Review: MERCY (THE LOST WARSHIP #2)

Review: MERCY
What a knock-out Reader's Hook! I've never encountered a Daniel Gibbs title I didn't enormously enjoy, but I believe MERCY may be my favorite yet! Mr. Gibbs is supremely talented at balancing imagined Alien traits and culture and religious and sociological systems as against the backdrop of human culture, society, military, and numerous religions, and placing all this against the vast backdrop of Space, known and alien. Plus for those devotees of military SciFi there's that continuing underpinning to elicit and to maintain intrigue. I can't wait to continue THE LOST WARSHIP Series!

Review: URANUS by Ben Bova

TBR PILE Challenge #4!

URANUS by Ben Bova is Book 2 of his OUTER PLANETS Series, which commences with NEPTUNE. It didn't quite meet my admittedly high expectations: I wanted more Astronomy, more Science Fiction; less I guess human nature, human villainy. I had hoped for more why's of this anomalous planet. Now Dr. Bova does design an intensely puzzling mystery, I admit. I also grant full kudos for his ability to delineate a Villain in extreme detail, so that I spent most of the novel in fury at the depredations and machinations of the human evil plotter [in this, not much different than real life]. >p> I also would have liked more detail, development, and background on the spiritual leader of the Habitat, who conceived the idea of implementing a refuge orbiting Uranus to house the poor and downtrodden of Earth and to provide new lives. He exemplifies the intent of the Statue of Liberty, and expansion on that would be intriguing.

Review: CHURN THE SOIL by Steve Stred

Release Feb. 17
Somewhere deep within the Canadian North Woods is a small, generally peaceful, community of off-gridders and others wishing to remain apart from the world. Functioning quite like an Indigenous tribe, The Border is mostly cohesive, directed when essential by a group of five, called by their numbers (Number One, etc.) The sole essential stricture relates to a clearing: during the Spring and Summer, it must be tended, cleared of weeds; but with the first snowfall, it becomes Verboten, for this is the contract made generations ago by the first people in the area, with the constantly devouring "Forest Guards." But suddenly and inexplicably the contract has been annihilated. Now no protection, no peace remains.

Review: FROZEN SOLID (Hallie Leland #2)

Exciting, enigmatic, suspenseful intriguing, dangerous, conspiratorial, global, circumscribed, paranoia-inducing, fatal: FROZEN SOLID is rip-roaring adventure at the Frozen South Pole. Antarctica at the end of Summer: from dangerous to super-dangerous. If the extreme temperatures, massive eight-months darkness, hurricane winds, dangerous ice sheets, Polar madness don't get you, a terrifying global conspiracy will. South Pole Station is no more than a laboratory for the trio of planners who have conceived and introduced a destructive plan they call, simply, "Triage." 5 Star Excitement!!

Review: ANTARCTICA by Kim Stanley Robinson

First of all, Kim Stanley Robinson is a STORYTELLER, in the classic sense of the word. Remember, for example, Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES, and think also of Classic Greek plays.

Second, he has a deep and wide-ranging background in the Sciences, and a deep understanding of Science and how it frames politics, culture, sociology and Society. So reading anyone of his books is an education in disparate avenues of Science, and also in the Scientific Mindset. Even for those who aren't into that, each novel is an exquisite Story whose characters are exposed down into their deepest, even unconscious layers.

I absolutely cherish ANTARCTICA: not only is it about my favorite Continent/Lifelong Dream, but the story is enrapturing, and at the end I intensely longed for continuation, for a sequel, so I could continue to follow these characters! I actually stewed for a while trying to decide what to read next ...because the novel I wanted to read I had just finished. That's how powerfully affected I was.

Review Tour: THE GREEN PANTHERS by Tom Vater

Review:
THE GREEN PANTHERS is riproaring Ecoterrorism adventure, on Earth and in Space, and is akin to gazing through a telescope, from an Environmentalism viewpoint, towards the destruction of the planet and the unthinking and uncaring ravages effected by an ultra-wealthy few upon the only world we have on which to live. Cast against the unthinking depredations are a tightly knit cadre calling themselves The Green Panthers, well-funded, who won't scruple to perform whatever acts are necessary to save our precious home world. Set in the very-near future (2029), THE GREEN PANTHERS whirls us across Europe to Siberia, Bangkok, UK, and even into space in a mad wild race to stop wanton destruction of our Environment and Wildlife.

Release: September 7, 2022

Review: VOSTOK STATION by J. D. Huff. TBR PILE CHALLENGE #1 2023

Acquired 09/02/2017. TBR PILE CHALLENGE #1 2023

I chose VOSTOK STATION because it promised to slot into one of my favorite Horror subgenres, Frozen Horror, and because I cannot resist anything set in Antarctica [or in the Arctic]. As it turned out, the Freeze is non-stop, the Horror is present and constant. But in contrast to John W. Campbell's classic Science Fiction novella "Who Goes There?" (filmed by John Campbell as THE THING), the Horror in VOSTOK STATION is primarily Biological [although the author delivers very human, living, monstrosities, towards the end, providing terrifying spine-chilling moments...because sometimes, Humanity is the most terrifying of all experiences].

Biology gone radically wrong (because of course scientists must always persevere to the end) and in this case, governmental intervention, inevitably leads to unstoppable destruction. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read it prior to the 2019-20 onset of Coronavirus, because by January 2023 inescapable Plague and governmental machinations just seem...all too real.

I granted VOSTOK STATION 4 Stars for plotting, wonderful setting, and character (although by the conclusion Professor Feckless Hero's antics and humour were wearing thin). If I could, I would deduct .5 Star for lack of sufficient proofreading [including using nouns for verbs), so ideally this would be 3.5.