Tag Archives: modern classics

Modern classic: The Will to Battle (Terra Ignota 3) by Ada Palmer

This review has been several weeks in making.  Usually, I write reviews in a week, with multiple rereads and revisions.  In this case, I never felt that my efforts were adequate to the quality of the book, and I ended … Continue reading

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Modern Classic: A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge

Very few books from the last quarter of a century were as influential as A Deepness in the Sky. Even fewer managed to upstage their already great predecessors in a truly grand manner. And while there are other titles spanning … Continue reading

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Modern classic: Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds

There are two kinds of time travel novels. Those that… Ah, scratch that. There are all sorts of time travel stories, but the only ones I find interesting are those that focus on the time travel paradox. Not some kind … Continue reading

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Modern classic: Seven Surrenders (Terra Ignota 2) by Ada Palmer

A book of the caliber of Too Like the Lighting is difficult to emulate, especially with a sequel that is designed to be a direct continuation of the first book. Palmer manages to do just that with yet another exceptional … Continue reading

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Modern Classic: Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota 1) by Ada Palmer

This tour de force has easily become my favorite science fiction book of the 2010s, and it restored my faith that classic literary science fiction would thrive in this century. Don’t get me wrong: I have other favorite authors, from … Continue reading

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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

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Modern Classic: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The notion of “uplift”, intelligent species genetically modifying animals to sentience, has been tossed around science fiction for quite some time, but never gained much prominence.  Save for the first work credited with uplift, The Island of Doctor Moerau by … Continue reading

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Modern Classic: Will Save the Galaxy for Food by Yahtzee Croshaw

Chances are, you’ve never heard of this book or its author, but if you read science fiction over the past decade you came across works by John Scalzi.  The short version of this review thus could be that Yahtzee Croshaw’s … Continue reading

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Modern Classic: The Border by Robert McCammon

Alien invasion books are a dime a dozen. Post-apocalyptic alien invasion books are almost as numerous. So, it’s difficult to come up with at least a semi-original premise, and package it into a refreshing and gripping story. McCammon manages to … Continue reading

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Modern Classic: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Aurora is a difficult book.  It’s technical and depressing.  And yet, it’s one of the most accessible hard science fiction books I’ve read, with a compelling story and believable characters.  For me, this book was a page-turner, and I feel … Continue reading

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