space fiction

Space Fiction, Not Science Fiction

Alien Dimensions #22 by Neil A. Hogan, Editor

May 31, 2022 by sabian30 Leave a Comment

When I write for an anthology, I frequently receive a contributor’s copy. I enjoy reading the stories by other writers, and Alien Dimensions #22 is no exception. In “The Voiceless City” by Elana Gomel, a spaceship commanded by an AI selects a crew for a first contact mission. The unusual crew is composed of a half-dozen experts, but all of them have issues: antisocial disorder, linguistic delay, autism, and similar neurological and psychological challenges. When the ship returns from its mission, the AI and several […]

This one is for thinking, not for fun

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

June 11, 2020 by CoffeeShopReader 1 Comment

I wish I’d had more time with this novel but I had to give An Unkindness of Ghosts back to the library because someone else requested it. This means I may have had to rush reading a little and thus may not be as particular about the style and details as I might otherwise be. Here’s why this matters: this is not one of those books you read and enjoy. This is one of those books you read, either don’t exactly like or quite understand […]

Imagine being stuck in space with HAL, a zombie-virus, and your very recently ex-partner

Illuminae (Illuminae Files 1) by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

June 6, 2020 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

If you take some of the more famous bits that include humans from 2001: Space Odyssey, add a probably evil corporation out to destroy everyone and everything the main characters hold dear, a deadly zombie-like virus, and two main characters who are teenagers who have just broken up at the beginning of all the trouble, you have the basic premise of Illuminae (The Illuminae Files_01). If you know the basic types just noted, then you know the characters and the narrative already for the most […]

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