Martha Wells delivers another entertaining entry in the Murderbot Diaries with Artificial Condition. Much like the first story, this is only a novella as well and it rips along at warp speed, filled with action beats, laughs, and a small exploration of the worlds that Wells is building. The story picks up shortly after the…
Tag: exploration
Stargate: Atlantis (2005) – Before I Sleep, and The Brotherhood
It’s Weir’s (Torri Higginson) birthday. Despite the fact that she wanted to keep it quiet, Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) knows, and after imparting a gift continues his exploration of the massive floating city. He, Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) and Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) discover a lab, with an old woman in stasis, for ten thousand years! When…
Raise the Titanic (1980) – Jerry Jameson
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed 1980’s Raise the Titanic, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. While it differs from the Clive Cussler novel on which it was based (the author hated the adaptation) and failed to launch hero Dirk Pitt (played by a bearded Richard Jordan) into a franchise I found…
Star Trek: Heart of the Sun (1997) – Pamela Sargent, and George Zebrowski
Set during Kirk’s original five year mission as portrayed in The Original Series, Heart of the Sun is an interesting exploration of isolationism and its effect, combining two story threads that end up having more in common than you initially realize. The Enterprise has arrived in a remote system, helping restore a planetary database that…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2023) – Charades, and Lost in Translation
Spock (Ethan Peck) and Chapel (Jess Bush) are involved in an accident, and the aliens who caused it repair the shuttle, and the injured Spock, but his mixed DNA causes problems, so they use Chapel as the guideline, and make him human in Charades. Written by Kathryn Lyn and Henry Alonso Myers this episode debuted…
Easy Go (1968) – Micheal Crichton
Easy Go should have been my favourite of Micheal Crichton’s early novels. Written under his John Lange pseudonym while Crichton was still in med-school, the book includes some archaeology, some Egyptology, and the idea of a heist. Barnaby has discovered the possibility of a lost tomb, an undiscovered cache of wealth and a forgotten king….
The Hollow Places (2020) – T. Kingfisher
The Hollow Places is a wonderfully creepy novel, laced with humour and pop culture references, and less than three chapters in I decided that I definitely needed to read more of T. Kingfisher, aka Ursula Vernon. We’re introduced to Kara, 34, newly divorced, and moving in with her Uncle Earl, taking up residence in a…
Transformation (1988) – Whitley Strieber
Communion when it came along stunned and shocked the world. It partially pulled the concept of ‘alien’ abductions into the mainstream, and Strieber did his able best to share his own experiences with these visitors. A couple years later in 1988, Strieber released a second volume, Transformation, that expanded on his continuing experiences, the reach…
Rendezvous with Rama (1973) – Arthur C. Clarke
I remember the first time I read this novel. My friend Dennis recommended it to me and conveniently enough, he had the entire series at hand, and I blazed through them. That was almost two decades ago, and I honestly don’t recall all the details of the story, but I know I loved the wonder…
Ringworld (1970) – Larry Niven
I dug into some classic science fiction this week with Larry Niven’s Ringworld novel, which is set in his Known Space universe. I hadn’t explored any of his stories before, but this one was recommended to me from somewhere, and I found the general idea intriguing, a massive ring, instead of an enclosed sphere, placed…
The Mind Reels 