This year I read a good amount of science fiction. Other than any of the genre that lands in the top ten, here’s the rest of what I read!
Shadows in the Stars
By Sean Ferrick
Captain Daniels doesn’t want another war with the Varapine. Not after the last one. He runs Alpha Centauri Station with his Varapine associates, a beacon of peace. Of course, not everyone wants peace. The station is attacked from within and without. Will Captain Daniels be able to prevent another war, or will be a pawn in making sure this will be the last one?
Sean is a wonderful human being. I’ve watched him on Trek Culture for quite a while, and wanted to support him more directly. Oh, look! He wrote a novel! The description makes it sound a bit like a Babylon 5 rip off, and it does start in a similar place. However, I wish he’d kept writing. There were plenty of unique aspects to his universe, and I wanted to keep voyaging with this crew. If you’re looking for something that tastes like the best of 90’s science fiction television, this would be a great place to go.
Starship
By Brian W. Aldiss
Roy hunts for his tribe, out in the deadly jungle of the ponics. But when he’s exiled, he kidnaps a priest and ventures to the land of Forwards. He must face mutants, telepathic rabbits, and a secret that will destroy everything he knows about the world.
I wish this novel had a different name. The title gives the twist away. Yep, Roy’s people had been living on a starship for countless generations and devolved into a hunter-gatherer society. If I hadn’t known that going in, I think I would have enjoyed this far more than I did. The novel came out in 1958, though, and I suspect the title was given so that readers would expect science fiction, which this definitely is. The book is honestly pretty neat; I just wish I hadn’t known the twist.
Star Wanderers
By JD Cowan
Far in the future, necromancers twist magic to destroy all humanity has made. Some stand against these dark forces, though. One wields a blade that can destroy anything. Another is an agent, ready with a sidearm. They circle around each other as they each hunt their prey, until together they destroy the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.
I wanted to like this book far, far more than I did. It’s solid sci-fi sword and sorcery. It has a pulpy 80’s vibe to it that appeals to me. This short story collection gathers together a number of tales set in the same universe. However, until the last story, I had no idea that there were two main characters! I thought they were the same guy! Each story by itself is a fun, action-filled adventure, but together it just kinda didn’t work for me…
The Galactic Whirlpool
By David Gerrold
As the Enterprise continues its voyage of exploration, it discovers the impossible: a human city that dwarfs anything supposedly created by man, cartwheeling toward destruction in a black hole. Even worse, most of the people inhabiting this massive space station believe that anything from outside the station must be devils here to destroy them. How will Captain Kirk save these people?
I picked this book up because of the author: David Gerrold, the man who wrote The Trouble with Tribbles, one of the best classic Star Trek episodes, and the delightful Chess with a Dragon. Unfortunately, while this novel is solid, it’s nothing to write home about. Maybe because it’s close in plot to Starship, a book I’d read just a short time before, this one didn’t hit me too much. I will still heartily recommend Chess with a Dragon, though!
A Scammer Darkly
by Robert Kroese
Sasha doesn’t remember what happened, and she certainly doesn’t trust her boss, Rex Nihilo. After all, he’s the galaxy’s something-est conman. However, even though she’s missing a chunk of her memory, they’re off on another grift, attempting to solve a murder that hasn’t happened yet. Also, there might be some assassin robots. It happens.
Starship Grifters remains the funniest book I’ve ever read. A Scammer Darkly is book… five? In the series focusing on Rex Nihilo and his robot assistant, Sasha. And while there have certainly been diminishing returns in the series, it’s still hilarious. If you like comedic sci-fi, I recommend you check the series out.
To Live Forever
By Jack Vance
The Waylock should have died. That was the way of things. And yet, here he was, alive, gathering enough resources to secure eternity. Anyone with enough resources could live forever, after all. At least, that’s how it was supposed to work.
I grabbed this because it advertised as the first novel written by Vance. (I have come to understand there is some disagreement on this claim.) Vance writes fantastic fiction. Every world is fully realized, and this is no exception. He sets up a terrible planet where anyone can live forever as long as they’re good enough. It was fascinating to see how cutthroat and joyless such a world is! I almost always recommend Vance, and here’s another that fits that pattern.
Valiant
By Merrie Destefano
The Valiant was supposed to finally bring relief to a suffering world. Instead it signaled the end. On the day the rocket launched, portals opened up around the planet. Aliens invaded. They possessed those they desired, turning friends into enemies. One girl is taken back in time, three days before the invasion, to save her little brother. He’s to be the linchpin to fight the invasion back. She has three days to prepare. Thankfully, she can rewind time as many times as she’d like. Until the invasion finally figures it out and destroys her ability. This is her last chance. She’s failed so many times before. What makes her think this time will be any different?
So this novel felt like about fifty YA plots rolled into one. At the beginning, it felt a little patchwork, but by the halfway point, all the disparate elements melded and worked incredibly well together. I won’t call this the best I read this year, but it was worth the time. If you’re looking for a tension-filled YA novel, you could do far worse.
Metal-Locks and Other Fairytales
By Angela Castillo
I don’t know what to say about this book, other than I read it and I remember enjoying it. However, the plots of the short stories didn’t stay with me… I’m sorry!
Jonathon Mast: Author 