In David Dyer’s first book, The Midnight Watch, he explores a machine that went wrong and uses an incredible amount of research to put forth a plausibIn David Dyer’s first book, The Midnight Watch, he explores a machine that went wrong and uses an incredible amount of research to put forth a plausible theory as to why The Californian did not go to the Titanic’s aid the night she sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s one of my favourite books, not because it sparked an obsession with the Titanic disaster, but because Dyer’s narrative is just so beautiful and emotive. It puts you in that water right along those boats.
In This Kingdom of Dust, Dyer turns this on its head and explores a machine that, in reality went right, but fictionalises the micro and macro ramifications of ‘what-if’ it went wrong.
The 1969 moon landing is quite possibly the world’s biggest moment in history. ‘One giant leap for mankind’ is a phrase that many of us in adulthood know well, regardless of whether we were alive to watch it back then or not. The Apollo program was huge and despite its failures - it put 2 men on the moon. But the thing is, despite some hiccups, the mission was a success. Buzz and Neil landed on the moon, did an EVA, and then the Lunar Module lifted them off the Moon to reunite with Mike in the Columbia, and they all returned to Earth as heroes.
But, what if it didn’t. What if something - a single point of failure - failed, and there was no way to fix it?
Dyer shows his excellent research skills once more and through the eyes of a fictional journalist named Aquarius (a nod to Norman Mailer), Buzz, his wife Joan, and Neil, the reader explores such a failure and learns about the human, mechanical, and humanity reactions to a moon landing disaster, or more accurately a moon ascension disaster and the very real Protocol/contingency - Unbeknownst to many - for this very event. And let me assure you, it was no The Martian/Mark Watney ‘Bring him Home’ moment.
Hearing Dyer talk about this book at the recent Queenscliffe Literary Festival, it became clear that he added numerous parallels, symmetries, and positions but the one that resonates with me the most is the hopelessness, of slowly suffocating - as an astrowife and deprived of oxygen - and there’s nothing that anyone can do about it.
Many thanks to David Dyer, Penguin Random House Australia, and NetGalley for an arc of this fascinating historical fiction story. I eagerly await to see what after comes up with next. ...more
This Eurovision meets The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is 5 stars.
5 stars for the story 5 stars for the narration 5 stars for Decibel Jones and thThis Eurovision meets The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is 5 stars.
5 stars for the story 5 stars for the narration 5 stars for Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes. And E. And Road Runner. And Capo - who’s the most cat who ever catted. ...more
**spoiler alert** This was a blind date with a book gift from a dear friend.
I love spacey sci-fi and The Martian and Project Hail Mary are right up t**spoiler alert** This was a blind date with a book gift from a dear friend.
I love spacey sci-fi and The Martian and Project Hail Mary are right up there with the best that the genre has to offer.
This book, while hitting marks from both aforementioned stories, does not quite capture the desperation, the emotion, the human elements of those books. Much like Project Hail Mary, our protagonist opens the story with severe memory loss. Unlike Project Hail Mary it was incredibly difficult to empathise with the character. I couldn’t gel with her. Which is a such a shame because female, woman of colour, bucks a lot of trends for leadership roles in the genre.
I want to explain that I didn’t hate this book. It just didn’t reach the same heights as other space dramas I have loved and re-read multiple times. I wanted to like this book more. I really did. But the writing held me at arm’s length, preventing me from really engaging with story.
Also - I’m pretty sure that NASA would test for pregnancy in its female astronauts to ensure they’re not giving birth in outer space - much like Ken Mattingly was prevented from flying with the Apollo 13 crew simply because he had been exposed to the measles. Read exposed, not positive. They just don’t want medical emergencies in space.
It’s one thing to suspend belief for long distance space travel, it’s quite another to suspend practicalities too.
All of all, the space side of things were good. The AI was kind of fun. The rest was just okay. I feel like I should be apologising or something....more
I absolutely loved SJ Morden’s One Way and No Way duology. Maybe it’s the Mars thing, or the vying for redemption thing.
I liked Gallowglass and stillI absolutely loved SJ Morden’s One Way and No Way duology. Maybe it’s the Mars thing, or the vying for redemption thing.
I liked Gallowglass and still occasionally think about it.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with this one. I found myself unable to keep my attention in the page. To warm to the characters. To get involved in the story. Sorry, but this wine was not for me. ...more
I’ve seen these books in bookstores hundreds of times, and that’s even before I began working in one.
It had never really crossed my mind to read one aI’ve seen these books in bookstores hundreds of times, and that’s even before I began working in one.
It had never really crossed my mind to read one as I just wasn’t sure that it was my thing I mean it had all the right ingredients, Sci-fi, action/adventure, Young Adult, great story telling (the dossier stuff was really cool!) and space! So it should have been my thing
Then a reading challenge came along, a Jay Kristoff themed reading challenge. I planned 4 books and Illuminae as the bonus 5th one, then immediately had a panic attack at committing to that many books in one month when 2021/2022 have not been kind to me - reading wise, then got on with the task of reading and seeing how far I got.
Today is September 12th, and I’ve finished the lot.
Back to Illuminae, it was cool. It was really cool. I know this isn’t the most eloquent, verbose or articulate of reviews. But it’s what I’ve got and what I’m going with. Awesome twist at the end that I did not see coming.
May eventually go back to read the rest of the series one day. ...more
This was one of those books that I always knew of but had never been sure that I wanted to read it. Like Jane Eyre or Don Quixote, it’s a pivotal bookThis was one of those books that I always knew of but had never been sure that I wanted to read it. Like Jane Eyre or Don Quixote, it’s a pivotal book for its genre, and one that has had cult status for many years.
Still, Dune’s length, and the time it would take to commit to getting through it was a draw back for me.
Then I saw the 2021 movie and thought ‘why not?’
21 days later and I’ve finally finished it. Not for lack of trying, but working 2 jobs, Christmas obligations, and a book moving at a snail’s pace does not make for binge-reading.
The world building was really cool, and I can see why it’s held to such high esteem for Sci-Fi writing, but it’s just so damn wordy. And it reads like an acid trip. I know there’s more in the series, and they’re much shorter than this Everest of a book, but I don’t feel the need to continue.
I really enjoyed SJ Morden’s Frank Kitteridge books and Gallowglass has much of the same well-researched hard science, high stakes, do or die scenarioI really enjoyed SJ Morden’s Frank Kitteridge books and Gallowglass has much of the same well-researched hard science, high stakes, do or die scenarios, and flawed but cheerable humans.
I really liked the beginning of this book; the attempts to escape Earth and settling in with the crew on the mining ship. But the second half of the novel didn’t grab me as much as the first did.
Still it was an enjoyable read, and I’d be happy to read any spacey sci-fi this author writes.
As an aside, I’m not sure what to make of this, but it appears that the astronaut image on the cover of this book is exactly the same as the one that appears on Andy Weir’s forthcoming novel Project Hail Mary......more
Hail Mary: a plan or project with little chance of success.
Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship. He doesn’t know it’s a spaceship, nor does he know thHail Mary: a plan or project with little chance of success.
Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship. He doesn’t know it’s a spaceship, nor does he know that he’s Ryland Grace. It’s not a great position to be in for someone who’s on a mission to save Earth from an extinction-level event!
Andy Weir has this incredible knack of making hard science and technological discussions not only palatable for the non-scientific community, but also, dang enjoyable. This latest offering from Weir returns us to the excellently written. hard science, humour, and desperation to survive that’s reminiscent of The Martian. Only this time, instead of working to save himself, Grace is trying to save a whole planet. If only he could remember what from...
Project Hail Mary is a drama fuelled, action-packed, spacey sci-fi that I think will entertain new and existing Weir fans alike!
It might be hard for readers not to compare Project Hail Mary with The Martian. I am huge fan of the latter (I mean, I’ve read it 5 times & seen the movie countless more). Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Artemis, but the story was very different and it didn’t pack the same emotional punch.
Readers: prepare for Project Hail Mary. It’s got some serious walloping emotional bruising going on, and it is completely worthy of comparison. I am super pleased to announce that, folks, Project Hail Mary Measures. Up!
Fist bump to Weir for making me care once again about a fictional character in space. Both of them. He’ll know what I mean.
Will never be thankful enough to Andy Weir, Random House UK, Cornerstone, and NetGalley for making this fan-girl’s dream of being able to read an arc before publication come true. My glowing opinions are my own....more
I don’t know if S.J. Morden intends this to be the final book in the series or not, but either way it is an epic instalment.
I had no idea that it eveI don’t know if S.J. Morden intends this to be the final book in the series or not, but either way it is an epic instalment.
I had no idea that it even existed until August this year, when organising a copy of One Way for a Book Club read. I had already read the first book and was very keen to continue the story.
It did not disappoint. Most interesting was watching how Frank Kittridge adapted to his new environment and crew. And the shocking realisation that he may not have been as alone on the red planet as he had thought.
Perfect for fans of The Martian, No Way is a rollicking space story about survival, hope, and finding your place in the world. ...more
“When your world’s small, everything that moves in it matters; but when it’s larger, you get to pick out the important parts.”
Aaron’s small world has “When your world’s small, everything that moves in it matters; but when it’s larger, you get to pick out the important parts.”
Aaron’s small world has been obliterated, he’s lost everything, and rather than end up on the front line of suicidal war mission, he is transferred to a prestigious military school and discovers that the world is much larger, and more sinister, than he originally thought.
I’m a big fan of space related science fiction and Lakes of Mars did not disappoint! It started well; you’re immediately thrown into the story, and it sets up a list of questions and a lot of intrigue. I quite enjoyed Aaron’s narration and the cast of characters were well-developed. The writing was easy to read and very engaging.
The story slows and deviates just a little during the middle, but the ship rights itself in the end. And what an ending! Fast-paced, intense, eyes-glued-to-the-page and do-not-disturb!
Good science fiction lies within the realm of possibility, Lakes of Mars is science fiction done well, and has a little of everything thrown into the mix. I loved this book and I cannot wait to see how the events unfold in this series!
Many thanks to Merritt Graves and NetGalley for an ARC of this exciting book in exchange for an honest review....more
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