Month: January 2026

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Introduction

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders follows the relationship between a witch, Patricia, and a techno-geek, Laurence. They were friends as children, but have been separated for ten years. Patrica lives in a world of magic, and Laurence lives in a world of science. They meet again when the world unravels. Can magic and science come together and save the world?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25372807-all-the-birds-in-the-sky

I think the following two novels I have read are similar to All the Birds in the Sky in terms of the setting and the handling of the romantic interests.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab is a fantasy novel. Will the powerful token that Kell found result in the destruction of the four cities named London? 

Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. Tress’s close friend Charlie goes missing. Will Tress rescue him or perish herself?  

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

Introduction

Starter Villain by John Scalzi is a stand-alone novel but uses a high-concept premise like two of the author’s other novels: The Kaiju Preservation Society and When the Moon Hits Your Eye. The concept for this novel is what if a supervillain passes away and leaves his evil empire to his simple drifter relative. The evil genius’s relative is his nephew, Charlie. What will Charlie do with the evil empire his uncle has left him?

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62326571-starter-villain

Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the seventh book in the Old Man’s War series. The Colonial Union, the Earth, and the Conclave are in an uneasy 10-year truce, but something goes wrong with their shared secret Colony of Unity. Gretchen Trujillo, as a Colonial Union ambassador, must find out what happened at the colony. Will Gretchen save the colony, or will the colony perish, leading to the extermination of humanity?

Shattering Peace by John Scalzi

End of All Things by John Scalzi is the sixth book in the Old Man’s War series. Can the Colonial Union save humanity from extinction?

End of All Things by John Scalzi

Human Division by John Scalzi is the fifth book in the Old Man’s War series. The book is a series of 15 interrelated stories mainly about Lieutenant Harry Wilson of the Colonial Union’s B Team. Harry was a friend of John Perry, the hero of the previous novels in the series. Can the team avoid a war with the Conclave and save humanity?

Human Division by John Scalzi

Links continued

Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.

Zoes Tale by John Scalzi

Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish, leading to the extermination of humanity?

Last Colony by John Scalzi

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War is the first novel in the Old Man’s War series. This is the link to my review.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Female Man by Joanna Russ

Introduction

The Female Man by Joanna Russ was released in 1975, fifty years ago. Four identical women, separated by chance, come together for a reason revealed only at the end of the novel. The novel explores how their different upbringing shapes each of these women. It was disturbing and thought-provoking.

The Female Man by Joanna Russ

Summary

[Insert Summary Here]

Recommendation

[Insert Recommendation Here]

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Female Man by Joanna Russ.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/845529.The_Female_Man

The following novel was published in 1974, one year before The Female Man, and covers a similar theme.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Will Kris Kelvin understand the Solaris entity before it is too late, and all the researchers are dead?

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Writing Progress Report January 2026

This is my Writing Progress Report January 2026.

Merry Christmas!

Writing Progress from December 2025.

I wrote four blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. Including my writing progress report for December 2025, which I linked below.

Writing Progress Report December 2025

In December 2025, we did not meet during the holidays at the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call. In January and February, I will write new short stories. Last year I completed the novelette version of Chemithurgy. My plan is to expand the story to novella length in 2026.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in December 2025.

Events from December 2025.

None this month

Writing Goals for January 2026.

In January 2026, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com, including my Writing Progress Report for January 2026.

I plan to work on a story for the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call in January 2026.

In January 2026, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

In the past, I sent the stories, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025.

I plan to submit short stories in 2026.

Planned Events for January 2026.

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 30, 2026, to February 1, 2025. The conference is located at the Novi Sheraton. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

Front Page

The con theme next year is Magical ConFusion.

Here’s the registration details.

Registration

This year’s Writing Guest of Honor is Maurice Braddus.

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