At time I had to set the book down
There are young people in my life
I fear their future more than mine
A brother and sister, teen and preteen
A loving mother and father
Normal teen rebellion
War is coming
War arrives
Stuff happens
Our War by Craig DiLouie
An upsetting, unsettling book
Full of possibilities
Cory Doctorow / Radicalized / Four Novellas / A Possible Future
If you read only one of the four stories in the book
Read Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
Every story in the book has it's merit
Cory Doctorow "sees" the future
It is not always pretty
Radicalized
A loved one dies
American health care refuses to treat them
What to do, What to do
Science Fiction is full of future possibilities
Cory Doctorow sees one such possible future
Read Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
Every story in the book has it's merit
Cory Doctorow "sees" the future
It is not always pretty
Radicalized
A loved one dies
American health care refuses to treat them
What to do, What to do
Science Fiction is full of future possibilities
Cory Doctorow sees one such possible future
Brandon Sanderson / Skyward / All-In / YA Space Opera
Skyward wastes no time
You are All-In all the way
Book one of the Skyward Series
Brandon Sanderson at his YA best
What can I say
Strong Female Protagonist
Spensa delivers
Sanderson delivers
Spenca is that little girl
The bullies can't break her
The pointed fingers can't break her
The whispers can't break her
The 'authorities' can't break her
This could easily be a standalone read
But, But, But
The Universe Sanderson opens at the end
The Universe is BIG, really BIG
I await book two with eager anticipation
Rebecca Roanhorse / Trail of Lightning / Navajo Monster Slayer
Rebecca Roanhorse has created a Monster
Actually a Monster Slayer
Maggie Hoskie is a protagonist you want to know
Conflicted does not cover her
Complex does not cover her
Trail of Lightning is Brilliant!
Tidbits of Dine' (Navajo) lore throughout
Cohorts you want to know
Villains who intrigue and disgust
Coyote, Trickster does not cover it
Coyote, a love/hate thing
The post-water rise world, Believable
This one gets a "Staff Pick" sticker
Actually a Monster Slayer
Maggie Hoskie is a protagonist you want to know
Conflicted does not cover her
Complex does not cover her
Trail of Lightning is Brilliant!
Tidbits of Dine' (Navajo) lore throughout
Cohorts you want to know
Villains who intrigue and disgust
Coyote, Trickster does not cover it
Coyote, a love/hate thing
The post-water rise world, Believable
This one gets a "Staff Pick" sticker
Claire O'Dell / A Study In Honor / A Very Well Crafted Mystery
Bottom Line
An Engrossing Story ***Well Told***
Diversity anyone?
A little bit of everything
The characters?
You want to know them
You want to know more about them
How veterans were treated
After the New Civil War
Dr. Janet Watson is black
She lost her arm in the war
Her new mechanical arm is junk
Refurbished, incapable of surgical intricacies
She is put to work far below her capabilities
Veterans are dying, one by one
Big pharma is hiding something
Dr. Watson is curious
Her new roommate, covert agent Sara Holmes
An unusual person
Danger is afoot
I Highly Recommend This Book
A Study in Honor (The Janet Watson Chronicles)
Claire O'Dell, AKA, Beth Bernobich
An Engrossing Story ***Well Told***
Diversity anyone?
A little bit of everything
The characters?
You want to know them
You want to know more about them
How veterans were treated
After the New Civil War
Dr. Janet Watson is black
She lost her arm in the war
Her new mechanical arm is junk
Refurbished, incapable of surgical intricacies
She is put to work far below her capabilities
Veterans are dying, one by one
Big pharma is hiding something
Dr. Watson is curious
Her new roommate, covert agent Sara Holmes
An unusual person
Danger is afoot
I Highly Recommend This Book
A Study in Honor (The Janet Watson Chronicles)
Claire O'Dell, AKA, Beth Bernobich
Martha Wells / 4 Separate Novellas / The Murderbot Diaries / Rocked Me
Having read the first novella
All Systems Red
I could not order and read
Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol,and Exit Strategy
Fast enough to pleas me
Martha Wells wrapped me up
Put a knot in the bow
And would not let go
I was ***All-In*** All The Way
The premise was simple enough
Security Bot (mostly machine, some human)
Breaks it's own control code
Goes 'rogue'
But, but, but, but
Has a growing emphatic sense of self
Understands, to some degree,
The needs of humans
Wants to help
The slow, but unflinching
Growth of it's self
Wonderfully portrayed
The corporate heavies
E V I L dastards to the core
I will say no more
Terrific Space Opera
All Systems Red
I could not order and read
Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol,and Exit Strategy
Fast enough to pleas me
Martha Wells wrapped me up
Put a knot in the bow
And would not let go
I was ***All-In*** All The Way
The premise was simple enough
Security Bot (mostly machine, some human)
Breaks it's own control code
Goes 'rogue'
But, but, but, but
Has a growing emphatic sense of self
Understands, to some degree,
The needs of humans
Wants to help
The slow, but unflinching
Growth of it's self
Wonderfully portrayed
The corporate heavies
E V I L dastards to the core
I will say no more
Terrific Space Opera
Christina Dalcher / Vox / Channeling Margaret Atwood 2018 / Christian Caliphate In America
Christina Dalcher delivers the goods
Vox is a 2018 spin on A Handmaid's Tale
This new Christian Caliphate uses technology
The women must be kept in their place
Women are allowed one hundred words a day
We average over fifteen thousand
This is a simply told tale
With Big Ideas to Consider
Family dynamics
School children come home indoctrinated
A mother watches her oldest son ---buy in---
Her young daughter, beaming, awarded for silence
Her husband, going along, following orders
This is the Science Fiction Dystopia
We all need to consider
This is Social Science Fiction doing it's job
Place a Hold on the book Here
Vox is a 2018 spin on A Handmaid's Tale
This new Christian Caliphate uses technology
The women must be kept in their place
Women are allowed one hundred words a day
We average over fifteen thousand
This is a simply told tale
With Big Ideas to Consider
Family dynamics
School children come home indoctrinated
A mother watches her oldest son ---buy in---
Her young daughter, beaming, awarded for silence
Her husband, going along, following orders
This is the Science Fiction Dystopia
We all need to consider
This is Social Science Fiction doing it's job
Place a Hold on the book Here
Nora Roberts / Year One / Magical Dystopia
Not a story I expected from Nora Roberts
Quite happy she wrote the story
The near future is my biggest ponder/fear
Always looking for different a spin
What kind of world will we leave the youg
Year One begins with a pandemic
Killing only humans, most humans
Of the remaining, Some have changed
Witches, Faeries, other Fae....
Good and Bad
Of the Dark, Of the Light
Messy
Babies are born
The baby, The One, is on the way
How will the new world be
A land of the Evil Dark
A land of the Loving Light
As it has always been
Messy
Book 2, Of Blood and Bone
Will arrive in December
The characters have engaged me
I wait
Quite happy she wrote the story
The near future is my biggest ponder/fear
Always looking for different a spin
What kind of world will we leave the youg
Year One begins with a pandemic
Killing only humans, most humans
Of the remaining, Some have changed
Witches, Faeries, other Fae....
Good and Bad
Of the Dark, Of the Light
Messy
Babies are born
The baby, The One, is on the way
How will the new world be
A land of the Evil Dark
A land of the Loving Light
As it has always been
Messy
Book 2, Of Blood and Bone
Will arrive in December
The characters have engaged me
I wait
Daniel Jose Older / Shadowshaper / Fantastic YA Fantasy / New Magic
Daniel Jose Older rocks
With his use of language
Total cultural immersion
Shadowshaper will engage you
A young Puerto Rican woman
Always painting something
Proud of her heritage
Proud of her wild hair
No, you can't
Wondrous build of a magic system
A protagonist to care about
Someone you want to spend time with
Lots and lots of praise
A Top Ten YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
A Top Ten ALA Quick Pick
A Kirkus Prize Finalist
An Andre Award Nominee
A New York Times Notable Children's Book
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
With his use of language
Total cultural immersion
Shadowshaper will engage you
A young Puerto Rican woman
Always painting something
Proud of her heritage
Proud of her wild hair
No, you can't
Wondrous build of a magic system
A protagonist to care about
Someone you want to spend time with
Lots and lots of praise
A Top Ten YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection
A Top Ten ALA Quick Pick
A Kirkus Prize Finalist
An Andre Award Nominee
A New York Times Notable Children's Book
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Annalee Newitz / Autonomous / Amazing New Thinking / Delightful Writing
Annalee Newitz co-founded io9.
Her first novel is amazing
Autonomous re-thinks everything
AI robots are expensive to produce
Humans, not so much
Robots indentured to humans
Humans indentured to Robots
It gets even messier
Underlying current of the story?
Drug patents
Who can and can't afford meds
Who can hack patented meds
Produce them cheap for the poor
Free thinking hackers
Human and not
Hard working law personnel
Human and not
Who falls in love with who
Ya never know
All brilliantly written by an edgy Annalee
Attention holder, start to finish
Her first novel is amazing
Autonomous re-thinks everything
AI robots are expensive to produce
Humans, not so much
Robots indentured to humans
Humans indentured to Robots
It gets even messier
Underlying current of the story?
Drug patents
Who can and can't afford meds
Who can hack patented meds
Produce them cheap for the poor
Free thinking hackers
Human and not
Hard working law personnel
Human and not
Who falls in love with who
Ya never know
All brilliantly written by an edgy Annalee
Attention holder, start to finish
Alwyn Hamilton / Rebel of the Sands / Weird Western Arabian Nights
Alwyn Hamilton is too much fun
Yes, it's light, and easy reading
Yes it's a bit of a romance
Yes the magic is very interesting
Yes the story is fresh
All the reasons not to read the book
Why should you read Rebel of the Sands
Strong female protagonist
Constant action and adventure
Smart mouth female protagonist
Good is trying to overcome evil
Most of all
Take a break from the world we live in
This book will "engage" you
Whats'it?
It is a Weird Western shoot 'em up Arabian Nights tale
With Djin and magic in a mid-eastern setting
You will be captivated by the characters
You do not have to work to read this YA title
Put down the book and do what needs to be done
You can't just read your life away
But, you can wish you could
Yes, it's light, and easy reading
Yes it's a bit of a romance
Yes the magic is very interesting
Yes the story is fresh
All the reasons not to read the book
Why should you read Rebel of the Sands
Strong female protagonist
Constant action and adventure
Smart mouth female protagonist
Good is trying to overcome evil
Most of all
Take a break from the world we live in
This book will "engage" you
Whats'it?
It is a Weird Western shoot 'em up Arabian Nights tale
With Djin and magic in a mid-eastern setting
You will be captivated by the characters
You do not have to work to read this YA title
Put down the book and do what needs to be done
You can't just read your life away
But, you can wish you could
Kameron Hurley / The Stars are Legion / Brutal Touching Amazing / Kameron Hurley: World Builder!
I'm crazy about Kameron Hurley
When I first opened God's War
The first paragraph tipped me over
How screwed up can a place be
Further reading confirmed
Even more screwed up
Whew!
The Stars are Legion is beautiful
The organic ships, amazing
The women
Scheming, Conniving, Sniveling
Strong, Laughable, Inspiring
All sorts of women
There is not one man in this book
Forget all that
The story is complex, compelling
Twisted as Kameron Hurley's mind
The story knows where it wants to go
It's just so difficult
But go there it must
When I first opened God's War
The first paragraph tipped me over
How screwed up can a place be
Further reading confirmed
Even more screwed up
Whew!
The Stars are Legion is beautiful
The organic ships, amazing
The women
Scheming, Conniving, Sniveling
Strong, Laughable, Inspiring
All sorts of women
There is not one man in this book
Forget all that
The story is complex, compelling
Twisted as Kameron Hurley's mind
The story knows where it wants to go
It's just so difficult
But go there it must
April Daniels / Dreadnought / Yippee Ki Yay Ki Yo
April Daniels owns me
Dreadnought, a trans superhero story
What?
Yep, like I said
Sci-Fi readers have always and forever
Been in front of societal change
Leading the way
Understanding the new normal
What do you get with Dreadnought?
A Great YA/Adult Superhero story
What you did not expect, but love dearly
The empathy and understanding delivered
What does it mean to be a trans teen
I get it, I've got your back, I understand
What about the Superhero
Has to save the world of course
It's what Superheros do
Step Up
Help Lead The Way
Read a Terrific Story
Music on my play list
Wilco, Schmilco
Dreadnought, a trans superhero story
What?
Yep, like I said
Sci-Fi readers have always and forever
Been in front of societal change
Leading the way
Understanding the new normal
What do you get with Dreadnought?
A Great YA/Adult Superhero story
What you did not expect, but love dearly
The empathy and understanding delivered
What does it mean to be a trans teen
I get it, I've got your back, I understand
What about the Superhero
Has to save the world of course
It's what Superheros do
Step Up
Help Lead The Way
Read a Terrific Story
Music on my play list
Wilco, Schmilco
Peadar O'Guilin / The Call / Three Minutes To Live Or Die / Absolutely As Good As YA Literature Gets
Peadar O'Guilin has copied no one
The Call stands firmly on it's own
Ireland, all of Ireland, is united
Ireland is cloaked by a fog
Nothing penetrates, nothing passes through
There is but one enemy, the Sidhe, the Fae
The Fae are angry
Banished long ago to their horrid grey world
Now they are punishing the Irish
Calling the children, Killing the children
Maiming the children and sending some home alive
Broken
Nessa, a young teen with polio stricken legs
Fighting for her life
Training to survive "The Call"
The world build here is terrific
The social dynamics, well, dynamic
Cliques of elitists
Struggling humanists
Denial ridden oblivious
All the stuff of a dynamic society
All the young, waiting, "The Call"
The Sidhe grey world
A Living Night Mare
The pacing, always engaging
The mystery, palpable
"The Call" horrifying
Three minutes away
A full day with the Sidhe
Running, Fighting, Dying
Nessa, a protagonist to root for
A protagonist who needs your support
Music
Soulrocker
Michael Franti
The Call stands firmly on it's own
Ireland, all of Ireland, is united
Ireland is cloaked by a fog
Nothing penetrates, nothing passes through
There is but one enemy, the Sidhe, the Fae
The Fae are angry
Banished long ago to their horrid grey world
Now they are punishing the Irish
Calling the children, Killing the children
Maiming the children and sending some home alive
Broken
Nessa, a young teen with polio stricken legs
Fighting for her life
Training to survive "The Call"
The world build here is terrific
The social dynamics, well, dynamic
Cliques of elitists
Struggling humanists
Denial ridden oblivious
All the stuff of a dynamic society
All the young, waiting, "The Call"
The Sidhe grey world
A Living Night Mare
The pacing, always engaging
The mystery, palpable
"The Call" horrifying
Three minutes away
A full day with the Sidhe
Running, Fighting, Dying
Nessa, a protagonist to root for
A protagonist who needs your support
Music
Soulrocker
Michael Franti
David D. Levine / Arabella Of Mars / A Flight Of Fancy, Daring-do And Romance
David D. Levine has captured my heart
For a reader of old time Science Fiction
Edgar Rice Burroughs, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Jules Verne etc etc
Arabella of Mars made me reminisce
Fond memories of the Mars and Lensman and Nemo
Treasures from the basement of my home growing up
Arabella is a plucky young woman
Yes, she has to disguise herself as a boy
I wouldn't have it any other way
Breathable air between Earth and Mars
Hoot, Hoot
A father who knew much of Automata
A father who understood his unusual daughter
A mysterious ship Captain
An amazing Automata Navigator
Much daring-do
Trying to do the right thing
Arabella Ashby is a heroine you want to meet
Music
New from Mark Knopfler with Evelyn Glennie
Altamira
For a reader of old time Science Fiction
Edgar Rice Burroughs, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Jules Verne etc etc
Arabella of Mars made me reminisce
Fond memories of the Mars and Lensman and Nemo
Treasures from the basement of my home growing up
Arabella is a plucky young woman
Yes, she has to disguise herself as a boy
I wouldn't have it any other way
Breathable air between Earth and Mars
Hoot, Hoot
A father who knew much of Automata
A father who understood his unusual daughter
A mysterious ship Captain
An amazing Automata Navigator
Much daring-do
Trying to do the right thing
Arabella Ashby is a heroine you want to meet
Music
New from Mark Knopfler with Evelyn Glennie
Altamira
Blake Crouch / Dark Matter / Stunning
Easily one of my favorite books of the year
Dark Matter unravels the multiverse
Maybe it ties it in knots on an infinite cord
Author Blake Crouch is my hero
An above average man (read, genius)
Happily living below his intellect
The baby stopped his pursuit of science
Quantum physic his specialty
A wonderful family life his reward
Jason Dessen
Abducted in the night
Taken to another verse in the multiverse
Here he perused his science
At the cost of all else
It is here he figured out the multiverse
Expected to live this "other" life
Jason is not happy
He was happy with the choice he made
Jason misses his wife and son
He will find them at any cost
Things just get crazier and crazier
With an infinite multiverse
You would expect nothing less
Tight pacing, constant unexpected changes
Multiple Multiple Universes
Gripping, I forgot to say Gripping
A paragraph, perhaps a page or two
Say goodbye to your universe
The finish? Read to the finish
Dark Matter unravels the multiverse
Maybe it ties it in knots on an infinite cord
Author Blake Crouch is my hero
An above average man (read, genius)
Happily living below his intellect
The baby stopped his pursuit of science
Quantum physic his specialty
A wonderful family life his reward
Jason Dessen
Abducted in the night
Taken to another verse in the multiverse
Here he perused his science
At the cost of all else
It is here he figured out the multiverse
Expected to live this "other" life
Jason is not happy
He was happy with the choice he made
Jason misses his wife and son
He will find them at any cost
Things just get crazier and crazier
With an infinite multiverse
You would expect nothing less
Tight pacing, constant unexpected changes
Multiple Multiple Universes
Gripping, I forgot to say Gripping
A paragraph, perhaps a page or two
Say goodbye to your universe
The finish? Read to the finish
Madeline Ashby / Company Town / The Good Stuff / Heavens To Murgatroyd
I Love Madeline Ashby
Her Machine Dynasty books knocked me over
Company Town owned my head space, start to finish
The near future setting
An Off-Shore Oil Rig / City
A future of Corporate States
Bio-engineered human enhancements
Lots of mystery
A serial killer
Hwa, the young protagonist
She has no enhancements
Totally organic
Morally sound
Conflicted as hell
Yippee Ki Yay Ki Yo
A Cowboy's dream girl, fer shur
Warning
Pick a time, Any time
Company Town will own you, start to finish
Music
Ten Songs From Live At Carnegie Hall
Ryan Adams
Her Machine Dynasty books knocked me over
Company Town owned my head space, start to finish
The near future setting
An Off-Shore Oil Rig / City
A future of Corporate States
Bio-engineered human enhancements
Lots of mystery
A serial killer
Hwa, the young protagonist
She has no enhancements
Totally organic
Morally sound
Conflicted as hell
Yippee Ki Yay Ki Yo
A Cowboy's dream girl, fer shur
Warning
Pick a time, Any time
Company Town will own you, start to finish
Music
Ten Songs From Live At Carnegie Hall
Ryan Adams
Robert Kroese / The Big Sheep / Delightfully Strange Nior Romp
Saw the Cover, Read the title, Had two thoughts
Raymond Chandler, Philip K. Dick
Was not disappointed
An homage? / A homage?
The debate continues
No debate about the book
Definitely An/A Homage to both authors
The Near Future 2039
Absolutely believable
The city partitioned
Keeping the have-not's at bay
And at war with one another
(Yes, Like now, without the partitions)
The Mystery? Very Mysterious
A pretty girl, (Super Star Actress)
A really big Sheep (That probably dreams)
And Clones, Lots of Clones
A very Quirky Detective
Partnered with a Hard Boiled Straight Man
(Need I mention Cynicism, Plenty of Cynicism)
Robert Kroese, The Big Sheep
Music
True Sadness, Avett Brothers
Raymond Chandler, Philip K. Dick
Was not disappointed
An homage? / A homage?
The debate continues
No debate about the book
Definitely An/A Homage to both authors
The Near Future 2039
Absolutely believable
The city partitioned
Keeping the have-not's at bay
And at war with one another
(Yes, Like now, without the partitions)
The Mystery? Very Mysterious
A pretty girl, (Super Star Actress)
A really big Sheep (That probably dreams)
And Clones, Lots of Clones
A very Quirky Detective
Partnered with a Hard Boiled Straight Man
(Need I mention Cynicism, Plenty of Cynicism)
Robert Kroese, The Big Sheep
Music
True Sadness, Avett Brothers
Lian Hearn / Emperor Of The Eight Islands / Terrific Japanese Historical Fantasy
Lian Hearn, pseudonym, for Gillian Rubinstein
Knows her Japanese History
She knows her cultures
She knows the little things
That make her stories rich with detail
All this, and in no way pedantic
Emperor of the Eight Islands
Book 1 of The Tale of Shikanoko
So rich with characters, you like/need the list
Characters you enjoy getting to know
Characters you get invested in
This is a sprawling tale
War, Conquest, Mystery and Mayhem
Protagonists you willingly follow anywhere
Characters complex enough to make you wonder
Feudal Japan writ large
A little romance, but as it should be
Complicated
Family values
As complicated as feudal Japan can be
Loyalties? Dynamic
Always Interesting
Music
Cleopatra by the Lumineers
Knows her Japanese History
She knows her cultures
She knows the little things
That make her stories rich with detail
All this, and in no way pedantic
Emperor of the Eight Islands
Book 1 of The Tale of Shikanoko
So rich with characters, you like/need the list
Characters you enjoy getting to know
Characters you get invested in
This is a sprawling tale
War, Conquest, Mystery and Mayhem
Protagonists you willingly follow anywhere
Characters complex enough to make you wonder
Feudal Japan writ large
A little romance, but as it should be
Complicated
Family values
As complicated as feudal Japan can be
Loyalties? Dynamic
Always Interesting
Music
Cleopatra by the Lumineers
Malka Older / Infomocracy / Where Politics May Be Headed / A Screamer
What the heck is post-cyberpunk?
Oh, Not plugged in, Nose to the screens
Like, where some live right now
Add a Meta Mega Overload of Data
This near future thriller is superb
No nation-states, no corporate-states
Just lots and lots of 100K population mini Democracy's
I was coasting along
A character says something like
"Your vote really counts" (oh sure, really)
The book owned me
Not going to give the machinations away
It's just too good to spoil
This is terrific Science Fiction
Think
Human Condition blazing on a false background
Malka Older, remember the name, may he write more Soon
Infomocracy, not to be missed
Loved Ken Liu's back cover blurb
"Smart. ambitious, bursting with provocative extrapolations,
Infomocracy is the big-data-big-ideas-tecnoanalytical-microdemoglobal-post-everything
polotical thriller we've been waiting for."
Music, let there be music in your life
Detour by Cindy Lauper
Mighty fine Classic, old school, Country Music
Oh, Not plugged in, Nose to the screens
Like, where some live right now
Add a Meta Mega Overload of Data
This near future thriller is superb
No nation-states, no corporate-states
Just lots and lots of 100K population mini Democracy's
I was coasting along
A character says something like
"Your vote really counts" (oh sure, really)
The book owned me
Not going to give the machinations away
It's just too good to spoil
This is terrific Science Fiction
Think
Human Condition blazing on a false background
Malka Older, remember the name, may he write more Soon
Infomocracy, not to be missed
Loved Ken Liu's back cover blurb
"Smart. ambitious, bursting with provocative extrapolations,
Infomocracy is the big-data-big-ideas-tecnoanalytical-microdemoglobal-post-everything
polotical thriller we've been waiting for."
Music, let there be music in your life
Detour by Cindy Lauper
Mighty fine Classic, old school, Country Music
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