Cole's futuristic sci-fi will delight those who loved Avatar (and not for the 3D)
593352
Cole's futuristic sci-fi will delight those who loved Avatar (and not for the 3D). It delves into human greed, arrogance and has themes of colonialism. The story is set in a distant planet called Faloiv, where a community of human settlers, mostly scientists get stranded, and is told from the point of view of a second generation settler, Octavia. Octavia and her generation have been brought up to revere scientific advancement, and the main aim of the colony seems, at first, to study the indigenous flora and fauna of this planet. As the story goes on, the darker aspirations of a faction of the first generation comes to light, and it also brings up how humans will feel entitled to things.

The human colony on Faloiv seems to be very into clean living and conservation - part of it is because how the native Faloii had imposed certain rules for living on their planet, in exchange for allowing the humans to settle on a pocket of land and study the animals and plants around them. Octavia, brought up in this way, loves scientific exploration and is competitive and determined. Her relationship with her father, however, starts to deteriorate when he starts acting odd, and she starts to search out why. Meanwhile, the scientists kids are being allowed, for the first time, into laboratories for actual research, and contact with the Faloii animals seems to allow her to, ahem, *spoilers* understand them on a deeper level.

The world of Faloiv was pretty interesting, even if we only see the small human colonies that study them. The description of the alien (for humans) plants and animals, as well as the unique method of communication between them is certainly a bit inspired from Avatar. Visually, it is an imaginative novel world, and the author has taken care to make it diverse, too. Most of the humans described are coded as POC, and even though human race isn't a dividing factor on the human colonies, it is nice to have a STEM black girl as the main character, along with many secondary characters also being POC. On sexuality, too, it frequently mentions having gay parents or bi/pan characters. Additionally, there is consideration given to animal cruelty in science, and how we should understand the pain and feelings of animals better.

The main conflict of the story is the otherness the people develop even when living as immigrants on another planet, and how quick it is to encourage humanity's worst impulses. Respect for another culture, especially one that is allowing you to peacefully assimilate, as well as clinging to traditions is also juxtaposed within the younger generation. They are the ones who didn't know life on any other planet than the one they were born on, so their loyalty and love is to Faloiv, but for Octavia, it is also her parents who have opposing views on how humanity should behave in Faloiv. The only downside to this book was that in developing so much of the world, it could only have one main storyline with a little time aside for ushering us towards the next book. It felt more like a build-up, and with the slow pace, not much of a layered story.

Overall, it is a good start to the series, and has a beautifully constructed world, and brings up some interesting themes.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Katherine Tegen Books, via Edelweiss.
2547672
As a work of speculative/dystopian sci-fi, 'Ache' manifests some of the best aspects of the genre, without compromising it's originality. This is a work with broad appeal, that would be enjoyed by a new comer to these kind of stories, as well as veterans of a thousand sci-fi stories. If you liked 'Brave New World', 'Snow Crash', or maybe the youthful rebellion of 'The Hunger Games', you will love this book. And, since your friends will be recommending it to you before long anyway, you may as well beat them to it!
4156525
Inbiotic is Fifty Shades of Grey for nerds. Sexy science fiction and fantasy mixed with fast paced action and chapters that end leaving you wanting more. Surianos vision of the future doesnt seem that far away. He offers up easy to imagine prophecies while still being relatable and set in a world that isn't too unlike our own. The future may have more holograms and androids but they still serve beignets and have strip clubs. Great book and would make a great movie. Im sure Im not alone in wanting to see a real life Alia!
731588
I love Sci-Fi with a bit of romance - especially a story with an alien/human pairing.  It's even better if the alien hero is a snarly, intimidating warrior.  For this story, especially the hero, think Pitch Black meets Beauty and the Beast.

The world of Eden - a newly discovered planet is vividly brought to life with color, sight and sound.  I loved the plot which involves a series of events that leaves explorer/scientist Jenny stranded on Eden with Fly while her other two team members are trapped onboard ship.  Fly, a large humanoid, horribly mangled and scarred, is terrifying to Jenny upon their first few encounters.  Jenny has to learn to deal with surviving on a planet where even the most harmless looking organism can kill while getting along with an alien from an aggressive warrior race that views empathy or emotion as a major weakness.

Characterization is where the story lost some of its magic for me.  With the exception of hero Fly, Jenny and her two team members were fairly vague.  While the `voices' were clear and individual, there wasn't enough description to allow these characters to take form.  Abilities and skills attributed to Jenny and her team was also lacking leaving me the impression that they weren't skilled enough to be space explorers let alone scientists.  It is difficult to imagine interplanetary scientists/explorers who have little to no survival skills or military discipline, no respect for protocol or chain of command.  Jenny spends her first days blubbering and hiding in her vehicle thinking of a plan to kill this giant alien but that's not plausible since this crack team went planet side without weapons.

As the plot continues Jenny gets to know Fly and they form a friendship.  Fly does some "awww" worthy things wanting to please Jenny not realizing that ancient emotions previously buried by his race are coming back to life and she comes to see him as someone truly special.  The rest of the team ends up on Eden where jealousies and prejudices serve to add more drama and danger to their survival.  Lives are threatened, secrets are revealed, discoveries are made, accidents happen, and Jenny and Fly's relationship is put to the test.  And while rescue is not likely from Fly's people, will the humans come and if so, who goes and who stays?

All in all I liked this world - especially Fly.  I would be interested in revisiting Eden to see what becomes of this evolving planet and its inhabitants.
2486844
I love something different and this certainly is. I love great prose, and this book has it, and I love a book that's sleek and focused, just as this one is. It's a five star delight, a balm for a three-book-per-week reviewer on a reading diet peppered with failed look-likes.

The best thing about the new publishing is that readers get to read books like this, books that are too creative for the mainstream. Before ebooks and print on demand, this would probably never have made it onto the market because it doesn't fit neatly into an established genre. It's about androids, so it is science fiction, but it's not like any other science fiction I've ever read. It's set on earth far in the future after the sea levels have risen, eaten up large tracts of land and vastly changed society, so it is post-apocalyptic, but it's not like any other post-apocalyptic novel I've ever read. The society the central character lives in is highly regulated with no personal freedom, so it's dystopian, but it's not like any other dystopian fiction I've ever read.

It's not highly dramatic and full of action; it's gentle with simple challenges, but I found it highly engaging. The central character isn't like any other character I have ever read about before either; he's not even human, but I fell in love with him and responded to his situation as if he were. Paftoo is a bod. He looks like an Anime character and drives a Poover, hoovering animal poo from the fields of the Lost Lands of Harkaway Hall so it will look pristine for the visitors (intrepid guests). The bods power down at night; they stop where they are and stay still until dawn, all except Paftoo. No one rides horses (lifeform 3s) any more, no one other than Paftoo, that is. He rides in secret at night when everyone else is turned off.

During the day he pretends to be like everyone else, and the author skilfully builds tension into the simple activities. Paftoo fears being 'shared' because he will lose all his memories. It's happened before, but he doesn't remember.

What are we without our memories? Are we even us?  And is it better to have our problems wiped clean with our memories, or struggle with the problems, but remember who we are? These are just some of the questions about personal identity and freedom that are raised by this book, and that is why, this simple science fiction story is also literary fiction.

5 stars. Well done, Ms Morris.

The formatting wasn't terrific in the version I had, but don't let that put you off.
1144402
This story has a dystopian (future Earth) background for an epic sci-fi action adventure, which reminded me of Joss Whedon's excellent series 'Firefly' and the movie 'Serenity'. The characters are very well drawn and in particular I liked Jason and Sophia and their unusual relationship. The world is vividly described and much of the sci-fi is well conceived and believable with a pinch. The plot unfolds as Jason is sent on a mission by his employers to a wasted corner of the Earth, where he discovers secrets and revolution. The pace is well structured and I kept turning the pages with enthusiasm. Without doubt, a great start to what looks to be a very promising series. Highly Recommended
4839658
Far-reaching views into the future and a galaxy replete with the usual panoply of impossibly evil and post-human brilliant........Asher at his finest
1391673
This graphic novel is based on the best-selling Chinese series "Daomu Journal", written by Xu "Kennedy" Lei. The premise is that there are elaborate underground tomb systems all over the world that link to an older age of mystery and myth and that contain artifacts of great power and value. These systems have been plundered over the centuries by various groups of tomb raiders. The ancient protectors of the tombs are the Daomu. But now, the Daomu have been corrupted by a splinter group, Coral, which seeks to control, pervert and destroy the tombs, and to misuse the powerful and mystical objects that have been hidden there. We begin with our hero, Sean Wu, (which translates as "Dodge Evil"), who is only just learning that he is the heir to the leadership of the Daomu, and who must navigate the complicated allegiances and double-crosses that mark the border between the Daomu and Coral.

Lots going on here. The foundation story, the novel series "Daomu Journal", is a popular phenomenon in China, and the first task of the translator and artists was to stay true to the book while creating a worthy graphic version. The larger task was to produce a graphic novel that wasn't just faithful to the original, but entertaining in its own right. Well, as far as I'm concerned, mission accomplished.

Our hero is pretty callow and angsty in an aimless sort of way when we first meet him, and a little bit of his whinging goes a long way. Luckily, he gets caught up in his own life and story and adventures as quickly as we do, and while his uncertainty and confusion are a continuing theme, it doesn't dominate. What does take over is the excitement of Sean's introduction to the world below, and the intrigue and adventure of his underground explorations. In the first half of the book we head to China to go underground at the Palace of the Seven Stars, and in the second half of the book we go underwater to enter Cang Hai's sunken tomb. This is where the book shines. The drawing is gorgeous, with numerous compelling and moody and immersive full page spreads. The book is worth it just for the pages that cover Sean's cliffside hike through the jungle and dragon ranges on the way to the Palace. Don't let the cover illustration fool you; this is practically a coffee table art book, not some katana swinging actioner.

In keeping with the mystical premise there is some heavy-handed narration and blocks of dialogue that go right up to the border of pretentious. This is not a casual, Indiana Jones adventurer story; it leans toward big issues and heavy portent. But, it's all well intended and in the service of a deep story, so I was willing to make a lot of allowances in the character development, dialogue and plotting departments just so I could keep exploring the tombs and their mysteries. (Not surprisingly, I should also note that with all of the monsters, creatures, conflict and threat there is a tremendous amount of stylish, but still explicit, gore, violence and mayhem on the page.)

In a way, more than most of what I've read lately, the graphic elements don't merely serve the story, they are the story. The upshot is that you get a sort of two-fer, in that the adventure/horror story is intact and compelling and the graphic work is equally worthy. How often do you get both in one book? This was a nice find.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
4785413
Lonefire is no ordinary sci-fi novel.  It is an amazing adventure combining fast paced, cinematic action sequences and speculation on the nature of mind and artificial intelligence.  At first, I was shocked by the amount of expletives, but as I read, I realized they fit.  It wasn't just used for shock value, it was integral.  These individuals are living life on the fringe, and staying alive in a wired world where everyone is expendable, alliances are constantly shifting, and even the simplest job may kill you isn't easy.

Constantine is an attractive enigma.  His specialty is negotiation, getting into peoples heads and figuring out what they want and how to turn it to his advantage.  But he isn't the only one inside his head.  Constantine has amassed numerous identities, slipping between them as effortlessly as some change clothing.  It is a great skill for a corporate spy to have, but it also makes knowing yourself a challenge.

It should have been obvious that the job was a set up, it was too easy, too pat.  Now, his team is dead and Constantine is on the run with a prophet in a box.  Somehow, the mind of Leonard Ortov, the long dead prophet of the Bratstva is alive.  Constantine is drawn into a galaxy-spanning conspiracy, hunted by religious fanatics and uncertain of who to trust.  His lover/handler is willing to help him disappear, but first she wants him to discover who is trying to destroy the company and all that Victor Longthorne built.

Lonefire is an impressive blend of classic space opera and speculative cyber-punk.  The novel is a thrilling ride that takes the reader unexpected places.  Exciting, irreverent, and undeniably one-of-a-kind, Lonefire is just the ticket for those wanting something other than the standard sci-fi fare.

5/5

I received a copy of Lonefire from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Crittermom
4757593
This book might be appropriately termed post-cyber punk fantasy. It riffs on William Gibson-style characters and plot devices while supporting a mythology grounded in contemporary Wired-inspired post-modern paranoid parables about a better alternative that is plane-based computing and deep connections between people, through mystical numbers which are unique to our experiential lives.

The central characters are interesting and their complicated back stories seem to have an inevitability which makes the plot hum along. This is one of the best books of the year, perhaps of the new century.
1967216
Real-life husband and wife Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman star in a movie about the human spirit that shows what this world could be like in the near future. Hawke plays Vincent, a man who, like many others in the future  world, in considered a genetic "Invalid." The beginning of the  film is devoted to the past of Vincent, in which he describes his dream of  going into space with the genetic elite. Enter Jude Law, portraying the man  Vincent soons becomes in order to win a position on the space shuttle. All  is going well until a murder at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation halts  progress, and signs begin to point to Vincent. I recommend this movie to  all sci-fi fans who like to look for messages in films, though many teens  attracted to this film because of its stars Hawke, Law and Thurman may have  trouble understanding most of the scientific aspects. A well-written  script, superb acting, and a terrific setting make this movie an enjoyable  experience.
2669865
As I look at the many Amazon customer comments, I see a real split between very favorable and unfavorable reviews.  This seems to be because some readers are looking for conventional science fiction/fantasy or adventure.  Much as I love those genres, this isn't it, so if that's what you're looking for, save yourself the trouble and don't read Earth Abides.  If you do read it, don't expect it to be something it's not.
Earth Abides is a book for people with a strong streak of curiosity, who cannot resist thinking and speculating about the human condition.  If this is you, few books will satisfy you as well as this one.  It first captivated me when I was 14 - yes, there are teens who would be very excited by this book - and I am now on my fourth reading.  There is no other novel to which I have returned so regularly.  If you are possessed of this curious, speculative streak, then you will appreciate the protagonist, Ish, who himself is driven to understand the horrible event that has overcome the world and to raise and shape a new world.  You will also appreciate the realism of the action and characters, and the underlying drama of the situation and tragic heroism of Ish, and you will not for a minute miss the contrived drama and heroism that make for conventional action fiction.
4309952
With the Sci-Fi genre seemingly suffering beneath the weight of old series and remakes, Oblivion does the genre justice. Based on a graphic novel, it may not be truly novel fiction, but it certainly explores a story unseen in my memory. With tastes of Firefly, Moon, and others of the theme, it kept my interest. Freeman, Riseborough, and Cruise play their roles remarkably well and together make a great team. Eerie and with enough uncertainty to move the film along, Oblivion gets an A for freshness.
It unfortunately suffers from the occasional sense of solidarity of older Sci-Fi flicks like 2001 and a lack of answers and depth of other greats.
I'd happily watch it again if for nothing else, the eye-candy of the settings and cinematography.
783362
The movie captures the dark dystopian future of the Dredd universe, and the premise presented in this story played fantastic with the audio-visual effects. Many of the effects brought very Blade Runner-esque feelings our world and other worldliness. Keith Urban's portrayal fit perfectly with the graphic novel. There are moments where it seems like the movie and the comic could have been one and the same.
4413904
After all the hoopla on tv last year, I did skip out to the theater to see James Cameron's Avatar with my sons. I had great expectations, having seen Aliens, Terminator 1 & 2, The Abyss, Titanic, just to name a few of his blockbuster hits.  Cameron's films always come rolling in, guns blasting, edge of your seat action, heart thrilling scenes and teeth gnashing bad guys.  The exact thing I love.

Let me prepare you, this movie is two and a half hours long.  It is not something you take a child under the age of  eight to and expect them to sit still, unless they love video games and the entire idea of getting sucked into their own avatar.

I'm into XBOX 360 so, if you don't know what an avatar is, here's the definition compliments of Webster:  the incarnation of a Hindu deity; an incarnation in human form; an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy)often in a person; a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity; an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user (as in a computer game).

That's the entire idea behind this movie.  An alternative life from the one that you may have now.

I'll give you a heads-up, whatever bad you may hear about the movie, if you love Cameron's work, ignore it.

Avatar starts out a little slow.  If you're a fan of NatGeo or The Discovery Channel programs, the start of the film involves the subject of basic  'Living Among the Na'vi'.  The Na'vi are the indigenous people thriving on Planet Pandora and their existence is being threatened by a major corporation that wants a crucial mineral that exists only on their homeland.  There's a purpose for this, if you  have an open mind.

My thoughts:  So-Called Civilized man-made it a point to habitat foreign lands and either convert or destroy the locals for their own gain.  As always, the natives were refered to as savages, lacking any idea of the knowledge the civilized race brought them because they were just so backwards and ignorant.

Avatar explores the question: Would civilized man's thinking change if it were another planet?

Cameron paraplegic hero, Jake Sully, has the opportunity to live among the Na'vi in an alternate reality.  Jake molds, bonds and begins to understand.  He sees this new world and the natives for what they are, far more intelligent than his counterparts believe.  There is a bonding between the Na'vi and mother earth that is deep and profound, calling back to the tales we read from our own heritage.

This film is intriguing, beautiful, a dynamic explosion that bursts from the screen.  The jungle, the wildlife,the Na'vi,  the flora and fauna, there's not enough words to describe the beauty of this movie.  It's has captured the most breathtaking and believable artistic sense I have seen in years.

The drama and the greed brought on by what the Na'vi have on their land is brought to light with the savagery that must have been experienced by the indigenous people that populated our own world in the time of discovery.  Change or suffer the consequences, with the possibility of mass genocide by the so-called higher intelligence factor.

The hero, Jake Sully, has to decide what is more important.  The life he knew or the life that exists only in his dreams.

I'll leave you hanging there because I hate it when the review tells the entire story.  All I can say was there was, when I saw this film at the theater, there was a hushed lull that fell over the audience during the entire film, not a child cried, whimpered or whined.  Not a soul bounded up and down the stairs seeking refills or a bathroom break.  There was clapping throughout the audience when the credits rolled and my boys, ages 8 and 14, were among them.

 Great, great movie to add to your Christmas stocking stuffer list!
803337
While this book took a little while to get into, I definitely appreciated the build up once the plot began to unfold. Cyberpunk meets alien suppression and exploitation meets assassin meets turning on a chance. Indeed, this tale brought together several tropes and spat out something unique and highly memorable. Told mostly from Andre's point of view, and an interesting view it is, we see his impersonal approach to his job, assassinating folks. He also has a somewhat impersonal approach to his love life with Cricket. But then things change, and get weird, and very cool. The Charter Trade Company wants folks dead, a valuable mineral mined and off planet before anyone notices, and doesn't care who gets injured along the way. That includes a good friend of Cricket's and the Jean's lover.

The Rannids are introduced bit by bit giving the reader time to get to know them. They think differently, and hence, their actions don't always make sense to their human overlords. They have no visible sign of advanced civilization, which has left Charter Trade Company legally able to exploit them and remove the planet's resources. But they are far more complex, able to communicate world wide through vibrations in the water, treasuring stories. Humans have many stories in many forms, and so many Rannids learn to read human lips (lacking the natural auditory equipment to hear human speech) in order to enjoy these stories.

Jean, in introducing Andre to these planet natives, may not only save Andre's retched existence but also the planet. Jean is a Conjurer, a man who can and does affect chance outcomes. Andre has this latent ability in himself but lacks the training, and the mindset. I found Andre's storyline the most fascinating because he starts off the least human (psychologically) and grows so much as a character by the end of the book. Listening to the culture of the Rannids unfold bit and bit as Andre would learn of them piece by piece kept me coming back for just one more chapter before bed.

Timothy Reynolds was a great choice of narrator, giving Andre's voice precision, upper class tones, and that assassin's detachment. His female voices were decent and his Rannid voices were unique from other voices.
1804969
If you are at all interested in the possibilities of life on other worlds, evolution, interstellar travel or the very creative art of Wayne Barlowe (Barlowe's Guides to Extraterrestrials and to Fantasy, Barlowe's Inferno, Brushfire...), you have to get a hold of this dvd.  I do not have cable or satellite television, and so did not see this when it aired on Discovery Channel, but I knew about it, and I was so excited that they finally decided to do a CG "documentary" of Barlowe's incredible Expedition (1990), which is, as another reviewer observed, the first and only really serious 'what if'- type exploration of the possibilities of an extraterrestrial ecosystem - not about little green men - an entire world crafted lovingly and exquisitely by a master painter.  Expedition was created in the great alternative/speculative-evolution tradition of Dougal Dixon's After Man, New Dinosaurs and Man After Man (Dixon, by the way, helped create The Future is Wild).  So, I've been dying to see Alien Planet and got a copy yesterday when it was released.  I was worried, however, that they would mess up such a complex and beautiful thing as Expedition by trying to bring it to the screen, especially when I saw that the thing was only about $10.

  I needn't have worried!  It surpassed all my expectations.  Though they understandably changed the 'story' a little (perhaps for the better), Alien Planet is very faithful to the look and vision of Expedition.  Darwin IV looks crisp and alive and glorious and real!  The computer animation is so well done.  They left out some of the animals shown in the book, but not many.  I liked the idea of the robotic probes.  By the way, for those who haven't seen the book Expedition (which is presented the same way he later presented the landscapes and denizens of Hell in Barlowe's Inferno - as something like a far-traveling naturalist's journal with accompanying paintings, much like an expedition notebook of, say, Audubon or Charles D. himself or one of the pioneer naturalists of the past centuries), Darwin IV is a life-filled Mars-sized planet that we explore a couple of centuries from now, filled with wild and beautiful vistas and populated with a vast and sometimes deadly array of unprecedented echolocating animals, some of them, due to the lower-than-Earth gravity, achieving sizes many times that of the largest sauropod dinosaurs of Earth (I might add, also, that the aliens in the movie Pitch Black certainly seem to be extremely Barlowesque!).  My only reservation about Alien Planet is that, although it does say "based on the book Expedition by Wayne Barlowe" at the opening and closing, they do not go to great lengths to make this evident:  Wayne's screentime commentary segments are very minor compared to those of the more famous scientists such as Horner and Hawking, who are only trying to help lend the credibility of scientific authority to this speculative vision of a creative genius interested in the possibilities of an alternative natural history to that of our own world.  This is not those scientists' creation at all, but one man's brainchild.  When he is shown, it merely says "author and artist", and viewers might be thinking "who is this guy?"  Anyway, this dvd ranks right up there with the Walking With... series, Dinosaur Planet, When Dinosaurs Roamed America and The Future is Wild, and though it is shorter than most of those, it may be my favorite.  What a bargain for ten bucks!