Category: 4 stars

GATE CRASHERS by Patrick S. Tomlinson – Review

GATE CRASHERS by Patrick S. Tomlinson – Review
Posted June 26, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 21 Comments

On humanity’s first extra-solar mission, the exploration vessel Magellan discovers an alien construction. Deciding that finding advanced alien life is too important to ignore, the ship’s captain chooses to return to Earth while reverse engineering technology far beyond anything back home. Meanwhile, at mission control, the governments struggle to maintain the existence of aliens a […]

OBSCURA by Joe Hart – Review

OBSCURA by Joe Hart – Review
Posted May 21, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 18 Comments

The nitty-gritty: A fast and furious science-based space thriller with plenty of surprises. The minute I read the synopsis for Obscura I knew I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did. This was a fast-paced, twisty mystery in space that kept me guessing and scared the pants off me more than […]

HEAD ON by John Scalzi – Review

HEAD ON by John Scalzi – Review
Posted May 7, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 19 Comments

The nitty-gritty: Scalzi expands on the fascinating world of Lock In with this sports-centric sequel that won’t disappoint his many fans, and will likely earn him some new ones. Four years ago I read my very first Scalzi book and loved it. Lock In takes place in a near-future world where a crippling disease has […]

THE UNDERWATER BALLROOM SOCIETY edited by Tiffany Trent & Stephanie Burgis – Review

THE UNDERWATER BALLROOM SOCIETY edited by Tiffany Trent & Stephanie Burgis – Review
Posted April 23, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 23 Comments

The nitty-gritty: An unexpectedly delightful and varied collection of stories about a most magical place, the underwater ballroom. Having enjoyed Stephanie Burgis’ adult fantasy novels, I was thrilled to receive a review copy of her new anthology. I had never heard of underwater ballrooms—I mean, really, is that a thing?—but Burgis has based her idea […]

THE ATROCITIES by Jeremy C. Shipp – Review

THE ATROCITIES by Jeremy C. Shipp – Review
Posted April 12, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 17 Comments

The nitty-gritty: A surreal, Gothic nightmare of a story that beautifully explores the depths of grief and loss. I didn’t know I was in the mood for a creepy, Gothic horror story until I picked up The Atrocities, and boy did it deliver! This is one strange story, but it’s so well written and has […]

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME by Mishell Baker – Review

IMPOSTOR SYNDROME by Mishell Baker – Review
Posted March 19, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 14 Comments

The nitty-gritty: A satisfying conclusion to one of the most inventive urban fantasies out there. Going through international airport security with two prosthetic legs and a steel plate in your head isn’t exactly a piece of cake, but it’s easier than going through with a turban. – Millie Roper The Arcadia Project has been one […]

SEMIOSIS by Sue Burke – Review

SEMIOSIS by Sue Burke – Review
Posted March 9, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 24 Comments

The nitty-gritty: A weird and wonderful story of colonization, survival and communication. We’d learned a lot, including one more thing. The bamboo was very friendly. Fruit appeared right away near the house where we stayed. Then one of the trunks where we’d tied our hammocks grew a shoot. Each of the new leaves had stripes […]

FIRE AND BONE by Rachel A. Marks – Review

FIRE AND BONE by Rachel A. Marks – Review
Posted February 23, 2018 by Tammy in 4 stars, Reviews / 14 Comments

The nitty-gritty: A great mix of contemporary urban fantasy and old-fashioned mythology, with a snarky teen character who won me over. A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading Rachel A. Marks’ debut, Darkness Brutal, and I was very happy to meet her at San Diego Comic Con sometime after that. Rachel was […]