The Home for Near Future Speculative Fiction
In Requiem 4, by author Mike Duran, the question asked is what is a spirit, a ghost, or a demon? Is such a thing corporeal, real enough to measure? Or is it merely imagination? If it’s real but without physicality, how do you prove such a thing? If not, how do you prove a negative? Requiem 4 is a short story of only 53 pages. Yet it reeks of a militarized, heart-gripping version of the…
Agents of Rivelt, a delightful and captivating sci-fi read, is a novel in short story form by author Sharon Rose. Set in the far future where Syndicate space stations are the hubs of spacefaring commerce, a series of stories unfold where the plot is to rescue thought-reading Human slaves and return him or her to their rightful family. All without the agents—or the former slave—getting themselves killed. Or worse. Tracy is such a slave. Though…
Diverse Demands is Book 2 (so far) of this series by Sharon Rose. Ethical decisions abound in this story while dealing with diverse alien races and backgrounds. What is right for one situation may be wrong for another. And some things are always right or wrong regardless of the situation. The novel focuses around Kena and Antony, the only two Humans on an alien crewed, Collaborative ship. Things become real intense when the PitKreelaundun political…
This is Book 1 of a two-volume (so far) series by author Sharon Rose. Quite an adventure with the author giving us plenty to read about concerning aliens and their cultures. If you like movies and books with aliens, you will like this book. I had a lot of fun reading this story. I especially appreciated the focus on how different races felt about most everything, and how different their customs could be. Misunderstandings within…
A supernatural delight! This thriller by Avily Jerome, an author new to me, has constructed a remarkable story involving the fourth dimension where demons dwell and souls live. Her heroine Jak Davidson somehow accesses this frame. World domination and the end of history as we know it is at issue here. Jerome paints vivid pictures of demon-kind and their souls that live on after death plaguing humans with evil desires. Some demons can morph into…
In the novel Amish Werewolves of Space, author Kerry Nietz brings the thrilling Peril In Plain Space series to an engaging close. In this final offering of the series, we meet again characters from the first two books, now a few years older and perhaps a bit wiser. Author Nietz keeps the story true to the Amish values and lifestyle, while showing the contrast between distant future technologies like space travel and technical/computerized marvels with…
In Code of Honor, a thriller novel written by author Marc Cameron, the reader enters the universe of Tom Clancy with his well-known characters of Jack Ryan, Senior, and John Clark. All the other characters normally found within the Ryan White House along with The Campus are in play. In fact, this Reviewer found it exhilarating to follow the direct actions of both President Jack Ryan and his shadow alter ego, John Clark, in the…
In Enemy Contact, by author Mike Maden, the reader once again enters the espionage world of Tom Clancy. In this tale of intrigue and worldwide criminal henchmen, the story steps off with a plethora of deadly misadventures for many national security forces. These are displays of concept and reachability by one unknown operator called CHIBI, who is offering up for bid a tantalizing security access to the world’s preeminent Intelligence Group—the USA’s national intelligence directorate.…
In the novel Airfoil Origins by author Steve Rzasa, an everyday librarian receives a metal token of unremarkable but used appearance. As the story unfolds, remarkable events happen until the hero realizes the token is responding to his wishes as he reaches out to help his friends and acquaintances in Drake City. When a mysterious stranger appears with unsolicited advice and demands related to the token, our hero Brandon Tusk realizes he has a mentor—but…
Ringworld, by author Larry Niven, is another one of those oldy-goldy, award-winning classics from a ways back that I’ve been re-reading just for the fun of it. After forty or so years since the first couple of reads, I still found this story exciting. It is truly an intriguing adventure story. Not only are the characters (two humans and two very different aliens) interesting, but also, the story’s setting is—once again for me—mind blowing: a…