Aug 16 2026

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Book Review: Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C.J. Cherryh

Title: Forty Thousand in Gehenna

Author: C.J. Cherryh

Series: The Alliance-Union Universe

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: When forty thousand human colonists are abandoned on a planet called Gehenna for political reasons, and re-supply ships fail to arrive, collapse seems imminent. Yet over the next two centuries, the descendants of the original colonists survive despite all odds by entering a partnership with the planet’s native intelligence, the lizardlike burrowing calibans. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

Forty Thousand in Gehenna starts with a fascinating premise that hooked me. A group of humans is sent to establish a colony on an alien planet, only to find themselves increasingly isolated and forced to adapt to an environment that is very different from what they expected. Cherryh does a particularly good job of making the early portion of the story feel uncertain and compelling. There is a real sense of discovery as the colonists struggle to survive and understand their new home. There are many colonists who are named, but the few important characters to the narrative in the early chapters are simple enough to follow.

Unfortunately, my interest began to wane as the novel progressed. The story moves through multiple generations, and while I understand what Cherryh is trying to accomplish, the constant shifts in time and characters made it increasingly difficult to stay invested. The genealogy trees included with the book eventually become almost essential for keeping track of who is related to whom, but needing to consult them also highlights the problem. There are simply so many characters that it becomes difficult to form much of an attachment to any individual. Just as I began to become familiar with someone, the story would move on to another generation. As the story moves further away from the original colonists, that initial sense of discovery and interest begins to fade.

There is a lot to admire here, particularly the ambitious worldbuilding and the ideas about cultural evolution and adaptation. I have found Cherryh’s strengths to lie in creating vast worlds and universes with complex politics, sometimes at the expense of characters and narrative. Here I found the novel more interesting as a concept than as a story. The strong opening ultimately gave way to a book that I admired but left me just a little bit disappointed.

Aug 9 2026

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Book Review: The City & the City by China Miéville

Title: The City & the City

Author: China Miéville

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he investigates, the evidence points to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined. Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own. This is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen. His destination is Beszel’s equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, and struggling with his own transition, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of rabid nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them and those they care about more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities. Casting shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984, The City & the City is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

The City & the City, like most of Miéville’s writing, is one of the most original novels I have read recently. The central premise is so unusual that it is difficult to describe in a cogent manner. Blending a noir detective story with speculative fiction, Miéville creates a world that is truly unique. Even when I wasn’t completely invested in the story, I remained fascinated by the ideas behind it.

The novel follows Inspector Tyador Borlú as he investigates a murder spanning two cities. The bizarre element is that these cities occupy the same physical space, while their inhabitants are conditioned to perceive them as separate. It may be difficult to describe, but the concept is brilliant, and the strange atmosphere of these intertwined cities is probably the book’s greatest strength. The mystery itself is fairly engaging, but it often feels secondary to the exploration of the setting and the social structure around it. I have said before that the setting is the most memorable character in a Miéville story.

For all of its creativity, however, the novel can also be frustrating at times. Although I found this to be one of the easier Miéville settings to wrap my head around, a good bit of effort is nevertheless required to understand the world. The complexity of the world ramps up in certain ways as the story progresses, to where I occasionally found myself struggling to follow exactly what was happening in the latter parts. Borlú is a competent detective and protagonist, but he never develops into a very memorable character, and many of the others blend together or take a backseat to the setting and the ideas. The ending also left me wanting a bit more, resolving the central mystery but without the emotional or thematic payoff I had hoped for.

Despite those shortcomings, The City & the City is well worth reading for its originality alone. It reminded me of Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup (which, coincidentally, I had read just prior to this book) in the way it uses an inventive speculative setting to elevate a detective story into something far more unique. Both books also won the Hugo Award for best novel, perhaps fitting given the way that they creatively blend speculative fiction and mystery. I may not consider it to be a perfect novel, but it will certainly stay with me for a long time to come.

Aug 1 2026

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Book Review: Heaven’s River by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: Heaven’s River

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Series: Bobiverse #4

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: More than a hundred years ago, Bender set out for the stars and was never heard from again. There has been no trace of him despite numerous searches by his clone-mates. Now Bob is determined to organize an expedition to learn Bender’s fate—whatever the cost. But nothing is ever simple in the Bobiverse. Bob’s descendants are out to the 24th generation now, and replicative drift has produced individuals who can barely be considered Bobs anymore. Some of them oppose Bob’s plan; others have plans of their own. The out-of-control moots are the least of the Bobiverse’s problems. Undaunted, Bob and his allies follow Bender’s trail. But what they discover out in deep space is so unexpected and so complex that it could either save the universe—or pose an existential threat the likes of which the Bobiverse has never faced. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

Heaven’s River was a departure from the storytelling format I’ve come to expect from Taylor, and I’m not sure the change did it any favors.

One word: pacing. One of the best things about the Bob books is that they clip along at a great pace. Maybe even too fast in some instances, which makes the moments where he decides to deep dive into a specific story thread even more satisfying and immersive. This entire book was an immersive deep dive that honestly read to me as though it were originally planned as two separate short novels that ultimately got mashed into one.

And here’s the thing: I actually LIKED the direction the story took because it reminded me of my favorite thread from the original trilogy (basking within a cool alien culture). No, my issues lie in execution. Diving in, we had a clear idea on what the objective was, however it was unclear through most of the book how the characters’ actions were actually helping them towards their objective. It felt more like stumbling around and getting fortunate a few times more than successful executions of a plan. And I mentioned pacing… oh my gosh move it along already. There were too many repeating elements and encounters that made the book feel like a lot more of a drag than it needed to be. And what’s more, the aliens they spent time with resembled a completely separate alien species we’d already encountered (the Pav). Call me crazy, but since all the main characters are basically the same, you’d think that would leave enough creativity behind to diversify the aliens just a bit more. Maybe he thinks the universe just needs more otters…

But I rant.

The book has some issues, but I’d say overall I’m still glad I read it to continue the series. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying my time with these books this year, and I look forward to reading the next one. The good new is, it’s much shorter. And even though I have a rant to spare for this book, it was still something I enjoyed reading from start to finish. It’s just wasn’t as good as it COULD’VE been, you know?

Pick this series up if you enjoy the cheekier side of scifi. It’s fun without being dumb. Most of the time.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

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by Niki Hawkes

Dave’s Review [2.5/5 stars]:

Having enjoyed the first three Bobiverse novels for the most part, I went into Heaven’s River expecting more of the same. While I still found things to like, this is the first book in the series that left me feeling somewhat disappointed. It retains much of the charm and creativity that made the earlier books so much fun, but it also shows some signs that the formula is beginning to wear thin.

The biggest issue is the length. At over 500 pages, Heaven’s River feels considerably longer than the story it has to tell. The central mission is interesting enough, but it is stretched across too many detours and repetitive scenes, causing the pacing to drag for long stretches. Likewise, the series’ trademark humor, which was one of its greatest strengths early on, no longer lands with the same consistency. The pop culture references and self-aware wit are still present, but they have become predictable more often than not, rather than truly amusing.

That said, the novel has its merits. One of the main plot lines of the novel involves the exploration of the Quinlan civilization, which is imaginative and can be fascinating at times, even if the exploration is more drawn out than necessary. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is watching the Bobs continue to diverge into distinct individuals with competing philosophies and priorities. The growing ideological conflicts between different factions add genuine depth to the series and suggest that the greatest challenges facing the Bobiverse may ultimately come from within rather than from external threats. It sets up what I feel would be the most interesting direction for future installments in the series.

Although Heaven’s River still contains flashes of the imagination and charm that hooked me in the first book, it feels overextended at this point. I remain interested in seeing where the Bobiverse goes next, but I hope future installments recapture some of the tighter pacing and freshness of the first couple of novels.

Jul 16 2026

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Book Review: Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey

Title: Faith of Beasts

Author: James S.A. Corey

Series: Captive’s War #2

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: The monstrous Carryx empire was built by subjugation and war. Thousands of species are bound to their Sovran’s command in an endless, blood-soaked test: be useful in the eternal conflict or be slaughtered. Dafyd Alkhor, highest among their human captives, is feared and despised by the very people he champions. Ruthless in carving out his niche in the eternal war machine of the empire, he will reshape human nature itself as a tool for their alien masters’ use. But Dafyd’s loyalty is not what it seems. The Swarm, an agent of the Carryx’s deathless enemy, has been smuggled into the Carryx world-palace along with the human slaves. It’s discover a way to bring down the empire’s eternal reign. But the longer it lives among and within humanity, the more it forgets that it is a weapon. As the human captives spread through the battlefronts of empire, the awesome power of the Carryx becomes clear. And with it, a desperate plan for their destruction. But empires hide secrets, and even the deathless enemy may not be what it appears… –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

My favorite book of the year so far!

Which is amazing considering it’s the second book in a trilogy (I always brace for middle-book syndrome). I don’t know why I was worried, though. These authors have been dazzling me for years and it’s to the point where I don’t even look to see what new books from Corey (or Abraham) are about – I just devour them.

I’ve said this before about most of the works I’ve read from these authors, but it continually amazes me how connected I always feel to these very flawed, painfully HUMAN characters. I’m not much of a character reader, generally, because I don’t often form bonds (or care to remember names) of the people in the stories. To me most characters feel little more than plot vessels. But it’s authors like the Corey team, Abercrombie, and Hobb who convince me the people I’m reading about are real. I’m realizing that what these character profiles have in common is how so deeply flawed (ahem.. human) they are, almost to the point of making them unlikable. THESE are the characters who’s stories move me. So maybe I am a character reader after all, I just need to buy in to how realistic they feel.

This series is so deftly written. There’s a recognizable cadence to this team’s writing style (which at this point feels like a warm hug) that is unique to their SFF series. It creates the most brilliant setups – some of the most breathtaking, fully engaging scenes I’ve ever read. Where I feel what’s going on viscerally and lose all touch with reality. It’s that X-factor that truly separates wonderful books from the absolute astounding books in my opinion. The sorts of books that make you want to find someone to talk to about them immediately. Where you finish them and find yourself reeling and still thinking about them days (or weeks/months/years) later. Only a few authors have ever done this to me before. The Corey team has now done it thrice.

After reading Faith of Beasts, I now have a newfound appreciation for why people love thriller novels. I read the back half of it on the edge of my seat. The Corey team are brilliant at cultivating momentum and suspense, and this poignant sense of danger that has me both wary and excited to turn to the next page. I can’t tell you the last book I read that actually raised the hair on my neck while I was reading it. If you can’t tell, I was super invested.

One thing we didn’t get in the Expanse was a lot of creature creation, as the series primarily takes place within our solar system. It’s almost like the duo are making up for lost time, because the abundance of aliens in Captive’s War is off the charts! It gives the story such an otherworldly (no kidding) feel. Great world-building is one of my favorite draws to books, as I love feeling completely transported to other worlds. That might be one reason why I don’t always mind when characters aren’t as strong. This series has it all though – character, world-building, writing, voice, pacing, momentum… it’s so rich! It has so many great components that I’m sure we could spend a dozen books exploring it, but how cool is it we get the best of the best compacted into a single trilogy? This is great, I can’t wait to see how it ends, and holy crap is the next one out yet?!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

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by Niki Hawkes

Jun 28 2026

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Book Review: The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee

Title: The Last Contract of Isako

Author: Fonda Lee

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction

The Overview: Get ready to be blown away by this searing standalone space opera where corporate samurai fight beneath merciless stars, and death is always a mere breath away. Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend has to come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow–to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her legacy. But when a competitor offers her a final mission, it’s one she can’t refuse. Soon, she’s thrust deep into a world of corporate espionage, duty-bound duels, and shadowy secrets. What she uncovers will change humanity’s existence in the stars forever. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [3/5 stars]:

“Corporate Samurai in space” is how this story is being pitched. While the description is technically true, it evokes certain expectations for me that were absolutely not met. I had visions of warriors going toe-to-toe on some desolate moon in these intricate, cinematic fight scenes. Of rich cultures where the samurai way is the most prominent part of the plot. But other than the fact that the main character carried a sword through most of the book, you wouldn’t really know she was supposed to be a Samurai. She certainly didn’t fight much. And when she did there wasn’t anything particularly interesting about the interactions. By my reckoning, this was a slightly futuristic mystery that, for lack of decent world-building, may as well have taken place somewhere on earth.

So I feel a little let down.

That said, it’s a Fonda Lee, so it was written well. A mostly interesting crime investigation, things moved along at a good pace and I was at least mildly engaged the entire way through. Even though the story wasn’t really something I’d usually pick up, it was still an enjoyable read. There was one point in the middle where I was wondering how she was going to sustain the plot for a couple hundred more pages. But before I could lose momentum, there was a massive POV switch, which I didn’t like at first, but it ended up being exactly what the story needed to sustain itself.

I also always like Lee’s character work. Having Isako as a fifty-something “warrior” trying to retain her edge against the next generation was a great shift from the usual 20-somethings women we usually follow in these types of books. I didn’t get nearly as much depth or feel as much emotional investment as I did with her characters in Green Bone Saga, but I still enjoyed my time with them. And actually, swinging back to world-building, I ended up loving Green Bone, but my initial complaint was that it didn’t have enough of fantasy/magic components. It’s interesting that one of my main complaints here is that it doesn’t have enough scifi components for my tastes. In any case, I think fans of GBS will find a lot of things to like about Lee’s work here. But newcomers to the author would be much better off reading GBS instead of starting here.

One more thing – without spoilers, the ending left me with a lot of bigger-picture questions. The plot was so narrowly-focused on a few key players throughout, which is fine, but I found my interest lay more in the societal implications of what was happening. It was a bit dissatisfying to set the book down without any resolution there, and I feel it a somewhat missed opportunity for a more lasting impact. As it was though, that was apparently beyond the scope of the intended story…

If expectations hadn’t played a role, and if I’d been generally more interested in this type of book, I think I would’ve rated it a 4/5 stars. As it stands though, I’m sitting happy at a 3 star rating. I liked it, and at no point was I considering a DNF, but overall it was just a basically decent book with nothing remarkable for me to hang onto.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, and Carmen! <3

Dave’s Review [4/5 stars]:

After reading Lee’s Green Bone Saga a couple of years ago, I vowed to read more of her books. When I read that her latest book was a cyberpunk samurai space opera, I was completely sold! The actual book is, in my opinion, not exactly that, or at least not exactly what I envision based on that description, even if it is technically accurate. However, it is a solid book regardless, and this is likely more an issue with my own expectations or the marketing of the book, rather than any problem with the writing itself.

The Last Contract of Isako might be considered a blend of genres. It is definitely science fiction for a number of reasons, but it also contains elements of fantasy/speculative fiction, as well as a bit of dystopian and noir. It is a strange mix, but the author’s talent manages to make this work smoothly and believably. Lee’s writing is efficient and easy to follow, yet has an understated elegance. I read this as an audiobook, which I am still relatively new to doing, so I do not yet have experience with many different narrators. In this case I found the narration to be just good, even if not particularly noteworthy.

One of the more interesting aspects of the novel is Lee’s choice of protagonist. She is an aging assassin in a world that has little sympathy for its elderly. As the title implies, Isako is on her last contract before retirement, and it turns out to be a wild one. The author effectively captures the weariness of a woman who has lived a hard life in an unforgiving world. This world is quite well fleshed out in many respects, effectively woven into the narrative without the need for lengthy exposition anywhere, at least as far as I can recall. My only real complaint in this regard is that the story never really takes full advantage of its setting. There are a couple of futuristic science fiction concepts that are important to the plot, but otherwise, it does not feel much like a space opera. The “samurai” element is also quite muted. Perhaps this was by design, but I would have preferred the story to have leaned into these things a little more, in some way or another. It ultimately works though, as so much of the politicking that is central to the story do not depend very much on these aspects.

The plot of the book is solid, and takes off from pretty early on in the story. The pacing is pretty good, with a few minor lulls, but nothing that drags the book down. There are a few revelations and major plot developments along the way, which are quite ingenious, although on occasion I felt that the abruptness with which they are conveyed robbed the story somewhat of the impact or emotional weight that it could have held.

The Last Contract of Isako is comparable to Lee’s Green Bone Saga in many ways, while also feeling like its own distinct world and story. This book also has the morally complex characters, the snappy dialogue, and a great deal of political conflict that seems to transcend the scope of the story itself. This is also a leaner story than the Green Bone Saga, contained within a single standalone book, and focusing largely on just one or two important characters instead of an entire family. This is a solid 4-star book that succeeds on most levels that I would recommend to anyone interested in political science fiction.

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May 23 2026

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Book Review: Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio

Title: Disquiet Gods

Author: Christopher Ruocchio

Series: Sun Eater #6

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: The end is nigh. It has been nearly two hundred years since Hadrian Marlowe assaulted the person of the Emperor and walked away from war. From his Empire. His duty. From the will and service of the eldritch being known only as the Quiet. The galaxy lies in the grip of a terrible plague, and worse, the Cielcin have overrun the realms of men. A messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor for the one-time hero. A summons, a pardon, and a plea. HAPSIS, the Emperor’s secret first-contact intelligence organization, has located one of the dreadful Watchers, the immense, powerful beings worshipped by the Pale Cielcin. Called out of retirement and exile, the old hero—accompanied by his daughter, Cassandra—must race across the galaxy and against time to accomplish one last, impossible: To kill a god. –Goodreads

The Review:

It took me FOREVER to get through this book. Over a year with a couple of soft DNFs in the mix. I don’t think it was solely the book’s fault, but I finished almost 80 books in that same timeframe, so it wasn’t solely me, either. There was this one part about 30% of the way in where my eyes started to glaze over both times I tried to read it. Once I got past that, I enjoyed myself quite a bit… but it took a while.

At this point in the series, I would definitely say I’m invested to see how it ends. Despite my troubles I actually liked a lot of the stuff in this book. An addition of a new character being my favorite highlight. And actually I like all the characters. They’re all wildly interesting profiles to me, which is perhaps one of the main reasons I kept coming back.

I also still appreciate the writing style. It’s distinctive in its flowing nature and often lyrical delivery. It reminds me a lot of the introspection you get during those interludes in a Drizzt book. The writing is so good it makes it easier to ignore the repetition and generally overindulgent musings. Somehow they always feel like they need to be there even though the points have long been driven home.

Even with all of that, I have to say I didn’t love the plot of this one. It bounced from one thing to the next in a way that was jarring, the subject change so abrupt. Several times throughout the book we were suddenly dealing with something drastically different, sometimes with only a couple of pages of transition. It made it feel very hodgepodge. Like a cleanup novel where the author was scrambling to tie up all the loose ends so that he could launch into the next finale book.

Even though this book wasn’t the strongest of the bunch, I’m still happy to have read all the books to this point and overall have had a great time with the series. I am earnestly looking forward to the final book of the series!

Recommendations: Interesting characters, absorbing writing, wild scifi adventures – this is a series well worth a try if you haven’t already.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, and Carmen! <3

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