Apocalyptic Action

Time travel and time paradoxes are not among my favorite science fiction subjects but I am very fond of Gary Gibson’s Shoal Sequence (You can read my reviews of Stealing Light, Nova War, and Empire of Light) so it was after some contemplation I decided to give this new series a chance.

The ominous title Final Days is fairly descriptive. Earth is going under. This is known since humanity has learned how to create wormholes that allows travel through space and time. When scouts visit Earth 10 years in the future they found it empty of life except one man left in stasis on the moon, Mitchell Stone. They bring him back.

The question whether or not it is possible to change history once it has been observed is central to the story but so is the mystery of what really happened.

There are a few point of view characters and in the beginning it threatened to overload me a bit, I had to go back and check who was who because of the constant switching but once I got that down I started to enjoy the story more and more. The buildup is about a third of the book before the action takes over. The reader is kept in the dark almost as much as the characters.

The world-building provides a nice support to the storyline. Earth has established a few colonies. All worm hole contact with the Galileo colony was lost ten years ago and now the new gate ship is only weeks out from re-establishing the connection. There is a secret government organization that somewhat covertly explores an alien network of worm holes discovered at Tau Ceti. The other nations dislike being kept out especially China. There is a lesson or two to learn from that.

The characters struggle with themselves and each other. People face doom in different ways and that comes across. I enjoyed learning to know the characters but I am hungry for more. Luckily there will be sequels. The next one Thousand Emperors will be out next year probably around the same time this one came out.

I enjoyed Final Days quite a lot, it is a well written apocalyptic story that really engage once you get past the buildup.

Book Information

Final Days (Final Days 1) by Gary Gibson (Tor 2011) – Amazon US | UK

It’s 2235 and through the advent of wormhole technology more than a dozen interstellar colonies have been linked to Earth.

But this new mode of transportation comes at a price and there are risks. Saul Dumont knows this better than anyone. He’s still trying to cope with the loss of the wormhole link to the Galileo system, which has stranded him on Earth far from his wife and child for the past several years.

Only weeks away from the link with Galileo finally being re-established, he stumbles across a conspiracy to suppress the discovery of a second, alien network of wormholes which lead billions of years in the future. A covert expedition is sent to what is named Site 17 to investigate, but when an accident occurs and one of the expedition, Mitchell Stone, disappears – they realise that they are dealing with something far beyond their understanding.

When a second expedition travels via the wormholes to Earth in the near future of 2245 they discover a devastated, lifeless solar system – all except for one man, Mitchell Stone, recovered from an experimental cryogenics facility in the ruins of a lunar city.

Stone may be the only surviving witness to the coming destruction of the Earth. But why is he the only survivor — and once he’s brought back to the present, is there any way he and Saul can prevent the destruction that’s coming?

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The new season five of Primeval premieres tonight on Watch and by the look of this trailer it is going to be a great season. Dinosaurs and the hybrids from the future are said to be returning this season.

Primeval (Watch)
Returning season 5 - May 24 (6 episodes)

The returning Primeval cast still looks great. It is more than a bit cheesy but has a certain entertainment value. This season will focus more on Matt Anderson’s secret mission and Philip Burton’s true ambitions for Connor Temple and the ARC. Most series are over and we wait on the summer shows to wait so this is a great time to get us some time-travel fun.

For more information on the Summer Season go to the New SFF Season

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Title: Survival Kit
Author: Frederik Pohl
Genre: Collection of science fiction short stories
Paperback: 190 pages
Publisher: Panther 1979

Order from: Amazon US | UK

I am not into short stories much but this is a book I picked up in a used-bookstore in London last summer. It was a collection of short stories by Frederik Pohl and I had fond memories of the Heechee series so why not. Being a bit outside my comfort zone I read them one by one when I had time. The stories all have survival as a theme.

The Knights of Arthur (1958)

This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York and portraits some unlikely companions of Arthur the teletyping computer. The story is a bit jaded but not without merit.

Mars by Moonlight (1958)

This is quite a surprising story that doesn’t end where you think at all. In the future Mars is a penal colony where the inmates all have had their memories erased. This story feels very fifties and the ending makes you want to know how it goes then.

The Haunted Corpse (1957)

Haunted is fitting for this military science fiction about a general in charge of protecting an eccentric scientist with an invention that can kill humans by removing their soul. I liked this one even if it was chilling.

The Middle of Nowhere (1955)

Another Mars story, this one about a colony that faces technology superior to their own when the Martians attack and it becomes a story about survival. Alien mysteries and first contact in a very time typical way.

The Day of the Boomer Dukes (1956)

Naive time traveler wants to hook up with the Mafia for some fun and games. It doesn’t go as he planed when the Boomer Dukes get hold of his weaponry. An entertaining cookie, could I have another?

Survival Kit (1957)

The title story for this collection is about an alien time traveler who hires a local guide for a futuristic New York. It is set in some kind of post event future where some things are different. The guide is a small time con man who tries to con the amazing and versatile survival kit off his employer and he gets what he deserves in the end.

I Plinglot, Who You? (1959)

The last story in the collection is about first contact. Plingalot contacts all the nuclear powers and make them believe they are the selected ones where the aliens are going to land and that he is a trusted intelligence officer. It is fun to read such an early story about aliens set out to eliminate all competition.

My View

Not a bad collection if you want some fifties vibe. I enjoyed the stories even if some of them where a bit jaded. They all have that special kind of simplicity and naiveté that seems to originate in the fifties but they are not as good as his Heechee novels in my opinion. I always feel hungry for more with short stories, it is like eating fast food; it satisfies for the moment but leaves you craving for more in a few hours.

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Last Week

On Eureka last week they had a race around the moon and Alison cheated on her son’s behalf but he saved the day.

This week started with a crossover event in Warehouse 13 – 13.1 where Fargo bonded with Claudia over an upgrade of the warehouse computer system. After a match with half a brain they saved the day together with Artie.

This Week

Claudia from Warehouse 13 comes to visit and Fargo goes over the top to make her feel welcome.

Meanwhile Henry and Grant test drive the reconfigured time bridge to no appearent effect. Grant is catching up on music history so it is all done to some groovy seventies music. Henry’s wife Dr Monroe starts to get suspicious and presses both Henry and Carter on what is wrong. Henry hasn’t done his husband duties in weeks.

I enjoyed Fargonator’s (Claudia’s name for him) stopping at nothing to make Claudia feel at home even as things start to go wrong. A forest appear at GD, a bullet with complete casing materializes inside Jo and a bomber air plane inside Carpe Diem. Hm wonder if this has anything to do with the time bridge? Yes of course it does and it centers on Grant. Is he going to die of it? No of course not, Grant and Alison reprogram his nicotine patch to remove the offending particles in time.

The sequence where Fargo and Claudia go off by themselves and end up in a minefield was quite enjoyable especially when they succeeded in delaying the first fuse so they could jump out of the way and Claudia lands on top of Fargo and kisses him just as we hear the click of another mine being armed. Luckily Sheriff Carter saves them. They look good together.

Talking about looking good together it seems like Grant’s advances on Alison isn’t unappreciated. I would also say that Jo doesn’t look bad on the sofa with Carter either. Time for a change maybe?

Said and Done

What’s up bitches (Claudia)
You can trust me I was a Camp Fire Girl (Claudia)
Please tell me you kept the uniform (Fargo)
Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit smoking (Grant)

Next Week

Eureka 4.06 – Monstrosity (Syfy)
Carter goes camping with Kevin, and Henry wants to come clean with Grace while a peculiar relationship threatens Eureka.

Warehouse 13 – 13.1 (Review) August 5, 2010
Eureka 4.04 – The Story of O2 (Review) July 31, 2010
Eureka 4.03 – All the Rage (Review) July 25, 2010
Eureka 4.02 – A New World July 18, 2010
Eureka Season 4 Premiere Review July 10, 2010
Eureka Sneak Peek July 8, 2010
Eureka – 4th Season Premiere July 9 July 4, 2010
Eureka season 3 part 2 so far July 26, 2009

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I stumbled on this entertaining military science fiction on my latest trip to Stockholm and it is the first of a series. The battleship Merrimack is on a mission to find the home world of the ravenous Hive and destroy it when it stumbles on the Myriad, three populated worlds the Hive have overlooked. Adult with charming and colorful gung-ho characters just as I like it.

Title: The Myriad
Author: R. M. Meluch
Cover art: Romas Kukalis
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: DAW(January 3, 2006)
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Series: Tour of the Merrimack 1
Order: DAW | Amazon US, UK | B&N | Sfbok

The U.S.S. Merrimack was the finest battleship class spaceship in Earth’s fleet, able to stand up against the best the Palatine Empire could throw at them, even able to attack and kill swarms of the seemingly unstoppable Hive. But nothing could have prepared the captain and crew of the Merrimack to face the Myriad-three colonized worlds in the midst of a globular cluster that the Hive had somehow overlooked.

The plot is as stated above by the publisher, USS Merrimak is on a deep strike mission to try to find the home world of the Hive, a race of ravaging space traveling insects that have been striking ships and planets, eating anything living that comes their way and leaving only lifeless shells behind.

They come upon three inhabited worlds in a star cluster that seems to have been overlooked by the Hive. They meet a mystery. The Myriad as the inhabitants call themselves don’t have faster than light travel, but how do their three worlds broadcast the same news at the same time? The crew sets out to find out more before the Hive could find them.

The World building is intriguing and inventive. The Roman Empire never died, it just went underground. Have you ever wondered why most scientists or intellectuals speak Latin? They are part of a secret society that eventually will break loose from earth civilization and start their own Palantire Empire. The Hive onslaught forced the old enemies of the New Roman Empire and Earth to an uneasy peace to fight the new threat. The Romans are a nice twist.

Rebeca holds degrees in Communications and Classical Civilization which is noticeable in the rich historical backgrounds and the historical basis for some of her characters. She also talks Latin…

She also has a delightful and endearing ability to create lovable and colorful characters like Captain Farragut and his Roman liaison Augustus. Characterization is an important part of my enjoyment when I read, and I am very happy that I found another author that write characters I can love and root for.

I think you will enjoy this entertaining book. The Myriad has space battles, relentless insects , sword play, first contact, steamy relationships and surprising paradoxes. The characters Rebeca M. Meluch created here are on pair with the ones by some of my favorite authors like Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold. I can recommend the next book in the series too, a Review of Wolf Star is coming up.

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