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Science Fiction February 2016 |
"If you try and lose then it isn't your fault. But if you don't try and we lose, then it's all your fault." ~ from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game |
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| Death Wave by Ben BovaHard SF. In New Earth, diplomat Jordan Kell led an expedition beyond the solar system to Sirius 3, only to discover that the planet was already inhabited by an alien race virtually indistinguishable from humans. In this stand-alone sequel, Jordan returns to Earth to share what he's learned from his new acquaintances: that a "death wave" of gamma radiation approaches, poised to destroy everything in its path. Preventing him from doing so is the powerful World Council, whose members who are more than willing to ignore Jordan's warning in order to further their own political agendas. Sharing a setting with author Ben Bova's Grand Tour of the Solar System novels, Death Wave marks the beginning of the Star Quest series. |
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| Planetfall by Emma NewmanSocial SF. Decades ago, lovers Renata "Ren" Ghali and Lee Suh-Mi led a group of 1,000 colonists on an interstellar journey to a new planet. Shortly after their arrival, Suh-Mi entered an alien structure known as God's City, never to return. Since that time, Ren has buried her grief in her work as the colony's repair technician, using aging 3D-printing technology to keep their supplies in working order. But not even Ren can fix the cracks that form in their community when a stranger arrives. Far too young to have been part of the initial "planetfall," when the colonists took up residence, the newcomer reveals secrets that force Ren and her fellow settlers to confront unpleasant truths. |
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| Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. SchoenSpace Opera. Humans are nothing more than a distant memory in this compelling SF saga that focuses on the Fant, an anthromorphic race of pachyderms. Their homeworld, Barsk, is the primary source of koph, a substance that enables its users -- called "Speakers" -- to communicate with the dead. As off-worlders prepare to invade Barsk and seize control of the precious commodity, Speaker Jorl ben Tral investigates the baffling suicide of his friend, Arlo, while Arlo's young son Pizlo struggles to find his place in a society in which he is an outcast. Detailed world-building and sympathetic characters distinguish this novel from Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Lawrence M. Schoen. |
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| The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo; translated by Lola RogersSocial SF. Through selective breeding, the Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has created a class of women for the purposes of sex and procreation. They are the eloi; all other women, dubbed morlocks, are sterilized and assigned menial jobs. Existing at the intersection of these rigidly enforced categories, Vanna -- a morlock passing as an eloi -- partners with a man named Jare to sell an illegal stimulant: chili peppers. Meanwhile, her own growing addiction to the substance leads her to seek out a religious cult that controls the Core of the Sun, a chili rumored to be so intense that it causes hallucinations. Readers who enjoy dystopian novels that focus on women's issues, such as The Handmaid's Tale or Sarah Hall's Daughter of the North, should enjoy The Core of the Sun. |
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| Ender's Game by Orson Scott CardSF. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a maligned Third child in a society where families are limited to two, is at heart a kind and peaceful boy. But after passing over Ender's older siblings Peter and Valentine, military leaders have chosen Ender to attend Battle School, where the desperate search for a new general to lead Earth's forces against vicious alien invaders is ongoing. Ender displays natural skill at the war games the children play, and consistently overcomes all obstacles. Could he be Earth's military savior? Ender's Game, the 1st volume in the chronicles of Ender Wiggin, is filled with great characters, plenty of action, and psychological suspense. |
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| The Games by Ted KosmatkaSF Thriller. Monsters don't care about gold medals. Neither do fans of the Olympic Games, where the main event is watching genetically engineered gladiators fight to the death. Designed by a supercomputer, America's most promising combatant proves to be so lethal that U.S. Games Committee chairman Dr. Silas Williams calls in xenobiologist Vidonia João to determine exactly what kind of creature they're dealing with -- and how much destruction it might cause if it were to escape the ring. If you've ever wished that the Olympics were more like the Hunger Games, this fast-paced, action-packed debut should slake your bloodlust. The novel's themes of technology gone awry should also please fans of the late Michael Crichton. |
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| The Galaxy Game by Karen LordSocial SF. Confined to the Lyceum, a residential school for the psi-gifted adolescents of the planet Cygnus Beta, Rafi Abowen Delarua is surrounded by authority figures who distrust him even as they attempt to exploit his talents. Bereft of home and family, Rafi's only refuge is Wallrunning, a high-stakes game requiring speed, agility, and adaptation to gravitational fluctuations. It may also be Rafi's best hope of escaping his situation. However, what initially appears to be a fun athletic activity is gradually revealed to have great intergalactic significance. Fans of author Karen Lord's previous novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds, will appreciate cameo appearances from that novel's characters, as well as an expansion of its predecessor's detailed world-building.
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| The Empress Game by Rhonda MasonSpace Opera. Once a princess of Ordoch, a planet in Wyrd Space whose inhabitants are famed for their psionic abilities, Kayla Reinumon has become Shadow Panthe, the fiercest fighter in the Blood Pits of Altair Tri. Approached by a representative of the Sakien Empire -- the party responsible for killing her family, usurping her planet's throne, and sending Kayla and her brother into exile -- she's offered the chance to participate in the Empress Games, a gladiatorial tournament whose outcome will determine the occupant of the last vacant seat on the Council of Seven. Her new sponsors want her to fight on behalf of the Empire, but Kayla has plans of her own. |
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| The Restoration Game by Ken MacLeodNear-Future SF. Born in the tiny nation of Krassnia, part of the former Soviet Union, Lucy Stone now lives in Edinburgh, where she designs video games for a living. Her mother, a CIA operative, asks Lucy to create a massively multiplayer role-playing game based on Krassnian folklore that will provide Krassnian rebel groups with a covert online channel for communicating with one another. As Lucy conducts research, she learns more about her family's longstanding involvement in the troubled region's history and politics. This witty, detailed blend of science fiction and espionage may appeal to fans of Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker. |
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