the humans in one family group, take them to another planet, and never return?? (hide spoiler)] This just makes no sense and makes me feel like Kress just couldn't have been bothered to think up something realistic.
This is my second Kress story and I'm starting to think she has great ideas but isn't so good at covering all the bases to make it seem real. They are both very readable and likable but in both cases there was something just a bit off. Maybe I'm just being fussy ...more
I'm normally a huge lover of books directed at kids but this one just didn't blow me away and I can't pinpoint why.
It's steampunk and directed towardI'm normally a huge lover of books directed at kids but this one just didn't blow me away and I can't pinpoint why.
It's steampunk and directed towards kids in the 10 year age group (I'm guessing). The science is so completely wrong that it's obviously written that way. I assume because the story is set a century or so ago and knowledge of space would have been very wrong at best, even though space travel is commonplace in this story. For example, space is not a vacuum as we know it - it's aether and quite difficult to breath so they melt ice in their spaceships to provide the extra air needed. Alchemy is used to propel space ships. And did I mention that space ships were just like sea ships but with aether wings?
Art and his big sister Myrtle live in Larklight - a house that sits in space just past the moon. They end up on the run when space spiders take over their home (contrary to Ziggy Stardust, these spiders were NOT from Mars...they were from Saturn). They soon join in with a group of pirates and the adventure to save their house and ultimately the solar system ensues.
It was enjoyable but I think I would have liked it a whole lot more if I were actually in the target age range. ...more
This was my very first (and as of this date, only) H.P. Lovecraft I have ever read. Considering my reading history, you would have thought I would havThis was my very first (and as of this date, only) H.P. Lovecraft I have ever read. Considering my reading history, you would have thought I would have at least a few of them under my belt by now but I was avoiding him.
When I was fairly young, there was a show on TV that was about Lovecraft. I wasn't really watching that show but in those days there were only a couple of channels and I just happened to flip to it and watched a few minutes. I was freaked out. I was totally and completely turned off of him and never forgot his name. Keep in mind, this was also around the same age that I ate a grilled cheese sandwich, got the flu and subsequently didn't eat another for 15 years.
I'm glad I got over it because he was a good writer. Considering almost a century has passed, I didn't really find it to be overly dated. Thinking back on the story, I guess the alien was the colour itself (as implied by the title) but it really felt like we never got to see the actual alien. While reading, I was reminded of Roadside Picnic - you see the aftermath but never the alien that caused the problems.
If you've been putting off Lovecraft, this may be a good one to start with. It was short but very good. I really enjoyed it. ...more
I honestly think this would have been a better story if it were longer. Okorafor touched on lots of things from this future Earth and alien species weI honestly think this would have been a better story if it were longer. Okorafor touched on lots of things from this future Earth and alien species we have met but she only touched on them. It would have been nice to learn more about these other lifeforms and scientific advancements. Even the main alien species that is mentioned in the synopsis. They are the antagonists in this story and are incredibly interesting - sentient interstellar warring jellyfish? - but we learn very little about them.
Now I don't want you to think there are missing details that would take away from the essential story, as everything that HAD to be there, was there. It was still good, and I would recommend reading it, but Okorafor introduced a universe that I only got a glimpse of before it was taken away. Perhaps she will go back to this universe again to tell the expanded story of Earth, how it came to be at war and how things have changed in this future. I'd read it. ...more
Loading...
