Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Vital piece of an important literary legacy

Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks

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Iain (M) Banks is one, or should I say two, of my favourite authors.  It’s been a while since I read any of his Culture novels, so I went back to the beginning with Consider Phlebas, the first in a series of standalone novels in this shared setting.  If you are not familiar with Banks, this is a great place to start. The Culture is a galaxy spanning symbiotic civilisation of humans and sentient machines, living decadent post-scarcity lives.  Consider Phlebas is set during their war […]

Leopard lovers

Mine to Possess (Psy-Changeling #4) by Nalini Singh

Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling #5) by Nalini Singh

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I returned to Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series after loving the first three books. In this shared universe, the Dark River leopard changelings (aka shifters) control the greater Sam Francisco area. They have pissed off the Psy council who basically run the world with their psychic powers. Some of the psychics have defected to the shifters and messing with the power balance. It’s so interesting to meet the love interests with the political elements woven into their story. Clay in Mine to Possess is a Dark […]

Must read for Farscape nerds like me

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

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Our June Cannon Book Club theme was The Future is Queer. From the four reading options, I chose The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. This sci-fi novel has been on my list for a while especially after so many rave Cannonball Read reviews.  The book club discussion was a perfect excuse to finally read it. This book has space travel, engaging characters, and a big dose of heart. It was a welcome escape from the chaos of the world. The […]

My anaylsis of Murderbot novellas 2-4

Artificial Condidtion: The Murderbot Diaries 2 by Martha Wells

Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries 3 by Martha Wells

Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries 4 by Martha Wells

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For self care, I started reading the second Murderbot novella the day after the election.  I then proceeded to blitzkrieg my way through the other two novellas and the novel.  Once I was finished I realized I couldn’t separate the books well enough to write reviews.  I was going to give myself review amnesty but instead decided to re-read at least the novellas and write a review immediately after each book. On this re-read, I’ve been thinking about the function of each book.  All Systems […]

Murderbot lives up to the hype: cbr12bingo – “Fresh Start”

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries 1 by Martha Wells

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If memories serves, I first became aware of Murderbot through Cory Doctorow and was intrigued.  Then came all the love for Murderbot from Cannonballers.  When bingo was announced and there was a “Fresh Start” square, I knew immediately what I was going to read, All Systems Red. All Systems Red is set in a distant, space faring future, where all planetary exploration is done through the a corporate entity referred to only as ‘the company’.  Company requirements demand that Security Units (SecUnits) must be included as […]

Not so pretty on the inside

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

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Tally Youngblood is an Ugly, and will be until she turns 16. That’s the age when everyone gets an exciting surgical procedure, bringing them all up to the desired Pretty standard, before going off to live in New Pretty Town and partying the rest of their lives away. With her best friend Peris already made Pretty and off partying without her, Tally is left to her own devices playing tricks on fellow Uglies and sneaking into places she shouldn’t be, until she makes a new […]



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