Genome by A.G. Riddle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one moves away from the dystopian nightmare of the first and I was pretty happy to have a more intellectual discussion about our genomic past (extinction scenarios, reasons for adaptation) and the directions we can go from here.

Especially in respect to the setup of the first novel, it was rather a breath of fresh air.

That isn’t to say I AGREED to most of the suppositions, but I did like reading about them.

So, let’s hear it for nanotech, control, extinction, and amnesia. Lol.

Not bad.

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Myriad by Joshua David Bellin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time travel novels are notorious for being hairballs. Matted, tangled, half-digested messes. Don't get me wrong tho, they can be awfully interesting as the cat coughs one up, but what treasure we think we're looking for isn't always the one we really need.

It's a kind of time-cop novel with plenty of mystery, so this is pretty standard. What isn't standard is the core PTSD version of time travel. I think it's pretty clever, but it's not precisely easy to get through. For one, there are many different versions of our main character and she's a mess in almost all of them. It makes for interesting reading if you like hairballs, and doubly so if you like a truly tangled plot.

Fortunately, it does get untangled by the end.

Is it good? Yes. I think so, but manage your expectations. It's almost a bit like a Blake Crouch but heavier on the PTSD -- many multiple versions of it. It wasn't precisely enjoyable but thrillers usually aren't. The tension is real.




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Into the Fire by Actus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FOODIE FANS. LITRPG FANS. UNITE.

This kind of thing is and should be a very common thing. Why isn't it? Give me my leveling adventure sprinkled heavily with cookoffs. GIVE IT TO ME.


And yes, each recipe is included, as they are cooked. If you want the reference guide, you must simply enjoy the adventure. Muahahahahaha

Loving it.

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Galaxias by Stephen Baxter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not perfect, but still interesting, this is a novel like Spin if only it were written by Stephen Baxter. Fortunately, this WAS a Stephen Baxter novel and the best parts are always the technological exploration, theorizing, and scope.

Simple concept here. The sun goes out. Not only does it go out, its gravitational waves go missing.

Now take that a step further and see what happens to the Earth, all the other planets, our civilization... everything.

And then add Galaxias, the entity/entities or WHATEVER it is that caused it. We get a lot of Fermi paradox questions, Dark Forest questions, and speculation HERE, too. It's really cool.

So why am I giving this only a 4 star? Because while the characters aren't bad, precisely, they're a lot duller than the surrounding worldbuilding and science. This is a pretty great novel of ideas and, considering when it was probably written, during Covid isolation, it's very topical, dystopian in a lot of ways, but I'm proud to say it never stays there.

It's definitely hard SF in all the best ways. Baxter needs some good love. If you like Cixin Liu, head over here, too.

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Cleaver's Edge by Actus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Muahahahaha, this is nuts - and so cool.

I never knew I needed this blend of food-porn (including full recipes) and LitRPG adventure.

Not only do we get a mysterious Orc War-Chief, (not war-chieftain, lol,) we get him in a fun four-person adventurer party. Between dealing with town encounters and cook-offs with local taverns, there's also a bit of guild intrigue and reveals. The LitRPG itself is solid.

So why am I salivating so much? Why am I looking through my pantry and fridge for ingredients to try RIGHT NOW?

I swear. Being a foodie AND a huge RPG fan is going to kill me -- and I'm gonna blame this book.


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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this for my girl, fully expecting us to read it TOGETHER. You know, enjoy some together time with some punk-ass Greek gods in modern times, enjoying a cool adventure while salivating for the upcoming tv series. The little things.

So what does she do? She reads ahead of me. Leaves me in the dust. Demands to read the sequels. WITHOUT ME.

So here I go, grumbling, finally catching up.

Did I enjoy it?

Yeah, actually. It's pretty simple and the baddies are cardboard cut-outs, but the adventure is solid and 100% fun.

Am I going to give my daughter some more hell if she keeps reading ahead?

Yes. Absolutely.

(Actually, I'm just happy she loves reading. But still, I think she's a punk.) ;)

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The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a rather surprising, inventive book. By the time I got sucked in, I imagined it would be a certain kind of book and looked forward to the thriller-ish, vaguely disquieting, potentially nightmarish dystopia.

I mean, sure, there are certain things that are very wrong here. How people are adopted, how they leave the world, all of that really gives me a Charon kind of feel. I thought it was definitely going to be THAT.

And then, much later, when things get weirder, well after the half-way point, I am proud to admit that I got bait-and-switched and I LOVED it.

I cannot say a damn thing about it, either, or it's massive spoiler territory, but I WILL just say that this made the book for me. It's quite clever, and while I think that certain people should have experienced a bit more punishment for the crime, I can't fault the intent behind it.

There's a lot of good storytelling here. As a novel-structure, broad outlines, it's pretty fantastic. The mirroring and assumptions we must go through come back around to eat itself. I love that kind of stuff.

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