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As an avid consumer of sci-fi and fantasy in all its forms, please allow me to say a few words about my favorite subject.
Author Archives: Bruncvik
Modern Classic: A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel
Not many people remember this novelette. It never got any awards, and instead faded away just like what its protagonist tried to do. This makes it one of the most underrated science fiction stories I know of. It not only … Continue reading
Book review: Wayward Galaxy by Jason Anspach and J. N. Chaney
The Soviets are back to their old tricks against the Americans. But this time, it’s warfare in space! This military science fiction is a wonderful return to the past, but with updated concepts and technology. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit … Continue reading
Hugos 2021 – Best Novelette
Similar to previous years, the 2021 novelette ballot is very strong. I’ve found all six stories interesting, and really enjoyed four of them, all of which I consider Hugo contenders. All six stories feature superb writing, and it’s mainly the … Continue reading
Book Review: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Necromancers in space. Walking skeletons, magic, sword fights, all in a galactic empire setting with spaceships, planetary invasions, and armies. Throw in a fairly pedestrian, yet amusing language, and you have a literary concoction that has the potential to blow … Continue reading
Book review: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire has a very vivid imagination that produced some of the best combinations of folklore, modern fairy tales and urban fantasy in recent years. Her Wayward Children series is a superb take on classic children literature, with a dark, … Continue reading
Flash review: Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson
Bears Discover Fire is one of the most decorated science fiction short stories. It has won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus and Sturgeon awards, among others, and has been nominated for even more. It is a wonderful bittersweet piece of writing, … Continue reading
Hugos 2021 – Short Stories
The finalists for this year’s short story Hugo Award were a pleasant surprise. A full half of them were actually science fiction, but I enjoyed the rest just as much. The quality of the writing was consistently high, which caused … Continue reading
Flash review: A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny was a master wordsmith, and Rose is one of his early masterpieces. It is so skillfully written that one doesn’t even notice that it is more akin to a Greek tragedy than to science fiction. And one doesn’t … Continue reading
Flash Review: The Little Black Bag by Cyril M. Kornbluth
This highly amusing and cynical short story hits all the right buttons. It contains a future that may be funny for some and terrifying for others. It has a highly emotional redemption arc. And a crime and punishment element so … Continue reading
Flash review: Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith
Before Alastair Reynolds and the Ultras, before the mind-numbing and soul-crushing emptiness of deep space travel, there was Smith and his Scanners. This is one of the first stories that combine Lovecraftian horror with space travel. It uses very vivid … Continue reading