Science Fiction

REVIEW:  Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau

REVIEW: Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau

  “Liv Braxton’s Felon Rule #1: Don’t get emotionally involved. Smash-and-grab thieving doesn’t lend itself to getting chummy with the victims, and Liv hasn’t met anyone on the mining colony of Nevarro worth knowing, anyway. So it’s easy to follow her Rules. Until her ex, Tonio, shows up with an invitation to join him on(…)

REVIEW:  Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

REVIEW: Arclight by Josin L. McQuein

Dear Ms. McQuein, Like many other readers of YA novels, I’ve grown somewhat weary of the paranormal and urban fantasy titles in the genre. I want a change and have been trying to find more thrillers and science fiction titles to inject some enthusiasm in my reading blues. That your debut combined these two things(…)

REVIEW:  Unremembered by Jessica Brody

REVIEW: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Dear Ms. Brody, The premise of your novel, Unremembered, piqued my interest. My reading tastes have been shifting again and I’m feeling the desire to read more thrillers. Bonus points if they have a supernatural or science fiction bent. The mystery of an amnesiac girl trying to regain her memories and figure out her identity(…)

Thursday News: I’m running away to join the circus (and the indie bookstores who are suing Amazon should come with me)

Thursday News: I’m running away to join the circus (and the indie bookstores who are suing Amazon should come with me)

DRM Lawsuit Filed By Independent Bookstores Against Amazon, ‘Big Six’ Publishers – I think we all know that I am not a fan of DRM. I have also argued repeatedly that getting rid of DRM would reduce Amazon’s strangehold over readers and allow other bookstores to compete more readily with Amazon. DRM is a huge(…)

REVIEW:  Altered by Jennifer Rush

REVIEW: Altered by Jennifer Rush

Dear Jennifer Rush: I’m glad young adult novels have started to move on from the dystopian craze. After all, there can be only so many books about oppressive future societies whose citizens don’t necessarily recognize as oppressive and the teens who fight the system. To be honest, I’ve been yearning for more action-based thrillers. Your(…)

Friday Film Review: John Carter

Friday Film Review: John Carter

John Carter (2012) Genre: SF Action/Adventure Grade: C- I’m coming at this movie from the standpoint of someone who’s never read any of the books on which it’s based nor even read much about the books on which it’s based. I was a John Carter/Barsoom virgin and I don’t think that was a good thing.(…)

REVIEW:  Flutter by Gina Linko

REVIEW: Flutter by Gina Linko

Jia’s preface: The majority of this review is spoiler-free but I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the end of this novel because I know it’ll be a dealbreaker for many readers. I’ll put that discussion under a spoiler tag, however, so just don’t click it if you want to remain unspoiled. Dear Ms.(…)

REVIEW:  Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Buckell and Joe Monti

REVIEW: Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Buckell and Joe Monti

Dear authors, When I first heard the premise of this anthology, I was thrilled. Science fiction and dystopia stories about multicultural characters and worlds written by diverse authors? Sign me up! I say science fiction and dystopia because I’m not entirely sure how this anthology is being marketed and to be fair, the lines are(…)

Tuesday News: Argentina is a writer’s heaven (also a haven); NPRs Best YA list under fire; and a little lesson on GIFs

Tuesday News: Argentina is a writer’s heaven (also a haven); NPRs Best YA list under fire; and a little lesson on GIFs

Argentina Offers Its Aging Writers a Little Security – All authors should move to Argentina and not just because this is the view. The literary tradition is rich and supported by the government. Writers are given governmental grants up to around $900 per month. 82 authors have received such grants so far. “It is not(…)

REVIEW: Revived by Cat Patrick

REVIEW: Revived by Cat Patrick

Dear Ms. Patrick, I’ve been on a sci-fi YA kick lately. It’s a result of my wanting to love the dystopian sub-genre but continually being disappointed by its offerings time and time again. I know these are just marketing labels and can shift based on current trends. (With the success of the Hunger Games movie,(…)

My Sunday at the 2012 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Part 1

My Sunday at the 2012 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Part 1

  Last year on I attended the Los Angeles Festival of Books and reported on the event for DA. My biggest negative takeaway that year was that the romance genre was not represented at the festival. This year (Halleluja!) they actually had a panel devoted to romance. A single, lonely panel mind you, but it(…)

Tuesday Midday Links: Kobo Delves into Self Publishing, Great Stop Motion Video of Hemingway Classic

Tuesday Midday Links: Kobo Delves into Self Publishing, Great Stop Motion Video of Hemingway Classic

News From Reader Lana: Your midday link about Amazon being evil really got me thinking. See, I live in Canada, you know that place just North of the USA. Really close by in fact. Now, it seems a few authors that I have been reading for years are deciding to only sell their books with(…)

REVIEW: Owned and Owner by Anneke Jacob

REVIEW: Owned and Owner by Anneke Jacob

Dear Ms. Jacob. Readers: This book is hardcore, heavy-duty, almost-but-not-quite non-consensual BDSM. I hesitate to call it a romance and yet it really almost is. It’s total 24/7 dehumanization of the female submissive. It is NOT for everyone. I loved it and I heartily recommend it, but readers, please read my review before buying, because(…)

REVIEW: Starters by Lissa Price

REVIEW: Starters by Lissa Price

Dear Ms. Price, The YA dystopian subgenre is fast becoming glutted. It seems like so many titles fitting the category are coming out these days. But sometimes I wonder if that’s because they genuinely fall into that category or are just being placed there for marketing purposes. When I first heard of your novel, I(…)

REVIEW: Open Minds by Susan Quinn

REVIEW: Open Minds by Susan Quinn

Dear Ms. Quinn, I keep meaning to try more self-published books, but I admit I get overwhelmed by sheer amount available. There’s so much out there that I just don’t know where to start. I have no idea how January does it. But when you offered your novel up for review, the premise and excerpt(…)