The Man with a Thousand Names by A. E. Van Vogt (1974) – I can’t say when I picked this up that I knew what to expect from a grand master like Mr. Van Vogt, but I was surprised by the original concept and the sheer audacity of his willingness to give us a rotter of a protagonist. Steven Masters is horrible. He’s the son of a billionaire who learned early how to manipulate every person in his life and takes what he wants. He’s […]
Toxic masculinity and misogyny given free reign
Todd Hewitt lives in a community peopled only by men, and has one month left until he too becomes one. All the men are afflicted with something called “the Noise”, meaning they can hear each other’s thoughts, all the time, all over town. There were women in the community once, but they didn’t survive the infection that brought the noise. Todd’s mother was one of the last women to die, while Todd was still a baby. While Todd and his dog, Manchee, are out walking […]
Totally biased, totally proud
Full disclosure: my dad (fellow Cannonballer sabian30) wrote this book! I’m so excited. He’s had so many short stories published I’ve lost count and has his very own Amazon author page, but now he’s got an officially official book! So I’m aware that I’m completely biased, but I thought the book was great. Dad grew up reading all the science fiction he could find, and he’s always been fond of Andre Norton. Sara’s Station is his take on a Norton-style story. I’ve read a few […]
Next time, more history less theory, please
Funny story: a number of years ago I read Blackout by Connie Willis, one of my favorite authors. I really love Connie Willis, even though there have been some disappointments (Remake is way too obvious and Promised Land. . .I don’t even want to talk about it). But when she’s on, I’m nuts for her writing. Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, which are curiously tied together by a time-travel theme and some shared characters, are two of my favorite contemporary novels, in spite of them being very […]