science fiction

Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey – Book Review

by
Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey - Book Cover

If you’re the homebody type who likes keeping fit by taking the stairs but isn’t particularly keen on having kids, then the Silo is just the place for you. Everyone else, though? Well, they all got totally screwed! In Hugh Howey’s sci-fi novel Wool, humanity has moved underground. Well, the few remaining souls, anyway. The Silo, drilled 144 floors deep into the earth, is the perfect setting for a claustrophobic sci-fi thriller.

Better Stay Inside the Silo

Human nature is predictable: lock someone up, and they’ll want to get out. At all costs. And as soon as you start reading Hugh Howey’s book Wool, you figure that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Surely, the whole story can’t possibly take place in this confined setting. They’ll find a way out.

But Hugh Howey has other plans. He says, “Yep, it all happens right here!” And you can forget hoping otherwise—Howey slams you right back down into the Silo.

That’s when you realize two things:

  1. There’s a reason this series is called Silo.
  2. Wool makes for a perfect adventure novel.

Read more

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Book Review

by
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Book Cover

Tamsyn Muir has taken a step forward from her debut Gideon the Ninth, which was extremely promising but quickly descended into childishness. Its sequel, Harrow the Ninth, managed to shed some of its growing pains but in return became utterly incomprehensible. With Nona the Ninth, the Australian author continues her utterly unique sci-fi fantasy series that propels necromancy into space. But it feels like a few things in this part aren’t COMPLETELY clear either. For example:

Who, where, and what?

Oh, and why?

Let’s start with the easiest question: “Where?”

Both of the first two parts were set in pretty confined locations. Even though Tamsyn Muir’s universe opens up wide, the author—who exclusively moves necromancers, otherworldly monsters, and skeletons around—shoved them all into one single place. Nona the Ninth finally steps out into the world of humans.

This fixes one of the biggest shortcomings of the first two parts. Sure, it’s fine that the omnipotent emperor of the universe rules everything through necromancy, but wouldn’t it be even more interesting to know how that affects ordinary people? Spoiler: Not well, by the way. Not well at all.

And the answer to “Where?” is: in the city of Who-The-Heck-Knows on the planet God-Knows-Where. Or somewhere like that.

Read more

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Book Review

by
Harrow the Ninth book cover

The prequel to Tamsyn Muir’s novel “Harrow The Ninth” was a hugely successful sci-fi novel of 2019. “Gideon the Ninth” won several awards, including the Locus Award, and left even the most esteemed sci-fi authors in awe. “Gideon the Ninth” burst onto the science fiction scene with pulsating energy, cheeky yet clever humor, and a unique vision (necromancers + romance = necromance). Only to then shift to a larger portion of the story resembling a subdued Agatha Christie mystery.

“Harrow the Ninth” lacks that dynamic start but fortunately, it also lacks the occasional anemia found in its predecessor. However, in return, it is at times completely incomprehensible.

Literally.

The first thought-provoking moment occurs when you realize there’s not a single mention of Gideon, the protagonist of the Locked Tomb series’ first installment. It’s as if her existence has been erased. Then, the alternating chapters of the book are written in different grammatical persons (second-person singular vs third-person singular) while each chapter has the same viewpoint character: Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the charming but troubled teenage necromancer.

To top it off, characters show up in the pink, who died in the first book.

Are you into solving puzzles? Do you have a university degree? If neither applies to you, there’s a chance that up to about 80% of this book, you’ll wish “Harrow the Ninth”, to hell. And it’s no wonder if, along the way, you come to the conclusion that either reading the book titled “Harrow the Ninth” is entirely unnecessary or its predecessor, filled with the trials of Gideon Nav.

Maybe you won’t give up on Muir’s book halfway for only two reasons. One, if you’ve already crafted a compelling closing sentence for your book review and don’t want it to go to waste. The other is the Australian author’s writing style.

Read more

Thin Air by Richard Morgan – Book Review

by
Thin Air by Richard Morgan – Book Cover

Genetically Modified Noir on Mars

In 2008, Richard Morgan wrote a book about a genetically modified Martian super-soldier who wins a lottery ticket back to Earth and comes home to do some sleuthing. Ten years later, he wrote another one titled Thin Air, where the protagonist is again a genetically modified super-soldier, but this time he’s investigating the disappearance of the Martian lottery winner – on Mars, several hundred years later.

I’d bet on it, that Morgan captures many of us with his macho protagonist because it’s truly heartwarming to see such a competent, skilled individual at the center of the action, someone who occasionally rips apart those who get in his way during his investigations. But the focus isn’t on the ripping apart, of course – despite a strong emphasis on action, Thin Air is ultimately a crime novel, specifically in the noir sub-genre.

Washed-up protagonist? Check.
Femme fatale? Check.
Nefarious conspiracy in the background? Check.

Read more

Saga: Volume Three by Brian K. Vaughan – Fiona Staples – Comic Book Review

by
Saga: Volume Three by Brian K. Vaughan - Fiona Staples - Comic Book Cover

The Pace of Saga Slows Down

Our favorite, scandalous space opera, Saga, continues its journey. However, by the third installment, the pace seems to have slowed down a bit. Of course, the never-ending war taking place in a galaxy populated with surreal and bizarre creatures and locations provides a solid foundation that can handle some deceleration.

Still, while most of the events previously felt life-changing for our heroes, now there are episodes that seem more like filler, such as the bickering between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, or various characters’ hallucinations. The only positive aspect of these is the appearance of the series’ (so far) best character, The Stalk, whom the authors clearly can’t let go of. You might rightfully ask, why the hell did those damn fools kill her off in the first place?

The Impact is Gone, but It’s Still Highly Entertaining

In the third part of Saga, the introduction of new characters feels the most unnecessary. The two pesky tabloid journalists won’t uncover anything you haven’t known for a long time. Except perhaps that Alana is an even bigger bitch than you thought.

Read more

Cold Storage by David Koepp – Book Review

by
Cold Storage by David Koepp – Book Cover

Cold Storage Delivers a Cinematic Experience

The guy who put this book on the table is the screenwriter behind movies like Jurassic Park and Spider-Man. What does that mean? Clearly, that Cold Storage feels like a movie.

A B-movie.

A low-budget B-movie set in a few locations.

But hey, wait a minute!

It’s one of the good ones. Okay, the basic premise of Cold Storage is entirely clichéd: a new, aggressive fungus starts spreading in an abandoned military storage facility. The smooth-talking underdog with a good heart, his dream girl, and the slightly over-the-hill, retired problem-solver take up the fight against it.

David Koepp’s main antagonist is a mushroom – and no joke!

Read more

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu – Book Review

by
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Book Cover

The first chapter of The Three-Body Problem stands alone brilliantly, akin to a superb standalone short story. It offers a brief retrospective on the madness of the Chinese Cultural Revolution from the perspective of one of the characters, providing a great foundation (or so it would seem) for the rest of the story. It’s a real pity that not a single moment in the rest of Cixin Liu’s book lives up to this initial promise.

Casual MMO game with robot-like characters

Are scientists dropping like flies? Yes, especially those involved in fundamental research. This reeks of a foul conspiracy, so our protagonists set out to investigate. That is, until a virtual reality computer game takes center stage in their inquiries – from that point on, no one gives a damn about the dying scientists anymore. Instead, we get lengthy descriptions of in-game adventures wrapped in physics and mathematical jargon. Does all this sound interesting? Well, actually… IT. IS. NOT.

What’s even less interesting? The Chinese characters. In The Three-Body Problem, with one exception, everyone is completely unremarkable, as if they were brainwashed robots controlled by a single central will. Ahem. The exception, an overzealous police inspector, is like a half-deaf uncle who loudly tells nonsensical stories at a supposedly restrained family gathering (say, a wake) and occasionally spits on the floor with great gusto.

Read more

Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey – Book Review

by
Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey – Book Cover

With a hefty volume released every year, in James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series, the pace has become somewhat relentless; by the eighth installment, you might think the whole thing has turned into a soap opera. Well, it hasn’t; it’s actually SPACE OPERA, with the soap opera motifs more characteristic of the first few books, where characters whined about “emotional” stuff, but then events expanded so much that whining was no longer necessary.

However, after the two previous, chillingly brilliant books, you realize that many of the viewpoint characters in Tiamat’s Wrath seem completely uninteresting (led by Teresa). They seem to exist just to fill space. Then suddenly, the characters in the book also recognize what you, the reader, have been realizing for some time: they have no chance against Laconia. From there, the plot becomes even more weightless.

And indeed, in the Wrath of Tiamat, some completely lame plot twists occasionally appear. (The friendship between Teresa and her best buddy, Timothy, is the least believable moment in the entire series.)

But then Duarte, the enlightened dictator – who more or less lets things go as they would naturally, but occasionally orders a few heads bashed in – starts poking the sleeping lion. But he does it without anything in his hands that he could use as a weapon against him, except his own, protomolecule-enhanced, mere dick. Yes, it’s called hubris, and it NEVER ends well.

Read more

Ready Player One – Film Review

by
Ready Player One - Film Poster

It starts off well, I must say, the first 20 minutes of Ready Player One, even with significant changes, capture the spirit of the novel. And the moment when Wade Watts’ name first appears on the Oasis leaderboard is ALMOST as impactful as it is in the novel.

The story unfolds in a near, dystopian future where life revolves around obtaining the hidden, inheritable key of a virtual reality that dominates every aspect of life (education, work, entertainment). However, the changes, which were obviously necessary for the story to work as a film, and even more so as a visually stunning one, gradually overshadow the narrative.

From the overwhelming computer animation that makes up 99-100% of Ready Player One, your head soon starts to buzz, and you feel like you’ve sunk into a Japanese role-playing game filled with manga characters, watching with increasing boredom from the sidelines as the avatars of other characters duke it out.

It’s like being in one of those muddled Transformers movies.

The youth-level black-and-white characters and childish humor don’t help much, nor does the shivery programmer god, Halliday, who seems to look like he’s pooped his pants at every appearance. But the worst is clearly the ultra-lame main antagonist.

Read more

False Gods by Graham McNeill – Book Review

by
False Gods by Graham McNeill - Book Cover

In False Gods, the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet continues to march forward under the leadership of Horus Lupercal (and Graham McNeill). (See the previous part: The Horus Heresy by Dan Abnett). Their thunderous steps are guided by a complete lack of political correctness: fully armored, they crush anyone in THE UNIVERSE who is slightly different, or not human enough. Or perhaps human enough, just happens to hold an opposite opinion.

To start, the space marines smack down a few thousand living dead underground, during which Horus himself gets injured. As a result, the entire fleet deflates like a dried prune because they view their beloved leader as a demigod (and truth be told, after a while, you also get swept up in this incredible enthusiasm and start to admire him) even though this semi-divine being sometimes behaves like a narcissistic goose. One of the problems with False Gods is precisely this swooning, completely devoid of common sense respect that the guardsmen have towards Horus. And the way Horus turns towards himself, and who out of sheer pride and awareness of his own invincibility can walk into the most transparent trap. Yes, yes, at this point, you also start to wonder if the emperor’s little son is really the most suitable person to lead a fleet?

The title of the series is, of course, “The Heresy of Horus.” The second part jumps right into the thick of things because the main conflict revolves around Horus getting angry with the Emperor, his beloved and respected daddy, up until now. The quality of the conflict is somewhat diminished by the fact that it mainly plays out on a metaphysical level, specifically within Horus’s MIND. Horus’s attitude (who is, you know, a (BIG-)grown man) seems somewhat childish. He gets offended in advance because Daddy maybe wants to become a god sometime LATER; so surely he won’t care about him afterwards. Oh, and there’s a lot of bureaucracy too. That’s it. This is quite a thin foundation for a 50+ part book series.

From here on out, in the not particularly exciting remaining part of False Gods, you can agonize over whether Horus, who is essentially just a vain and arrogant jerk, will become a vain, arrogant, and EVIL jerk without any transition, based on a few silly visions. The fleet, apart from a few unlucky guys who get stuck outside the circle, will go along with him without a fuss, just like the legions followed the charismatic, emperor-rebelling generals in the Roman Empire.

In False Gods, there are also a few remembrancer leading a debauched lifestyle, who are actually just pebbles, ground-pounders, no one knows why they are with the fleet, and they just trail along after the events. When an ugly monster crawls out of the warp to devour a few of them, you just shrug it off. Bon appétit!

The quality of Graham McNeill’s writing is average, although sometimes a bit heavy-handed, and the characters often get unreasonably angry more often than necessary, but there’s not much of a problem with it. The main problem lies with the story: it all seems unprepared and off-the-cuff, like in a soap opera. If you keep reading this series, there can only be one reason for it: you’re curious (damn curiosity!) about what will happen to the noble Captain Loken, who is about the only character left in the story worth rooting for.

6.3/10

False Gods (The Horus Heresy #2) by Graham McNeill – Book Review
416 pages, Paperback
Published in 2006 by Black Library