A good conclusion to the Bobiverse trilogy. Listened to the series in beginning 2019 and 2020 (two times total). Looking forward to more books and maybe even to write some fanfiction.
The storylines almost all conclude and the Bobs win against the Others. There are more than 500 of them, so more than enough to make new stories with and explore the Bobiverse.
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu is an amazing book in a genre that I normally don’t read. It’s a fantasy book that is set on some islands and represents technology as in the 16th age of China (or at least so I imagine).
The story is long, intriguing and very moving. It features love, politics, warfare, honour, betrayal, and more.
It features complex characters, situations that you can see from different perspectives, and highlights the difficulty of working together in this world.
I definitely can recommend it.
The Redemption of Time by Baoshu (translated by Ken Liu) was an awesome end to the Three-Body series. I really loved how he (another writer) brought everything together and closed many loops in the original books.
Reviews online seem divided a bit more, and focus on how the story is told. I think I just really loved how things from far earlier came back and were used again.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky is an interesting sci-fi book that takes the human race towards a new planet. Alas, the humans don’t really get to land and some other species gains consciousness over time.
I really enjoyed the book and can recommend it as a good sci-fi book without much technology/universe building.
The awesome short stories of Exhalation by Ted Chiang.
I forgot to add this somewhere in mid/beginning September. I will write a review some other time. Discussed twice on Very Bad Wizards Podcast.
Genetically Engineered.
Physically enhanced.
Mentally conditioned.
This should say it all, right? It’s a fun, lighthearted, book about intergalactic battles, romance (read: sexytime), blood, fighting, being ‘cool’, etc.
It’s just fun. That’s it. Lots of fun. And rage, Max rage.
Flux by Jeremy Robinson is an engaging sci-fi book that takes you through time. Good parts were the connection between characters and historical accuracy. I found more difficult/not-expected the superhuman characters and what they were doing in the story.
Here is the synopsis: “International bestselling author of The Others and Infinite, Jeremy Robinson combines science, action, and strong characters to create an ever-changing landscape that explores the past, the human condition, and the lengths people will go to save those they love.”
The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor is another good book by the author of the Bob’s series. This one is less fun and universe building and more focussed on one particular event and story. It still has quite some humour and interesting dynamics. Less expansive, still fun and well-written.
From another reviewer: “Where the Bobbiverse novels relied on an equal mix of pop-culture nerdiness and solid SF idea exploration in the realm of a self-replicating AI who is still effectively “human”, The Singularity Trap jumps on some of the same solid SF ideas and plotting but does it without most of the humor.”
I can agree and one other thing I liked was the narration and sound effects (like a voice-over with radio-ish sounds). So very different from Bob and his clones/friends, still good.
Semiosis by Sue Burke explores an interesting idea, what if plants could think and what if we have to live together (in an alliance) with them.
That being said, I thought the book went on way too long and I didn’t feel much connection with the characters. It might be so because I like my sci-fi to be in space, or that the switching between generations just didn’t do it for me.
The book is also about how we want to live together. I think here it might have touched upon some good points, but it didn’t provide any revelations or new insights.