aliens – The Spine View

To Each This World by Julie E. Czerneda

To Each This World is a hard Sci-Fi novel. A great story filled with political intrigue, mystery, adventure and imaginative world building. A great find and glad I read it.

The main character Henry, is the Arbiter, the most important individual on New World. His main responsibility is being the go between Humans and the Alien species called the Kmet. Humans have entered into a pact or Duality, as it is called, between the two species.

The Kmet have given some technology to humans and the use of Portals that allow space ships to transit long distances in the blink of an eye. However, everything could be in jeopardy when a probe reaches New Earth with a message that a seed ship, sent centuries earlier, has arrived at its destinations and the humans there are prospering.

The Kmet on the Portal is beside itself. It insists that the other humans be rounded up and returned to New Earth before the Divider finds them and destroys them. As the Arbiter, Henry must assist with this task. Yet, he has many questions, and foremost is who is the Divider and why are they dangerous.

This book is one of the most original I have read in a while. I loved that the author presented Aliens as Alien. Nothing like humans and hard to understand, not only in speech but in motive. It felt plausible and the pacing was perfect. Yet, in the end it was the characters and the world building that made it such a good book.

There is just one negative for me, the writing style, which made the story hard to follow at times. I also struggled at first to get invested in the story. However, the characters of Henry and Killian were just so well developed and I fell in love with them and it made it up for so much.

Despite my one grip, if you are a Sci-Fi fan and like a more traditional story then this is a book for you. It is well worth being at the top of your TBR list.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

What an oxymoron, essential and expendable. That is the situation the main character finds himself in in this fast paced Sci-Fi adventure. Mickey7, by Edward Ashton, is truly an inventive and realistic feeling story of what it might be like to live on a hostile alien planet. Very enjoyable. I need more books like this!

Mickey has the undesirable position of being the “Expendable” on an ice planet light years away from any human outpost. His position gives new meaning to the term dirty job. He gets tasks that are the most hazardous but necessary to everyone’s survival. It he dies while performing these tasks, no problem, just clone another Mickey. He is currently iteration 7, until he isn’t.

Where resources are more than scarce, and calorie intake is closely monitored, there can’t be two of him. Yet, by some fluke, or bad luck, there is now a Mickey8. To top it off, this planet has a hostile native species that is intent on killing the colonist. Will the Mickeys be able to keep it secret that there are now two of them? An even bigger question, will the colony even survive?

This is one of the most original Sci-Fi stories I have read in a while and there was some excellent world building to go along with it. I especially appreciated that the author showed us the gritty side of what it would be like to start a colony on a far flung planet. The risks involved, the mistakes and assumptions that are made well in advance that might doom a colony before it even steps foot on a new world. It is obvious the author did his homework and thought through what the consequences might be.

I also like the main character, Mickey7. He was compelling, snarky and even a little whiny at times. However, I felt sorry for him even though I know his situation was all his own doing. I do wish I had gotten a little bit more background on some of the minor characters. This is a minor detail I can easily overlook since the plot was fast paced and made the pages goes by quickly.

This book is not too heavy on the science, so it is a perfect pick for those readers who like more fiction than fact. Great story, with believable characters make this an easy recommendation to loves of Science Fiction, especially Space Opera.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

This book, Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik, is a stellar start to a wonderful new Sci-Fi series. I am still getting goose bumps from this story days after reading it. This book is the real deal, it has all the feels and you don’t want to miss out on it.

Octavia (Tavi) Zarola and her small, close knit crew are contracted by Torran Fletcher, a dangerous Valoff, to help him find out who stole something very important from him and recover it. He is very vague about the item and insists that humans are behind the thief and he needs a human to help him recover it. Despite her misgivings, Tavi takes the job because it is so lucrative and if she can find this stolen item, in a short period of time, there will be a bonus. Of course, there is a caveat to the deal, Torran demands that he and his crew join forces with hers. Besides the hunt begins on the Valoff home world and Tavi will need him to provide safe passage there.

Once they get underway Tavi discovers there is much more to this ex-military commander than meets the eye. He infuriates and arouses her. In addition, she discovers there is a softer side to him that he keeps well-hidden and she is not the only one feeling the attraction. As they work to recover the item, they both learn that there are secrets that their governments have keep from them as well as secrets they are keeping from each other. The question will be, when it comes down to it, can they trust each other?

I was drawn into this story before the end of the first chapter because the characters were well done and I was intrigued to see how the relationship between the two crews would develop. There was obvious chemistry between different characters and as you learn more about them you can’t help to become invested in the outcome.

The plot was good and I thought some of the ideas presented worked well to move the story forward. I especially was intrigued by one idea in particular, that humans were seeded on other worlds, sometime in the past, and that two distinct lines of humanity have evolved very differently. It got me to thinking, if this could have happened, how closely related and how much DNA would have to be shared before a species can be considered human.

There is no cliffhanger; however, there is much more to this story and I am excited to see what happens next. I also want to know more about the other characters. Will any of those relationships bloom into something more? In addition, I get the impression that the various governments are not done meddling. Will we meet another race of aliens much more advanced? So many questions and so much to look forward to. I hope I am not kept waiting too long for the answers.

This is the perfect Space Opera for fans of The Interdependency series by John Scalzi. It is exciting and highly addictive. I highly recommend! I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Galaxy Bound by Vidar Hokstad

This second installment, Galaxy Bound, in the Sovereign Earth series was just as good as the first. The author, Vidar Hokstad, really knows how to tell a story and it was a pleasure to read more about the crew of the Black Rain. This series is full of adventure and one you don’t want to miss out.

This book picks up where book one left off. Captain Zara and the crew of the Black Rain have accepted a mission. There have been attacks on Earth ships by the Kriii’nai Empire, aka the Centauri as humans call them. However, the Centauri insist that they have not been involved. This is where the crew of the Black Rain (recently upgraded courtesy of the government with all the latest and greatest tech) come in. They are sent to investigate and in addition to their crew they have one diplomat from Earth and one from the Kriii’nai Empire. Of course things are not as they first appear and they must discover the truth before hostilities break out between them.

I loved the continued world building and the introduction of alien characters. The attention to detail about Kriii’nai society was a real boon to the story and the character of Soka, the Centauri diplomat, was so well done. The character fit the plot and was well thought out. I have this image of what he looks like and how he dresses (literally wears dresses) all from the vivid descriptions. I hope we will see more of him in the future.

As in the first book, there is lot of action. However, it was never detrimental to the characters or world building. This a sure sign of a well thought through and executed plot. In addition, the author left us with somewhere to go after this installment and I am excited to see where Captain Zo and her crew are headed next.

This book is a great marriage of action Sci-Fi and Space Opera and the perfect pick for lovers of both. I highly recommend.

I received a free copy, from the author, in exchange for my honest review.

The Year Before the End by Vidar Hokstad

What a great start to an action packed Sci-Fi adventure series! The Year Before the End, by Vidar Hokstad, is just the kind of book I love to read. A bit of fiction and a bit of science equals total reading pleasure!

Zara (aka Zo) Ortega captains the Black Rain, a transport ship that usually smuggles weapons to rebel groups on Earth. Zo and her crew are no strangers to questionable jobs and this latest gig is most definitely questionable. They are tasked with breaking into the Vanguard Station, in the asteroid belt, one of the most secure space stations in the system.

They are to retrieve a capsule that contains information regarding a plot by the Mars separatists and the Centauri, an alien race which made first contact with Earth forty years ago, to rule the system. Of course their well made plans go awry when some Mars ships attack the station while they are attempting to retrieve the capsule.

Once they manage to get free of Vanguard Station they head for the rendezvous point only to discover along the way that things are not all as they seem. The person who hired them is none other than the head of Sovereign Earth and he plans to use the information in the capsule to start a war. It will be up to the crew to stop him.

There are a lot of good things going for this book. First off, I loved all the science behind this story. It was just the right amount to satisfy my inner nerd but not enough that I felt overwhelmed. I truly love when good science and good fiction come together to give you a fascinating and entertaining read.

The story is well written and thought out. It has a cast of likable characters that work well with the plot. Though I would have liked to have had a bit more character development. That being said, this is the first book of a series, I suspect there will be more development of the characters over time.

Lastly, I liked that the plot is fast paced once you get beyond the first couple of chapters. There are no huge plot twists but the book is centered on the action and because of this I felt it was not necessary.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of Science Fiction were the emphasis is on science. If you enjoyed The Martian you will enjoy this book too. I am already looking forward to what the next book has in store for the crew of The Black Rain. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

Prior to reading To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I had not read any of the books by Paolini. Though I had been meaning to for a long time. As a lover of Sci-Fi, when this book came out I felt it was the perfect opportunity to finally read one of his books. Glad I did because it is a great story.

Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist working with a group of scientists to survey an uninhabited planet. By chance she discovers an ancient alien artifact. When the artifact bonds with her everything changes. Humans make first contact with an alien species, a war erupts, and the fate of all humanity seems to rest with her.

That is a lot for any person to take in and I loved that the author gave us this strong and tenacious main character who happens to be female. Kira for sure endured a lot and most people would have given up and thrown the towel in. Despite her personal doubts and blaming herself for the events that happened, she worked through them.

Her internal dialogue with herself hit home for me. It felt real and made her character not only believable but gave her a lot of depth. For me, character development is critical to a successful story and especially one that is a sweeping drama. Paolini really delivered here.

As much as I loved the character development and world building, there were places that the book dragged a bit. However, I was so invested in the story that I soldiered on because I wanted to know what fate had in store for Kira. If the story had been just a little tighter I would have given it five stars instead of four.

Despite my one complaint, this is a fabulous story and I highly recommend it to all lovers of Sci-Fi. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Calie Sorosiak

After reading Leonard (My Life as a Cat) I will never look at a cat the same way. In fact, I just might have encountered an alien or two in my life time. Knowing the cats that have owned me, they no doubt think I’m the alien!

Leonard has an immortal life as a corporal being on a planet far from Earth. He has been anxiously awaiting his 300^th birthday. Three hundred is very special to his species as they are allowed to travel across the cosmos to Earth and for one month assume the body of any creature. Leonard chooses to be human and wants to be a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park. He has planned everything out, down to the smallest detail.

Then in the briefest moment of inattention on his trip to Earth, his well laid plans go awry. He crash lands in a tree during a tropical storm in South Carolina. He is miles and miles away from Yellowstone, which is both his drop off and pick up point. How will a cat get to Yellowstone? Fortunate for Leonard Olive rescues him and he embarks on an adventure more exciting and fulfilling the one he planned for himself.

This is a delightful, middle grade story. The plot is about what happens with things don’t go as planned. However, the message of the story is one of love, friendship and how they save us. The character of Leonard was quirky and perfect. His desire to experience things like movies and bowling made for some humorous moments. It also contains some excellent life lessons, such as it is okay to be different. I ask you, what is wrong with a cat walking on a leash?

I was originally drawn to this book because I am an animal lover. Yet, it is a story for all types of readers. I highly recommend this one for everyone who wants a funny, feel good story full of life lessons. I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This is Andy Weir at his best! Project Hail Mary reminds me of his book The Martian in that it has this amazing main character that you fall for immediately and a sets of events that will have you on the edge of your seat. And did I mention, lots of great science. Folks… Weir is back!

Dr. Ryland Grace has been a junior high school teacher ever since he left the academic world over a controversial paper he wrote. In the paper he claimed that life does not need water to exist or evolve. Little did he know that this paper would lead him to be the expert on an alien life form and that would ultimately lead him to being part of a three person manned mission to another star to save humanity.

There is just one catch. He cannot remember any of this. He is awoken by an advanced medical robot protocol and at first he does not even know his name. All he knows is there are two corpses on beds next to him. Slowly his past comes back to him in bits and pieces as he works on finding a solution to Earth’s problem and avoiding the next mass extension event.

I know I am being obtuse here but I don’t want to spoil one minute of this excellent story. It is a mix of Space Opera and hard science. By the way, Weir does a beautiful job of marrying the two. The action is never ending. Just as Grace solves one problem another one arises. He also has a habit of plowing ahead while working on a problem and not thinking through all of the consequences. In other words, he is human.

Thinking of being human, Weir has created a character that is incredibly likeable. Grace is fallible in a believable way and this makes him relatable. A couple of times I wanted to shout to Grace, “What did you expect!” I love when I get so invested in a story that I want to talk to the character(s).

I know you can tell that I loved this one. However, If YOU loved The Martian as much as I did, you have to read this book. Even if you have never read a book by Weir be sure to pick this one up. I promise you it will be well worth it. Double kudos to Weir for writing such a wonderful book. I am looking forward to seeing this one on the big screen. I received a free ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, for my honest review.

Leviathan Wakes by John S. A. Corey

This book, Leviathan Wakes, might still be on my wish list if not for a friend, and fellow bibliophile, gifting me a copy for Christmas. She knows how much I love a good Sci-Fi story and this one delivered. So glad she choose this book because after watching the first season of The Expanse I was wanting to read the books before watching further episodes.

At this point I would normally give a short synapses of the book. However, given that it is already a TV show, it feels unnecessarily redundant. I want to point out that though the TV show is close to the book there are a few differences. I liked the book better, no surprise there, and I understood the characters better in the book.

The authors (Corey is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) put a lot of work into the world building. The politics and racism in the book are spot on for what you would expect in the future where humans have inhabited the entire solar system. Earth looks down on people not born on Earth and the Belters, those born on asteroids or space stations in the Asteroid Belt, are at the bottom of the list.

While this book is not hard core Science Fiction, it still ticked all the boxes for me. Told from two POVs, Jim Holden, captain of an ice hauler, and Detective Miller on Eros station in the Belt. The characters were portrayed realistically. The two are polar opposites and once their paths become intertwined the story gets riveting. The character development is as strong as the plot and together they make for a book that is hard to put down.

I highly recommend this book to all those who love Science Fiction. I can see why it won so many awards. Totally looking forward to book two.

The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes

The Last Watch, by J. S. Dewes, has a Battlestar Galactic vibe. If you crossed that, with something like, The Expanse it would make a fairly accurate description of this epic space adventure. It is an excellent blend of characters and action that makes it a thrilling read and has established Dewes firmly in the category of authors to watch in the Sci-Fi world.

Told from two POVs, Cavalon Mercer the disowned royal heir and Adequin Rake the commanding officer of the decommissioned battlecruiser, now jail of sorts, Argus. The ship sits on the edge of the universal, literally. The edge, called the Divide, is the point where the universal has quit expanding. The job of the Argus and her crew, along with similar other vessels, is to guard the Divide against their enemy the Viator.

There is just one problem, the universe has started to collapse and it will swallow everything in its path. There is no one else at the Divide and no way to reach the Core to get help. Therefore, this ragtag bunch of criminals and misfits maybe the only way to stop disaster.

Though this is a debut novel, it reads with much more sophistication than I expected. The characters are well rounded and the author gets you inside their heads so that you not only understand them, but you have empathy for them. Even the minor characters you understand their motives and actions. For example, you know why Griffith is serving aboard the Argus. It was no surprise to me what he revealed to Rake at the end, though she refused to see it. However, I think deep down she knew and was just afraid to admit it to herself.

The plot was fast paced and I found myself caught up in the action. In a couple of places I was biting my nails over the suspense. I also liked the twists and most were unexpected. However, one negative thing, though minor, I suspected some of the things that happened in the end. Yet, I felt this did not detract from the story in the slightest.

There are so many directions the next book could go in. I really want to find out more about the other characters, like Puck. I want to understand the underlying politics better and lastly I want to know more about the Viator. I am so looking forward to book two. Not looking forward to the wait! I want the second book NOW!

This is an all-around great opening to a series and I highly recommend this book for all loves of Sci-Fi. It will especially appeal to those that like Space Opera. I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.