Category Archives: Science Fiction

Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Second Foundation Group Read, Part 1

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I’m not sure if any of you feel it, but February seems to be rushing by. We are nearing the end of this year’s Science Fiction Experience and have reached the point where we only have half a book to read and we’ll have finished our shared journey through Isaac Asimov’s Hugo Award winning Foundation trilogy. Wow, time does fly and all that.

I was very fond of Second Foundation when I read it for the first time and am enjoying it even more this time reading it with an eye towards deeper discussion. And since that is what we are here for, let’s get right to it!

Spoilers to follow.

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Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Foundation and Empire, Group Read Conclusion

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Our foray into Isaac Asimov’s Hugo Award winning Foundation trilogy rolls on with the final discussion of book two, Foundation and Empire. This is my second read through of the trilogy and this novel was every bit as good as I remember it being the first time, particularly the story line that we will discuss now, that of Toran, Bayta, and the Mule.

So come along and join us in the discussion, but be forewarned, major story spoilers are revealed hereafter.

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Book Reviews, Science Fiction

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall ~Nancy Kress

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After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall

written by Nancy Kress

To be released in April 2012

Tachyon Publications

192 pages



8/10 stars

Thought-provoking, relevant, engaging story. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down.




The year is 2013 and Julie Kahn is working with the FBI, creating and tracking a complex algorithm to help explain and hopefully stop a series of odd burglaries and unexplainable child abductions.

The year is 2014 and just below the surface of the earth various microbes are combining and dividing to form something new, and something not quite right.

The year is 2035 and the last surviving members of the human race are living inside a protective shell, captives of a group of aliens the humans have named the “Tesslies”, the long-ago destroyers of the surface of Earth.

Author Nancy Kress has created a generation-spanning tale of near-future calamity and rebirth that starts out strong and builds steadily to a satisfying climax. In less than 200 pages Kress proves that a science fiction novel need not be dense to contain fascinating and relevant scientific concepts, intriguing mystery, and characters that compel you to keep the pages turning.

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Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Foundation and Empire, Group Read Part 1

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My how time flies!

It is nearly the halfway point of The 2012 Science Fiction Experience and it is time for the first of our two-part discussion of the second book in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy, Foundation and Empire. The questions below are merely to act as discussion points and the various participants may or may not choose to answer them all. Please understand that there are potential spoilers in my answers as well as those of the other participating members. And as always, please feel free to join in on the discussion regardless of whether you are reading along with us or not. If you do, please restrict your comments to the part of the story we’ve already read and do not spoil anything for those who are reading this book for the first time.

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Book Reviews, Science Fiction, Short Stories

Hunt the Space-Witch! ~Robert Silverberg

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I first became aware of this collection of pulp-era short stories by author Robert Silverberg when George Kelley posted a picture of the book and its table of contents on his site last fall. The moment I saw Kieran Yanner’s dynamic retro cover I knew this book would have to be mine. I was reminded of the book when posting about my favorite SFF covers from books published in 2011 and promptly ordered a copy. Over the last two days I have immersed myself in the world of pulp-era science fiction and in so doing have discovered the talent that later propelled author Robert Silverberg to Grand Master status.

Pulp-era stories are all too often written off as something of inferior quality and in many ways in a best case scenario the term “pulp” has come to be synonymous with nothing more than guilty pleasure reading. I suspect that there is a great deal of merit in that. Common sense would dictate that in the heyday of pulp magazines publishers were cranking out magazines as fast as they could and authors were expected to follow a formula, write quickly, and be as prolific as possible if they wanted to make a living and keep their work in the public eye. And to be certain there is probably much in the days of pulp science fiction that wasn’t worth reading then and does not merit attention now. By the same token, there are common themes, archetypes, and story structures in pulp adventure stories that resonate with today’s audience. In my childhood it was creators like George Lucas who reached back into the pulp era for inspiration when crafting what would become the pop cultural phenomenon Star Wars. And though some may be loathe to admit it, there is a universality to these tales that are the ancestors of popular stories today.

The stories are often sensational, featuring rugged heroes prone to decisive action, conflict between defined “good guys” and “bad guys”, action over characterization or science, romantic melodrama over reason. These are space yarns, at times little different than their mystery or western counterparts. The setting may be on another planet or on Earth in the far-flung future but the stories themselves are as recognizable to fans of fiction in general as they are to fans of the genre of science fiction.

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