First published 2021. Faber paperback, 2022, pp 340, c.90,000 words. Ishiguro’s familiar compass, buttoned up and drained of soul, is well suited to the near-future world he creates here. The protagonist, Klara, is programmed to selflessness, as it can also be said of Stevens in The Remains of the Day, Kathy in Never Let Me […]
Klara and the Sun — Kazuo Ishiguro Read More »
First published 1986. Bantam paperback, 1988, pp 276, c.110,000 words One might be forgiven for thinking that this book is about the sudden loss of gravity and how are people going to cope with floating around. That would be an interesting book, but this isn’t it. The title is taken from a Bob Dylan lyric
When Gravity Fails — George Alec Effinger Read More »
First published 1958. Focus paperback, 1967, pp 144, c.50,000 words. Amongst a small pile of a friend’s husband’s old SF books given to me I found two by Robert Silverberg whom I had never encountered before. What a treat this is for fans of the golden age of science fiction. The story centres around the
Recalled to Life — Robert Silverberg Read More »
First published 1972. Granada paperback, 1979, pp 158, c.55,000 words. What a period piece this is with its surreal, trippy feel, characters with weird names indulging in every fantasy without guilt. It is a decadent world without want, reducing almost immortal adults to act out childish fantasies. It is set primarily in a very far
Alien Heat, An — Michael Moorcock Read More »
First published 1976. Gollancz paperback, 2006, pp 293 (inc. c.60pp illustrations/notes), c.70,000 words (main text). Pohl was a big figure in the SF community in America in the 20th century, acting as a literary agent, SF magazine editor, as well as conference and society presidents. He published many stories in magazines, under his own and
Gateway — Frederik Pohl Read More »
First published 1970. Gollanz paperback, 2005, pp 288, c.95,000 words. This is the book that gave Niven his breakthrough. He won the Hugo and the Nebula for it, as well as other awards. Later he went on to write three sequels as well as a lot of other SF. It stands up well as a
Ringworld — Larry Niven Read More »
First published 2018. Solaris paperback, 2019, pp 527, c.140,000 words (main text). This is an alternate history set in the 1950s where the USA has just won the space race but then a large meteorite smashes into the sea just off the coast, utterly destroying Washington and much of the surrounding eastern seaboard, and triggering
Calculating Stars, The — Mary Robinette Kowal Read More »
First published 2004. Orbit paperback, 2005, pp 534, c. 170,000 words. Don’t expect anything much about mathematics or even mathematicians, despite the title. There is a formula somewhere in here but it’s a McGuffin – of no interest. What we do have is a comprehensive history of the entire galaxy (and beyond) from the bang
Algebraist, The — Iain M Banks Read More »
First published 1965. Fourth Estate, paperback, 2011, pp 233 (+7 pages of commentary), c. 72,000 words (main text). The opening page develops a surreal, trippy atmosphere by the use of unusual adjectives, adverbs, similes and metaphors, piling one on top of another. I feared that this would make the book hard reading, but in Ballard’s
Drought, The — J. G. Ballard Read More »
First published 2021. Penguin, paperback, 2022, pp 478, c.120,000 words. Warning: this review contains some minor plot spoilers, and as many have said, this excellent book is best first read completely cold. Don’t even read the blurb on the back. Weir has almost single-handedly revived hard science fiction, a genre that had almost disappeared under
Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir Read More »