Category Archives: Science Fiction

July 11, 2011 · 7:20 am

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

Daniel H. Wilson, the author of this book, has a doctorate in robotics from prestigious Carnegie Mellon and his writing credits include the nonfiction How to Survive A Robot Uprising and How to Build a Robot Army. That knowledge alone should activate your senses as you enter Robopocalypse, a realm where robots run free and humans flee skittering in many directions. Told with the unfolding menace of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this novel will keep you up late and your computer unplugged. (from Goodreads)

I have been reading Robert J. Sawyer’s www trilogy which is also about computers/technology becoming self aware. It is amazing how different the takes are on the subject. Wilson’s book makes me nervous. I am already concerned about what our lives would be like if there was an EMB that wiped out the technology I rely on. How much worse would it be if that technology turned on humanity?

The first chapter of the book takes place during the immediate aftermath of the war between the robots and humans. It almost made me not read the book. There was nothing really wrong with it, but it wasn’t what I was in the mood to read. I put it down for a few days and when I came back to it, I realized the rest of the book was the story of the beginning of the war and its duration. The chapters alternate between different characters, so I got a variety of perspectives. I ended up really enjoying the book.

One thing that struck me in the first chapter is the narrator states he is transcribing the records by hand. He is not trusting them to a digital form. That is one thing that concerns me about our (my) reliance on computers and the cloud. Nothing is in hard copy. What will happen if I no longer have access to computers? It’s a disturbing thought.

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Filed under Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction

July 5, 2011 · 4:21 pm

WWW: WATCH (WWW, #2) by Robert J. Sawyer

Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer continues his “wildly though- provoking” science fiction saga of a sentient World Wide Web. Webmind is an emerging consciousness that has befriended Caitlin Decter and grown eager to learn about her world. But Webmind has also come to the attention of WATCH-the secret government agency that monitors the Internet for any threat to the United States-and they’re fully aware of Caitlin’s involvement in its awakening. WATCH is convinced that Webmind represents a risk to national security and wants it purged from cyberspace. But Caitlin believes in Webmind’s capacity for compassion-and she will do anything and everything necessary to protect her friend.

This is one of those series that I am so glad has already been completely released. I cannot imagine having to wait on these books to come out one at a time.

Watch picks up right after the end of Wake. The American government is out to kill Webmind and it is up to Caitlin to stop them. I won’t give it away, but I loved the method that Webmind and Caitlin devise to save him.

China is becoming more and more a problem to its people. If Webmind is to promote the “net happiness” of the human race, what is to be done?

This is a great trilogy. I have book three, Wonder, on order. I can’t wait to read it.

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Filed under Contemporary, Science Fiction, Young Adult

July 4, 2011 · 7:04 pm

WWW: WAKE (WWW, #1) by Robert J. Sawyer

One of the foremost science fiction writers of our generation-(SF Site) comes to Ace with a trilogy of the Web’s awakening. Caitlin Decter is young, pretty, feisty, a genius at math, and blind. Still, she can surf the net with the best of them, following its complex paths clearly in her mind. But Caitlin’s brain long ago co-opted her primary visual cortex to help her navigate online. So when she receives an implant to restore her sight, instead of seeing reality, the landscape of the World Wide Web explodes into her consciousness, spreading out all around her in a riot of colors and shapes. While exploring this amazing realm, she discovers something, some other, lurking in the background. And it’s getting more and more intelligent with each passing day.

I read this series on the recommendation of my friend Cindy. Her recommendations can be iffy because I accuse her of reading “literary” novels rather than good books. This, however, is a good book.

Mostly because of Cindy, I have been reading a lot more straight science fiction recently. When I was a teenager, it was all I would read. I don’t know what happened.

Anyway, this could be one of those “end of the world as we know it” books and in a way it is. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. The entity that Caitlin discovers is young and hopefully can be taught to be altruistic. That’s only if the American government doesn’t destroy it first.

I am so glad book two is already out.

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Filed under Contemporary, Science Fiction, Young Adult

June 3, 2011 · 3:21 pm

Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changeling, #10) by Nalini Singh

Purchased

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Although I just discovered this series about eighteen months ago, I feel like I have been waiting for this book for years! You know how it is when you are being set up for a particular book when reading a series? Well, this is it. This is Sienna’s and Hawke’s book and it’s about time.

Hawke is all alpha which does not mean just dominant, but caring and protective . . . especially of his pack. Sienna, unbeknown to Hawke, may be the most dangerous thing the pack has ever had to deal with.

In the meantime, there is a subplot involving two other pack members, Lara, the healer, and Walker, a Psy, and Sienna’s uncle. Lara’s and Walker’s story was a nice addition, but I almost wished it had been saved for a separate book.

Speaking of which, I wonder when the next book will be released and who if will focus on.

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Filed under Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction

May 26, 2011 · 2:21 pm

Cryoburn (Vorkosigan, #14) by Lois McMaster Bujold

Miles Vorkosigan is back!

Kibou-daini is a planet obsessed with cheating death. Barrayaran Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan can hardly disapprove—he’s been cheating death his whole life, on the theory that turnabout is fair play. But when a Kibou-daini cryocorp—an immortal company whose job it is to shepherd its all-too-mortal frozen patrons into an unknown future—attempts to expand its franchise into the Barrayaran Empire, Emperor Gregor dispatches his top troubleshooter Miles to check it out.

On Kibou-daini, Miles discovers generational conflict over money and resources is heating up, even as refugees displaced in time skew the meaning of generation past repair. Here he finds a young boy with a passion for pets and a dangerous secret, a Snow White trapped in an icy coffin who burns to re-write her own tale, and a mysterious crone who is the very embodiment of the warning Don’t mess with the secretary. Bribery, corruption, conspiracy, kidnapping—something is rotten on Kibou-daini, and it isn’t due to power outages in the Cryocombs. And Miles is in the middle—of trouble!

This book is so MILES! Watching people react to him in generally a stunned manner is hysterical. This is the last book, so far, in the series and I truly enjoyed it. I wish I had some idea when the next book was coming out.

The little boy really appealed to me with his love for animals. He was more concerned with them than he was with anything else, even when there were kidnappings going on around him.

There is one thing that happens that although I almost saw it coming, I hated it. I still want the next book, but . . .

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Filed under Mystery, Science Fiction

April 16, 2011 · 6:44 am

After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Can an accountant defeat a supervillain? Celia West, only daughter of the heroic leaders of the superpowered Olympiad, has spent the past few years estranged from her parents and their high-powered lifestyle. She’s had enough of masks and heroics, and wants only to live her own quiet life out from under the shadow of West Plaza and her rich and famous parents.

Then she is called into her boss’ office and told that as the city’s top forensic accountant, Celia is the best chance the prosecution has to catch notorious supervillain the Destructor for tax fraud. In the course of the trial, Celia’s troubled past comes to light and family secrets are revealed as the rift between Celia and her parents grows deeper. Cut off from friends and family, Celia must come to terms with the fact that she might just be Commerce City’s only hope.

This all-new and moving story of love, family, and sacrifice is an homage to Golden Age comics that no fan will want to miss. (from Goodreads)

For some reason, I had it in my mind that this book was written for Young Adults. Although it is perfectly appropriate for teenagers, the main character is in her mid-twenties, so it is not about teenagers.

I can’t really say I learned to read from comic books, but I know I had hundreds if not thousands of them as a kid. I still read graphic novels occasionally and will defend anyone’s choice of reading format at the drop of a hat.

I thought the characters in this book had more in common with the Marvel Universe than DC. There was a lot of angst between the family members as well as those who were not part of the Olympiad.

I really enjoyed the book and would give it my highest approval except for one scene. One scene!! Towards the end of the book, something happens that I thought was totally unnecessary. Yes, it illustrated an important relationship between a couple of the characters, but it was NOT necessary!

I hate that I let one thing so color my opinion of a book, but that is just the way I am.

I do recommend it. Read it. You will enjoy it and maybe the scene won’t tick you off like it did me.

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Filed under Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction

April 12, 2011 · 4:17 am

Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster

Library

Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotized at the annual community talent show, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across their screens. Everyone’s behaving oddly. It’s as if Kyle doesn’t exist.

Is this nightmare a result of the hypnosis? Will Kyle wake up with a snap of fingers to roars of laughter? Or is this something much more sinister?

Narrated on a set of found cassette tapes at an unspecified point in the future, Human.4 is an absolutely chilling look at technology gone too far.

I thought this book was going to be a fun read. It definitely was not. What it was was fascinating, engrossing, creepy, and very disturbing.

By the end of the book, my skin was crawling.

I highly recommend this book to everyone!

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Filed under Contemporary, Dystopian, Young Adult

March 13, 2011 · 11:55 am

The Limit by Kristen Landon

Library

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . . With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn’t let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

This book was recommended to me in a session on middle grades fantasy/science fiction literature at the 2011 Children’s Literature Conference in Athens, GA. The presenter, Edie Parsons, discussed several books which were immediately added to my TBR list. This is the first one I have had the opportunity to read, although I have already purchased some of the others.

Anyway, I thought this book was particularly appropriate considering the economic conditions we are currently living in. Due to his parents overspending, not the kids don’t contribute to the problem, Matt is placed in a group home to help work off the family debt. He has to remain until either their debt falls below “the limit” or he turns eighteen.

I enjoyed this book although there was not a lot of depth too it. I thought the problems the kids faced were too easily overcome and there was too little connection made between the kids and their families. Surely, at least one of them would have exhibited signs of homesickness.

I would recommend this book to the kids who enjoy books in which the kids outsmart the adults . . . and isn’t that all of them?

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Filed under Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

February 26, 2011 · 7:30 am

Treachery in Death (Eve Dallas, #32) by J. D. Robb

Purchased

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she’s all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and-while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound-she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn’t take long to realize they’re both crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve’s husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret. (from Goodreads)

I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for this book, but I normally love the Eve Dallas series, so I gave it a try. I am so glad I did. This one was even better than normal. Although you know who the bad guy is from the beginning, the search for evidence was fascinating.

Another plus for this book is that some books in this series are very graphic in the horrors the victims experience. This one did not dwell on that aspect which I certainly appreciate.

It’s funny that I don’t normally read Nora Roberts’ (J. D. Robb’s real name) books. I have read some and enjoyed them, but they are definitely not on my “must read” list. I never miss an Eve Dallas book though.

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Filed under Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

February 20, 2011 · 4:26 am

The Warrior’s Apprentice (Vorkosigan, #3) by Lois McMaster Bujold

Between the seemingly impossible tasks of living up to his warrior-father’s legend and surmounting his own physical limitations, Miles Vorkosigan faces some truly daunting challenges.

Shortly after his arrival on Beta Colony, Miles unexpectedly finds himself the owner of an obsolete freighter and in more debt than he ever thought possible. Propelled by his manic “forward momentum,” the ever-inventive Miles creates a new identity for himself as the commander of his own mercenary fleet to obtain a lucrative cargo; a shipment of weapons destined for a dangerous warzone. (from Goodreads)

This is the book that actually hooked me on the series. Book one was interesting enough to make me read book two. Book two introduces Miles and the difficulties he faces. In book three, this book, I fell in love with him.

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Filed under Science Fiction