Book Review: Terms of Enlistment (Frontlines 1) by Marko Kloos

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Bruncvik

Much to my delight, there is no shortage of military science fiction.  To my even greater pleasure, Terms of Enlistment stands above the average.  That’s not to say it’s in any way exceptional, but it’s got all the right ingredients to make it memorable in the genre: it’s gritty, with well described set pieces and action sequences, and it subverts expectations in delightful ways.  This book is a great introduction to the Frontlines series, and I’m eager to pick up the sequel.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book review: Artemis by Andy Weir

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Bruncvik

Andy Weir decided to strike closer to home.  After his trip to Mars with his well-known book The Martian, which saw a movie adaptation that further cemented Matt Damon’s typecasting as a damsel in distress, Weir turned his sights to the Moon, in this action adventure full of unlikely and unlikable characters, not so witty one-liners, and fairly solid science.  This book stands on its own firmly in the middle of pulpy science fiction.  That’s not an enviable position: it’s not bad enough to be actually entertaining, and it’s not good enough to be memorable.  The best I can say is that it is unpredictable, so once you pick it up, chances are you’ll finish reading it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Bruncvik

The first in the Murderbot series, and the first to win the Hugo Award for Martha Wells, All Systems Red started what appears to be a genuine phenomenon in modern science fiction.  All three of its sequels were nominated for the Hugos the following year, and even though Wells withdrew two of them from consideration, she pocketed another Hugo for the third one.  This novella introduces the readers to the engrossing and fairly original universe full of unexplored planets, companies fighting for resources and corporations profiting from this push.  The book does so without unnecessary exposition, which makes it even more entertaining.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Hugos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book Review: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Bruncvik

The Calculating Stars is a superbly written alternate history story, which mixes some very recent concepts and ideas with 1950s social norms.  It offers well developed characters, which the reader can get easily emotionally attached to, as well as sound science.  Some people I have spoken to don’t consider it science fiction, but I tend to disagree: the book is a wonderful throwback to old post-apocalyptic literature like Alas, Babylon, Earth Abides and even Lucifer’s Hammer.  Those comparisons are limited only to the feeling I’ve head the book, though: The Calculating Stars truly stands on its own.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Hugos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Musings on Recent Hugo Award Winners (and Why I Didn’t Vote for Them)

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Bruncvik

It’s no coincidence that the following text reads like the ramblings of an old man who is struggling to understand the current generation.  It’s exactly that.  In the next few paragraphs I’ll try to verbalize why all of my Hugo nominations have been consistently failing to get on the final ballot, and why the vast majority of my Hugo votes usually ends on the very bottom of the voting results.  The problem doesn’t lie with me.  Neither does it lie with everyone else voting for the award.  That’s because there is no problem, just a difference between tastes and preferences.

Continue reading →

Posted in Opinions | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book Review: Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okoafor

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Bruncvik

The third Binti book may have closed a series of highly successful books.  The first Binti was awarded the Hugo and Nebula awards, among others, for its very original ecosystem of Earth civilizations and aliens.  The second one got nominated for the Hugo and Locus awards, and this book got the Hugo nomination nod.  However, this success had been in a downward spiral, with this title getting the nod only after Martha Wells withdrew two of her novellas out of consideration (she still won with the third one, which she left in the running).  The Binti series is a prime example of what happens when worldbuilding is not enough.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book review: The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèli Clark

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Bruncvik

The Black God’s Drums is a fun little adventure that takes place in a well-developed and engaging alternative timeline.  It may rely a little too heavily on worldbuilding at the expense of the story, but it is still engrossing, reminiscent of old pulp adventures or PC adventure games of the early 1990s.  It is by far the most digestible read among the 2019 Hugo Award novella nominees.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Book review: Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Bruncvik

The Lucky Peach is one of the most compelling time travel stories I’ve read in the recent years.  In an age when almost every viable trope in the time travel subgenre had been explored, Robson makes the wise choice of not focusing on it too much and instead packs this novella with so many other concepts that nearly every reader will find something to hold on to.  From environmentalism, through the ethics of killing, generational changes and body autonomy, to communication technology, this book works on many levels.  However, its greatest strength is that even though it is densely packed with these concepts, The Lucky Peach is still very accessible to its readers.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Hugos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book review: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Bruncvik

It is exceedingly rare for me to miss my tram stop because I’m so engrossed in a book.  This little gem managed it.  I was absolutely in love with this adult fairy tale.  It features a highly original story, likable characters and very compelling worldbuilding.  And all of it is measured out in small but dense quantities, to force the book into a small, manageable package that can be enjoyed over a long evening.  Or a few tram rides, at least one of which could turn out to be unexpectedly long.

Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews, Hugos | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Safety in Dublin during the 2019 Worldcon

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Bruncvik

I’ve been living in Dublin for eight years, and for most of the time I’ve walked, run, cycled or taken public transportation.  Prior to that, I spent 16 years in the US and over 20 years in various countries in continental Europe, so I am well aware what differences visitors in Dublin should be expecting.  In addition, I have been hosting meetups for newcomers to Ireland who wish to meet their fellow expats and the locals.  From these meetups I gained understanding of what information was most appreciated by visitors to Dublin.  The following is the safety advice I came up with, and which consists solely of my personal experiences, observations and opinions.  Please note that this describes the worst-case scenarios.  Dublin is a cosmopolitan city, which I’d consider on the safer side of Western Europe.  As such, common sense is usually all that’s needed to keep safe, but I’ll be listing the worst that could happen, and the readers may make up their own mind.

Continue reading →

Posted in Hugos | Tagged , | 7 Comments