Zoes Tale by John Scalzi, Book #4 of The Old Man’s War series.
Introduction
Zoes Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous novel, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry. She was adopted by John Perry and Jane Sagan and is now seventeen years old. They leave their home, the only home that Zoe knew, to settle in a new colony on the planet named Roanoke. What they find at Roanoke is not what they expected. Will they protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Summary
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Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of 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?
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.
The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin, Book #3 of the Broken Earth trilogy
Introduction
The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin follows three different narratives. The author set the novels on a continent called the Stillness. It’s a post-apocalyptic world or possibly a second-world fantasy land. They reveal the name of the first-person narrator in this novel. The narrator has been advising Essun from the beginning of the first novel. Essun and the people of Castrima head to Rennaris to stay for the Fifth Season. Nassun finishes what she needs to do in Found Moon and figures out where to go to fulfill her destiny. These three tales intersect and come to a dramatic conclusion which completes the trilogy.
Summary
The prologue narrator is tied to the subsequent chapters that are named SYL ANAGIST. The author set these chapters in the past before they created the Stillness. As the chapters progress, the reason that the Stillness occurred and a possible solution is revealed.
Essun wants to save the people of Castrima. She also wants to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.
Nassun wants to destroy the earth to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.
Recommendation
The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin is a challenging novel to read, but it is a great novel. The author expands on themes from the first and second novels and reveals more mysteries. Essun’s chapters are all in the second person and past tense. A narrator talks to her. Usually, the second-person point of view is difficult to read, but it is easier to read in this novel because it is more familiar, since the author used it in the previous novels for Essun’s chapters. The narrator’s chapters are in first person present tense and tell the story about how the Stillness was created. Nassun’s chapters are in the third person and present tense. This novel completes the trilogy very well.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Stone Sky by NK Jemisin
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #2 of The Mars Trilogy
Introduction
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson continues the story about the terraforming of Mars a generation later after the events of the novel, Red Mars. Red Mars told the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars. The first hundred are joined by many more immigrants to Mars. Two factions want different futures for Mars. The Red faction wants to keep Mars as close to its prehuman condition as possible. The Green faction wants to completely terraform Mars into an Earthlike planet. Which Mars faction will prevail in the fight for the future of Mars?
Summary Part One
Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson is divided into 10 parts. Each part features a different point of view character with seven total characters having a POV.
Nirgal is first generation Mars born. Nirgal grows up in the Zygote dome. It’s carved out of the South Polar ice cap. He grows up with half-brothers and half-sisters, most from his mother Hiroko. He gets out of the dome and learns about Mars by traveling with Coyote. Coyote travels and trades with the different domes of the southern hemisphere where the Red faction went after losing the rebellion of 2061.
Art Randolph is an American. The Corporation named Praxis sent him to Mars as an ambassador. The transnational corporation Praxis bought Art Randolph’s company, Dumpshares. After some time, they invited Art to a company retreat headed by William Fort, the president of Praxis, with six others. Fort learns about the employees and offers them each a unique position. He offers Art the position of Ambassador to Mars for the Praxis Corporation. Art takes the three-month journey to Mars. He learns about Praxis’ operation on Mars and wants to contact the Red faction on Mars.
Ann Claybourne is an American Geologist who wants to keep Mars in its primal state. Ann is a geologist and one of the First Hundred. She watches and thinks about the terraforming project on Mars and doesn’t like it. She talks to Coyote, and he convinces her to meet with the leaders of the Red faction.
Summary Part Two
Sax Russel is an American physicist. Sax was a terraformer from the First Hundred. He went into hiding with the Red rebels after 2061. The Reds want him to spy on the Greens so they get him plastic surgery to change his appearance and Desmond gives him a false identity. The Swiss firm called Biotique has not turned in the others that the Reds have sent to them, so they send Sax to Biotique with the identity of Stephen Lindholm. Sax as Lindholm starts his job with Biotique. He passes through Burroughs and works at their Arena Glacier facility.
Michel Duval is a French psychologist. Michel is part of the Red group that picked up Art. The group finds out that Sax was taken. The group decides to rescue him. They use the winds around the detainment facility holding Sax to help with the attack.
Nadia Chernyshevski is a Russian engineer. The refugees from Gamete come to Dorsa Brevia for the conference. At the first meeting, Hiroko speaks. Then they break into workshops. Nadia attends a workshop where they are discussing what went wrong in 2061. They conclude a coup would be better than an open conflict. They need intel before they proceed. Another workshop is about terraforming. Ann takes the leave Mars alone approach and Sax takes the make the surface livable for humans approach. The workshops continue.
Maya Toitovna is a Russian teacher and politician. Maya and most of the First Hundred meet at Sabishii. The Transitional Authority sends a force to the south. The First Hundred split up and they headed to each of the southern communities to coordinate a response.
Recommendation
The world-building in this trilogy is impressive. It details a rational and likely method for the terraforming of Mars. The author writes wonderful descriptions and creates interesting characters. The only problem that I have with the novel is that the author relies heavily on a narrative summary. While the technique of narrative summary can help tell a story that takes place over many years, it limits the connection the reader feels with the characters. In Green Mars, the reader gets to know the children of the first hundred, some of the first hundred characters return, and the reader sees the characters walk long distances in the newly aeroformed Mars. The trilogy concludes with Blue Mars. Another book of short fiction contained within the Trilogy’s timeframe was also released and named The Martians.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, Book #2 of The Mars Trilogy.
My review of Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, book #1 of The Mars Trilogy, begins as the story of the first hundred people who make a permanent home on Mars.
Under the Dome by Stephen King is a Science Fiction novel with a unique beginning. A dome suddenly appears over the Maine town of Chester’s Mill. The dome is semi-permeable, but no one can enter or leave the dome. The people inside the dome try to escape, but fail, and fight over the scarce resources. Who made the Dome, and will the people trapped inside it escape before they all die?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
Under the Dome by Stephen King was an excellent long novel. The characters were well-defined and the situation they were put into was interesting. The problem was the slow-moving plot and the abrupt ending.
I watched all three seasons of the CBS TV series named Under the Dome which aired in 2013, 2014, and 2015. I watched it on Paramount Plus. It was based on a novel of the same name. The TV series is kind of dopey. It started pretty well, but the character’s actions made less and less sense as the episodes went on. Sort of like what happened in Lost. In Under the Dome, they added plot points, not in the novel like using ideas from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Alien which I thought was not successful. The TV show also changed most of the relationships and motivations of the characters from the book. The novel and the TV series both had non-ending endings.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Under the Dome by Stephen King.
Most of Stephen King’s novels are fantasy horror. Under the Dome is straight Science Fiction. Of the books, I have reviewed of him the closest in the content is the Dark Tower series which is Science Fiction Fantasy.
Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.
Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman, Book 1 of the Coldfire Trilogy
Introduction
Black Sun Rising by C S Freidman is a science fiction fantasy novel about four people going on a quest to defeat the forces of the Fae that want to destroy humanity. The story begins when the warrior priest Damien Vryce enters a Fae Shop looking for answers about the Fae. He meets the sorceress adept Ciani of Faraday at the shop. They go on a quest and Ciani’s apprentice Senzei and the undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant join them. Their quest leads them deep into the Fae lands and they have secrets revealed. Will Damien defeat the Fae and get answers to the questions that he has asked about them?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Black Sun Rising by C. S. Freidman.
A fantasy novel like Black Sun Rising is The Last Unicorn.
Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle is a fantasy novel about a female unicorn’s search for the rest of her kind. She faces an evil carnival owner, a creepy king in a lonely castle, and a scary red bull. Is she the Last Unicorn?
It by Stephen King is the horror story of seven people who faced horror in two time periods in the fictional Maine town of Derry. The chapters alternate between the two time periods, 1957 to 1958 and 1984 to 1985. The seven people call themselves the Losers Club. They are kids in the first period and adults in the second. They face a horror that manifests itself as Pennywise the Clown. It feeds on their fears. Will the Losers Club defeat the hidden evil in the Derry sewers, or will they perish?
Summary
In It by Stephen King, there’s horror in the sewers of Derry, Maine. The horror preys on the fears of children taking the image of what they fear. Mostly It takes the form of Pennywise the Clown.
In 1957, seven kids come together to defeat It. They call themselves the Losers club. After the battle, they lose their memories of the encounter with It. In 1985, they return to Derry to fight it again.
Bill Denbrough is the leader of the Losers Club, who feels responsible for the disappearance and death of his younger brother, Georgie. He likes Bev but doesn’t end up with her. He becomes a horror writer and returns to Derry to finish what they started.
Ben Hanscom is the most intelligent of the Losers and he has an engineering talent. He has a crush on Bev. Ben was obese as a child but loses weight as an adult. He made a lot of money as an architect and lives in Texas.
Bev Marsh is the only girl in the Loser’s Club. All the boys have a crush on her. She becomes a fashion designer in Chicago. She gets married and her husband physically abuses her.
Summary Continued
Richie Tozier is the comic of the club. He becomes a successful DJ in Los Angeles.
Eddie Kaspbrak is a hypochondriac with an inhaler. He runs a successful limousine business in New York.
Mike Hanlon is the only African American in the club. He is the only member who stays in Derry after high school and becomes the town librarian. He researches the history of Derry and calls back all the Losers when he realizes It has returned.
Stan Uris is Jewish and a Boy Scout. He’s skeptical and logical. He becomes an accountant in Atlanta.
Recommendation
It by Stephen King is a long, good novel. The novel explores the themes of coming of age and adult reflection on childhood. It reminds me of Stephen King’s novella, The Body, adapted into the movie Stand by Me. Both stories feature a group of misfit kids trying to solve a problem. They adapted it as a miniseries and also into two movies. The 1958 story in It, and the 1985 story in It: Chapter Two. The miniseries alternates the stories. The part of the story I didn’t like was an incident near the end of the 1958 story. You will know what I’m talking about if you read it. I don’t think the incident was earned or warranted. I know that my opinion of the novel would change for the better if the author had eliminated that incident or changed it into something else.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of It by Stephen King.
Drawing of the Three by Stephen King, book #2 of The Dark Tower series, features Roland, Eddie Dean, and Odetta Holmes. Roland gets one step closer to reaching the Dark Tower.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King, book #1 of The Dark Tower series, seemed to set up for a climax that never happened. What is there is a trippy and metaphysical non-ending.
Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold, Book #9 of the Vorkosigan saga.
Introduction
Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold is the ninth published novel of the Vorkosigan saga. It is also the sixth novel of the internal chronology of the saga. Miles Vorkosigan is the protagonist of the novel. He suffers from brittle bones because of an assassination attempt on his mother when she was pregnant with him. Miles and his cousin Ivan are sent to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. Miles becomes involved in a complex mystery. Will Miles foil the plot to destroy the Cetagandan Empire and avoid their hostile fragmented forces threatening his home planet of Barrayar?
Summary
Miles Vorkosigan and his cousin Ivan Vorpatril are sent to Cetaganda on a diplomatic mission. They are both young inexperienced lieutenants in the Barrayar secret service. They dock at Eta Ceta IV, the home planet of the Cetagandan Empire. The secret service sent them there to represent Barrayar at the state funeral of the dowager, Empress Lisbet. After they dock someone attacks them, they obtain a mysterious object, and they become involved in a complex plot to destroy the Cetagandan Empire. If the Empire is broken apart then the pieces will expand into Barrayan space so Miles cannot let that happen.
There are three important classes of people in the Cetagandan Empire. The haut class are the rulers, the ghem class is their military force, and the ba class is their sexless servants. The plot involves the Cetagandan class system, genetics, and the key to the Cetagandan’s future.
Ivan is exotic to the haut ladies and desirable to them. Miles has a close relationship with the haut woman Rian Degtiar, who helps Miles unravel the mystery.
Miles juggles these impossible tasks in a way only he could succeed and then he saves the day.
Recommendation
Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold takes a mysterious former enemy of Barrayar and gives them context. The reader learns about why and how the Cetagandans do things. The Cetagandan background introduced in this novel is explored further in the novel, Ethan of Athos. At first, I found it difficult to understand the Cetagandan terms introduced in this novel, but by the end of the novel, I understood their meaning. I like Miles and wanted him to succeed. I liked his relationship with Rian Degtair, and how she intrigued him. I’m looking forward to reading Miles’s next adventure in my Vorkosigan saga reading project.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold.
In The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, they accused Miles Vorkosigan of treason. Will Miles play The Vor Game well enough to escape the treason charges made against him and secure the assignment he desires?
In Warriors Apprentice (Book #2 of the Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan gets involved in another planet’s war. Can he escape the mischief he started?
In Barrayar (Book#7 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan faces an assassination attempt and the birth of her son. Will she survive the regency and give birth to her son?
In Shards of Honor (Book#1 of the Vorkosigan saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayaran Captain Aral Vorkosigan takes Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith prisoner. They take a hike in the jungle. What happens when they fall in love?
Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan, Book Eight of the Wheel of Time series.
Introduction
Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan is the eighth book of The Wheel of Time series. The novel follows four main plot arcs. Elayne, with the help of the Kin and the Sea Folk, seeks to use the Bowl of the Winds to stop the hot weather created by the Forsaken. Perrin and Faile seek to bring the Prophet back to Rand in Cairhein. Egwene seeks to bring her army to Tar Valon. Rand fights the Seanchan near Ebou Dar and talks with Min in Cairhein. When Rand fights the Seanchan, will they defeat him, or will he win across the Path of Daggers?
Summary – Prologue
The prologue has three point-of-view characters, and each point of view sets up a plot arc.
Queen Ethenielle of Kandor is the first viewpoint character in the prologue. She attends a meeting of the four leaders of the Borderland kingdoms. The other leaders are Queen Tenobia of Saldea, King Paitar of Arafel, and King Easar of Shienar. They want to meet the Dragon Reborn and decide if they want to follow him.
Verin Mathwin is the second viewpoint character. She finishes up the plot of the aftermath of what happened at the end of the last book at Dumai Wells.
Moridin of the Forsaken (Chosen by their reckoning) plots against Rand, the Dragon Reborn.
Summary–Groups of characters
Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan has four main plots.
Elayne, Aviendha, and Brigitte are in Ebou Dar. They plan to use the Bowl of the Winds to cancel the heat wave that the Forsaken has unleashed on the land. They have the Kin and the Sea Folk help them. The Seanchan invade Ebou Dar and compromise their escape.
Perrin brings the army Rand has given to him to Ghealdan looking for Masema, the Prophet of the Dragon. The army is made up of the Winged Guards of Mayene, Aiel, and the people of the Two Rivers. Rand wants Perrin to bring Masema back to him in Cairhein. Perrin tries to convince Masema to come with him and Faile has other ideas.
Egwene seeks to bring her army to siege and capture Tar Valon. Her army is in Murandy. She must negotiate with the nobles of Murandy, build up her army’s strength, and find a way through Andor to achieve her objective.
Rand prepares his army in Ilian to stop a potential Seanchan invasion from Ebou Dar. He fights the Seanchan and must live with the aftermath of the battle.
Summary–Best Plot Points
Three Plot Points stand out in Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan.
Chapter 6, Threads is the chapter where the Bowl of the Winds plotline resolves.
Chapter 23, Fog of War, Storm of Battle, and Chapter 24, A Time for Iron detail the battle between Rand’s army and the Seanchan. The multiple viewpoints in these chapters show the complications caused by the fog of war.
Chapter 26, The Extra Bit covers two initiatives of Elaida of the White Tower. First is the effort of a group of Aes Sedai to uncover the Black Ajah at the White Tower. Second is the group sent to defeat The Black Tower, the home of the Asha’man, men who can channel.
Recommendation
Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan has some brilliant scenes but misses conclusions to the plot arcs explored.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan.
This is the link to my review of Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan. When Rand forces the hand of one of the Forsaken, will the Forsaken defeat him or will he earn a Crown of Swords?
This is the link to my review of Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan, Book Six of the Wheel of Time. Chaos reigns in the Westlands. They push Rand to the edge of insanity. Will he survive the box?
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie, First Law World Series Book #7
Introduction
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie has thirteen stories from the World of the First Law. The stories are arranged chronologically by the date the story was set. They are either novel chapter outtakes, scenes set between the novels, or part of the sequence featuring Shev and Carcolf. Six stories were first published in this anthology, four stories were first published in other anthologies, and three stories were published as extras in the author’s novels in this series. Will the protagonists in these thirteen fantasy action stories prevail or fail in their efforts?
Summary
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie has these thirteen stories from the World of the First Law.
A Beautiful Bastard whose main character is Sand dan Glotka from the main series.
Small Kindness which features the first appearance of Shev the thief.
The Fool Jobs feature Curden Craw and occur in the North.
Skipping Town is another Shev story.
Hell occurs in Dagoska and features Temple the beggar.
Two’s Company is another story about Shev.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time occurs in Styria during the events of the novel named Best Served Cold.
Some Desperado features Shev.
Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden… is an outtake chapter from the novel named the Heroes.
Three’s a Crowd is about Shev.
Recommendation
Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie fills in the blanks between the six novels of the World of the First Law. The stories are excellent, but I enjoyed two of the stories the most. Yesterday, Near a Village Called Barden… is an outtake chapter of the novel named the Heroes. The story shifts between six POV characters including Colonel Bremer dan Gorst resulting in a surprising ending. Tough Times all over was first published in the Rogues anthology. The story wraps up the Shev and Carcolf story sequence. It has fourteen different Pov characters. I like how both stories are constructed, connected, and build to a satisfying ending. Reading all the stories in this anthology will help the reader to understand the background of the First Law World better. Reading the six novels first will help the reader to put these stories into context.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie, First Law World Series Book #7
This is the link to my Book Review of the Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie, Age of Madness Series Book #3. They defeated the rebellion, but all is not well in the Union. Will the wisdom of crowds start a revolution and bring down the Union once and for all?
In Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, Jaime Gray lost his job and is delivering food now. It’s early in the pandemic and COVID-19 makes Jaime’s job difficult. Jamie’s old friend Tom offers Jamie a job to help the KPS as a grunt. Jaime takes the job and goes through a portal and makes friends with others working for the KPS. Huge creatures called Kaiju live on the land near the portal. Bad people want to use Kaiju for their short-sighted purposes. Will Jaime and their friends save the Kaiju and prevent a catastrophic event from occurring back on Earth?
Summary
In Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, Jaime Gray goes into a performance review by the boss, Rob Sanders, expecting a great review. Jamie works at a food delivery service in New York City. Jamie is demoted to a delivery person by Sanders, who he calls a deliverator. It’s the middle of COVID-19 so there are limited job opportunities in New York City. With the lockdown food service delivery is Jamie’s only viable job opportunity so Jaime starts delivering food for the boss.
Six months later Sanders sells the business and Jamie is out of a job and prospects. On the last delivery ever, Jamie meets an old friend named Tom Stevens. They talk about Jamie’s situation and Tom offers Jamie a contract job as a grunt. Tom says the job is with an animal rights organization protecting large animals. Tom sends Jamie to an intake interview. But those animals he mentioned are not what Jamie expects and the location isn’t either. It’s the beginning of a wild adventure.
Recommendation
I thought Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi was a great and fun novel. The novel was short and featured Scalzi’s dry brand of humor. I liked how the author featured the pandemic in the novel, but the irreverent humor balanced the seriousness of the subject. I wonder if in the future the pandemic will be less than a footnote in future works. In this novel, it is important to the plot. I thought it was interesting that the author didn’t reveal Jamie’s gender. It is like the Locked-In series, where the author doesn’t reveal Chris’s gender. Scalzi doesn’t make a big deal about this, but it makes the reader think about the reader’s preconceptions coming into the novel. I had a good time reading this novel and look forward to reading more like it.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page for Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi.
Redshirts by John Scalzi is a stand-alone novel like KPS, and it features the same type of humor done so well in this novel. I recommend this novel if you liked Redshirts.
Review of Redshirts by John Scalzi, Ensign Andrew Dahl is assigned to the starship Intrepid. Crewmembers on away missions die at an alarming rate, but not the officers. Dahl must discover the unbelievable truth, or he will die like the other Redshirts.
