Jared M.
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Science Fiction Fridays: Must-read books for the Trekkie in your life
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord After their planet is destroyed, an alien race looks for help from humans and other races in the universe while struggling to keep their culture alive. A smart, moving novel that features alien species that will remind one of the Vulcans and Betans from Star Trek,… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Top 5 astronauts having a bad day
What kid hasn’t dreamt of being an astronaut? Being chosen among the elite to venture into space and explore the unkown is a childhood fantasy almost everyone has indulged in. However, in the world of science fiction, being an astronaut is not exactly the safest nor glamorous profession popular culture has imagined. So here are… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: 5 sci-fi reads that would make great summer blockbusters
Extinction by Mark Alpert The Chinese military have created an artificial intelligence that is tired of being under the government’s thumb and only Jim Pierce, an ex-military officer, and his computer hacker daughter stand between mankind and total assimilation. This near-future thriller feels both cutting edge and frighteningly Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Springtime horror is in the air
American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett Mona Bright inherits a house in the small, practically unknown town of Wink, New Mexico, and moves there in the hopes of discovering more about her mother’s mysterious past. However, the townspeople of Wink don’t take kindly to strangers and Mona begins asking questions that they don’t want answered. Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The romance of histories that never were
Spring is in the air and it’s got me in the mood for some light, but never fluffy, romantic fantasies. This past week, I read three alternate histories that had romance and magic in abundance. What books would you suggest for a great alternate history with a gripping love story? Continue reading
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Science Fiction Friday: Carnal pleasures
IF you’re looking for a great fantasy read, try this one on for size! Wraeththu by Storm Constantine Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Jurassic panic
If you’re of a certain age, the Jurassic Park movie holds a very special place in your heart. It had everything: science, action, Jeff Goldblum and most of all dinosaurs! The book was even better and turned a whole new audience on to the particular joys of Michael Crichton’s science thrillers. In preparation for the… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Swashbuckling fantasies for all kinds of voyages
Quintessence by David Walton A disgraced doctor and a cold-blooded con man in alternate history 16th-centruy England seek out Horizon, a fabled land across the ocean that holds great riches and even greater dangers. A delightfully unconventional little book that takes its time laying out its players and adding layers to a nuanced fantasy world.… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: How to build a good fantasy
Part of the fun of reading fantasy is just sitting back and marveling at the world-building. Reading how an author unfurls the details of a strange and unknown world is a hallmark of fantasy that other genres approach, but few embrace with such gusto. Lately in my reading I’ve noticed some authors taking the idea… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: A sleight of hand
The perfect weekend read for anyone who enjoys short stories with wonder, magic, heart and hidden depths that appear seemingly out of nowhere. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link Other quirky, oddball and otherwise strange magic realism books you may enjoy Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Fantasy to tickle your brain
Fantasy isn’t just about epic quests or magical kingdoms or ancient races of mythic creatures. It’s also about using fantastical elements to illustrate larger themes of the human experience or as a metaphor for real world issues or philosophies. So while there are plenty of epic fantasies that do tickle the brain, they often overshadow… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Three picks for the dystopia hungry reader
Flash Point by Nancy Kress With the United States in a permanent recession, Amy is forced to participate in a reality television show where she is never sure if the dangerous threats are real or manufactured. Fast-paced and smart science fiction that manages to be gritty and frighteningly believable in its portrayal of the future. Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: The fantastic folly of youth
It’s really not a secret that some of the best science fiction written in the past ten years has been classified as young adult. While most people acknowledge the distinction between adult and young adult science fiction does not denote quality, I find that few science fiction fans read juvenile genre fiction, besides some of the… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Love and triangles
It may be only the beginning of February, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start talking about love. But this being a science fiction and fantasy column, we’re talking about love stories from a different angle. To be more accurate, triangles. Here are three science fiction and fantasy romances that feature all sorts of romantic… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Exposed to the elements
As the wind blows, the rain falls and snow looks to be on our horizon, here are three books that feature the elements, in their many forms and iterations. People of the Raven by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear The Raven people and the Northwind people become locked in an epic battle for… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Thrillers that are out of this world
Three science fiction thrillers that are the perfect antidote to the post-holiday doldrums. Echoes of an Alien Sky by James P. Hogan Colonists from Venus have just begun settling on the mysterious planet Earth as Kyal Reen, a Venusian scientist, leads a team of experts to discover the truth behind the disappearance of the races… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Top twelve of 2012 Part 3 of 3
Part III in the countdown of the best genre fiction of the year. Part I can be found here and part II can be found here, and don’t forget to leave your favorites in the comments! Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow A gorgeous, melancholy book about a shattered superhuman and a young man with a secret… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Fridays: Top twelve of 2012 Part 2 of 3
Part II in the countdown of the best genre fiction of the year. Part I can be found here, and don’t forget to leave your favorites in the comments! The Croning by Laird Barron A tiny candelight held up to the moments in life where reality turns to nightmarish horror. Barron explores one man’s flickers… Continue reading