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Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
Reading this book felt unexpectedly comforting.The science fiction I've read often assumes that meeting another intelligent species will eventually lead to war. I'm used to stories about invasion, conquest, dominance, conflict, competition over resources, and the idea that difference inevitably turns into hostility. I loved that this book imagined solving a common problem together. Is that realistic? Maybe not?We humans, are too messy and prone to violence and aggres…
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Intruders - Mohale Mashigo
Reading Intruders felt like a breath of smoke-scented air after too many sanitized, eurocentric books. It’s as if Mohale Mashigo grabbed my usual U.S.-centric reading diet, flipped it upside down, and said: ‘Here, taste something wild, raw, and unapologetically African.’ It’s not a gentle ride — more like being dragged through myth, anger, humor, and history all at once — but it’s exactly the purge I didn’t know I needed.
► Genre: Speculative fiction, short stories — blends f…
Years of rice and salt: My opinion with spoilers
1. Title and structure► Publication year: 2002
► Genre: Alternate history, Uchronia.
► Themes: Religion, Black Death, Islam, Buddhism, Reincarnation, War, History, Theology.
► Pages: 763
This is my third book by Kim Stanley Robinson. Also, this is my first time reading him in English. Unlike the other two books I read, this one is not a sci-fi book. Also, this is the longest book I've read this year and the longest book I've read by this author. I confess that it was h…
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
► Original publication year: 1967
► Original title: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
► Genres: Post-apocalyptic sci-fi, dystopia, speculative fiction, fantasy, cyberpunk. ► Saga: N/A
► Themes: Post-apocalyptic worlds, AI, war, torture, magic, bets.
► Awards: Hugo [1968]
► Age of author when published: 33
► Nationality: US-American
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The Dark Forest - Liu Cixin: Some criticism with spoilers
In my last post about the book, I talked mostly about why I liked the book and hinted at some issues as well. Here, I will go a bit deeper into the aspects that I didn't like in the book.
Women charactersI usually don't focus too much on character writing in science fiction because I haven't read good examples in the genre so far, so I just accept the fact the plot is more important than the characters in this genre, but, approaching the 2010's, you'd exp…
The Dark Forest - Liu Cixin: My opinion without spoilers
1. Introduction► Publication year: 2008 ► Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy. ► Themes: Chinese culture, space war, extra-terrestrial beings, technology, physics, military, politics, cryogenics, deception. ► Pages: 545
This is my second book by Liu Cixin. I read it in English and really I liked it. I think it is interesting. Read my short, spoiler-free review on Goodreads. And read some criticism with spoilers, here.
2. Title and structure ★★★★★
Great title. And it delivers within the book!…
Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Edogawa Rampo: My opinion with spoilers
1. Introduction
► Publication year: 1956 ► Genre: Fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, suspense. ► Themes: Japanese culture, crime, perfect murder, mirrors, obsessions, the human psyche, mutilation. ► Pages: 195
This is my first book by Edogawa Rampo (Hirai Taro). I read it in English and I liked it. I think it is well-written. Read my short, spoiler-free review on Goodreads.
2. Title ★★★★✩
You cannot help but think almost immediately on "Tales of Mystery and Imagination"…
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