Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt (2010) – I knew going in that this book was going to be a challenge. For one thing, I don’t like time travel stories. I’ve never been that interested in “I’m my own grandpa” plotlines, and if you can travel in time, where’s the conflict and the uncertainty? But, I really like Jack McDevitt’s writing and have read many of his novels, so I thought I’d try it. It wasn’t bad. Nobody is anyone’s own grandpa. But, there […]
“Historic people are usually revered for not for the innocence of their souls, but for the lack of incriminating evidence.”
Once upon a time, David McLain wrote a book. It was good, you should read it. Then he wrote another one, this one much longer. And this one was also good! This means that instead of his first book being a lucky stab in the dark, David McLain is a Good Author. They aren’t easy to find, nowadays. (Disclaimer: David McLain wrote another book before these two. I have not read it, and therefore have no opinion of it.) Alice Anderson has many titles. World’s […]
Time Traveling Clipper Ship
To Sail the Century Sea by G.C. Edmondson (1981) – This has some nice writing in the pure science fiction vein that I appreciate. Part of his Time Ship series, it relies heavily on the writer’s time with the U.S. Marines in WWII. It has some drawbacks: being the third in a related series of books about a group of US Navy men who patrol the sea and referring to past events, having a homophobic hero, and thrusting romance on us that doesn’t quite work. […]
Confusing Isn’t Always Better
Urban Fantasy is probably my favorite genre. I love the blend of modern settings and magical energies. It’s also a great genre because it’s full of kick-ass female characters. One of my favorite series was The Hollows by Kim Harrison. Unlike some writers who just keep publishing books until the characters you once loved become gross caricatures of themselves (looking at you Laurell K), Harrison knew when it was time to end the series and she wrote the last book a few years ago. Having […]
Next time, more history less theory, please
Funny story: a number of years ago I read Blackout by Connie Willis, one of my favorite authors. I really love Connie Willis, even though there have been some disappointments (Remake is way too obvious and Promised Land. . .I don’t even want to talk about it). But when she’s on, I’m nuts for her writing. Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, which are curiously tied together by a time-travel theme and some shared characters, are two of my favorite contemporary novels, in spite of them being very […]
Good enough to make me want more, and wonder why I waited so long
Though I’m a lifelong fan of Star Trek, in its many, varied forms, this is the first time I’ve read a novel set in that universe. So it was with some trepidation that I jumped into this. I know these characters so well, and have seen all the episodes numerous times. But how would it work in book form? As far as that goes, it most works fairly well. Ward explores the inner workings of characters that have already been fully fleshed out, so he […]
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