djwudi's reviews
1086 reviews

The Antares Maelstrom by Greg Cox

3.0

No big morals or messages here; just a good “fifth season” adventure playing on old western gold rush tropes.

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold

4.0

Recovering from the rather calamitous events of the last book, Miles has to solve an unusual murder mystery while trying to figure out how to deal with his two alternate lives. This one is less action, and more introspection, mystery solving, and Barrayaran politics, always with Bujold’s signature wit and incredibly well-rounded, imperfect, and very real characters.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue #214 by Neil Clarke, Kate Baker, Sean Wallace

3.0

My favorite story this month was Tia Tashiro’s “Every Hopeless Thing”.

My Monster Girlfriend by Andrea Purcell, Amanda Lafrenais

4.0

The latest in Iron Circus’s series of adult comic anthologies, and a sequel of-sorts to an earlier entry, My Monster Boyfriend. Befitting the theme, some are more horror based, while others are sweet and silly, but all are most definitely NSFW. Quite a few good offerings here, but I think Anderjak’s “Trash Mob Romance” was my favorite (sweet, funny, and what I read as nice ace representation while still fitting the theme of the anthology).

The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett

3.0

Set over the course of a few years, just before and after Kirk takes command of the Enterprise. An interesting take on Kirk, not quite the captain he will become, still somewhat finding his footing. Plus some good pointed commentary on refugees and the assumptions that get made when they arrive in a new place.

Uncanny Magazine Issue 59: July/August 2024 by Lynne M. Thomas, Monte Lin, Michael Damian Thomas

3.0

Sarah Pinsker’s “Signs of Life” was the standout for me in this issue.

Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

5.0

Earth is in crisis as Mars continues to transform, terraforming spreads through the rest of the solar system, and expanded lifespans prompt questions of population, ploitics, and how the mind and memory adapts to living so long. An excellent end to the series.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 213 by Neil Clarke

3.0

Favorites this month were “Artistic Encounters of a Monumental Nature” by S.B. Divya, “Himalia” by Carrie Vaughn, and “Off Track” by Luc Diamant.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

4.0

Backman is incredibly good at being simultaneously heartfelt and serious and hilariously silly. This story of several people caught in a hostage situation after a bank robbery goes awry is really touching and often had me laughing out loud (something that has been common with all of Backman's books that I've read). Definitely recommended. (And see? I _do_ occasionally read something that isn't sci-fi!)

Elusive Salvation by Dayton Ward

4.0

A fun standalone-but-sequel-of-sorts to Ward’s earlier From History’s Shadow, with time travel, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, and lots of fun nods to Trek timeline shenanigans, both canon and literary, including Greg Cox’s Rise and Fall of Khan Noonian Singh books. Kirk just can’t keep away from the 20th century….