By Force of Arms by William Dietz (2000) – As you’ve probably guessed by now, I like space opera. Mr. Dietz is one of the primo shoot-em-up-in-space writers, and I enjoy his exciting writing a great deal. His space battles are second to none and offset his tendency to use way too many viewpoints (not at the same time) and – in this novel – his awkward attempt at placing his hero in a love triangle. I started this book without realizing that there had been […]
Even Her Bicycle Was Evil
The Mammoth Book of Sorcerer’s Tales edited by Mike Ashley (2004) – I read this anthology immediately after I read Isaac Asimov’s Wizards compiled in 1983, so I thought there would be more differences as times have changed. There were some new ideas and new technology; however, not much had changed. I was surprised to see how few women writers were included after twenty years. The percentage in 1983 – 14%. 2004? 15%. As Geena Davis says about women in films, at this rate women […]
Gandalf’s Cousins From Way Out of Town
Isaac Asimov’s Magical World of Fantasy – Wizards, edited by Isaac Asimov (1983) – Legend has it that Mr. Asimov never had an agent so he was forever publishing anthologies with his name on them that he’d never seen or had sold to two different publishers. For this anthology, I really didn’t care if he had a hand in collecting them or not because they’re so good. As usual with anthologies, I’ll discuss each story, but I may run out of superlatives fast. Mazirian the […]
Chateaubriand by Moonlight
Moonrise by Ben Bova (1996) – Reading a Ben Bova book is like having a really satisfying meal. He is notable for his epic science fiction (Moonrise is over 550 pages), and this one doesn’t disappoint. Ben is skillful at providing a very good science fiction main course while giving the reader a lot of insight into the personal lives of his characters as the side dish. He’s quite the chef. For me, I am perfectly content with just the beef, but his side dishes […]
Two Heads Are Better!
Songssmith by Andre Norton and A.C. Crispin (1992) – I’m always wary of books by Andre Norton and someone else. Some of those written close to the end of her life have no Andre Norton in them at all. Several I couldn’t finish reading because I couldn’t find any of her magic in them. I know of what I speak because I started reading her space and fantasy adventures when I was a kid and own most of her works (we’re talking triple digits here). I’ll admit […]
He Just Dropped In to See What Condition His Condition Was In
Joe Haldeman’s The Old Twentieth (2005) – I’ve been a big fan of Mr. Haldeman since he wrote several of the early classic Star Trek pro-novels (some of the better ones in my opinion) and the science fiction classic, Forever War. When his name appears on a book, I generally pick it up. I like his type of story – hard science fiction with some thought behind it. This novel, The Old Twentieth, has a couple interesting tropes going for it. Not just the trials […]