Archive for Science-fiction

Children of Time cover

Review: Children of Time

By Jan
 on June 7, 2020

Children of Time

Children of Time coverAuthor: Adrian Tchaikovsky;
Genre: Science-fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Mel Hudson;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2017);
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5).

Publisher’s Description:

“…An epic story of humanity’s battle for survival on a terraformed planet.

Who will inherit this new Earth?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age – a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?”

©2016 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2017 Audible Ltd

This is the second time I’ve attempted this book in audio format, and the second time I’ve given up on it. I was perhaps 35 percent into the story this time, and still not engaged in the plot or any of the characters. Giant, sentient spiders just don’t appeal to me, and the humans aren’t much better. I understand the concept and appreciate that Tchaikovsky evolved the species for a reason, honest. But this just didn’t do it for me.

I just listened to his novella Made Things and enjoyed it, so I’m not giving up on the author, just this book.

Narration by Mel Hudson was excellent.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction Tagged with
Patient 3 book cover

Review: Patient 3

By Jan
 on February 27, 2020

Patient 3

Patient 3 book coverAuthor: Chris Chau;
Genre: Science-fiction, apocalypse;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Coy Dugger;
Publisher: Chris Chau (2019);
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5).

In the near future, the main character is put into a coma-like state to wait for a cure for a mysterious disease. He wakes after seven years to an alien-destroyed world and a quest to survive. There are lots of surprises waiting, both for him and for you.

The story was fun and the characters likable, but this is a plot that has more twists than a slinky. Don’t assume anything, be sure to suspend your disbelief, and you’ll make it out alive.

Coy Dugger’s narration was fine, although it was mostly a straight read without many accents or inflections. That made it a little difficult to know who was speaking at times. There were also places where no pauses between sentences kept the pace irregular; that might have been the editor’s fault, but it was annoying.

Apocalyptic themes, some violence, no sex, and no foul language.

The author/publisher provided a complimentary copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction
Recursion cover

Review: Recursion

By Jan
 on January 19, 2020

Recursion

Recursion coverAuthor: Blake Crouch;
Genre: Science Fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrators: Jon Lindstrom and Abby Craden;
Publisher: Random House Audio (2019);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This title has very mixed reviews, and there are good reasons for that. Overall, however, the clever plot and the good narration really saved it for me.

This is mind-bending science-fiction dealing with memory and how dangerous it can become. A New York City cop becomes obsessed by an apparent suicide where the victim suffered from False Memory Syndrome, a terrifying (and thankfully made up) disease that creates an entire life of memories that never actually happened. This story is woven in with that of the scientist who inadvertently created the virus some years earlier. Hence to two narrators: the male detective and the female scientist.

There are some intense and heartbreaking scenes, but the story is fascinating. Unfortunately, there is a lot of repetition—the nature of the beast—that served to drag out the story a bit. This is one of the most-celebrated science fiction titles of 2019, and it’s definitely thought-provoking.

Similar titles:

Replay by Ken Grimwood

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Infinite by Jeremy Robinson

Copyright © 2020 Jan McClintock
In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction Tagged with
Artemis cover

Review: Artemis

By Jan
 on November 17, 2019

Artemis cover

Artemis

Author: Andy Weir;
Genre: Science Fiction;
Narrator: Rosario Dawson;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2017);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

Many readers want to compare this book (unfavorably) to Weir’s”The Martian,” but I actually enjoyed this one more. It’s different, but better in some ways. There were less of the technical jargon and scientific concepts, although there were still plenty for the geeks. The story was compelling, although I didn’t really like the protagonist, Jazz. She’s a criminal, for one thing, and her past decisions have been pretty stupid. The smart-aleck dialog was funny a few times, but also got old fast. The other characters kind of made up for her, in my opinion.

The narration by Rosario Dawson was excellent. Her accents were convincing and her pacing was perfect. It was a little difficult to know exactly who was speaking some of the dialog sometimes, but the context was enough to follow the story.

Yeah, there’s a lot of foul language in this one, but that doesn’t bother me (I used to be a sailor, for pete’s sake); it was authentic, as much as we may dislike that aspect of our society. There is little actual violence, references to sex but nothing graphic, and lots of suspense.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction Tagged with

Review: The Remaining

By Jan
 on August 31, 2019

The Remaining

Author: D. J. Molles;
Genre: Zombie Apocalypse;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Christian Rummel;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2013);
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5).

I had hopes that this book would be a little better than some zombie apocalypse stories, but it was not to be. Of course, using the “Z” word is something the author avoided… like the plague. (Ba-dum-dum) In fact, the nickname for the not-so-dead creatures in this work comes straight out of a hugely popular TV series. As I listened, I kept having that deja vu feeling, but I read on. Unfortunately, the ending was fairly disappointing, in addition to the writing and the non-existent character development.

Narrator Christian Rummel does his best with this one, but it’s not enough.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction Tagged with
The Knife of Never Letting Go

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

By Jan
 on May 21, 2019

The Knife of Never Letting GoThe Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking Book 1)
Author: Patrick Ness,
Genre: Fantasy/Science-fiction/Thriller (yes, all those),
Format: Ebook,
Publisher: Candlewick Press (2010),
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This is one of those books when the protagonist goes through so many trials that I kept asking myself, “What, again?!” Just when things are looking up, here comes another downer. It’s certainly a roller-coaster-like ride from start to finish.

It’s an action-packed story of a young man whose world turns upside down within a single day. Easy-going farmers become threatening soldiers and his hometown turns out not to be so homey. The plot is intense.

All males in this world produce “noise,” an audible representation of their thoughts and feelings. This was described very well and even includes some hand-drawn images of what it’s like to hear everyone’s thoughts. Todd is running and hiding through a great deal of the book, and this involuntary noise is difficult to conceal or control.

The book is written in first-person, present tense from the POV of the main character, Todd, whose language is a country vernacular using phonetic spellings like “informayshun,” dialect with “cuz,” and “ain’t,” and lots of short sentences while things were happening fast. This didn’t slow my reading or comprehension down a bit, and it really added to the atmosphere of the book. See, Todd don’t read too good, and that has some important implications.

Characterizations were excellent, even of the animals (who also produce noise). Some characters change drastically based on Todd’s perceptions and his knowledge (or lack thereof) of the townsfolk, and this was handled very well. We learn slowly, as does Todd, why things happen the way they do. Chapters frequently end in cliff-hangers, and so did the book itself. However, you WILL want to get the second book as soon as you can.

Contains plenty of violence, some against children and animals; some foul language; themes of sexism, colonialism, racism, and several other isms. Not for tweens, but older YA readers and adult fans of dystopian fantasy will enjoy this.

Similar: “The Hunger Games,” “The Giver,” “The Scorpio Races,” and the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, etc.)

In categories Book Review, Fantasy, Science-fiction Tagged with ,
Infinite cover

Review: Infinite

By Jan
 on February 10, 2019

Infinite

Infinite coverAuthor: Jeremy Robinson;
Genre: Science fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: R.C. Bray;
Publisher: Breakneck Media (2017);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

An intriguing sci-fi story set in deep space and touching on themes of loneliness, time, and the meaning of reality. I really felt the vastness of space and the drag of endless time. Plot twists abound—expect some head games.

R.C. Bray did his usual spectacular job with the narration; even his female voices are good. He’s definitely in my top 5 list of narrators.

Very little foul language, applicable violence, some sexual references but nothing graphic.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Science-fiction
You're Going to Mars cover

Review: You’re Going to Mars!

By Jan
 on November 24, 2018

You’re Going to Mars!
You're Going to Mars coverAuthor: Rob Dircks;
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Khristine Hvan;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2018);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

I’ve already read several of Rob Dirck’s books and loved them, so I jumped at the chance to read this one.

It’s a fun underdog story set in a future U.S. where a huge corporation has complete control over waste management. Our heroine, Paper (with sisters named Rock and Scissors), is a drudge in one of the very stinky trash cities. She has always dreamed of space travel and is smart as a whip, but her lowly position keeps her firmly on the terrestrial garbage heap. That is until a contest from the richest man on Earth gives her a chance to fulfill her destiny. Now she’s on her own and has to prove her mettle in a competition—called “You’re Going to Mars!”—for a seat to the red planet.

The book is a fantasy overall with some fun science fiction included for the geeks among us. The characters are unique and authentic and the dialog is realistic and funny, with lots of snarky remarks and sarcasm from Paper’s fellow candidates. Some of the humor was sophomoric but I laughed out loud several times. There’s also plenty of action throughout and an exciting finale.

The themes are a sort of combination of “Ready Player One” (integrity trumps environment) and “Red Rising” (if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em) with themes from “The Wizard of Oz” (there’s no place like home) and “The Hunger Games” (don’t trust your competitors) but the book is definitely for adults.

The audiobook production was excellent. As I’ve said many times, a narrator can make or break a story, and Khristine Hvam is absolutely brilliant in this one. Her pacing and attitude were perfect. The one little complaint I have is that her voice gets a little whiny at times, but it’s a small irritation compared to the whole.

Includes foul language in a modern context, no real sex, very little violence. Highly recommended in the audiobook format and for fans of Hugh Howey, Ernest Cline, Marko Kloos, Dennis E. Taylor, and John Scalzi.

Thanks to the author for offering a free copy of the audiobook, to Goodreads for the opportunity, and to Audible for the production.

Copyright 2018 © Jan McClintock
In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Fantasy, Science-fiction
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