Looking for new additions to your TBR pile or gift list? LitHub's Natalie Zutter is recommending seven sci-fi and fantasy books that are published this month, including Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ's debut novel, "Dazzling," which is about two girls coming of age at a Nigerian boarding school, and Geoff Ryman's "Him," which muses on what would have happened if Jesus Christ was born a girl.
"The Verbenubi are super excitable. They tend to love… everything, and with some passion. Show them a new rock, and they will talk about the new rock for hours. They just like stuff."
"All of the Verbenubi serving aboard the Jupiter’s Ghost strongly embrace their identity as Nerds."
"There are several Verbenubi working in engineering, and they often spew streams of technobable as if it was actually science."
Finished watching “Bodies” on Netflix. Liked it. Lots there for those who enjoy #scifi#timeTravel#philosophy#vinyl#shellac and character driven thrillers. Some depth on the topic of free will. Recommended.
"Three astronauts are mysteriously transported to an alien world where they uncover artifacts of an ancient, yet advanced civilization. They must sift through the ruins to assemble technology to take them home."
This nice adventure game in space is available on Gog & Steam. #scifi#game#lucasarts
I've been working my way through James Blish's 4part 'space opera' Cities in Flight (1970/1999) & while clearly dated in some aspects (not least its male-centricity) & not wearing its science lightly, at its centre are two interesting elements; the wandering anti-gravity power 'okie' city in space & the going end of all time. Its also been clearly influential on later large scale #scifi but for me too dependent on its characters' lives @bookstodon
Earlier this year I wrote a non-fiction article about my thought processes in worldbuilding. I have been obsessed with a future where central governments are no more, and everything is decentralised like the fediverse. The article is part of an anthology on Afro centered futurisms, and here is a Publishers Weekly announcement of the book. Description in the alt text.
Another post about this cool book I'm currently reading: "The Sol Majestic" by Ferrett Steinmetz. Gotta love that name.
Have you ever wondered how a top-rated restaurant might function on a space station? Light years from any planet? Well, Ferrett Steinmetz thought about it and came up with:
-artificial gravity used to cook things using the heat generated by enormous planetary-scale pressures instead of direct heat
-stasis fields instead of fridges (duh) but also speeded-up time field used to sneak a week's worth of work into an hour
-an alien sourdough culture that MIGHT be sentient
All of this is an excellent backdrop for a story of a young boy finding (gay) love, seeking independence from his parents, and exploring questions of philosophy, truth, capitalism, and marketing. It's not #SolarPunk, but it has that homey vibe.
Okay so NOW this FREE cyberpunk collection (which is so old you can see on the cover that it was only $3.50 for a paperback copy), is available as an #ebook download (FREE, I said!) as well as just opening it to read on your device. If you want it in that format, you can go there and try out the two ebook download systems it's offered on, let me know if it's not working.
The number one best-selling author of the Bobiverse trilogy returns with a space thriller that poses a provocative question: Does our true destiny lie in ourselves — or in the stars?
If it were up to one man and one man alone to protect the entire human race - would you want it to be a down-on-his luck asteroid miner?
If you're interested in academic discourse regarding interstellar travel, you should check out the I4S quarterly newsletter. It's free, and the digest is really worth checking out.
Their summary of the upcoming paper “Development of a Model Framework for Examining Language and Cultural Issues in Human Starfaring Civilizations” was really thought-provoking.
Small thoughts on the books I've finished during November:
Shadow Prey (John Sandford, 1990): Fun thriller, better than "Rules" in a lot of ways, somewhat problematic in others. The almost "For the Evulz" mentality of the main villain is somewhat underwhelming. Could it be published today? Maybe, with some tweaks, especially regarding Shadow Love.
d. Fast Friend: A tale of loss and coping with it. This time the intermixing of past and present was more effective, in my opinion. What happens to one of the characters made me think of a sci-fi version of dementia.
e. This Tower of Ashes: Another one I didn't really like. The MC is a bit entitled, and the mystery of what actually happened at the end is not really interesting.
f. Night Shift: Showing a sci-fi world from the perspective of a character that finds no wonder or excitement from it, I think it's one of the most interesting stories in this book. If it weren't from some sci-fi machines, it would almost describe any packing/shipping plant.
g. Bitterblooms: This one is also interesting, and (a common sentiment in this collection) also sad. I think the main character is the most fleshed out in the book, by far.
h. Nightflyers: Captivating read. At first I thought the theme was going to be something related to voyeurism, since it paid a lot of attention to how the characters were being watched all the time. I was a bit surprised when it turned into horror/mystery. The characters were well-defined. I felt like the ending didn't really hit the mark, though. The truth about the volcryn felt rushed.