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Science FictionAugust 2014 |
"I've woken up in a lot of weird places in my life, but coming to in a xith'cal escape pod was pushing it even for me."
~ from Rachel Bach's Heaven's Queen |
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New and Recently Released!
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| Heaven's Queen by Rachel BachSpace Opera. Once a security guard, now the carrier of a virus that could destroy the Phantoms threatening to annihilate all of existence, ex-soldier Devi Morris has become the most wanted individual in the galaxy. Unfortunately, nearly everyone searching for her -- including her former employers, several lethal alien species, and the governments of multiple worlds -- wants her dead. But daring Devi's decided that if she's destined to die, she'll do so on her own terms. And if Devi's going down, she might just take the entire universe with her. Don't miss this exciting, action-packed conclusion to the Paradox trilogy, after Fortune's Pawn and Honor's Knight. |
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| The Boost by Stephen BakerCyberpunk. Responsible for implementing the "boosts," software upgrades to the chips implanted in the brains of most of the world's population, low-level IT employee Ralf discovers an intentional security glitch that enables governments to conduct illegal surveillance on their own citizens and powerful corporations to harvest personal data to increase their profits at the expense of privacy. When Ralf attemps to fix the "bug," he's unceremoniously fired and subsequently disconnected from the neural network that binds the rest of society together. Alone in the "wild," Ralf struggles to adapt to a world without technology until he encounters others in the same situation. With his new allies, he concocts an ambitious scheme to free humans' minds from their technologically enhanced brains. This suspenseful, action-packed tale of nanotechnology and government conspiracy may appeal to fans of Namez Raam's Nexus. |
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| Cibola Burn by James S.A. CoreySpace Opera. In this follow-up to Abbadon's Gate, the human race -- both Earth-based and "Belter" -- has gained access to a seemingly infinite number of worlds outside of our solar system. As interstellar travel increases exponentially, so do conflicts between inner and outer system populations. At the center of the dispute is newly discovered, lithium-rich planet Ilus, forcing UN representative James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante to try their hands at diplomacy. Fans of sweeping, dramatic space operas that combine deft characterization with detailed world-building will want to get their hands on this 4th book in the Expanse series, which begins with Leviathan Wakes, followed by Caliban's War. |
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| Artemis Awakening by Jane M. LindskoldSocial SF. Centuries ago, the planet Artemis was an artificial paradise that served as a vacation resort. However, after an interstellar war shattered the Empire, the high-tech tourist hotspot became a lost civilization. Archaeologist Griffin Dane rediscovers Artemis after a crash landing on the planet's surface and, aided by local woman Adara, searches for artifacts -- remnants of the society's legendary technology, which he hopes will help him return home. However, Griffin and Adare aren't the only ones looking for hidden treasure, and their rivals' motivations for uncovering Artemis' secrets are nowhere near as pure as their own. |
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| The Forever Watch by David RamirezHard SF. During the thousand-year journey of the spaceship Noah, passengers live in a massive artificial city, purchasing memories of everyday sensations while doing their part to create the next generation of settlers. After telekinetic bureaucrat Hana Dempsey awakens from her nine-month compulsory "breeding duty," gestating offspring she'll never meet, she struggles to rejoin society. It's only after Peace Officer Leon Barrens requests her assistance in solving a string of baffling murders that Hana shakes off her depression and begins to ask uncomfortable questions about Noah's mission and the human civilization they've left behind. Part science fiction mystery, part dystopian thriller, The Forever Watch places well-drawn characters in a circumscribed, yet richly detailed setting and follows their journey from innocence to understanding to agents of their own fates. |
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| Koko Takes a Holiday by Kieran SheaFar Future SF. Koko Martstellar doesn't miss her former career as a corporate mercenary. In fact, she's loving every minute of her retirement, operating a brothel on a tropical pleasure resort known as The Sixty Islands -- that is, until an old colleague attempts to assassinate her. But why? Dodging further hits, Koko travels to an orbital platform in the Second Free Zone to investigate the events that prompted the price on her head. Fast-paced, action-packed, and violent, Koko Takes a Holiday may appeal to fans of Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon. |
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| Authority by Jeff VanderMeerSF. In Annihilation, readers encountered Area X, a mysterious, isolated zone where travelers (un)fortunate enough to be granted access either don't return or else come back changed beyond recognition. This sequel provides answers to some of the enigmas encountered in the first book, but also raises more questions concerning the nature of Area X. Although each book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy can be read on its own, intrepid adventurers who proceed through the novels in order will gain a deeper understanding of this strange world. Meanwhile, series fans will want to keep an eye out for the forthcoming finale, Acceptance. |
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| Robogenesis: A Novel by Daniel H. WilsonSF. Archos is dead! Long live Archos! In this sequel to the best-selling Robopocalypse, human survivors of the New War discover that while their original A.I. nemesis has been destroyed, enough copies of it exist to launch a whole new end game. What's more, humanity isn't even central to this new conflict, in which machine battles machine for total domination. In fact, humans have two choices: they can submit to extinction, becoming collateral damage, or they can ally themselves with a robotic faction that will keep them alive until it can deploy them as expendable weapons in the fight. Structured as an oral history in the vein of Max Brooks' World War Z, Robogenesis should appeal to anyone who enjoys a good robot uprising. Speaking of which, author Daniel H. Wilson has recently collaborated with John Joseph Adams to put together Robot Uprisings, an anthology of short stories on the same subject. |
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