We Read Science Fiction

So, as promised here is the result of my holiday reading binge. If you want more of my thoughts on a given book, use the comments to ask me and if there is enough interest I’ll do a dedicated review for some of these books. They are all worthy of a review, I just don’t have time today. That, combined with the fact that somehow my subscribership has doubled over the holidays, means I feel I owe you something now.

Ghost Brigades and The Lost Colony by John Scalzi

These two are the second and third books set in the Old Man’s War universe. I haven’t reviewed the first one yet since I’m saving it for a special honour (hint hint). Needless to say all 3 books are worth a read with Old Man’s War getting a 5/5 and these other two getting a 4/5 each. These last two really solidify the whole universe into a cohesive unit. In the epilogue Scalzi says he won’t be revisiting the characters in this book, but I know he’s working on a book called Zoe’s Tale due out this August/September, so obviously there was a demand.

Then there was the Haldeman Binge…

Camouflage by Joe Haldeman

Awesome. I’ve been a Joe Haldeman fan since I first read the Forever War over a decade ago. However, I wasn’t fond of Forever Peace so I hadn’t picked up any of his other books in a while. That changed when Kris suggested I read Camouflage. I loved it. It wasn’t profound, it wasn’t completely new, but it was an amazing alien thriller that I couldn’t put down. Literally. I think I read this in 2 nights, it’s all a bit blurry though. Might have been 3. I give it a 4/5 for keeping me on the edge of my pillow. Awake. Way past my bed time. Twice.

The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

Well, after reading Camouflage I was on a huge Haldeman high. I had another one of his books on my shelf waiting to be read; The Accidental Time Machine. Again, his fast pace, tight story and excellent characters kept me turning pages well into the AM. I started this book at 9pm, checked the clock at 4am, dreampt about it for 3 hours after I managed to put it down, then got up and finished it by noon. Haldeman re-visits a favourite theme with another time travel book, but this one uses an entirely different mechanism than Forever War. 4/5. An excellent read.

Then I slept. I willed myself not to think or read SciFi for a few days. When I came out the other side I was thinking like it was the year 2007 again. With my level head I decided to read the last unread Haldeman I had on the shelf. My logic was this: if I wanted to review the Accidental Time Machine, I should at least read his last book with the theme of time travel so that I could do a reasonable comparison.

The Hemingway Hoax by Joe Haldeman

A much older book than the two above, this one felt like the old familiar Haldeman I knew from Forever War. The time travel in this story is more lateral than forward or backward. Each time the main character is killed (I won’t say how), his consciousness merges with one of himself from another parallel universe. Very cool. An idea I hadn’t seen before, and more fine Haldeman story telling. Again 4/5, go read it, after you read the two above :).

Axis by Robert Charles Wilson

Axis is the sequel to Wilson’s SPIN, which won all sorts of awards, including the #9 spot on my top 10. This was another excellent story, but I’d be lying if I said it was as good as Spin. Moreover, you need to have read Spin to understand this book at all, and that always leaves a bad taste in my mouth with sequels. Set on the other side of The Arch, this is story shares almost no characters with Spin, but instead describes the aftermath of the events and Martian drugs in Spin. If you enjoyed Spin, you’ll likely enjoy this too. 3/5 for a good story and good characters, but for also falling into the sequel syndrome trap.

I’m sure I read more stories in the last two months, maybe 3 or 4 even. But they are all a little muddy in my brain right now. If I remember them, and they warrant a review I’ll let you know

Happy New Year everyone!