Adult

The Dagger and the Coin – Book 3: The Tyrant’s Law – Daniel Abraham

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Hey Jared,

Ok, I don’t really know what to do for this review. Either my experience was reflective of the material or…….I’m just completely unfocused.

thetyrantslawTitle: The Tyrant’s Law
Series: The Dagger and the Coin; Book 3
Author: Daniel Abraham
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: UU, Medieval, Dragons (Extinct?), Magic
Synopsis: The tyrant Geder Palliako had led his nation to war, but every victory has called forth another conflict. Now the greater war spreads out before him, and he is bent on bringing peace. No matter how many people he has to kill to do it. Cithrin bel Sarcour, rogue banker of the Medean Bank, has returned to the fold. Her apprenticeship has placed her in the path of war, but the greater dangers are the ones in her past and in her soul. Widowed and disgraced at the heart of the Empire, Clara Kalliam has become a loyal traitor, defending her nation against itself. And in the shadows of the world, Captain Marcus Wester tracks an ancient secret that will change the war in ways not even he can forsee.
Recommendation: Adult, but mid to late teen could probably read it too. Series is highly recommended!

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The Dagger and the Coin – Book 3: The Tyrant’s Law – Daniel Abraham

The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred By Greg Egan

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Hey Jared,

Another short read, but not as good as the last one.

fourthousandeighthundred.jpgTitle: The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred
Author: Greg Egan
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Distant Future, Space Colonization
Synopsis: Camille is desperate to escape her home on colonized asteroid Vesta, journeying through space in a small cocoon pod covertly and precariously attached to a cargo ship. Anna is a newly appointed port director on asteroid Ceres, intrigued by the causes that have led so-called riders like Camille to show up at her post in search of asylum. Conditions on Vesta are quickly deteriorating—for one group of people in particular. The original founders agreed to split profits equally, but the Sivadier syndicate contributed intellectual property rather than more valued tangible goods. Now the rest of the populace wants payback. As Camille travels closer to Ceres, it seems ever more likely that Vesta will demand the other asteroid stop harboring its fugitives.
Recommendation: Recommended but only barely.

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The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred By Greg Egan

The Murderbot Diaries – Book 1: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , 5 Comments

Hey Jared,

Ok. Getting back into things has been harder than I remember. I always struggle after Lisa has been home (no school or work) for a few days and this has been two weeks. But no excuses! I will prevail.

all systems red.jpg

Title: All Systems Red
Series: The Murderbot Diaries; Book 1
Author: Martha Wells
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Distant-Future, FTL (Wormholes?), AI
Synopsis: In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
Recommendation: I recommend this book. Teens or older.

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The Murderbot Diaries – Book 1: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Proof of Concept by Gwyneth Jones

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , 3 Comments

Hey Jared,

I’ve been a little MIA the past couple of weeks due to all the holiday stuff and some major life changes in the not too distant future. I’ve found it increasingly difficult to just sit and read, so I’m not making any promises of anymore posts for the year.

Also check out the Brandon Sanderson’s State of Sanderson post if you haven’t already.

proofofconceptTitle: Proof of Concept
Author: Gwyneth Jones
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Distant-Future, Potential-FTL, AI
Synopsis: On a desperately overcrowded future Earth, crippled by climate change, the most unlikely hope is better than none. Governments turn to Big Science to provide them with the dreams that will keep the masses compliant. The Needle is one such dream, an installation where the most abstruse theoretical science is being tested: science that might make human travel to a habitable exoplanet distantly feasible. When the Needle’s director offers her underground compound as a training base, Kir is thrilled to be invited to join the team, even though she knows it’s only because her brain is host to a quantum artificial intelligence called Altair. But Altair knows something he can’t tell. Kir, like all humans, is programmed to ignore future dangers. Between the artificial blocks in his mind, and the blocks evolution has built into his host, how is he going to convince her the sky is falling?
Recommendation: I do not recommend this book. Nothing particularly wrong with it but I don’t feel it’s worth your time.

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Proof of Concept by Gwyneth Jones

The Last Machine in the Solar System by Matthew Issac Sobin

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , 1 Comment

Hey Jared,

thelastmachineinthesolarsystemThis was just a neat little book I found at the library.

It’s a bit of a melancholy tale. No blue skies and roses here, but it is thought provoking. We as a species have trouble seeing beyond ourselves, children or grandchildren. So this sort of serves as a warning more than an accurate portrayal of our future. We have the technology, right now, to send humans to other starts. The biggest hurdles being cost and infrastructure but the book indicates that big projects have been accomplished in the millions of years it would take to get to where the book would theoretically start. The expansion of the sun.

Either way, this book was tiny and it was worth the read so if you can find it at your local library you should definitely give it a shot.

Robert

Links

The Last Machine in the Solar System by Matthew Issac Sobin

The Icarus Corps – Book 1: The Darkside War – By Zachary Brown

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , 6 Comments

Hiya Jared,

When I was browsing the shelves and stumbled across this, I was surprised to see how short it was. It’s not quite novella length but it’s certainly close. It’s small size and my wanting to read it for a few months sealed the deal.

thedarksidewar.jpgTitle: The Darkside War
Series: The Icarus Corps; Book 1
Author: Zachary Brown
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Near-Future, Aliens, FTL, Advanced Tech
Synopsis: People used to wonder if we were alone in the universe. Well, we’re not. Not by a long shot. Aliens come in all shapes and sizes, and even the good guys are likely to haunt your nightmares. And oh, you’ll have nightmares, even after you leave the service. If you leave the service. Devin is a reluctant conscript to an alien-run army: when the Accordance conquered Earth, they said it was to prepare against the incoming alien Conglomeration forces. But as Devin travels to the dark side of the moon for boot camp and better acquaints himself with his so-called allies, his loyalties are increasingly tested. Because the enemy of the enemy is not always a friend. Sometimes they’re a far, far worse threat.
Recommendation: This book is recommended. Note, there are scientific inaccuracies….like more than just made up tech.

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The Icarus Corps – Book 1: The Darkside War – By Zachary Brown

DNF – After Atlas by Emma Newman

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , 5 Comments

afteratlas

I loved Planetfall and it had been a while since I’d read it and I saw this on the shelf and I figured I’d complete the story. Oh how naive I was.

The MC was instantly grating, and the plot (or the part I read) had nothing to do with the first book. I didn’t like the world building and in general I didn’t feel it worth my time, even to read on a few more pages and see if things turned around.

I think this was mostly just a convergence of irritants than anything wrong with the book exactly. Either way, I’m moving on.

Robert

DNF – After Atlas by Emma Newman

Artemis by Andy Weir

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , Leave a comment

Hey Jared,

I’m finally getting out of my holiday slump to write some reviews and check in on how everything has been. I partially blame it on all the Black Friday Sales I was combing through but honestly I was just vegging out. Although I’ve now got all the pieces to build myself a decent PC so there’s that.

artemisTitle: Artemis
Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Modern, Hard Scifi
Synopsis: Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.
Recommendation: Definitely recommended. Teen or older, with mild language and references to sex and drugs.

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Artemis by Andy Weir

The Expanse – Gods of Risk (Novella) – By James S. A. Corey

Robert @ ReadingOverTheShoulder, , , 1 Comment

Hey Jared,

I’m really enjoying these novellas! I need more of them in my life.

Gods_of_RiskTitle: Gods of Risk
Series: The Expanse; Novella
Author: James S. A. Corey (Pen Name)
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adult
ROTS Setting: CU, Futuristic, No FTL Tech
Synopsis: As tension between Mars and Earth mounts, and terrorism plagues the Martian city of Londres Nova, sixteen-year-old David Draper is fighting his own lonely war. A gifted chemist vying for a place at the university, David leads a secret life as a manufacturer for a ruthless drug dealer. When his friend Leelee goes missing, leaving signs of the dealer’s involvement, David takes it upon himself to save her. But first he must shake his aunt Bobbie Draper, an ex-marine who has been set adrift in her own life after a mysterious series of events nobody is talking about.
Recommendation: Recommended for anyone who likes The Expanse and I suggest being familiar with the series before reading.

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The Expanse – Gods of Risk (Novella) – By James S. A. Corey