In keeping with the theme of this site, my reviews will focus on the science behind the fiction. I’ve created a POINTS system for this purpose (Plot, Organization, Intelligibility, Novelty, Technology, and Science). Each will be given a grade out of 5 with a highest possible score of 30. This score has nothing to do with my enjoyment of the novel, but how I rate the individual parameters. I will try not to give too many details or spoilers, but it might be necessary on occasion.
Note: Cover images taken from listings on Amazon.com.
Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 24/30)
Plus POINTS: The book centers around Andrew Grayson, a young man living in a PRC, one of many residence clusters for the millions of people in the North American Commonwealth who are on welfare. With no opportunities available to him, and tired of the constant hunger and crime, he decides to enlist. The book walks us through his early career in first the Terrestrial Army, and then the Navy as he contends with self-important officers and rigorous training. Thinking he’s finally found some good luck when his first assignment is on the same ship as his girlfriend, he settles in for a quiet mission. Instead, the ship is blown apart by the first ever alien species humanity has ever encountered. They survive, barely, but instead of humanity uniting against the enemy, they continue their pointless wars. Andrew Grayson is just another cog in the machine, doing what he’s told. Plus POINTS for plot, organization, and intelligibility.
Minus POINTS:
While it is very well written, compelling, and enjoyable, overall, this is not very different from most other military Sci-fis full of battle scenes, guns, battleships, and the strict military lifestyle. In addition to the moderate lack of novelty, Kloos follows the standard of most military sci-fis, by getting around the science with generalizations and hand-wavium. For example, there exists artificial gravity on ships, a near limitless supply of energy that can propel massive ships huge distances, as well as an Alcubierre drive which allows them to travel faster than light by folding space. Much of this is understandable, as this is one of the few ways he can have multiple human colonies on distant worlds without taking hundred of years to get there. The aliens, while interesting, are massive and made of really heavy and dense material making them almost impenetrable. The Lankies, scrawny, long-legged, dozens of meters-tall creatures, should be unable to move even on worlds with relatively low gravity, but they can run nearly as fast as a vehicle. And even through they are space-faring creatures, they appear to lack technology, growing their homes, terraformers, and even their seed ships like they’re biological in nature, except they don’t seem to eat. How such things could have evolved, and where it gets its energy is beyond me.
I knew reviewing a military sci-fi book wouldn’t score well here, as I am reviewing based on the science, so let me clarify that this entire series is among the best military sci-fi’s I’ve ever read. In fact, I think I’ve read each book at least two times. So while the science and technology might not be realistic, I was able to suspend my disbelief most of the time, and really enjoy the book.
Lines of Departure by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 23/30)
The second book in the series took place largely on an ice moon. Andrew Grayson risks his life and his career to make sure the colonists of the moon are not mistreated by the officers in charge. All of the conflict stops when Lankies show up. Improbably, they are able to use a Gauss gun to shoot huge payloads of water out of the gravity well of the moon, onto a ship, and then use the mystically powerful engines to carry the ship to fractional light speed to ram the Lanky. Nobody is on board of course, but for the first time, humanity has brought down a Lanky seed ship.
Angles of Attack by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 23/30)
Earth is in danger of being overrun by Lankies in the Front-lines series third book, but thankfully, humanity has taken the first steps to come together and fight the threat. And they finally know how to stop them. Except the rich and privileged of humanity have left them all to die, running away with all the firepower. Kudos to Kloos for detailing how Nukes would work in space.
Chains of Command by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 24/30)
Earth is saved, but now its time to kick Lankies out of the solar system, which means taking back Mars. The Fourth book of the Frontlines series is a mission to take back the warships the traitors took with them when they fled. It requires espionage, stealth, new technology, and a couple of nukes to convince them to give it up. This book was a roller-coaster of conflicting emotions for me.
Fields of Fire by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 22/30)
Taking back Mars is the focus of the fifth book of the Frontlines series, and they spare no expense, throwing everything they have at the Lanky threat. It is both successful and not. They learn a lot about their enemy, namely, that they learn quickly, and that once they have taken a planet, it’s all but impossible to get them off.
Points of Impact by Marko Kloos (POINTS= 21/30)
In book six, one of humanities last colonies, the ice moon from book two, is under attack from Lankies. They must come to the rescue of the colonists before they are overrun, and this time, they have huge new warships. Interestingly, they managed to build an entire naval yard full of these huge ships on the far side of the moon in secret. These warships can also generate enough plasma and fling it at a seed ship and destroy it with a single shot. Aside from the improbabilities, this book ended rather too abruptly for me.
Level Five by William Ledbetter (POINTS= 26/30)
Plus POINTS: This book was filled to the brim with unique characters like artificial intelligences, programmers, engineers, special agents, terrorists, and a man who sees visions of god. It is no surprise that all of them have their own idea of whom should inherit the Earth. Amid plots of world domination, there are also others who want to use advanced nano-technology to make the world a better place by creating new medicines, streamlining manufacturing, making disaster-relief shelters, and extending humanity’s reach into the solar system. This last innovation couldn’t come too soon as nuclear weapons, viruses, and self-replicating nano machines make Earth a dangerous place to live. Ledbetter introduces these technologies and gives us a glimpse into how they might affect our lives. He adds a refreshing element to the story, potentially dangerous innovations used for good, and an optimism about humanity’s place in space.
Minus POINTS: While the characters are unique, there were too many of them. The terrorists and their nuclear weapons and viruses seemed like convenient filler to get to the real plot and antagonist, replicating nano machines and a rogue AI. While Ledbetter does a brilliant job of examining the fallout of new technologies like small anti-gravity travel pods, AI, and nanotechnology on society, he doesn’t reveal much of the scientific or technological details. We don’t know how these anti-gravity pods generate their effect, how AIs can have consciousness yet be small enough to copy themselves without people noticing, nor do we find out how nano machines function, self-replicate, print whole structures, or learn their molecule-by-molecule layout. I see no way to program such small machines with all the information they would need to carry out complex instructions as well as the capacity to communicate with each other. There are also significant problems with replication rates, and conservation of energy and matter that I won’t go into. Much of this can be overlooked, as when it comes to the descriptions of less-theoretical technologies, there is no shortage of technical and scientific details.
Overall though, it was a book that was hard to put down, and made all the more enjoyable for having known the author personally.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (POINTS= 27/30)
Plus POINTS: Environmental and economic crises have made reality a difficult place to live. Like many of us, Wade Watts prefers to spend his time in imaginary worlds in stead of the real one. In fact, nearly everyone has since retreated into the same video game. In the OASIS, people work, play, and spend all of their free time. Better still, a prize, an Easter egg, has been hidden in the game by its inventor, and its finder will inherit his fortune. The only problem, the founder was obsessed with 80’s pop-culture and video games. In order to decipher his clues, Wade must also become obsessed. I’ve read this book about 4 times now. It’s hard not to love it. The plot is original, at least in its execution, and the characters are easy to like. It is difficult to assess the science and technology of the story, as this is not my background, and such amazing leaps in VR, haptic glove technology, and data processing, may soon be possible. Everything that happens in the virtual world does not bow to the laws of science, so it was fairly easy for me to suspend my disbelief.
Minus POINTS:
Intelligibility takes the most hits using the POINTS system, and for the first time, it isn’t because of complicated science, but pop-culture references. While the characters are likable, they aren’t very relatable, unless you were an 80’s kid who shares their same cultural obsessions. That said, Cline describes the pop-culture references enough that an average (non-80’s) reader can follow along for the most part. It took me a couple reads to realize that the book was excruciatingly heavy on exposition, resulting in a slow start and frequent pauses in the action to inform the reader why the 80’s reference is relevant and cool.
Opening Moves: The Gam3 by Cosimo Yap (POINTS= 24/30)
Plus POINTS: When aliens arrive to earth, the last thing you’d expect is for them to give you new technology. Their intentions aren’t entirely beneficent as it turns out. They give humanity a game, a completely immersive virtual reality. There, humans can join the fray against all the other aliens in the galaxy. If they lose certain strong points, they lose the territory in real life, except without the destruction and bloodshed. The story follows Alan, one of the games new Humans from earth. He navigates the perils of the game with an AI he constructs, seeking to level up, complete quests, gain items, money, and yes, eventually save the Earth. He and his AI meet some terrifying and powerful entities, die on more than one occasion, and manage to make a few allies. But he gets in over his head by accepting quests that put the fate of many worlds at stake, including his own. Overall, I stayed hooked the entire way through. The Novelty, Organization get 5 stars.
Minus POINTS: This was one of the first books I’ve read where the majority of the action takes place in Virtual Reality. That said, there isn’t a whole lot that I can criticize as far as the science and technology goes, since everything in the game is technically not real. Yap does state that everything in the game has to work in reality, however, since this game is supposed to imitate reality and replace the actual need for war and the destruction that comes along with it. This introduces a lot of questions and problems. First of all, there is magic in this game. How magic is supposed to by scientifically sound is not really explained. When characters gain skill points, it physically enhances them. Alan is eventually able to use a hyper-cognition that slows down his perception. How a game can make the electro-chemical processes of the brain move faster? I don’t know. On that same note, time in the game supposedly passes faster than in reality, which is unexplained. Also, Alan supposedly constructed his own AI. This appears to be something not a whole lot of people can do, but he himself seems to know very little about how it works, despite the fact that he created it. Additionally, there are many types of humans throughout the galaxy, all looking almost identical despite the fact they evolved on completely separate worlds. The plot suffers a little by not having a very clear climax or antagonist. When the book ended, I was still left with a lot of questions and no real satisfaction.
Sequel: Earth’s Gambit: The Gam3 by Cosimo Yap (POINTS= 23/30)
Same comments as above, though this book is made much more complicated by being focused almost entirely on political factions. Almost every character seems to be a double agent, taking ridiculous risks in order to accelerate their own political agenda.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (POINTS= 23/30)
Plus POINTS: It’s about time I came around to reading John Scalzi. His reputation is well earned. While I wouldn’t classify this book as hard sci-fi, it is very much the traditional military sci-fi. The premise is very original and interesting. Those who feel like they have become a burden to society, the elderly or those from highly over-populated areas, are given the chance to fight in a war in exchange for a new chance at life, a halting of the aging process, and the chance to see other worlds. To be old and then suddenly finding their consciousness transferred to a green, photosynthesis enabled humanoid body with cat eyes and excessive strength, many don’t regret the decision. Until, that is, they have to might in terrible wars over colony planets and see many of their friends die. Scalzi has created a fascinating and original story that explores the human psyche as much as it does the galaxy.
Minus POINTS: Plot and technology and science take hits in the POINTS system. Scalzi often invokes completely hypothetical physics such as the tachyon to explain some faster than light travel. To Scalzi’s credit, he also introduces the idea of the multiverse, were they aren’t traveling faster than light, per say, but into other universes that differ only in the placement of a single electron, and he explains it well. However, he uses the main character’s lack of scientific knowledge to avoid having to explain other technology, how it works, or how humanity got a hold of it. How can one compact gun contain near infinite ammunition, rockets, grenades, flame throwers, etc? We will never know. How do the anti-gravity technologies work? *Shrug.* How is it that there are so many intelligent aliens out there that look strikingly humanoid, or like some kind of insect or forest creature we’d find on earth? Why do they all breath the same kind of air and fight over the same planets? How can you transfer consciousness with an MRI-type technology to a genetically modified clone that has no chance of sharing the same neural networks that have taken decades to form? There also seems to be a lack of moral questioning when given orders to eradicate an entire planets worth of intelligent species. It is all to create more and more human colonies, sure, but why not come up with a peaceful solution? Why expand to planets faster than humans can colonize them? For these old men and women, you would think they would have a lot of moral issues with this. But no, it is just part of the job. Plot-wise, there seemed to be no real antagonist aside from a couple different alien species they were at war with. There wasn’t a whole lot at stake for the main character either. This and the lack of a resolution to the conflict, and a lack of resolution to the love story, made the ending very unsatisfying. Aside from these glaring deficiencies, it was a well told story that kept me interested throughout.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor (POINTS= 28/30)
Plus POINTS: You know this is going to be an interesting story when it opens with a man named Bob sitting in an cryogenics office and paying a man to cut off his head and freeze it should he die. He didn’t expect to be needing their services so soon. Waking over a century later in a disembodied state, seeing through a camera, and speaking out of a speaker. Unfortunately, the world has devolved into pointless religious wars and theocracies. Since he is now a computer and has no soul, he is property. But fortunately for him, he gets to escape the world when the religious leaders want to explore other star systems to gain a military foothold in support of their religious wars back on earth. Bob doesn’t care. He is happy to explore other star systems, search for other life, and replicate. But he isn’t the only probe sent out toward the stars. The science in this book was well thought-out. With the advent of 3D printers that can print anything, atom by atom, anything is possible. A spaceship, like Bob, can harvest raw materials and print space stations, exploratory probes, defenses, and even more of himself. He is a von neumann probe, meant to replicate exponentially and explore the galaxy. He even accurately portrays the time-warp affect of near light travel. He discovers life on other planets, helps preserve a self-destructive humanity, and has existential crises of his own as he replicates more Bobs with their own distinct personalities. Taylor creates a plausible dystopian future, realistic technology, and a fascinating journey that is every nerds dream. The plot is interesting, highly original, and very well laid out.
Minus POINTS: Taylor has had to invent new technologies in order to make this book possible, which is understandable. While we have the ability to print atom by atom, it is unlikely that anything large could be printed in such a short time. The Surge drive, designed to push or pull on the fabric of space is unique and I can only hope it can be invented some day, as any of our propulsion based technologies will never allow us to approach light speed or see us to other star systems. I’m not quite convinced that the life he encounters on other worlds really has a chance of looking like anything remotely recognizable to us, but Taylor sites many theories in support of this, suggesting that given a similar climate, base materials, and DNA, species will evolve similar to the ones on earth. I can’t entirely agree or disagree.
Sequel: For we are many: Bobiverse, Book 2 by Dennis E. Taylor (POINTS= 27/30)
Same comments as above. A very enjoyable read. There are many clones of Bob now, and many clones of clones. Minus POINTS for the difficulty in keeping all of them straight. Also, huge developments in Surge technology that can help deliver icy asteroids to a dry planet for terraforming. Sounds like it will take a while. Alien enemies that use nanobots to rip metal from entire planets. They are using it to build their hive planet, a huge Dyson Sphere around their alien home star. Taylor is right in that it would take a lot of planets metal to get enough for that.
Sequel: All these worlds: Bobiverse, Book 3 by Dennis E. Taylor (POINTS= 26/30)
Same comments as above. Last book in the series I think. Nice insights into Bob’s character. Some of the clones have very distinct personalities, values, and desires now. Suggested to be the result of quantum differences in the Replicant copying process. Minus Points for the ending, as it was not very satisfying. There was not a whole lot of build up or resolution.
Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1 by Craig Alanson (POINTS= 25/30)
Plus POINTS: This first book in the series follows the POV of a young soldier home from a stint in Nigeria. He is surprised to see an alien ship crash land in a field near his hometown. The aliens immediately start destroying things. He rounds up some people and fights back. This is only the beginning of the story. More aliens arrive, but these are helping them, and eventually drive the hamster-like aliens away. The young soldier is shipped away to an alien planet where he must keep the peace. It is there that he discovers that their friends, the lizard-like aliens, are not so much their saviors as their overlords, and the ones they should be fighting. He teams up with fellow soldiers and an artificial intelligence to take back humanity’s freedom. Science and technology wise, it is hard to say what is and isn’t possible when advanced alien technologies are thrown into the mix. At least they didn’t all speak the same language and instead they were given devices that could interpret everything that was said. Overall, this is one of the more humorous books I’ve read. There are some slow parts but it is nicely paced and full of action.
Minus POINTS: Alanson didn’t write the most original story, but he definitely put a new twist on the average military scifi. The science is probably the lowest scoring in the POINTS system. The thing that I have the hardest time coming to terms with is the appearance of the aliens. They are described to be very similar looking to hamsters, with another species very similar to lizards. It is very unlikely that an independently evolving species on a separate planet with an entirely different climate would look remotely like anything we have on earth. Even more unlikely, is that they would all breath similar air compositions. I think adding in some breathing apparatus for the aliens or humans on a foreign world wouldn’t have detracted from the story. Also, Alanson states that the insects, animals, and microorganisms on these foreign worlds wouldn’t effect them, which may be true when it comes to ingesting unknowns compounds, proteins, or being exposed to a venom, but it is more likely that an organism would have found the organic molecules that makeup the human body very pleasing, and the human immune system would have no way to fend it off. Artificial wormholes and faster-than-light travel is also mentioned, but with no explanation as to how such things were made or how FTL drives don’t affect causality and mess with… pretty much all of Einstein’s theories. A long-vanished race of aliens left behind the wormholes as well as an artificial intelligence. Providing comic relief is not the only thing the AI can do, it can also bend space-time, hack every encryption code, interface with every technology, and exist in multiple dimensions. Despite all of this, it still uses helium 3 as a fuel source. Overall, I would recommend this book as a great, entertaining read, so long as you aren’t expecting hard-scifi.
The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey (POINTS= 26/30)
Plus POINTS: This isn’t your typical zombie story. I was actually very surprised to find out that it was a zombie story. The story follows Melanie, a very bright and nice little girl, except she is treated like a dangerous monster by the people who take her from her cell and deposit her in class every day. Her diet consists of the occasional grub. Carey has cleverly used a well know fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, that causes zombie-like behavior in ants, as the zombie pathogen of choice. Zombies that have been turned long ago, end up with fungal coatings and even sprout mycelium. One of the doctors doing the research actually goes into detail how they think the fungus is hijacking the brain, and why kids like Melanie are so special. She introduces some actual research tools and techniques as well. In order to prevent Melanie from smelling human’s and feeling the impulse to eat, they have to constantly douse themselves in chemicals. When the facility that’s holding her gets overrun, she and the humans that fear her must band together to get her to another facility where they can continue to perform research on her. Melanie has to overcome many zombie-ish impulses along the way. POINTS across the board.
Minus POINTS: While it is impossible to say how the cordyceps fungus has been manipulated or mutated to create zombies, it is never likely to have such a devastating role on humanity. For one, most fungal infections grow very slowly, and the immune system slow it even more. Also, the fungus would have to somehow penetrate the blood-brain-barrier, which is difficult for even the smallest of pathogens. There is also a scene where a huge wall of fungal mycelium stretches into the sky, sprouted from thousands of zombies. There is nowhere near enough biomass available to support that type of growth, especially when it would have to compete with other microorganisms. It’s difficult to believe that it could withstand the wind or even a single storm. There is also a scene where they arrive a huge mobile-tank of a laboratory. I can’t believe that anybody would have designed or constructed such a laboratory. There is no logical purpose. Overall, the story started strong but became more and more improbable as it went along.
The Mountain Man Omnibus (Books 1-3) by Keith C. Blackmore (POINTS= 23/30)
Plus POINTS: The mountain man is Gus. He lives on a hill outside a small city in Nova Scotia. He is constantly drinking and lonely. You can’t really blame him; zombies have taken over the known world. These books were a great read. It was a story of survival, friendship, and the fragility of the human mind and morality. When you have to fear the living more than the dead, it really paints a grisly picture of mankind. He does make one friend though, Scott, who leaves the picture a little too soon in order to chase down a killer. There is some serious ingenuity and resourcefulness on the the part of Gus and Scott. The story gets many plus POINTS for plot, intelligibility, and organization.
Minus POINTS: As for novelty, technology, and science, I have to deduct some POINTS. I’m tempted to give very little points for science and technology, especially since this is a zombie novel, but on multiple occasions, Blackmore addressed that they didn’t know how the virus worked, but that it slowed decay, and could even jump species. No detail is better than the wrong detail. There was at least one occasion where the author described the ‘smell of cordite’ after guns were fired. This is a common description which is completely inaccurate. Cordite has not been used in ammunition since the end of WWII… and this book is set in the near future.For the most part, every character had a purpose all the way up to the third book. Personally, I saw little point to the Norsemen except as a tool to show how savage humanity can be. Also, Gus spends years scavenging for supplies, but doesn’t ever try to find seeds and grow his own food. This seems very short-sighted.
SpaceMan by Tom Abrahams (POINTS= 25/30)
Plus POINTS: This is a great post-apocalyptic novel that isn’t afraid to throw some science and technology into the mix. An astronaut, Clayton, becomes stranded on the ISS, when a massive Coronal Mass Ejection strikes the earth. He recovers his dead colleagues who were out on a space walk, and then tries to find a way back to earth, to his family. The other POV in the story is Clayton’s family and a family friend. When the CME hits, power goes out, and many devices are shorted. A short time later, planes come crashing to the ground. All-in-all, this story was successful in integrating accurate science and terminology with life or death situations that hook the reader’s interest as well as educate. I see too many books getting the facts of solar flares wrong, but Abrahams accurately demonstrated how fast CMEs move (pretty slow compared to the light from the flare), the radiation they carry (protons), and the devastating effects of the EMP on electronics. It was apparent that the author did his research. Many plus POINTS for Science and Technology, novelty, and intelligibility.
Minus POINTS: The book was short and the author really should have included the sequel as a part of book 1 because very little of the conflict is actually resolved. While Abrahams does a decent job of switching between POVs, I thought the novelty of the book was the astronaut stuck on the ISS, but he seems to spend more time following the people on the ground, making this feel more like an average post-apocalyptic story. In fact, it seems like the space adventure ends too soon. While it is hard to say what people would do in the event of the apocalypse, I think chaos and disorder happened a bit too quickly, with gangs, thugs, and religious cults taking to the streets within a day or two.
Leviathan Wakes (Expanse series #1) by James S. A. Corey (POINTS= 27/30)
Plus POINTS: Despite being categorized as a space opera, I see very little resemblance. This is a book with a lot of political and interpersonal conflicts, but it really gives us a snapshot of what might actually happen when humanity begins to colonize the solar system. With large corporations and governments fighting for resources, and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter being a source of much of it, tensions are high. The story is a mystery suspense that focuses on the disappearance of a woman and the seemingly pointless destruction of an ice freighter. It follows the perspective of a detective on the Ceres station on the belt, and a small surviving crew of the destroyed ice freighter. They uncover conspiracies that can change the way the humanity views their place in the universe. The pace was great, the writing gripping, and the science as spot on as it could be for such a large leap into a possible future. Corey (pen name for two authors) accurately depicts G forces, types of ‘artificial gravity’ (thrust or rotation), and the health effects and physiological changes of people that aren’t living in a ‘gravity well’. He knows what he is talking about.
Minus POINTS: There isn’t much negative to say about this first book in the series. I felt a bit more info could have been provided on the Epstein drive, which is a fusion reactor capable of providing continuous thrust. The crash couches and other seats meant to cushion the crew during high G maneuvers and accelerations are interesting, but the explanation of the ‘juice’ pumped into them to sustain consciousness and mobility during such event doesn’t quite satisfy me. Also unexplained is how a particular entity (protomolecule) can control many EM fields, take over organic matter, and change direction or speed up with seemingly no change in inertia. While it does break a couple of Newton’s laws, Corey does salvage his credibility by bringing up this fact and having the character’s baffled by how it could be done. They are, after-all, face to face with a strange entity that may have technology far beyond our own. It is also a bit improbable that humanity would have developed so far as to begin colonizing some of Jupiter’s moons and build massive ships, but not improved on standard projectile weapons, nukes, etc. Everyone knows that developing weapons is the first technological leap in most societies. Humans love killing each other.
Hell Divers (The Hell Divers Trilogy Book 1) by Nicholas Sansbury Smith (POINTS= 23/30)
Plus POINTS: When the rest of humanity lives on floating airships above a radioactive earth, how can they survive? By sending divers down to the surface to scavenge for any fuel cells and supplies they need, that’s how. This book had a very unique concept and was full of action from start to finish. The overall scientific concepts are sound, though Smith does not talk about the science the much. I can’t even guess if severe electrical storms would be caused by massive amounts of radiation on the surface of the planet, but it makes sense that many, many ions and radicals would form under the radioactive onslaught, leading to severe electrical discharges. Smith also does due diligence in describing the harm such radiation inflicts on the human body, whether it be an acute exposure or a chronic one. Overall, it was a very interesting read and kept me entertained throughout.
Minus POINTS: Given the fairly short length of the novel, I would have preferred one or two fewer points of view. There were some 5 or so in total, and it really prevented me from getting attached to any one character. Alternatively, the book length could have been increased to help flesh out some of the underdeveloped sections. For example, there was one conflict where militant crewmen seize control of a section of the ship and make demands. It almost ends in catastrophe, and was definitely suspenseful, but I felt like nothing much came from it and we never had a lot of closure. Drawing out the suspense and fleshing out the resolution would have made a much more satisfying read. The organization was a bit awkward as well. I felt like he worked the tension up a bit for each dive, but none of them lasted that long. He could have had fewer dives and drawn out the suspense a bit more for each one. Smith compensated for this a little bit by having one POV on the surface most of the time. And unless I missed it, I imagine that solar energy would be a better energy source for an airship, but instead they rely on nuclear power. Perhaps, for whatever reason, they can not rise above the omnipresent cloud cover. Such cloud cover, however, would have caused the earth to cool. While Smith mentions quite a lot of snow on the surface, it isn’t clear if this is due to the location of the city or if it is the general state of the planet. But these are very minor points. The major minus points to the science was the use of super mutant monsters. Yes, perhaps two centuries had passed since the war occurred that irradiated the planet, but that is way too short a time for humanoid creatures with hard skin, barbs, wings, and no eyes to have evolved. Yes radiation can speed mutation, but it is more likely to cause death to the creature that is being irradiated, thus preventing evolution. Also, the radiation would have been much worse centuries ago when the war started, and these creatures would not have had their thick skins to protect them from it. Earth would be sterile. It is also not clear how the monsters are detecting electrical and radioactive energy or feeding off of it.
Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey (POINTS= 22/30)
Plus POINTS: This was a highly original and engaging novel which really got my imagination going. Like Wool, much if the story takes place underground as it follows a family of sand divers as they explore the remains of forgotten and lost cities that have been buried under the sand for a long time. It is not just a tale of survival under the sands, but above it, as more and more people compete for the loot as well as chase after the most valuable loot of all, something that can make obstacles, and people, vanish in the blink of an eye. This story has a lot of political and survival elements that really amp up the suspense.
Minus POINTS: Vibrations seem like the most likely way to penetrate into sand, however, the notion that vibrations can be controlled so well as to extend from a suit and several feet away into the sand to harden sand or soften it, is a bit ridiculous. Yes, they character’s use little headsets that read their intentions, but the technology feels more like telekinesis than real technology. Soften the sand all you want, it would still exfoliate your face off and tear through any type of fabric or metal with enough time (the same principle as sandpaper), but this seems to have been left out by Howey. The worst part for me was the ending. The hero goes off with a mission, rather than show that hero doing their exciting mission, we are instead give the POV of the concerned family as they sit around a camp, bored as they watch the horizon for proof of the hero’s success. Showing people being bored is a sure way to make the audience bored. The climax of the story, while interesting, wasn’t all that intense either. And with a lack of a satisfactory resolution, the story really suffered in the last half.
Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 – 5) (Silo series) (POINTS= 28/30)
Plus POINTS: I thoroughly enjoyed this series and I was surprised it had taken me so long to pick it up. Hugh Howey has crafted a fascinating world for us, an underground world. The residents of a large underground silo have been living for generations below the toxic atmosphere, believing that nothing and nobody was capable of living above the surface. Their only connection to the world outside the silo is a camera that shows them the toxic wasteland above. Occasionally men and woman are sentenced to death (or volunteer in some cases) to clean the surface of the cameras with a bit of wool. They always clean, even when they say they wont, and they all die before they can climb the hill and out of view, their suits deteriorating in the toxic environment. It has become taboo to speak of the outside, and in fact, it is a death sentence to express any interest in leaving. But everyone thinks about it. When the sheriff of the silo expresses an interest to leave, everyone is shocked. The send him out to clean and then go on with their lives, growing plants, recycling everything, mining, in the hopes of keeping the silo running for their life times and their children’s. When a new sheriff is recruited from the lower floors, mechanical, she begins to research why the previous sheriff wanted to go outside, and uncovers some large conspiracies that upend all they know about the world above and the purpose of the silo. The science and technology presented in this book appeared very thought out and well conceived and very realistic. I couldn’t think of many things he could have added to improve on the silos. The plot was full of suspense throughout, and I had a hard time putting it down. The culture and mindset of the silo seem very logical, with religions, taboos, and other things like their concept of distance and open spaces, the scarcity and price of paper, or the mythological view of animals that may have once walked the surface.
Minus POINTS: The only minus points here are due to the ending and a bit of the science. There were several points were I thought the motivation of the characters was a bit lacking or underdeveloped, thus resulting in actions that seemed very unlikely, or that they were overlooking some obvious problems and then became surprised by the consequences. The ending was a bit underwhelming and I never got the sense that I experienced a true climax of the tension. My only issue with the science were a few unlikely events where someone survived what would have been some extreme pressure, and the seeming lack of exhaustion for some people as they climbed a bunch of stairs. Also, there is apparently some room for people to fall or drop things over the edge of the stair well, if that is the case, why didn’t they create a lift or pulley system to help transport supplies or people? Technology wise, everything seemed a little dated and unsophisticated, but you learn that much of this was intentional.
Note: I chose not to review Shift (POINTS=19/30) or Dust (21/30) by Hugh Howey because I felt like I didn’t have a lot of positive things to say about them. Neither ended very satisfactorily, had way too much background, alternate POVs, unrelatable motivations, and info I thought distracted from the story, and were kind of boring. Dust wasn’t too bad, though. I think he could have left out Shift and continued with Dust, and made the whole series much better.
The Martian by Andy Weir (POINTS= 29/30)
Plus POINTS: As far as the POINTS system goes, The Martian is currently the standard by which all books are judged. The story of a man deserted on a barren planet, trying to survive until rescue, is about as hopeless and grim as you can get, but Weir manages to inject humor, action, intrigue, and most importantly, science. From orbital dynamics, to pressure regulation, and oxygen and water reclaiming systems, he is pretty spot on, with in depth descriptions which are intelligibly and cleverly delivered (which the movie does a really poor job of replicating). I thought he started the story in just the right moment, not too early or too late. While it may not be targeting the softer side of the sci-fi readership, for us hard sci-fi fans, it’s just what we’ve been asking for. I confess that I did not read this recently, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten many details… I’ve read the book 5 times now!
Minus POINTS: Its really no one particular thing. If I could take away a third of a point from the intelligibility, science, and plot categories, I would. It is pretty heavy on the science and terminology, so readers need to pay attention to avoid missing anything vital to their understanding. Scientifically, there is a minor point with the inciting incident, where Mark gets impaled by an antennae and the MAV almost tips. With atmospheric pressure so low on the planet, it would have been impossible for the wind to push over much of anything. The only part I found lacking in the Plot was the seeming disappearance of a secondary character, Mindy Park, who was in charge of monitoring Mark on the surface of Mars with orbiting satellites. I would have liked to see her jump in and save the day at the end, perhaps having a satellite diverted to help with a lost communications issue or something. And perhaps have Mark establish some sort of relationship with her in the end. They both seemed pretty lonely. Oh well, can’t have everything.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (POINTS= 22/30)
Plus POINTS: This is an emotionally charged and gripping story about a young Red man in a caste-based society, who must become a Gold in order to “break the chains” they use to enslave his color. It has a more futuristic Hunger Games vibe, but the purpose of this competition is to train Golds how to become ‘peerless,’ to separate the grain from the chaff. I would classify this novel as a dystopian space-opera. Though it is not hard sci-fi, it was evident that Brown did his research and took his time constructing the elaborate and rich story line.
Minus POINTS: The story opens with the main character harvesting helium 3, an essential part of fusion reactions, from beneath the surface of mars, though this process and fusion reactors in general are not discussed. Also unaddressed by the author is how this isotope of helium can build up below the surface of a planet with minimal geological activity. Solar wind is the primary source of this particle in the solar system, so I have a hard time believing it would occur anywhere but the surface. There are elements of genetic manipulation, complex physiological alterations (‘carving’) and power over laws of physics. Cleverly, Brown uses the main character’s ignorance and perhaps lack-of-interest in these processes as a way to avoid explaining them in detail. Grav boots, for example, are a contraption that allow their wearers to zip around wheresoever they please, while ghost cloaks make the wearer become invisible. Many other such technologies exist that can somehow prevent the local vibration of air molecules to suppress sound, and make swords infinitely sharp and capable of cauterizing flesh.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown (POINTS= 23/30)
Plus POINTS: As the second installment of the Red Rising Trilogy, Darrow continues on his ongoing mission to overthrow the Gold overlords of society. To do this, he has become one of them, made a name for himself, and schemed his way into a position of power where he gets the Golds to war amongst themselves. His inner turmoil grows as his mission clashes with his burgeoning love and friendships. Breaking away from the setting of Mars, the setting of this story take place on the moon, in space, and a few other places around the solar system. There were no obvious plot holes that I could see and it was a very enjoyable read, with intriguing characters, exciting space battles, and political drama.
Minus POINTS: My main scientific objection to this story was the creation of Earth-like atmospheres and climates on the moon (and many of Saturn’s and Jupiter’s moons). Not only is the moon able to hold atmosphere, but it still has a low gravity? Unless I missed it, this was never explained. While I find it plausible that ‘artificial gravity’ might be created one day, and could possibly help hold an atmosphere to the moon’s surface, it is obvious that this was not the method Brown used. And how do they protect themselves and prevent the atmosphere from being stripped away from cosmic rays? We will never know. The razors, incredibly sharp whips that can become sturdy swords with a “chemical impulse” also defy reason, but they are an interesting concept, nonetheless. The characters also seem capable of recovering from almost any injury, and can have severed limbs and eyes replaced within the span of a few chapters.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown (POINTS= 22/30)
Plus POINTS: The ruse is over, Darrow can no longer pretend to be a Gold. In this book, he must discover who is ally and who is enemy as he seeks to overthrow the Gold overlords. There are many fronts to this war and Darrow must choose one to fight first as well as amass an army to accomplish the impossible task. This story is packed with interesting characters, fascinating plot twists, and non-stop action.
Minus POINTS: The organization and plot take a bit of a hit here. While it was easy to follow, the author relied a bit too much on the ‘all hope is lost’ mentality for the reader, allowing us to believe that all of the plans have gone horribly wrong. Yet still Darrow and his friends still accomplish the impossible at every turn. It is sometimes difficult to understand his motive during these events. For example, rather than fight the Jackal or Sovereign, he decides to go take on a large fleet outside of Jupiter instead. His plan to gain the moon lords allegiance and take out the huge fleet seems rather flimsy, indeed, it almost ends terribly for him and the cause he fights for, but as always, just when things start going horribly wrong, he succeeds and even accomplished more than he intended to. As is typical with this series, the technology and science bring the score down a bit. While these aspects of the book are interesting, they don’t have much of a connection to reality. Medically, you can’t just stand up and be alright after being ejected into the vacuum of space for several minutes or being locked in a small box for 9 months, even if given an injection of some secret stimulant in the heart. Also stab wounds are probably going to cut vital organs or at least cut through some muscle and bleed a lot, so it’s unlikely that you can just carry on fighting without being slowed much. Wounds also seem to disappear with a couple chapters or so, and amputated limbs are somehow found and reconnected.
P. A. Kramer 