Star Trek: Uhura’s Song (1985) – Janet Kagan

Evan Wilson. Ugh. The very definition of a Mary Sue. This character joins the U.S.S. Enterprise this week as I continue my non-canon adventures with her crew, exploring the Pocket Book universe based on Gene Roddenberry’s beloved creation. A planet inhabited by bipedal felines is suffering from a seemingly unstoppable disease, and one of Uhura’s…

Minds of Winter (2016) – Ed O’Loughlin

An ode to the stark, beautiful ice covered unexplored reaches of the globe as much as to the human soul and its search for knowledge, discovery and connections; swathed in furs and driven by sledges , Ed O’Loughlin’s Minds of Winter delves into the history and exploration of the distant poles and ice floes while…

The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) – L. Frank Baum

It’s been over a year since I travelled to the land of Oz. So I decided to buckle up for a quick jaunt back to that fairyland that shaped the lives of so many children at the beginning of the 20th century. Baum guides us back to his world as we go on another quest…

Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End (2017) – Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig unleashes the final part in his trilogy chronicling the canon events following The Return of the Jedi and culminating with the Empire’s fall at the Battle of Jakku. All the characters we have gotten to know over the past two novels are here, Norra Wexley, her son, Temmin ‘Snap’ Wexley, Sinjir, Bones, Gallius,…

The Accusation (2017) – Bandi

Due out this week from Anansi Press is this beautiful collection of stories, the first fiction to come out of North Korea. They say write what you know, and while I recognise that these stories are fiction, they have their roots in the real world, and as such, give the reader a fascinating glance inside…

Dance of Death (2005) – Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

It’s been a while since I checked in with FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, Preston and Child’s modern, American answer to Doyle’s Holmes. Last time we checked in with him, he was left in a bit of dire straits as his friend Vincent D’Agosta fled for his life. The story picks up a couple of short…