In The Promise of the Child, Tom Toner mixes far-flung space opera with magic realism and a myriad of other science fiction sub-genres to create a delightfully weird tale that leaves me with an impression of its memorable uniqueness.
Category: Books
Book Review: Blindsight by Peter Watts
Good science fiction entertains. Cerebral science fiction questions. Great science fiction does both. Blindsight is great science fiction about humanity’s first contact with a truly alien species … perhaps even more alien than the humans sent to make that contact.
Revelation Space Reading Order
In what order do I read these works? With a little research I was able to map out the Revelation Space reading order. Some of the years may not be exact, but […]
An Interview with Best-Selling Science Fiction Author Alastair Reynolds
I’ve just published a long in the works interview with space opera master Alastair Reynolds over at Futurism. We discuss science, astrophysics, philosophy, science fiction, his upcoming novel Elysium Fire . . […]
Retro Review: Under the Green Star by Lin Carter
Under the Green Star by Lin Carter is not a ripoff, it’s a deliberately derivative fanboy love letter to Edgar Rice Burroughs and the sword and planet genre he created. It’s …
Review: Descender Volume 1: Tin Stars
Descender: Tin Stars has all the elements of great storytelling in graphic novel form: characters, world building, action, conflict, and tension. All of this is masterfully penned by writer Jeff Lemire, and …
Review: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
There’s little doubt that Kim Stanley Robinson crafted Aurora to be a cautionary tale about the tremendous risks involved with space travel and the settling of alien planets. The takeaway seems to be that humans are …
Review: Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds
It’s no secret that I’m an Alastair Reynolds fan. His mixture of astrophysics, space opera, and gothic noir really scratches my space opera itch, especially his Revelation Space setting. All of […]
Retro Review: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
I‘ve always been fond of the classics, both the books and the authors. As a fan of the genre, I feel obligated to be knowledgeable about what has come before, […]
Review: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
(Header art by WETA Workshop) This review contains minor spoilers. That last time I posted an article about Neal Stephenson it was after reading his monstrous, brilliant, and, some would […]
Review: Roadside Picnic
(Header concept art by Alex Andreev.) I am SO behind on my book reviews at this point that I plan on posting abbreviated versions going forward just to catch up. […]
Review: The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard
In 1936 Robert E. Howard tragically put a gun to his head and ended his own life upon hearing that his beloved (and terminally ill) mother would never come out […]