Book Reviews: By Title

Below you’ll find short reviews of the books I’ve read, sorted by title.

A

The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton

The Abyss Beyond Dreams starts off The Chronicle of the Fallers, another series in Hamilton’s Commonwealth universe. Though billed as space opera, it often reads more as urban fantasy since most of the story occurs on the planet Bienvenido inside the Void where steam engines are their most advanced technology.

All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor

All These Worlds is the third book in the Bobiverse series. It continues the story of the war with the genocidal Others started in For We Are Many.

B

Blindsight by Peter Watts

Blindsight is a hard sci-fi novel about first contact with aliens in the near future. A crew of four transhumans and a vampire are sent on a spaceship to investigate an anomaly in the solar system after a swarm of alien probes scan Earth.

C

The Causal Angel by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Causal Angel is the last book in the Jean le Flambeur trilogy. We finally learn le Flambeur was hired to steal the Kaminari Jewel, a Zoku gem with the power to alter reality.

Chevalier by Scott Warren

Chevalier is a modern reimagining of 1980’s mech sci-fi like Battletech, Gundam, and Macross. It’s a quick, action-packed read—not very deep but highly entertaining—that focuses on making mechs feel like realistic battlefield tech, not magic.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Childhood’s End is a classic sci-fi novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is about first contact between humans and the mysterious Overlords, and the end of the human race.

The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe

The Citadel of the Autarch is the forth book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian as he reaches the front in the war against the Ascians and assumes the role of Autarch.

The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe

The Claw of the Conciliator is the second book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It picks up right where The Shadow of the Torturer leaves off, following Severian as he makes his way towards Thrax.

Close to Critical by Hal Clement

Close to Critical is the second book in the Mesklin series. It tells the story of a spaceship carrying the children of two ambassadors that crashes on an inhospitable planet, forcing humans to collaborate with the primitive native aliens to rescue them.

The Colonel by Peter Watts

The Colonel is a short story that serves as a bridge between Blindsight and Echopraxia. It follows Colonel Keaton—the father of Siri Keaton—as he investigates whether the Bicameral hivemind poses a threat to baseline humans.

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

I’ve been meaning to read Banks’s Culture series for more than two decades, so I was excited to finally get started. Unfortunately, Consider Phlebas was not a great introduction.

Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

Countdown City, by Ben H. Winters, is the second novel in the The Last Policeman series. In it, Detective Palace searches for a missing person as the world continues to deteriorate.

D

Dog Soldier by Scott Warren

Dog Soldier is the fourth book in the War Horses series. In it, Warren concludes the Cinto DaSelva campaign and further develops the setting’s backstory.

The Dragon's Banker by Scott Warren

The Dragon’s Banker is a standalone novel by Scott Warren. It tells the story of Sailor Kelstern, a banker in a fantasy world who, as the title suggests, is hired by a dragon.

Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward

Dragon’s Egg is a hard sci-fi novel by Robert L. Forward. It is the story of first contact between humans and the Cheela: beings who live on a neutron star.

The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton

The Dreaming Void is set in the same universe as to Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga, but saying that isn’t quite strong enough: it is really a sequel. You pretty much must read the Commonwealth Saga first because half of the characters return, and every major plot point from the earlier books is spoiled in this one.

E

Eater by Gregory Benford

Eater is a hard sci-fi novel by Gregory Benford. It follows a group of astrophysicists who discover a sentient black hole that is headed straight towards Earth.

Echopraxia by Peter Watts

Echopraxia is the second book in Peter Watts’s Firefall series, although it takes place roughly at the same time as Blindsight. It follows parasitologist Daniel Brüks as he gets dragged into a conflict between multiple transhuman factions, travels to the Icarus station orbiting the sun, and back to Earth.

The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton

The final book in Hamilton’s Void Trilogy, The Evolutionary Void, wraps up the series well, but a little too quickly. All the characters and storylines arrive where they’re needed and then the story is over.

Excession by Iain M. Banks

Excession is the fourth novel and fifth book in the Culture series. It follows the reaction of the Culture and other civilizations to an “excession”: an “Outside Context Problem” that is mysterious and enormously powerful.

F

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The Fall of Hyperion is a sequel that outshines it’s predecessor. It is everything I was expecting from Hyperion and more! A true masterpiece.

A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge

A Fire Upon The Deep is a sci-fi novel by Vernor Vinge. It tells the story of the Blight—a galactic-scale, transcendent evil—and the humans racing to stop it.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a satirical short novel by Edwin A. Abbott, critiquing the rigid class hierarchy of Victorian England through the lens of geometry.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities who undergoes surgery to enhance his cognitive abilities. While it is a beautifully crafted narrative, it failed to hold my attention.

For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

For We Are Many is the second book in the Bobiverse series. It focuses on the Others storyline while also continuing many of the side stories begun in We Are Legion (We Are Bob).

The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Fractal Prince is the second book in the Jean le Flambeur series. While the first book, The Quantum Thief, left me underwhelmed, the second book more than lived up to the hype.

G

Gun, with Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem

Gun, with Occasional Music is a sci-fi, hardboiled detective novel set in near-future Oakland, California. It follows Conrad Metcalf, a private inquisitor, as he tries to solve the murder of Maynard Stanhunt.

H

Heaven's River by Dennis E. Taylor

Heaven’s River is the fourth book in the Bobiverse series. It starts a new storyline and changes the way the stories are told.

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

House of Suns is a standalone hard sci-fi book by Alastair Reynolds. It tells the story of the Gentian Line, a family of clones who are betrayed, nearly wiped out, and must unravel what happened.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Hyperion, was not at all the book I expected. To give you an idea of how much I misjudged it, about a third of the way through I would have rated it two stars and almost put it down, about two-thirds of the way through I was solidly at three stars, and by the end I was up to four. It was not the all-time great I was promised, but it was very good.

I

Inversions by Iain M. Banks

Inversions, by Iain M. Banks, is the sixth Culture book, but it is very different from typical Culture novels: there are no spaceships and almost no advanced technology. Instead, it follows Culture citizens DeWar and Vosill as they manipulate a medieval society.

J

Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton

The sequel to Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained continues right where the last one left off, but with the action ramped up to 11. The various storylines and loose threads come together one by one until it’s the good guys racing against the bad guys for the fate of the universe.

L

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters is an apocalyptic detective novel set in Concord, New Hampshire. It follows Detective Palace as he tries to solve a murder six months before an asteroid is set to wipe out civilization.

Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks

Look to Windward, by Iain M. Banks, is the seventh Culture book. It explores the aftermath of the Idiran–Culture War and Chelgrian civil war.

M

Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques

Mariel of Redwall is the fourth book in the Redwall series. It follows Mariel as she plots her revenge against the searat pirate Gabool, who attempted to kill her and her father, Joseph the Bellmaker.

Mattimeo by Brian Jacques

Mattimeo is the third book in the Redwall series. It begins with the kidnapping of the abbey children by Slagar the cruel and follows Mathias as he tries to save them.

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

Mission of Gravity is a sci-fi adventure story set on the planet Mesklin—a massive, rapidly rotating world with gravity much higher than Earth’s. It follows Barlennan, a Mesklinite, as he sails the Bree across the planet in search of a lost human rocket ship.

Mossflower by Brian Jacques

Mossflower is the second book in the Redwall series. It chronicles the arrival of Martin the Warrior in Mossflower Woods and how he saves the woodlanders from the evil wildcat queen, Tsarmina.

N

Night Without Stars by Peter F. Hamilton

Night Without Stars is the second book in the Chronicle of the Fallers. It is action packed, with great pacing, and complex characters. It is my new favorite Hamilton book.

P

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

I couldn’t put Pandora’s Star down! It is a sci-fi book that reads more like a thriller. There were always new mysteries that just a few more pages promised the answers to.

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks

The Player of Games is the second novel in Iain M. Banks’s Culture series. It tells the story of Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a master game player who is recruited to play Azad, an incredibly complex game that serves as the basis for the Empire of Azad’s entire government.

Q

The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

The Quantum Thief is a sci-fi novel following the adventures of the gentleman thief Jean le Flambeur as he navigates a futuristic solar system to reclaim his lost memories and pull off an impossible heist.

R

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Redwall is the first book in Brian Jacques’s Redwall series. It tells the story of Mathias, a mouse who follows his destiny to become the warrior of Redwall Abbey and defeat the evil rat Cluny the Scourge.

S

Serpent Valley by Scott Warren

Serpent Valley, the third book in the War Horses series, is another quick, action-packed read—but without the flaws holding back its predecessors. Easily my favorite of the series so far!

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

The Shadow of the Torturer is the first installment in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows the life of Severian, a torturer and executioner on a dying Earth. The pacing is slow, but Wolfe’s worldbuilding is fantastic, crafting a setting that pulls the reader in.

Star Light by Hal Clement

Star Light is the sequel to Mission of Gravity, and continues the theme of Human–Mesklinite exploration, this time focusing on a large star-like planet.

Starquake by Robert L. Forward

Starquake is the second book in the Cheela series by Robert L. Forward. It follows the Cheela as they rescue the humans and rebuild after a devastating starquake.

The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks

The State of the Art is a collection of short stories by Iain M. Banks. It contains some stories related to the Culture universe and some general science fiction tales. Although it has been considered utopian fiction, it comes across as rather bleak.

The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe

The Sword of the Lictor is the third book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian after he reaches Thrax and is exiled for a second time.

T

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Tainted Cup is a fantasy detective novel set in a world where humanity is on the brink of destruction from giant Kaiju. It follows investigators Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra as they try to solve the murder of an engineer and uncover a conspiracy that runs far deeper.

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton

The second book in Hamilton’s Void Trilogy, The Temporal Void, continues to advance the story, but like many middle books in a trilogy, it does so slowly. Much of this slowness is due to multiple, massive, 200-page chapters following Edeard in the Void.

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

There Is No Antimemetics Division is a book based in the SCP universe. It explores the idea of anti-memes—ideas that either can’t be thought, quickly drop out of your memory when you stop focusing on them, or are dangerous to think—and how you might contain a force you literally can’t remember.

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

The Three-Body Problem was recommended as a exciting, hard-scifi book full of new ideas. I was eager to read it, having just gotten back into fiction. I bought it for my flight from Melbourne to San Francisco and I threw it in the airport trash as I got off the plane.

U

The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

The Urth of the New Sun is the fifth and final book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian as he leaves Urth to save mankind and returns to witness its destruction and rebirth.

Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

Use of Weapons is the third novel in the Culture series by Iain M. Banks. It tells the story of a man called Cheradenine Zakalwe, who works for the Culture’s Special Circumstances division.

V

Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm

Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by qntm.

W

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pop sci-fi book, the first in the Bobiverse series. It follows Bob Johansson, who dies, gets his brain frozen, and awakens to find himself press-ganged into piloting a von Neumann probe.

World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters

World of Trouble, by Ben H. Winters, is the third and final novel in the The Last Policeman series. It follows Detective Palace as he uncovers his sister’s involvement in a mysterious plot just days before the world’s end.

Y

Ymir by Scott Warren

Ymir is the second book in the War Horses series, keeping Chevalier’s action and quick pacing while adding more backstory, character development, and a more complex plot.