Steve Gibson
I read very little fantasy. I have read all the Vorkosigan stories by Bujold. So I thought to try this fantasy book. It starts out slowly, telling about Caz looking for a way to stay alive. But, The characters drew my attention more and more until I could not put the book down and tried to finish it without sleep.
One aspect that is important to me is the minimal inclusion of magic. While particular magical influences are integral to the plot, the story can be enjoyed for how the characters handle the challenges they face.
While the central character is a 35 year old male, there are multiple strong women characters in the story. The story follows an arc of increasing conflict, danger and complexity from beginning to end. The world building and and completeness of story is impressive.
This story seems to me to be likely entertaining to almost all readers. I am not normally a fan of fantasy, but enjoyed almost every minute of it. There are small but important romance subplots. There are a few small unit conflicts spread through the book. If you are a super animal lover, be warned, some animals are harmed in the making of the book. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to everyone.
Fledgling is now one of my favorite books. This was my second read. This story is about a young woman who does not fit into her society and must navigate the treacherous shoals of young adulthood. Her society is completely about academic lifestyle. Theo's mother is a respected scholar of very high status on the planet of Delgado. Women are the dominant gender on the planet and men play a secondary role. Theo's father is a competent scholar, but her mother's work and position takes precedence.
There is a dramatic growth in Theo's character through the book. She begins the book as a clumsy girl and later in the book is respected with the potential for great things. There is a lot of tension and conflict in the story, without fighting or battles.
People who would like this story are probably people who have happily spent time in academia and are not looking for fighting scenes. The next book continues Theo's story.
This novel has extremely interesting parts and slow part. I enjoyed the beginning, the part around 100 pages and the last 50 pages. The stories of the two main characters are compelling and works well when the lives of the two become entangled.
I was interested in the story of the landscape and the information about river dolphins. Like many other reviewers, I did lose patience with the 100s of pages of detail about the dolphins and nature. I do not blame the author. I think the information is not wasted, but I did not have the patience.
The characters seem full of life to me. I was interested in all of them. I even like that I am disappointed in some of them. We find that the characters are not perfect but have feet of clay.
All-in-all it is a good serious drama that is well crafted. Readers must be willing to devote a great deal of time to get through the thick book and understand the payoffs are for some characters and not everyone has a happy ending.
I enjoyed this story immensely this week. Although Andre Norton is one of the authors that got me into science fiction, I don't remember this one from my childhood. This story is one that puts her in the top level of the great writers of the genre.
Breed to Come does what science fiction rightly is known for. The what if of the story combines with human interest to lead you to suspend disbelief and go with the wild ideas until you get to the end.
I was riveted by the story of Furtig and the people he finds in the lairs. I admire his spirit. He is not a great fighter and suffers a defeat near the beginning of the book. His defeat is accepted as a step on his journey to uncover the secrets of his world and grow as an individual.
Breed to Come is superior to many science fiction books written in the same years. There are several strong characters who carry out important tasks separately from Furtig. We care about those other characters and look forward to finding out the results of their endeavors when Furtig meets up with them.
This book is written in 3rd person, mostly from Furtig's POV. The story is told in past tense. It took me 3 days of several hours each day to finish. I recommend to all ages. I think kids as young as 8 years old would probably be OK with it. No sex and moderate violence. The ideal audience will be made up of cat lovers. I would classify this story as a futuristic post-apocalyptic adventure. Thanks, Andre Norton.
This is an enjoyable read for fans of Dragonriders books. I read a Pern book years ago, and was happy to revisit Pern. This story gives the backstory of the first colonists on Pern. There is detail on how the colonists arrived and slowly lose their advanced science and technology.
I liked the technology talk about space travel, sled maintenance, and bio-engineering. I had originally picked this book for references to libraries. There is not much talk in the book. But there is communication with the spaceships in orbit and use of high tech.
The book gives a very detailed story of the beginning of the Pern saga. I recommend this for fans of Dragonriders. There is excessive detail at times, but the overall story is interesting.
My contribution to the thousands of reviews about Twilight will be to discuss how the relationship of Bella and Edward can be seen as an illustration of romantic love in general.
Bella and Edward have a relationship that is dangerous to both of them. Bella risks death at the hands of Edward and his family. Edward risks exposure for himself and his family if anything goes wrong with the relationship with Bella. They are strangers to one another. They do not know the long-term emotional stability or reactions they each have had in the past or will have in the future.
As I was reading the book, it occurred to me that this danger is shared by many people who get into romantic relationships with people. Often when we fall in love, the long-term emotional behaviors of the other person is unknown. Generally in real life we are not exactly tuned into the thoughts, motivations and behaviors of other people. Unlike Edward, none of us can read other people's minds. So it is always a risk to put our trust and safety in other people.
So, I found reading Twilight offered me an interesting way to think about romantic relationships. Other than that, I also enjoyed reading the book. It had a balance of humor and danger to keep it interesting. Bella might be a Mary Sue, but she is an interesting Mary Sue.
After a slow start this mystery carried me to a satisfying conclusion.
The story brought some interesting characters onto a cruise ship. The day-to-day operations on the liner added to the flavor of the story and mystery.
This should be an enjoyable read for folks seeking a clean murder mystery with a female POV character.
Collection of 22 Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels
A collection of 22 Fantasy and Science Fiction full novels from an international cast of bestselling authors. This action-packed boxset features strong-willed individuals in unusual and exciting settings. Encounter queens, witches, wizards, werewolves, shifters, angels, dragons, or shadowy nemeses. Stories are character driven and set in worlds with low or no technology. You will follow their journeys to discover magical worlds, encounter dystopian lands, space stations, and galaxies they never dreamed of before their adventures. Join us On the Horizon for these deadly and dangerous quests filled with thrilling action and adventure!
Contributors:
Aiki Flinthart
Avril Sabine
Brendan Smith
Carina Merritt
Charis Joy Jackson
Connor Sassmannshausen
Diane Morrison
Donna Maree Hanson
Erin Yoshikawa
Greg Alldredge
Jason J. Nugent
Jay Michael Wright II
Jeanette O'Hagan
J. I. Rogers
Judith Rook
Katie Salidas
Katie Taylor
Mirren Hogan
Rebekah Dodson
S. A. Gibson
Stephanie Barr
Steven Turnbull
Fun story about the Four Horsemen in modern times. I enjoyed the trials that Tara must undergo as she discovers her destiny. Very quick read. You will like the ride with this story.
In this review of Tesla's Frequency, I'll explore why this book is a fun contribution to science fiction. I'll do this by listing some points to help you see whether you might want to step into this book's world.
The writing takes you to another world.
The author's storytelling forges a world, based on the past, but creating a different time, place and reality. The world of the early 20th century, in which we follow Tesla and the other, is filled with history we recognize, as well as changes to the past. We follow several characters, central to the plot, who have different traits, roles and loyalties in the story. The author weaves fascinating characters, with different backgrounds, born in different countries, and in one case, another world, with their own motivations, into a consistent story. The story pulls you to think about truth, fiction, fantasy, and imagination. A strange alternate history is brought to life in this book. The world in the story can intrigue readers and introduce characters and an overarching goal.
This is a story with major conflict.
The first book in the series involved battle between Testa, with the help of his allies, against an alien race. This book continues the feel of that story, while adding Hitler, Nazis and human greed and lust for power, as enemies to be confronted. Readers follow along the journey to find out who is orchestrating the evil, and what Tesla can do about it. Each builds conflict and tension that lead to battles that must be won. This type of writing allows us to become immersed inside the story, and affects our feelings and opinions about the characters. If you like space warfare, you will probably appreciate the conflict between the forces of good and evil here. The main villain is implacable and won't allow any setback to change his course.
There are several interesting characters.
We know Tesla from the first book. It is interesting to have a main character who was an actual historical person, in our story as hero. He has greater and lesser qualities than before. He has aged a great deal from the previous story, so he is a very old man, who must lead his friends and family into battle. Clara is in the story again, but in a different form. Tesla has several allies who enable him to accomplish his miracles. We meet new villains, and a harking back to the main villain from the previous story. Then there is Zoe. This child is very unusual in appearance, behavior, and background. She takes on an increasingly more important role, as the story progresses.
There is a special and surprising individual in the story.
One central mystery takes on more and more importance in the story. One character is more and less than she seems. This character turns out to be a pan-dimensional being that can inhabit a human body, as well as travel into another reality. The descriptions of this character intrigued me. I couldn't get enough of how such a person would perceive the world, and act in encounters with others. I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction of this character, and hope to learn more in the future. This story does a good job of showing relationships between the friends and enemies. Some Individuals grow and develop, some enemies becoming partners, and some who should be friends can't help being enemies.
I look forward to a future book.
This is a well-developed story that held my attention. While we find closure with many characters, I'm curious where some characters are going in their lives. Like the first book, this one reminded me of Golden Age Science Fiction. Stories of heroes, villains, science, wonder, and danger. I would say the most likely audience is people who might enjoy historical science fiction with combat between good and evil. I would recommend reading the first book in the series first, but this one could probably be read separately. The back of the book has some background on historical Tesla, and useful history information. Give it a try, you might like it, or love it.
This story is a new take on futuristic science fiction. The 942 Series presents a corporate controlled world, where individuals like Nash are controlled and limited in their life choices.
This book reminds me of older style storytelling, with a long narrative arc, following several characters, and their family members, over years. The epic scope of the story carries us along as we try to understand the past and future of Nash Korpes. He must struggle to survive political intrigue, corporate assassins, and mass killings. Nash is a very imperfect person. He is a scientific genius, who invents technology beyond what others can match. Yet, he has trouble controlling his emotions and actions.
In the course of Nash's oppression by his corporate overlords, he will lose everything, his loved one, his children, his family. Alone, with only a friend or two, he will struggle to gain control of his life, and throw off the chains encasing him. The decades that pass are filled with an unending conflict against the forces seeking to contain, and silence him.
The author has brought an epic story to the page that contains an multitude of characters, who we care about, and want to succeed. I finished the story, and wanted to read more, so I could find what happened to each character I had been introduced to, even the villains. I would say this story is suitable for readers of high school and up. If you are ready to read an epic science fiction story, check this book out. As someone else mentioned, sometimes, to overcome impossible challenges, you must be both hero and villain.
This story tells an entangled tale that moves between Earth and an alien world. We travel to a different world with Amanda and take part in her struggle to survive with the strange customs, people, and circumstances that she finds. We follow the twists and turns of her life as she and we learn the myriad ways this alternate world differs from ours. The story leaves us with a cliffhanger, as we wonder will she be on the planet she wants to be on, and will her loved ones be with her. Recommended for middle grade and up readers.
Before You Leap is a fun, light-hearted book. Readers will have laughs and enjoy themselves. This is a great story for science fiction lovers.
There are some gender bending twists to the story that challenge the characters and the plot. The book keeps you guessing with future directions. It gives you a lot to think about relating to time travel and our reactions to gender.
I think most readers would enjoy this read, especially if they would like explanations and theorizing about time travel science. I think the level is suitable for middle grade on up. Give it a try.
Well written, interesting, and well-paced coming of age story. This story will carry you along as Clara discovers a fantastic new world. The setting and character make this a fascinating world to follow. The elements of fantasy and imagination makes for a good read. Try it, you'll enjoy it.
Great continuation of the saga. Edge of my seat flying. Drama, danger, and sorcery. Enjoyable for steampunk and sorcery fans.
The Aonise people must abandon their sun. In spaceships, they flee solar explosion and the enemy Zefron. The Aonise king, Kedro, leads the people amid deep class divisions and conspiracies against the royal family.
After the excitement of the planet-wide evacuation, is much learning about the characters and interconnections between them. As other reviews have mentioned, keeping track of the names is challenging, at first. The action is well paced and leads to important conflicts and resolutions. This story reminds me of Battlestar Galactica. There is a setup of a complex world, and the space fleet is fleeing to a distant destination. There are clearly many adventures ahead for these characters. I would recommend this tale for middle grade and up.
Interesting historical fiction about one of the most fascinating figures involved in 19th century technology. If you don't know the facts, rumors, and speculations about N. Tesla, give the Google machine a whirl. You might be lost for hours. This book pulls in facts and speculation into a rousing action story about alien invasion and the real historical characters who engaged in science, technology, and industrial capitalism at the time.
It is a relief to read “steampunk” fiction that deals with real science. I have not had much reading success with fantasy steampunk. However, this hard science take on the steampunk age was refreshing. This book was very much styled like the greats of Golden Age science fiction, like Heinlein or Asimov. I felt like I was reading a story by A. E. van Vogt, one of my favorites.
Let me talk about Miss Clara. This major supporting character steals the book, for me. I enjoyed reading about a Victorian woman who could take care of herself and did not wait for a man to rescue her. Clara kicks butt, charges into danger, and rescues her man, when necessary. It was fun to see how she would deal with each challenge that was thrown at her.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in a fantastic tale of historical fiction. This book is suitable for middle school and up. There are some sexual activities described in flowery Victorian terms that most parents will probably find acceptable. There are scenes of violence and loss in the story, but it serves healthy plot development and is not gratuitous. My biggest warning would be about the hard science nature of the story. Any reader who cannot get through Golden Age science fiction stories may have difficulty with Tesla's Signal. The book is filled with real science, real history, and real characters. Otherwise, give it a try. You may find an exciting new author to follow.
This is an entertaining installment in the adventures of the intrepid female detective Maliha Anderson. Maliha is in Pondicherry, a colonial area in India ruled by the French. She works to solve a crime that has implications for relations between the French and British and that uncovers unpleasant secrets about her family.
The descriptions of alternate steam technology is detailed and excellent. This story is set in an alternate historical past in the early 20th century when Britain is the most powerful European empire. Maliha is a mixed race young woman who swims through, and struggles with, the cultural world of Indian natives and British rulers.
Fans of Valentine should read this installment to find interesting updates. This book is longer than previous stories about Maliha. There is sexual content so parents who think their children would be interested should read it first. Another solid addition to the the world of Maliha Anderson.
I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first in the series. It has Bresq in all her awesomeness. She is powerful, intelligent and driven by compassion. I enjoyed it the most, after about half way, when the book directly starts exploring themes of oppression, gender, identity, colonization, survival, and revolution. As with the first two books, the way this book handles gender is to make it impossible to think about gender, in the ways we are used to. Good book, if you liked the first two, you will like this one.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)
This is a ghost story and supernatural adventure. I enjoyed the battle between our heroes and the enemy.
I have not read many ghost stories, but I imagine this is somewhat different than is traditional. The story begins as many fiction books do. There is a main character whom we follow through the entire book. He is not happy at his job. Suddenly his life begins to change.
What I assume might be different from some ghost stories is the movement into a full war that slowly develops for our hero. From incident to incident, he begins to see he must join with his new allies and engage the enemy who is doing some bad things on a massive supernatural scale. He acquires powers and is central to the battle against evil. This is a hero's journey story with a team of heroes taking on a very impressively powerfully enemy.
Some of the things I liked were the dialog between characters, character change through the story, and the strong description of locations. A good job was done giving each character different personalities. Each character changed through the story. The hero is a different person by the end. Some of his allies are not whom they seem at first. Some become better, some not so much.
I did not enjoy the information dumps. There is a great deal of information about the supernatural rules in this story. Sometimes, it goes on for pages and pages. I suppose it is hard to avoid when the author is presenting such an unusual world with a different set of realities than we are used to. Perhaps in followup books that particular exposition will not be necessary.
The story is told in 3rd person limited in past tense. We follow the one character's POV the entire story. He grows through the book but is very naive at the beginning of the story.
This story should be fun for people who would be interested in a battle on the supernatural plane. Our hero starts out weak and ignorant and becomes a powerful fighter physically and psychically. I would think the story would be appropriate for children as young as 8 years old. There is no sex, and while people and spirits are destroyed, supposedly there is “no such thing as death.”
I enjoyed this read. I would try another offering from this author. Give it a try, you might like it. Thank you https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/72929-lovers-of-paranormal
Entertaining Science Fiction mystery with a little space opera and romance thrown in.