Made in DNA
A bittersweet ballad of death...
Mr. Knox sings a sweet song - a modern take on tale as old as human society and culture itself. Death comes for us all - comes, gives us two weeks notice, and then collects. Death's current incarnation is a young black man killed by gun/gang violence, but he takes it upon himself to be the BEST Death he can be.
A collection of vignettes in sixteen chapters, each one revealing a new, raw layer of the learning curve of what it's like to be in Death's shoes. It's not a game, it's not a grand time, it's not easy - it can be a visceral slap in the face, and our man Sippian has a lot of learning to do.
A smooth, enchanting read by a charmer of an author who understands his genre and his audience. Modern Black Folklore/Blaxploitation
Japanese hard scifi is hard to find in translation. This is a true gem. Excellent story; believable, relatable characters; a decent translation; brilliant ending. Highly recommended. Truly five-star material, but loses one star for using fonts that don't mesh well with e-readers (at least on Play Books anyway) causing huge gaps between the comma and the next letter (i.e. don' t), and because I think the editing could have been a bit tighter considering the quality of the publisher.
A tedious read belabored by descriptions of scientific theory and explanation in both computer and neural sciences. Not for the casual reader who will find it difficult to get through the 100 pages that makes up this confusing narrative. I'm not even going to bother finishing it; I've forced myself to page 90, but that's all I can stand. And if I couldn't make it through the story, I'm not going to read through the research in the appendices. In my opinion, if you have to explain your work in the second half of the book, you didn't do a very good job of writing the book in the first place. Good books, like good jokes, need no explanation. The worst part is, the story has great potential, but it just never develops. Overall, I was just flatout disappointed. That said, I'm sure niche readers will love it.
This, while thought-provoking on some levels, really didn't pack much punch. The characters discover the mystery of a missing month, and are determined work it out, and yet, the author just kind of has them walk through it, like not much happened. In the end, it IS a very poignant story about mass hysteria and the lengths some governments might be willing to go (or currently ARE implementing) to cover up dirty little secrets that might very well tear down the very fabric of society if citizens were determined enough to face it straight on.
When Briar Wilkes' son sneaks off into the walled off section of Seattle to find evidence that his father was not responsible for the destruction of that part of the city, Briar must risk her own life to save him from the deadly gas inside that turns people into rotters (the living dead). Inside she encounters a cast of shady characters who seek to help her because of who her father was. But it's not going to be that easy. The fearsome Dr Minnerecht, who not only builds terrible weapons to combat the rotters but runs the drug trade in ‘sap', a derivative of the poisonous gas that engulfs that part of the city, also seeks her out. Is he saint or demon or perhaps just a shadow of a man she once knew?
An excellent story. It was really difficult to put this down. Well-developed characters inhabiting a believable setting of an alternate-history American West. Highly recommended for fans of all genres.
A stunning look at Japanese society, economy (consumer lending culture in particular), culture and more in the 90s. Eye-opening and extremely well-researched (without being heavy or boring) by Miyuki Miyabe. Fiction that tells a very real story of one woman trying to disappear, and the police investigator trying to find her.
Riveting, well-written contemporary fiction by one of Japan's most popular and prolific female writers. I've heard this book is even used in some Western universities to study Japanese literature. Well worth your time. You'll race through the 300 pages in no time and want more!
I am sadly disappointed by this collection of work. I was (mistakenly) expecting science fiction, which this book is NOT. It's more literary reading, something I do not enjoy. This is my own fault perhaps as I believe now that misunderstood the title.
That however is not the extent of my disappointment with the book. While it did have a couple of excellent stories (perhaps 5% of those included), some work was far to esoteric for my enjoyment. Still others, I didn't understand at all.
This was supposed to be a collection of stories that describe ‘apocalyptic situations' but, I felt like I was reading a collection bad poetry disguised as short story work.
I can't recommend it, but there are obviously people out there who enjoy this sort of work.
Sam Durell works under the radar for the U.S. government. When a mysterious virus washes up on a Japanese beach it begins to kill within hours. Sam must fight off Chinese and Russian agents to not only seek the truth behind the origin of the virus, but also find a woman who miraculously is the only survivor so far.
An awesome pulp novel from 1971, Assignment Tokyo will thrill readers who enjoy action and intrigue. Sam Durell is not an unbeatable spy with gadgets and high-tech weapons, he's just a man who survives using his wits and strengths.
Dated, yet exciting as any Bond novel written before it. A bit heavy on the technical side as Caidin has a background in related fields, but it is the story of a man who is struggling with his new place in the world as a one-of-a-kind being.
Kei and Yuri work for the World Wide Welfare Association, a trouble consulting firm that helps local planetary governments throughout the known galaxy of 3000 worlds colonized by humans. In this debut novel Mr Takachiho, the Dirty Pair investigate two different crimes.
Told in first person from Kei's perspective, this is a great collection of two novellas. Expect over the top action, humor, sexy girls, laser gun fights and more. Perfect book for anyone who loves anime, pulp fiction, and/or Golden Age sci-fi.
When Zach Johnson, the last detective on Earth is called in to investigate the murder of a woman who is nigh invulnerable, all hell breaks loose.
Set in the near future, the Doomsday Brunette is an excellent modern-day pulp fiction novel of humor and action. This is the second novel in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone work. Perfect for light, yet enthralling reading.
Loved it. Great classic SF read. Spaceships, alien cultures, interplanetary criminal gangs, mysterious sciences, and my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa–all the great factors that make up the perfect science fiction adventure! ;)
Read this book in high school English. It (along with I AM THE CHEESE) stuck with me over the years, so when I was able to lay my hands on a copy, I jumped at the chance. I wasn't disappointed. Fantastic read.
Larry Heddon's a ‘retired' spy. But China won't let that get in the way of killing his wife and kidnapping his son back to Beijing. Eager to retrieve his son, Heddon tries every diplomatic way possible to get his son back, but this is 1970s China and the Communists aren't interested in the yack of imperialist dogs. Five years pass before a real chance to steal into China comes; five agonizing years of not knowing whether or not his son remembers him or has been brainwashed by Heddon's and America's greatest enemy–an American traitor!
What if your girlfriend's vagina were haunted? Would you, if it were possible, climb into her body to investigate the strange noises? Furthermore, what if you discovered a whole world deep inside her womb, would you arm yourself with energy bars and a gun to explore? Steve does. It turns his world inside out.
This is a classic work of bizarro (strange) fiction. CM3 is a powerful storyteller with some brain-imploding ideas. This is the third novel of his I have, and it was, by far, his best work to date. It's right up there with RAZOR WIRE PUBIC HAIR.
Imaginative, provocative, frightening, and a little sad (in a touching way), HAUNTED VAGINA blurs the line between reality and modern fantasy. If you enjoy something different and you can handle mature content, HAUNTED VAGINA is not to be missed.
An omnibus of freakin' awesome short pulp stories that cross cultural borders and pack plenty of humor, action, and sexy-strong gals. If you have an interest in Indian culture, traditions and social norms, this collection is a delight to read. Granted, it is fiction and takes a few liberties, but without a modicum of reality and truth, fiction wouldn't be that enjoyable.
Takino has lead a quiet life for the past 6 years. He runs a small, local supermarket in Tokyo with his beautiful wife. But he used to be yakuza. When an extortion racket comes round demanding he sell his store and his land, Takino can't comprehend what the fuss is all about. When digs deeper, he digs himself into a hole from which there is no escape.
This is a brilliant noir crime novel set in 80s Japan. It's bleak and hardboiled. Well-paced, the book is a smooth read that builds to a crescendo of consuming (yet not senseless) violence. Highly recommended.
Large spaceships from the Planet 5 have arrived on Earth. There are some who would welcome them, and others who are suspicious. America is split between a female-lead, pacifist Washington DC and a male-chauvinist, tobacco-chewing, crotch-scratching Free America (ie Texas). Each side thinks it's doing the right thing. Tempers flare and hijinx ensue when a journalist captures one of the super-strong beauties “manning” the ships.
An awesome classic sci-fi novel that will tickle the funny bone and give an interesting insight to what was “hot” in male-marketed science fiction at the time. A well-planned, fun novel with a great storyline, characters to care about, and a mystery as to just who THE GIRLS FROM PLANET 5 really are and what they want.
Fantastic modern fantasy.
Thersa Matsuura has done her homework when it comes to Japanese monsters and culture. As a fellow American expat, I am impressed by A Robe of Feathers – it's an alluring, ethereal collection of human emotion and tragedy. Shakespearean in scope, Japanese in depth and imagination.
Hammer's Slammers is a world of military SF created by the brilliance of David Drake, who wrote many of the stories during the Vietnam War (though the stories themselves remain undated). This fictional universe pits high-tech machinery, such as the Slammers' hovertanks against men, machine and alien alike.
Set in the far future, the Slammers are a group of mercenaries who sell their talent for destruction and unwavering loyalty to the highest bidder. Intrigue, alien cultures, humanity and good ol' excellent, no-nosense military action combine to make a book that is hard to put down.
This edition is the COMPLETE collection of all the books in the way that David Drake intended them to be read (see his site for proof). A thick book of perfectbound quality that will sit as a trophy on your bookshelve. Not to be missed.
A fantastic, oversized softcover graphic novel for science fiction fans and “comic” fans alike, World War Robot is a collection of flash fiction snippets told in war-diary form by participants on both sides – Earth-Humans vs Martian-Humans – as they struggle to gain the upper hand via their “Bertie” robot war machines. A dirty, lonely tale of human desperation and depravity.
Large illustrations and well-thoughtout character points-of-view fiction blend to give this work a strength rarely seen in comics these days. A masterpiece of minimalistic storytelling, Ashley Wood, uses the reader's own imagination to enhance the world which he has created by giving the reader space in which to develop.
The grim, muted colors and shadows work to give the whole work a feel of down-in-the-mud, blood-in-your-mouth desperate feel of trench warfare that an excellent World War One film will do.
More than just a graphic novel, and more than art, WWR really is a masterpiece that needs to be experienced.
John McPartland has crafted an excellent story of mystery and deceit in Occupied Japan circa 1952. As an expat living in Japan for the past decade, I found this work of a rough and tumble Tokyo teetering on the edge of a nightmare situation, a real thrill.
Mate Buchanan, an ex-Army captain in the Korean War, is thrown into a world of espionage when he is recruited by mysterious men, claiming to work for the US government, to retrieve what they claim is a miracle cure for atomic radiation poisoning. It is obvious not is all as it seems when the TOKYO DOLL, a beautiful blonde singer for the armed forces radio steps into the picture. Suddenly Mate is being chased by elements of the military, gangs, and “Red” spies as they all race for what each one believes to be either a cure, or just possibly a world-ending virus!
A pulp novel at its best, this book is pure fun! An though I don't think it was necessarily intended, the idea of the virus-cum-miracle cure, gives the story a slight science fiction atmosphere that will tickle SF fans without turning off non-fans. (Or perhaps it was just the SF-fan in me taking liberties.)
The only demerit is the fact that this is a reprint by a now defunct(?) company called blackmask (their URL emblazoned on the back), and there are at least thirty different punctuation and spelling mistakes (such as the word “not” becoming “riot” – look carefully and the r and i look like an n). It seems to me that this book was scanned possibly with a reader and the computer couldn't make out all the print properly. So if you can overlook these mostly insignificant mistakes, you will have no problems enjoying the work, as there is no detraction from the story.
Nightmare in Silicon is the tale of one woman's struggle to shake off her gender-identity while running away from reality by drowning herself in sex and drugs and like-minded individuals. But she betrays her body and her body returns the favor; instead of taking the route of oblivion (the only true way to run away from yourself), she chooses immortality.
Told in very plain, yet crushing, language, NiS is a cult classic story that doesn't try and force your mind around philosophical or metaphorical questions or postulations, and instead, invites you to understand Ymo (the protagonist) through her own language and actions.
Well written, vibrant, and scary, NiS (and I hate to use cliched terms like it) is a page-turner.
When I first heard of this book, I preordered and awaited it breathlessly. When it came earlier than I expected, I was thrilled. After I opened the pages, I found myself emerged in a dry, difficult-to-follow, academic book that is full of more quotes from other books than it has original text.
I am not saying that Takayuki Tatsumi isn't knowledgeable on his subject, quite the opposite. I think perhaps he is too close to the subject to be able to write to a layman audience and it shows.
My difficulties with the book ranged from it's style to references. Perhaps it is more for the academic minded; it was definitely published via an academic press, and definitely reads like a dissertation. I believe the author is somewhere between 10 and 15 years older than myself, creating a gap in the information streams in which we were exposed to. He makes reference to far too many movies/books/relevant figures (authors, playwrights, directors), etc, that I am simply not familiar with. And while normally this is not a problem, he fails to explain to my understanding who these people and their works are. I felt in the completely dark throughout this book.
But perhaps the worse part was, it was a slow, painstaking read for the 200-odd pages of half-page text that graced the pages. It didn't help that I would have to stop again and again to consult online references to who people or their works were.
Normally, I would give this kind of book only 1 star, but it covers two subjects I am very fond of: Japan and cyberpunk. So it gets an extra star, for anyone NOT deeply interested in these subjects, I recommend to steer clear away. This is not a casual read by any stretch of the imagination.
When dael receives a package via courier from his long-dead brother, little does he realize it contains code that will change his life... and body... and mind.
Step into the world of Ray Ogar (aka demo), a fringe sci-fi writer with style, class, and a whole new way to look at the way fiction is written. Ray Ogar takes you to a future that is embedded in technology and technology is embedded into the human body. Fast-forward William Gibson's Neuromancer 200 years and you have Techno.
Well thought out, well written, exciting, and new. It will blow your mind with outlandish visions you never thought possible. Ahead of his time in every way, Ray Ogar is an indies author who takes great risk in delving into a world that would probably scare many. Do not miss this book if you want to expand your ideas on the future, as well as the future of writing.
This book, while an interesting, well-thought out, deep tale suffers from a lack of knowledge of Japanese culture (on which it is 90% based) on the part of the writer.
Touted as set in a “magical fantasy Orient” (a word I personally despise), it tells the story of Brother Shuyun (from The Initiate brother), Lord Shonto (governor of the province of Seh) and a large cast of others as they discover and fight off a massive invasion by desert clans who live to the north. Claiming to the be the saviors of the Empire of Wa (via dethroning the Emperor), the desert warriors mount an attack in Seh first.
A tale of war, deception, trechery, bravery, battle, and mystic intrigue, it is a well written tale. Colorful and vivid, it will leave an impression on readers. Too bad it's marred by the lack of knowledge or disgarding of knowledge by the author. For this, it loses 2 stars.