Science Fiction

Mister Justice

Author: Doris Piserchia
Published: 1973

As weird and wonderful as I expected. A time-traveling vigilante is up against a time-traveling megalomaniac. Very short book (170 pages or so) and an early work. Piserchia's later novels are better written.

Marseguro

Author: Edward Willett
Published: 2008

Interesting space opera centered on genetically modified amphibious humans called Selkies. On earth, a theocratic world government seeks to wipe out the Selkies using the clone of the man who created them. Fun read.

Superluminal

Author: Vonda McIntyre
Published: 1983

Earlier in life I felt I always had to read a book through, first page to last. I learned to give up on a book, freeing myself. Now I find that is habit to be cautious of as well.

I almost gave up on Superluminal as the main character, Laenea, is rather self-involved, eager to show-off she is a pilot when she has not yet flown in transit.

Then, she disappears (literally), and the narrative is taken over by her lover, Radu Dracul, and the book becomes very interesting.

A good read, and a good lesson in patience.

Zoe's Tale

Author: John Scalzi
Published: 2008

A sarcastic teenage girl has adventures in outer space.

Saturn's Children

Author: Charles Stross
Published: 2008

A bawdy tale of the racy adventures of a sexbot.

Quarantine

Author: Greg Egan
Published: 1992

This book defied my expectations, which were for a straight-up hard-core SF story. It begins as a typical cyber-punk style mystery and shifts into that hard science vein with quantum physics.

It then shifts again into a metaphysical brain-twister which bears comparison to Stanislaw Lem. Alas, it downshifts back through the levels, but not without a satisfactory ending.

Little Brother

Author: Cory Doctorow
Published: 2008

This book should have a subtitle. Something like "Cory Doctorow's Technology Manifesto." Or, "Many things and people that have pissed off Cory Doctorow and why you should be pissed off too."

The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Editor: Ellen Datlow
Published: 2008

Very good anthology of previously unpublished fiction. Bought this for Elizabeth Bear's story "Sonny Liston Takes A Fall". I heard her read the beginning at the Boskone conference and just had to know the ending.

Of the other stories, some are very good. Skimmed a few. Overall a good mix.

Shadow of the Scorpion

Author: Neal Asher
Published: 2008

I really enjoyed Asher's short fiction so grabbed this volume of the new releases shelf at the library.

Shadow of the Scorpian tracks Ian Cormac through early childhood and later adulthood. The dual narrative threads slowed me down in the beginning. This is also a later novel of the Polity universe he has created. Not knowing some of that history may have been part of my troubles in the first few chapters.

The plot sorted out for me and I continued on, enjoying the book as a whole. Very much gritty space opera which can be an acquired taste.