Tagged: science fiction
Anthology: Forbidden Future by The Masquerade Crew
(Cover picture courtesy of Masquerade Tours.)
What becomes of mankind in the future? Is life better or worse?
Forbidden Future by James Wymore
When a time machine technician working the graveyard shift gets divorce papers from his wife, he decides it’s time to take the machine for a ride—no matter the consequences.Jump by Jon Bradbury
Jesse Kendall thinks he’s seen it all. He’s about to see more.Road Trip by Matt Mitrovich
Four friends drive to a college party and take an unexpected detour into the future.Cacotopia by James Lauren
Kayne Adamson went into suspension to await a cure, but never imagined how long his sleep would last or the world he would awaken into. Is it really the utopia it first appears to be?Society by Terra Harmony
Take a ride on the Energy of the Future where society gets a fresh, clean start—no matter who they have to leave behind.The Mountains Haven’t by Kade Anderson
Something is very wrong in the downtrodden town of Dignity and only the town’s Watcher, Julia, can see what it is.Between Utopias by Michael Trimmer
After being saved from a fatal heart attack by being transported to the future, David must choose from two opposite utopias.
[Full disclosure: I have had a close working relationship with The Masquerade Crew and its leader, Mark Lee, for a year. I was going to become one of the editors of this anthology until circumstances not under my control interfered and I had to drop out. With that said, this review is, as always, honest.]
I’m not a big anthology reader, but I really did love this one. For one, I love science fiction and secondly I do love a good short story. And believe me, there are some awesome short stories in here.
I’ll be totally predictable and say that my personal favourite was the anthology’s namesake: Forbidden Future. The main character was well-developed and interesting and the future he was thrust into was somewhat believable. And the ending was tragic and yet hilarious, but I can’t explain too much or that would spoil the awesome surprise. I won’t critique each short story, but on the whole I could relate to the characters and the futures were interesting. It’s hard to fit a whole new future into just a short story, but these authors were pretty awesome and managed to achieve it. Some futures were fantastic, others terrifying. There was a good balance in the selection of the stories because no two really predicted similar futures.
The one thing I had a gripe with was the editing. This is The Masquerade Crew’s first anthology and some of the editing was, admittedly, a little rough. There were basic typographical errors that should have been caught and I’m hoping they’ll be corrected in any subsequent editions. I don’t think there were enough to really distract from the story, but they are there and they are noticeable.
There’s a little something for everyone in Forbidden Future. There’s stories that get very technical for those fans of hard science fiction, but there’s also more character-driven stories for people like me who don’t necessarily understand a great deal of science. Yet in all the stories the main characters are interesting and characterization certainly wasn’t sacrificed in the world-building process. Each author had an unique voice and so did their characters.
Overall I’m pretty happy with the anthology. It never really had a weak story that I just wanted to skip through; all of the stories here were pretty strong. I look forward to future anthologies by The Masquerade Crew. And with the anthology on sale on Amazon for $.99 until December 7th, where can you go wrong?
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Amazon Barnes and Noble* Goodreads
*Unavailable
Ghosts of Forgotten Empires by Michael J. Foy
(Cover picture courtesy of The Bibliophilic Book Blog.)
Ancient artifacts like nothing ever discovered before are uncovered in Egypt. They are manufactured by a technique unknown to man and defy all attempts at analysis. A few individuals acquire these items including two top intelligence operatives from Russia and the United States. They are instantly endowed with god-like abilities. But as everyone knows absolute power corrupts absolutely and even with strong national loyalties how will these men react? The American intelligence freelancer, Cord Devlin, is susceptible to temptation at least in the estimation of his friend and handler, Paul McMaster, at the CIA. Still when one is fighting a war against a gifted opponent one cannot afford to be picky about using one’s own assets. Thus a new cold war is born with men and weapons that make a nuclear deterrent look quaint. The one thing that gives Cord an edge is also the thing that makes him immature in Paul’s eyes. Cord’s deep and abiding love of all things Star Trek and the lessons it inspired will also help him deal with an otherworldly threat whose sole purpose is to indefinitely continue the conflict.
[Full disclosure: Michael J. Foy sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
Ghosts of Forgotten Empires definitely has an interesting premise, but I have pretty mixed feelings about it.
On one hand, there’s the awesome idea behind it and the fast-paced plot. The idea of a malignant alien technology being sentient and controlling humankind for millions of years is interesting, to say the least. Not a lot of time is spent on the technology itself, but the glimpses we see of it throughout the novel are just enough to satisfy a bit of our curiosity. Ghosts of Forgotten Empires also has a very fast-paced plot, which fans of thrillers and mystery novels will appreciate.
However, characterization was sacrificed in the name of this fast plot. To keep up such a fast pace, Michael Foy changed points of view. A lot. At times it was extremely confusing and although things were sort of tied together in the end, I was beyond caring. Characters make the book for me and the constant head-hopping made it hard to really relate to any one character. So on the other hand I didn’t enjoy Ghosts of Forgotten Empires as much as I could have.
One thing that really impressed me was Michael Foy’s attention to detail when it came to the science part of his science fiction novel. I’m not going to pretend I understood even half of the scientific explanations that appeared in the novel, but I’m guessing fans of hard science fiction will love them. If you don’t mind head-hopping and a large cast of characters and like to focus on science and plot, you’ll like Ghosts of Forgotten Empires. It just wasn’t for me.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Spotlight: The Path of the Fallen by Dan O’Brien
Spotlight is my weekly Saturday feature in which I highlight a book I really enjoyed or am eagerly awaiting. This week I want to draw attention to a book that was excellent despite being slightly outside my comfort zone: The Path of the Fallen by Dan O’Brien.
Set against the backdrop of the tundra and a world desperate for hope, the journey of a young man, E’Malkai, will come to define a realm that has been broken by an evil that does not sleep. A bitter betrayal, and the inception of a war that will consume the world, forces E’Malkai to confront the past and undertake a pilgrimage that is his by birthright. Follow him on his journey and be transformed.
As you’ve probably noticed, while I read a lot of fantasy, not much of it would be considered epic fantasy. And certainly none of it would be classified as epic fantasy/science fiction crossover. That’s why I considered The Path of the Fallen out of my comfort zone. It took me a while to get used to the unusual names like E’Malkai and the background of Dan O’Brien’s strange world, but once I did I really enjoyed his book.
Dan O’Brien’s world was well thought out and was a compelling mixture of typical epic fantasy tropes like swords and huge battles but also of science fiction elements like spaceships and lasers. Truly, it’s the best of both genres. The best part? The reason for the mixture actually makes sense when you look at the history of the world. However, the best part of The Path of the Fallen is the characters. E’Malkai isn’t your typical angsty coming-of-age protagonist and *gasp* behaves maturely most of the time because this is more of an adult novel. Fe’rein (the villain) isn’t as fleshed-out as I would have liked him to be, but he does make for a great antagonist.
I’d definitely recommend The Path of the Fallen to anyone who enjoys fantasy or science fiction.
My Favourite Books of 2012
Yes, 2012 is nearly over, which means it’s time to round up my favourite books for the year. I could have called this the best books of 2012, but that would be unfair because what I like is not necessarily what other people like. Therefore, I will be counting down my favourite books, completely ignoring reading level. A good book is a good book in my eyes, whether it was written for tweens, teenagers or adults. However, for convenience I will be classifying them by genre. So what were my favourite books this year? Read on!
Historical Fiction: The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough.
I’ve read a lot of historical fiction this year, but The Song of Troy was my absolute favourite. It had all the grandeur of the original myth, but the characters were brought to life in a way I had never seen before. They had realistic motivations and we got to see the points of view of pretty much all of the main players, which was a real treat. There was no magic, no gods, only a plausible historical scenario in Colleen McCullough’s masterpiece, which makes it even more impressive. I can’t praise it enough. Continue reading
Your Teen Book Buying Guide for the Holidays
Are you looking to buy a book for a teen in your life but have no idea what teens these days are reading? I may not be completely up to date with the latest books, but below are some great books for all kinds of teens, complete with age suggestions. Best of all, if you click the links to read the reviews, you’ll discover a convenient link to Amazon and Barnes and Noble if you think you’ve found a good gift. Please note that my age recommendations are very subjective: all teens are different, so make your judgment based on the individual.
For the history buff:
The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough (Age 15+)
The tale of Troy is ancient, but it’s also timeless. In Colleen McCullough’s The Song of Troy, she brings all of the legendary figures to life as humans, not as the legends they are now. They’re flawed, but you can also detect the grand themes running through the novel.
Run Like Jäger by Karen Bass (Ages 12-16)
This is for a younger audience, mainly because it doesn’t have as much explicit content as my other recommendations. It follows the story of Kurt, an exchange student in Germany, as he tries to figure out what his grandfather did in WWII and why he won’t talk about it. It’s a deep examination of the nature of right and wrong, but it also lets the reader come to their own conclusion about Kurt’s grandfather and his actions.
Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn (Age 14+)
This book is definitely great for someone who likes history, but loves romance more. It’s not entirely historically accurate, but you get the gist of the time periods the two lovers are in and their incredible journey through the centuries. It does have brief sexual content, so it’s not recommended for sensitive teens. Continue reading