Jared M.
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Science Fiction Fridays: The best eco-horror of the year
Black Feathers by Joseph D’Lacey The world is in the middle of an environmental apocalypse and one young boy must escape the clutches of those that seek to profit from the decay to find the Crowman, a mythical champion of the planet. A strange and thrilling read that flirts between fantasy and dystopia in interesting… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 new books that go great on ice
Plaguewalker by Gemma Tarlach A brutish executioner sets off on a mission to find his runaway daughter after the plague decimates his entire village and puts him out of work. This dark fantasy has a nice dreaminess to it that is easy to get carried away in, but has vivid characterization that will make the whole… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 great horror reads to keep your thrills going through the holidays
The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All by Laird Barron A short story collection from the award-winning author melding horror, hard-boiled noir and the weird into unforgettable tales. Barron is a master at the craft of short story writing and his newest collection is yet another jewel on his crown. Fans of literary horror and… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 frightfully great books to start your October off right
The Necromancer’s House by Christopher Buehlman After an irreverent wizard inadvertently kills the wrong man, he finds himself stalked by an unrelenting terror that won’t stop until everything and everyone loves is in ruins. The book starts out like a typical urban fantasy, with humor, myths and quips that wouldn’t be out of place in… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 books every Breaking Bad fan needs to read
Fiend by Peter Stenson Two meth addicts coming down from a high find the world in the grip of a zombie apocalypse where staying alive is almost as hard as scoring their next hit. Why you should read it: It’s all about supply and demand, whether it be drugs or brains! Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The late, great Frederik Pohl
We lost one of the giants of the field this week when science fiction writer/editor/Grand Master and science enthusiast Frederik Pohl passed away at the age of 93. It’s impossible to overstate the importance and influence that Pohl has had on science fiction, and thus literature as a whole, over the many decades he has… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: An interview with Grand Master of Science Fiction James Gunn
In this week’s Science Fiction Fridays, we are honored to have an interview with Grand Master of Science Fiction, James Gunn. His stunning new novel, Transcendental, is a smart, complex and stirring novel that has echoes of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. There are so many interesting aliens in Transcendental. Where do you start when creating aliens?… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Five audiobooks guaranteed to make your commute better
Friday by Robert Heinlein In which an creche-born would-be assassin discovers the joy of polygamy. There isn’t much in the way of plot here, and the misogyny is horribly dated, but there is still plenty of charm in this comic and irreverent romp. Friday is a fun character with brains and beauty in equal bounty who searches for a… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The essential James Tiptree, Jr. reader
James Tiptree, a pseudonym for feminist science fiction writer Alice Sheldon, is one of those authors that feels like a secret treasure just for those genre fans in the know. Her influence can be seen far in wide in authors as diverse as Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin and Robert Reed. Few authors have… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Friday: The three best 19th century fantasies. Oh, also with dragons!
A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir By Lady Trent by Marie Brennan An irrepressible young woman in a stifling alternate history Victorian age finds action and adventure when her new husband takes her on an expedition to study dragons in their natural environment. The way the author uses little period details to flesh out the… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The wonderful and weird writings of Samuel Delany
Science fiction legend, philosopher, professor, critic and eassayist Samuel R. Delany will read from his new book, Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 23 at the Central Library. Delany is known for his frank, unflinching and often disturbing exploration of topics such as religion, sexuality, philos0phy, love and… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 3 steampunks perfect for summer reading
Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells edited by Ellen Datlow A stunning collection of short stories by some of the best fantasy authors in the field that range from lush historical fantasy to thrilling steampunk, and everything in between. Plenty of revenge tales (a personal favorite of mine) and all the authors capture the Victorian period… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The 5 best queer sci-fi reads of the decade
Farthing by Jo Walton Set in an alternate 1949 where Hitler won the war, Lucy and David become embroiled in a murder investigation and their only hope of exoneration is the work of a Scotland Yard investigator with secrets of his own. A wonderfully clever and dark murder mystery that has quite a bit to say… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 sci-fi reads our children’s librarians love
Red Lantern’s Revenge by Michael Acampora It’s up to the Green Lanterns Corps to save the underground seas of Mars from the Red Lanterns and the fate of Earth ‘s own polluted oceans hangs in the balance. Torn By Margaret Haddix Jonah and Katherine travel back in time to 1611 to save John Hudson, the son… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The 5 Iain Banks books you must read
It’s almost unbearably depressing that for the second week in a row this column in taken up with a tribute to a fallen giant of the genre. This past weekend British science fiction and mainstream writer Iain Banks died at the age of 59. Banks had publicly announced two months ago that he had been… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The essential Jack Vance reading list
The world said goodbye to one of the greats last week when Jack Vance died at the age of 96. Vance was one of the most sophisticated stylists in science fiction and he was known for his far-future world building and clever storytelling. If you’ve never read Jack Vance, you owe to yourself to explore… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 books that prove werewolves are the new vampires
Liar by Justine Larbalestier Micah is a compulsive liar who decides to come clean with a big revelation—but will she be believed? Is she telling the truth even to herself? This is a complicated and slippery novel that has one of the most unreliable narrators I’ve ever come across. Part of the fun is trying to… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: A science fiction reading list for Mad Men’s Don Draper
The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl In an over-populated future, Mitch Courtenay follows fame and fortune as one of the best ad copywriters in the solar system. But how does one sell products on worlds were resources are scarce but the desire to consume products is overwhelming? A dark and unflinchingly hilarious look at the… Continue reading