I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Tamzin Pook is a fighter in the Amusement Arcade, where she does battle with Revenants - reanimated brains within armoured engine bodies - and is never sure whether she’ll survive another day.

In the wheeled city of Thorbury, a rebel faction has brutally seized control and it will take someone skilled at fighting Revenants to save the day … Enter Tamzin.

Along with an oddball gang of mercenaries and a teacher named Miss Torpenhow, she must outwit a pair of assassins to secure a peaceful future.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Philip Reeve’s standalone adventure set in his MORTAL ENGINES universe for readers aged 12+ is a thrilling story of friendship, belonging and what it means to be a hero. Although Tamzin and Miss Torpenhow are the main characters, this is very much an ensemble piece that explores the geography of the Traction Cities’ world at a breakneck pace. Although this is a standalone story, there is scope here for a sequel, which I would definitely read.

THUNDER CITY was released in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in Antarctica in search of help. In their truck is a horrifying sight - a mysteriously murdered teammate. With no clear jurisdiction, the Americans don’t know what to do. But they soon realise the Chinese scientists have brought far more with them than just a body …

Within seventy-two hours, thirteen more lie dead in the snow.

An extremophile parasite, triggered by severe cold, is spreading by touch. Learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously, the beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.

The survivors cannot let anyone infected make it to the summer season or the parasite will be taken back home with them, and be free to take over civilisation.

You can order SYMBIOTE: A NOVEL by Michael Nayak from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers):”> It’s 18 June 2028. Dr Rajan “Raj )

The Blurb On The Back:

Let the games begin.

Every inhabitant in the Quadrant knows about The Pinnacle, a reality TV contest set on a remote planet with a five million cash prize. For three desperate entrants, winning would mean the world.

Right girl BEX can finally leave her broken family behind.

For politician’s son ZANE, it’s his only opportunity to save his mother.

And it’s outcast RAYA’S last chance at a better life.

But as the competition starts, the contestants are quick to discover that this year’s game has unscripted and DEADLY consequences.

And the only thing they’re truly competing for, is SURVIVAL.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Wendy Cross’s debut YA SF crime novel mixes AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie with SURVIVOR but while the pacing is fast, it cannot make up for very thin characterisation (including of the 3 POV characters), equally thin world building (with Cross heavily dependent on mentioning an aspect of this universe when she needs to explain a twist) and some heavily foreshadowed twists so that as a result the novel just didn’t work for me.

THEN THERE WAS ONE was released in the United Kingdom on 1st February 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Korinna has simple priorities: stay on the Navitas, stay out of trouble, and stay alive. She may be a Redseer, a blind priestess with the power to manipulate space-time, but she is the weakest in her order. Useless and outcast. Or so she has been raised to believe.

As she takes her place as a navigator on an Imperium shop, Korinna’s full destiny is revealed to her: blood brimming with magic, she is meant to become a weapon of the Imperium, and pawn for the Order that raised her. But when the shop is attacked by the notorious pirate Aster Haran, Korinna’s world is ripped apart.

Aster has a vendetta against the Imperium, and an all-consuming, dark power that drives her to destroy everything in her path. She understands the world in a way Korinna has never imagined, and Korinna is drawn to her against her better judgment.

With the Imperium and the justice-seeking warrior Sahar hot on her heels, Korinna must choose her side, seize her power and fulfil her destiny - or risk imperilling the future of the galaxy, and destroying the fabric of space-time itself.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Meredith Mooring’s debut SF space opera romance has some interesting ideas, e.g. the use of a visually impaired protagonist, the idea of atomic manipulation and space ships built from asteroids, but the plotting is all over the place with some developments sign posted too early and a credibility defying plot twist in the final quarter, the central romance being under developed and ultimately a sense that nothing that happens to Korinna is earned.

REDSIGHT will be released in the United States on 27th February 2024 and in the United Kingdom on 29th February 2024. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Hotel Artemis

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It’s an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days’ journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Lauren Forry’s standalone crime novel is one of those books where the journey is sufficiently fun and entertaining that it isn’t until you get to the end that you realise how thin the characters are and that there are plot holes. This is not to damn it with faint praise, Forry’s writing genuinely carried me along and there were enough red herrings to keep me turning the pages so despite the issues, I still look forward to reading her next book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Hayden Lichfield’s life is ripped apart when he finds his father murdered in their lab, and the camera logs erased. The killer can only have been after one thing: the Sisyphus Formula the two of them developed together, which might one day reverse death itself. Hoping to lure the killer into the open, Hayden steals the research. In the process, he uncovers a recording his father made in the days before his death, and a dying wish: Avenge me …

With the lab on lockdown, Hayden is trapped with four other people - his uncle Charles, lab technician Gabriel Rasmussen, research intern Felicia Xia and their head of security, Felicia’s father Paul - one of whom must be the killer. His only sure ally is the lab’s resident artificial intelligence, Horatio, who has been his dear friend and compassion since its creation. With his world collapsing, Hayden must navigate the building’s secrets, uncover his father’s lies and push the boundaries of sanity in the pursuit of revenge.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Em X. Liu’s SF novel is a tech take on HAMLET that explores themes of mortality, fear, intimacy and revenge. Although I enjoyed how Liu updates Felicia (the Ophelia character), I wasn’t gripped by the story and the fragmented style, while true to the underlying themes of the play, further distanced me from the story. Ultimately, this is a clever and thoughtful book but not one that vibes with me, although I’d still check out Liu’s other work.

THE DEATH I GAVE HIM was released in United States on 12th September 2023 and in the United Kingdom on 14th September 2023. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Nothing has happened. Not yet, anyway. This is how all things begin.

Welcome to Apex City, formerly Bangalore, where everything is decided by the mathematically perfect Bell Curve.

With the right image, values and opinions you can ascend to the glittering heights of the Twenty Percent - the Virtual elite - and have the world at your feet. Without, you risk falling to the precarious Ten Percent, and deportation to the ranks of the Analogs, with no access to electricity, running water - even your own humanity.

The system has no flaws. Until the elusive “Ten Percent Thief” steals a single jacaranda seed from the Virtual city and plants a revolution in the barren soil of the Analog world.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Originally published as ANALOGUE/VIRTUAL, Lavanya Lakshminarayan’s debut SF novel is an ambitious read that examines its corporate owned, techno-state through interconnected short stories rather than following a single protagonist. That won’t be to everyone’s tastes and it is a little heavy-handed at the beginning, but this is a refreshing take on the genre with a sharp satirical eye and I look forward to reading Lakshminarayan’s next book.

THE TEN PERCENT THIEF was released in the United States on 28th March 2023 and in the United Kingdom on 30th March 2023. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

The race for immortality is on.

When linguist and smuggler Sean Wren is blackmailed into a job to get some data off an ancient ship, he’s not expecting it to be the Philosopher’s Stone: a literal recipe for immortality.

Unfortunately, he’s not the only one looking. The undying Ministers, mysterious aliens that have ruled over humanity for thousands of years, want the data too. So does the Republic, the last free human government.

To add to the fun, the map to the treasure is in a long-lost language, the ship’s filled with dangerous traps and genetically-engineered monsters, and the nearby star’s going supernova in a few days.

Easy job, right?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Taran Hunt’s debut SF novel mixes TOMB RAIDER with ALIENS to action-packed effect. Sean is an interesting main character who prefers communication to violence while the dynamic between him, Indigo (a Minister) and Tamara (a Republican soldier) held my interest and the creatures are genuinely creepy. Some of the flashbacks slow the pace and I wanted more depth to the politics and history but the cliffhanger ending promises an interesting sequel.

THE IMMORTALITY THIEF by Taran Hunt was released in the United States on 11th October 2022 and in the United Kingdom on 13th October 2022. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Suzie Wen LOVES inventing things - but after one of her inventions goes wrong, Suzie finds herself sucked into her favourite TV show - SPACE BLASTERS!

Now on board AN ACTUAL SPACESHIP with her new friends, Suzie is exploring strange planets and meeting plenty of aliens.

But when moons start disappearing, it’s up to Suzie and the Space Blasters to …

SAVE THE UNIVERSE!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Katie and Kevin Tsang’s SF adventure for readers aged 6+ (the first in a series) has a lot of set-up, which distorts the pacing, and hand waves over how Suzie has found herself in a TV show that’s actually real. That said there is a lot of humour, it conveys how cool science and inventions are (provides bonus facts for readers), Amy Nguyen’s illustrations are lively and fun and there’s a lot of potential for future books, which I would check out.

SPACE BLASTERS: SUZIE SAVES THE UNIVERSE was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

With X-wing pilot Poe Dameron as your guide, see the most amazing brick-built vehicles in the LEGO STAR WARS galaxy!

Get top tips from pilots.
Read the reviews.
Check out the features and decide which vehicle you would test drive.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This LEGO STAR WARS tie-in book for readers aged 5+ contains specs and pictures of various LEGO STAR WARS vehicles plus dad jokes courtesy of Poe Dameron who guides you through the various craft. Personally, I think this is one for only the most dedicated fans as it’s expensive for what it is (a cover price of £12.99) and most of the book is actually the container for the Poe figurine, which you can get with proper kits for about the same price.

LEGO STAR WARS AWESOME VEHICLES was released in the United Kingdom on 7th April 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.