Family Flash Fiction Challenge

Alex, Haydn and I have all written stories for this month;s flash fiction challenge. You can read all the entries here, and even comment and vote if you like.

Book Review: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

‘The Collapsing Empire’ is the first book in a new series by award-winning author John Scalzi and the first of his books that I’ve read. The setting is a far-flung interstellar empire know as the Interdependency, over a thousand years in the future, where planets are connected via poorly-understood faster-than-light conduits known as the Flow.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Further Classics

Following on from my previous posts on the subject, I've continued to look out for 'classic' SF books that have won awards, appaered on 'Best of' lists etc.


These are the ones I've read over the past year or so:


Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre - Enjoyably lyrical.


Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss - Very good, though slightly old-fashioned now.


Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boule - OK, not actually hailed as a classic, and actually rather antiquated even for its time.


The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin - Very good, but really sure what the fuss is about.


I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - Rather dated.


Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick - I don't know why everyone says this is so good.






According to the GoodReads 'Best Science Fiction' list I've read 52 of the top 100 science fiction novels of all time, which isn't bad. There are, of course, lots of other 'Best of' lists.

Review Revival

Over 100 of my older book and magazine reviews no longer appear on line because the sites they appeared on have since disappeared. I've started to post the  reviews on GoodReads for the sake of posterity.

Book Review: Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin

Unlike the rest of the Earth’s population, I have neither read nor watched Game Of Thrones, not being a fan of fantasy, though I did once see George RR Martin in passing at EasterCon.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Return of the Blind Collaborators

My first collaborative story The Blind Collaborators, published 10 years ago in Aphelion Webzine , has been republished in their 'Best of 20 Years' selection.

It was a fun story to write in which I gave my collaborators a brief outline of what to include in their sections without telling them the plot and then I tied them all together in an overall story.

Spaceports and Spidersilk Reviewed

The April 2017 edition of Spaceports and Spidersilk which contains Alex's story The Gravel Beneath Pounding Feet, has been reviewed in SF Crowsnest. Of Alex's story the reviewer writes:

The author is young, according to the bio, but it’s well-crafted and he probably has a future in the business.

It's only his second published story, so this is a really great review.

Book Review: From Darkest Skies by Sam Peters

Debut author Sam Peters brings us a fabulous interplanetary mystery described by the publishers as ‘your new SF thriller obsession’ which, after the first couple of chapters, proved to be pretty much accurate.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

Book Review: Cold Welcome by Elizabeth Moon

In recent years I read and enjoyed the seven books of Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano Legacy and intended, at some point, to read her five part Vatta’s War series. When Cold Welcome was announced, the first in the follow-on series Vatta’s Peace I thought I’d best get a move on and read Vatta’s War, but then I was offered Cold Welcome to review before I had the time.

Read the rest of my review at SF Crowsnest.

 

The Gravel Beneath Pounding Feet

My eldest son Alex's second published story The Gravel Beneath Pounding Feet is now out in the spring 2017 issue of Spaceports and Spidersilk.

Download it for $1 here.