Tag Archives: dave clark

Aug 30 2026
Image

Book Review: Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories by Andrew Erikson (ed.)

Title: Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories

Author: Andrew Erikson (editor)

Series: N/A

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: Science fiction and fantasy have gone hand-in-hand since their emergence at the end of the 19th century. Containing the best short stories of the masters of the two genres, this collection brings together the outstanding imaginations of writers such as H. G. Wells, George Griffith, Robert E. Howard and William Morris. Providing both an escape from the troubles of the real world and unique insight, these tales provide an experience that can’t be replicated anywhere else. –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

This compilation is an journey through the early history of science fiction and fantasy, but I found the quality to be uneven. Some stories, particularly the H.G. Wells and Ambrose Bierce selections, remain interesting because of their ideas and the historical context in which they were written. Others are little more than pulpy adventures that feel dated today. I appreciated seeing how authors from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries imagined technology, space travel, and alternate realities, but too many of the stories were overly wordy, meandering, or simply failed to go anywhere particularly interesting. There are some worthwhile curiosities here, but overall I found the collection more interesting historically than enjoyable as a reading experience today.

As usual with short story collections, I noted my thoughts in a couple of sentences after reading each one, and have compiled them below.

Under the Knife by H.G. Wells. A story about a man undergoing an operation, yet is able to perceive what is happening on both a small scale and large scale via an outer body experience. Interesting for a story written in the 19th century. No doubt it was terrifying going into an operation back then, with a very high mortality rate, especially for anything major.

The Door in the Wall by H.G. Wells. This one is about a door to some sort of alternate reality where life is simple and peaceful. It definitely seems to be a metaphor for different paths in life and making decisions.

Polaris of the Snows by Charles B. Stilson. I was not familiar with the author prior to reading this story. It is a fun, pulpy adventure story that takes place in the Arctic – perhaps somewhat of a polar Tarzan. This was nothing special, just a fun read.

The Artist of the Beautiful by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I have not read Hawthorne since The Scarlet Letter in high school. This story had promise at the beginning, but ultimately did not go in the direction that I thought it might. However, that is probably not unusual for speculative fiction from so long ago. It was also overly wordy and meandering in a few places, but likely just the style of the author/times.

The Darwinian Schooner by W.L. Alden. An interesting idea of a story about a schooner found at sea, but ultimately I felt that it never went anywhere very satisfying. There was potential for a deeper story. Modern authors likely would have taken this concept much further.

A Visit to the Moon by George Griffith. I cannot say that this was a particularly good story, but it was an interesting read due to its age. This was written in 1900, the same time as H.G. Wells’ serialized novel on the same topic. Some of the details seem quite ridiculous today, but it is fascinating to see how some authors envisioned such a trip the better part of a century prior to when it occurred in reality.

Moxon’s Master by Ambrose Bierce. This starts out with “do you really believe that a machine thinks?” No doubt this was a wild statement in the late 1800s, but with AI prevalent everywhere today, it hardly raises an eyebrow. However, this was an interesting relic of a bygone era, complete with outdated perceptions of technology. And the ending, well, still very much relevant in our world today.

Rats in the Belfry by John York Cabot. An eccentric man builds a bizarre mansion and then discovers a portal. This is perhaps a simple precursor to other similar works that have since presented much more expansive ideas based on this concept. Still, this brief story was worth the small investment.

On the Martian Way by Harry Gore Bishop. I was surprised to discover afterward that this was first published in 1907, before the Titanic. I would have guessed that it took some inspiration from that event. Overall it is an average story, with some interesting insight into what we would now say is a pretty archaic view on how “shipping” routes between colonies on different planets might look.

Within an Ace of the End of the World by Robert Barr. This is a story where a world food shortage occurs at the dawn of the twentieth century. It is discovered that food can be manufactured from nitrogen in the air, but of course that then causes other problems. It was written in 1900, and is a bit bland, but it is an early attempt at tackling certain topics which are still pretty relevant today.

The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert E. Howard. A Conan story. I have read a couple of Conan novels long ago. I am not a huge fan. This is more or less what I expected, but at least in short form, it is less of a commitment. It is mildly entertaining, but there is zero depth and it suffers from some very dated tropes that feel a little uncomfortable today.

The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard. Another Conan story, this one is about a young Conan attempting to steal an artifact from a guarded tower. Again, it is purely an adventure story from another era. It is a good bit of fun with the right expectations, but it lacks any depth. This one is probably slightly more memorable than the previous Conan story in this collection.

The Shadow Kingdom by Robert E. Howard. This predates the Conan stories, and is apparently regarded as a highly influential work, considered to be one of the very first truly gritty sword and sorcery story. Be that as it may, I did not find the story particularly interesting or enjoyable to read. It feels pretentious and needlessly excessive. I guess I can at least say that I have read it now?

The Sea-Witch by Nictzin Dyalhis. I was completely unfamiliar with this author, and perhaps if would have been best left that way. This was an overly long and largely uninteresting story about, well, a witch? It is Viking-inspired, but quite pulpy and I got very little out of it for the time I invested in reading it.

The Dancer in the Crystal by Francis Flagg. This story imagines a scenario where electricity becomes nullified. Despite the strong premise, the story itself is a little underwhelming. Written in 1929 and taking place in the 1950s, the effect of the complete loss of electricity in the story is actually nowhere near as catastrophic as it would be were this to occur in our world today.

The Regent of the North by Kenneth Morris. Cool, a Viking story! Except that I found it to be very mundane. It felt like reading a history book with elegant prose. This style of short story is just so different from what tends to be popular today.

The Folk of the Mountain Door by William Morris. A Nordic tale that was supposedly an influence on early twentieth century fantasy authors. That may be the case, but I did not enjoy reading it. The prose is strong, but archaic, and the text has far too many poems/songs for my liking. I also found the story itself to be pretty unmemorable.

Aug 23 2026
Image

Book Review: Green City Wars by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Title: Green City Wars

Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

The Overview: Philip Marlowe meets Redwall in this superior adult noir tale, where all the characters are animals, fighting for survival in the city underneath the humans. In the solar cities of the future, the humans relax in the sun and the animals work in the shadows. Genetically engineered Little Helpers, serving humanity—unseen, unheard. Meet Skotch. Racoon, P.I.—Yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn’t too illegal, whatever that means. A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn’t raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is. The fee is good—perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down. If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he’s hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review [2/5 stars]:

A mystery/crime noir Tchaikovsky fantasy novel that channels the Redwall series by Brian Jacques?! Freaking sign me up!

But alas, this is my second least favorite Tchaikovsky to date.

I had such high hopes for this book, but experienced a lot of issues with it. It was a very basic plot that relied on the main character meeting a series of creatures in his investigation to find this important mouse. I struggled with the repetitive nature (pun) of it as well as the slow pacing. And other than the fact that the creatures he met ranged from a loquacious pigeon to an anarchist toad (which sounds way more interesting than what was actually presented) the interactions all went the same and made up the vast majority of the book.

Additionally, Tchaikovsky withheld important information from the reader for far too long. I think it was meant to provide a motive to keep reading, extending the suspense of it all, but I found it frustrating to the point where I started to not care if I ever found out what the great big secret was. And actually, once it was finally revealed, I think knowing the secret the entire book could’ve gone a long way towards making it more engaging – because we’d know the stakes! We could get into the gritty politics of it all and actually know what all these different random animal players were hoping to achieve with their ambiguous actions. As it was, it kept me at a complete arms-distance the entire time, and I truly lost investment. Needless to say, I found it a major struggle to get through, and had it been anything other than a Tchaikovsky, I would’ve DNFed at about the halfway point.

Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t ALL bad. It is, after all, a Tchaikovsky and his baseline in storytelling is quite high. I thought the tone and the atmosphere of the story was particularly good. It delivered on the promise of a crime novel and had a very detective-y feel. The style of writing and voice also worked really well for the story, told in second-person, present-tense. The profiles of the characters, especially the MC, Skotch, were loads of fun, even if I wish more had been done them. The world-building and the concept for the story were unique – I always appreciate his take on futuristic, slightly dystopic narratives. And the entire premise for the story was wildly creative, which is something you can always count on from this author.

So overall, even though the book had a lot of really good components, I struggled with the execution. I consider myself a colossal Tchaikovsky fan, committed to reading everything he has written (I think I’m just about halfway through all of his works, but haven’t done an official count, so don’t quote me on that), so it pains me to review one of his books poorly. But this one just did not work for me. In general I’d say I’m struggling with his most recent releases, not having anything really knock my socks off in a few years. And I can’t help but wonder if the sheer number of projects he’s taking on is affecting his ability to make each one feel robust and cared for. I’m hoping to find another soon that hit those same amazing notes as his earlier works. I’ll be sure to share if I do. :)

I’d like to thank Adrian Tchaikovsky, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early audiobook copy of this book!

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

Dave’s Review [2/5 stars]:

The concept behind Green City Wars immediately caught my attention. The combination of its unusual setting, strange characters, and distinctive style should make for an entertaining story, and there are definitely moments where Tchaikovsky’s imagination shines through. A noir detective story with uplifted anthropomorphic characters from a proven author? How could this not be a win? Unfortunately, I found the actual experience of reading it much less interesting than the premise suggested.

The biggest problem for me was the repetition. The story repeatedly returns to similar situations and ideas, and after a while, what should have been exciting began to feel tedious. There is plenty happening, but I often found myself bored despite the fact that, on paper, this should be a pretty entertaining story. The novel feels like it needed another round of editing and revision to tighten the narrative and eliminate some of the repetition. The material might even have been better suited for a novella rather than a full-length novel.

Skotch is the main protagonist of the story, a private investigator who is also a genetically modified raccoon. He is interesting, distinctive, and certainly my favorite character in the book. If not for the fact that he is a raccoon, I would probably imagine him as Humphrey Bogart. Unfortunately, most of the other characters failed to make nearly as much of an impression. I never became particularly invested in them, which made the more repetitive sections of the story even more of a slog at times.

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and the narrator does a strong job, particularly with bringing the various characters and the unusual world to life. Unfortunately, even a good performance could not redeem a story that I found increasingly tedious.

There is certainly a good book buried somewhere in Green City Wars. The concept and style are both interesting, and Skotch is a strong character, but the repetition and need for further editing ultimately made this a disappointing read.

Other books you might like:

Aug 16 2026
Image

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
Image

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
Image

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

Other books you might like:

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 27 2026
Image

Book Review: The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett

Title: The Modigliani Scandal

Author: Ken Follett

Series: N/A

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: A fabulous “lost masterpiece” becomes the ultimate prize–for an art historian whose ambition consumes everyone around her, an angry young painter with a plan for revenge on the art establishment, and a desperate gallery owner who may have double-crossed his own life away. Behind the elegance and glamour of the art world, anything goes–theft, forgery, betrayal, and maybe even murder. . . . –Goodreads

Dave’s Review:

I have read quite a few Ken Follett novels over the years – mostly historical fiction, but a couple of thrillers as well. While they do begin to feel somewhat formulaic after having read enough of them, I still generally find them enjoyable to read. The Modigliani Scandal is one of the few exceptions. It is an early Follett novel that contains moments of the talent he would later become known for, but ultimately feels underdeveloped and unsatisfying.

The central premise, which is a frantic search for a valuable lost Modigliani painting, sounds intriguing, but the execution never quite comes together. One of the biggest problems I had was the sheer number of characters introduced in such a short novel. The first half jumps rapidly between artists, dealers, collectors, and others, making it difficult to keep track of who is who or to become invested in any of their underdeveloped stories or backgrounds. Just as one plotline gains some momentum, the focus jumps elsewhere and does not return for some time.

Despite being not even 300 pages long, the novel often feels overcrowded. The author packs in so many plot threads, relationships, and twists that very little has time to develop properly. Many scenes feel rushed, leaving the characters flat and unmemorable. This is not at all like the enormous books that he would go on to write, which at times can swing too far in the opposite direction. I feel that this one would have benefited from another hundred pages or so to give the characters and plot development more time to breathe. The strongest writing comes later in the book, where some of the characters have become more familiar to the reader and it benefits from the strong momentum of the chase.

There are glimpses of the fast-paced suspense and the broad cast of characters that would dominate his writing, but The Modigliani Scandal reads more like an outline or a rough draft than a completed thriller. 2.5 stars.