Part One of the Medusa Cycle By Emily Devenport Tor Books, ISBN: 978-1250169341 Paperback, 320 pages. ©2018 On the generation ship Olympia, Oichi Angelis lives as a worm. Her job, as with all worms, is to serve those in the executive class without complaint or indeed without a word. The executives believe she is mostly…
Category: Reviews
Gifts: Book 1 of the Annals of the Western Shore
By Ursula K. Le Guin HMH Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 978-0152051242 Paperback, 304 pages. © 2006 In the Uplands, where families pass on Gifts through their bloodlines, Houses are known by what their heirs can do. Some can move heavy objects without touching them. Even buildings. Even hills. Others can strike blindness or take…
Kindred
By Octavia Butler Beacon Press, ISBN: 978-0807083698 Paperback, 264 pages. © 2003 Dana and her husband, Kevin, are unpacking boxes in their new home the first time she is called away. A wave of nausea and dizziness are her only warnings before the world around her fades to black and reforms into an unfamiliar scene….
Autonomous
By Annalee Newitz Tor Books, ISBN: 9780765392077 Paperback, 304 pages. ©2017 Big Pharma owns the patents to all the essential medicines, and prices them so high that only the wealthy can afford to buy them. Pirates—intent on a) making money or b) helping those who can’t afford the medicine they need—reverse engineer the drugs and…
The Left Hand of Darkness
By Ursula K. Le Quin Ace Books, ISBN: 978-0441478125 Paperback, 304 pages. ©1987 On Gethen, human envoy Genly Ai has been sent to convince the planet’s leaders to join the Ekumen, a loose confederation of planets who do not rule one another, but who cooperate in matters of interest to all Ekumen members. Barriers to…
Shine Shine Shine
By Lydia Netzer St. Martin’s Press, ISBN: 978-1250007070 Paperback, ©2012, 320 pages Sunny is the social anchor of her neighborhood, coordinating craft shows and support groups, serving as the reliable and rock-steady block mom everyone turns to in a crisis. Maxon, her husband, is a genius engineer who is on his way to the moon…
What Not to Do
(Caveat: It is not my habit or intention to belittle another author’s writing. That said, I don’t always like everything I read. Do you? The statements herein are my opinion only. Your mileage may vary.) This is not a book review. I just want that clear right up front, because in this post I want…
A God In Ruins
By Kate Atkinson Back Bay Books, ISBN: 978-0316176507 Paperback, ©2016, 480 pages Ex-bomber pilot Teddy, a.k.a. Edward Todd, has settled into an expected post-war role of husband and father, living out his days in small-town mediocrity with enigmatic wife Nancy, unlikeable daughter Viola, volatile grandson Sunny and pragmatic granddaughter Bertie. He is content to write…
Life After Life
By Kate Atkinson Back Bay Books, ISBN: 978-0316176491 Paperback, ©2013, 560 pages On February 11, 2010, a young girl is born to a wealthy English family. Due to a snowstorm and blocked roads, the doctor cannot arrive in time, and the child dies. On February 11, 2010, a young girl named Ursula is born to…
The Girl on the Train
By Paula Hawkins The Penguin Group, ISBN: 9780698185395 Paperback, ©2015, 416 pages Rachel’s teetering on the edge. Alcoholism and bitterness over her failed marriage nudges her closer every day to total loss of what little she has left. Her only bright spot is the daily commute to London where her train stops at a faulty…