novella

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells Series: The Murderbot Diaries #3 Genres: Adult, Fiction, Novella, Science Fiction, Thriller Published by Tor on August 7, 2018 Format: eBook Pages: 150 Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?  Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.  And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good. Entry #3 in Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, Rogue Protocol continues the series’ perfect formula of a great action adventure with snappy and sarcastic humor. While I found the previous entry Artificial Condition to be a bit slow and a tad heavy with its setup, Rogue Protocol felt like a welcome return to All Systems Red’s more ideal balance with a more extensively developed plot that connected back to the series’ loose overall narrative. At this point it goes without saying that the tone and humor of the series is pitched perfect for me and something I don’t really need to spend much time on (I would assume if you’re reading this review you must be …

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells Series: The Murderbot Diaries #2 Genres: Adult, Fiction, Novella, Science Fiction Published by Tor on May 8, 2018 Format: eBook Pages: 149 It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.  Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.  What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks… After the largely self-contained All Systems Red, the second novella in Martha Well’s Murderbot Diaries series Artificial Condition had a lot to cover within <160 pages. As the sequel in a now extended series, this novella needed to function both as a standalone story as well as a transitional piece for the rest of the series. While it ultimately accomplished both tasks, I personally found Artificial Condition to be slower and less exciting to read compared to All Systems Red (still a great overall read however). While All Systems Red featured …

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston Series: The Improbable Meet-Cute #5 Genres: Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Romance, Short Story Published by Amazon Original Stories on January 22, 2024 Format: eBook Pages: 43 Every person she kisses finds their true love, and it’s never her—until now, in this funny and magically romantic short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.  Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own.  Ashley Poston’s With Any Luck is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.  This was short novella was fine and a quick sub-25 minute read. Part of the Amazon’s The Improbable Meet-Cute …

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw Genres: Adult, Adventure, Fantasy, Folklore, Gothic, Horror, Novella Published by Tor Nightfire on May 2, 2023 Format: eBook Pages: 112 “Khaw’s poetic prose and stylish approach to gore make it a blood-soaked, unforgettable gem.” —The New York TimesFrom Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth, comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairy tale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. A Best Horror Book of 2023 (The New York Times, Library Journal) • A Best Book of 2023 (NPR) • A Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award Nominee! • An Indie Next Pick You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three “saints” who control them. The mermaid …