Archives 2002
This is a list of all the reviews that SFBook have published in 2002.
Candle is the third volume in the Century Next Door series by the author John Barnes. Barnes, just keeps on getting better and better. Candle is clearly his best book to date, which says a lot. Currie is an old man, when the global controlling super mind, called One True, asks him to take on...
Good News from Outer Space is a science fiction novel by John Kessel. This probably the strangest book that I've read in a long time. Taking place in the last days of 1999 the book is mostly about faith run amok. Kessel paints a picture of an alternative timeline that's dark and that I do not...
Valentine Pontifex is the third volume in the Marjipoor series by Robert Silverberg. I’m afraid that there’s no nice way of saying this so I’ll just get over with it: This is probably the most boring book Silverberg has ever written. Valentine Pontifex is divided into five parts and I can...
Beyond This Horizon is a classic science fiction novel by Robert A Heinlein. Another one of RAH's looks into the future with a little twist. The story is about a man named Hamilton and the society he lives in. It is set in the distant future were people still have babies together BUT their...
Teranesia is a science fiction novel by the Australian author Greg Egan. As per my usual routine I never read about a book before I start on it. I never read the back of a book before I start on it and I never, ever read other peoples reviews. If I had done any one of those things I wouldn't...
The Crook Factory is a novel by the award winning author, Dan Simmons. During World War II Ernest Hemingway apparently asked for permission, from the American government, to run a spy ring from his home in Cuba and got it. In steps special agent Joe Lucas. J. Edgar Hoover (chief of the FBI at...
Corrupting Dr. Nice is a science fiction novel by John Kessel. It has been a couple of years since I last read any John Kessel – not that I didn't like it, I just haven't gotten around to it. I didn't really know what to expect, Good News From Outer Space had been so off beat and different...
The Divine Invasion is a science fiction novel by the critically acclaimed author Philip K Dick. Couple of people live in some bubbles on a crispy cold methane planet. Bachelor pad one: the guy loves some Rondstadt type woman (Linda Fox) and is a dj from his home dome. The lady in the next...
Man over Mind is a science fiction novel by Dean Warren. After about a thousand years of expansion, humanity has pretty much conquered the Milky Way with their FTL ships. The Plastowich – descendants of the guy who invented the hyperdrive – are doing a good job of running the show. Not...
Valis is a science fiction novel by the legendary author Philip K Dick. VALIS is an intelligence system in space somewhere that is beaming pink rays of intelligence to Horselover Fat, Philip K Dick's split personality half. He knows to get his kid to the hospital to avoid death, the Valis ray...
A Princess of the Aerie is the second volume in the Jak Jinnaka series by author John Barnes. It's hard to stay away from series, in this world. There are a lot of upsides to them and, as long as they stay fresh, the downsides are few. You know what you can expect, you are already wise to the...
Misspent Youth is a stand alone science fiction novel by the acclaimed British author Peter F Hamilton. Misspent Youth – try saying it to your self – Misspent Youth, not exactly catchy is it?. It sound so much like a story about maladjusted working class youngsters in some large industrial...
Radio Free Albemuth is a science fiction novel by the legendary author Philip K Dick. Radio Free Albemuth is like Valis but without Horselover Fat. Just Phil Dick and his buddy Nick getting too involved with Valis and the gestapo political system that is sending the commies to work camps. Like...
In the Hall of the Martian King is the third volume in the Jak Jinnaka series by the American author John Barnes. This is the third book in the Jak Jinnaka series. Jak, has gotten him self an easy job administrating the Hive base on Deimos. Noting much is supposed to happen, but of cause...
I’m really impressed. Rowling has managed what to write a series of books, where at least the first three are wonderful. That isn’t something that you see everyday. …The prisoner of Azkaban, starts of exactly like the first two Potter books, with Harry enduring the Dursleys and looking...
The Confederation Handbook is a stand alone novel set within the same universe as the Nights Dawn Trilogy. "A Vital Guide To the Night’s Dawn Trilogy" the subtitle of The Confederation Handbook says and that pretty much says it all. Two hundred and thirty pages of facts about the culture,...
Timeshift is a science fiction novel by Philip Ellis Jackson. Sometime in our near future the united states will separate into two different countries, a bit after that we have a small nuclear war and after that some moron releases a new life-form that eats everything in its path and leaves the...
The first thing that you notice when you pick up this, the fourth volume in the Potter saga, is that it's more than twice as thick as any of the previous Potter books. The first thing that you notice when you start reading it, is that it doesn't start of like the other books, with Harry...
Moving Mars is a science fiction novel by the award winning author Greg Bear. I nearly stopped reading this book around page fifty. Seldom had I been so bored and seldom had I felt so little sympathy for a lead character. Seldom have I been so happy that I hang on to it, but more about that...
Enders Game is the award winning first novel in the Ender Saga, by Orson Scott Card. A trip to the library, nearly always bring something good with it. Just the feeling of being surrounded by all those books, can bring a joy to my heart, that can’t even be totally thwarted by the fact that...
Lightstorm is part of the Young Adults Web Series of novels and has been written by Peter F Hamilton. Like MacLeods Cydonia, Lightstorm is part of Dolphins The Web series. All of the books take place in 2027 and the most of the books takes place online – in The Web. I’m not sure, but I...
Children of the Thunder is a science fiction novel by John Brunner. John Brunner has written a really wonderful book 'THE SHEEP LOOK UP' that I should probably re-read. This book came close but not quite to the despondancy that Earth is supposed to face in the present/near future. There is...
Speaker for the Dead is the second volume in the Ender Saga, by Orson Scott Card and has won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula awards. This book could probably be read on it’s own, but it contains numerous spoilers for Enders Game and I can’t think of any good reasons why you wouldn’t want to...
The Big U is the first novel by the award winning author Neal Stephenson. Reading the reprinting of the first (and unsuccessful) novel of a now successful author can be a mixed blessing. Sometimes there’s actually a good reason why it wasn’t that successful the first time around. The Big U...
Brothers in Arms is a novel in the Miles Vorkosigan Adventures by Lois McMaster Bujold. Admiral Naismith (aka. Miles Vokosigan) and the Dendarii mercenaries are taking a well-earned rest at Earth. Did I say rest? Ha! There's never any rest for Miles, who's forced to juggle his identities, the...
Infernal Desire Machines of Dr. Hoffman is a science fiction novel by Angela Carter. It seems some editor thought War of Dreams is a better title for the Americas than The INFERNAL DESIRE MACHINES OF DOCTOR HOFFMAN which is the UK title...stupid editor!! My copy says "WAR OF DREAMS" but I am...
Jem is a classic science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl. Pohl writes a new book every year, this one is high on the pile of what I've read. It was just sitting simply and carefully almost precariously in the 'forget it' pile up til page 80 and then whammo! I got so jumped on with the typeface I...
To Live Again is a science fiction novel by Robert Silverberg. Recently i finished a silverberg book where about 10% of the population can be "reincarnated" sort of. their personas are imprinted onto another person's brain (IF they've got the cash), so in a way they get "To Live Again"...as the...
Schild's Ladder is a science fiction novel by the Australian author Greg Egan. Egans latest hard physics thriller Schilds Ladder, presents his yet hardest to understand story. This time I'm actually unsure whether it's worth the effort, to try to understand what he’s saying. I normally find...
The Last Underclass is a science fiction novel by Dean Warren. A hundred and fifty years in the future, the world has polarized in to winners and losers, has and has-nots, in this book they are called Welfies and Achievers. Ghetto born and raised Quiet is a Welfie to the core. Trying to raise...
Lies, Inc. is a science fiction novel by the award winning author Philip K Dick. To control the aggressiveness of citizens living on top of one another in crowded file cabinets like anthills in overpopulated urban regions, Lies Incorporated uses computer software to keep people sublimely quiet....
The Rebel Worlds is a science fiction novel by author Poul Anderson. When I’m a bit stressed at my daytime job, I take a lot more care when I select a new book to read. It has to be fairly short if I want to finish it anytime soon, the story line has to be fairly simple and it has to keep me...
Summertime is Pratchett and Discworld time. Reading while frying in the sun asks for a special kind of book, something that can hold your attention, even while your brain is reaching dangerous temperatures and even while members of the opposite sex, moves around you in small articles of...
Limit of Vision is a science fiction novel by Linda Nagata. Finally a Nagata novel is published in Europa and finally I get my hands on her latest book. Limit of Vision takes a look at an non-human intelligence and the some of the options we may have in out near future. About fifty years in...
The Dragon on the Border is a fantasy novel by the author Gordon R Dickson. Jim, the product of a technologically advanced civilization 600 years ahead of the one he now calls home and now minor apprentice in magic has become the target of the Dark Powers in their latest attempt to disrupt the...
The Daleth Effect is a science fiction novel by Harry Harrison. Denmark has the Anti Gravity Device! Wouldn't it be nice if one of the non-bully invade the world and dominate countries got a hold of the perfect insta travel to the moon devices? Denmark gets it and does everything it can with...
The Alien Invasion was unexpected and devastating, with their protective force-shields, the K'Thraa stormtroopers seem invincible and it looks as if earth is doomed. But by a miracle of chance First Sergeant Hood finds a flaw in the K'Thraa armour, a way in which he and his tiny army may be able...
Hood and his army of freedom fighters are ready to start their counter attack against the K'Thraa invaders of Earth. By sabotaging a huge mirror which the aliens have placed in space to raise the temperature on the planet, hood is able to plunge Earth into a mini ice age overnight. Seriously...
No Time Like Tomorrow is a collection of science fiction short stories by Brian Aldiss. This little book is all Aldiss shorties that end real abrubtly or have sort of nice wrapped up endings that are reflecting on the rest of the story in this light of 'well that was...ok'. There is one...
The 25th. Discworld Novel the cover proudly states. And that makes it a fitting moment to take a closer look at Pratchetts Discworld and ask if there's something to be proud of. In my opinion (and I seem to be the only one writing this piece): Yes! I've read most of the Discworld novels, and...
Swan Song is a classic horror novel by Robert R McCammon. Having seen endless recommendations for this book in the alt.books.stephen-king newsgroup, every time somebody asked for something similar to The Stand by Stephen King, I fearlessly grabbed it when I found a cheap used copy at my local...
The Genocides is a classic science fiction novel by Thomas M Disch. In this post apocalyptic tale of vegetable domination, the earth has been overtaken by a strain of alpha plants... massive and imposing, they suck up all the resources and wreak major havoc on the ecosystem. In just 7 years...
Diaspora is a science fiction novel by the Australian author Greg Egan. About a thousand years in our future an entity is born. Not of man and woman , but as an orphan of Konishi Polis. A Polis is a virtual reality society, where a group of computerbased intelligences are living. There are...
Lord Brother is the second part of a fantasy tale by Carolyn Kephart. Lord Brother is the much needed follow up to Kepharts debut novel Wysard. As you may remember the first books ended without warning, leaving the story hanging with no prior warning of any kind. I've talked with Kephart about...
The Duke of Uranium is the first volume in the Jak Jinnaka series by the American author John Barnes. The Duke of Uranium introduces Jak Jinnaka. Jak is Barnes try at an arse-kicking, undercover agent for the thirty-sixth century. Somebody who can compete with Miles Vorkosigan, The Stainless...
Axiomatic is a collection of science fiction short stories by Greg Egan. Most science fiction fans these days would agree what when it comes to hard science fiction, Greg Egan is one of the best. In ten years he has given us a good handful of novels, all every much driven by the laws of nature,...
Cheap Complex Devices is a science fiction novel by John Sundman. Sundmans novel 'Acts of the Apostles' was a kind of a weird techno thriller - this one is just weird. The premiss is that once upon a time (about five years ago), there was a computer generated novel contest, where two winners...
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