Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Expanse (Book #3 of 9)
Genre: Sci-fi, Space opera
Pages: 560 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 4th July 2013 by Orbit
This was underwhelming; my least favorite novel in the series so far. …
ARC provided by the publisher—Tor UK—in exchange for an honest review.
The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Sci-fi
Pages: 608 pages
Published: 4th August 2020 by Tor (UK) & Orbit (US)
Children of Time has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2016, and Children of Ruin won the “best novel of the year” in The British Science Fiction Association Award a few days ago. Tchaikovsky’s newest work, The Doors of Eden, will definitely continue to win him more prestigious SFF awards in the future. …
ARC provided by the publishers—Tor Books & Head of Zeus—in exchange for an honest review.
Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Sun Chronicles (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Sci-fi, Military Sci-fi, Space Opera
Pages: 528 pages (US hardback edition)
Published: 1st October 2020 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 7th July 2020 by Tor Books (US)
It’s quite outrageous that it took me this long to finally read Kate Elliott’s book for the very first time.
Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Expanse (Book #2 of 9)
Genre: Science fiction, Space opera
Pages: 624 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 7th June 2012 by Orbit (UK) & 1st January 2012 by Orbit (US)
Avasarala is finally here!!! …
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Expanse (Book #1 of 9)
Genre: Science fiction, Space opera, mystery
Pages: 592 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 15th June 2011 by Orbit (UK) & 2nd June 2011 by Orbit (US)
Leviathan Wakes was so good; a character-driven space-opera that combines sci-fi, noir, mystery, and a slice of horror into one. …
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Dystopia
Pages: 432 pages
Published: 25th February 2020 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 25th February 2020 by Saga Press (US)
Ken Liu is incredibly good at writing short stories.
I’ve been waiting for The Dandelion Dynasty to be completed for years now so I can binge read the epic fantasy series. During my waiting time, I have read The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and also some books Liu has translated: The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End by Cixin Liu. I loved them all; The Paper Menagerie, in particular, is one of the two best short stories I’ve ever read so far. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is the second collection of short stories published by Ken Liu, and as expected, it’s another wonderful collection of stories. I think of this as something wondrous because I’m not even a fan of short stories; I avoid this format more than I avoid novellas. However, this is Ken Liu, and this collection goes to show how good he is at writing short stories. Just try reading the beautifully written two-page long preface; I highly doubt you’ll be able to resist reading this collection after reading this.
“As the author, I construct an artifact out of words, but the words are meaningless until they’re animated by the consciousness of the reader. The story is co-told by the author and the reader, and every story is incomplete until a reader comes a long and interprets it.”
The Fold by Peter Clines (Narrated by Ray Porter)
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Threshold (Book 2)
Genre: Science fiction, mystery, Lovecraftian horror
Published: 2nd June 2015 by Crown (US)
The Fold is yet another utterly absorbing and entertaining genre-bending novel by Peter Clines, which was impeccably narrated by Ray Porter.
I didn’t even realise that I’ve read the first book in the Threshold series, 14, almost exactly a year ago. It must be something related to this bizarre universe that Clines have created in his series of connected stand-alone novels which triggered such a coincidence. The Fold is the second book in the series, with a completely different story and new cast of characters in the same universe.
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Golden in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
I think I let my expectations run a little too wild in regards to this book. Because it’s book 50 (which is crazy, right?!) in a series, I was anticipating something mind-blowing for this installment; instead, I got fairly run-of-the-mill. And I’m so disappointed about it. In case you didn’t know, I absolutely adore Nora Roberts. She’s my ultimate comfort read. I’ve read literally everything she’s written, and I can’t think of another author so prolific (she’s written well over 200 books) that I can say that about. There’s something about her books that feels like coming home from the very first page. This is doubly true for the In Death series. Following the same characters through FIFTY books is a wild experience. Eve and Roarke and Peabody and so many others feel like members of my family that I get to catch up with a couple of times a year. If I’m being honest, these characters often feel more real to me than real people in my life. Or at least, they usually do.
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ARC provided by the author and publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Stormblood by Jeremy Szal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Common (Book #1)
Genre: Sci-fi, Military sci-fi
Pages: 432 pages
Published: 4th June 2020 by Gollancz
Milestone achieved: This is my 400th review!
A captivating military sci-fi debut. Stormblood tells a splendid story about two brothers divided by war that is full of comradeship, actions, and conflict.
Here’s an ugly truth, I haven’t been reading a lot of sci-fi lately. I was able to read 115 books in 2019, and only eight of those books were sci-fi novels. For this year’s priority sci-fi TBR pile, I have only ten sci-fi books on my list; nine of them belong to the entirety of The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, the other one is Stormblood, Jeremy Szal’s debut. I came to know about this book because the author—same as me—is a huge fan of Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown and Mass Effect video game franchise, and after reading this book, I can say that both inspirations are evident in his novel. I definitely would suggest anyone who’s a fan of either one of them, even better if both, to check this debut out.
“People compare overcoming addiction to climbing a mountain, but that assumes there’s a peak to climb towards. Stormtech was more like swimming in an endless, churning sea. You never truly beat it. You just found temporary ways not to drown.”
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
“Claim the stars.”
Have you ever loved an author so much that you’re actually afraid to read anything outside of the series by them you’ve come to adore? That’s how I feel about Brandon Sanderson. I love everything about his Cosmere, and all of the series that comprise it. From Mistborn to Stormlight, from Elantris to Warbreaker, he’s crafted some of the most unique magic systems I’ve ever witnessed, and I love that such wildly different series all tie into a bigger picture that is still being woven. Because of my deep adoration of the Cosmere, I’ve been hesitant to read Sanderson’s other works. I read the first Alcatraz book and thought it was fun and cute, but that’s as far as I’ve been able to go. His young adult works, The Reckoners trilogy and Skyward, gave me even more pause, because young adult is a genre that is very hit-or-miss for me. There are so many tropes that have been done to death in the YA genre: love triangles and a special girl who refuses to realize she’s special being among those most often used and happen to be my least favorites. Thankfully, neither of those were present in Skyward. Actually, there wasn’t any real romance. Which I found very refreshing for a young adult book.
“You find a way, and you defy them. For those of us who don’t have the courage.”
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