Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

by Carol10 Comments
(Young Adult) There are some books that are meant to be savored. There are some whose characters begin to feel like your friends. There are some that keep you awake at night in terror and some whose themes stay with you long after you've finished reading. This does not fall into any of the above categories. I Am Number Four is a book to zip through, it's one to enjoy but not to think too hard about. It won't stand up to being analyzed, so if you can't just relax and enjoy the ride, don't bother picking it up. Four is one of nine Lorien children who escaped with their guardians when their planet was taken over by the Mogadorians. Now on Earth ten years later, Four has taken the name John Smith and is hiding in small-town Ohio with his guardian, Henri. All he wants is to settle in one place, make friends, be a normal teenager, but it's impossible. The...
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Masked edited by Lou Anders

by Carol5 Comments
Masked edited by Lou Anders I loved this collection of superhero fiction. Some of the stories are flat out superhero versus evil villain, yes you know who's going to win, but how does it all happen. Others are not so black and white, the moral line between hero and villain is not always that clear cut. Still other pieces are about people with super powers who are really still dealing with the same issues we all face. In the intro Anders says: The anthology you have before you is just that - an attempt to explore the superhero genre in prose form; not as a pastiche or a parody, or a bunch of writer slujmming it and having a lark at the genre's expense,. but an honest exploration, with the integrity and level of storytelling that contemporary readers of comic books and graphic novesl, as well as fans of films like Iron Man and The Dark Knight, appreciate and demand. You know, "real"...
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The Princess and the Accountant by Robert E. Rogoff

by Carol4 Comments
"The Princess and the Accountant" by Robert E. Rogoff In this short story, Rogoff takes a common fairy tale element, the quest to marry the princess, and reimagines it with a science fiction twist. Ralph is an accountant with the Royal Distribution Agency and has been for three centuries, when he tells his manager he's quitting. He feels it's his destiny to marry the princess, even though he has a middle-class genome, and the time has finally come for him to go to the palace. Many people try to stop him along the path, including the police, a war fighter a journalist, even a female tenant farmer who asks him to join her for a drink. He tells each his story and is allowed to pass. "If this is your destiny, then it cannot be denied." It turns out it's true, destiny cannot be denied. However, remember this isn't a traditional fairy tale. It isn't everyone's destiny to marry the princess. The sci-fi aspects...
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The Goldilocks Problem by Gregory Benford

by Carol4 Comments
"The Goldilocks Problem" by Gregory Benford I've been reading a lot of fairy tales lately, both the original versions and modern interpretations. A couple of weeks ago, I talked a little about "The Three Bears" so when I ran across this short story, I had to read it. Benford takes the the classic and transforms it into a story about planet and life creation. Three gods are each given a planet by Omega, the creator. Like the bowls of porridge, one turns out too hot, one too cold, and one just right. Such stately rhythms graced the waltz of the worlds, but only on Gamma's did the music play on. And it's only on Gamma's world, the just right world, that life truly takes hold. Omega stroked Gamma, imparted fresh vision—and on the green face of Gamma's World, a slow kindling began. In what is to gods a mere tick of time - and to Gamma, a nothingness, for it stands outside of Time—crafty cognition...
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“Squish” by Daniel M. Hoyt

by Carol3 Comments
"Squish" by Daniel M. Hoyt The year is 2136. In this short story, the main character, Meyer, is an investigator hired to find the imposter among the many clones his boss, Benton Reege, has made of himself. These clones are stationed throughout the solar system and each is in charge of various research or industrial facilities. As Meyer makes the rounds, with his brain being "squished" into new biobods at each stop, he realizes that more is going on than he was told. This is an quick tour of the solar system, with little bits about the different planets and asteroids. For example, in this fictional future the technological advances are astounding, but they still can't make biobods that could actually live on the surface of Venus. "That could be solved if we could grow Venusian bodies that don’t crush halfway to the surface — it’s 92 times Earth’s pressure.  We can lick the temperature problem.  It’s...
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Captain Bonny Morgan: The Cassandra Prophecy by Robert “Doc” Gowdy

by CarolNo Comments
Captain Bonny Morgan: The Cassandra Prophesy by Robert "Doc" Gowdy While I was in the early chapters of this tale, I told my friends that it was like reading a sci-fi geek's lesbian fantasy. My friends, who are male by the way, said, well  that's it then, that's the pinnacle, time to just stop awarding the Hugo and Nebula. Joking, of course. Anyway, the farther I got into the book, the more I appreciated it. This space pirate adventure is engrossing, full of intrigue, secrets and fascinating characters. I'll grant you that the women, slaves, royalty and pirates alike are naked or close to it most of the time, but don't let that fool you. They are intelligent, powerful women. This novel, the first in a planned trilogy, centers on the first steps to bringing down an evil empire. Captain Bonny Morgan, a beautiful, mysterious space pirate with some unusual abilities, has been commissioned to kidnap Princess Cossette, the Emperor's step-daughter, setting into...
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