science fiction author
The crew is back, and there is a new enemy that is actually the same as always: humanity. But this time the enemy is coming from beyond the ring gates. They have closed themselves off for 30+ years, and now are coming back to rule all of the 1300 systems. I was a bit shocked to find that this book took place 30 years in the future from the last one. A lot of the…
This is the 6th book in the series and the first book of The Expanse series that I am not giving a 5 star rating too. Only 4 this time. This one felt different. It felt like the characters weren’t in control of their own destinies as much and there was a bit of a dues ex machina ending that was definitely hinted at in both this and the previous book, but still, it felt…
This is a novella that I preordered, it arrived several months ago, and it has just been sitting on my shelf since then. I have read several books by each of these authors previously so was quite looking forward to this one. I liked it. It reminded me very much (theme, not style plot or tone) of the Asimov novel “The End of Eternity,” which deals with stagnation of societies due to the creation of…
We’re back in the Expanse universe with book 5. This story was different from the others in the series in that James, Alex, Naomi and Amos split up and went their separate ways while the Rocinante is in dry dock for repairs. Amos heads back to Earth, specifically the city he grew up in, Baltimore. Alex heads to Mars to try to reconnect with his ex-wife. Naomi leaves James behind and tells him its best…
The head of a biotech company is under investigation for the use of his nanotechnology in a terrorist attack in Las Vegas. With nowhere to turn, his wife suggests they seek help as a last resort from an old friend. And then the mystery thickens. This is a near future hard SF book that has some surprising twists and turns–some of which I probably should have seen coming. This is not the type of SF…
We return again to James Holden and his crew, this time exploring a world out beyond the ring. I’ve been super busy at work and so this one took me more than 2 months to read, but it was as enjoyable as the rest. Maybe I am getting used to the characters or the way this author plots, but there were a few places (that I won’t spoil) where I knew what the solution was…
A Black woman moves into her new home with her husband on her birthday. While unpacking, she gets nauseous, and finds herself transported back to Maryland in the early 1800s where a child is drowning. Her great-great-great grandfather points a gun at her. Her terror sends her back to her shocked husband. This novel is fantasy, and it explores dark themes. And sadly, it is just as relevant today as it was when it was…
This is book 3 in the Expanse series and it continues to follow James Holden and his crew as they travel around the solar system. There isn’t a lot I feel I can say about this book that you won’t find reading a review on Amazon, and I don’t want to give any spoilers. This series continues to be good quality hard SF and I really have enjoyed reading it. The authors are careful to…
I’ve heard a lot about this book. It was highly recommended and for me this book checked all the boxes. A new crew member joins a starship to take over record keeping but she has a complicated and secret past. The captain is a good man, trying to keep everyone happy with a firm but gentle hand, and yet he too has a secret… his girlfriend must be kept secret because the xenophobic race she…
I became aware of Dotson’s writing on social media (twitter, specifically), mostly because Gareth Powell regularly lifts her up. I love space opera and so I decided to look into this author. In many ways, her life story sounds a lot like mine. We both created worlds as children and young adults, wrote stories and fleshed out our characters, but are not full time fiction writers. The difference, of course, is that she has followed…
