Nice series intro. Beautiful art but I wanted a wee bit more in terms of story. Hopefully will get that in issue #2. Definitely will be part of my monNice series intro. Beautiful art but I wanted a wee bit more in terms of story. Hopefully will get that in issue #2. Definitely will be part of my monthly reads....more
It's funny that I happen to read this after the Iliad because part of me wants to describe this as a Jamaican Iliad for the gang wars of the 70s and 8It's funny that I happen to read this after the Iliad because part of me wants to describe this as a Jamaican Iliad for the gang wars of the 70s and 80s. Maybe a Jamaican Game of Thrones would be better because of it's very graphic in it's depiction of violence. It's definitely not a book for everyone. Within the pages, however, are what feels like very authentic voices from various points of view. I enjoyed the prose, I enjoyed the humor and suspense. The story is often non-linear but Marlon James does a great job of keeping you on the rails. As a Jamaican-American, this read like a culmination of all the rumours and half-truths I would hear as a kid about the gangs/posses on the island and in the States. It's not the kind of story that was discussed among middle class Jamaican in polite company. It was the kind of tale that people talked about at night, in the backyard, playing dominoes with friends. This book rips away the tourist's version of the Caribbean paradise, if you want to preserve the "no problem man" view of Jamaica, skip this book. If you want to know why so many people have migrated away from paradise, read on. I now have to wonder how much of this story is based on fact. I'll be thinking about this story for a long time. ...more
This book plays like a jazz session. In this case the authors are riffing off a central theme. That theme being life in a seemingly ageless and endles
This book plays like a jazz session. In this case the authors are riffing off a central theme. That theme being life in a seemingly ageless and endless City in the middle of nowhere. The City is futuristic relative to our own but it also has plenty of cracks, gaps and shadows for both good and evil to flourish. Many of the humans that live among the over 1500 alien species that occupy the city seem to be of African descent. The reason for this is yet another mystery of the place that breeds as many questions as answers. The City has as many stories as it has residents. In this anthology we get a 15 of them. This book showcases quite a few new and interesting African-American Science Fiction talent. All the stories were interesting but I'm going to limit my comments to a few:
Move by ZZ Claybourne: Played like a good Ridley Scott flick. It's about protecting the ones you love at any price
Dreamer’s Recall: A haunting story that would have been right at home on the twilight zone.
The Man with No Name by DK Gaston: Cinematic, action packed story that shows us the darker sides of the city, bonus: nicely linked with another story in the Anthology
Welcome to Liberty by Howard Night: an excellent futuristic police procedural with twist.
Would love to see this anthology to expand into future volumes.
A very short read and a true classic (Hugo Award for Best Novella) . Silverberg eloquently threads a tale that spans eons through the first person sinA very short read and a true classic (Hugo Award for Best Novella) . Silverberg eloquently threads a tale that spans eons through the first person singular lens of it's protagonist. Parts of the style and story recalled Zelazny to me and that's a good thing. Like an accidental tourist, we learn of the world as it is and the world that was. There are some great quotables in this novella and I'm glad that I finally had a chance to read this #scifi classic....more
I gave this 4 stars because even though the formulaic nature of the space navy's adventures continue to play out, it's still a good adventure. The chaI gave this 4 stars because even though the formulaic nature of the space navy's adventures continue to play out, it's still a good adventure. The characters are well fleshed out and there is real family-like bonding on the ship. I think at this point, though, we can only go down from here in future installments if things don't start to change radically. ...more
TL;DR version: Great book, buy a copy and read it.
Long version: The first fruits of Steamfunk is here and and it's great.
My first encounter with MiltoTL;DR version: Great book, buy a copy and read it.
Long version: The first fruits of Steamfunk is here and and it's great.
My first encounter with Milton's Freedonia universe was from last year's cool "Steamfunk" anthology. Freedonia is, in short, a free nation of former slaves and their descendants. Geographically, it's territory is carved out of a huge portion of what we would call the united states. It's a world of airships, steam cars and automatons. A world where the Great Game continues, in war and subterfuge. From this incredible backdrop, emerges a great adventure story that is sometimes reminiscent of a great summer buddy action movie and at other times a humorous homage to the classic Crosby/Hope "Road to..." movies of the 1940s. I enjoyed it immensely and I eagerly await Milton and his fellow Steamfunk cohorts to release more stories like this.
Side note: I read the entire book aloud to my family a chapter or two at a time every night and they also enjoyed the story. Wheels up and thumbs up!
Sobering. Frightening. True? Cowen's book could have had an alternative subtitle "The rise of the American Dystopia" Only the future will tell if thisSobering. Frightening. True? Cowen's book could have had an alternative subtitle "The rise of the American Dystopia" Only the future will tell if this is a vision of the future or only one of the (hopefully) preventable alternatives. ...more
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