science fiction author
This was my third FoF and it didn’t disappoint… again. I attended panels starting Friday afternoon well into the evening and the spend 12 hours both Saturday an Sunday (at least) frantically scribbling notes, listening, and learning. Probably my 3 favorite panels were the two that talked about the short fiction markets (Neil Clarke was in both, as was Scot Noel and David Steffen) and the one about how you need to consider the infrastructure…
I have been working on my application to Clarion West for the last 5-6 weeks. I had 4-5 stories I was considering for revision and inclusion in the application, and in the end I chose one that is shows a personal relationship between a man and an alien aboard a starship. The second one was conceived during a run in the rain in late December and it is a story written from the perspective of…
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…
I totally forgot to update my NaNo status… I did it! I won! I wrote 50,450 words in 29 days (and then about 125 more on the 30th) and then have taken a bit of a break since then. My novel is up to about 70k words now, and I figure I have at least 30-40k left to get the first draft complete. I was ahead of schedule for the first week, but November was…
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…
I just decided tonight that I will be doing NaNo this year. I spent 3-4 months last year plotting and prepping and doing the snowflake method and then I stalled out and wrote short fiction. But I really need to do this for myself, so I am committing to it publicly. I will spend October reviewing my notes and outlines, reordering chapters, and getting ready to write. Nov 1… here I come!
