I want to interest new people to Science Fiction, this vibrant genre of new ideas and wow moments, thus the 10010 Top Military Science Fiction Series and the new Formidable Female Protagonists in Science Fiction part 1, part 2 and part 3 in April.

I read 16 books in April, helped by the weather and  Easter holidays. As I am writing this, I see the brown grass, even some green grass coming out of the snow, there are still piles of snow lying around and our two weeks of spring is just around the corner.

Writing is fun, doing research for the articles is also fun as I had to go back to many of my favorites and recap a little of the adventures we had together. As a ‘punishment’  for that I got a long list of rereads to do, 20 something novels or series, sweet joy.

I am a bit backlogged when it comes to reviews but the unpublished ones are halfway finished or better, I dream of having a pile of 20 or so reviews ready for when ever I need them.

These are the most popular posts in April according to Google Analytics. I am a bit sad flickering pictures of SciFi is more popular than novels but I see where it is coming from.

  1. Amazing New SF Short Film: The Raven
  2. The Gates – an update on ABC’s New Supernatural Summer Show
  3. Spielberg’s Untitled Alien Invasion Project – Pilot Review
  4. Formidable Female Protagonists in Science Fiction part 2
  5. Interesting TV Pilots Round Up
  6. 10010 Top Military Science Fiction Series
  7. Formidable Female Protagonists in Science Fiction Part 1
  8. New Science Fiction Books in May 2010 there is a revised list up now
  9. Trends in Current Science Fiction part 4
  10. Casts for upcoming CW fantasy drama Betwixt

My backlog of reviews finished in April:

  1. The Crucible of Empire by Eric Flint & K. D. Wentworth (Jao Empire 2)
  2. Coyote Destiny by Allen Steele (Coyote Chronicles 2)
  3. Trade of Queens by Charles Stross (Merchant Princes 6)
  4. Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley (The Quiet War 2) review on Temple Library Review
  5. The Myriad by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 1)
  6. Wolf  Star by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 2)
  7. Pleasure Model by Chrisopher Rowley (Netherworld 1) review on Temple Library Review

Books read this month:

  1. Dust by Elizabeth Bear (Jacob’s Ladder 1)
  2. Chill by Elizabeth Bear (Jacob’s Ladder 2)
  3. Shadow of the Scorpion by Neal Asher (an Agent Cormac novel)
  4. Grindlinked by Neal Asher (Agent Cormac 1)
  5. The Line of the Polity by Neal Asher (Agent Cormac 2)
  6. Brass Man by Neal Asher (Agent Cormac 3)
  7. Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper 1) – audio book
  8. Half Share by Nathan Lowell (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper 2) – audio book
  9. Full Share by Nathan Lowell (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper 3) – audio book
  10. Double Share by Nathan Lowell (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper 4) – audio book
  11. Captain’s Share by Nathan Lowell (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper 5) – audio book
  12. The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 3)
  13. Strength and Honor by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 4)
  14. A Mighty Fortress by David Weber (Safehold 4)
  15. South Coast by Nathan Lowell (A Shaman’s Tale in the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper) – audiobook
  16. Primary Inversion Catherine Asaro (Saga of the Skolian Empire 1)

I listen to a number of short stories mainly from my list of Science Fiction Podcasts and one stood out:

I curse the postal services in multiple countries as the books I ordered takes forever to arrive. How is it possible that a single book in an ‘envelope’ can takes 30 days from the US or in some cases even from UK to Sweden at this age? These books arrived this month (bought by me) some even on time, that’s what makes it so hard to understand why some doesn’t.

  1. Necromancer by Eric Brown (Bengali Station 1)
  2. Strength and Honor by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 3)
  3. The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch (Tour of the Merrimack 4)
  4. A Mighty Fortress by David Weber (Safehold 4)
  5. The Orphaned Worlds by Michael Cobley (Humanity’s Fire)
  6. Deliverer by C. J. Cherryh (Foreigner 9)

Don’t miss my series of

 

I had great expectations on Coyote Chronicles when I started it, but it never touched me as much as the Coyote Trilogy. It is a good enough story.

Title: Coyote Destiny
Author: Allen Steel
Series: Coyote Chronicles 2
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Ace
Order: Amazon US | UK | B&N

The unexpected arrival of a ship from Earth after their long isolation from their home world leaves the inhabitants of Coyote both hopeful and wary. The lone passenger brings news-both good and bad.

The good news is that there was a survivor of the long-ago explosion of the Robert E. Lee and he is living still on Earth, in the ruined city called Boston. The bad news is that the person responsible for that act of terrorism is also still alive-and somewhere on Coyote…

I have delayed this review again and again not wanting to write it. I loved the first five books about Coyote. Coyote Horizon left me a bit wanting with the cliffhanger in the end. The multitude of characters are a little better in Destiny. And I liked this one well enough beside the whole ‘love’ story, It just rubbed me the wrong way. That is hopefully just a personal thing for me but I feel Allen manipulated the reader’s emotions in an unfair way.

I didn’t love the Coyote Destiny but it is in general a good read. Please make up your own mind. I am not the only reviewer out there and others have been more positive.

 

It’s a happy day when you got Amazon’s small packages waiting on you when you get home. Today I got two and yesterday one that I finished reading early this morning.

Trade of Queens
by Charles Stross
Merchant Princes 6
Published by Tor

I got great hope for this book, some light hearted good fun action science fiction? hope so.

A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.

The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain–which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.

Gardens of the Sun
by Paul McAuley
The Quiet War 2
Published by Pyr

I just read The Quiet War and would like to know what’s going to happen in this one.

The Quiet War is over. The city states of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn have fallen to the Three Powers Alliance of Greater Brazil, the European Union and the Pacific Community. A century of enlightenment, rational utopianism and exploration of new ways of being human has fallen dark. Outers are herded into prison camps and forced to collaborate in the systematic plundering of their great archives of scientific and technical knowledge, while Earth’s forces loot their cities, settlements and ships, and plan a final solution to the ‘Outer problem’. But Earth’s victory is fragile, and riven by vicious internal politics. While seeking out and trying to anatomise the strange gardens abandoned in place by Avernus, the Outers’ greatest genius, the gene wizard Sri Hong-Owen is embroiled in the plots and counterplots of the family that employs her. The diplomat Loc Ifrahim soon discovers that profiting from victory isn’t as easy as he thought. And in Greater Brazil, the Outers’ democratic traditions have infected a population eager to escape the tyranny of the great families who rule them. After a conflict fought to contain the expansionist, posthuman ambitions of the Outers, the future is as uncertain as ever. Only one thing is clear. No one can escape the consequences of war – especially the victors.

Coyote Destiny
by Allen Steele
Coyote Chronicles 2
Published by ACE

This book arrived yesterday and I finished it in one night’s reading. A review is upcoming, probably this weekend or early next week.

The unexpected arrival of a ship from Earth after their long isolation from their home world leaves the inhabitants of Coyote both hopeful and wary. The lone passenger brings news-both good and bad.

The good news is that there was a survivor of the long-ago explosion of the Robert E. Lee and he is living still on Earth, in the ruined city called Boston. The bad news is that the person responsible for that act of terrorism is also still alive-and somewhere on Coyote…


 

I should have Orbital Decay somewhere but I can’t find it now. That was my first contact with Aleen Steele some time last century but it wasn’t until I read Coyote that he had me hooked. He has a real flair for portraying a pioneer spirit in his books that I like.

Series

Coyote

The Coyote books have such a nice new nation feeling, somewhat like I imagine America the years after the revolution but with aliens.

1-3 is a trilogy, 4 & 5 is standalone books in the same universe, 6-7 is a two book sequel to the first three

Links to my posts, you can see some development there I hope.

Coyote Trilogy
  1. Coyote (1-2 is in one post)
  2. Coyote Rising
  3. Coyote Frontier
Galactic Club

Coyote Chronicles
  1. Coyote Horizon
  2. Coyote Destiny (not very good)

Links

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