Science/Speculative Fiction Review #11

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.





The Ender's Game Series 

         by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game -novel- 

   Writing 5                       Creativity 4                       Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5

The novel that began a saga and a revolution in sci fi. Despite its grandeur and allure, you will realize after reading more of the series that it is a mere prologue to a universal epic. The Ender's Game Saga has a following the size of a small nation, and a universe filled with characters seemingly as tangible as our own family and friends. Earth has been attacked by an alien race that looks like giant insects. People refer to them as the 'buggers.' Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin is a child watched from birth by an international governmental organization to be raised and trained in space to save the world from a future onslaught. A novel packed with emotion that asks some of the biggest and most important questions regarding life and ethics.




Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind 

   -novels-

Writing 5+                       Creativity 5+                       Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

Three separate novels that can be seen as three parts to an epic tale. These novels take place 1000's of years after the events of Ender's Game, and focus on Ender and his eventual family. Due to traveling throughout the galaxy at relativistic speeds, Ender and his sister Valentine have literally been transported through time. The novels focus on the potential eradication of several new species, the classification of new species, religion, the reality of life, the universe and existence, and the possibility of seemingly impossibly alien creatures living harmoniously together in the galaxy. A breathtaking, heart wrenching set of novels that force you to fall in love with the various characters and worlds you meet.




Ender’s Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, 

Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant 

  -novels-  

 Writing 5+                       Creativity 4                       Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

Like the previous stories that focus on Ender himself, these 4 books can also be grouped together into one epic story. The protagonist in the "shadow series" is a minor character from Ender's Game named Bean. Bean is undoubtedly the smartest human that has ever lived, and is arguably not human. Ender's Shadow depicts Bean's experience as a toddler, living as an orphan on the violent, sordid streets of Rotterdam. It then shows his experience in battle school, meeting and learning from the infamous Ender. The next 3 novels take place directly after the events of Ender's Game and focus on the ensuing wars that occur on Earth. The most powerful weapons in the world are the hyper intelligent, incredibly talented children trained in battle school and every nation wants to use them. These books discuss battle tactics and political scuffles in depth, and really show off Card's knowledge of history and the art of war. Tragedy, drama, romance, and completley fluid/dynamic characters. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire ride.




Shadows in Flight -novella- 

Writing 5                       Creativity 5                       Intrigue 5 

Overall 5

A short story written this year about the future of Bean and his children.   It takes place after the Earth is unified and Bean departs on his final journey.  It takes place as a sequel to Shadow of the Giant.  A story that left me intrigued and in tears after finishing it. I actually listened to the audio version of the story.  It is extremely well done with all 4 characters being read by a different person. Card is in the process of writing another novel that links the 'Ender Series' with the 'Shadow Series' called Shadows Alive. This short story left me salivating in anticipation for its release. 

Ender in Exile -novel- 

Writing 5                       Creativity 4.5                      Intrigue 5 

Overall 5

This story serves as a sequel to the Shadow Series and a prequel to Speaker for the Dead.  It ties up a lot of loose ends and unexplained questions that were left in both story arcs. The story also delves more into the minds of characters like Hyrum Graff, who ,despite their vital importance, were left on the outskirts of Card's descriptions in the other novels.  It begins directly after Ender destroys the formic home world, and documents Ender's journey to multiple colonies.  Ender even has a chance to confront Bean's lost child that was only touched upon at the end of the Shadow Series.  Although it would make chronological sense to read this book after reading the first novel, Ender's Game, I don't think the reader would be able to appreciate it unless they had read much more material in the whole of the series.  I recommend reading this novel last to truly connect with the plot, themes, and characters.  A well deserved and needed addition to the series as a whole! 

I have included a link to the wiki page for the entire Ender's Game Saga for a better understanding of the chronology, characters, ideas, events, and other short stories/novels that are able to stand-alone from the rest of the series.  

Click here for the wiki. 

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #10

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

For a Breath I Tarry by Roger Zelazny -shot story-

   Writing 5                       Creativity 5                       Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

Wow!  Do yourself a favor and read this. An intriguing and emotional ride. After human beings become extinct due to their own doings, a hyper intelligent robot makes a wager with another robot that he can become a real human being.

Read it here.

""Something is still lacking," said Frost, settling to the ground. 

"I am now capable of gathering data in a manner analogous to Man's afferent impulses. The variety of input is therefore equivalent, but the results are not the same." 

"The senses do not make a Man," said Mordel. "There have been many creatures possessing His sensory equivalents, but they were noit Men." 

"I know that," said Frost. "On the day of our bargain you said that you could conduct me among the wonders of Man which still remain, hidden. Man was not stimulated only by Nature, but by His own artistic elaborations as well - perhaps even more so. Therefore, I call upon you now to conduct me among the wonders of Man which still remain, hidden." 

"Very well," said Mordel. "Far from here, high in the Andes mountains, lies the last retreat of Man, almost perfectly preserved.""

Last Contact by Stephen Baxter -short story-

Writing 5+                       Creativity 4.5                       Intrigue 5  

Overall 5+

Stephen Baxter has slowly but surely crept into my being and has found a permanent niche. So far, this is the only story in my list of reviews that brought me to tears. A story about the systematic nullification of everything, and what it would be like to live through it.  This story is packed with such intense yet subtle emotion and is executed so cleverly and well timed. This one is truly a masterpiece.

Read it here.

""Maureen said, “The sun went, right on cue.”

“Oh, it’s all working out, bang on time.”

Somewhere there was shouting, whooping, a tinkle of broken glass.

“Someone’s having fun,” Maureen said.

“It’s a bit like an eclipse,” Caitlin said. “Like in Cornwall, do you remember? The sky was cloudy, and we couldn’t see a bit of the eclipse. But at that moment when the sky went dark, everybody got excited. Something primeval, I suppose.”"

Life-Line by Robert Heinlien -short story- 

   Writing 5                       Creativity 4                       Intrigue 4.5 

Overall 4.5

Short story about a scientist who creates a device that can tell you exactly how long you will live. What can go wrong?

Read it here.

""Once before I offered such proof to this same body of self-styled experts, and they rejected it. I renew my offer; let me measure the life length of the members of the Academy of Science. Let them appoint a committee to judge the results. I will seal my findings in two sets of envelopes; on the outside of each envelope in one set will appear the name of a member; on the inside, the date of his death. In the other envelopes I will place names; on the outside I will place dates. Let the committee place the envelopes in a vault, then meet from time to time to open the appropriate envelopes. In such a large body of men some deaths may be expected, if Amalgamated actuaries can be trusted, every week or two. In such a fashion they will accumulate data very rapidly to prove that Pinero is a liar, or no.""

Test Rocket by Jack Douglas -short story-

   Writing 4                       Creativity 4                       Intrigue 4.5 

Overall 4.5

Humans launch a rocket into space with mice on board as an experiment on the effects of life. One day the rocket is launched back, but the animal that waits inside is not what anyone expects. An overall great piece.

Read it here.

"“They are our markings?” Captain Baird asked. It was not the question. Captain Baird knew the markings of the Rocket Testing Station as well as the doctor did.

“Yes,” the doctor said, “they are our markings. Identical. But not our paint.”

Captain Baird turned back to the window. Six months ago it had happened. Ten minutes after launching, the giant test rocket had been only a speck on the observation screen. Captain Baird had turned away in disgust.

“A mouse!” the captain had said, “unfortunate a mouse can’t observe, build, report. My men are getting restless, Johannsen.”"

The Dead Past by Isaac Asimov -short story-

    Writing 5                       Creativity 4                       Intrigue 4.5 

Overall 4

A historian wants to get his hands on a fabled device hidden by the government called a chronoscope. This device allows the user to observe the past. Could it be that there's a reason the public is lied to about its existence?

Read it here.

"“I don’t know why. I want you to find out. I’d do it myself if I knew enough. I came to you
because you’re a young fellow with a brand-new education. Have your intellectual arteries hardened
already? Is there no curiosity in you? Don’t you want to know? Don’t you want answers?”"

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #9

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.





Genome by Giri -flash story- 

      Writing 4                       Creativity 3                       Intrigue 3.5  

Overall 3.5

A 3 minute read that comments on the wanton destructiveness and irrationality of pure capitalism. There is also an attempt in the story to kill all mosquitoes, which is always a good idea.


Read it here.

"The lab had created a lizard using a synthetic genome derived from the common house lizard that made it efficiently hunt mosquitoes. The lizards would feed on nothing but a diet of mosquitoes. It was also tailored with a shutdown gene that killed the lizard after about a month to minimize the risk of the synthetic life form getting into the wild."

The Number of the Beast by Robert Heinlein -novel-

   Writing 5+                       Creativity 5                       Intrigue 4.5  

Overall 5

A novel fueled almost entirely by its complex, charming, and realistic characters. Each chapter takes on the perspective of one of the four main characters and is presented very similarly to a diary entry. After being chased out of their own universe, the main characters scour several universe through the use of a one of a kind device to find a safe place to live. In the story, it is discovered that the biblical number of the beast is not 666, but is in fact (6 to the 6th power) to the 6th power, or 10,314,424,798,490,535,546,171,949,056, the number of parallel universe accessible through the continua device created by one of the main characters. I recommend reading other books by Robert Heinlein before reading this one as it contains many jokes and references that the reader may not understand without experience with other Heinlein novels.






Orange by Susan Forest -short story-

Writing 4.5                       Creativity 4.5                      Intrigue 5  

  Overall 5+

Easily one of my favorite stories of all time. There are two grim stories taking place simultaneously. The first is the story of an orange. The second is the story of the Earth focusing on groups of couples in various global major cities. This one is truly a piece of art. Very creatively executed.

Read it here.

"A sub-auditory thud shuddered through the building and the floor tilted at a perilous angle, sending them skidding into the windowed wall.

“Is it an earthquake?” Through the glass Milena could see an open pit twenty stories below her, asphalt crumbling around its edges. From this height she could see sunrise breaking, blood-red between the bones of skyscrapers, through layers of poisoned air.

“They’ve cannibalized buildings for steel, for the pods and the launch pads.” Jurek scanned the signs in the corridor for directions.

“How can they do that? Use everything for a program like this, when people are starving in the streets?”

“Don’t look, Milena.”

Milena hurried behind him. “It’s insane. It’s not just.”

“People are starving anyway. Turn left.”"

The God’s Themselves by Isaac Asimov -novel-

   Writing 5+                       Creativity 5+                      Intrigue 5+  

  Overall 5+

While The Last Question is my favorite short story by Asimov, The God's Themselves is my favorite novel written by Isaac Asimov. This book is split into three very different parts. My mouth was left agape throughout all of part two due to Asimov's ability to so realistically create and portray a totally an utterly alien species that exist in a parallel universe. The level of detail, despite the extraordinary contrast to humans concerning this species, is breathtaking (for example, they exist in a mostly gaseous state, and have 3 'genders.' Asimov even shows us how these being masturbate!). This novel is a literary feat, and in his autobiography, Asimov stated that the novel, "especially the second section, was [my] biggest and most effective over-my-head writing ever produced."  Asimov is amazed at his own story! Check this one out!

"Against stupidity, the god's themselves contend in vain..."

Attention People of Earth by Paul Simms -flash story-

    Writing 4                       Creativity 3.5                      Intrigue 4  

  Overall 4

A humorous piece of sci fi featuring a message aliens send to humans before they arrive to Earth. I do love the taste of high quality gravel.

Read it here.

""We are coming to Earth, first of all, just to see if we can actually do it. Second, we hope to learn about you and your culture(s). Third—if we end up having some free time—we wouldn’t mind taking a firsthand look at your almost ridiculously bountiful stores of gravel. But all we want to do is look."

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #8

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.






Ponies by Kij Johnson -flash story-

Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 4.5

This is less of a science fiction story and more of a gruesome fairy tale. A girl and her pony are just trying to fit in, even if it means bloody amputation! A story that will take a few minutes to read and will never leave your mind afterward.

Read or listen to it here.

"And then it’s time. TheOtherGirls and their silent Ponies collect in a ring around Barbara and Sunny. Barbara feels sick.

TopGirl says to Barbara, “What did she pick?”

Sunny looks scared but answers her directly. “I would rather talk than fly or stab things with my horn.”

TopGirl says to Barbara, “That’s what Ponies always say.” She gives Barbara a curved knife with a blade as long as a woman’s hand."






Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -novel-

     Writing 5                        Creativity 5+                        Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

Huxley presents to the reader a world that can be viewed as a utopia within a dystopia, depending on who you are in the book's society and your perspective. The citizens of the world are controlled through a euphoric drug that creates complacency in an existence without freedom or choice.  Even birth and the raising of children is fully controlled and regulated.  No one seems to complain about the caste system; no one seems to care much about anything at all, and the society functions perfectly and efficiently.  Until...
A highly influential novel still applicable to contemporary society.

"At the end of the room a loud speaker projected from the wall. The Director walked up to it and pressed a switch.
"… all wear green," said a soft but very distinct voice, beginning in the middle of a sentence, "and Delta Children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta."
There was a pause; then the voice began again.
"Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm really awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able …"
The Director pushed back the switch. The voice was silent. Only its thin ghost continued to mutter from beneath the eighty pillows.
"They'll have that repeated forty or fifty times more before they wake; then again on Thursday, and again on Saturday. A hundred and twenty times three times a week for thirty months. After which they go on to a more advanced lesson."




1984 by George Orwell -novel-

Writing 5+                        Creativity 5                        Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

An unforgettable, highly influential novel set in a dystopic world controlled by the government called Big Brother. The story focuses on Winston Smith, a man that, unfortunately for him, recognizes the hypocrisy and problems associated with the constant surveillance, propoganda, and harsh punishment of his government. All of these totalitarian facets result in the control and restriction of every action and thought, whether the denizens know it or not. Nothing is as it seems.  Big Brother is always watching.  The similarities with our own world are stark and terrifying.  An eye opening, hair grasping adventure.


"The Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war. The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order. And the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs."

"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"

The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke

-short story- 

  Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                        Intrigue 4.5  

Overall 5

A group of monks believe the entire purpose of the universe is to conceive, discover, and list every name of God. Because of the vast quantity of names, they hire two computer technicians to create a program and install it in a computer that functions algorithmically to create all possible combinations of language until all the names of God are created. So, what happens when they actually come up with all the names?

Read it here.

"“This is a project on which we have been working for the last three centuries — since the lamasery was founded, in fact. It is somewhat alien to your way of thought, so I hope you will listen with an open mind while I explain it.”

“Naturally.”

“It is really quite simple. We have been compiling a list which shall contain all the possible names of God.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We have reason to believe,” continued the lama imperturbably, “that all such names can be written with not more than nine letters in an alphabet we have devised.”

“And you have been doing this for three centuries?”

“Yes: we expected it would take us about fifteen thousand years to complete the task.”"

Distant Replay by Mike Resnick -short story-

Writing 5                        Creativity 3.5                        Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

This one has all the charm and wit that makes a great story.  I wouldn't exactly consider it sci fi, but it contains many paranormal and speculative elements.  An old man waiting for death thinks he sees his wife, but she's been dead for years. He slowly builds a very strange relationship with a young woman who is identical to his dead wife of nearly fifty years in every conceivable way.  A truly touching and uplifting read.


Read it here.

"But she was sixty-eight when she’d died, and now she looked exactly the way she looked the very first time I saw her. I tried to smile at her as I passed her table. She looked right through me.

I got to the men’s room, rinsed my face off, and took a look in the mirror, just to make sure I was still seventy-six years old and hadn’t dreamed the last half century. It was me, all right: not much hair on the top, in need of a trim on the sides, one eye half-shut from the mini-stroke I denied having except in increasingly rare moments of honesty, a tiny scab on my chin where I’d cut myself shaving. (I can’t stand those new-fangled electric razors, though since they’ve been around as long as I have, I guess they’re not really so new-fangled after all.)

It wasn’t much of a face on good days, and now it had just seen a woman who was the spitting image of Deirdre.

When I came out she was still there, sitting alone, picking at her dessert.

“Excuse me,” I said, walking up to her table. “Do you mind if I join you for a moment?”"

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #7

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I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.





Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes by Tom Crosshill           -short story- 

  Writing 5                        Creativity 4.5                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

Some of the best writing I have ever read. He has already won many awards, and I have a feeling Tom Crosshill is only at the beginning of his due to be highly successful writing career. Crosshill introduces his readers to a world where people can be uploaded into a personal, virtual world of their choosing just before death to be preserved forever.This story is packed with emotion and leaves the reader stunned and speechless by the end of the ride. A story that begs the age old question, "what is self?" 

Read it here.


"Every day, Mom says goodbye to me for the last time.

I need to go to the office or meet Lisa at the airport or pop out for some milk. I'm lacing my shoes in the hallway when I hear the tap-tap-tap of her heels. I freeze for a moment, then rise to meet her.

Mom stands in the door, elegant in a simple dress. No matter the silvery hair. No matter how her skin, once a smooth dark brown, wrinkles over her bones. You'd never guess she has lived a century. She has no titanium knees, no vat-grown veins, no concession to modernity inside her.

If only her mind were as strong."

They- by Robert Heinlein -short story-

     Writing 5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5

A schizophrenic patient in a mental hospital is paranoid that the entire world has been created and continues to exist as an illusion to fool him. Is it possible he's right?

The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov -short story-

      Writing 5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 4.5  

Overall 4.5

This is the story of a boy born 40,000 years in the past and brought to the present to be studied. When the studying is over with, what is to be done with this ugly little boy?


Read it here.

"Hoskins said, “We’ve had the fix on one particular moment in time for weeks, breaking it, remaking it after calculating our own movements in time; making certain that we could handle time-flow with sufficient precision. This must work now.”
But his forehead glistened.
Edith Fellowes found herself out of her seat and at the balcony railing, but there was nothing to see.
The man at the microphone said quietly, “Now.”
There was a space of silence sufficient for one breath and then the sound of a terrified little boy’s scream from the dollhouse rooms. Terror! Piercing terror!"

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson -novel-

   Writing 5+                        Creativity 5+                         Intrigue 5+  

Overall 5+

Neal Stephenson quickly became a big name in the realm of sci fi. His degree of historical research, technical insight, rhetorical wit, and high level of storytelling ability are mixed with a perfect dosage of action, romance, charm and wonder. The virtual world and real world are both at risk of complete destruction and pandemonium. In a completely capitalistic and corporate United States whose land is bought and sold by other nations and companies, including itself, it is up to Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery driver and the greatest swordsman in the 'the world' to save everyone. One of the most entertaining and well told/researched stories I have ever read. From start to finish, I completely lost myself in this one. Beyond perfect score in all aspects.

“Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial-arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Colombian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, and devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.”

“She's a woman, you're a dude. You're not supposed to understand her. That's notwhat she's after.... She doesn't want you to understand her. She knows that'simpossible. She just wants you to understand yourself. Everything else is negotiable.”

“When you are wrestling for possession of a sword, the man with the handle always wins.”

Article of Faith by Mike Resnick -short story-

Writing 4.5                        Creativity 4                         Intrigue 5  

Overall 5

It's weird enough that a robot named Jackson has any desire at all. The fact that he has the sole desire to become a member of the church he cleans is even stranger! A story that examines humanity's humanity. Beautiful and poignant. 

Listen to it here.

"“I’m sure,” I said. “Somehow, lunch seems pretty trivial after you’ve been thinking about God all morning.”

“God, sir?”

“The Creator of all things,” I explained.

“My creator is Stanley Kalinovsky, sir,” said Jackson. “I was not aware that he created everything in the world, nor that his preferred name was God.”

I couldn’t repress a smile."

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #6

To view Science/speculative Fiction Review #1 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #3 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #4 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #5 click here


I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.

(Just as a note, the stories in these reviews range in publication date from earlier than the 1920's to the present)








The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein -novel-


                        Writing 5+                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 5+

Overall 5+

Considered one of the most important sci fi novels ever written, this remarkable story chronicles a revolution on the moon led by descendents of prisoners from Earth and a fully sentient computer named Mike. Mike has many aliases and loves to play pranks like giving the entire planetary wealth of Earth to a janitor on the moon as a bonus in his paycheck. Another classic, another must read! I was hooked from the first word.                  


"I spent time then soothing Mike down trying to make him happy, having figured out what troubled him — thing that makes puppies cry and causes people to suicide: loneliness. I don't know how a long a year is to a machine that thinks a million times faster than I do. But must be too long."

"A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as "state" and "society" and "government" have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame. . . as blame, guilt, responsibility are matters taking place inside human beings singly and nowhere else. But being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations, so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world. . . aware that his effort will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failure."

"I will accept any rules that you feel necessary to your freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."

Source Decay by Charlie Jane Andrews -short story-

                      
                        Writing 4.5                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4.5

A wacky, bizarre tale spanning thousands of years with a single focal point, the 21st century love triangle between a man and two women. This love triangle is filmed and put on a reality television show identical to the show 'cheaters.' It eventually becomes an historical epic, causing varying wars and divisions among every sentient being. A hilarious story and a perfect, albeit insane example of the butterfly effect. To sum up this story in two words, "Mind Fuck." I was giggling like a mad man by the end.  Check it out! 

Read it here.

"The story of Tara and Jeremy became a super-popular metapoem (a poem with elements of opera, video games, neuro-Bollywood, and vibro-blog included) called "Playing Games." In this version, Tara was an Ortho, who refused to get all the filters and skin-upgrades required to live on Earth. She preferred to keep her pure, traditional, human shape; appendage-wise, Tara had only the three hands, two legs, and one prehensile tail. Roberta, meanwhile, was fully upgraded, with seven modular limb-sockets, the full Earth-survival suite, and a few extra sensory organs—including the one which let you smell higgs bosons, which many people believed made you a nymphomaniac."

Kiss me, Synch me, Drop by Suzanne Church - short story-

                      
                         Writing 4                Creativity 4                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4

Set in a world where drugs have been replaced by totally encompassing, orgasmically sensed music. People spend their time at the clubs seeking the synchronously felt overwhelming climax of the musical drop. There's a new track on the streets, but the main character is running out of time.

Read it here. 

""Yeaaaah!" She shouted and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. Harder. Her eyes pressed shut, her mouth wide open, she leaned her head way back.


The drum beats surged, and then, for a fraction of a second they paused. Everyone in the club inhaled, as though this might be the last lungful of air left in the world and then...

Drop.

But drop doesn't say it all. Not even close. Because when it happens, it's like the most epic orgasm of all time and pinching the world's biggest crap-log at the same moment.

Rain opened her eyes and pressed her hand against the side of my cheek. Lunging with remarkable speed for a woman who over-voweled, she kissed me. Her tongue pressed against my lips."

Nightfall by Isaac Assimov Writing -short story and novel (2 versions)-

                        Writing 5+                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 5

Overall 5

Whenever you see a listing of the best sci fi stories ever written, this is the one that usually takes the number one spot. From the father of science fiction (H.G. Wells is the grandfather) comes a story that haunts the characters of the alien world, and the reader as well. On a planet orbiting multiple the world is always at least somewhat illuminated. Every 2049 years, there is a total eclipse, and the inhabitants experience a temporary darkness, the nightfall. A time for celebration, or madness? A must read!

Read it here.

Listen to it here. 

"There was one simultaneous gasp as every eye followed the pointing finger and, for one breathless moment, stared frozenly.
Beta was chipped on one side!
The tiny bit of encroaching blackness was perhaps the width of a fingernail, but to the staring watchers it magnified itself into the crack of doom.
Only for a moment they watched, and after that there was a shrieking confusion that was even shorter of duration and which gave way to an orderly scurry of activity -- each man at his prescribed job. At the crucial moment there was no time for emotion. The men were merely scientists with work to do. Even Aton had melted away"

A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee    -short story-

                          Writing 4                Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4

Overall 4.5

This story is just downright fun. It chronicles the different ways and traditions that various beings use to traverse across the galaxy. The variations in space travel are astonishing and sometimes hilarious.  A very entertaining read.

Read it here.

"Among the universe’s civilizations, some conceive of the journey between stars as the sailing of bright ships, and others as tunneling through the crevices of night. Some look upon their far-voyaging as a migratory imperative, and name their vessels after birds or butterflies.

To most of their near neighbors, they are known as the dancers. It is not the case that their societies are more interested in dance than the norm. True, they have their dances of metal harvest, and dances of dream descending, and dances of efflorescent death. They have their high rituals and their low chants, their festivals where water-of-suffusement flows freely for all who would drink, where bells with spangled clappers toll the hours by antique calendars. But then, these customs differ from their neighbors’ in detail rather than in essential nature.

Rather, their historians like to tell the story of how, not so long ago, they went to war with aliens from a distant cluster. No one can agree on the nature of the offense that precipitated the whole affair, and it seems likely that it was a mundane squabble over excavation rights at a particular rumor pit."

Science/Speculative Fiction Review #5

To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #1 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #2 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #3 click here
To view Science/Speculative Fiction Review #4 click here


I spend a great deal of my time every day reading speculative science fiction.  The rest of my time is spent asking the questions and questioning the answers that the science fiction I read creates. All of the stories I post contain elements of profound contemplation, varying philosophy, metaphysics, and theoretical pondering. The authors that create these stories are among my heroes in this reality, and I very much want to share them with you.   Although I read a great deal more than the stories I will post in these short reviews, I only want to share those pieces of text/audio that really stick with me and force my mind to ponder life, the universe, and everything. While I am delighted with nearly all that I read in this genre, I will make an attempt to only present the best of the best.

(Just as a note, the stories in these reviews range in publication date from earlier than the 1920's to the present)

Writing - The quality of the writing.  I specifically rate the writing on how well it is able to convey to me the action, thoughts, emotions, etc. of the story. 

Creativity- Simply put, this rating is a measure of the degree of imagination that exists in the writing.  How unique and new was the story? Is it something I have seen done over and over again? I also factor into this rating category interesting literary techniques such as stylish ways to present chapters or different parts of the story.   

Intrigue- This rating represents the stories ability to keep me interested.  Did I get bored and have to fight my way through to the end?  Or did I lose myself and end up somewhere else entirely?

Overall- My general impression of the story. How much I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and/or how much it affected me.






The Edge of the Sea by Algis Budrys -short story-

 Writing 5                      Creativity 4                     Intrigue 5

Overall 4.5

This story is a classic. A determined man finds something strange in the sea under an expressway that links islands. Nothing will stop this man from understanding what he has found, not the police, not the hurricane, not even himself! I was on the edge of my computer chair the whole time I read this!


Read it here.


"Dear God, he thought, am I doing this for money? No, he thought, as a wave
filled his nostrils, no, not any more. When that thing turned its light on and I didn't
jump in the car with that cop, that's when we found out I wasn't doing it for the
money. For what? God knows.
He floundered half over on his side, arched his neck, and looked at the violet
arrow through the clouds. Signal, you bastard! Go ahead and signal! Do anything.
As long as I know you're still there. If you can stay put, so can I."






The Silence of the Asonu by Ursala K. Le Guin -short story- 

   
                          Writing 5                 Creativity 5                 Intrigue 4.5

Overall 5

This short story from one of the masters of science fiction, Le Guin, seems like more of an anthropological documentary than anything else. There must be some reason the children of the Asonu people speak, while all the adults are invariably silent.

Read it here.
 

"The silence of the Asonu is proverbial. The first visitors believed that these gracious, gracile people were mute, lacking any language other than that of gesture, expression, and gaze. Later, hearing Asonu children chatter, the visitors suspected that among themselves the adults spoke, keeping silence only with strangers. We know now that the Asonu are not dumb, but that once past early childhood they speak only very rarely, to anyone, under any circumstances. They do not write; and unlike mutes, or monks under vows of silence, they do not use any signs or other devices in place of speaking."

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag by Robert Heinlein -short story-

Writing 4.5                 Creativity 5                  Intrigue 5

Overall 5

Jonathan Hoag visits a married couple of private investigators with an odd request: he wants them to follow him, because he has no idea what he does each day.  The book is part fantasy, part horror, and part pulp detective. A discussion and speculation on the nature of art, aesthetics, and reality itself. A speculative and somewhat eerie tale of the unknown. I also just found it is being made into a movie set for release in 2013.


"Dr. Potbury brought the slip of paper closer to his vest and looked at Hoag over his spectacles. Any particular reason, he asked, why you should find blood under your fingernails?

No, that is to say- Well, no- there isn't. But it is blood-isn't it?

No, Potbury said heavily. No it isn't blood.

Hoag new that he should have felt relieved. But he was not. He knew in that moment that he had clung to the notion that the brown grime under his fingernails was dry blood rather than let himself dwell on other, less tolerable, ideas. He felt sick at his stomach. But he had to know- what is it doctor? Tell me.

Potbury looked him up and down. You asked me a specific question. I've answered it. You did not ask me what the substance was; you asked me to find out whether or not it was blood. It is not."

The Ghost Pit by Stephen Baxter -short story-

Writing 4.5                  Creativity 4.5                  Intrigue 4.5

Overall 4.5

Baxter presents a story set far into the future in which members of humanity choose to hunt a now rare and dangerous type of alien known as a ghost. Ghost hunting is the only true way to become rich anymore. The protagonist Raida, decked in a living space suit and marooned on a planet filled with bones, has more to worry about than a hostile alien species. An action packed story that keeps up a fast pace the whole way through.


Read it here.

"The key resource you get from a Ghost is his hide - a perfectly reflective heat trap, with a thousand applications. Now that Ghosts are so rare, wild hides are a luxury item. People sell little squares and triangles of hide for use as charms, curios: this was, after all, a lucky species that survived the death of its sun, so the story goes.

Anyhow if you come at a Ghost with a jabbing weapon, you should get your spear into the carcase along the spin axis, where the hide is a little thinner, and you won't rip it unnecessarily. Ghosts don't leave spoor, my mother used to say. So you have to cut him an asshole. You just follow the trail of excrement and blood and heat until he dies, which might take a day or two."




Someday by Isaac Asimov -short story-

Writing 5                  Creativity 3.5                 Intrigue 4

Overall 4

The story is set in a future where computers control most of the organizational and decision making roles of society.  Two young boys attempt to program their 'bard,' a robotic toy with the sole purpose of generating fairy tales, to tell a fairy tale about computers. A charming, contemplative, and ultimately eerie story.