REVIEW: MAVERICKS by Craig Alanson

Title: Mavericks
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force
Genres: Sci-Fi, Military Sci-Fi
Publisher: Createspace
Release: May 31st 2018
Source: ebook
Pages: 275

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BLURB:
The remnants of the Expeditionary Force stranded on the alien-controlled planet 'Paradise' get a chance to prove themselves, in a simple off-world training mission with a ship full of teenage alien cadets. When the mission goes horribly wrong and the survival of everyone on Paradise is at risk, the Merry Band of Pirates may have to come to the rescue. Unless they get killed first...

 

REVIEW: GOLD SHADOW by L. C. Perry

Title: Gold Shadow
Author: L. C. Perry
Series: Bronze Rebellion #1
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi
Publisher: -
Release: December 2nd, 2017
Source: E-book
Pages: 343

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BLURB: In the North American continent, eighteen year old Ebony has been living as a slave for as long as she can remember. The underground cities, the tattoo, the scars and the shackles are a part of the only world she has ever known. She knows that in order to survive, she will have to stay strong. And she will stay strong, cursing those in power, until her very last breath. She waits for a meaningful way to die as she quietly pushes her body to its limit…but that all changes when rebels from the surface drop down right in front of her.

Now, Ebony is challenged to envision a life beyond slavery as she and the other escapees are thrown into the center of a rebellion against the monarchy. She has to embrace this glimmer towards a real life…this glimmer called freedom. But what can she contribute to a rebellion that is doomed to fail like those before it? How can they stop a corrupt monarchy that has lasted for a century? Among the lower class, those with hope are hard to come by, but Ebony has found refuge with people full of it. And through their strong desire, an idea emerges…one that has never been done before. The princess of the country is coming of age and what better way to send a message to the king and queen than to kidnap their only daughter?

REVIEW: ZERO HOUR by Craig Alanson

Title: Zero Hour
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force 5
Genres: Sci-Fi, Military Fiction
Publisher: Independently published
Release: 2017 November 17th
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 494

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BLURB:
United Nations Special Operations Command sent an elite Expeditionary Force of soldiers and pilots out on a simple recon mission, and somehow along the way they sparked an alien civil war. Now the not-at-all-Merry Band of Pirates is in desperate trouble, again. Their stolen alien starship is falling apart, thousands of lightyears from home. The ancient alien AI they nicknamed ‘Skippy’ is apparently dead, and even if they can by some miracle revive him, he might never be the same.

 

REVIEW: BLACK OPS by Craig Alanson

Title: Black Ops
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force 4
Genres: Sci-Fi, Military Fiction
Publisher: Independently published
Release: 2017 May 24th
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 673

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BLURB:
The elite crew of the pirate ship UNS Flying Dutchman had a simple mission: determining whether the Thuranin are sending another starship to Earth. Along the way, they became sidetracked by securing a future for the UNEF troops on the planet Paradise. When asked whether Earth was now safe, their ancient alien AI responded 'Not so much'... now they have to deal with the consequences.

 

REVIEW: PARADISE by Craig Alanson

Title: Paradise
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force 3
Genres: Sci-Fi, Military Fiction
Publisher: Independently published
Release: 2017 October 29th
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 283

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BLURB:
While the crew of the starship Flying Dutchman have been trying assure hostile aliens do not have access to Earth, the UN Expeditionary Force has been trapped on the planet they nicknamed 'Paradise'. The Flying Dutchman is headed back out on another mission, and the UN wants the ship to find out the status of the humans on Paradise. But Colonel Joe Bishop warns that they might not like what they find, and they can't do anything about it without endangering Earth.

 

REVIEW: SPECOPS by Craig Alanson

Title: SpecOps
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force 2
Genres: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Publisher: Independently published
Release: 2017 October 29th
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 275

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BLURB:
The sequel to 'Columbus Day'. Colonel Joe Bishop made a promise and he's going to keep it; taking the captured alien starship Flying Dutchman back out. He doesn't agree when the UN decides to send almost 70 elite Special Operations troops, hotshot pilots and scientists with him; the mission is a fool's errand he doesn't expect to ever return. At least, this time, the Earth is safe, right? Not so much.

 

REVIEW: COLUMBUS DAY by Craig Alanson

Title: Columbus Day
Author: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force 1
Genres: Sci-Fi, Fiction
Publisher: Independently Published
Release: 2016 January 11th
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 494

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BLURB:

We were fighting on the wrong side, of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news. The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar, wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria, to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar, they aren't our enemy, our allies are.

I'd better start at the beginning....

 

REVIEW: THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Darkest Minds
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release: December 18th, 2012
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 499

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BLURB: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.

REVIEW: BINTI by Nnedi Okorafor

Title: Binti
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Series: Binti #1
Genres: Science Fiction, Novella, Short story
Publisher: Tor.com
Release: September 22nd, 2015
Source: Kindle
Pages: 96

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BLURB:

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself - but first she has to make it there, alive.

REVIEW: LEGEND by Marie Lu

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Genres: Science Fiction, YA
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release: 2011
Source: Paperback
Pages: 305

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BLURB: What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

REVIEW: THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Series: The Host
Genres: Science Fiction, YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Release:
Source: Physical copy
Pages: 620

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BLURB: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

REVIEW: REINCARNATION BLUES by Michael Poore

Title: Reincarnation Blues
Author: Michael Poore
Series: -
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Release: August 22nd 2017
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 374

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BLURB:
A magically inspiring tale of a man who is reincarnated through many lifetimes so that he can be with his one true love: Death herself.

What if you could live forever—but without your one true love? Reincarnation Blues is the story of a man who has been reincarnated nearly 10,000 times, in search of the secret to immortality so that he can be with his beloved, the incarnation of Death. Neil Gaiman meets Kurt Vonnegut in this darkly whimsical, hilariously profound, and wildly imaginative comedy of the secrets of life and love. Transporting us from ancient India to outer space to Renaissance Italy to the present day, is a journey through time, space, and the human heart.

REVIEW: GUNSLINGER by Stephen King

Title: Gunslinger
Author: Stephen King
Series: The Dark Tower 1
Genres: Horror, Fiction, Sci-fi
Publisher: NAL
Release: 2003 June 24th
Source: eBook
Pages: 231

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BLURB:
Beginning with a short story appearing in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, the publication of Stephen King's epic work of fantasy -- what he considers to be a single long novel and his magnum opus -- has spanned a quarter of a century.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement.

Book I
In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.

This new edition of The Gunslinger has been revised and expanded throughout by King, with new story material, in addition to a new introduction and foreword. It also includes four full-color illustrations in the hardcover and trade paperback formats.

REVIEW: ARTEMIS by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis
Author: Andy Weir
Series: n/a
Genres: Sci-fi, Thriller
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Release: 2017 November 14th
Source: AudioBook
Pages: 305

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BLURB:
Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

REVIEW: THE MOON DWELLERS by David Estes

Title: The Moon Dwellers
Author: David Estes
Series: The Dwellers #1
Genres: Science Fiction, YA
Publisher: 
Release: June 30th, 2012
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 369

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BLURB: In a desperate attempt to escape destruction decades earlier, humankind was forced underground, into the depths of the earth, creating a new society called the Tri-Realms. 

After her parents and sister are abducted by the Enforcers, seventeen-year-old Adele, a member of the middle-class moon dwellers, is unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her parents' crimes of treason.

Against all odds, Adele must escape from the Pen and find her family, while being hunted by a deranged, killing machine named Rivet, who works for the President. She is helped by two other inmates, Tawni and Cole, each of whom have dark secrets that are better left undiscovered. Other than her friends, the only thing she has going for her is a wicked roundhouse kick and two fists that have been well-trained for combat by her father.

At the other end of the social spectrum is Tristan, the son of the President and a sun dweller. His mother is gone. He hates his father. Backed by only his servant and best friend, Roc, he leaves his lavish lifestyle in the Sun Realm, seeking to make something good out of his troubled life.

When a war breaks out within the Tri-Realms, Tristan is thrust into the middle of a conflict that seems to mysteriously follow Adele as she seeks to find her family and uncover her parents true past.

In their world, someone must die.

REVIEW: JANE, UNLIMITED by Kristin Cashore

Title: Jane, Unlimited
Author: Kristin Cashore
Series: -
Genres: YA, Science Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Release: September 19th 2017
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 464

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BLURB:
If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible. 

REVIEW: THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood

Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Series: -
Genres: Fiction, Dystopian, Classic, Feminism
Publisher: Vintage Digital
Release: May 12th 2012
Source: Kindle/Audiobook
Pages:  370

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BLURB:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

REVIEW: WARCROSS by Marie Lu

Title: Warcross
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Warcross #1
Genres: YA, Scifi, Adventure
Publisher:  G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Release: September 12th 2017
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 368

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BLURB:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

GUEST REVIEW: THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K.Jemisin

Title: The Fifth Season
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Series: The Broken Earth #1
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Publisher: Orbit
Release: 2015
Source: Audiobook
Pages: 468

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BLURB:
This is the way the world ends...for the last time.
A season of endings has begun.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.
It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.
It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

REVIEW: WE ARE THE ANTS by Shaun David Hutchinson

Title: We Are the Ants
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Series: -
Genres: YA, LGBT, Science Fiction
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release: January 19th, 2016
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 464

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BLURB: Henry Denton doesn’t know why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button.

But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind.

Since the suicide of his boyfriend, Jesse, Henry has been adrift. He’s become estranged from his best friend, started hooking up with his sworn enemy, and his family is oblivious to everything that’s going on around them. As far as Henry is concerned, a world without Jesse is a world he isn’t sure is worth saving. Until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t given him a button for that.