Category unrated
Bookends: Leyfarers and Wayfarers
Leyfarers and Wayfarers is a collection of 16 stories (in a variety of genres) by G L Francis. As usual for my bookends series of posts, I read the first and last stories, then made a decision whether to continue. First Story: Tools of the Trade In this steampunk tale, Russian water spirits are killing […]
Bookends: Wyrd Worlds
Wyrd Worlds is a collection of fantasy and science fiction short stories by self-published authors. The book is free, as is its sequel, Wyrd Worlds II. The authors of these stories are hoping that you’ll enjoy their work, then seek out something else they’ve written. As usual for my Bookends series, I have read the […]
Christmas Science Fiction
I didn’t have time to get each of you that present you really wanted, so instead I browsed Amazon for some Christmas-related science fiction: Last January, I reviewed Merry Christmas, Mr. Babbers In April, I reviewed The Mighty Peculiar Incident at Muddy Creek, which is not Christmas-themed, but the author has another short story which […]
More Dogs in Science Fiction
In my previous post, I was only able to come up with two science fiction works where dogs were important characters. Fortunately, readers came to my rescue: Misha Burnett, in addition to mentioning a dog-themed role playing game, provided this example – more in the realm of fantasy than science fiction, but still very interesting: […]
Dogs in Science Fiction
My previous post, about my new puppy, led me to think about dogs in science fiction. Two stories immediately came to mind: The first story is a post-apocalyptic tale where one of the two main characters is a telepathic dog. (The images/links below are for the relatively well-known film and the less well-known book it […]
Bookends: Quantum Zoo
In an earlier review of The Power of Six, I mentioned my plans for a new feature where I read the first and last short story from a collection. In each post of this feature, I’ll briefly describe the two stories, and then indicate whether I’m inclined to read further in the collection. My theory […]
Reference: The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places
I found this book when I was cleaning out some closets in anticipation of another move. I think I received it as a Christmas present one year and promptly forgot about it. Now that I write a science fiction blog, it seems much more relevant. The book delivers pretty much what it says: science fiction […]
Logan’s Run vs. Logan’s Run
VS I listened to an audiobook of the classic science fiction novel “Logan’s Run” with the intention of reviewing it. However, I couldn’t evaluate the story on its own; I could only think of it in terms of the “Logan’s Run” movie, or more accurately, my decades-old memories of the movie. So, instead […]
Computer Game: Grim Dawn
Unrated On a recent inspection tour of North American defenses, I played an alpha version of Grim Dawn. Although I enjoyed the game, I’m not giving it a rating, as I only played it briefly, and it wasn’t a finished product. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic version of Victorian Britain. It is an […]
Review: Le Morte d’Arthur
Unrated Once again, I am psychically tuning in to my readers’ thoughts: “Two unrated stories in a row? You are worthless and weak. We welcome our new alien overlords.” Wait, don’t surrender yet! This is another story which is a bit light on plot: A captain welcomes a replacement crew member on board the ship. […]
Review: From the Ice Incarnate
Unrated I am using my psychic powers to tap into my readers’ thoughts: “Your entire purpose in life is to rate things, and you chose ‘unrated’? You are lazy and pathetic. Is this what my planetary defense taxes are paying for?” Wait, let me explain! This story is a vivid description of two people being […]
Planetary Defense Command 
