Waiting on Wednesday: Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele #RRSciFiMonth

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.  Every Wednesday we get to highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to.  My book this week is : Avengers of the Moon by Allen Steele.  It simply must be fated for me to read this book (of course true scientific minds don’t believe in fate).  But, ignoring the logical and moving swiftly on, I just read a lovely review of a short story by this author over on Space and Sorcery and so decided to go and check out his other works and boom!  I found this – serendipity eh!

avengersIt was an age of miracles. It was an era of wonder. It was a time of troubles. It was all these things and more . . . except there were no heroes.

Naturally, one had to be created.

Curt Newton has spent most of his life hidden from the rest of humankind, being raised by a robot, an android, and the disembodied brain of a renowned scientist. This unlikely trio of guardians has kept his existence a closely guarded secret since the murder of Curt’s parents.

Curt’s innate curiosity and nose for trouble inadvertently lead him into a plot to destabilize the Solar Coalition and assassinate the president. There’s only one way to uncover the evil mastermind—Curt must become Captain Future.

With the permission of the Edmond Hamilton estate, Allen Steele revives the exciting adventures of Captain Future.

Expected publication: April 2017 by Tor Books

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Sci Fi Month organised by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow is a fun event that celebrates all things sci fi and runs for the whole of November.  Check it out and come and join the fun and discussion.  You know you want to 😀

Sci-fi movie fest! #RRSciFiMonth

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Every Tuesday over at the  The Broke and Bookish we all get to look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  The topic this week is :

Movie Freebie

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Given that November is Sci Fi Month (organised by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow this is a fun event that celebrates sci fi) I’m going with science fiction movies and here are ten that I always enjoy:

1. Alien – I love this film.  It’s dark and downright scary.  I recall years ago watching a documentary about the making of the film and one story stood out to me – which was about the shooting of the ‘chest burster’ scene where the alien breaks out of Kane’s chest.  Apparently the other actors – although they knew that the alien would be, literally, bursting out, they weren’t aware of all the special effects in terms of the blood and viscera.  The scene was a one take effort and the stunned surprise that you witness was real as opposed to actual acting!  I think that’s a great story.  I have no idea if it’s true but the scene is brilliant!

alien

2. Star Wars – and I’m talking about the first film now (as I refuse to call it No4).  No funny story as such but a whole bunch of quotes – guess the character:

“You don’t need to see his identification … These aren’t the droids you’re looking for … He can go about his business … Move along.”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“Boring conversation anyway. Luke, we’re gonna have company!”

“Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”

“What a piece of junk!”

3. Jurassic Park.  I thought maybe a little bit of useless (or incredibly useful depending on your pov) info about the main star – the T-rex.  One of the largest built animatronics.  20 feet tall and weighing 17,500 pounds (which, wow!)  The roar was a combination of a baby elephant, tiger and alligator.  The breath was a whale’s blow and the sounds of the T-rex tearing apart a Gallimimus were created by recording a dog attacking a rope toy!

trex

4. Avatar.  Production originally began in 1994 and yet the film didn’t premiere until 2009!  This film may have cost A LOT to produce but it surely must be one of the most visually stunning pieces of work ever and here’s the original trailer if you want to have a gander:

avatar

5. Matrix – maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but I loved this and it certainly set the bar for action scenes with the invention of Bullet Time (not to mention a lot of spoofs)!  I love all the references in the film, e.g. Morpheus (Greek God of dreams).  But I particularly like the Alice in Wonderland reference.  ‘follow the white rabbit’.

matrix

6. Terminator 2 – great film – and surely has some of the best quotes ever!  Well, you might not really ever have need of them but I like them – here are a few:

‘I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.’ 

‘Come with me if you want to live!’

‘Say… That’s a nice bike…’

‘Did you call *moi* a dipshit?’

7. 12 Monkeys – time travelling, post apocalyptic, neo noir – what’s not to love?  In fairness though, I didn’t love this the first time I saw it!  But then it just grew on me – like a mutated fungus!!!

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8. The Fifth Element – funnily enough this is another Bruce Willis film (see above) and was also another film that took a little while to grow on me (yet more fungus – just call me a truffle!).

Leeloo: Leeloo Dallas mul-ti-pass. 

Korben Dallas: Yeah. 

Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. 

Korben Dallas: Yeah, multipass, she knows it's a multipass. Leeloo Dallas. This is my wife. 

Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. 

Korben Dallas: We're newlyweds. Just met. You know how it is. We bumped  into each other, sparks happen... 

Leeloo: Mul-ti-pass. 

Korben Dallas: Yes, she knows it's a multipass. Anyway, we're in love.

And here:  ‘Big Bada Boom!’

9. Interstellar – I think this film is fantastic.  I definitely needed to watch it more than once though I will admit!  Very clever and some mind bending scenes!

interstellar

10.  Finally, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  The movie trailer (plus bonus points for spotting the Potter character):

 

Read all about it…#RRSciFiMonth

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A quick post to notify you of a readalong that starts at the beginning of December.  I’m announcing this now whilst we’re still in Sci Fi Month (hosted by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow) to give you all time to lay your hands on a copy and take part.  I’m just thoughtful like that.  Anyway, if you’ve read Becky Chamber’s Long Way to a Small Angry Planet and fancy getting on board for the next adventure this readalong could be just for you.  Here are all the details plus the link to the Goodreads page (schedule pasted below for quick ref).  If you fancy joining in then dive in with the comments or stop on over to the Goodreads page so we can all welcome you aboard.

And now, for the science bit…

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2):

closed-and-commonLovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for – and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effectand Star Wars.

Here’s the schedule:

Week 1: Friday 2nd December – Start of Part 1 up to Page 94 (“…yellow, silver, white…”), hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Friday 9th December – Page 95 (Jane, Age 10 “Jane was still tired…”) to End of Part 1, hosted by imyril at There’s Always Room For One More
Week 3: Friday 16th December – all of Part 2, hosted by Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Friday 23rd December – Part 3 to End, hosted by Mogsy at The BiblioSanctum

 

Ashes of Honor (October Daye #6) by Seanan McGuire

ashesofhonorAshes of Honor is number six in the Toby Daye series.  I’m loving this – it’s my new Urban Fantasy addiction and fortunately as I’m late to the party I still have a number of books just waiting to be read!  Happy days.

I think this instalment could have been my favourite to date.  The series is excellent at developing the characters and building upon the world and relationships and this was no exception in that respect.  But, to the plot – and let me throw in a customary warning about potential spoilers for prior books in case you haven’t read the previous instalments but intend to do so.

As the story begins we see the emotional trauma caused by the conclusion of One Salt Sea really kicking in.  Toby is feeling massive guilt.  She lost her daughter and Connor in one very quick swoop and is now on self destruct mode.  Fortunately she is surrounded by good friends and those who are equally as stubborn as she is about trying to keep her safe but everyone is starting to become concerned.  Then Toby is approached from a most unexpected source.  A child (Chelsea) has gone missing and as we know by now Toby will certainly not refuse a missing or ‘abducted’ child case.  And, so it begins.

Now this particular missing child is complicated.  It turns out that she is a changeling and her father is Etienne.  Yes, Etienne, difficult as it is to believe that he would break the rules that he holds so dear, Etienne had an affair with a regular human.  What he didn’t know is that the woman concerned was pregnant when their relationship ended and it seems that their daughter shares Etienne’s ability to teleport.  Unfortunately, this ability is now manifesting itself in a very powerful way and clearly somebody has decided to try and manipulate her abilities so Chelsea is now teleporting and crashing her way through the land of the fae, tearing holes where they shouldn’t be and undermining the whole fabric of the world.  Toby needs to act fast or the lives they all lead could be in jeopardy.

There were a number of things that really struck me about this novel.  In no particular order because my thoughts are a jumble.  Firstly, this book had much more of a detective type feel to it.  For me I wouldn’t say it came across quite as ‘dark’ as the previous books somehow.   This isn’t a negative comment just an observation that I didn’t feel quite as scared or desperate for Chelsea’s predicament as for those children in a couple of the other stories, in this particular case it feels a little like the case itself is secondary to the character development.  Then there was the very real ‘human’ element in this book, the interaction with Chelsea’s mum and also with the police force.  It felt like in this instalment Toby  connected much more with our regular world, (which has previously just really acted as a backdrop for whatever escapades were taking place).  Finally there’s the moment of truth for Toby when she decides to forgive herself and allow herself to actually live.  I thought that was a really pivotal moment for Toby and the series really.

As a parallel running story we have trouble for Tybalt over at the Court of the Cats.  There is dissent in the ranks and things could get ugly.  I loved the extra information that we discovered about Tybalt, he really is a great character and so finding a little bit more about his history was most satisfying.

All in all a really great instalment.  The world of the fae opened up yet more in a tantalising way that gives us more intrigues to feed our imagination.

I have no hesitation in recommending this series.  If you’re looking for your next urban fantasy series I would definitely point you in the direction of Toby Daye.

 

 

 

 

Kushiel’s Mercy (Imriel’s Trilogy #3) by Jacqueline Carey readalong week No.6

kushiels-mercyToday is week 6 of our readalong for Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey.  This week  Tethyan Books is hosting.  Anyway, here’s the Goodreads link and also the schedule is below in case you want to join in.  Beware of spoilers because they’ll be lurking.  Now, over to the Q&A.

1.  The Euskerri paid a brutal price for their sovereignty.  What do you think about how this played out?  Did anything stick out in your mind?
It was a horrible battle wasn’t it and the Euskerri paid such a high price.  I think the thing that stuck out most for me was that Sidonie has such a head for strategy – good on you Sidonie!
2. How do you feel about the way things ended for Astegal?  Was it just?  If not, what would you have preferred to see happen?
Well, to be honest I sort of expected that ending for him.  Well, not exactly, I didn’t see him having a fight with Imriel but I did think he would lose the battle and either die during the battle or be captured and executed.  I can’t say I felt any sorrow for him at all, sorry if that seems a bit harsh but I just can’t find it in myself to feel any pity on this occasion.
3. Do you have any theories on why Imriel’s charm is able to protect Sidonie?
Well, at first I was thinking it was maybe just down to the fact that it’s a talisman that protects against magic?  I suppose there’s also the fact that both Sidonie and Imriel believe in it and I wonder if that gives it some power, plus calling on their own Gods?.  And then there’s Sidonie’s heritage and the fact that she maybe has a trace of magic in her blood.  At the end of the day I’m not really sure – I am glad it worked though (at least so far!)
4. What do you think about Alais’s change of heart regarding political power and her new plans for her future?
Well, I don’t entirely know what Alais’s new plans entail for her or what it would mean for her going forward but I think it’s good that she has reached some decisions about her own future – I kind of hope that they’re not the sort of decisions that she can never walk away from or change though because she is only young – and I’m not patronising her, just thinking that you change your mind a lot over the course of your young years (and I’m speaking from experience in that respect).  I guess if you look at her past there has been quite a lot of violence involved in one way and another and so perhaps she’s tired of the depths that people will sink to in order to acquire power.
5.  The spell twists the personalities of people we knew, sometimes in disturbing ways.  Do you see the seeds of who they are now in their true selves?  Given their currently twisted view of reality, do you think anyone is acting against their own principles?
It’s like something out of Stepford isn’t it! It’s so weird – even the way Phedre and Joscelin are behaving – they’re like automatons with no real soul left  – or maybe it’s that the soul has been trapped.  I don’t know but it is spooky as anything.  As to whether they’re acting against their own principles – I’m not sure if they are or not, it’s a tricky question.  For example, Phedre and Joscelin seem to think they’re protecting the City and defending what they’s fought for in the past – but, I think rather than say they’re acting against their own principles I’d probably rather say they’re acting against their own principles so much as acting out of character.  The way that they’re all behaving with their own children for example, really cold and indifferent.  That is what really strikes me.  Plus, it strikes me if so many people were telling them a different story they would take steps to try and either prove or disprove it once and for all – rather than sitting behind walls threatening battles.  I guess, to me, they’re acting on their principles, but they’re delusional and irrational.
The Schedule:
Oct.  9th Week 1: Chpts. 1-10 (Hosted by Dab of Darkness)
Oct. 16th Week 2: Chpts. 11-22 (Hosted by Tethyan Books)
Oct. 23rd Week 3: Chpts. 23-35 (Hosted by Emma Wolf)
Oct. 30th Week 4: Chpts. 36-49 (Hosted by Emma Wolf)
Nov. 6th Week 5: Chpts. 50-62 (Hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog)
Nov. 13th Week 6: Chpts. 63-75 (Hosted by Tethyan Books)
Nov. 20th Week 7: Chpts. 76-END (Hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow)
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