LAST UPDATE
12/29/23
The Mountain in the
Sea by Ray Nayler, Picador, 2023
Without
checking back for competitors, I'd say this first novel would probably
be my choice as best SF novel of the year. A scientist and an android on
an isolated Asian archipelago attempt to communicate with a newly
discovered, long lived species of octopus that uses symbols, lives
communally, and actively spies upon humans, who are clearly its major
enemy. The backdrop is a restructured world where corporations sometimes
hold more power than countries, where the only living android is forced
into exile to avoid being destroyed, and where terrorists plan their
attacks primarily electronically. The book also considers the nature of
consciousness, the difficulties of communicating with an entirely alien
species, and other peripheral issues. Very understated - most of the
violence takes place off stage - and very thoughtfully done. 12/29/23
Acapulco Gold
by Edwin Corley, Warner, 1972
It’s
a real stretch to call this SF even though it’s set in what was then a
near future in which marijuana is about to be legalized. The story
centers on the advertising agency where plans are being made for a
campaign to start as soon as the President elect takes office, since he
is vocally supporting decriminalization. But Congress and the state
governments would also have to be convinced – which problem the author
addresses only passingly. He also has the program disrupted by the
discovery that marijuana is highly addictive – which is not true. This
was Corley’s weakest book – too talky, poorly researched, and
unconvincing. 12/24/23
Lesser Evil by
Timothy Zahn, Del Rey, 2023
Third
and final volume in this Star Wars related series. The alien Chiss have
been under a kind of political/military siege for some time. One of
their number, Thrawn, has already foiled two concerted attempts to
undermine his people. There are several other major characters as well,
and their individual plotlines intertwine as the story nears its climax.
The solution lies in part in the distant past. There is plenty of
military style action for fans of that device, a touch of alien
psychology, lots of political intrigue, and an overall aura of the Star
Wars universe, although the novel could have just as well have been
written with no reference to that background. This is a very long novel,
almost equaling the previous two books combined, and its ending is not
exactly what I was expecting. 12/20/23
The Man from
Tomorrow by John Russell Fearn (as Vargo Statten), Scion, 1952
Minor
story in which a mystery man appears following a meteorite shower. He
saves a reporter from a mugger/rapist and a woman from her murderous
husband. Both offenders die shortly after the encounter. He is, not
surprisingly given the title, a man from the future who has psychic
powers including the ability to compel people to destroy themselves.
Although he can read minds and thoroughly knows the present, he
inexplicably asks silly questions. He does not understand cigarettes,
for example. The prose isn’t awful but the plot is a patchwork of
clichés. 12/19/23
Greater Good
by Timothy Zahn, Del Rey, 2022
Second
in a trilogy set in the Star Wars universe. A mysterious military attack
has led to a mission of discovery led by an alien named Thrawn. At the
end of the first book, he had dealt the clandestine enemy a serious
blow, but the threat is still there. The enemy has developed an
elaborate plan to turn his people against one another by exploiting
generations long grudges and rivalries and by introducing new tensions
into a rather tumultuous culture. There is less action than in the first
book, until the closing chapters, and more political machinations both
internally among Thrawn’s people – the Chiss – as well as by the agents
of the hostile power. There is a climax, but it is obvious that the
story is not over. 12/19/23
Siege by Edwin
Corley, Avon, 1969
This
was the best of a small flurry of Black rebellion novels that appeared
around this time, set in the near future. A Black marine general whose
family was murdered snaps and helps mastermind a plan to capture all of
Manhattan and trade it back in return for the state of New Jersey. The
whole plan is impractical from the start, and things really turn bad
when Shawcross discovers that his partner in the scheme actually was
responsible for the murders, designed to push him into rebellion. There
are good and bad characters on both sides and the inevitable collapse of
the rebellion is dramatic, if not entirely plausible. 12/17/23
The Third Eye
by Theodore Cogswell, Belmont, 1968
Cogwell
wrote only short stories, plus a collaborative Star Trek novel, and is
largely forgotten now. These stories are all more or less intended to
be funny and sometime they succeed. Cogwell was pretty much a one note
writer and these all blur together even after rereading them. They
involve deals with the devil, aliens intent upon eating humans, an odd
kind of alternate to Hell, time travel, ludicrous situations made worse
by incompetency and coincidence, old jokes reapplied, and a touch of
fantasy here and there. Cogswell will be remembered, if at all, for his
work editing a journal of genre criticism. 12/14/23
The Wall
Around the World by Theodore Cogswell, Pyramid, 1962
A
collection of mostly humorous short stories including both SF and
fantasy. The best known is “The Specter General,” a novelette about two
surviving military units from a collapsed galactic empire and their
interaction. It was the author’s first published story and he never
wrote another as good. Other stories include supernatural murder, toying
with one’s personal destiny, experiments in time travel gone awry, post
apocalyptic chaos, and child invaders. The title story is a fantasy
about a circumscribed world and a young boy who decides to find a way to
find out what lies outside the impassable wall. 12/14/23
Narabedla, Ltd
by Frederik Pohl, Del Rey, 1988
Several
entertainers go missing or experience mysterious and unverifiable deaths
after a mysterious organization recruits them for a private tour. He is
eventually kidnapped to Aldebaran, which is the base for a touring
company of kidnapped musicians from Earth. There is a long middle
section in which not much happens. We learn about various aliens, their
patronizing attitude toward humans, their animosities among themselves,
and the protagonist is transformed into an opera star. Eventually he is
allowed to return to Earth as escort for a disguised alien and is
co-opted into the clandestine kidnappings. I was rather bored for most
of the novel. 12/11/23
Chaos Rising by
Timothy Zahn, Del Rey, 2021
I
hadn't read a Star Wars novel in several years so I decided to try this,
first in a new trilogy involving Thrawn, a character Zahn introduced
decades ago. This is set early in his career. A mysterious attack on his
home planet raises questions about who was responsible and why they made
such a doomed effort. He is sent off to investigate and find the answers
he finds only lead to different questions. This was an okay space opera
but despite a few virtual cameos, it did not feel remotely like the Star
Wars universe to me. 12/9/23
The Genesis Rock
by Edwin Corley, Dell, 1980
A
disaster novel, although the disaster only occurs about two thirds of
the way through the novel. A new subway project in Central Park disturbs
and unsuspected subterranean fault. When the contractors flush water
into the system, it triggers an eruption as a small volcano forms in the
middle of Manhattan. The usual attempts to contain the problem – a
hastily built wall around the area for the most part – fail and
eventually a nuclear weapon is used to open an undersea vent to the
ocean. The characters are not particularly vivid. Not bad but it takes a
long time to get going. 12/5/23
The Renegade Star
by John Russell Fearn (as Vargo Statten), Scion, 1951
A
rogue star is headed for the solar system and the government refuses to
allow scientists to initiate a plan to build underground shelters. As it
comes closer, there is belated action, but analysis indicates that the
entire solar system will be destroyed, killing all life. An ambitious
plan is launched to move Earth to Alpha Centauri. A machine is designed
which will allow the relocation to take less than a week. Something goes
wrong and Earth ends up circling an unknown star, but its orbit seems
stable and life seems likely to return to something like normal. Then
projections suggest it will fall into the new sun. Something called
ether magnets are constructed to stabilize the orbit. The story then
introduces a murder mystery and some personal conflicts before the
protagonist – an unusual woman scientist – disappears with Earth
apparently finally safe. Awful science, bad writing, amusing for the
wrong reasons. 12/5/23
Terror by Frederik
Pohl, Berkley, 1986
This
is only marginally SF. A secret government project is investigating the
possibility that an undersea volcano can be altered in order to bring
devastating climate change to the Soviet Union. This is mixed in with a
story about Hawaiian nationalists who perform brutal acts of terrorism.
The survivor of a hijacking gets caught in the middle and has various
adventures. A Russian defector has to find a way to walk a path between
two ruthless opposing forces. I found this one completely implausible.
It is probably Pohl’s weakest and least interesting novel. 12/3/23
The Annals of
Heechee by Frederik Pohl, Del
Rey, 1987
The
fourth and final novel in the Heechee series brings the crisis to a
head, although only after seemingly endless digressions, pointless
flashback, extended discussions of technical and social problems, and
with a subplot about terrorists that feels completely out of place. The
Assassins have finally emerged from their pocket universe, but are these
disembodied intelligences actually the relentless killers that everyone
thinks they are? Our recurring protagonist has died, but is still the
protagonist because a virtual copy of him has been made. Virtual and
real people interact constantly in this future, although Pohl never
convinced me that it was workable. 12/3/23
Worlds to Conquer
by John Russell Fearn (as Vargo Statten), Scion, 1952
The
protagonist of this minor novel has just developed a method of matter
transmission. He steals the electricity necessary for his experiments
and is caught, which puts him partly at the mercy of a rich entrepreneur
who deals with the legal problems. The inventor is ruthless, however,
and kills a man who might disrupt his plans. He eventually comes to a
bad end himself, but his invention transforms human society and opens a
way to explore space. Very simplistic, crudely written, but this is one
of the few Fearn novels to actually suggest that he spent time
considering the implications of the main theme. 11/30/23
Solo Kill by S.
Kye Boult, Berkley, 1977
Two
of the five stories in this cycle were published previously. They are
set on a world where somewhat retrogressed humans fight aerial battles
with the winged Draks, who live in the mountains and eat humans. The
Draks are intelligent but there is no apparent contact between the races
except violence. The protagonist is a human warrior who faces
technological advances on both sides, changes of behavior, a romantic
entanglement, and a surprising development that could upset the balance
of power and the role of the warrior class. A bit grim but fairly well
done. This is a pseudonym of William Cochrane. 11/28/23
Sargasso by Edwin
Corley, Dell, 1977
The
opening sequences of this novel are fascinating. Three American
astronauts have been aboard a Russian space platform as guests and they
start back to Earth. There is communication at first, but then only
static. The capsule splashes down in the Bermuda Triangle, but when it
is opened, there is no one inside. A short time later the space station
explodes. A researcher looking for undersea mineral deposits is suddenly
ordered out of the area. There are some weird events – a bank of
mysterious fog that has unusual properties, the loss of power to vessels
and aircraft, and other anomalies. The missing astronauts are explained,
but none of the weirdness encountered in the area. This was probably
Corley’s best book despite an awful lot of unanswered questions.
11/26/23
System Collapse
by Martha Wells, Tor, 2023
This
is the seventh outing of Murderbot, a kind of android security
robot/person who is unique in that he has been freed from his
programming. In this installment he and his human friends attempt to
rescue the inhabitants of a failed colony world before they can be
enslaved by a rapacious interstellar corporation. This involves finding
some dissidents who have moved into hidden underground quarters, and
working around an apparent fault in Murderbot's mental processes. This
was quite a bit slower and more talky than the previous volumes but
still quite engaging. 11/22/23
The Jesus Factor
by Edwin Corley, Paperback Library, 1970
This
is one of a handful of secret histories in which nuclear weapons
actually do not work. It alternates between a present day crisis caused
by the placement of American nukes in Japan. No one knows whether or not
the other nuclear powers are bluffing, so the result is pretty much the
same as if they all had working bombs. The protagonist is a Senator who
flew on one of the missions in Japan and knew his bomb didn’t work, but
he thought the others are genuine. A bit overly long for the subject
matter, but generally well written. 11/21/3
The Ultra Long
Goodbye by Patrick Swenson, Fairwood, 2023, $10.99, ISBN
978-1=958880-08-1
This
is the second in a series that successfully takes elements of classic
detective stories and imposes them on a future interstellar
civilization, first shown in The Ultra Thin Man. The story
continued in The Ultra Big Sleep. A plot summary is likely going
to sound very confusing because the story is complex. In simple form,
the protagonist is hired to track down - and assassinate - a person who
could cause widespread damage within the community of worlds. But before
he can carry out his job, he is sidetracked by a personal difficulty
that leads him into a kind of alternate universe. This eventually leads
to an end that ties up loose ends from the earlier books and resets the
protagonist's life, although it does not appear that further sequels are
pending. A pleasant mix of my two favorite genres. 11/20/23
Starfields by Paul Di
Filippo, Wildside, 2023, $14.99, ISBN 978-1479575186
Another
collection of wild and wacky stories, many of which defy categorization.
These are mostly quite recent - the oldest is 2016, and include some
odds and ends that are humorous essays rather than fiction. About half
were new to me as they are drawn from a variety of sources, some of them
fairly obscure. Best new find for me was "Maximus Thrax and the Gates of
Chaos" and "The Keen and Cutting Stones." Most of them are quite short.
The author dominates a niche of the field he has made practically his
own property. Perfect for the reader who wants something out of the
ordinary. 11/19/23
The Whole Mess and Other
Stories by Jack Skillingstead, Fairwood Press, 2023, $20.95, ISBN
978-1-958880-12-8
Another
fine collection of short stories by one of the more underrated writers
currently active. A recurring theme is alternate realities this time,
although there are many other premises and plot devices. The stories are
drawn from professional magazines, anthologies, and several from online
publication, the latter of which were all new to me. I particularly
liked the title story, "Straconia," and "The Flow and the Dream." There
were none I disliked - the author's lesser stories are still always
entertaining. There is a fairly lengthy essay original to the collection
that I found interesting as well. Skillingstead has a clear, smooth
prose style that I find particularly pleasing given that some newer
authors in the genre tend to prefer more intrusive styles that only draw
attention to the fact that the story is not real. 11/178/23
Highways in
Hiding by George O. Smith, Lancer, 1956
Also
known as Space Plague in an abridged version. A new disease is spreading
which slowly petrifies human bodies until they die. The protagonist
discovers that some odd alterations of traffic signs points the way to
safe houses where a handful of people have survived the transformation
and now have superhuman strength and other advantages. He tries to
investigate, but people disappear when they try to help him and he
becomes convinced that there is a conspiracy to take over the world.
Rather crudely written at times, but the story is involving. 11/16/23
Liberty’s
Daughter by Naomi Kritzer, Fairwood, 2023, $18.99, ISBN
978-1-958880-16-6
The
setting for this SF detective story is fascinating. Beck Garrison is a
casual private investigator who lives in a community which consists of
vast numbers of derelict ships and floating constructs that were cobbled
together by a kind of libertarian group and which now makes up a
semi-coherent community where indentured servitude has returned and
central control is almost nonexistent. She has been insular for most of
her life, but when she accepts a job looking for a missing woman, the
circumstances of that investigation force her to look not only at the
world around her, but the one outside her community, and also at the
circumstances of her own family. Her investigation is methodical and to
a certain extent predictable, at least at first. But the more she looks
into the matter, the more complicated things turn out to be. I had only
read Kritzer's fantasy before this but I hope she does more SF in the
future. 11/14/23
Class Six Climb
by William E. Cochrane, Ace, 1979
Cochrane,
who was also S. Kye Boult, published one story in 1950, two novels and a
handful of shorts during the 1970s, another story in the 1990s and
another to Harlan Ellison which remains unpublished. This was his best
piece of fiction. Four people go to a closed planet to climb the tallest
tree in the galaxy. One of them is a military saboteur who wants to
climb the tree and then destroy it, in order to provoke unrest that will
allow his government to occupy the planet. The other three attempt to
stop him. They don’t actually start climbing until halfway through.
Although not without its awkward moments, this was good enough to
suggest the author had some potential, but it was his last published
novel. 10/20/23
Cataclysm by
John Russell Fearn (as Vargo Statten), Scion, 1951
This
is a very silly and often boring novel even by Fearn’s standards. An
Earthman decides that he has some kind of mental link with someone on
another planet. This is explained as a transmission through the ether
which, the author claims, scientists know surrounds every planet and
fills the universe. He decides to kill himself and ends up inside the
mind of his counterpart, who is leader of a planet of humans who are
being attacked by an overwhelming alien force. Lots of robots, battles,
and cornball dialogue. 10/20/23
The
Coming of the Quantum Cats by Frederik Pohl, Bantam, 1986
Pohl
explores the multiverse in this sometimes confusing novel. The
inhabitants of one America still at war with Russia has decided to sneak
into another – in which the Soviet Union has been destroyed – and
transport nuclear weapons into the ruined country. Then they can be
translated back to their own universe and set off, destroying their
enemy. This involves replacing some prominent people with doppelgangers.
And naturally things do not follow the original plan and further
incursions complicate matters even further. It takes a while for the
storylines to come together before they rush toward the climax. 10/17/23
Zoey
Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia by Jason Pargin, St Martins,
2023, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-28593-5
I
started this without realizing it was the third in a series so it took a
bit of effort to sketch in a retrofill - although I definitely plan to
track down the previous books. The protagonist is a young woman who has
inherited control of a vast network of criminals in a future world where
technology has advanced dramatically, and opened up entirely new avenues
for crooked dealings. She functions effectively as a government at
times, and one of those times is an annual music festival with
associated events of dubious legality. But this time things spiral out
of control. Someone has committed a crime horrific even by current
standards - or have they? Is it just a hoax and, if so, what is its
ultimate purpose? Zoey and her cohorts have to figure out the truth and
respond to prevent a major shift in power. This is a kind of dark
dystopia but the author has a light hand and there is abundant humor as
well, but not so much to rob the story of its serious impact,. The
author previously wrote the John Dies at the End series. 10/14/23
Carnivore by
Leigh Clark, Leisure, 1997
Although
labeled as horror, this is really science fiction. A research team in
the Antarctic finds a still viable egg laid by a Tyrannosaur. Naturally
they decide to hatch it. The plot goes haywire early on. The project
director is actually trying to find potential sites for nuclear waste
storage and he shoots a member of the group who plans to report this. He
is eventually revealed to be a member of the KGB, which makes no sense.
The dinosaur doubles in size overnight and soon escapes, laying siege to
the survivors, most of whom get bitten in half. Reads like the premise
for a Sci-Fi Channel cheapie movie. 10/13/23
Black Star Rising
by Frederik Pohl, Del Rey, 1985
This
is a maddening book because the first half establishes a realistic and
interesting future Earth in which Russia and the US destroyed each
other. North America is now dominated by the Chinese and Russia by
India. An alien spacecraft enters the system and demands to speak to the
President of the US. There is no such nation or person, so the Chinese
fabricate a government, which is kidnapped to the alien home world. The
aliens make a game out of warfare. They are augmented by several
thousand human descendants of early space explorers. In every case where
the aliens have intervened, the species involved has been wiped out. But
the second half is so heavily satirical that it is no longer realistic,
so the elaborate set up is wasted. 10/10/23
Blood Red Steel
by Damien Larkin, Dancing Lemur, 2023, $18.95, ISBN
978-1-939844-95-8
I
don’t read much military SF any more. Most of it is about as formulaic
as a bodice ripper or a nurse novel. Frequently it espouses
anti-democratic political theories. The more interesting examples lie
along the fringes – lesser known writers and books not marketed as
military even though they are. This is the third I’ve read by this
author. He is not going to dethrone David Weber but he provides a very
entertaining story of military conflict. The setting is Mars where the
free colonies are battling the last vestiges of the Third Reich in a
rather unusual future. The characters actually take on some life as
individuals, the battles are a major feature but are not glorified
beyond plausibility. This is a nice variation that should satisfy
enthusiasts of the form, while appealing to a wider audience. 10/7/23
Days of Grass
by Tanith Lee, DAW, 1985
Lee
provides a new twist on the alien conquest story. Humans are mostly
living in hidden underground colony after mysterious aliens destroyed
civilization and established rule over the surface. The protagonist is a
young woman from one such colony who clandestinely visits the surface
and who manipulates things to become leader of her colony. Then she
encounters a lone man on the surface, who turns out to be an agent of
the alien beings. He betrays the colony and forces it to the surface,
where they can be captured. There is no thrilling rebellion at the end.
The aliens actually have turned on one another, and the last of their
kind abdicates so that humans can reclaim their planet. 20/6/34
Heechee
Rendezvous by Frederik Pohl, Del Rey, 1984
The
third in the Heechee series resolves a lot of outstanding issues. The
Heechee send a scout ship out of their hiding place in a black hole and
are dismayed to discover that humans are poking into the areas occupied
by the Assassins, an alien race that is trying to destroy the universe
in order to generate a new one more to their liking. The main
protagonist’s lost love is rescued from the black hole where she was
trapped, but during the interim, he has married someone else. Pohl
usually has tightly constructed plots but this one seems to have gotten
out of hand. There are side issues – like the organ transplant and the
slow metabolizing aliens – that add nothing to the story and take up a
lot of time. 10/3/23
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