Star Trek: SNW — The High Country
{4.5/5} “Pike did his best to respond to Cyrus like an out-of-towner and not an offworlder, but he couldn’t help but be fascinated by this long-lost twin culture, separated at birth and by four hundred very different years. The town’s infrastructure was the work of volunteers using donated goods. Want, when it existed, lasted only […]
Homecoming
{5/5} “Small pleasant moments of recognition were everywhere. The smooth oak banister of the staircase was familiar beneath her hand, its satin luster hinting at recent waxing. On the hallstand at the top, an antique washstand jug held another of Nora’s Christmas bush and flowering gum arrangements. The jug was Nora’s favourite, despite the chip […]
How to Live Safely in a Sci Fi Universe
{4.5/5} “I am a certified network technician for T-Class personal-use chronogrammatical vehicles, and an approved independent affiliate contractor for Time Warner Time, which owns and operates this universe as a spatio-temperal structure and entertainment complex zoned for retail, commercial, and residential use. The job is pretty chill for the most part, although right this moment […]
Oona Out of Order
{5/5} “A new resolve and optimism suffused Ooona as she boarded the Cairo-bound plane. There was no need to be trapped by her flawed chronology or supposed destiny. She wouldn’t tiptoe around her life, suffer the frustration that resulted from chasing stability. She would not be defeated by her known future.” Oona Out of Order […]
The Once and Future Witches
{5/5} “‘If the witches of Old Salem had the spell to restore the Way, do you really believe they would have advertised it? Left it listed in the index of a grimoire?’ She shakes her head, abandoning the sewing box for the child’s sampler hanging on the wall, yellow and stained. ‘You’re thinking like a […]
El Deafo
{5/5} “Just like Bruce Wayne uses all that crazy technology to turn himself into Batman on TV… I can use my own crazy technology — the phonic ear — to turn myself into a superhero, too! My power? Super hearing!” El Deafo by Cece Bell, published in 2014 Cece becomes deaf as a young child […]
Autonomous
{5/5} “Though the mission was fairly small-scale and routine, it held a special significance for Paladin because it meant he’d crossed over from development to deployment. Today marked the first day of his indenture to the African Federation. International law mandated that his service could last no more than ten years, a period deemed more […]
Under Fortunate Stars
{5/5} “‘That’s the Pathfinder. Professor Eldric Leesongronski, the captain of the great ship Jonah. The Fortunate Five sealed the truce with the Felen at Etraxas and ended the war.’ There was a long, awkward silence. Keeven and Leesongronski looked at each other. And then, Keeven burst out laughing.” Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings, published […]
The Cityborn
{4.5/5} “Only the Kranzes knew how heroically and selflessly Thomas Kranz had acted when he overthrew the Captain and set himself up as the City’s ruler. It hadn’t been because he sought power but because he sought safety, security, and stability for the City’s then-sleeping citizens. He had allowed them to Awaken into a world […]
Star Trek: DS9 — I, the Constable
{4.5/5} “Leeta leaned over and whispered into one of her mother-in-law’s lobes: ‘He’s a shape-shifter, Moogie.’ ‘Oh,’ Ishka said. Followed by ‘Oh! Of course! Silly me!’ as comprehension flooded her wrinkled features. ‘That’s very convenient, Odo! What a shame you can’t teach that skill to others. You could make a considerable profit.’” Star Trek: Deep […]