Peak oil is long past, the Age of Expansion has ended, bioengineering has imperiled the food supply, and revolution moils in Thailand.
Paolo Bacigalupi established himself as a writer to watch with his short fiction, and his first novel, a sprawling political tale set in a steam-biopunk future, has drawn considerable attention, a 2010 Hugo nomination, and varying reviews. One more follows.
After establishing herself as a Southern Gothic writer (though she’s written a number of SF short stories), Cherie Priest turns her attention to several proposed works set in what she calls the “Clockwork Century.” The Civil War continues for decades, airships rule the skies, and something horrific has been unleashed out west. A Hugo-nominated steampunk adventure-fantasy-alternate history with zombies, mad scientists, and pirates should be fun, right?
It’s been awhile, but I’m back with some new Podiobook reviews for my fellow Bureaucrats. Today, I review one of the most popular on Podiobooks.com, the 7th Son trilogy by J.C. Hutchins.
If you’re unfamiliar with Podiobooks, I wrote up a short summary back when I reviewed Quarter Share
James Howard Kunstler has written insightful analyses of the inefficient and asinine ways we organize our cities, made problematic predictions about disasters which (thus far) have not happened, and widely disseminated the idea we’ve reached Peak oil. He sets the fictional World Made by Hand, published in 2008, in a post-peak-energy future.
Alice Sebold’s debut novel sold like, well, every writer wants the debut novel to sell. Peter Jackson’s film adaptation opens this weekend. Both tell the tale of a young victim of a murder-rape who follows the threads of lives that unravel after her death, from her problematic place in the afterworld.
We welcome comments on the book and film here.
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Robert Charles Wilson has established a reputation as one of the age’s finest science-fiction writers, but also as a fine, literary author, whose spin on our possible future reaches a broad and intelligent audience of readers. Julian Comstock, released last summer, may be his finest work to date.
This is a review of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, not the current, long-delayed Hollywood adaptation. However, until we get a review of the movie, it makes an excellent place to discuss both book and film.
Beukes has positioned her brilliant first novel ten years or so in the future, somewhere between the real-world present and nearly any technologically-based dystopia you care to name.
Residents in the following cities are advised to take the necessary precautions which include, but are not limited to: Evacuation, boarding up windows, flamethrowers, and marathon viewing sessions of either Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Blade movies, or any other vampire movie that does not involve SPARKLES.
As the deadline for Hugo voters looms, this voter takes a look at the nominees for best novelette.