Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“He was, after all, still a trainee, even if he was simultaneously head of HR.”

Human Resources by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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In this short story, Tchaikovsky explores the somehow already well trodden field of AI, and specifically the ways in which technology replacing people might create (or exacerbate) a crisis of meaning and community. Tim was hired on as an intern at Holring and Baselard’s HR department, and within the year found himself the last remaining member of it. Everyone else have been made redundant by various AI modules. Everyone Tim interacts with, in fact, is an artificial intelligence of some kind, that have all been […]

A lost world

The Horizon Volume Two by Jh and Abigail Blackman

The Horizon Volume Three by Jh and Abigail Blackman

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Honestly, I think The Horizon Volume Three contributed to some bad dreams I had after finishing it. I had finished volume two of The Horizon a few days before, and that probably did not help. I had forgotten some of volume one, but at the same time you almost didn’t need it as it was its own story, but if you want to know how The Boy and The Girl meet and a bit of the war and situation the children are facing you should. […]

Being a samurai isn’t easy

The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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I’ve wanted to read The Worst Ronin since before it came out as I was seeing online reader copies. I did not actually get a copy until it was over a year old. With that said, it was worth the wait. I don’t think I would have appreciated the humor or elements before now. I recommend for ages at least 12 and up as there are several places where there is violence, injury, blood and other sensitive subjects.   Overall, it is the opposite of what […]

Runner’s high

Elevation by Stephen King

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I stumbled upon this little novella of Mr King amongst the ‘suggested for you’ Kindle books. It surprised me a little to see a King novel that I both haven’t read AND haven’t heard of, but there it was on the list. So I quickly purchased it and gave it a whirl. In typical fashion, Elevation takes place in a small town in Maine: Castle Rock. Here we meet Scott Carey, a single middle aged white guy, who works at home and gets angry when […]

Talking Cats are Still Cats

The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher

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My introduction to Jum Butcher was The Aeronaut’s Windlass (Cinder Spires 1) published in 2015 (the publication date will matter in a minute). It’s a sort of steampunk/fantasy/speculative adventure; I really enjoyed the characters (including the talking cats), world, and general story. I checked out his main series, the Dresden Files, but got tired of that after a few volumes. I have limited tolerance for the kind of story where things just keep going from bad to worse, and often the personal drama is avoidable. […]

Reliving the Past Doesn’t Always Work Out

Blitz by Daniel O'Malley

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Blitz is on the one hand pretty good with the characters and world building, but on the other less amazing with trying to combine two plots. The gist is that there is a group of ladies who are all Checquy members during the WWII bombings of London (hence the title) and then a modern day new recruit to the Checquy and her struggle to learn a new world, new abilities, and figure out how to also keep her family together. Both by themselves are interesting, […]



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