Tag Archives: Science Fiction

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

American Literature 10 Comments

Synopsis: In which a journeyman in the guild of torturers becomes ruler of the world. Review: I should have reviewed this book in two parts, because it’s published that way, as Shadow and Claw and Sword and Citadel. Perhaps I would be less intimidated by the prospect of discussing what ended up being an immense, sprawling, daunting work if I took smaller bites. Too late now. The Book of the New Sun is an epic fantasy with science fiction elements, or perhaps it is the…

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In the Face by Lorelei Armstrong

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: When a famous movie star appears to have dumped a body on his plastic surgeon’s balcony, a simulation-obsessed detective delves into a seamy world where there are no limits to what people will do for fame. Review: Babies getting plastic surgery–that’s all I needed to hear to get interested in Lorelei Armstrong’s debut, In the Face. Melding a hard-boiled style in the tradition of James M. Cain and Andrew Vachss with a cyberpunk sensibility, Armstrong delivers a fast-moving, intellectually stimulating thriller with a strong…

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Top 48 SF Movies Based on a Novel

On Reading

I’m meme-crazy because I love my baby more than this blog. It’s true! (But I have a lot of love to go around, so don’t worry.) From A Dribble of Ink: Copy the list below. Mark in bold the movie titles for which you read the book. Italicize the that you’ve watched. 1. Jurassic Park 2. War of the Worlds 3. The Lost World: Jurassic Park 4. I, Robot 5. Contact 6. Congo 7. Cocoon 8. The Stepford Wives 9. The Time Machine 10. Starship…

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

American Literature, Russian Literature 14 Comments

Synopsis: A boy marked for termination and organ harvesting escapes into a world where he has no legal right to live. Review: I heard about Unwind from the Queens Library, in an email newsletter talking up good new young adult books. I’m so glad that I did, because it’s a dystopian thrill ride in the same vein as Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies trilogy, only with the same intellectual depth and emotional heart that you find in Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Here’s the deal with unwinding. Anyone…

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World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler

American Literature 13 Comments

Synopsis: The world has moved on, thanks to climate change, a worldwide oil shortage, and population devastation from superbugs, and in one small corner of New York State, the world is being rebuilt by hand. Review: Anyone who spends much time with me will eventually learn that I am obsessed with The Long Emergency, one of World Made By Hand author James Kunstler’s non-fiction treatises. I have always been drawn to the apocalyptic, and now that I am a mother I can worry about the…

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Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

On Reading 16 Comments

Synopsis: A young woman discovers her destiny among a cadre of psychic dragons, and hatches a radical plan to save her planet from a deadly threat using time travel. Review: I wish I had discovered Pern when I was in high school. Dragonflight, one of Anne McCaffrey’s books set in the dragon-strewn world, is perfect YA sci fi fantasy. Lessa is a fantastic heroine whose impulsive acts have big consequences, and the book doesn’t try to achieve too much. It’s difficult to talk about a…

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Dreamsongs (Volume 1) by George RR Martin

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: The first of two anthologies featuring short stories by George RR Martin, ranging from fantasy to science fiction to horror to genre hybrids. Review: I am one of those readers who had never heard of George RR Martin before encountering A Game of Thrones, book one in his Song of Ice and Fire series. What I did not know is that Martin has had a prolific career as a short story writer, primarily in the genre of science fiction. Dreamsongs Volume 1 includes some…

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Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury

American Literature

Synopsis: Two novellas by Ray Bradbury. “Somewhere a Band is Playing” is a portrait of an unusually idyllic town, and “Leviathan ’99” is a retelling of Moby-Dick set in outer space. Review: Now and Forever contains two gorgeous gems in one slim volume. I have loved Ray Bradbury since childhood, with The Illustrated Man being my all-time favorite of his. I remember watching the old “Bradbury Tales” TV show in the 80s, which closed with a tag of Bradbury at his typewriter ripping off a…

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This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

American Literature

Synopsis: Basically Brave New World crossed with 1984. Review: There isn’t an original idea in This Perfect Day. It’s also got one of those scenes where the main character rapes his love interest to prove his mastery, and she resists then totally gets into it and it ends up being just what she needed to become fully alive. Blech. I’m already annoyed at the time I lost reading this thing, and I don’t feel like giving it any more of my life, so that’s it…

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