War for the Planet of the Apes
{5/5} “Apes together strong.” War for the Planet of the Apes, released in 2017 Caesar doesn’t want to go to war with the humans. After one failed attack on them he sends back the human survivors alive. But the Colonel thinks humans must defeat the apes at all costs. When he sneaks into Caesar’s camp […]
Startide Rising
{4.5/5} “The senior patron races see the Terrans as a threat. They are wolflings, and therefore dangerous. They preach revolutionary uplift practices… more dangerous still. They are allies of the Tymbrimi, an insult beyond forbearance. And they proselytize — an unforgivable offense.” Startide Rising by David Brin, published in 1983 The Streaker, a ship of […]
Orphan Black (season 1)
{5/5} “How many of us are there?” Orphan Black season 1, aired in 2013 Sarah witnesses a young woman — who looks exactly like her — jump in front of a subway train. She then impersonates the late Beth for the purpose of taking her money. While that’s happening Katja, another woman who looks like […]
Zygote (volume 1)
{4/5} “I was born to die, Class Ones were born to live.” Zygote volume 1, released in 2017 Quinn and Barklay, a synthetic, are all that’s left of a crew of 98. The creature who has killed everyone else is after them. When Quinn ran into the creature before there was a light that was […]
Life
{4/5} “‘What is the primal instinct of any lifeform?’ ‘To survive.’” Life, released in 2017 A satellite with samples from Mars is retrieved by the International Space Station. When they start studying one sample it moves — and then it grows. And then things get out of control. The six astronauts must pit their wits […]
Sundiver
{4/5} “To my knowledge, mankind is the first case in which there exists the intriguing possibility of evolved intelligence. As I am sure you know, this idea violates several well-established principles of our biological science. Yet some of your anthropologists’ arguments possess startling self-consistency.” Sundiver by David Brin, published in 1980 It’s been reported that […]
Ascension
{5/5} “This whole project is one big lie told to 600 people.” Ascension, aired in 2014 The Ascension is a generational ship headed to Proxima — it’s 51 years into a 100-year voyage. It left Earth in secret in the 1960s. A woman on board the ship has been murdered. There’s a bit of a […]
City of Truth
{4.5/5} “Like many boys of my generation, I dreamed of becoming an art critic one day: the pure primal thrill of attacking a painting, the sheer visceral kick of savaging a movie or a poem. In my case, however, the dream turned into reality, for by my twenty-second year I was employed as a deconstructionist […]
Firebase (volume 1)
{3.5/5} “Objects were put in your path to shield you, put there to protect you at exactly the right moment, to shield you from the right piece of shrapnel. It’s almost as if life itself knew you were coming. The universe keeping you alive, saving you, as though it has a plan for you.” Firebase […]
Eclectic lists of SF & fantasy books
Many of the lists of SF and fantasy books turn out to be fairly similar if people vote on them. But if you have a list made up by one person (or a small group) it can be more eclectic. Here are a couple of places to find such lists. You might not always agree […]