Archive for the ‘Reviews of books’ Category
Translation State
{4.5/5} “The treaty makes no explicit exception for Presger Translators. But there is a very definite unofficial exception. Presger Translators are different. They’re not just humans who maybe have spent some time with aliens.” Translation State by Ann Leckie, published in 2023 When Enae’s grandmother dies she doesn’t expect to inherit anything, even though she […]
Mind Over Ship
{4.5/5} “And her Leena’s share in the action… topped four figures. And that meant that her Leena had in one afternoon earned Mary more than she used to earn in a whole year working at Applied People. It was astounding. It was unreal. Capitalism was a marvel, as long as you were a capitalist.” Mind […]
Doorway to the Stars
{4.5/5} “Jack, we do not want the Feds to get angry with us. Especially for no reason. If they find the package, the equipment has been in the water a long time anyhow and probably won’t work anymore. If it does, we should be able to get back to where we were, with money pouring […]
I, Robot: To Preserve
{4.5/5} “If only the Frankenstein Complex did not exist… Her mind was filled with an array of concepts. The tasks robots could perform seemed infinite, and she wanted to become a part of that astounding, robot-filled future. More so than just another psychiatrist mucking around in the human brain.” I, Robot: To Preserve by Mickey […]
Star Trek: Burning Dreams
{4.5/5} “When, the Magistrate wondered, had they… ceased to think of the two human subjects as, well, subjects, as creatures, which was to say inferiors, and begun to think of them as co-equal? It was a puzzlement. Much of the Talosians’ certainty about what they were doing and why had been challenged by the arrival […]
Star Trek: Vulcan’s Glory
{4.5/5} “I can assure you that no mission is ever just routine. Every time we go out, we learn something. We blaze new trails into the unknown. But remember, space is not our ally. The Enterprise is This is a fine ship, and I insist on a superior crew. I know you’ll live up to […]
Star Trek: The Rings of Time
{4.5/5} “You know how the brass is frowning on time travel these days. They don’t want to risk changing history, not after some of the close calls we’ve had in the last few years. We’ll probably have some explaining to do to that new temporal investigation agency when we get back.” Star Trek: The Rings […]
Star Trek: Cast No Shadow
{4.5/5} “Their great leader Kahless knew there was a turncoat in his camp, so he made them all stand with their backs to a huge fire. When the light from the fire fell on them, one warrior, who was a spy for Kahless’s brother Molor, had no shadow. Kahless declared that because the man was […]
Star Trek: “The Mission” and Other Stories
{4.5/5} “He’s wishing for something he doesn’t have. Something he wants. If he is just a hologram programmed to react by a computer, how could he possibly wish for anything? All he would know, all he could know, is what he has. But to wish — ah, you have to be human to desire more […]
Star Trek: SNW — The Illyrian Enigma
{4.5/5} “So why does it feel like I’m betraying April’s trust? I’m upset about Una, it’s true. Am I letting that cloud my judgment? Putting my devotion to my crew above my duty as captain? I tell myself no. And try to believe it.” Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — The Illyrian Enigma by Kirsten […]