Summer is drawing to a close, and the nights are getting longer. It’s time to look up at the stars and wonder what’s out there. That’s right, friends – SciFiMonth is on its way! Lisa and I will be your intergalactic hosts once again this year as we read, blog and dream about all things science fictional. Will you join us?
Continue reading “Announcing SciFiMonth 2018: the universe is what we make of it”
The fall out just keeps on falling out as rocks continue to shower the Earth, and shaky alliances begin to crumble. While billions starve and the few control the future of the many, will anyone realise that – against all odds – humanity may not be the only threat to its own survival?
The Empress ordered her fleets to destroy the Citadel of Weeping Pearls and its ruler – her daughter – for fear of the weapons their unusual science was creating. But the Citadel disappeared. 30 years later, with war looming against an enemy who can turn their mindships against them, can the Bright Princess be found – and persuaded to come home?
Continue reading “Bite-size Books: The Citadel of Weeping Pearls”
Unexpected saviours of Ilus, the crew of the Roci scatter for a well-earned break. But old feuds die hard. As humanity streams through the Gates to colonise new worlds, the Solar System is ripped apart by unexpected violence on an unimaginable scale. Can Alex, Amos, Jim and Naomi survive alone?
We’re entering the final phase of the Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards. After the initial phase of nomination and debate, we ended up with 5 categories and 33 nominees. Now we’re down to the wire after six months of reading, discussing and voting: it’s finalist time. So who has made our final cut?
Continue reading “Subjective Chaos: announcing our 2018 finalists”
Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire is hands-down my favourite space opera of recent years. The third book, Revenant Gun, was published this week, bringing the series to a close (or does it? There’s a promise of short stories to come, at least) and I’m delighted to be part of the supporting blog tour. To celebrate, I’m giving you my top ten reasons to join the Hexarchate…
The Gates are open and humanity is headed for the stars. When Belter refugees colonise Ilus first, they’re not prepared to make way for the official corporate mission that follows – the Rocinante is sent to keep the peace – with Miller determined to come along for the ride.
The Hexarchate is no more. Only two Hexarchs survive: slippery Shuos Mikodez, backing Cheris’s nascent democracy; and immortal Nirai Kujen, determined to resurrect the high calendar to maintain his grip on life. And even Protector-General Kel Inesser and her fleet don’t back him. Kujen isn’t worried: he has another incarnation of Shuos Jedao at his command…
Continue reading “Revenant Gun: the final battle for the Hexarchate’s soul”
In the outer reaches, the protomolecule has built a gate to… somewhere else. It’s the last place a haunted Jim Holden wants to go, but a determined young woman with a vendetta against him holds all the cards. Leaving human space may be the only way the Rocinante can escape her well-laid plans…
Time for another peek at the progress of the Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards panel! Is it April already? Cue not so much chaos as panic (at least for this reader), as that means we’re halfway through the process – at least in terms of time, if not in progress… So how are we getting on?
Continue reading “Subjective Chaos: halfway there (in theory, anyway)”
Rex just wants to be a Good Dog. But Rex is no ordinary dog. Rex is a Bioform, engineered to fit a specific set of requirements: obedience, loyalty, leading his pack, killing his Master’s enemies. But if Rex’s Master is not a Good Man, how can Rex be a Good Dog?
Continue reading “Dogs of War: should a Good Dog follow orders?”
Six months after Eros, the solar system still hovers in uneasy peace as it watches Venus to see what the protomolecule will do next. Can UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration Chrisjen Avasarala keep the nervy planets focused on the greater threat?
