Burning Chrome
{4/5} “When Rikki showed up, he needed one in the worst way. He was fading fast, and smart money was already whispering that the edge was off his game. He needed that one big score, and soon, because he didn’t know any other kind of life, and all his clocks were set for hustler’s time, […]
Men in Black 3
{4/5} “A miracle is what seems impossible but happens anyway.” Boris the Animal breaks out of prison on the Moon and then goes back in time to kill the man who shot off his arm — Agent K. When Agent J realizes that the timeline has changed he also goes back in time to try […]
The Many-Colored Land
{4.5/5} “The notion that time-travelers might disrupt the present world by meddling with the past had seriously troubled Madame Guderian for many weeks after the departure of Karl Josef Richter. She had concluded at last that such a paradox must be impossible, since the past is already manifest in the present, with the continuum sustained […]
The Quiet Earth
{3.5/5} “I wouldn’t ride with you if you were the last man on Earth.” Zac wakes up to find himself seemingly alone in the world. He believes that a scientific project called Project Flashlight might be the cause of everyone’s disappearance — a project that he was part of. As he tries to find a […]
The Andromeda Strain
{4/5} “Scientific research was much like prospecting: you went out and you hunted, armed with your maps and your instruments, but in the end your preparations did not matter, or even your intuition. You needed your luck, and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent, through sheer, grinding hard work.” When a satellite is brought down […]
Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes
{4.5/5} “There was something inside of man that made him want to destroy what he built. Alone among God’s primates he kills for sport or lust or greed. With each passing season, men found new ways to kill more of each other. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother’s land. And yet […]
Star Trek Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony
{4.5/5} “‘So far,’ Jean-Luc replied, ‘every move the Typhon Pact has made, regardless of the ultimate goal, has been carried out with deliberation and patience. Whatever they’re doing, it’s for a reason.’” Andor, one of the founding members of the Federation, was hit hard by the Borg and it’s facing a problem specific to their people — […]
Never Let Me Go
{4.5/5} “It had never occurred to me that our lives, so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed. If I’d known, maybe I’d have kept tighter hold of them and not let unseen tides pull us apart. ” Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth attend a boarding school that seems almost normal. There are a few strange […]
Star Trek: Rough Beasts of Empire
{4.5/5} “Modern Vulcan culture focuses on the individual mastery of emotion as well as an everyday reliance on logic… This, of course, contrasts with Romulan cultural norms.” Spock is on Romulus, promoting the reunification of Vulcans and Romulans, when he’s attacked by a Reman and almost killed. Who sent the Reman to try to kill him? Romulan […]
All-time best SF & fantasy novels & stories, v2
The other day I posted my first thoughts on how I would vote in the Locus poll, which is open until the end of the month. I’ve changed a small number of things and added some runner ups. One thing that I neglected the first time was that the order of the votes matters — I tried this […]