Tag Archives: Science Fiction

The Different Girl by Gordon Dahlquist

American Literature October 28, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Veronika and the three other girls who live with her on an isolated island are mostly the same except for their hair color, but when plane crash victim May washes up on shore, Veronika begins to think in ways she’s never thought before, even as May pushes her to wake up to a truth she’s not equipped to face. Review: Gordon Dahlquist’s background as a playwright is evident throughout The Different Girl. He’s not afraid to come at things sideways, and trusts the reader…

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

German Literature December 24, 2012 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When a teenage boy gets a copy of a contraband video game, he soon learns that Erebos and the real world are bleeding together with deadly results. Review: Erebos was a fun, fast read with good plotting and a well-realized game world. It was pretty straightforward in its execution and I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied by the ending but it was a fun read nonetheless.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

American Literature December 12, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A schoolteacher travels through a wormhole to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating JFK. Review: 11/22/63 started out really strong. I loved the premise and knew that Stephen King would do a lot more than just tell the A-story of Jake Epping, time traveler and would-be history changer. The historical aspects were really well done, particularly through the life Jake builds in small town Jodie, Texas, and the love story is poignant. However, I felt like the ending was a foregone conclusion, and I…

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

American Literature October 14, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: When the eccentric creator of the virtual reality world that has become more real than the real world dies without an heir, the nerds of the world race to discover a hidden easter egg that will unlock his fortune. Review: So. Fun. Ready Player One was an absolute treat of a book–compulsively readable and fabulously geeky. The hero is Wade, known in the virtual world called OASIS as “Parzival,” a high school student who has dedicated his whole life to hunting for the hidden…

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

American Literature July 23, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Aliens take over the world with nothing but benevolence and peace, but are the changes they bring ultimately good for the human race? Review: I listened to the audio version of Childhood’s End thanks to a sale on Audible. I was really hooked the whole time, despite Clarke’s detached style. I felt the story held up mostly well, some 60 years after publication. However, Clarke was unable to imagine how radically sexual and gender politics would change in that time, and so the personal…

The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold

American Literature July 8, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Gifted a belt that allows him to time travel, a man reorders the universe to suit himself. Review: I checked out The Man Who Folded Himself because the Kindle version is only $2.99. I am really glad that I did, because I was totally riveted by this book. The book really exploits the time travel premise to a brain-busting extent, but also maintains a solid emotional core. David Gerrold holds nothing back, and the result is just fascinating.

The Inheritance and Other Stories by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm

American Literature May 12, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A set of stories by two authors sharing one body: edgy sci fi by Megan Lindholm and longer fantasy by Robin Hobb. Review: I really enjoyed almost all of the stories in The Inheritance. I liked returning to the Rain Wilds in Hobb’s stories, especially because these stories were longer. But the Lindholm stories have an edge to them that I miss in Hobb’s works, and I yearn to see more of that anger and complexity in the Six Duchies stories. This is definitely…

Resonance by Chris Dolley

American Literature November 1, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Graham Smith notices that his world shifts every now and again, but when a sexy woman claiming to be a psychic tells him that he’s at the nexus of a vast conspiracy, he has to break from routine and maybe just save the universe. Review: I picked up Resonance as a free e-book with no idea what to expect. It was quite a head trip and a very fun ride. Chris Dolley did a great job of keeping the plot moving while still allowing…

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

American Literature May 30, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Incarceron is a living prison from which no one can escape, but when the warden’s daughter makes a shocking discovery, she works to break Incarceron’s protections with the aid of a boy who believes he was born on the outside. Review: I attempted to listen to the audio book of Incarceron, but the late stages of pregnancy has made it impossible for me to concentrate on anything more complicated than nursery rhymes. But the concept really grabbed me, so I snagged a copy through…

The Healers by Thomas Heric

American Literature April 26, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Recruited by an elite medical society, an idealistic doctor discovers dark plans at odds with their stated mission to heal. Review: When I tell you that the secret of The Healers is Nazis, don’t worry, I’m not giving anything away–it’s right on the spine of the book. Set in the year 2021, the book posits a worst-case scenario where rising health costs have put medical care in the hands of only the wealthy. There are a lot of scenes where one character lectures another…

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