Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, society, and many other topics
I was initially leery of picking up Adrian Tchaikovsky's latest book Shroud. It seemed to have a space horror vibe, and while I've enjoyed a lot of Tchaikovsky's work, I'm not a horror fan. I don't mind if a story has elements of it, but usually don't enjoy straight horror. Thankfully, Shroud isn't horror, but … Continue reading Shroud
Iain Banks' Culture setting is probably the closest thing to outright paradise in science fiction. It's an interstellar post-scarcity techno-anarchist utopia, where sentient machines do all the work and the humans hang around engaging in hobbies or other hedonistic pursuits. Some do choose to work, but there's no requirement for it since money isn't required. … Continue reading A reread of Consider Phlebas
Not Till We Are Lost is the fifth Bobiverse book by Dennis Taylor. I've been following these books for years. Although there's usually a delay in reading new releases because they're initially exclusive to Audible. I do listen to the occasional audiobook, but most of my reading is Kindle editions. Thankfully they subsequently get released … Continue reading Not Till We Are Lost
For some reason I had never read Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, and recently decided to remedy that. Like most classic sci-fi novels, it's a quick read, much shorter than most contemporary novels. It's often been called a Vietnam veteran's response to Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Haldeman himself disputes that, although he admits it's … Continue reading The Forever War
A few weeks ago I reviewed Neal Asher's new book Dark Diamond. It takes place in his Polity universe, a future interstellar society ruled by AIs, where everyone is effectively immortal, but in a dangerous universe. That book featured Ian Cormac and other characters from his earlier Agent Cormac series. I read the first book … Continue reading The Agent Cormac series
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the movie Mickey 17, which I found fairly intelligent. That movie is based on a book, Mickey 7, by Edward Ashton. The book turned out to be on Kindle Unlimited and didn't look long, and I needed a break from some of the other stuff I was reading, … Continue reading Mickey 7
Over the years I've recommended a number of Neal Asher's books. Although recently I haven't found his stuff as compelling. Dark Diamond represents something of a return to form for him: epic space opera. The story takes place in his Polity universe, one where Earth and its interstellar colonies are ruled by AI. The AIs … Continue reading Dark Diamond
The Mercy of Gods is the first book in James S. A. Corey's new space opera series: The Captive's War. James S. A. Corey is the pen name for the writing duo Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the authors of The Expanse book series. This new series appears to be either in a brand new … Continue reading The Mercy of Gods
This week I came across Scavenger's Reign, a sci-fi animated series on Netflix. The show is about a crew stranded on an alien planet, Vesta, with an interesting ecosystem. It chronicles the efforts of isolated groups to survive. The groups have little hope of a rescue. It's revealed upfront that the company they work for … Continue reading Scavenger’s Reign, and other TV notes
Shows based on video games have gotten better in recent years, and Halo seems to fit this trend. I never got into the games, so my knowledge of the premise only comes from the show. Humanity is at war with an alien civilization known as the "Covenant". The Covenant seems determined to eradicate humanity for … Continue reading Halo
SelfAwarePatterns 