Category Archives: Science Fiction

Feb 18 2013

Book Review: Season of The Harvest


Cover of Season of The Harvest by Michael R. Hicks

Season of The Harvest by Michael R. Hicks

 

Season of The Harvest is a science fiction thriller by Michael R. Hicks. This is the first book of the Harvest Trilogy, but stands on its own. In fact, I haven’t read the next book (but I plan to).

This was another freebie I picked up on Amazon before Christmas and finished off over the break (noticing a pattern here? 8^).

This is an well written novel, and will keep you turning pages. As I write this, it has a well-deserved 4.3 average with 273 reviews on Amazon.

Jack Dawson is an FBI Special Agent. His best friend and fellow agent is brutally murdered at a genetics lab, and Jack gets involved in the investigation against orders. Naomi Perrault, a beautiful geneticist who used to work there is the prime suspect. When Jack is framed for an explosion at an FBI lab, he ends up working with Naomi, and learns the terrifying truth about the genetically engineered seeds his friend was after.

There were a couple of small things in this novel that bothered me in the beginning. Hicks has an annoying habit of unnecessarily explaining acronyms, such as when he says “…headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI”. He could spell it out the first time if he feels it’s necessary, then just go with the acronym from then on. I don’t think anyone will have trouble figuring it out. It’s a minor thing, but it took me out of the story each time.

There’s also an info-dump of the protagonist’s past that could have been better handled by working the details into the story as it unfolds. This would have upped the suspense too.

But once the action got rolling these nitpicks were soon forgotten and I was right there in the story with Jack.

All in all, I recommend this book for anyone who likes techno-thrillers, science fiction and conspiracy theories.

Jan 28 2013

Book Review: Aetna Rising


Cover of Aetna Rising by Erik Wecks

Aetna Rising by Erik Wecks

 

I picked up this e-book as a freebie around Christmas (have I mentioned I’m cheap? 8^), and finished it off pretty fast.

It’s a short book—Amazon lists the print version as 154 pages.

Aetna is a backwater moon, mainly valued for it’s plentiful ice, from which hydrogen is extracted. It’s controlled by the Unity Corporation, part of the Pax Imperium galactic empire. The protagonist, Jack Halloway is a “playboy, space station manager, and small time smuggler”. Then Aetna unexpectedly becomes important to the central administration, and Jack’s life gets turned upside down. Continue reading →

Jan 21 2013

What Science Fiction Should Be


“The Message Between the Words” by Grayson Bray Morris, published in Waylines.

 

I recently stumbled across a new online speculative fiction magazine: Waylines.

They seem to be associated with Clarkesworld (note the link on the bottom of the main page), but I”m not sure about their relationship.

Anyway, I found one of the Waylines stories particularly well done:

The Message Between the Words by Grayson Bray Morris.

To me, this is what science fiction should be. Continue reading →

Jan 14 2013

Awesome Space Art


Extrasolar planet WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b

Extrasolar planet WASP-11b/HAT-P-10b (Photo credit: Raven Vasquez)

 

We had company this weekend, so I didn’t get a chance to do any writing. But I wanted to pass on a link I found to some incredible space art. This is on Flickr by someone known as Digital Drew:

Digital Drew Space Art’s photostream

As I understand it, he uses 3D modelling to illustrate what the views might be like from the surface of extrasolar planets and moons, based on what is known about the systems, and general astronomical and geological knowledge.

He does beautiful work. I could see using some of his work to illustrate SF stories, if he’s willing to license them.

 

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Dec 31 2012

Short Story: Giving Up


They walk home ... in desparation ...

They walk home … in desparation … by gullevek, on Flickr

 

I started the following story a few weeks ago when I was in the middle of one of my depressed moods. I got half way through it and didn’t know how to finish it, so I left it.

Recently, I worked out an ending, and last night I finally found time to finish it. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback and constructive criticism welcome.

 

Giving Up

(1176 words)

“When did you give up?”

“I’m not sure. It wasn’t a single point in time. It happened gradually. Over
several years, I guess.”

“Tell me about it.” Continue reading →

Nov 1 2012

Book Review: Wool Omnibus


Wool Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey

Wool Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey

 

I recently finished reading the Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 – 5) by Hugh Howey, and really enjoyed it.

Actually, I first read the original Wool novella, which was (and still is as of this writing) free as a Kindle eBook. I had seen it recommended a couple of times, so when I saw it free I grabbed it and dove right in.

This story was so absorbing I killed more than an hour in the doctor’s office without even noticing. When the doctor came in it took me a moment to remember where I was and why I was there. I found it very well written, and hard to put down.

But the ending left many unanswered questions (much the way short stories often do), and had me wanting more. If he hadn’t already written them, I would have been among the many who were clamoring for more. So I immediately bought the Omnibus version and dove into that as well. Continue reading →

Sep 6 2012

Science Fiction to Fact: Cyborg Flesh Created


Cyborg arm

photo credit: anieto2k via photo pin cc

This news fascinated and disturbed me: Harvard Scientists Create ‘Cyborg’ Flesh That Blurs The Line Between Man And Machine. What was once purely science fiction is beginning to become fact.

These researchers have been able to create an electronic network of nano-wires and transistors, then grow artificial tissues over the network. The network can then detect the electrical activity of the cells.

So far they have grown rat neurons, heart tissue and muscle, as well as a 1.5cm human blood vessel. The heart tissue began rhythmically contracting just like a real heart, and the electrical activity of the contractions was measured through the embedded network. Continue reading →

Apr 6 2012

Google Testing non-Borg Heads-Up Display Glasses


Wow, talk about science fiction becoming fact, you have to watch the video in this article:

Google testing heads-up display glasses in public, won’t make you look like Robocop — Engadget.

Actually, this video by rebelliouspixels is probably more like what we can expect from Google:

 

This depicts the evolution of wearable compute...

This depicts the evolution of wearable computers. See http://wearcam.org/steve5.htm for the original JPEG file. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been keeping an eye on the augmented reality field since I first read about Steve Mann‘s work on wearable computing and computer-mediated reality in the 1980s (now there’s a true geek, walking around in public looking like one of the Borg). It’s been a steady progression since then, and Google’s is one of the most advanced yet. Continue reading →

Apr 5 2012

Why We Need Big, Bold Science Fiction


The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949

The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just found this interesting article (via this post on the The Passive Voice):

Why We Need Big, Bold Science Fiction – Popular Mechanics.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, but science fiction is my favourite genre (also thrillers, and particularly techno-thrillers), so this caught my attention.

In short, the article asserts that SF has gone from the optimism and big science of the Golden Age to a darker, more skeptical, dystopian tone, and that this mirrors a change in the general public’s view of science, which in turn has led to a decline in actual technological development. Engineers are going to work for web start-ups or investment firms instead of building space colonies and such. On the other hand, science is now far ahead of what is being written about in SF, rather than SF leading science.

It’s an interesting hypothesis. I can see SF inspiring (or not) young people to go into science and technology fields to a certain extent. But it’s no doubt a complex issue. Continue reading →