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By Nico Vreeland, on April 29th, 2013  Author: Karen Lord
2013, Ballantine Books
Filed under: Sci-fi
Find it at Goodreads
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
4 |
| Entertainment..... |
2 |
| Depth..... |
5 |
I think my sci-fi kick is officially over. I started reading this book after seeing a gushing post about it at io9, a preeminent sci-fi website. The post was titled “If you want to see what science fiction is capable of in 2013, you ought to pick up this book.” There are other bold claims in the piece (like “it’s a quick, fun read”), but the title is heart of the matter. If this is all science fiction is capable of these days, I don’t want any part of it.
In The Best of All Possible Worlds, there are four races of humans in the galaxy: Terrans, Ntshune, Sadiri, and Zhinuvians. The Sadiri are long-lived telepaths who have explored the universe with their “mindships”—they’re basically halfway between Vulcans and Elves. In fact, one Sadiri clan actually calls themselves Elves. It’s almost stupefyingly derivative, and the world-building is by far the best part of the novel.
The Terrans are humans as we think of them, the Zhinuvians or performers are something, and the Ntshune are… I don’t even know. Partially that’s because the utterly dry and life-devoid prose put me to sleep every time I started to read this book, and partially it’s because it doesn’t matter what the Ntshune are, because they have nothing to do with anything.
The inciting incident of the novel (I actually hesitate to call it a novel, more on that shortly), is a horrible act of genocide, committed by the Ainya against the Sadiri. Specifically, the Ainya blew up Sadira altogether. Which seems to have been a stupid decision, because the Sadiri and their semi-allies the Zhinuvians are the only ones with ships that can reach the Ain. So the Ainya are stranded wherever that planet is, and they literally don’t factor into the novel again, ever. …
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By Sean Clark, on April 15th, 2013 Author: Hannu Rajaniemi
2012, Tor
Filed Under: Sci-Fi
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
9 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
10 |
The best science fiction is the sort that goes out of its way to create an intricate, fully realized world that is both exciting to explore as a reader and comments on contemporary society at the same time. To those ends, Quantum Thief is one of the most successful pieces of sci-fi that I’ve ever encountered. The ideas in this book are dense–it’s certainly not a breezy read–but if you hang with it, the payoff is worth the effort.
It does take some hanging with, though. Many of the ideas and even some of the settings are fairly abstract, and it will take a little while fro the reader to get oriented and be able to understand exactly what is happening where. This is because the book is oozing with post-humanism concepts. It opens in a psychic prison of sorts, where a former thief named Jean le Flambeur is faced with the daily dilemma of either killing himself or being killed by a copy of himself. A roguish girl, Mieli, and her slutty spacecraft (bear with me) spring Jean from prison and take him to a city on Mars called the Oubliette, where they plan to pull off a major (and mysterious) heist.
This is where things really open up conceptually. …
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By Nico Vreeland, on March 19th, 2013 This inventive, hilarious sci-fi novel is a C4 Great Read.
 Author: Leonard Richardson
2012, Candlemark & Gleam
Filed under: Sci-Fi
Find it at Goodreads
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
8 |
| Entertainment..... |
9 |
| Depth..... |
8 |
Boing Boing is something of an unreliable place to get book recommendations. In 2011 Mark Fraunfelder called Ready Player One “the best science fiction novel I’ve read in a decade,” which made its shruggable mediocrity an unpleasant surprise.
So when Cory Doctorow said that Constellation Games “IS AN AMAZING BOOK,” I wasn’t expecting much. A debut novel, from one of Doctorow’s writing students, about a video game reviewer who makes contact with aliens. That could go wrong about a million different ways, and it can only go right maybe three. Its cover seemed to sound an extra warning; I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an uglier one, including this one.
But the Kindle version was only $5, and I’d been jonesing for sci-fi lately, so I ponied up, expecting almost nothing. Imagine my surprise when I found that Constellation Games IS AN AMAZING BOOK. …
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By Aaron Block, on January 17th, 2013  Author: Alex Raymond
2012 (anthologized), Titan Books
Filed Under: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi, Other
Find it on Goodreads.
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
6 |
| Entertainment..... |
8 |
| Depth..... |
5 |
| Art...... |
10 |
The only newspaper comic strips I read regularly or cared about were funny strips, like Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts, or one-panel gag comics like The Far Side. I hated the soap opera and adventure strips. In fact, the only adventure strip I read consistently was The Amazing Spider-Man, and then only because it featured a character I already knew from the comics. And still I hated it.
Funny comic strips began and ended within the span of those three to five panels. They’re like a fractal storytelling – part of the whole, and yet the entire concept exists within a single unit. The dramatic strips offered only the briefest fragment of a story, and never enough information to usher new readers into the plot. I never felt guilty skipping Prince Valiant, Apartment 3-G, or any of the others. But Flash Gordon: The Tyrant of Mongo, the second volume of Titan Books’ reprints of the original strips, has me reconsidering my clean conscience.
The Tyrant of Mongo collects the color Sunday strips drawn by Alex Raymond and co-written by Raymond and Don Moore from 1937 to 1941, each fully restored by Peter Maresca. The restoration is stunning – the palette shifts effectively between the muted earth tones of the planet Mongo and Flash’s bright costumes, and Raymond’s careful line work and shading are preserved. A disclaimer on the edition page asks for the reader’s patience with variations in quality considering the condition of some of the original art, but any differences I noticed were minor, and never distracted from the reading. And as each strip takes up a full page, the panels blossom to reveal the fine detail and control of Raymond’s art.
Raymond earned his place in the cartoonists and illustrators pantheon, along with Milton Caniff, Hal Foster, and Will Eisner, with his work on Gordon (not to mention Jungle Jim and the detective strip, Rip Kirby) and his influence on Golden Age comic book artists, most notably Jack Kirby, is evident in every strip. And the intricately designed machinery, fantastic clothes and costumes, and use of dynamic close-ups and panel composition on display in the Flash Gordon strips continues to define the look of comic books. And while Raymond’s art could be considered stiff, particularly in contrast to that of Kirby or any number of contemporary cartoonists, it’s just as compelling. Consider that Raymond was producing strips of this caliber on a weekly basis for close to a decade, and the resulting quality is all the more impressive. …
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By Mike Beeman, on November 27th, 2012 Author: Kevin J. Anderson
2012, Titan
Filed Under: Sci-Fi
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| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
6 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
4 |
Anderson’s entertaining The Martian Wars offers a return to the gilded age of science fiction for an H.G. Wells-inspired mash-up, a fast-paceed romp through many of the author’s best-known works.
Anderson’s novel begins in fact, with a young Wells studying with T.H. Huxley, grandfather of writer Aldous Huxley, a man known as “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his aggressive proselytization of the new theory of evolution. Anderson introduces his fictional conceit early on, when Wells, speculating on extraterrestrial life with Huxley, muses:
Perhaps even now the Martians are regarding Earth with envious eyes.
Even casual fans will recognize this dialogue as an appropriation of War of the Worlds’ opening lines. Anderson’s first chapters continue in this vein, introducing the reader to many of Wells’ best-known plots and characters, including Dr. Moreau, the Invisible Man, and of course the Martian invaders, whom Wells soon learns are planning for the invasion he warns of in his then-unwritten novel. …
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By Eric Markowsky, on October 22nd, 2012  Author: Jonathan Lethem
2011, Doubleday
Filed Under: Literary, Nonfiction, Memoir, Short Stories, Sci-Fi
Find it on Goodreads.
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
7 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
8 |
In case you missed it last year, Jonathan Lethem’s essay collection, The Ecstasy of Influence, is out in paperback this month. It’s easy to recommend for any fan of Lethem’s work, offering a broad look at his development as a writer and some of his most cherished influences.
But it’s easy to recommend for a few different kinds of readers as well. There’s some interesting music writing in here about Bob Dylan and Rick James, essays about comic books and “Wall Art,” not to mention the Harper’s essay that lends its name to the collection, a surprising meditation on plagarism, copyright, reuse, and creativity. There’s also–and being a fan of Lethem’s fiction, I had not anticipated this–a set of pretty funny stories all featuring Drew Barrymore.
So there’re a lot of reasons you might decide to give this little collection a try, while not forgetting its self-referential structure and its circular conception of itself. Reading the whole thing straight through could be a worthwhile project for the dedicated enthusiast, but cherry picking the bits you find most intriguing is fine too, and probably equally in keeping with the book’s madcap sensibility.
At the very least, you should check out the Harper’s essay, available here or in the heart of this strange survey of the preoccupations of a writer named Jonathan Lethem.
Similar reads: The Disappointment Artist by Jonathan Lethem, Advertisements for Myself by Norman Mailer, and The Gift by Lewis Hyde.
By Nico Vreeland, on September 10th, 2012  Author: Madeline Ashby
2012, Angry Robot
Filed under: Sci-Fi
Find it at Goodreads
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
8 |
| Entertainment..... |
7 |
| Depth..... |
8 |
Despite the fact that the “robots vs. humans” premise is well-trodden territory, I continue to get excited for fiction about the intersection between humanity and technology. This sub-genre can definitely disappoint (e.g. Amped), but there’s a lot of rich material there, and in the hands of a talented writer, it can be terrific (e.g. Machine Man).
We can add vN to the terrific column. Ashby writes great prose, creates phenomenal characters, presents a unique take on the android-uprising premise, and underpins it all with satisfyingly well-researched details and nuances. …
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By Nico Vreeland, on August 23rd, 2012  Author: Charles Yu
2012, Pantheon
Filed under: Literary, Sci-Fi, Short Stories
Find it at Goodreads
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
7 |
| Entertainment..... |
6 |
| Depth..... |
5 |
Charles Yu’s last book, the novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, garnered a lot of praise and announced Yu’s talent in a big way. While I didn’t find it as entirely sublime as many others, I appreciated that talent, and eagerly awaited Yu’s next work, hoping that he would take another crucial step forward.
Unfortunately, Yu hasn’t taken a step forward. But, if you want to put a silver lining on it, you might call his new story collection a step sideways (it’s certainly better than Daniel H. Wilson’s step back).
In Universe, Yu delivered a detailed, fascinating world, but a weak plot failed to fully exploit his skills. This time around, Yu crafts a series of bizarre premises and satisfying plotlines, but doesn’t put enough depth into his characters. …
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By Sean Clark, on August 6th, 2012 Author: Guy Adams
2012, Titan
Filed Under: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Historical
Find it on Goodreads
| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
6 |
| Entertainment..... |
5 |
| Depth..... |
1 |
Of course, anyone entering into a book titled Sherlock Holmes: The Army of Doctor Moreau expecting anything deeper than “The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones” is guaranteed disappointment. So I’m going to go on the assumption you’ve looked at the cover, seen the title, the magnifying glass, and the hechtgrau dragoon with a boar’s head, and are on board with all that.
Okay, for those of you that remain, yes this is a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Well’s The Island of Dr. Moreau. Adams is faithful to his source material to the point of reverence, which is great. But unfortunately the book exemplifies the reason most fan fiction isn’t published: the “what if” premise is more interesting than the story. This is not the sort of case readers usually see Holmes tackle; tell me the idea of Holmes and Watson pursuing manbeast mutants who’ve kidnapped the Prime Minister through the London sewers doesn’t sound more akin to a DuckTales episode than an hour of Masterpiece Theater. …
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By Sean Clark, on July 16th, 2012 Author: Karen Thompson Walker
2012, Random House
Filed Under: Literary, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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| C4 Ratings...out of |
10 |
| Language..... |
9 |
| Entertainment..... |
5 |
| Depth..... |
6 |
There’s been a good deal of hype surrounding this book, due in large part to the millions Walker has reportedly made in advances. Predictably enough, there’s also been a backlash to go with all that buzz.
I’m not as down on The Age of Miracles as some reviewers (the Guardian called it “a sorry and pallid failure”), but the criticisms are justified. At times this is a very good book, and on a sentence level the writing is often beautiful. But for all The Age of Miracles brings in terms of originality, style, and even a little bit of heart, it fails to find congruity between its various parts, and ultimately it’s fairly boring. …
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