Review – The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin edited by Lisa Yaszek

The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K Le Guin
By: Lisa Yaszek (editor)
Release Date: September 25, 2018
Publisher: Library of America
Rating:


Anthologies can be tricky beasts. Even in themed anthologies, authors and their stories can be very varied, sometimes wildly so. The Future is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories By Women, From Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin is an anthology from editor Lisa Yaszek that defies all expectations. Each story is better than the one preceding it. Each one is memorable, lingering in the back of your mind long after moving on to the next tale. Each one is the sort of story that could be pointed to and said, ‘This is the heart of science fiction. This is our legacy. This is what we aspire to.’

Review – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City
By: Sam J. Miller
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Ecco
Rating:


Blackfish City is a dystopian science fiction novel from Sam J. Miller whose novel The Art of Starving won the Andre Norton Award. The story takes place on an earth drowned by the sea. Climate change has shrunk livable land, countries have fallen, and refugees migrate to places like Qaanaaq – a floating city near a geothermal vent close to Greenland. But as much as Qaanaaq is a savior for the displaced, it has its own problems. Steeped in corruption and with no housing or work for incoming refugees from “drowned cities,” disease is rampant. A disease referred to as ‘the breaks’ spreads among the people while outside the city a mysterious woman riding an orca and with a polar bear companion can be seen, a woman steeped in mystery and rumor.

#MangaMonday Review – Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow Lee

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha
By: Dragongarow Lee
Illustrator: Dragongarow Lee
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Rating:


Every once in a while something magical happens. Sometimes we’re blessed with fanfiction that gets sanctioned by the series. Sometimes, we get manga like this. Dragon Ball: The Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha is by Dragongarow Lee, a fan artist who is well known in the community.

Review – Jaco the Galactic Patrolman by Akira Toriyama

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman
By: Akira Toriyama
Illustrator: Akira Toriyama (Art); James Gaubatz (Touch-up art and Lettering)
Translator: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Release Date: January 26, 2015
Publisher: VIZ Media
Rating:


Maybe it’s because I tend to lean towards long-running shonen series, but it isn’t very often I come across a standalone volume of manga. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman by Akira Toriyama is exactly that.

Review – Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher

Standard Hollywood Depravity
By: Adam Christopher
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Ray Electromatic #1.5
Rating:


I can finally say I’ve finished the Ray Electromatic series. Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher is a novella set between the first and second books in the series. It’s a short, fun mystery that can be easily read as a standalone story if you haven’t read the first novel in the series Made to Kill.

2018 Books That Should Be Read More

There have been a lot of fantastic books this year. Some of my favorites have already been outlined in my Top 2018 Books list. Everything I enjoyed couldn’t have possibly fit in one list, though. And some books I still want to talk about weren’t necessarily full 5 star reads. But they were good nonetheless with interesting plots and themes and characters I really cared about. I noticed something in common with some of these: they didn’t have a lot of reviews on Gooodreads.

More …

Top 2018 Books

Here it is, the long awaited Top Reads of 2018 list. I read a lot of books this year – 224 of them according to my Goodreads list. I’m not exactly stingy with 5 stars, either. If it’s a great book, then I’m going to give it a high rating. And I gave 4.5 to 5 star ratings on a whopping 50 books. I’ve managed to whittle that list down a bit since then and while still it might not be a short list, but it’s certainly more manageable than before! All of these books have been published in 2018 in the United States, though several were published prior in other countries.

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Review – Before She Sleeps by Binah Shah

Before She Sleeps
By: Binah Shah
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Delphinium
Rating:


Before She Sleeps by Binah Shah is a book is a dystopian novel set in a post-apocalyptic society where decreased fertility and disease have led to the human race declining, women being forced into marriages with multiple husbands. The story follows several women who resist this society and its rules. They do this in a very direct way – they are all part of an underground resistance – but also in their own smaller, personal ways. This is very much a story of autonomy and regaining autonomy.

Review – Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection by Go Nagai

Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection
By: Go Nagai
Illustrator: Go Nagai (Illustrator); Bambi Eloriaga-Amago & Roland Amago (Lettering and Retouch)
Translator: Zack Davisson
Release Date: August 28, 2018 (English)
Publisher: Seven Seas
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I have long loved classic manga and anime. When a new edition of an older manga comes out you can bet that I am first in line for a copy. Obviously, I jumped on the chance to read Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey is a lot of things. In one sense it’s a magical girl manga. In another it’s a sci-fi manga. It’s a mystery story. There’s violence, nudity, and sexual themes. And I loved every second of it.

Review – The Arrival of Missives by Aliya Whiteley

The Arrival of Missives
By: Aliya Whiteley
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Titan Books
Award: John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2017), James Tiptree Jr. Award Nominee for Longlist (2016), Saboteur Award Nominee for Best Novella (2017)
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Aliya Whiteley’s The Arrival of Missives is a historical fantasy novella that is absolutely not to be missed. The prose has lyrical beauty that sweeps the reader along and weaves a truly unforgettable story.