Book – ScienceFiction.com

Fiction Review: ‘Signal Moon’ (2022)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 16:39:22 +0000

Amazon has been kind enough lately to grace readers with advance copies of select forthcoming titles, and I was lucky to grab a copy of Signal Moon by Kate Quinn, which is releasing wide in August from the streaming giant. This novella-sized tale will be available in eBook only, but it packs a pretty decent punch into a relatively bite-sized story. In 1943, at the height of World War II, Lily Baines works for her country as a “Wren,” the Y-Station listeners of the British Royal Naval Service tasked with intercepting, relaying, and sometimes deciphering the enemy transmissions they hear over the airwaves. Armed with receivers, headphones, and their skill to transcribe as quickly as possible, Lily is but one of a team of women stationed at Withernsea on the English shoreline, working daily to do their part for the cause. Imagine her surprise, then, when she intercepts a truly curious transmission: one coming from a United States Naval officer originating 80 years later, in 2023. This is the main premise the drives this short story from the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Quinn. The author is intimately familiar with the 1940s Y-Station setting, having previously penned […]

The post Fiction Review: ‘Signal Moon’ (2022) appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Book Review: ‘Star Wars: Death Troopers’ (2007)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 16:37:19 +0000

It’s a Thursday, and it’s October, the “Halloween Season” …so what’s a combo Star Wars fan/die-hard zombie aficionado like myself supposed to do? Talk about one of the only pieces of media on the planet that crosses the two over, of course! Initially released over a decade ago, when it was firmly in sorta-canon upon its release but now relegated to “Legends” status – and long before ‘Rogue One’ used characters of the same name in its opening sequence – “Star Wars: Death Troopers” is the mixing of a Star Wars story and a zombie horror story. While it sounds amazingly amazing in theory, and indeed is a pretty fun read, as a proud-yet-critical fan of both universes I feel I must be a little, well, critical here. The experience of reading this book feels a little like meeting a supermodel might: your preconceived notions make you insanely excited for the big event, it seems so amazing and perfect from a distance, but after you spend some time with it, you find out that it’s definitely not perfect and you actually end up a little bummed out. The book was written by Joe Schreiber, who has written a few horror […]

The post Book Review: ‘Star Wars: Death Troopers’ (2007) appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

The History Of Poe Dameron Will Be Told In A New ‘Star Wars’ Novel

Stuart Conover — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 23:21:44 +0000

If you want to know more about Poe Dameron and how he became a hotshot Resistance fighter, you’re in luck! A new young adult novel is coming that will shine a light on his youth and flesh out his past ties with Zorii Bliss who was introduced in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ The first of this new trilogy of novels, ‘Star Wars: Poe Dameron: Free Fall,’ if not the entire trilogy, will be penned by Alex Segura and is described below: It’s been a few years since Poe’s mother, who was a pilot for the Rebellion, passed away, and Poe and his father have had more and more trouble connecting. Not sure what he wants to do with his life, teenage Poe runs away from home to find adventure, and to figure out what kind of man he is meant to be. The comics have already let us know that not only was Poe’s mother a Rebellion pilot, but Luke Skywalker directly saved her at one point RELATED: Poe Says No: Oscar Isaac Has No Interest In A ‘Poe Dameron’ Show On Disney+ As to how the new novel will set up fans for the Poe […]

The post The History Of Poe Dameron Will Be Told In A New ‘Star Wars’ Novel appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Book Review: ‘Sweet Dreams’ By Tricia Sullivan

Stuart Conover — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:39:17 +0000

The Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Tricia Sullivan released a fantastic book last year in ‘Sweet Dreams’ that I feel most of us missed. I should note that there is some mature content in the novel, so probably not an excellent choice for your kids who are just getting into science fiction and think that the concept sounds cool. The story takes place in the near future and follows Charlie, who suffers from narcolepsy and has the power to enter the dreams of others. Charlie’s power and narcolepsy came from a medical trial gone wrong from a rather large company. While she has the horrible condition of falling asleep at the absolute worst times, which comes into play quite often in the story, her powers really are a gift. With the combination, she has taken up the profession of being a Dreamhacker. That is, she takes on clients and helps them by reshaping nightmares and dreams in a new form of therapy. It works. In fact, it works so well that her talent is highly sought after and is well compensated for. It isn’t long until Charlie starts to suspect that she isn’t the only one that can enter the dreams […]

The post Book Review: ‘Sweet Dreams’ By Tricia Sullivan appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Why Short Stories Of ‘The Witcher’ Were Published Prior To The First Full Novel

Stuart Conover — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 14:20:46 +0000

‘The Witcher’ is set to hit Netflix today, December 20th, 2019, and it will be based on short stories by author Andrzej Sapkowski. With so many adaptations being from novels these days, many may wonder why his popular work started in short form. The answer may surprise you. Netflix released a mini-interview with the author and showrunner Lauren Hissrich and the author which explain it all: Check out Andrzej Sapkowski and showrunner Lauren Hissrich in conversation about what makes The Witcher stories so great and the process of adapting them to the screen! @LHissrich #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/E3Y82oFETo — NX (@NXOnNetflix) December 13, 2019 About two minutes into the interview, we find out that it boils down to the fact that Sapkowski started with short stories “because nobody would publish the book.” RELATED: Lauren Hissrich Shares Which Short Story Had To Be In ‘The Witcher’ This is one of those situations that, in retrospect, seem laughable. Much like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, the author had received a pile of rejections before finally getting his big break. It is hard to imagine what the publishers who initially rejected these authors must now think of their decisions. Are you at […]

The post Why Short Stories Of ‘The Witcher’ Were Published Prior To The First Full Novel appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Christopher Paolini Is Jumping To Science Fiction With ‘To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars’

Stuart Conover — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 02:07:23 +0000

Christopher Paolini made his name as an author with ‘Eragon’ and the successful “Inheritance Cycle” and now is jumping from fantasy to science fiction. Tor Books will be releasing his next novel, ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’ on September 15th, 2020! Unlike the young adult market which his works were previously aimed at, this looks to be his first adult-oriented novel. We first heard hints that it was coming earlier this year when he teased that he was finishing up a “massive sci-fi novel” while promoting his short story collection ‘The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm‘. It should prove of interest to fans that this novel has been in the works for 10-years as Paolini has been “figuring out the science and the characters and, most importantly, the story.” As to what we can expect in the series? A brief synopsis is below: During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic that thrusts her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact. Epic space battles for the fate of humanity take her to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and, in the process, transform not only her—but the entire […]

The post Christopher Paolini Is Jumping To Science Fiction With ‘To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars’ appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Book Review: ‘Our War’ By Craig DiLouie

Stuart Conover — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 22:13:51 +0000

To say that the United States of America has become a polarized nation is an understatement and Craig DiLouie is diving directly into what could happen if two major ideologies which govern the country can’t find a way back to co-existing. The story is set in the near future during the second American Civil War. The events are timely, and things kick-off when the President of the United States is impeached but refuses to leave the office. It is easy to jump on the idea that this will be a pro-Democrat or pro-Republican book depending on your political views, but this isn’t that story. In fact, DiLouie is able to deftly create a narrative that doesn’t cast blame on either political party as to who is right or wrong. This is a story about how two opposing factions keep ramping up their politics and differences to the point where there is no way back to normalcy. There is no way back to peace. There are only the two sides who find themselves at war, and we explore this concept through the eyes of a 10-year-old Hannah Miller on one side of the war with her older brother Alex on the […]

The post Book Review: ‘Our War’ By Craig DiLouie appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

The Cover And An Excerpt Are Out From George A. Romero’s ‘The Living Dead’

Stuart Conover — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 15:35:57 +0000

In 2017 zombie fans across the globe lost an icon with the tragic passing of George A. Romero and now one of his final works is about to see the light of the day. Romero was working on a novel titled ‘The Living Dead‘ when he died, and now it has been completed by Daniel Kraus. The book is set to be released on June 9th, 2020, and the cover and a synopsis were shared thanks to Bloody-Disgusting, and an excerpt can be read by zombie fans everywhere which Entertainment Weekly was able to reveal! First up, here is the lengthy synopsis for the upcoming novel which will help to follow what we’re reading in the excerpt: On October 24th, John Doe rises from the dead. Assistant Medical Examiner Luis Acocella and his assistant Charlene Rutkowksi are vivisecting him when it happens, and so begins a global nightmare beyond comprehension. Greer Morgan is a teenager living in a trailer park, and when the dead begin their assault, the true natures of her neighbors are revealed. Chuck Chaplin is a pretty-boy cable-news anchor, and the plague brings sudden purpose to his empty life. Karl Nishimura is the helmsman of the U.S.S. […]

The post The Cover And An Excerpt Are Out From George A. Romero’s ‘The Living Dead’ appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Beam ‘Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless’ Onto Your Book Shelf This December

Stuart Conover — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 19:05:42 +0000

If you can’t get enough “Star Trek” in your life you should be thrilled to find that ‘Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless’ is due out in bookstores and to your favorite e-readers this December! The latest ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ novel is penned by David Galanter and shines a spotlight on Paul Stamets who is played by Anthony Rapp on the series. Stamets is the scientist who is responsible for creating the highly divisive Spore Drive. Seemingly out of canon, the production team was able to shoehorn it into making some kind of sense on the show before this sixth entree into the book series comes out. As to what ‘Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless’ will be about, here the official synopsis: The U.S.S. Discovery’s specialty is using its spore-based hub drive to jump great distances faster than any warp-faring vessel in Starfleet. To do this, Lieutenant Paul Stamets navigates the ship through the recently revealed mycelial network, a subspace domain Discovery can briefly transit but in which it cannot remain. After responding to a startling distress call originating from within the network, the Discovery crew find themselves trapped in an inescapable realm where they will surely perish unless their missing […]

The post Beam ‘Star Trek: Discovery: Dead Endless’ Onto Your Book Shelf This December appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Stephen King Talks About ‘The Institute’ And Hints At What Can Influence His Work

Stuart Conover — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 19:09:14 +0000

Stephen King’s ‘The Institute‘ is his latest novel to be released and the author is starting to open up about it. The novel has made a huge splash on release and already has landed a limited television release deal thanks to Spyglass Media Group alongside David E. Kelley and Jack Bender who are responsible for the ongoing adaptation of King’s ‘Mr. Mercedes.’ The new tidbits were shared while being a guest on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Not only is ‘The Institute’ a novel which follows children in a horrible situation but King also dedicated the novel to his grandsons. The author has long used children in his novels and shares the specific reason he does this: “Kids… have a unique view. They are people who are pretty much vulnerable to the adult work, and that’s what I wrote about a little bit in The Institute. I wanted to see kids get up on their hind legs and fight the power.” While this is a story about children, it also is a tale that has people in power who are abusing it who take these children and keep them incarcerated which could be viewed as a parallel to the […]

The post Stephen King Talks About ‘The Institute’ And Hints At What Can Influence His Work appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Check Out This Preview Of Stephen King’s ‘The Institute’

Stuart Conover — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 22:06:25 +0000

Stephen King‘s latest novel was just released and thanks to Entertainment Weekly we have an excerpt from ‘The Institute‘ to share with you that you’ll want to check out! Unless you already had a copy on order and are probably too busy reading it. Much like ‘Firestarter’ this is a tale about a child with extraordinary gifts. Only, in this case it is multiple children with gifts who have been brought together to ‘The Institute’ to have their powers exploited by others. You can read the preview of the novel right here with the full synopsis at the end of the post: Half an hour after Tim Jamieson’s Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate. When a Delta agent and a blond woman with a security badge hanging around her neck entered the cabin, there were unhappy, premonitory murmurings from the packed residents of economy class. “May I have your attention, please!” the Delta guy called. “How long’s the delay gonna be?” someone asked. “Don’t sugarcoat it.” “The delay should be short, and the captain wants to assure you all that your flight […]

The post Check Out This Preview Of Stephen King’s ‘The Institute’ appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

George R.R. Martin Feels ‘Game Of Thrones’ Is To Blame For ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’ Not Being Finished

Stuart Conover — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 18:49:56 +0000

George R.R. Martin, the creator of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire‘ has finally laid blame as to why he hasn’t finished his epic series and feels that it squarely falls on the shoulders of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones‘ adaptation. With the fifth novel, ‘A Dance With Dragons’, having been released in 2011 it has been over eight years spent waiting for the sixth and seven chapters. The last novel came out shortly after HBO kicked off the first season and to some, this was a sign that progress was being made! RELATED: George R.R. Martin Says Fan Reactions Will Not Change What He Is Writing However, this wasn’t the case. According to Martin: “There were a couple of years where, if I could have finished the book, I could have stayed ahead of the show for another couple of years, and the stress was enormous. I don’t think it was very good for me, because the very thing that should have speeded me up actually slowed me down. Every day I sat down to write and even if I had a good day — and a good day for me is three or four pages — I’d […]

The post George R.R. Martin Feels ‘Game Of Thrones’ Is To Blame For ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’ Not Being Finished appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

‘The Unstoppable Wasp’ Will Be Flying Into Your Local Book Shop As A YA Novel By Sam Maggs

Stuart Conover — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 00:21:11 +0000

Can’t get enough of Marvel’s ‘The Unstoppable Wasp‘? While the character isn’t set to grace the big or small screen in a live-action adaptation quite yet, she will be hitting print work outside of a comic book. Marvel has announced that Nadia Van Dyne will have a new adventure in a Young Adult novel penned by Sam Maggs (‘Marvel Fearless and Fantastic! Female Super Heroes Save the World’,’The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks’). This Marvel Press release will follow what we’ve read in Jeremy Whitley‘s comics as we follow Nadia as a superhero, an inventor, and her genius friends who are part of G.I.R.L. (Genius In action Research Labs.) According to Maggs, “I am thrilled and so honored to be taking the Unstoppable Wasp on her next adventure with Marvel Press. Nadia Van Dyne’s scientific genius is matched only by her boundless optimism; she’s an incredible role model and exactly the kind of Super Hero I think we need right now.” Here is the official synopsis for ‘The Unstoppable Wasp’: Nadia Van Dyne is new to this. New to being a Super Hero, new to being a real friend and stepdaughter (to one of the […]

The post ‘The Unstoppable Wasp’ Will Be Flying Into Your Local Book Shop As A YA Novel By Sam Maggs appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Book Review: ‘Echoes Of War’ By Cheryl Campbell

Stuart Conover — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 13:29:32 +0000

I love when I get my hands on a copy of a novel early that I’m pretty sure is going to be a sleeper hit. That is precisely the case with Cheryl Campbell’s ‘Echoes of War’ which is going to be perfect for fans of post-apocalyptic worlds who are looking for more of a science fiction twist. It is billed as the first installment of the “Echoes Trilogy” which I hope we won’t have to wait too long for the sequel as this was just a fun read. In ‘Echoes of War’ follows the main character of Dani, who is a scavenger that is barely surviving in the outskirts of what is left of Maine. The planet has been overrun by a group known as The Wardens who are an alien race that is working to destroy humanity. These aliens, known as Echoes, for the most part, were at peace with humankind but The Wardens have taken control and want to wipe out Earth’s native species. The real kicker for humans who are working against these invaders is that the species is nearly immortal. To save a young boy from slavery, Dani is thrown directly into the conflict and soon […]

The post Book Review: ‘Echoes Of War’ By Cheryl Campbell appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.

Get Ready To Try Food From A Galaxy Far Far Away With ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook’

Stuart Conover — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 22:27:00 +0000

There is going to be a lot of new “Star Wars”-themed food at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge but you can enjoy it all at home with the ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook’. This new 176 page cookbook is full of “Star Wars” dishes though it isn’t clear if they’re just what is available at the Black Spire Outpost restaurants or will include dishes seen throughout the franchise. The book itself is written by “Strono “Cookie” Tuggs, former head chef at Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana.” Early on we’ll find out that after leaving Tokodana, “Tuggs went on to operate a food freighter (known as “Tugg’s Grib” – a ‘traveling diner for diners traveling’) serving countless planets from across the galaxy. He now boasts an encyclopedic knowledge of the galaxy’s culinary delights born of decades of travel, research, and a love of the holovids of the legendary chef Gormaanda.” RELATED: Disney Land Raises Prices Ahead Of ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ Opening In reality, it was put together by Marc Sumerak who has done a variety of genre-travel guides such as ‘Hidden Universe Travel Guide: The Complete Marvel Cosmos’ and Chelsea Monroe-Cassel who had […]

The post Get Ready To Try Food From A Galaxy Far Far Away With ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook’ appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.