“To the rest of the Galaxy, if they are aware of us at all, Earth is but a pebble in the sky. To us it is home, and all the home we know.”

Sixty-two year old Joseph Schwartz, a retired tailor, is walking down the streets of Chicago in 1949 when, with a single step, he finds himself transported in time to a far distant future in which Earth is no longer recognizable. When he stumbles upon a local farmhouse he discovers that the people who answer the door are speaking a language that he does not understand, soon after that he discovers that this world, no longer his world, is a very dangerous place.

Isaac Asimov’s first published novel, set in the same universe as the later-published Foundation series, is a suspenseful page-turner, filled with a number of what are now considered science fiction tropes.

Conspiracy, prejudice, fear, suspicion, plots of galaxy-wide destruction, euthanasia and mind-control stand side-by-side with romance, adventure, scientific theory and an historic game of chess in the novel that started the Galactic Empire.

If you are a fan of Asimov’s Foundation novels, this is a must-read look at a time long before Hari Seldon posited his psychohistory. If you are unfamiliar with Asimov’s Foundation stories, Pebble in the Sky would be a great place to get acquainted.

My Rating: 9/10 stars. I couldn’t put it down.

Continue reading Pebble in the Sky ~Isaac Asimov →

After 15 years as acting Earth diplomat on Union Station, a far-flung outpost maintained by the Stryx, the race that rescued humanity from space-faring obscurity, Kelly Frank is tired of her vague job description, inadequate pay and the ever-present fear of being locked out of her apartment due to ever-increasing debt. With every collect-call from her mother she questions her career decisions.

When Kelly is gifted a subscription to the station-run dating service, Eemas, it is a complete surprise that she consents to go through with it, given her luck.

But a girl’s luck is bound to change at some point…isn’t it?

Date Night on Union Station follows the trajectories of Kelly and Joe, two unwitting victims of the dating service A.I. who, in addition to their efforts to successfully navigate life far from home, are destined to have some very memorable (that is putting it kindly) blind dates.

Date Night on Union Station is a fun, sweet, romantic comedy set in a place that is both alien and yet strangely familiar. E.M. Foner has penned a clever, witty story that is a cozy introduction to the genre for those unfamiliar with science fiction, and a welcome shot of optimism for those who need a vacation from post-apocalyptic angst.

If this sounds appealing, follow along while I gush in a brief, non-spoiler fashion while also confronting my hard-to-kill Book Snobbery.

Continue reading Date Night on Union Station ~E.M. Foner →