The Machinery of Light by David J Williams (Autumn Rain 3)

Jun 282010

Autumn Rain is more of a movie than a book series; it has been non stop action since book one in this cyber thriller. Here is the concluding book that takes the story to a higher plane. The plot twists are many and the revelations of secrets behind the secrets keeps on coming. Here is my take on The Machinery of Light and the whole Autumn Rain Trilogy.

Title: The Machinery of Lights
Series: Autumn Rain 3
Author: David J. Williams
Cover art: Raphael Lacoste
Genre: Space Opera
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books / Spectra (Random House) May 2010
Copy: Bought by me
Order from: Random House | Amazon US | UK | B&N | sfbok

My reviews of earlier books: Mirrored Heavens, Mirrored Heavens, Burning Skies

September 26, 2110. 10:22 GMT. Following the assassination of the American president, the generals who have seized power initiate World War Three, launching a surprise attack against the Eurasian Coalition’s forces throughout the Earth-Moon system. Across the orbits, tens of thousands of particle beams and lasers blast away at one another. The goal: crush the other side’s weaponry, paving the way for nuclear bombardment of the cities.

As inferno becomes Armageddon, the rogue commando unit Autumn Rain embarks on one last run. Matthew Sinclair, an imprisoned spymaster, plots his escape. And his former protégé Claire Haskell, capable of hacking into both nets and minds, is realizing that all her powers may merely be playing into Sinclair’s plans. For even as Claire evades the soldiers of East and West amid carnage in the lunar tunnels, the surviving members of the Rain converge upon the Moon, one step ahead of the Eurasian fleets but one step behind the mastermind who created Autumn Rain—and his terrible final secret.

Information

The book is dedicated to the Muses.

At the beginning of the book is a Map of the Earth-Moon System at the Eve of WW3.

The main characters are the same. Claire Haskel is the Holy Grail all the powers want to put their hands on, she is the super razor that would tip the balance of power to the advantage of anyone in control of her. One of the problems are that not even she herself knows which powers she has.

World building

Surprising revelations about the universes.

Plot

The Third World War is upon us, convinced they have first strike capability Stephanie Montrose and Jhared Szilard’s American forces open up on the European (Russian-Chinese) Coalition. But the coalition has secret bases in the Himalayas…

Autumn Rain might have been decimated in Burning Skies but they are still a force to be reckoned with as is the man behind their creation Matthew Sinclair. He might be a prisoner out of choice…

One team we get to follow is sent to infiltrate the Himalayas and the European secret base there. I can’t tell you what they find but this was a very cloak and dagger part of the story I enjoyed. It reminds me of classic spy thrillers.

Another team is sent to infiltrate the american fleet (same here, great cloak and dagger)

While Claire tries to keep out of being captured while being hunted by all the fractions and find the truth behind it all. This is the main thread. Clair is on a journey of self discovery. She is a created being with hidden powers and back doors that let others affect her but she is also on the track of the man with all the answers.

There are double crosses and secret allegiances in abundance.

Eventually the true mastermind is revealed with an astonishing and mind blowing conclusion.

Characterization

There is some more depth to the characters in this book than before, especially when it comes to Claire. Some of what I have lacked before comes to light as the characters background and underlying motivations are revealed. I am a bit divided about this since to keep it secret until now made for a great surprise but made the characters harder to understand and more two dimensional in the previous books, but I do believe the author made the better choice as it makes for a better story.

A theme in the series is characters that are unsure of themselves and their own memories; Characters that hack each other and allegiances that sway back and forth. All the main characters have been changed without full knowledge what they have become or who is in control. And all the main characters have gone on a journey of discovery and personal growth as revealed in The Machinery of Light.

My View

Autumn Rain is mind-blowing world-changing non-stop neck-breaking cloak-and-dagger cyber-thriller action. Think Hollywood blockbuster action meets Le Carré’s deviousness and many layers in the 22nd-Century. I have not read many stories like this; the action parts reminds me of a novel by Australian thriller writer Matthew Reilly – Area 7 (MaxMillian 2001) that has the same kind of intense action; the plot twists of Le Carré; and the science fiction is David J. Williams own. This is hard gritty science fiction up to the end that is borderline fantasy. This is perfect summer reading on one level – non stop action but I would recommend a quiet corner or beach so you can keep track of all the twists and turns.

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Burning Skies by David Williams (Autumn Rain 2)

Books 1 Response »

Jun 242010

Book two of Autumn Rain continues its block busting action on an enormous space station as the secretive Autumn Rain strikes for the ultimate net power.

Title: Burning Skies
Series: Autumn Rain 2
Author: David Williams
Genre: Military Science Fiction | Space Opera
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Spectra
Copy: bought by me
Order from: Amazon US | UK | B&N | sfbok

In his electrifying debut, The Mirrored Heavens, David J. Williams created a dark futuristic world grounded in the military rivalries, terror tactics, and political wrangling of our own time. Now he takes his masterful blend of military SF, espionage thriller, and dystopian cyberpunk one step further—to the edge of annihilation . . . .

Life as U.S. counterintelligence agent Claire Haskell once knew it is in tatters—her mission betrayed, her lover dead, and her memories of the past suspect. Worse, the defeat of the mysterious insurgent group known as Autumn Rain was not as complete as many believed. It is quickly becoming clear that the group’s ultimate goal is not simply to destroy the tenuous global alliances of the 22nd century—but to rule all of humanity. And they’re starting with the violent destruction of the Net and the assassination of the U.S. president. Now it’s up to Claire, with her ability to jack her brain into the systems of the enemy, to win this impossible war.

Battling ferociously across the Earth-Moon system, and navigating a complex world filled with both steadfast loyalists and ruthless traitors, Claire must be ready for the Rain’s next move. But the true enemy may already be one step ahead of her.

Information

The book is dedicated to the memory of George Cotton.

There are two useful resources at the beginning of the book one is a map of The Europa Platform where the story takes place; the other is a very useful organisational chart so you can keep track of all the characters and you will need it. The book starts more or less with character overload. I almost gave up on keeping the characters straight at the beginning, I would recommend you reread The Mirrored Heavens in close connection with this one.

The protagonists are mainly Claire Haskel and the Operative (Strom Carson)

I have one complaint about the book, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the novel. The binding is very flaccid in an unattractive way.

World building

The novel is so action packed that you don’t have time for more than short glimpses of the world outside the strife. The premises are well described and comes to life in vivid detail.

Plot

The Rain is attacking the President who has taken refuge on the Europa Platform to capture his net node and Claire and the Praetorian Guards tries to stop them. But there are treachery and hidden agendas that gets pealed off the plot onion as the story progresses. All the plot turns and twists that felt fresh in book one gets a little bit repetitive here.

The action is absolutely breath taking as is the scale of it. They crash asteroids and space ships into platforms as the ground troops scatters to survive.

Characterization

It is so action packed that you don’t have much time for character development. The book could benefit from a slow down now and then to develop the characters that otherwise comes across as reaction machines.

My View

The Burning Skies reads as an action packed movie, not an unlabored breath from start to finish. The canvas is grand and the characters superhuman or even transhuman but it could do with a little bit more soul. If you want some fast action adventure this is a great book for you.

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New Science Fiction Books in May 2010 Revisited

Books 1 Response »

May 012010

Lets have another look at May for Interesting new science fiction books. I usually check my pre-orders mid April and then revisit the list around the start of May. These are the books I am interested in. I try to put new never before published books here, for me there is no difference if the book is first published in the US, UK or in Australia. The delivery time to the far north is about the same. So mates we are going for world’s first here. At least we try.

Books are new once. But in the current distribution system books are released in different countries at different times as new releases and that makes perfect sense from a marketing point of view. A new release can also be an old book being republished which is good. Marketing is good, I want people to read more books but I also want new SF books, published for the very first time to have their own place here on my blog. This is my selection of new for the very first time, hail Madonna books that interest me.

There are many excellent bloggers out there with selections of new releases that might interest you. I can recommend Fantasy Book Critic’s extensive list or that you use the link section here on Cybermage to check out new releases yourself.

On Order

Title: Clementine
Author: Cherie Priest
Series: part of the Clockwork Century Universe
Genre: Steampunk
Hardback: 208 pages
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Order: Subterranean Press | Amazon US | UK | B&N

Clementine‘s blurb sounded like it was about such a kick-ass female that I couldn’t resist especially when it is written by the author of Boneshaker. I wanted to get into Steampunk for a while now and wet my feet. Added after mid April.

Maria Isabella Boyd’s success as a Confederate spy has made her too famous for further espionage work, and now her employment options are slim. Exiled, widowed, and on the brink of poverty…she reluctantly goes to work for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago.

Adding insult to injury, her first big assignment is commissioned by the Union Army. In short, a federally sponsored transport dirigible is being violently pursued across the Rockies and Uncle Sam isn’t pleased. The Clementine is carrying a top secret load of military essentials–essentials which must be delivered to Louisville, Kentucky, without delay.

Intelligence suggests that the unrelenting pursuer is a runaway slave who’s been wanted by authorities on both sides of the Mason-Dixon for fifteen years. In that time, Captain Croggon Beauregard Hainey has felonied his way back and forth across the continent, leaving a trail of broken banks, stolen war machines, and illegally distributed weaponry from sea to shining sea.

And now it s Maria’s job to go get him.

He’s dangerous quarry and she’s a dangerous woman, but when forces conspire against them both, they take a chance and form an alliance. She joins his crew, and he uses her connections. She follows his orders. He takes her advice.

And somebody, somewhere, is going to rue the day he crossed either one of them.

Title: The Machinery of Light
Author: David J. Williams
Series: Autumn Rain 3
Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Spectra books
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

I liked the first books in the series, they are gritty and action packed. You can check out my review of book 1: Mirrored Meaven.

September 26, 2110. 10:22 GMT. Following the assassination of the American president, the generals who have seized power initiate World War Three, launching a surprise attack against the Eurasian Coalition’s forces throughout the Earth-Moon system. Across the orbits, tens of thousands of particle beams and lasers blast away at one another. The goal: crush the other side’s weaponry, paving the way for nuclear bombardment of the cities.

As inferno becomes Armageddon, the rogue commando unit Autumn Rain embarks on one last run. Matthew Sinclair, an imprisoned spymaster, plots his escape. And his former protégé Claire Haskell, capable of hacking into both nets and minds, is realizing that all her powers may merely be playing into Sinclair’s plans. For even as Claire evades the soldiers of East and West amid carnage in the lunar tunnels, the surviving members of the Rain converge upon the Moon, one step ahead of the Eurasian fleets but one step behind the mastermind who created Autumn Rain—and his terrible final secret.

Title: The Noise Within
Author: Ian Whates
Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

This looked so interesting. I like singularity related stories.

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from debut novelist Ian Whates!

Title: Overthrowing Heaven
Author: Mark L. van Name
Series: Jon & Lobo 3
Cover Art: Stephen Hickman
Genre: Science Fiction
Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Baen (excerpt & blurb)
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

Jon & Lobo is light entertainment that keeps me reading.

It began as a favor to a woman trying to get away from an abusive husband.

Jon Moore grew up in a prison laboratory. When he escaped with nothing but his body’s nanotech enhancements and more anger than even a long lifetime could wash away, an entire planet died behind him. Memories of the things he’d done still haunted him; because of them, he often ended up helping those in need.

His kindnesses frequently didn’t work out well. This one really didn’t work out well. It hurled Jon and Lobo, the intelligent assault vehicle and Jon’s only friend, down an accelerating, ever more dangerous spiral involving:

Private armies and government covert ops teams

A courtesan who always seems a step ahead of him

Rival superpowers that define Good in terms of their own advantage and Ethics as whatever doesn’t get in the way of their Good

And a brilliant, amoral scientist to whom human beings are just more experimental animals–and who might be Lobo’s creator.

Jon and Lobo take the reader on a headlong rush through armed enemies and untrustworthy allies and encounter what just might be the worst danger their partnership will face: the truth.

Title: Dead in the Family
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Southern Vampire/True Blood 10
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Hardcover: 320 pages | Paperback: 304
Publisher: Ace Hardcover, May 4, 2010 (US) | Wheeler Publishing Large edition 5 May 2010 (UK) | Gollancz 12 May 2011 (UK)
Order: Ace | Amazon US | UK | B&N

I love the True Blood tv show and it lead me to the books.

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

Title: The Ambassador’s Mission
Author: Trudi Canavan
Series: The Traitor Spy Trilogy 1
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

The Black Magician and The Age of Five trilogies were good reads.

Sonea, once the despised commoner in the Magicians’ Guild, is now a Black Magician of Kyralia. Though she is now part of the establishment, she comes to find that the past is not so easily left behind…

Lorkin, Sonea’s rebellious son, has volunteered to join the formidable Lord Dannyl in his new post as Guild Ambassador to Sachaka – a land ruled by cruel, slave-owning black magicians. There is suspicion that some of the Sachakans still harbor dreams of conquest, so when word comes that Lorkin has gone missing, Sonea is desperate to find him. However, Guild law states that if a Black Magician leaves the city he or she will be exiled forever.

As she fears for her missing son, Sonea dedicates herself to helping her old friend Cery. For some time, there has been fear and paranoia on the streets of Imardin. Leading thieves have been dying under irregular circumstances. The need to discover who has been picking off the leading thieves of the city is now a very personal crusade – one that Sonea must aid, for the killer appears to be using magic.

Either a member of the Guild is leading a double life as a hired killer, or there is – once again – a rogue magician on the streets of Imardin . . .

I also ordered some books published before out in new form:

Conspirator by C. J. Cherryh (Foreigner 10) from Amazon US

Other Books of Interest

Title: Climate of Change
Author: Piers Anthony
Series: Geodyssey
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Order: Tor | Amazon US | UK | B&N

This sounds epic. I am tempted.

A remarkable epic of passion and courage, savagery and survival, Piers Anthony’s “Geodyssey” is a saga unlike any ever written. It is nothing less than the story of humanity itself, told through the lives of a handful of extraordinary men and women reborn throughout history.

Now, with Climate of Change, Anthony introduces us to a new cast of characters, including Keeper, who knows the ways of nature, Rebel, a headstrong girl as brave as any man, Craft, a cunning inventor, and Crenelle, who uses her seductive charms to defend her people.

Through their eyes, we see how some of the most crucial moments in human history have been driven by natural forces, from the great ice ages of prehistory to the droughts and plagues that have destroyed history’s proudest civilizations. And we witness a harsh but hopeful future in which humanity at last transcends the devastating effects of climate change.

Title: Deceiver
Author: C. J. Cherryh
Series: Foreigner 11
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: DAW
Order: DAW | Amazon US | UK | B&N

I am following this series but I buy the paperbacks, because I started with paperbacks back when it started. Must keep the shelves neat :)

The civil war among the alien Atevi has ended. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with Cajeiri, his son and heir, has returned to the Bujavid, his seat of power. But factions that remain loyal to the opposition are still present, and the danger these rebels pose is far from over.

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New Science Fiction Books in May 2010

Books No Responses »

Apr 142010

Lets have a look at May for books. I usually check my pre-orders mid April and then revisit the list around the start of May. These are the books I am interested in. I try to put new never before published books here, for me there is no difference if the book is first published in the US, UK or in Australia. The delivery time to the far north is about the same. So mates we are going for world’s first here. At least we give it a try.

On order

Title: The Machinery of Light
Author: David J. Williams
Series: Autumn Rain 3
Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Spectra books
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

I liked the first books in the series, they are gritty and action packed. You can check out my review of book 1: Mirrored Meaven.

September 26, 2110. 10:22 GMT. Following the assassination of the American president, the generals who have seized power initiate World War Three, launching a surprise attack against the Eurasian Coalition’s forces throughout the Earth-Moon system. Across the orbits, tens of thousands of particle beams and lasers blast away at one another. The goal: crush the other side’s weaponry, paving the way for nuclear bombardment of the cities.

As inferno becomes Armageddon, the rogue commando unit Autumn Rain embarks on one last run. Matthew Sinclair, an imprisoned spymaster, plots his escape. And his former protégé Claire Haskell, capable of hacking into both nets and minds, is realizing that all her powers may merely be playing into Sinclair’s plans. For even as Claire evades the soldiers of East and West amid carnage in the lunar tunnels, the surviving members of the Rain converge upon the Moon, one step ahead of the Eurasian fleets but one step behind the mastermind who created Autumn Rain—and his terrible final secret.

Title: The Noise Within
Author: Ian Whates
Genre: Science Fiction
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

This looked so interesting. I like singularity related stories.

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from debut novelist Ian Whates!

Title: Overthrowing Heaven
Author: Mark L. van Name
Series: Jon & Lobo 3
Cover Art: Stephen Hickman
Genre: Science Fiction
Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
Publisher: Baen (excerpt & blurb)
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

Jon & Lobo is light entertainment that keeps me reading.

It began as a favor to a woman trying to get away from an abusive husband.

Jon Moore grew up in a prison laboratory. When he escaped with nothing but his body’s nanotech enhancements and more anger than even a long lifetime could wash away, an entire planet died behind him. Memories of the things he’d done still haunted him; because of them, he often ended up helping those in need.

His kindnesses frequently didn’t work out well. This one really didn’t work out well. It hurled Jon and Lobo, the intelligent assault vehicle and Jon’s only friend, down an accelerating, ever more dangerous spiral involving:

Private armies and government covert ops teams

A courtesan who always seems a step ahead of him

Rival superpowers that define Good in terms of their own advantage and Ethics as whatever doesn’t get in the way of their Good

And a brilliant, amoral scientist to whom human beings are just more experimental animals–and who might be Lobo’s creator.

Jon and Lobo take the reader on a headlong rush through armed enemies and untrustworthy allies and encounter what just might be the worst danger their partnership will face: the truth.

Title: Dead in the Family
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Southern Vampire/True Blood 10
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Hardcover: 320 pages | Paperback: 304
Publisher: Ace Hardcover, May 4, 2010 (US) | Wheeler Publishing Large edition 5 May 2010 (UK) | Gollancz 12 May 2011 (UK)
Order: Ace | Amazon US | UK | B&N

I love the True Blood tv show and it lead me to the books.

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry…

Title: The Ambassador’s Mission
Author: Trudi Canavan
Series: The Traitor Spy Trilogy 1
Genre: Fantasy
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

The Black Magician and The Age of Five trilogies were good reads.

Sonea, once the despised commoner in the Magicians’ Guild, is now a Black Magician of Kyralia. Though she is now part of the establishment, she comes to find that the past is not so easily left behind…

Lorkin, Sonea’s rebellious son, has volunteered to join the formidable Lord Dannyl in his new post as Guild Ambassador to Sachaka – a land ruled by cruel, slave-owning black magicians. There is suspicion that some of the Sachakans still harbor dreams of conquest, so when word comes that Lorkin has gone missing, Sonea is desperate to find him. However, Guild law states that if a Black Magician leaves the city he or she will be exiled forever.

As she fears for her missing son, Sonea dedicates herself to helping her old friend Cery. For some time, there has been fear and paranoia on the streets of Imardin. Leading thieves have been dying under irregular circumstances. The need to discover who has been picking off the leading thieves of the city is now a very personal crusade – one that Sonea must aid, for the killer appears to be using magic.

Either a member of the Guild is leading a double life as a hired killer, or there is – once again – a rogue magician on the streets of Imardin . . .

I also ordered some books published before out in new form:

Conspirator by C. J. Cherryh (Foreigner 10) from Amazon US

Other Books of Interest

Title: Climate of Change
Author: Piers Anthony
Series: Geodyssey
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Order: Tor | Amazon US | UK | B&N

This sounds epic. I am tempted.

A remarkable epic of passion and courage, savagery and survival, Piers Anthony’s “Geodyssey” is a saga unlike any ever written. It is nothing less than the story of humanity itself, told through the lives of a handful of extraordinary men and women reborn throughout history.

Now, with Climate of Change, Anthony introduces us to a new cast of characters, including Keeper, who knows the ways of nature, Rebel, a headstrong girl as brave as any man, Craft, a cunning inventor, and Crenelle, who uses her seductive charms to defend her people.

Through their eyes, we see how some of the most crucial moments in human history have been driven by natural forces, from the great ice ages of prehistory to the droughts and plagues that have destroyed history’s proudest civilizations. And we witness a harsh but hopeful future in which humanity at last transcends the devastating effects of climate change.

Title: Deceiver
Author: C. J. Cherryh
Series: Foreigner 11
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: DAW
Order: DAW | Amazon US | UK | B&N

I am following this series but I buy the paperbacks, because I started with paperbacks back when it started. Must keep the shelves neat :)

The civil war among the alien Atevi has ended. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with Cajeiri, his son and heir, has returned to the Bujavid, his seat of power. But factions that remain loyal to the opposition are still present, and the danger these rebels pose is far from over.

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February 2010 in Reading v2

Books No Responses »

Mar 022010

February has been a hectic month. I usually read more books than this but work has intruded much on my leazure time this month, we are about to hatch a new product soon. It has not been easy to rank these fine books. I am trying a new format with a concentration of my reviews, better? worse? Read the reviews if you want to know more.

I made mistake with the feed earlier this month so I have to make 2 similar posts to get it right, sorry ignore the other

The God Engines by John Scalzi

John Scalzi treads new domains with this dark Gothic Opera of star travel, faith, living gods, sex, violence and space battles which channels the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft…

… The God Engines is a chilling horror story set in a world with living manifested gods, so it has to be fantasy? Well, maybe, there is a lot of Space Opera and science fiction in this fantasy story. I think it’s magnificent and I love the inventiveness of the story, using gods as engines! I am just sorry it is so short, the plot could easily have been made into a full length novel. I say convinced that it would be easy for John Scalzi, him being such a fantastic writer (nudge, nudge).

The Course of Empire by Eric Flint & K. D. Wenthworth (Empire Series 1)

The reason I am reviewing The Course of Empire now is that the second part The Cruible of Empire will be out next month (March 16, 2010). This is the first book in a series about an alien invasion of earth by the Jao that changes into something else under the pressure of yet another more menacing alien race, the Ekhat bent on exterminating all non Ekhat life from the universe. It holds interesting alien point-of-views (pov), alternatives to violence and an unusual positive treatment of collaborateurs…

… This is one of the best alien point of view stories I have read in a long time, the world is vivid and the characters are easy to love. I got very emotional here and there in the story, especially at the end. I would recommend The Course of Empire to anyone intrested in a good alien point of view story or if you are just looking for good science fiction.

Semper Human by Ian Douglas (William H. Keith) (Inheritance Trilogy 3)

This is the last book in a Marine Corps Saga spanning thousands of years and three trilogies. The Trilogies are first Heritage, then Legacy and finally The Inheritance Trilogy. It is an epic military saga about the Marine Corps and the Garroway family that serves in it…

… The whole series is a great homage to the Marines, where every man is a rifleman first. It is a strong moral story about standing up for your team and your ideals. It also have great world-building and believable science within the fiction. You should read the other books in the Inheritance Trilogy before Semper Human, there is lots of references. I strongly recommend the whole series to any lover of military science fiction and space opera.

The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner

It’s been said that John Brunner invented the term “worm” for a program that replicates itself on a network in this proto-cyberpunk novel from 1975.

The first half of the novel had me wondering if this was way to intelligent for me, then the fog lifted, the wow feelings started to hit me. This is a great novel! It involves the Brain Race, a development from the previous Arms Race. Every superpower collect their own brain resources and develop them at great cost in institutions like Tarnover to handle the out of control speed of change in society. The novel addresses many of the problems with the ever faster changing world that are still valid today. Especially in the area of mental health…

… The Shockwave Rider impressed me with its content and how the pieces fell into place in the story and it became great. It is a few years old but much of what it tells are still valid. Read it if you can get hold of it.

Coyote Horizon by Allen Steele (Coyote 6)

Humanity meets aliens in Spindrift (4) where the Hjadd saves the day and we learns to know them better in Galaxy Blues (5) when we go and trade with them. Contact with another technologically more advanced civilization always leads to change. This time the contact is with an interstellar multi-specie civilization whose very existence challenge many of our traditional belief systems. The planet Coyote become much more than a safety vault for the overpopulated and ecologically devastated home planet. It becomes a focal point of the whole human civilization when the Hjadd sets up there embassy there and not on Earth.

This book is concurrent in parts with Galaxy Blues (5). It is a two book story the last part Coyote Destiny (7) is published in March 2010…

… I like the characterization in the beginning of the book. The world building is good, it’s one of Allen’s strengths. The storyline was clear and easy to follow. I am not so hot on this many protagonists and switching back and forth between them. It works but I personally would have preferred a more central protagonist, but that’s just me. I liked the book in general and it is a good read you don’t want to put it down…

… The book ends with a cliffhanger but you don’t have to wait long to read the last part of this story. Publication is next month. You can start reading about Coyote with this book but you you misses a lot of the backstory if you haven’t read volume 1-3.

Pleasure Model by Christopher Rowley (Netherworld Trilogy 1)

Rook Venner bring the evidence home, said evidence being Plesur, a pleasure model with long golden hair, deep blue eyes, a pert little nose and large mouth loaded with heavy lips that works like triggers on the heterosexual male mind all packed into a gorgeous young body, to protect her from rape. Only to wake up in the middle of the night by a phone call telling him to get out NOW!

Presenting Heavy Metal Pulp, a new line of novels combining noir fiction with fantastic art featuring the themes, story lines, and graphic styles of Heavy Metal magazine…

… The book doesn’t end with a Cliff hanger but leaves enough unresolved that I long for the next volume. I enjoyed the fast paced illustrated action packed spicy Pleasure Model immensely. It is a good read. It lacks somewhat in depth that can be remedied by checking out Rowley’s homepage. I would recommend it to any adult science fiction fan. I myself can’t wait until I have read the next two Netherworld books. I wonder when they will be out?

Live Free or Die by John Ringo (Troy Rising 1)

This is the first book in a new series called Troy Rising. It is an alien invasion Space Opera with an unlikely hero…

… Live Free or Die is an amusing Space Opera with a bit sketchy characters and world building but quite enjoyable. I would recommend it to readers of military science fiction with a sense of humor. I will definitely buy the rest of the series as soon as it is available.

Mirrored Heavens by David J. Williams (Autumn Rain 1)

This is the action packed first book in a new cyber-thriller series, Autumn Rain.

It starts out as one of those super action packed first scenes in a Hollywood Block Buster but here it feels like it never stops. Put a handful major characters, one mega conspiracy or two and the intrigue and mysteries of a Le Carré cold war spy thriller into the mix and splatter it out on a canvas of world-wide insurrection, high technology and dystopian cityscapes and you have a feeling what this book is…

… Mirrored Heavens is a strong first novel by David J. Williams. He presents a chilly future high-tech world of espionage and double crossing that is more than entertaining, the characters are not very deep and at times the plot might feel a bit over complex at times but so far I like it. I already have volume 2 Burning Skies here waiting. I can recommend it if you like fast paced cyber thrillers.

Starbound by Joe Haldeman

Starbound left me conflicted, I have had to have a few days to think it over before writing a review. After the human race’s near extinction from an exploding martian the earth authorities decide to send an expedition after the mysterious Other’s starship that left the solar system heading for what might be the Others home world…

… not a bad book, nor an excellent, it is somewhere in between for me. It took a little long time before the action started and when it did it was over in no time. I would recommend it if you like mysterious aliens and Defying Gravity-esque personal interaction.

I haven’t read Marsbound, and it it is supposed to be a better read than this one, maybe it suffers from middle-book-itis.

Bitter Angels by C. L. Anderson (Sarah Zettel)

Bitter Angels was written by Sarah Zettel under pseudonym. It’s a military science fiction of sorts with a central murder mystery. And I liked it much more than Kingdom of Cages, which put me off from her, seems I was wrong…

… I liked the mystery part, but it took a bit too long to get to when it started to make sense, around page 300. I wouldn’t mind if the author made faster work of that. It left only 150 pages for the real action and the characters to grow.

Now and then I felt it was too much talks, meetings and dead ends that didn’t bring the story forward, but I might have missed a point or so. It slowed it down from excellent to good in my mind. Bitter Angels is a good mystery-spy science fiction and if you like that it’s a book for you.

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