B- Reviews / C+ Reviewsastronaut / engineer / Mars / science / Science Fiction / survival29 Comments
Dear Mr. Weir, I picked up your first novel, The Martian, because some of my friends had read and recommended it. It sounded geeky enough to please my engineer husband, so I suggested to him that we read it together. The novel begins on the sixth sol, or Martian day, ... more >
B ReviewsHarper-Teen / post-apocalyptic / survival / Young-Adult2 Comments
Dear Ms. McGinnis, Despite my weariness with the dystopian and post-apocalyptic genre, I liked your previous novel, Not a Drop to Drink. Even more refreshing was the fact that it appeared to be a standalone. It turns out I was wrong — In a Handful of Dust is the companion ... more >
D Reviewsisland / Macmillan / survival / Young-Adult8 Comments
Dear Ms. Matson, I was a big fan of Lost during its early seasons. My attention wavered as the series progressed, but I do recall my obsession when it first aired fondly. Your novel, Nil, reminded me of Lost and I was interested in seeing how a YA novel would ... more >
B- Reviewsdystopian / Harper-Teen / post-apocalyptic / survival / Young-AdultComments Off on REVIEW: Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
Dear Ms. McGinnis, A few months ago I mentioned a personal need to take a break from the YA dystopia subgenre. The books weren’t working for me, and I was growing increasingly frustrated. Then I heard the premise for your debut novel: a world in which fresh water became a ... more >
B- Reviewsdystopian / island / Simon & Schuster / survival / Young-Adult5 Comments
Dear Ms. Stasse, Ah, the dystopian subgenre. For something touted as the new vampire, it wore out its welcome fairly quickly, didn’t it? Despite the popularity of the recent Hunger Games movie, I remain skeptical that it’ll see a resurgence in popularity. I’m still willing to give the subgenre a ... more >
Film ReviewsCanada / Friday Film Review / pilot / survival7 Comments
The Snow Walker (2003) Genre: Adventure/Drama Grade: B NOTE: This one has a bittersweet ending. If you’re okay with that, read on. At Susanna Kearsley’s urging I put this one in my Netflix queue months ago where it lingered and lingered. And lingered. She gently goosed me a bit about ... more >