Archives 2014

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This is a list of all the reviews that SFBook have published in 2014.

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Brave New World by  by Aldous Huxley
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Brave new world was written over 80 years ago; back in 1932 and describes London in the year 2540 - or 632 AF as the year is described in the book. The AF stands for "After Ford", meaning the American industrialist Henry Ford who has become something of a messianic figure in Huxley's World. It's...

Article by Ant on 3rd January 2014
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Channel Blue by  by Jay Martel
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In Channel Blue the Earth is essentially an entertainment show, think "The Truman Show" on a world-wide scale. For many years Earth was Galaxy Entertainments most successful show attracting the western galaxy's richest and savviest viewers.

Nothing lasts forever though and lately ratings...

Article by Ant on 9th January 2014
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The Exodus Towers by  by Jason M Hough
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The Exodus Towers is the second volume in the Dire Earth Cycle, picking up right where the cliff-hanger ending left the story. A new Elevator and those strange Black Towers only complicate matters for those survivors of the wasteland that is the Earth. Not all survivors are that friendly either...

Article by Ant on 14th January 2014
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The Jupiter Paradox by  by Hylton H Smith
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The year is 2175 and the Earth is a very different place with radiation from the long depleted ozone layer now reaching dangerous levels. A co-operation exists between the previously warring factions of humanity and their creation - the Cyborgs. An unexpected find on one of Jupiter's moons leads...

Article by Ant on 21st January 2014
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Snowblind follows the events of a small town of Coventry in the US state of Massachusetts which appears to have something of a unique storm. Not only a storm where people go missing or are killed but one that has an unearthly, supernatural twist. When the lights are extinguished demonic icicles...

Article by Ant on 27th January 2014
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Moon's Artifice by  by Tom Lloyd
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A man falls from the roof of a building, pursued by agents unknown and Lawbringer Narin is asked personally by none other than a god to investigate the matter and help find a cure to the unconscious mans poison, thus begins Moon's Artifice.

What follows is a powerful, rich fantasy tale...

Article by Ant on 31st January 2014
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Okay I must admit that when I heard about this book coming into existence I must say I was rather excited, hell, it was more than that it was like sliced bread. Doctor Sleep for those who aren’t aware, is the sequel, of sorts, to The Shining, one of the best books Mr King has written in my...

Article by Arron on 3rd February 2014
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Europe in Autumn by  by Dave Hutchinson
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Europe in Autumn is an alternative history near future story that could be considered Kafkaesque in more than one sense of the word. Its part of new style of novel that mixes European settings with a gritty noir feeling such as seen in those quite brilliant novels Osama and Wolfhound Century....

Article by Ant on 7th February 2014
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“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.”...

Article by Vanessa on 12th February 2014
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On the Steel Breeze by  by Alastair Reynolds
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With On the Steel Breeze Alastair Reynolds has managed a little slice of futurism, how? Elephants. It seems we've been vastly under-estimating the intelligence of these gentle giants, at least most of us have - Reynolds hasn't.

Recent research now suggests that Elephants are at least as...

Article by Ant on 17th February 2014
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Alien: Out of the Shadows by  by Tim Lebbon
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I've always loved the Aliens films (well at least the first two), both films work for very different reasons. The first was totally ground breaking with it's unique style, examination of claustrophobia, fear - the combination of science fiction and horror that combined with some exceptional...

Article by Ant on 24th February 2014
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As the name would suggest, Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea takes on the classic Jules Verne 19th century novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as inspiration to create a remarkably clever and entertaining novel that is in parts as thought provoking as the original must have been when...

Article by Ant on 3rd March 2014
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Lucien de Fontein is one of the Orfano, a group who have grown-up deformed in some way and hold a strange place in society - not quite outcast but not accepted either, tormented by their deformity. Orfano are known to have powers that others do not and Lucien is as skilled a fighter as his young...

Article by Ant on 10th March 2014
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Breach Zone by  by Myke Cole
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Breach Zone is the third and final novel in Myke Cole's unique Shadow Ops series that manages to successfully blend a contemporary setting and fantasy elements with a strong military edge.

Cole seems to improve with each book and Breach Zone is undoutably his best yet with a powerful...

Article by Ant on 17th March 2014
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The Man Who Never Was by  by Hylton H Smith
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The Man Who Never Was begins in 1986 with the discovery of human bones during the demolition of the old Coke works in Derwenthaugh. The find also includes a strange artefact, one that suggests that the death of the bones owner goes back to 1945 and a set of strange circumstances.

The...

Article by Ant on 24th March 2014
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The Plague Forge by  by Jason M Hough
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The Plague Forge is the dramatic conclusion to the Dire Earth Cycle. With the Builders plans still hidden and time running out, can Skyler and his team recover the four remaining relics before the final Builder event takes place?

No-one really knows what will happen when the five...

Article by Ant on 31st March 2014
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What would happen if you combined a detailed historical fiction novel that includes the politics of, Countries, Kings and Queens with that of the manipulation by Angels and Deamons and Devils? You probably end up with something like Son of the Morning.

Set in an alternative history where...

Article by Ant on 8th April 2014
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Dark Eden by  by Chris Beckett
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This review was originally published in 2012 and has been re-published following the launch of the book in the US, published by Crown Publishing. I often start a review with a bit of blurb about the book itself, setting the scene for the reader and I try to never give too much away - limiting...

Article by Ant on 14th April 2014
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The premise of Endangered Creatures is that there is a secret part of London Zoo in Regents Park that the public never get to see. In this hidden area are housed the real endangered creatures; those of mythology, creatures that most people don't even believe exist or believe to have died out...

Article by Ant on 17th April 2014
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Confluence by  by Paul McAuley
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I've always known that Paul McAuley can write, as far as I am concerned he's one of the finest writers in the genre right now however he's also vastly under-appreciated. I'm really hoping that the release of confluence will help in addressing this oversight - not only is it an...

Article by Ant on 22nd April 2014
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The Three by  by Sarah Lotz
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On a single day that will come to be known as "Black Thursday" four passenger planes crash at almost the same time at four different points around the world.

Each crash has one single survivor, three children who emerge from the wreckage seemingly unhurt and Pamela May Donald who lives...

Article by Ant on 28th April 2014
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Midnight, Texas is a small town located at the crossroads of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. From an outsiders perspective it looks like a run-of-the-mill, dried-up western town with lots of boarded up buildings and relatively few full-time inhabitants.

There's a Pawnshop, a Diner and...

Article by Ant on 7th May 2014
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Divergent by  by Veronica Roth
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Divergent is the kind of book I stay awake reading until 4am. It gripped me and didn’t let go, staying with me when I closed the book with a rush of adrenaline and a serious hankering for its sequel.

The novel takes place in Tris Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, where society is...

Article by Vanessa on 12th May 2014
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Breeds by  by Keith Blackmore
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There are odd things happening in a near deserted coastal village. Strangers are appearing, asking questions about the towns recluse while dogs are dissapearing and a local hunter discovers a naked human footprint in the snow.

With the onset of deep winter things are about to get a lot...

Article by Ant on 14th May 2014
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Insurgent by  by Veronica Roth
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In Insurgent, we rejoin Tris Prior as she and the friends and family she has left run to Amity (the kindness faction). Throughout the novel, she must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. War...

Article by Vanessa on 19th May 2014
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Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is a Hugo award winning post-apocalyptic tale of human cloning.

For the Sumner family the recent droughts, floods, blighted crops, pandemic plagues and rising sterility all point to the demise of the human race. Their isolated farm in the Appalachian...

Article by Ant on 23rd May 2014
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Allegiant by  by Veronica Roth
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I will be honest—I was not thrilled about the idea of thinking about this book again in order to write a review. I was so bothered by the end of this series that I felt depressed about it for a week after I finished the novel.

I loved Divergent. I thought that Insurgent was a pretty...

Article by Vanessa on 26th May 2014
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Unclean Spirits is the first in a new shared-universe series called Gods and Monsters. Gods (and Monsters) are real. In the past this Pantheon were content to keep the world at arms length, sucking up the belief and devotion of mortals to provide them with the power to wage war against each...

Article by Ant on 30th May 2014
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The Voices by  by FR Tallis
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On first glance at the cover I was a bit suspicious of the quality this book was going to have but at the same time I had a bit of nervous excitement about discovering and reading a book by an author previously unknown to me. The title, like a lot of other books in this genre wasn’t...

Article by Arron on 2nd June 2014
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The Girl in the Road by  by Monica Byrne
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In the future world of "A Girl in the Road" global power has shifted and a revolution blows with the easterly wind. It's a future where the technology so long held in the west meets the culture of the east.

Into this maelstrom of technology walks Meena, a complicated girl in a...

Article by Ant on 9th June 2014
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The Burning Dark by  by Adam Christopher
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Before his early retirement Captain Abraham Idaho Cleveland (Ida) has one last duty to perform, overseeing the decommissioning of a partly deserted research post which orbits a toxic star right on the edge of Fleetspace.

When Ida arrives on board the U-Star Coast City he finds the...

Article by Ant on 16th June 2014
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Barricade by  by Jon Wallace
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The future vision in Barricade shows a world torn apart by a war fought against humanity and their own artificially created super-humans, known as "Ficials". In the UK (seemingly along with the rest of the World) the results are pretty catastrophic.

As you can probably imagine once...

Article by Ant on 23rd June 2014
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Summer Knight by  by Jim Butcher
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The Dresden Files are fast becoming a comfort read of mine. Jim Butcher writes in such a disarmingly warm, friendly manner that is quite compelling, relaxing and addictive.

Summer Knight is the fourth book in the series and poor Dresden really seems to have hit rock bottom. With no...

Article by Ant on 30th June 2014
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Truth and Fear by  by Peter Higgins
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Truth and Fear is the second novel in the Wolfhound Century series by the talented author Peter Higgins. The first book in the series Wolfhound Century was a seriously impressive novel. So much so that it won Book of the year on SFBook for 2013.

The story continues right where we (quite...

Article by Ant on 7th July 2014
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Cannibals ate Stan’s hands and legs. A psychopath cut Barbara open and carved pictures on her bones. They and other people with similarly intense and unbelievable experiences attend group therapy sessions at the center of Daryl Gregory’s novella We Are All Completely Fine. At the start of...

Article by Nate Hawthorne on 9th July 2014
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Darrell Pitt delivers a new take on two well-loved genres in his series Teen Superheroes. Mixing Superhero with Alien Invasion, Pitt creates a world on the verge of an invisible war whose salvation rests in the hands of five teenagers, each as unique as their country of origin. In book one,...

Article by D. L. Denham on 11th July 2014
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The Witcher series is something quite special and Baptism of Fire is no exception. Written by the talented Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and translated by the equally talented liguist David French (who translated the previous book in the series Time of Contempt).

The people behind the...

Article by Ant on 14th July 2014
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Artificial Evil by  by Colin Barnes
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Colin F. Barnes’ Artificial Evil, Book One of the Techxorist Series introduces readers to a familiar yet new experience in post-apocalyptic literature. The series is ongoing, the author’s website reveals book four as “in progress” (as of July 2014). Currently, the three part series...

Article by D. L. Denham on 16th July 2014
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Kelsea Glynn is the only heir to the throne of Tearling but rather than growing up surrounded by servants and sophistication she has been raised in a woods by foster parents, in secret. Mostly this is due to her real mothers failings - Queen Elyssa was murdered for ruining the kingdom and for 18...

Article by Ant on 18th July 2014
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No Hero by  by Jonathan Wood
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Arthur Wallace, inspired by 80's films such as Tango and Cash, is an Oxford copper who finds himself entirely unprepared when fate chooses him to step up and play the hero; recruited as he is by the mysterious government agency MI37.

Luckily he's always lived by the mantra "What would...

Article by Ant on 21st July 2014
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If you like your science fiction with a dystopian edge, this might be a good book for you.

The Afterblight Chronicles is a shared world series published by Abaddon Books. Originating in 2006, with Simon Spurrier’s The Culled and passing through the hands of several different writers...

Article by Allen Stroud on 23rd July 2014
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Fiefdom by  by Dan Abnett
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Dan Abnett and Nik Vincent have come together to tell a tale of a future that feels and sounds not like what one would envision, resembling more our distant past then our near future. Many readers will know of Dan Abnett and his prolific work with Marvel, Abaddon, Games Workshop, and his most...

Article by D. L. Denham on 25th July 2014
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The Bullet Catcher's Daughter is set in a world that is steeped in steampunk style. Not only full of arcane machines but with a clear nod to the Victorian society and strict sexist views. This style is perfectly captured by the series name "The Gas-Lit Empire".

In this tightly controlled...

Article by Ant on 28th July 2014
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Assembly Code by  by Colin Barnes
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Synopsis: Picking up where Artificial Evil concludes, Gerry returns to Earth and discovers that problems have only escalated in spite of everything previously achieved while saving City Earth. Petal’s story unfolds as the mysteries of her past unveil the complexity of our dystopian Earth....

Article by D. L. Denham on 30th July 2014
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I discovered Michael Moorcock’s work fairly late in life. I’d just started teaching in Higher Education and was pointed towards both Elric of Melibone and his academic text – Wizardry and Wild Romance. The latter I found disagreeable, but deeply insightful and the former a read I could...

Article by Allen Stroud on 1st August 2014
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The Demolished Man by  by Alfred Bester
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The Demolished Man was the first ever novel to win a Hugo award for "Best Novel" in 1953. As with much of Alfred Bester's works, it remains an understated classic.

The novel is set in the 24th Century with a society who can no longer hide their crimes following the rise of police...

Article by Ant on 6th August 2014
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Red Planet Blues by  by Robert J Sawyer
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The idea behind Red Planet Blues is a clever one. Mars has been colonised and is the new frontier with many parallels to the American gold-rush of the 1800's. This time around however it is genuine alien fossils that are in demand and fetch a high price. Since pretty much anything can now be...

Article by Ant on 15th August 2014
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Station Eleven by  by Emily St. John Mandel
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Day One - The Georgia flu sweeps the globe, a pandemic on a scale not seen before. Reports put the mortality rate at 99%.

Week Two and most of Civilisation lies in ruins.

Twenty years after the cataclysm and pockets of humanity have rebuilt settlements across the US. Things seem...

Article by Ant on 18th August 2014
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Elite: Lave Revolution by  by Allen Stroud
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I first discovered Elite growing up in the Eighties. It was a simpler time and Elite made a huge impact, the freedom to travel to distant stars and meet or trade with Alien races was irresistable. Sadly even back then entertainment companies were already trying out crazy methods of protecting...

Article by Ant on 20th August 2014
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Storm Thief by  by Chris Wooding
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Storm Thief takes place in the fantasy world of Orokos, a city on an island run by a totalitarian government, ravaged by chaos and by the probability storms that re-order the world wherever they strike. It has been this way for so long that history has forgotten it, and its citizens don’t...

Article by Vanessa on 22nd August 2014
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Stolen Lives by  by GK Masterson
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Stolen Lives examines the questions of self and free will. How do we become the person we are? What would happen if our memories; the details of our very identity were stripped away?

Matt Tyler is going to find out. He awakes to find no memories of who he was, in a strange place with...

Article by Ant on 25th August 2014
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IT by  by Stephen King
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Probably one of the best King books ever written. No that isn’t the review although if it was that would still sum the book up pretty easily. So great I’ve now read it four times, although admittedly never as fast as that first hungry initial reading. With every read, certain elements jump...

Article by Arron on 27th August 2014
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Alien by  by Alan Dean Foster
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Alien: It’s more than just a novelization of the movie.

Alan Dean Foster’s ALIEN is fantastic. That having been said, you can easily guess the direction of this book review. Normally, I do a formal review but this one just seemed to be stifled by a synopsis and straightforward...

Article by D. L. Denham on 28th August 2014
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With an illustrious writing career spanning several decades, Ursula Le Guin’s name is synonymous with the very best and thought provoking science fiction and fantasy writing. The Real and Unreal: Volume 1: Where on Earth? is a collection of her short stories with a common theme of being set in...

Article by Allen Stroud on 29th August 2014
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Elite: Mostly Harmless by  by Kate Russell
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Elite: Mostly Harmless is the second Elite: Dangerous tie-in novel reviewed here on SFBook. Catch up with that first review and a bit about Elite here: Elite: Lave Revolution. Written by Kate Russell, Elite: Mostly Harmless follows Commander Angel Rose who is forced into a life of crime. She is...

Article by Ant on 1st September 2014
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The Iron Trial focuses on the students of the Magisterium, an academy for those with magic. In this first book, a new student, Callum Hunt comes to the Magisterium against his will—but is it because he is destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that?

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Article by Vanessa on 3rd September 2014
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Gather Yourselves Together is one of the very first novels written by the late Philip K Dick, one biographer considers that it may be his first novel-length story. It was originally published in 1984 after the authors death and as ever credit goes to Gollancz for making sure it stays in print....

Article by Ant on 8th September 2014
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Love Minus Eighty by  by Will McIntosh
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Will McIntosh writes love stories with high body counts. In terms of total death toll, he's probably killed all of humanity at least twice by now, yet each of his books is genuinely touching. In his first novel, Soft Apocalypse, his characters try to hold relationships together in the face of...

Article by Nate Hawthorne on 10th September 2014
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When I was given this book I must admit I had my doubts. The front cover didn’t appeal, the title seemed rather dated and the type of book I was expecting seemed very much planted in the 80’s. Reading through the first few pages and I wasn’t disappointed. It was exactly as I feared....

Article by Arron on 12th September 2014
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The Long Mars by  by Terry Pratchett
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The Long Mars is the third novel in the Long Earth series and is set in the years following the events of the cataclysmic finale of The Long War. The world has now been changed not just by the continued expansion of humanity into the Long Earths but also by recent events. Populations begin to...

Article by Ant on 15th September 2014
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The Incorruptibles is a tightly paced novel that feels fresh, leaving behind characters to be pondered long after the story ends.

Synopsis: On the edge of the Empire, a motley group of mercenaries protect a gluttonous governor and his family from the twisted evil that exists beyond the...

Article by D. L. Denham on 17th September 2014
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Sometimes a book comes along that reminds you of the pleasure of being a reader and/or a writer, a book that you start at the right time and cannot fail to admire.

In a measure, The Relic Guild is this kind of book. From the first page, the description crackles and draws you into the...

Article by Allen Stroud on 18th September 2014
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Jennifer Government by  by Max Barry
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Simply put this is a witty outlook on modern life and the consumerists of today. It does bare great similarities with the classic Orwell novel but where that can be quite dark and bleak this novel, although fatalistic somewhat is rather funny. The characters in the novel all having surnames from...

Article by Arron on 19th September 2014
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There is a bittersweet air that surrounds the publication of The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix. It was the authors very first work and yet it has also proved to be his last. Paul Sussman passed away at the untimely age of 45 in May 2012. The book remained unpublished until his wife...

Article by Ant on 22nd September 2014
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Ascending Spiral by  by Bob Rich
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A unique twist on the time-travel tradition! A mix of genres amalgamated into something unforgettable. This is a read to be experienced with your brain’s switch flipped on.

From the book’s synopsis:

Dr. Pip Lipkin has lived for 12,000 years, incarnated many times as man,...

Article by D. L. Denham on 24th September 2014
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Poe by  by J Lincoln Fenn
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23-year-old Dimitri Petrov makes a living writing obituaries, but on Halloween he gets a last-minute assignment to cover a séance at the haunted Aspinwall Mansion. There he meets Lisa, a punk-rock drummer who works at the local nursing home, and promptly falls for her. But right as he’s...

Article by Vanessa on 25th September 2014
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As an author, reading a novel written by a seventeen year old is occasionally an experience of envious scrutiny. The merest mention of age by the publisher in the foreword and back cover blurb is an invocation to comparison. "Seventeen eh?" "Really? Well let’s just see if she’s any good…...

Article by Allen Stroud on 29th September 2014
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There can be no doubt that Chuck Wendig has a way with words. He writes in a style which has an edge of grim reality, merging with that of the fantastic in such a way that feels entirely natural. As I've said before his books are always adult in nature and he pulls no punches in his depictions,...

Article by Ant on 30th September 2014
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The Nomad of Time by  by Michael Moorcock
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The Nomad of Time trilogy (The Warlord of the Air, The Land Leviathan and The Steel Tsar), compiled into one volume in this paperback edition from Gollancz is a nostalgic treat for fans of steampunk and alternative history. These three stories are the memoirs of Oswald Bastable, Captain of the...

Article by Allen Stroud on 2nd October 2014
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Bowl of Heaven by  by Gregory Benford
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The partnership of Benford and Niven is a coming together of two icons of science fiction. Both have won Nebula awards for their work and are contemporaries of each other - an unusual collaboration as many partnerships tend to be of an older established writer and a young talent, but in this...

Article by Allen Stroud on 6th October 2014
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Peter Hamilton doesn't just write Space Opera, he defines it. The Abyss Beyond Dreams is the start of a new series that takes place in his wonderfully rich Commonwealth universe. It's no secret that we love the works of Peter Hamilton at SFBook and The Abyss beyond Dreams is no exception. To...

Article by Ant on 9th October 2014
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City of Stairs is a masterpiece of world-building. Mr Bennett is clearly a gifted writer and his greatest talents lie in creating a vibrant, rich, detailed world. It's also a masterclass on how the dogmatic, blind following of religious doctrines can lead to very real problems.

In City...

Article by Ant on 14th October 2014
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Painkillers by  by Simon Ings
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Painkillers is a thought provoking read. I completed it in less than three days, which is something I haven’t done with a book for nearly fifteen years. During that time, I tried to work out what was keeping me absorbed as it is a very atypical Science Fiction novel, but perhaps that’s it....

Article by Allen Stroud on 16th October 2014
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The Enemy by  by Charlie Higson
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Charlie Higson is probably best known as part of a series that for many in the UK was one of the funniest things to watch on TV in the 90's - the Fast Show (known as Brilliant in the US).

The irreverent and often off-beat humour was guaranteed to make me laugh and still does. Until this...

Article by Ant on 17th October 2014
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Bête by  by Adam Roberts
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Bête has one of the best opening chapters I've ever read. It begins with farmer Graham Penhaligon as he is preparing to kill a cow. Nothing unusual about that except this cow is pleading with Graham (the narrator of this fine story) not to do it.

The gift of speech given to animals...

Article by Ant on 20th October 2014
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From the books description page:

The gaslight and shadows of the underground city of Recoletta hide secrets and lies. When Inspector Liesl Malone investigates the murder of a renowned historian, she finds herself stonewalled by the all-powerful Directorate of Preservation –...

Article by D. L. Denham on 22nd October 2014
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Manroot by  by Anne Steinberg
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Manroot opens in the spring of 1930 with Katherine Sheahan and her father, Jessie, looking for work in the tourist town of Castlewood, Missouri. Jesse gets a job as a handyman and Katherine as a hotel maid. While her father eventually embraces the drink and disappears, Katherine makes a living...

Article by Vanessa on 24th October 2014
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Knee-Deep in the Dead by  by Dafydd ab Hugh
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DOOM is a recognizable brand to any 90s kid or true gamer from the PC age of first person video gaming. One of my most vivid memories as a kid is sitting in my underwear at the large IBM PC a kid, around the age of six, blasting away demons, boneys, and hell-princes until late into the night....

Article by D. L. Denham on 29th October 2014
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Hell on Earth by  by Dafydd ab Hugh
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Continuing where Knee-Deep in the Dead stops, we find our two favorite demon-slaying, zombie-‘sploding action heroes faced with the reality that Earth has been invaded. The story that unfolds on planet Earth is one that could never be guessed and packs a particular charm that I have never seen...

Article by D. L. Denham on 30th October 2014
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Wamphyri! by  by Brian Lumley
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Second book in the original five book series and it follows directly on from where the first book, The Necroscope finishes. The story revisits old characters, further improving on and immersing us in this world of Espers and monsters.

Harry Keogh, the original Necroscope has lost his...

Article by Arron on 31st October 2014
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A Slip of the Keyboard isn't quite an autobiography and yet in many ways it feels like one. It contains a collection of essays, articles, speeches and interviews by the author from 1963 up to the present day. It is the essence of Pratchett, his thoughts on writing, his development and lately his...

Article by Ant on 3rd November 2014
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When I received this anthology to review I hadn't delved into the background behind its journey to publication. It was interesting to see its crowd-sourced origins and development. There are some misconceptions people have with crowd source funded books, firstly that the quality of the writing...

Article by Allen Stroud on 5th November 2014
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Firefall by  by Peter Watts
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Firefall is a collected duology and includes the previously released novel Blindsight along with the new sequel Echopraxia. Firefall is hard science fiction which places a firm grip on high-concept science.

While many hard-science fiction novels can tend to exclude the casual reader,...

Article by Ant on 7th November 2014
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In a Right State by  by Ben Ellis
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It's a fact that following the explosion of technology we now give away vast amounts of information freely and often unknowingly. Big companies have got smart at figuring out just how best to get such information. Many sell that data on without compunction. Fast forward to the year 2066 and big...

Article by Ant on 10th November 2014
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There are not many authors who are willing to write "You may not like this book" right at the beginning. That's one of the things that makes Patrick Rothfuss so special though - he cares that much about his fans, his readers that he is even willing to sacrifice sales to avoid annoying them....

Article by Ant on 14th November 2014
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Elite - Reclamation by  by Drew Wagar
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Elite - Reclamation is the third book in our ongoing review of the Elite: Dangerous novels. 10% of the proceeds of this book are being donated to the Ashford Dyslexia Centre.

Elite - Reclamation is quite different to the previous stories, it feels much more of a slow burn - a political...

Article by Ant on 17th November 2014
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It’s the kind of heist Karyn Ames has dreamed of—enough to set her crew up pretty well and enough to keep her safely stocked on a very rare, very expensive black market drug. Without it, Karyn hallucinates slices of the future overlapped with her present until she’s incapacitated and...

Article by Vanessa on 20th November 2014
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Reading the quote on the cover ("War between science and superstition") along with the image could lead you to believe that The Edge of Reason is a sword and sorcery fantasy or religious thriller. It isn't.

Instead it's a modern day Urban fantasy that rides the popular wave of...

Article by Ant on 22nd November 2014
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Docking is Difficult, so is trying to escape a backwards planet who's only exports are methane and a type of plant that superficially resembles a pig in taste and a triffid in shape.

Misha dreams of escaping the mud and mundane life to become an Elite pilot and live a life full of...

Article by Ant on 24th November 2014
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Infernal Sky by  by Dafydd ab Hugh
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After saving the world twice, the fight continues for Flynn "Fly" Taggart and Arlene Sanders!

Hugh and Linaweaver do a lot of things right with the series. As an obvious fan of the franchise since childhood, I will do my best to highlight the best aspects of the novel. Despite my...

Article by D. L. Denham on 25th November 2014
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A Vision of Fire by  by Gillian Anderson
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I was a big fan of the X-Files series in it's earlier days, although towards the later end of the show running I got fed up with hundreds of new questions rising without any real answers to the many others. I understand from a perspective of belief this makes perfect sense but it is also...

Article by Ant on 26th November 2014
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Endgame by  by Dafydd ab Hugh
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The last book in the series was, unfortunately, this reader’s least favorite, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a real gem. The reality of the series ending was saddening and expectations tend to be very high as a story culminates to its final chapters. Regardless, every series must conclude...

Article by D. L. Denham on 28th November 2014
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Elite - Nemorensis by  by Simon Spurrier
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If you've ever read a Simon Spurrier novel, you will understand how his voice has an almost dirty quality to it. His novels have a raw edge that isn't quite horror but manages to lend some of the gritty reality that the finest horror posses.

Nemorensis has that edge, an unusual style and...

Article by Ant on 1st December 2014
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The Origami Man by  by Ben Mumford-Zisk
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The Origami Man begins with the death of the protagonist, Greg Samson. This however doesn't prevent Greg from returning home and then off to work.

It does however mean he now has to carry around an incredibly deadly alien warship which has burrowed into his neck and is now in a symbiotic...

Article by Ant on 4th December 2014
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I have been lucky enough to be one of a select few to receive an early copy of The Death House, wrapped in brown paper and twine and promising much. I have to say it's an impressive read.

The story involves a unique childrens home (The Death House) where those who are found susceptible...

Article by Ant on 5th December 2014
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First time author T. Ellery Hodges enters the scifi genre with both barrels blazing! His debut novel The Never Hero is an unexpected thrill-ride through both time and space as our protagonist Jonathan fights an alien force hell-bent on destroying humankind.

From the back cover:

...

Article by D. L. Denham on 8th December 2014
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Earth Hive by  by Steve Perry
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In 1992, Steve Perry wrote the first novels based on the Dark Horse comics Aliens. Somehow, I missed these books as a teen. Although, I was familiar with the comics.

Aliens: Earth Hive is the first exciting, action-packed thriller in the series. The story is unique from the movies, so I...

Article by D. L. Denham on 9th December 2014
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Death Masks by  by Jim Butcher
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The fifth book in the Dresden Files following the adventures of that intrepid wizard Harry Dresden. It begins as Dresden books often do, with attempts on Harry's life and that pretty much sets the pace for the whole story.

If you've read the previous books you will be familiar with the...

Article by Ant on 10th December 2014
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Nightmare Asylum by  by Steve Perry
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Crazy fun! But not as good as Aliens: Earth Hive.

Nightmare Asylum picks up immediately where Earth Hive ended. Wilks, Billie, and what remains of Bueller are headed back to Earth. Their previous encounter with a separate alien life form, one that possesses the power to effortlessly...

Article by D. L. Denham on 11th December 2014
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Ancillary Justice by  by Ann Leckie
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Ancillary Justice has won more awards this year than any book before it. Not only that but the awards it has won are most of the major ones in science fiction. The Hugo, the Nebula, the BSFA, the Arthur C Clarke and the Locus award (for first novel).

It's clear to see that the...

Article by Ant on 12th December 2014
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Extinction Game by  by Gary Gibson
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Extinction Game is a clever novel that mixes a post-apocalyptic setting with parallel worlds and a thrilling plot. It all begins with Jerry Beche who believes he is the only survivor following a viral pandemic that sweeps the globe.

While eking out an existence alone in the quiet...

Article by Ant on 16th December 2014
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Elite - Wanted by  by Gavin Deas
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The final book in our Elite: Dangerous series of reviews - Elite: Wanted by the gestalt entity that is Gavin Deas (comprised of the talented authors Stephen Deas and Gavin Smith). For anyone interested, The Elite: Dangerous game is now available, having launched yesterday.

The story...

Article by Ant on 17th December 2014
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A Map of Kex's Face by  by Robin Wyatt Dunn
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Synopsis:

Kex is the administrator of the Eidon Academy, a college with an interdimensional porthole on campus, and the intellectual center of a recently seceded Southern California. Roberto and his wife Sasha are busy acting out a bad campus novel, with infidelities and academic...

Article by D. L. Denham on 18th December 2014
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Revival by  by Stephen King
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Now this is the Stephen King that I fell in love with seventeen years ago when I read The Shining. Since then, I have read most of what King has written. Not until Revival did I get that feeling that I last had over a decade ago when I read The Talisman, which also featured Peter Straub.

...
Article by D. L. Denham on 19th December 2014
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Alien: Sea of Sorrows by  by James A Moore
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The second installment in the new Alien series by Titan books is quiet different from the first and doesn’t quiet fit in the way I expected. Yet, it delivers what any fan of the Alien franchise craves: insane amounts of Xenomorph action.

Alien: Sea of Sorrows takes place on LV178,...

Article by D. L. Denham on 21st December 2014
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From the back cover:

The oil is gone. That way of life, ended. An invention frees the mind. A cyber-world becomes salvation. A boy, a weapon. A soldier, a titan. While nations thrash into antiquity, And a CEO becomes Queen, A man, brilliant and cunning, Plots to rule it all.

...

Article by D. L. Denham on 23rd December 2014
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Ten Little Aliens by  by Stephen Cole
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On the edge of Earths Empire, far out in space, an elite group of soldiers are on a training mission.

A training mission preparing them to face their implacible enemy against which a war rages across the galaxy. Deep in the heart of the hollowed out asteroid where their training takes...

Article by Ant on 29th December 2014
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