Book review: Halcyon Years by Alastair Reynolds

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Bruncvik

Alastair Reynolds is much more versatile than many give him credit for.  From hard science fiction, through gothic horror and body modifications, to cyberpunk fantasy and swashbuckling adventure, Reynolds had attacked many different literary niches, usually successfully.  In the past, he even dabbled in noir, in the form of Century Rain, one of my favorite novels written by him.  Now he’s back to noir, but in a much easier flowing prose.  Halcyon Years may be the most fun I’ve had with a SF book this year.

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Books review: Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons

Posted on May 18, 2026 by Bruncvik

Sprawling epic: check.  Multiple story strands: check.  References to classic literature: check.  The Illium and Olympos duology may not be as well known and well loved as Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos, nor is it as action-packed and inventive, but it is still an interesting piece of literature that had me binge on the books until I finished them, and forced me to look up references to works of classical literature I wasn’t so familiar with.  In the hindsight of a few months, however, I must say that my infatuation with the books somewhat faded, as I realized one key difference with other works by the author: I just couldn’t make myself care about any of the characters.

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Flash review: The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Bruncvik

The 1950s were a magical time in science fiction.  During the economic boom after World War 2, very optimistic fiction about the future of humanity was being written and published.  Some twisted (read: great) minds of that era, however, weren’t satisfied about their upcoming utopic existence, and had to throw a wrench into the upbeat prose.  Cyril M. Kornbluth, in particular, liked to drive the upbeat narratives into absurdity, resulting into hilarious (and with the hindsight of 70 years often very relevant) results.  Pohl, Kornbluth’s friend, followed with his own absurd take on growing consumerism.

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Book review: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Bruncvik

Of all the futurologists, Kim Stanley Robinson is my favorite.  He seems the most insightful and well-researched, and he doesn’t mince words to hide uncomfortable truths.  He is also well versed in climate science, economics and social policies, which greatly help him to produce engaging books that are part educational, part alarmist, but always wholly engaging.  The Ministry for the Future is his most ambitious project to date, but also one of his most divisive ones.  With an unusual literary structure and very uneven pacing, the narrative is a far cry from his most memorable works.  I found the book interesting, very educational, but also frustrating and fairly implausible.

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Book review: Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Bruncvik

Oppressive regime, a dissident academic sentenced for life to a labor camp, weird, deadly, but also wondrous alien life. If that sounds like Tchaikovsky’s Cage of Souls, it is. But it is also the more recent Alien Clay. And it’s completely fresh, with new premises, new conclusions, new and more likable characters, and a more upbeat ending. While I wasn’t all that impressed with Cage of Souls, Alien Clay was a genuine page turner.

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Book review: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Bruncvik

Cage of Souls is a weird novel, which defies simple description.  It’s part fantasy, part science fiction, eco-fiction, travelogue, future history, and possibly more.  It’s dense and slow to read.  It doesn’t offer any payoff, its narrator is unlikeable and yet sounding very authentic, and still, the book had me coming back to read on.  I can’t say I liked it, but it was interesting enough to finish it.

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Modern Classic: Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Bruncvik

Story of Your Life is probably the most renowned novella by one of the most celebrated contemporary short prose SF writers.  It won multiple awards, and it spawned a successful Hollywood blockbuster, which then went on to reap additional awards.  All this is deserved.  Story is hard science fiction dressed as a deep personal tragedy, and both aspects are nearly perfect.

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The Hyperion Cantos: A Retrospective

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Bruncvik

In my most recent reread of the Hyperion Cantos, I paid closer attention to the author’s prose and technique.  I already knew the story, the characters, and the twists, but given how multilayered the prose is, with subtle twists that are further obfuscated by the author hitting the reader over the head with very obvious turns in the narrative, I set on appreciating the subtleties of the writing style.

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Book review: The Rise of Endymion (Hyperion Cantos 4) by Dan Simmons

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Bruncvik

All good things must come to an end, and so does one of the most influential science fiction series, the Hyperion Cantos.  The Rise of Endymion is probably the most divisive of the four books, and it left many fans bitter.  It does have its drawbacks, but I found it better than its predecessor.  Simmons dials his worldbuilding skills to eleven, gives a little life to some of the characters, and spins a compelling, yet somehow familiar philosophy.

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Book review: Endymion (Hyperion Cantos 3) by Dan Simmons

Posted on May 26, 2024 by Bruncvik

There are two kids of Hyperion fans.  Those who think the Cantos should have ended with The Fall of Hyperion and those who understand that the Endymion books stand on their own, as a separate duology in the same universe.  I fall into the second category.  I don’t see Endymion as a sequel, but as the beginning of a new two-book series, with its own theme, characters, and narrative structure, very loosely connected to the Hyperion books; only by a few fading memories.  With this perspective, Endymion is yet another amazing book from Dan Simmons.

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