Raven Stratagem Yoon Ha Lee Solaris, 400 pages Review by Iain Maloney Criticism is a funny old thing. The critic is late to the party: the book is published, printed, often already in shops and on people’s nightstands by the time the review comes out so any criticism offered is at best parenthetical. As a
Stranger of Tempest Tom Lloyd Gollancz, 472 pages Reviewed by Ian Hunter With ringing endorsements from the likes of Adrian Tchaikovsky, James Barclay and Edward Cox and a great cover by Jon McCoy, of a lone rifleman (actually our hero armed with a Mage Gun that fires elemental bullets) on the cover about to square
All the Galaxies Philip Miller Freight Books, 308 pages Review by Henry Northmore Fans already know that many of the strongest works in the genre use sci-fi as a prism to examine our own world. Taking existing concepts and extrapolating into the future, exaggerating for effect or repositioning them on strange new worlds. We live
The Beauty Aliya Whiteley Unsung, 112 pages Review by Marija Smits Online Exclusive. The Beauty, like other books from Unsung Stories, is somewhat unclassifiable. It doesn’t appear to sit neatly in any sci-fi genre, and although probably best described as speculative fiction it also has a fairy tale aspect to it. In places it also
Invasion Luke Rhinehart Titan, 432 pages Review by Chris Heyman Earth is invaded by thousands of super-intelligent beach balls that want to play. This is the high concept that Luke Rhinehart uses to satirise modern economic ruts and wider social absurdities, as seen through the perennial trope of a fresh pair of eyes. Except that
Iraq+100: Stories from Another Iraq Hassan Blasim (editor) Comma Press, 224 pages Review by Chris Kelso A nation’s literature is often shaped by historical and political events, and there aren’t many countries who have recently undergone such immense turmoil and upheaval as Iraq. It’s funny: science fiction seems such an obvious genre to explore for
The Corporation Wars: Insurgence Ken MacLeod Orbit, 320 pages Review: Iain Maloney Midway through Insurgence, the sequel to Dissidence and midpoint of the trilogy, Carlos the Terrorist finds himself in a hellish maze, his way lit by faint clumps of phosphorescent lichen. He knows the path in front of him will be difficult but that
Thought X: Fictions and Hypotheticals Edited by Dr Rob Appleby and Ra Page Comma Press, 304 pages Review by Pippa Goldschmidt This volume is the latest in a series of anthologies published by Comma Press showcasing specially written short stories inspired by a specific theme. This one takes as its subject ‘thought experiments’, experiments carried
The Cygnus Virus TJ Zakreski Dancing Star, 366 pages Review by Steve Ironside The search for life on another world is not without its risks. Some worry that we’ll end up advertising our presence to a dangerous civilisation who’ll come to enslave us; some worry the knowledge that we’ve contacted someone else will throw our
Hold Back the Stars By Katie Khan Penguin Books/Doubleday Books Review: Thom Day Carys and Max are stuck in space. They’ve somehow managed to make it through the ring of meteors that surrounds Earth, but their spacecraft has been critically damaged in the process. Now with 90 minutes of oxygen left, they must fight to