The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi - Book Review #295

Book 1 of the The Interdependency series

I've been looking for a space opera series I could get into but I am often turned away from the work involved in slogging through mountains of exposition many authors fall into to set up their worlds.  So I get bored, put the book down and never return to it.

 

Not so with John Scalzi.  This first book starts off with a bang - a mutiny with some fantastic sardonic wit and self-deprecation.  From the first page we are dealing with people betraying trusts and trying to get ahead, like all people since the beginning of people.  This ground the story to a manageable scale and introduced The Flow, which is a naturally occurring river in space that humans have learned to use to travel between the stars.

 

From this an economy, dynasties and a religion were formed to give order to society.  But there is a problem - The Flow changes from time to time and this can have devastating consequences to the systems newly cut off from interstellar travel.  This time the change is going to be much, much bigger. 

 

What Scalzi does best is weave exposition into the narrative, never expanding the world for pages on end but as the plot develops.  And there is a lot going on here, there are ship captains and scientists, merchant guilds that compete amongst each other and try to exert political influence with the Emperox who's own life is an interesting one. 

I don't know if it was intended but the changes in The Flow are very much like Climate Change today.  Especially in the inertia encountered with the establishment; nobody wants to believe it and nobody wants to do anything about it until it happens.  Sound familiar?

I very much enjoyed  the book and immediately went out and picked up book 2.

John Scalzi's website - https://whatever.scalzi.com/

John Scalzi

How To Be Good by Nick Hornby - Book Reveiw #294

Being married for as long as I have, there were certain observations that struck home in uncomfortable ways.  There is so much written about new love, and finding the "right" person, but it is harder to find stories about the long-married and still struggling with life.

Being in my mid-50's colours the statement above, but it's true that life just keeps going on.  The goal is to find the right person, but after you've done that and you are years down the road, what does that look like?

Katie and David are going through a rough patch and it gets a bit out of hand as only Nick Hornby can manage to tell the story.  There was humor but there was also a depth of insight that immediately captured me.

Katie has had an affair and asks for a divorce.  David's reaction is understandable but then he begins a transformation that is eyebrow-raising, suspicious and unpredictable.  I was turning pages wondering what new, outrageous thing David was going to do next.  It was fun to read.

I've been a fan of Hornby's for years but only through the movies that have been adapted from his books.  This is the first novel that I've read and I can say that I am looking forward to reading the source material of all those movies I love so much.

Being a genre reader, I now think of Hornby as my gateway author to literary fiction.

Nick Hornby's website - https://www.nickhornbyofficial.com/

Nick Hornby

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein - Book Review #293

This book was written for a middle school audience.  Reading it as an adult, it sometimes became tedious.  I kept having to remind myself of this fact.

Other than that I enjoyed the book very much.

I am dismayed at the lack of adult novels set in the timeline of the new trilogy of Star Wars movies.  I guess the publishers are targeting the next generation of fans and believe that an old guy like me just wants to read stories about Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie.  

Too bad, because I am very much taken by Rey, Poe, and Finn.

This book is set in a time before The Last Jedi and centers around the character of Rose, an engineer on one of the New Republic ships.  Before her assignment to that ship, she was part of a bomber squadron with her sister Paige.

The New Order is blockading an independent system and the New Republic is asked to help by smuggling supplies to the resistance movement on one of the planets.

Part of what makes these books, and this one in particular, so satisfying is how they can inform the movies.  In The Last Jedi, we met Rose and only got a glimpse of her sister, Paige.  By reading this book, those quick scenes have much more emotional weight.

Borrow the book from the library or a friend.

Elizabeth Wein's website - https://www.elizabethwein.com/

Elizabeth Wein

Black Wind By Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler - Book Report #292

A Dirk Pitt Adventure

World War II was a pivotal event that formed our present reality.  I find the period fascinating.

In this novel, during the war, the Japanese created a biological weapon and were en route to launch an attack before the submarine was lost sending the toxin to the bottom of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The present-day bad guy now wants the weapon for his own nasty plans.

Sometimes the plot of a Cussler novel doesn't grab me as much as the part of history he dug up to start the story.  In this one, the Japanese submarine also had a launcher for an aircraft.  This was the first time I've heard of this combination.

All kinds of questions came to me; how do you travel underwater with a plane attached?  Once in flight, how does the plane return? Or does it?


Cussler did me a favour by opening a part of WWII history I had never know.

I'm sorry to say, but it was the history lesson that captured my imagination.  I felt a bit like Julien Perlmutter in that I put the novel down many times to search out books about the Japanese Imperial Navy.

So, yes I enjoyed the book very much but not for the usual reasons.

Clive Cussler's Website - https://clive-cussler-books.com/

Japanese submarine history Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarines_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_Navy

Clive Cussler

The Sixth Man by Andre Iguodala and Carvell Wallace - Book Report #291

I am a casual fan of NBA basketball and I’ll admit that I was getting tired of the Golden State Warriors dominating the league for the past five years.

That team was stacked!

Through all the excitement around Kevin Durant and Steph Curry it was always Andre Iguodala that captured my attention.  There was something about his face...

I don’t read a lot of sports-related books but I found this one fascinating.  I enjoyed learning about Iguodala’s childhood and I was relieved that he had a strong family around him.

Learning about the undercurrent of racism that runs through American culture (and probably all cultures) I found depressing because it confirmed that we humans have not grown nearly enough.

The enormous pressure to perform and what that does to the human body was frightening.

What really upset me most was the treatment players experience from fans and the media.  How ugly people could be is sickening.

Does that sound like I did not enjoy the book?  Far from it.  Through it all, Iguodala’s strength and optimism carried him through his career and this book.

It was a fascinating look inside a game that most of us only encounter through a television screen.  Iguodala simply parted the curtain and showed the reader what the life of an athlete is like.

I was happy to learn that my impression of the man was correct.  He has integrity and cares deeply for the sport he loves.

Highly recommended.  This book is worth buying and lending to friends.

Andre Iguodala’s Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Iguodala

Andre Iguodala

Manhood by Terry Crews - Book Review #290

How to be a better man - 

or just live with one

The first time I became aware of Terry Crews was from his role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

But it was his recent tour through Edmonton for the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters on Feb 20, 2018, that he really caught my attention as a person I want to learn more about.

I stumbled upon his book on-line and immediately took it out of the library.

The poor guy had a rough start as a kid and he really was a dummy, as most boys and young men are.  I was just as clueless at those ages so the book resonated with me.

What impressed me most was how his ability to learn from disappointments was hard-wired into his DNA.  A lot of people, maybe even most people, would have turned away from their dreams in the same circumstances.  But he pushed through always trying to improve himself.

If you're familiar with his movies and TV work then you know his voice.  It comes through in his writing and made for enjoyable reading.

It was inspiring to see his life-long struggle to become a better man, to improve himself and then to improve his relationships.

To me, the spirit of the book can be found in two lines;

"I realized that everything is not about good or bad.  It's about what you can learn from it."

Terry Crews is a very brave man for sharing his story complete with its warts, mistakes and embarrassments with the world.

Terry Crews' Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Crews

Terry Crews

Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo - Book Report #289

If your a fan of the Dirk Pitt series then you know that Clive Cussler is a looming part of the world he has created.  In the beginning, Pitt and Cussler were similar physically; six feet three inches in height, green eyes and the same general build.  In the books Pitt has not aged in real-time, he is perpetually in his 40’s.

Cussler’s life is just as interesting as his character and his experiences have been woven into the adventures he’s written.  But the opposite has also happened - from his books NUMA has become a real, not-for-profit entity.

Fans are just as curious about the author as the character and that is where this book comes in.  There is a terrific piece where Cussler writes himself into a short story about attending a party in Pitt’s hangar where he wanders throughout the building talking to previous characters from the series.  Alive or dead they are there.  It makes for a unique recap of the series so far.

This book is now 21 years old (Published in 1998) and is ripe for a second volume.

There is also a long interview with the author which I enjoyed.  I knew parts of Cussler’s story but not all of it and I especially liked how he broke into the business and how he negotiated the rights to his early books.

The bulk of the volume is dedicated to recaps of the plots of each book.  There is a list of all the recurring characters and their backgrounds.  Also included is a lengthy section that breaks down each books' characters, ship names, equipment used and locales.

It is a small encyclopedia of all things Dirk Pitt.

The book is not the easiest thing to find but well worth the effort.  I want to thank the Edmonton Public Library’s interlibrary loan system, which provides access to books from other regions if EPL does not have it.  I cannot imagine how much effort goes into providing this service but I am thankful for it.

Recommended.

Clive Cussler, back in the day.

Craig Dirgo

A Forest, or a Tree by Tegan Moore - A Short Story Review

Four city women go on an overnight hiking trip into the woods.  Most are ill-equipped for the task.

Once the discomforts of camping set in, real stresses between the hikers manifest.  Spooky stories around the campfire set things in motion. 

I thought the story was very well written and the characters believable and understandable.  The deep-dark woods, bad weather and a feeling of danger made for a creepy experience. 

But, truth be told, I wasn’t happy with the ending. It felt forced and did not fit with how the story was told.  I did like the open ending.  Perhaps there is a sequel in the works?  I’d gladly go back to this world

Tegan Moore’s website - https://alarmhat.com/

Tegan Moore

The New Prometheus by Michael Swanwick - A Short Story Review

Another instalment in Swanwick’s Mongolian Wizard series.

This time, we find Ritter and his wolf Freki in the Arctic chasing a new villain.

But this is no ordinary brute; he is a sympathetic, misunderstood person trying to find his place in the world.

Ritter’s assignment is clear but what will he do when he confronts his quarry?

Yup, I like this series quite a lot.

Michael Swanwick Wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Swanwick

The whole series can be found here - https://www.tor.com/series/mongolian-wizard-stories-michael-swanwick/

Michael Swanwick

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut - Book Report #288

A legendary classic of science fiction.

I was blown away by it.  It was nothing like I expected and I felt that I was truly in the hands of a genius and I was grateful for it.

The narrative bounces all over the timeline of the story but once I got used to it I loved it an enjoyed every jump forwards or backwards

Is it Science Fiction?  Sure.  Kind of.  It explores World War II, the bombing of Dresden, Germany and death.  Boy, does it explore death.

Slaughterhouse Five helped me to understand that death is just part of life.  And, wonderfully, because the Tralfamadorians do not experience time the way humans do, death really isn’t all that bad.  It is comforting to think and see things their way.  I was happy for the experience.

I am also happy that I chose to listen to the audiobook.  It was read by Ethan Hawke who did a  terrific job and gave the story a voice I would not have.  His inflections and emotion gave the book such depth.

I highly recommend the book.  Buy it any way you like, secondhand or new, you will want to keep it on the shelf to share and talk about.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Wiki Page - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone - A Short Story Review

What is the nature of reality?  Who is in control of that reality?  What happens when the truth is revealed?

This story was a fantastic mind-bender.  On board a probe three individuals are running experiments but there are some dark secrets that might bring on violent responses.

The author references the ship Nostromo, from the movie Alien to instantly create the underlying menace that hangs over everything.

A Skinner Box is explained in the story and it’s then I pulled back my point of view and felt real dread for Evie, the protagonist in this story.

It is an excellent story that left me chilled for the rest of the day.

Carole Johnstone’s blog - http://carolejohnstone.blogspot.com/

Carole Johnstone

Any Way the Wind Blows by Seanan McGuire - A Short Story Review

I rather enjoy stories that break the fourth wall or are meta in nature.

This one is an homage to Tor’s office in the iconic Flatiron building in New York City.  The artwork for the story was excellent, with Stubby, the official logo of tor.com, hovering beside the building.

It reminded me of one of my favourite episodes of Deep Space 9, Far Beyond the Stars (S6-E13), where Sisko has visions of being a pulp science fiction author.

This story has the crew of Stubby, cartographers of the multiverse, and their experience when they arrive in our reality.


It was clever and fun - a delight to read.

Seanan McGire’s website - http://www.seananmcguire.com/

Seanan McGuire

Murder in the Spook House by Michael Swanwick - A Short Story Review

God bless Tor.com and their quarterly “best-of” ebook giveaway.

In this summer edition the opening story by Swanwick was a delight. Set in England around World War I in a reality that knows wizards, werewolves, time travel and military intelligence; on a dark and stormy night there is a murder. 

Acting Director of British Intelligence Ritter is summoned in the middle of the night to investigate the murder of Sir Toby.

This is one of the latest instalments of his Mongolian Wizard series. If you like this one there are many more to be had. 

I rather liked this one even though I am not a big fan of magical stories because it barely relied on mystical tropes. 

A good opening story to this collection. 

The Summer 2019 Fiction Collection can be downloaded HERE.

Michael Swanwick

Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler - Book Report #287

I grew up reading Clive Cussler in the '80s.  The man has only increased his output by teaming up with other authors.  I've decided to try and catch up as quickly as possible.  To that end, I've gone as far back as the Edmonton Public Library goes with downloadable audiobooks.

Dirk Pitt adventures are best approached like a James Bond movie; the hero will always win and the bad guy is typically a mustache-twisting character bent on world domination.  But that's okay because there is much more going on in between the lines.

First off, there is always a true historical element to these books,  Cussler will fictionalize these events to suit the story but, because they are real moments in history, they anchor the adventures extremely well.

What makes his books work are the relationships with his main characters; Dirk & Al are the best of friends, trust each other with their lives and always have fun while defying death.  They always believe that things will turn out just fine.

The NUMA team is so incredibly competent I often wish I worked with such dedicated people.

And there is an arc to the lives of the characters that progress from book to book.  Recently, Dirk discovered he had twin children.  In this volume, the relationship of his love progresses as does the growth of NUMA itself.  It's a very satisfying construct to the series.

In this particular adventure the evil genius is secretly plotting to divert the Gulf Stream in order to bring on climate change.  Sure the idea, is silly but it plays with the “what if?” question that all good speculative fiction does.  Any movie or fiction relies on a suspension of disbelief by the person consuming it.  Some stories demand more of it than others

This particular one demanded a lot.

Still it was silly fun.

Borrow the book or buy it second hand.  It's not a book I'll go back to but it pushes the overall arc of the characters’ lives forward and that was satisfying.

Clive Cussler’s website - https://clive-cussler-books.com/

Clive Cussler

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard - Book Review #286

I have a soft spot for AI’s and especially the one’s the occupy spaceships.  There is something familiar and yet alien about them.  Because I love ships of all kinds, ocean-going or space, I feel protective to them.

The Shadow’s Child was a military transport that suffered a catastrophic ambush in a past war and is currently working from a space station, taking on occasional passengers and brewing drugs to help humans cope and function during FTL flights.

I was taken by the acceptance of the AI as a being with rights and responsibilities.  Perhaps this is because the intelligence itself was first created by human parents before being transferred to the ship’s systems.

I was also taken by the culture, so much of SF seems to be an extension of Western military life but here the culture is overwhelmingly Asian in influence.  I found this refreshing.  So much world-building calls for authors to invent systems that fit their stories but why not use ones that are part of our world today?  If humanity is to expand into space it’s logical that we will take our cultures with us.

The story a pastiche as the two main characters, Long Chau is much like Sherlock Holmes and The Shadow’s Child as Watson.  The characters were engaging and the mystery cloaked in family history.

It was a delight of a book.  Plus, it won the Nebula Award for best Novella in 2018.

Aliette de Boddard’s Website - https://aliettedebodard.com/

Aliette de Bodard

Windshear by Angus McIntyre - A Short Story Review

A rescue mission in the cloud tops of Venus!

Remember - the premise of the entire collection is: what if space exploration continued without NASA?  When the private sector is involved profits are paramount to decision making.

Scientific studies are being done by one corporation in the upper atmosphere of Venus.  However, the crew rotation is contracted out to another company.  Something goes wrong during the docking procedures.

The decisions to be made are obvious to those people in the thick of the situation.  But the suits back on Earth have other ideas.

Terrific stuff!

Angus McIntyre's website - https://angus.pw/

Angus McIntyre

Mars Rover Curiosity by Rob Manning and William L. Simon - Book Review #285

An Inside Account from

Curiosity's Chief Engineer

I love these kinds of behind-the-scenes books.

It is staggering to consider the amount of work and struggle that goes on to get a planetary mission approved, designed, funded, delayed, built, tested, re-tested, mated to a rocket, launched, testing while in flight, the Seven Minutes of Terror (see the video below), landing and testing on the ground before the rover moves at all.

This is the story of how the Mars Curiosity Rover came to be and how it made it to Mars.

If your one of those people who likes to learn how things are made, or you watch the DVD extras on the production of your favourite movie then this is a book you'll enjoy.

It was well written and engaging throughout.

The NADS Mars Science Laboratory website - https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/

Rob Manning

William L Simon

Airtight by Michael Capobianco - A Short Story Review

More mining of the asteroids shenanigans.

This one is about contract and mineral rights negotiations from deep space.

The rules are pretty clear, a business cannot stake a claim on a body in space unless a human sets foot on it, physically.  But the negotiations are difficult because the rights to the body actually go the human who’s feet are on said body.  Corporations foot the bill getting a person out there but must negotiate a finder’s fee when the astronaut has proven that he or she has landed.

This can get tricky.  To say more would be spoiling it.


Excellent story.

Michael Capobianco’s ISFDB page - http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?3153

Michael Capobianco

Iron Pegasus by Brenda Cooper - A Short Story Review

Cynthia and her robot companion Harry are travelling between asteroids, in their mining ship, when they receive a distress call and are obligated to reply.

There is something off about the situation as it is being transmitted by the companion robot of the ship in question.

I enjoyed the lived-in feel of the asteroid belt, sure there are folks about, making a living from the ores but the distances are incredible and it is a very lonely career.

I enjoyed how practical and yet human Cynthia’s relationship was with her robot companion.  They are very much a team.


This was an excellent mystery with an undertone of danger that required careful navigation.

A terrific addition to the collection.  I am very happy that I made the purchase.

Brenda Cooper’s website - http://www.brenda-cooper.com/

Brenda Cooper

Battle for the West by Daniel Francis - Book Report #284

Fur Traders and the Birth

of Western Canada

A long time ago the Edmonton Public Library had something called the Heritage Collection.  It was a cache of books (over 10,000 of them) that could only be read in the downtown branch, they could not be borrowed and taken home.

A few years back this policy was relaxed.  This allowed me to enjoy Daniel Francis' 1982 book about the fur trade of early Canada.

I found it to be illuminating, entertaining and filled with facts about the competition between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company.  Funny, how I always imagined the Voyageurs were exclusive to the HBC - how wrong I was.  At least until they merged in 1821.

I found the subject matter completely engrossing and Francis' text crisp and readable as if it was published today.  This says a lot about his writing style and clarity.

Thank you, EPL for lending this book to me.

Daniel Francis' website - https://www.danielfrancis.ca/

Daniel Francis

Around the NEO in 80 Days by Jay Werkheiser - A Short Story Review

When getting to orbit is an everyday occurrence that’s the future I want to inhabit.

In this story, airships are used to lift up to a floating transfer station in the mesosphere, the very top of the atmosphere, where one transfers to an orbital ascender to make the final push to space.  This takes more time but eliminates rockets, a very interesting idea.

But that is not the focus of the story, in it a rich industrialist takes a bet with a fellow billionaire to race to a Near Earth Object and back within 80 days.

But there is an obstacle in the industrialist’s way.

What I liked about this story was how the characters were no different than people today.  There is no empire and culture to learn, no alien influence and no time travel.  It’s just people being people with their egos and conflicting aspirations.  Only the technology has changed.

I liked this one very much.

Jay Werkheiser’s website - http://jaywerkheiser.blogspot.com/

Jay Werkheiser

Orpheus’ Engines by Christopher McKitterick - A Short Story Review

This is the kind of hard SF that I like.

A private corporation, JoveCo, has a mining station orbiting Jupiter to extract hydrogen from the atmosphere of the gas giant.

Nina Galindo is dispatched to the station to help resolve a problem.  There are native creatures alive in the upper atmosphere who seem to be trying to communicate with the humans.  But there is something else, there is another signal buried under the repeating “GO AWAY” which is encrypted  and far more complex.

I found the story rich in imagery, I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book.  And it’s not because it was so well described, it was just the opposite, the author gave just enough information to frame a scene and I was able to colour it all in.

The orbital station was a marvel and how the story relied on it’s structure to uncover the mystery was part of the fun of it.

This story stood out in the collection.

Christopher McKitterick’s website - http://christopher-mckitterick.com/

Christopher McKitterick

The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler - Book Report #283

I've recently re-discovered Clive Cussler and it has been a joy to lose myself in a self-confident adventure.

Having read a couple more modern entries in the Dirk Pitt series I decided to go back to the first published book.

It felt nearly fully-formed even back then.  The only thing lacking was the historical opening although it was history that pushed the plot.

Cussler had a confident voice from the very start but, be warned, the book is a product of its time.  This particular volume was the 40th-anniversary edition so I am not sure if the text has been tweaked and edited for today's reader.  However, Pitt was a bit of an ass at times and fell into some clichéd behaviour with the central woman of the story.

Other than that, the book held up rather well.  Actually, I was glad some of those old sexist tropes were kept in this edition, it serves to show how the character has grown and adjusted with the times.


Be ready for a James Bond type of story but with the added fun of scuba gear.

When you're looking for something easy and entertaining you can't go wrong with a Dirk Pitt adventure.

Clive Cussler's website - https://www.cusslerbooks.com/

Clive Cussler

The Ultimate Space Race by Jaleta Clegg - A Short Story Review

I’m a fan of The Amazing Race and The Amazing Race Canada so this story spoke to me.

What this story did was take television, corporate sponsorships, consumerism and social networking forward into an unsettling place.

The Ultimate Race pitted seven teams, in small space ships, on a race from an orbiting casino, New Vegas, to Mars’ moon Phobos and back.  But it was told from the point of view of a fan watching the show from home.

Honestly, the forward projection of media is not that outlandish, it feels very, very plausible.

I Loved this story.

Jaleta Clegg’s website - https://jaletac.com/

Jaleta Clegg