Archive for the 'Reading Recommendations' Category
Reading Recommendation: The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter
I just stayed up entirely too late reading a delightful new novel by Theodora Goss, The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter. It’s a lovely fantasy tale that begins with Mary Jekyll, the daughter of the famous Jekyll from the story of Jekyll and Hyde. As Mary’s story progresses, she is confronted with a mystery, […]
Interview with Brian Burt, author of “In the Tears of God”
Here is my interview with fellow author Brian Burt, who also writes climate fiction. I enjoyed meeting Brian online and working with him to exchange interview. I just finished Aquarius Rising. I really enjoyed the book, so I’ll start with thanking you for giving me a copy. As I mentioned when we started this conversation […]
Reading Recommendation: New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson
I finished reading 2140 the day that the United States announced it would pull out of the Paris agreement on Climate Change. I believe today may go down in history as the day we lost global political power and destroyed the global good will of other nations towards us, and maybe worse. But that’s a different blog […]
Reading Recommendation: Dark Money, by Jane Mayer
Jane Mayer’s Dark Money uses our recent political past to illuminate the off-kilter present. Reading it made made me very angry. While our country has never been perfect, fair, or completely free of the influence of the rich, the events described in this book chronicle a slow, insidious, and nearly complete take-over the Republican Party by […]
Reading Recommendation: Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life
E. O. Wilson’s Half Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life is one of the best books I’ve read on the future of Earth. He states the problem clearly….after beginning with an apt description of what we (mankind) are like and then stating that we have little time to spend on the wrong trajectory, he says: “Meanwhile, we thrash about, […]
Reading Recommendation: Arabella of Mars, by David Levine
You really need to pick up Arabella of Mars, by David Levine. This is a great time to do it. It’s a total escape from right now, right here, and a grand one at that! It’s both surprising and familiar, and beautifully written. If you loved Fran Wilde’s Updraft you’ll love this. Use it to […]
Reading Recommendation: Archangel, by Marguerite Reed
I’m continuing to listen to some of the PK Dick nominee books in audio format. This may be my last one as I need to start gearing up for the Hugos and Nebulas, and Norwescon is now coming right up. I highly recommend Marguerite Reed’s complex far future novel Archangel. I’m not quite sure whether I […]
Reading Recommendation: (R)evolution by PJ Manny
So I’m on a quest to listen to the other PKD finalist’s books, particularly the authors who I’ve never met. I’d read them but I don’t have time – I’ve been sadly turning down requests from good friends to read their books, and I even have favorite authors whose books make me consistently and reliably happy lying […]
Reading Recommendation: The House of Shattered Wings, Aliette DeBodard
I mostly read science fiction, but every once in a while I’ll dig into fantasy, especially by certain favorite writers. Aliette DeBodard is one of my favorites. Her House of Shattered Wings didn’t disappoint. This dark fantasy set in an alternate Paris turned out to be an excellent read, full of flawed and magnificent […]
Reading Recommendation: The Water Knife, by Paolo Bacigalupi
I just finished the audiobook of Paolo Bacigalupi’s “The Water Knife.” Nicely done! Paolo has always truly good at warning — which is one of the big jobs science fiction does well. In this case, he’s warning about a future that feels very real, a dry and thirsty future where fresh water represents power. He writes […]
