The author provided me an advance copy of this book for my honest review. But even if she hadn’t, I would have bought one, because I’ve enjoyed all her work I’ve read thus far. After the classic space-opera kicks of her Insurrection series, I was eager to see what she’d create with a whole sci-fi... Continue Reading →
Fiction’s Dark Mirror: Dystopia and the 9/11 Generation
I knew something was wrong when I woke to the television muttering downstairs. My parents rarely watched anything other than evening news and weather. If they’d turned it on at nine a.m. on a Tuesday, it could only mean trouble. In trepidation I crept downstairs and into the living room. Mom sat in front of the... Continue Reading →
Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Pokemon Go Showed Me The World Through My Protagonist’s Eyes
“Watch out!” I caught my Laddie’s arm before he stepped off the curb, uncomfortably close to an SUV speeding down our street. The neighbor scowled at us from behind the wheel, but my Laddie was too absorbed in his phone to notice. “Stupid zubat got away,” he muttered. “You need a bodyguard to play Pokemon... Continue Reading →
“Blue Karma” Wins LibraryJournal Ebook Award
Library Journal just announced the winners of the inaugural Self-Published Ebook Awards. The competition "recognizes authors who submit the best ebooks in their respective genres" (fantasy, science fiction, romance, and mystery). I received a Tweet about it while making dinner and idly clicked the link; if I kept "tasting" the chili, there wouldn't be any left for the... Continue Reading →
Review: His Dark Materials trilogy
First, a confession: it took me much longer than it should have to read this trilogy. My dad bought The Golden Compass in a local children’s bookshop when I was about ten years old (I recall the store fondly because it had the best reading nook I’ve ever encountered: an artificial tree molded into the... Continue Reading →
The Real-Life Engees: Alaskan Communities On The Edge
Blue Karma keeps coming true. Last week's an Alaskan company announced plans to ship water to California's drought zones; now this evening, I watched an NBC Nightly News feature about Alaskan communities poised to become America's first climate change refugees. Rising seas and shrinking coastlines mean flood and erosion, which may drive residents inland. Government estimates place the cost... Continue Reading →