This is a story about an imaginary future where gene manipulation has created an elite class in which every child’s genetic characteristics are chosen at fertilization. The result is a heavily segregated caste system, where the non-modified are treated as less than human. This provides grist for all sorts of thematic material, but that conflict […]
“Naida” by Scott Overton
Many novels start out with two main characters and two separate plotlines and run them parallel to each other until they merge to create a more complex whole. “Naida” is one of the more extreme examples of this technique, and it doesn’t quite work. The main story is about Michael, an ordinary guy who finds […]
“Last Star Standing” by Spaulding Taylor
This is a great Sci/Fi Dystopian novel written by a polished writer with great chops that make the tale more interesting. Many dystopian stories are about a rebel growing up to become a leader. Along the way, it’s almost mandatory to spend some time in the autocrat’s jail. Well, this hero starts the story in […]
“Captain Arnold Other Tales of the Abnormal” by Arthur M. Doweyko
This compilation of short stories is best described by comparison. It has the same style and intent as the old “Outer Limits” TV show. Always questioning our everyday reality. Always wondering, “What if…?” The stories run the gamut of Sci-Fi: a few UFOs, a touch of time travel, a shot of dystopian life of various […]
“The Return of the Osprey” by DJ Albrecht
This book divides itself neatly into two sections, each encompassing a different genre. Sci-Fi This is a standard soft-science Space Opera. No ink is wasted on the physics of space travel such as speed, time or distance, which is fine. Star Trek didn’t do any different. Characters are likeable, sympathetic and more individualistic than the […]
“Unfettered Journey” by Gary F. Bengier
This is a story about one man’s journey to discover whether he has free will. Also to find a meaning for his life, which pretty much amounts to the same thing. The author is a philosopher, the main character is a university prof and he searches at a university, so strap yourself in for an […]
“The Stark Divide” by J. Scott Coatsworth
This book is in three parts, each a novella on its own, connected together by the characters involved. The first one is a pretty standard spaceship-oriented Hard- Sci-Fi action story. It is structured for the first few chapters with perhaps a bit too many flashbacks: a legitimate was to get backstory in, but it can […]
“Common Source” by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
This book is a police procedural in a Sci-Fi near-future setting, where androids are just starting to be introduced to the general public. Sort of a down-to-earth remake of Asimov’s “I, Robot” Series. It’s a good plotline, with plenty of tension and just enough tech talk to keep us in the picture. However, the story […]
“Ghost Ship” by C. R. Turner
This is a smoothly-written high-paced hard sci-fi action adventure, a bit formulaic and unfortunately lacking in personality and warmth. For example, I never did get to really like the main character, Joel Stinson, even though the story is first-person POV. It took a long time to figure out that he and his sidekick were a […]
“Kill Code” by Clive Fleury
Kill Code is a dystopian action tale, full of conflicts at several different levels. It even has a bit to say about the reality of reality. As opposed to virtual reality, of course. But authors have to be careful with VR scenes because they make it too easy for the author to manipulate the conflict. […]