KLARA AND THE SUN, by Kazuo Ishiguro

   

Literature, Science Fiction -- 4 1/2 stars

In the future, children are kept from loneliness with the help of an AF, an Artificial Friend.  Klara is one of them--egoless, naive, watching the world pass by the window of the store where she is displayed.  Being chosen means she becomes part of the family, a caretaker for a young, ill girl.  Klara may not understand her new world, but she believes she knows how to save small Josie.  The sun keeps Klara alive. Surely, it can do the same for Josie if Klara asks. ----- In a world where power is all and artificial enhancements are thought to be the answer, the character of Klara is rendered with a tenderness that puts the human characters to shame.  The world that Mr. Ishiguro creates is not a completely solid creation; the reader is left to ferret out much of the situational meaning, much as Klara must.  It is a smart choice that pulls the reader inside Klara's world.   A haunting story of pure, selfless love narrated in a voice so innocent it hurts.  

PROJECT HAIL MARY, by Andy Weir

    

Science Fiction -- 5 stars

Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher, wakes from a years long induced coma to find himself the only surviving member of a three person spaceship crew sent to a far galaxy to find out why our sun is dying and how to stop it.  But Ryland doesn't know that.  He doesn't even know his own name.  He does know he's not completely alone; he can see another space craft near by--one inhabited by a decidedly non-human entity, another sole space crew survivor from a planet whose troubles mirror earth's own.  The only way to save their planets is to work together.  It's going to be quite a partnership. ----- If you enjoyed Andy Weir's Martian, you will love Project Hail Mary.  Clever, imaginative, a lesson in acceptance, collaboration, and respect.  There is enough real science to keep the true SciFi nerd satisfied while the pair's common sense MacGuyver type problem solving makes sure the rest of us are not left behind.  Central to the story is their developing friendship. I particularly enjoyed the gentle sense of humor that evolved as they worked together, each with his own distinct personalities and talents, to solve their common crisis.  A multi-species space thriller with an ending that pulls all the right heart strings.  Loved it.

APPLESEED, by Matt Bell

    

Literature, Dystopian, Science Fiction -- 5 stars

First, there's half faun/half human Chapman who travels the unsettled Ohio territory with his fully human brother planting apple seeds, and hoping one will grow into the tree that will give him what he really desires.  Then there is John, living in a dystopian America where half the country is being harvested for its biomass while the other half is living a life engineered by a woman who has a vision she thinks will save humanity.  And finally, there is C-432, a being rebuilt so many times it is no longer clear if it is human or android, a being that spends its time searching below an ice-covered America for anything that might have once been biological matter. ----- Welcome to three worlds, connected by one desire: to survive and to thrive.  This novel popped up in a "suggested for you" post from Amazon.  I had never heard of it, and had no idea what I was in for when I read a sample--or for that matter, even after I read the sample.  Novels this original, this intelligent, are few and far between.  Sometimes wordy, but always thought provoking, each story is populated by characters both relatable and sympathetic in worlds that connect to become a cautionary tale for life on the planet we call home.  In the end, it's all about the trees. 

GRASS, by Sheri S. Tepper

    

Science Fiction -- 5 stars

In the far future, the human population has spread out over myriad planets.  Sanctity, the latest iteration of the Catholic church, wants to rule them all.  But now there is another problem: a plague that is spreading everywhere, everywhere except on Grass.  Sanctity sends an ambassador to Grass to search for signs of the plague and/or a cure.  Thinking they are being sent to a primitive planet, the ambassador and his family find that there is more than one intelligent life form there, and the dominant intelligence is not necessarily human. In fact, Grass proves to be a planet with a culture more ancient than man. ----- This may be one of the most intelligent and sophisticated science fiction books I have ever encountered.  Written with an eco-feminist slant, this is more than just a study of planet tortured by human invasion, this is an expose of religion and class culture, one where the "ruling" class only thinks they are in charge.  Complex characters, inventive flora and fauna, and a good vs. evil story that not only entertains, it makes you think. Ms. Tepper has written two more books with similar themes.  The second is available only at an inflated hardcover price, but I intend to look for the third for my Kindle.

TO SLEEP IN A SEA OF STARS, by Christopher Paolini

 

Science Fiction -- 5 stars

It is the year 2257, and Kira Navarez's last day on an uncharted planet.  Her survey work is done, but at the last minute, a drone sends a message and she is sent to investigate.  What she finds is an alien artifact that changes everything she knows about life--human and alien--and propels her into the center of an interstellar war that could mean the annihilation of all human life. ---- At 896 pages, this is truly an imaginative Sci-Fi tale of epic proportions where the excitement pulls you forward and forward some more.  Kira leads the character brigade, but she is joined by a flux of life forms identifiable in their humanness of spirit if not their form.  Sophisticated writing, relatable character interactions and backgrounds add a great deal of unexpected depth. Technical aspects are presented in a way that non-techies will appreciate and understand.  I am not a huge fan of this genre, but I could not put this book down.    

THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS, by Micaiah Johnson

   

Science Fiction -- 4 1/2 stars

Imagine that there are multiple parallel worlds.  Imagine that a version of you lives on each of them.  Now imagine that someone has found a way to send you there. It's called traversing, and it is Cara's job.  Cara is facing a choice: attain her dream of full citizenship on the rich side of a world divided between haves and have-nots, or foil an evil genius. ----- This is science fiction for people who don't like science fiction.  You won't find any space ships or warring aliens, no technological gobbledygook.  You will find a clever, original, well written story with compelling characters--rich and poor, good and evil, privileged and striving.  

WINTER WORLD, by A.G, Riddle

Science Fiction -- 4 stars



The Long Winter Trilogy - Book 1
A new ice age has arrived, and the world's population is at risk from encroaching glaciers.  When U.S. scientists discover anomalous objects floating near the sun, they launch a space mission to investigate, a mission to be headed by a robotics scientist currently serving time in a federal prison. -----  Characters both flawed and fearless form an interesting crew who form a working hypothesis with solutions created by human ingenuity and based on known science.  My inner geek was satiated. While this is the first in a trilogy, the story does not have a cliffhanger ending.  You know there is more to come, but for now you feel you can rest. 

RECURSION, by Blake Crouch

Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction -- 4 stars



Helena Smith is using a research grant to study and attempt to capture memories.  Her hope is to help her mother who is suffering with Alzheimer's disease, but her grant money is about to run out.  When she is approached by a stranger offering her unlimited funds to build her "memory chair," she jumps at the chance.  Her mistake is now loose on the world, and she is determined to fix it--no matter how many lives she has to relive. ----- This is a clever and original idea that serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when governments and unlimited private monies clash in their fight to dominate.   It's also equally a love story.  The juxtaposition of the two is both the book's strength and it's weakness.  Just when you've become invested in the fight to halt the extra-curricular project, the love story pops up to soften your resolve.  It is near the end, when the two stories become one that sci-fi, thriller, and romance meld to create a bitter sweet but satisfying ending.

THE PRICE OF TIME, by Tim Tigner

Mystery/Thriller -- 3 stars



Imagine that you are immortal.  Imagine you have more money than you would ever need.  Imagine there are eight other people who share your fate...and they're being murdered, one by one. ----- A mix of sci-fi and thriller that never gets completely off the ground.  The "Immortals" are not fleshed out very well, and it's hard to feel sympathy for any of them as their numbers diminish.  It's not until the end that one of them exhibits a conscience, and the people who discover him have moral problems of their own.  A story that never rises above mediocrity.

LEAP, by Michael C. Grumley

Science Fiction -- 3 stars



Breakthrough Series - Book 2
Fantastical biology, imagined future technology, international intrigue, and a benevolent alien.  This time, the Chinese are smuggling something out of South America and both the Russians and the Americans are watching.  In the meantime, a billionaire animal activist is also in South America and searching for a lost monkey.  The first book in this series was silly but fast moving and fun and offered something to think about.  This book starts out slowly and takes silly to a new level.  I'm not one to stop reading because I think a book is bad, (you never know what you might be missing); and in this case, that was a good thing.  The second half of the book picks up and the story moves along.  But still absent was the thought behind the silly.  The reward for sticking with it comes at the end.  The epilogue brings the thought provoking element into the story at last.  Clever imaginings of a future world are good, but more thought and less imagination would have made this a better book...or a better short story. 

BREAKTHROUGH, by Michael C. Grumley

Science Fiction -- 5 stars


Breakthrough Series - Book 1
A U.S. nuclear sub is forced to abort its mission for unexplained reasons.  The polar ice shelf is crumbling.  Marine scientists are on the brink of an amazing discovery.  Three stories that all connect over one alien artifact.  This isn't one of those lost-on-a-distant-planet or dying-spaceship science fiction stories.  It's more Crichton than Asimov.  A fast, easy read with a thought provoking premise.  I love these kinds of books for the "what if" factor they invoke. It's fluff with consequences. The characters are pretty much good vs. evil, but the story isn't really about them.  I'll be reading the second book in the series, and hoping it lives up to a great start.

THE TIME SHIPS, by Stephen Baxter

Science Fiction -- 2 1/2 stars


This is a sequel to H.G. Wells' "Time Machine."  The Time Traveler decides to go back to save Weena from the Morlocks, only to find himself marooned in an age he doesn't recognize. His original presence in Weena's time has changed the history of man.  In an attempt to reset history, the traveler attempts to find the origin of time.  There is a peek at AD 807,000, 1943, and the Paleolithic age.  I was happy to see this written in the same style as H.G. Well's book, and even happier to see it start at about the same place that the original ended.  After that, I'm not too sure.  The writing is amazingly imaginative, and sometimes fascinating; but so many pages are given over to discussions of highly technical possibilities that there are sections that become a bit of a slog to get through.  A hardcore SciFi fan may have a different opinion, but I missed the "people" part of the story. 

NEW YORK DEEP, by Andrew J. Morgan

Science Fiction -- 4 stars


Engineer Josh Reed is working deep below Manhattan when he discovers a vast, lifeless room, a room lined with an unidentified crystalline substance.  He evacuates he crew from the work site before entering the room alone.  The CIA wants the room to remain a secret and now they're hunting Josh to make sure that happens.  This is SciFi without a spaceship.  Fast paced and thought provoking.

VESSEL, by Andrew J. Morgan

Science Fiction -- 3 stars


The International Space Station reports a mysterious object orbiting the earth, then contact with the station is lost.  An investigating journalist, a pregnant heroine, and a dead informant--all the hallmarks of an inventive story which I enjoyed to a point.  Unfortunately, the writing was weak and sometimes awkward which stopped me from becoming fully invested in the the people or their fates.

PLANETFALL, by Emma Newman

Science Fiction -- 3 stars


Twenty-two years ago Renata Ghali joined a mission in space to fulfill the vision of enigmatic space pioneer Lee Suh-Mi.  Then Renata discovers a secret, one she keeps from the rest of the colony until she finds she can't keep it any longer. More a people story than one guided by futuristic technology, it was enjoyable if not exciting.

THE SONG OF EDMON, by Adam Burch

Science Fiction -- 4 stars


Tao is a planet divided.  One half of the population lives in perpetual sunlight with very little technology.  The other half is technologically advanced and lives in perpetual darkness, disdaining the sunlighters. Edmon's mother rules the sunlit side, a peaceful paradise. Then Edmon is summoned to meet his father on the other side of the planet.  A fully realized world with a sympathetic hero.  This is the first of a 2 book epic. I'm looking forward to the second book.