I started and finished A Sense of Direction in one evening; I couldn't really stop thinking about it, so I couldn't put it down. I found it...
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McDevitt belongs to the cadre of hard science fiction writers in the direct lineage of the grand, sweeping idea-rich novels of a generation or two ago. He's absolutely reliable and delivers on what he sets out at the beginning of the book: lots of cool planets, situations, and gee-whiz technology, all wrapped up in solid story-telling. Firebird offers, among other things, a planet abandoned by humans, where AIs have run amok, "ghost ships" that slip through time, the mystery of the missing physicist (and his cult following), and quite a few amusing jousting matches with talk show hosts. The focus is definitely on the adventure(s) and not the characters. This is big-idea-driven science fiction, and not many do it better.
Sup With The Devil by Barbara Hamilton continues the sleuthing adventures of Abigail Adams on the eve of the Revolutionary War. The series just keeps getting better as tensions intensify. Soon, everyone will be forced to choose sides. But not quite yet. Abigail's nephew, a student at rustic Harvard University, enlists her aid in solving a mystery -- on that involves translations from Arabic, hidden pirate treasure, college pranks, the murder of a popular student who happened to be a British Loyalist, and the dire fate of the black servant who is the prime suspect. Desperate for cash, the Sons of Liberty would like nothing better to get their hands on the pirate loot, but there is more at stake here than a few pieces of eight.
J.M. Frey's impressive debut is part queer love story, part alien first encounter story, part time travel adventure, part mystery, part exploration of polyamory, all laced with skillfully woven dramatic tension and a sure understanding of the needs of the human heart.
When aliens come to Earth, they come not as ambassadors or conquerors but as refugees. They have lost their families and culture as well as their world. Their species evolved around families of threes -- one to bear children, one to work, one to nurture and protect the others. When a pair of Earth scientists, also a romantic couple, begin working with one of the aliens, their own relationship changes. But Earth, for all its claims of tolerance, is not ready for a marriage that consists of a man, a woman, and an alien. Not by a long shot.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
I've long thought that one reason we love stories about aliens (or sentient nonhuman creatures) is that at one time or another, we've all felt like aliens ourselves. I know I have, and I'll bet that just about everyone who's survived adolescence has, too. (The "just about" is a hedge in case there are, somewhere in the world, people who just sailed through; I'm willing to allow for the possibility, even if I don't know any of them.)
Cecil Castellucci takes that experience and whirls it around in a blender with the mythos of alien abduction and a protagonist who's not only smart but has to face a whole lot more than many of us. Mal's the kid with the greasy hair, slumped in the last row of seats in class, the kid you're afraid to talk to. He's got secrets, too. Years ago, he disappeared, but whether those missing three days were a "breakdown" or an alien abduction, even Mal isn't sure. His alcoholic mom lives right on the edge.
How far away from here is far enough? Mal asks. How far away would I be willing to go?
Light-years.
The characters are uncompromising, the prose cuts right to the core, and I devoured the book in one sitting. Not just for teens, First Day on Earth is both gritty and lyrical, subtle and over-the-top. It shows with poignant eloquence how the symbols and tropes of speculative fiction can convey our deepest human experiences.
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
I love it when a book (or in this case, a series) is such a whopping good story, with a world so vivid and characters so engaging that the distinctions between adult and juvenile readerships disappear. In praising this book, I feel as if I'm adding my voice to multitudes or preaching to the choir. Anyone who's read Kate Elliott's other work has experienced her superb world-building. Now we've got a not-quite-Europe, a zesty melange of Phoenicians and Africans -- not the abused, exploited slaves of our world but the worthy inheritors of proud traditions -- a mid-19th Century ice age, magic woven into ice and "cold steel," and people and powers that not even the denizens of this world can guess. Oh, and dirigibles for the steampunk fans. And trolls. Kind, scholarly attorney trolls. From America. Where trolls come from. Delicious!
I have to admit that I found Elliott's last few books too dark and violent for me, but only a few pages into Cold Magic, I knew I was in for a treat. There's action and danger and Things That Go Bump In The Night, but the whole tone is softer and brighter. Much of this is due to the heroine, a smart and resourceful teen daughter of one of the aforementioned contemporary Phoenician families who, without any warning or preparation, finds herself summarily married to a "cold magic" wizard. So, as they say, the adventure begins. The result is captivating and rousing, action and mystery and romance and intrigue. Oh, and sabertooth cats. What more can a reader want?
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Deborah J. Ross has commented on (15) products.
Firebird (Alex Benedict #6) by Jack McDevitt
Deborah J. Ross, April 29, 2012
McDevitt belongs to the cadre of hard science fiction writers in the direct lineage of the grand, sweeping idea-rich novels of a generation or two ago. He's absolutely reliable and delivers on what he sets out at the beginning of the book: lots of cool planets, situations, and gee-whiz technology, all wrapped up in solid story-telling. Firebird offers, among other things, a planet abandoned by humans, where AIs have run amok, "ghost ships" that slip through time, the mystery of the missing physicist (and his cult following), and quite a few amusing jousting matches with talk show hosts. The focus is definitely on the adventure(s) and not the characters. This is big-idea-driven science fiction, and not many do it better.Sup with the Devil (Abigail Adams Mystery) by Barbara Hamilton
Deborah J. Ross, April 29, 2012
Sup With The Devil by Barbara Hamilton continues the sleuthing adventures of Abigail Adams on the eve of the Revolutionary War. The series just keeps getting better as tensions intensify. Soon, everyone will be forced to choose sides. But not quite yet. Abigail's nephew, a student at rustic Harvard University, enlists her aid in solving a mystery -- on that involves translations from Arabic, hidden pirate treasure, college pranks, the murder of a popular student who happened to be a British Loyalist, and the dire fate of the black servant who is the prime suspect. Desperate for cash, the Sons of Liberty would like nothing better to get their hands on the pirate loot, but there is more at stake here than a few pieces of eight.Triptych by J. M. Frey
Deborah J. Ross, March 21, 2012
J.M. Frey's impressive debut is part queer love story, part alien first encounter story, part time travel adventure, part mystery, part exploration of polyamory, all laced with skillfully woven dramatic tension and a sure understanding of the needs of the human heart.When aliens come to Earth, they come not as ambassadors or conquerors but as refugees. They have lost their families and culture as well as their world. Their species evolved around families of threes -- one to bear children, one to work, one to nurture and protect the others. When a pair of Earth scientists, also a romantic couple, begin working with one of the aliens, their own relationship changes. But Earth, for all its claims of tolerance, is not ready for a marriage that consists of a man, a woman, and an alien. Not by a long shot.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci
Deborah J. Ross, October 19, 2011
I've long thought that one reason we love stories about aliens (or sentient nonhuman creatures) is that at one time or another, we've all felt like aliens ourselves. I know I have, and I'll bet that just about everyone who's survived adolescence has, too. (The "just about" is a hedge in case there are, somewhere in the world, people who just sailed through; I'm willing to allow for the possibility, even if I don't know any of them.)Cecil Castellucci takes that experience and whirls it around in a blender with the mythos of alien abduction and a protagonist who's not only smart but has to face a whole lot more than many of us. Mal's the kid with the greasy hair, slumped in the last row of seats in class, the kid you're afraid to talk to. He's got secrets, too. Years ago, he disappeared, but whether those missing three days were a "breakdown" or an alien abduction, even Mal isn't sure. His alcoholic mom lives right on the edge.
How far away from here is far enough? Mal asks. How far away would I be willing to go?
Light-years.
The characters are uncompromising, the prose cuts right to the core, and I devoured the book in one sitting. Not just for teens, First Day on Earth is both gritty and lyrical, subtle and over-the-top. It shows with poignant eloquence how the symbols and tropes of speculative fiction can convey our deepest human experiences.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Spiritwalker Trilogy #01: Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
Deborah J. Ross, October 19, 2011
I love it when a book (or in this case, a series) is such a whopping good story, with a world so vivid and characters so engaging that the distinctions between adult and juvenile readerships disappear. In praising this book, I feel as if I'm adding my voice to multitudes or preaching to the choir. Anyone who's read Kate Elliott's other work has experienced her superb world-building. Now we've got a not-quite-Europe, a zesty melange of Phoenicians and Africans -- not the abused, exploited slaves of our world but the worthy inheritors of proud traditions -- a mid-19th Century ice age, magic woven into ice and "cold steel," and people and powers that not even the denizens of this world can guess. Oh, and dirigibles for the steampunk fans. And trolls. Kind, scholarly attorney trolls. From America. Where trolls come from. Delicious!I have to admit that I found Elliott's last few books too dark and violent for me, but only a few pages into Cold Magic, I knew I was in for a treat. There's action and danger and Things That Go Bump In The Night, but the whole tone is softer and brighter. Much of this is due to the heroine, a smart and resourceful teen daughter of one of the aforementioned contemporary Phoenician families who, without any warning or preparation, finds herself summarily married to a "cold magic" wizard. So, as they say, the adventure begins. The result is captivating and rousing, action and mystery and romance and intrigue. Oh, and sabertooth cats. What more can a reader want?
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