Stack of the Day: Here are some sci-fi books I read recently!

you may have seen me involved astronaut series of the year. I missed it when it came out, but I’ve heard good things about it and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. (Side note: If you’re watching an Apple TV+ show, for all mankind And you’re looking for a space race with more alternate history, this is a great series for that!) Book 3, relentless moon, was the longest ever. The time frame of this book actually overlaps with his second book, sky of destiny.

This time, instead of Elma York (on her journey to Mars), Nicole Worgin tells the story. Nicole is also one of the first female astronauts and the wife of Kansas Governor Kenneth Worgin. With the U.S. government relocating to Kansas City after the meteor impact and the International Aerospace Union (IAC) being based there, Kenneth is an important politician and Nicole has perfected her role as a politician’s wife. , hosting parties when needed and sporting a supportive smile at a press conference while pursuing a career as an astronaut.

Her recent trip to the moon comes with some special responsibilities. There is evidence that some of the recent malfunctions at the IAC are in fact sabotaged by Earth Firstists who feel the space program is either an irresponsible use of resources or non-existent. Enough is being done for those left behind. Nicole is tasked with helping the lunar base administrator track down a potential spy. Just in case there are plans to sabotage the base itself. After crash-landing on the moon, a polio outbreak occurs that threatens the colony.

I think part of the extra length of this book was to help readers get to know Nicole, who had appeared in previous books but was not a central character. The main story is more slapstick than the others. With things seemingly falling apart on the moon base, Nicole has to do a lot of detective work, figuring out who she can trust and how to identify the culprit.some of the events in sky of destiny intersect with the plot of relentless moonputs a new perspective on them.

relentless moon, Like the other titles in this series, it’s excellent and highly recommended. With the fourth novel in the works, hopefully we’ll soon find out what’s going on on Mars! I plan to catch up with them.

This is Becky Chambers’ second novella. monk and robot series, and it’s just as lovely. Dex and Mosscap’s robot brothers return to human civilization, and Mosscap quickly becomes a celebrity. As the first robots to emerge from the forest since the awakening (when robots gained sentience and decided to live on their own), Mosscap is tasked with answering the question of what humans need. .

After all, humans don’t really know how to answer that question. Some give purely practical and concrete answers. I need new tires for my bicycle. The paint needs to be touched up. This large amount of lumber needs to be moved. Some have more philosophical needs, such as purpose, adventure. In the world of this book, society is built so that people’s physical needs are met. So what else do you need?

like the first book Psalm for Wild Build, this story is primarily one of dialogue and philosophical reflection. Sure, things happen, but the book isn’t so much driven by a series of actions as it is a series of related thoughts about what drives us. Create compelling characters that you can connect with and let them roam the world you want to live in.

Well, here’s the sci-fi world you’re probably thinking of please do not Books are great, but I want to live. This is the sixth book in it. Murderbot Diary The series is set in a dystopian world mostly run by corporations. Murderbot currently resides in a Preservation Station run by He One of the Non-Corporate States, which serves as a connection between the Corporation Rim and other non-Corporate entities. It’s a terrifying cosmic utopian place, but problems can arise here as well.

The book opens with a dead body found at a train station, and Murderbot wonders if Gray Kriss (an evil corporation) is trying to get to his friend (and leader of the Alliance for Preservation), Dr. Mensah. . The station guards have a different idea, but I’m not entirely sure where to start as murder isn’t the kind of problem that usually has to be dealt with. ) and Murderbot handles it in typical Murderbot fashion.

It’s a novella, so it’s pretty short, but Welles packs a lot of content into it. many Catching up is offered, so don’t start here. As Murderbot and the station guard follow the clues, the mystery grows more complex and there is even more to unravel.

Who did I say in space? Here’s another! We covered this briefly on Spaces on Stack Overflow, but as we’re approaching the release date (October 4th), I’d like to elaborate a bit more. Mallory Viridian is a detective and she is very good at solving murder mysteries. She has a knack for connecting the various tangled lines of relationships, evidence and circumstances.But her big problem is that she feels like her very existence cause murder. Random strangers die wherever she goes, and she’s drawn into solving cases.

As such, she currently resides on Eternity, a sapient space station, and is never near humans as the station has largely banned humans. , believes not to be killed. But now the station has agreed to accept human guests, and the shuttle fills up on the way…and soon people (and aliens) start dying. , Mallory needs to grasp the connection quickly.

station eternity is home to several different alien species, so part of the fun of the book is simply meeting them and seeing how they interact with each other and with Mallory. It was to see what it was like. There are various hive-mind bees that seem to be all over the station, constantly gathering information for their own unknown purposes. Gneisses are giants of rock that communicate with vibrations and have a really strange life cycle. Phantasmagores have plant-like symbionts that they can camouflage.

The story is written in third person, but the perspective shifts a bit from chapter to chapter, depending on which character is central. However, there are times when the story follows another character and sees things from their point of view instead. I can see it.

I really enjoyed this, both for the murder mystery itself and for the final reveal of why Mallory is surrounded by murder in the first place. Midsolar murder case I can’t wait to see where Mallory goes after this explosive start.

current stack

just started reading cooling effect The first in a series about Captain Eva Innocente and her crew (the series doesn’t seem to have a title) by Valerie Valdes. I was also sent a book. Eva leaves her father’s illicit dealings behind and tries to do only legitimate (but unprofitable) jobs, but when her sister is kidnapped by the crime syndicate Refrigerator, she goes on a mission to pay the ransom. There are no murders in the book yet, but it’s still early. I also enjoyed the Lego photo collection. lego in focusmore on this later.

Disclosure: I have received a review copy of the book featured in this column. fugitive telemetry, I bought it myself. Affiliate links to Bookshop.org help support independent bookstores and my writing.

I liked it? Please take a moment to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!

Related