Tag Archives: Science Fiction

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

American Literature February 16, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: In the near future, a high-functioning autistic man is presented with the opportunity to be “fixed,” causing him to wonder if he was ever really broken. Review: I first read Speed of Dark a few years ago, on the recommendation of a friend. I really enjoyed revisiting it, especially now that I’m a mom and have friends who have kids on the autism spectrum. I really loved how Elizabeth Moon made Leo a real, relatable character, to the point where I really wanted him…

Hunter’s Run by George RR Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham

American Literature September 15, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After encountering an alien species in a desolate woods, a man finds himself biologically tethered to a beast-like creature, hunting a man who might be himself. Review: I listened to the audiobook of Hunter’s Run, and really appreciated the eloquence of the prose as a result. The story wasn’t half bad, either, though I’m sure my lack of familiarity with science fiction meant that I didn’t figure out the catch as soon as a more savvy reader would have. I liked the emphasis on…

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

American Literature August 18, 2009 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: A 6-year-old wunderkind enters Battle School to train to defeat the aggressive, invading Buggers. Review: This was actually my first foray into audiobooks on the iPod. I am a huge fan of podcasts, but had yet to tackle a book during the time I spend pushing my stroller and nursing Superfast Toddler to sleep. I figured Ender’s Game was a good entrÃ©e, since I have read it before and it wasn’t terribly long, only 11 hours. Since it only took me 2 or 3…

The Dark Planet (Atherton, Book 3) by Patrick Carman

American Literature May 21, 2009 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: Edgar must leave Atherton, the only home he’s ever known, to finish his creator Dr. Harding’s work on the poisoned Dark Planet. Review: The Dark Planet, a stirring conclusion to the Atherton trilogy of science fiction adventures for middle grade readers, finds Edgar heading off his home planet towards the Dark Planet, where children like him are worked as slaves tilling a despoiled earth. It’s his own journey into Mordor–except the plot of the Atherton trilogy owes more to “Lost” than Tolkien. The world…

Rivers of Fire (Atherton, Book 2) by Patrick Carman

American Literature May 18, 2009 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: With Atherton inverting, a young boy with a penchant for climbing and his friends go on a journey of a lifetime through the hidden corridors of the only world they’ve ever known. Review: Rivers of Fire, being the middle book in a trilogy, concerns itself with questions of war and evolution. Everything on Atherton is in flux, from society to the ecosystem to geology itself. I don’t want to give too many spoilers for book 1; suffice it to say that our heroes remain…

The House of Power (Atherton, Book 1) by Patrick Carman

American Literature May 15, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Atherton is a world with three levels, which have always remained apart; however, when the top level begins to sink the entire society is threatened and a young boy may be the only one with the key to survival. Review: I was glad that I knew very little about The House of Power before reading. The dust jacket is deliberately, thankfully obscure, and the story doesn’t yield its treasures readily. I love the pacing of the exposition, which kept me in suspense but not…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

American Literature March 21, 2009 Superfast Reader 9 Comments

Synopsis: Katniss Everdeen takes her sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death between teenagers, televised for the whole world. Review: I asked my YA librarian friend if The Hunger Games was any good, and her report was that it wasn’t the best book she’d ever read but she couldn’t keep it on the shelves and the kids in her school were passing it around like crazy. Being a fan of YA literature and of Rollerball-type stories, I had to check…

House of Stairs by William Sleator

American Literature March 8, 2009 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Five orphan teens find themselves trapped in a room filled with nothing but stairs, which quickly turns into an experiment that may have no end. Review: House of Stairs is a book I read about a zillion times when I was a kid. The scenario enthralled me–a seemingly endless room with stairs as far as the eye can see, and a machine dispensing pellets of food as long as the kids performed a bizarrely elaborate dance. Things get darker when the machine changes its…

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card

American Literature January 1, 2009 Superfast Reader 6 Comments

Synopsis: An account of the years between child admiral Ender Wiggins’ defeat of the formics and his career as Speaker for the Dead. Review: I have only read Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind–and honestly only the first two stuck with me–so I was largely unfamiliar with the backstory featuring Bean and Petra Arkanian that figures largely in Ender in Exile. Still, it was a welcome pleasure to re-immerse myself in the world of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who was…

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

American Literature November 28, 2008 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: After spending time incarcerated in a secret prison after a terrorist attack, a computer-savvy teen decides to fight back in the name of the Constitution. Review: I am so not cool enough for Little Brother. I’ve never hacked, coded, partitioned or flashmobbed. I don’t understand crypto and I’ve never touched an Xbox. I did learn BASIC programming when I was in elementary school, and one time I spent half a day typing in commands that I got from Mad Magazine, promising to render a…

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