Science Fiction

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Entangled: Mayhem Books. Part two of Nisha J. Tuli’s Storm Breaker series, Storm Caller picks up after the first book’s high‑energy and cliffhanger ending. Featuring more overt dystopian elements, this book leans away from the typical academy setting and training arc, instead focusing on heavy world‑building that substantially expands the scope of the story far beyond New Manhattan. While this novel continues the signature storm motif and builds on the first book’s dystopian elements, it can unfortunately feel less balanced and lacking notable progression, giving it a transitional and somewhat underwhelming feel in addition to having a more juvenile tone. Following Poet’s escape through the tunnels with Rook, Storm Caller sees her outside New Manhattan and into The Wastes. While the first book largely consists of a traditional academy training arc common in YA books, this one switches up the formula and focuses on expanding the world outside the protected city. As the second book in a now‑planned trilogy, it carries much of the burden of expanding the lore: life and culture in The Wastes, the history and conflicts with New Manhattan, General Sol’s spark‑channeling ability, and exploration of…

Mixing together politically motivated corporate strategizing, samurai code of conduct, rigid society resource management, all set on a frozen and desolate planet, The Last Contract of Isako is a complex and mature story. One of the most anticipated SFF titles of the year as well as Fonda Lee’s scifi debut, this book is incredibly ambitious, featuring themes, character writing, progression, and an ending that is understated and restrained. This is not a book for those looking for heavy samurai action, futuristic cyberpunk visuals, or flashy space opera elements. But for readers that appreciate slow-burn investigative political thrillers and thoughtful reflections on aging and one’s mortality, The Last Contract of Isako does not disappoint. In many ways beyond the age of its protagonist Isako, The Last Contract of Isako is the kind of mature book conceptualized and written by an established author confident and settled to take bigger and unexpected narrative swings. Although it is described as scifi space opera with a battle-worn samurai on a last mission where she may face death at every turn, this almost feels like an attempt by the publisher to market the book and make it appear far more mainstream than it really is, hence…

A Scifi epic about identity, loyalty, and trust across time, space, and alien race, Some Desperate Glory is an ambitious book that covers an impressive amount of narrative material within its sub four‑hundred‑and‑fifty pages. A solid novel on its own, it’s even more impressive being Emily Tesh’s full length debut novel on top of winning a Hugo award and earning a Locus award nomination. At first glance, it appears to be a simple space‑opera story, but it quickly becomes much more, incorporating dystopian concepts, reality‑distorting twists, and excellent queer representation and feminist themes. Yet for how refreshingly modern its story is, this book’s character writing is what leaves a lasting impact. While I was hesitant about the book until the halfway point, I’m thrilled to say it absolutely lives up to its accolades and hype. Some Desperate Glory is one of those books that is difficult to review without spoilers, as its major twists are integral to the reading experience. Without mentioning its heavier content, the book risks sounding generic and far less interesting than it truly is. The story follows Kyr, the top cadet‑in‑training of her female cohort on Gaea Station, until she receives a shocking assignment that undermines…

In the near future, there’s a nation driven by technological advances, AI controllers, advanced cyber loopholes, and augmented dream-like sensory experiences. Generative work, entertainment, and crime intersect in an unpredictable web of connections that surrounds a young hacker Julia Z in Ken Liu’s All That We See Or Seem. Part investigative procedural drama and part technological and AI-focused commentary, All That We See Or Seem is an imaginative speculative fiction book filled with insightful discussions around future tech advances and cultural shifts that is held back by pacing issues and lackluster character work, a book whose conceptual brilliance is potentially mismatched with an underwhelming reading experience. Marketed as a scifi thriller and described by some as having cyberpunk and futuristic elements, All That We See Or Seem is a bit different from other similar sounding books in the genre. Unlike many other hacker or AI-driven books, Ken Liu’s take on the concept is considerably more grounded and realistic. Although set in the future given the technological advances featured, this story is one that could take place in the very near future as many of Liu’s scifi elements are based on hardware and software ideas that are conceptually credible. Instead of…

As charming and delightful as a speculative fiction/scifi novel can be, J.P. Lacrampe’s Valet is a lighthearted and breezy read that covers a concise and effective story about androids, their human owners, and a lot of fun shenanigans in between. Full of witty humor and sharp yet cheeky social commentary, this book effortlessly blends its lighthearted absurdist tone with unexpectedly heartfelt and effective character writing, telling a story that’s far more human than robotic. Mixing together relevant cyber topic discussions with a snappy and well-crafted story of an attempted corporate succession turned tech hostage negotiation, Valet is an excellent and fun read that’s as intelligent as it is whimsical. Following an advanced robotic scientific assistant turned personal butler assistant, Cy is an aging Verified Artificial-Learning-Enhanced Techbot seeking to please his owners and raise his operating utility score, a benchmark that determines whether he gets future feature programming updates or is retired to manufacturing facility monotony. Once the esteemed assistant to the CEO of Ai+, the developer of cutting-edge robotic technology, he is tasked by the late CEO’s widow Mrs. St. Claire to right her son Grayson’s wayward life, lack of motivation, and to marry him off. Unlike his CEO sister…