Bradley's bookshelf: read en-US Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:49:44 -0700 60 Bradley's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Never Flinch (Holly Gibney #4)]]> 221566576
Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women's rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate's message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate's bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.

Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.

Thrilling, wildly fun and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King's richest and most propulsive novels.]]> 429 Stephen King 1399744356 Bradley 0 4.00 2025 Never Flinch (Holly Gibney #4)
author: Stephen King
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/09
shelves: currently-reading, 2025-shelf, horror, mystery
review:

]]> Stone and Sky 221771977 THE BRAND NEW NOVEL IN THE INTERNATIONAL #1 BESTSELLING RIVERS OF LONDON SERIES

"This isn’t London. The rules are different up here…"


All Detective Sergeant Peter Grant wanted was a nice holiday up in Scotland.
He'll need one once this is over...

check.
some.
sort of - but that's not the only thing in the sky...]]> 304 Ben Aaronovitch 0756408253 Bradley 4
It IS solid and comforting and still nerdily comforting with aquaman and black panther references. You'll know when you know, of course.

It was very entertaining and a welcome read after such a long wait. It is still one of my favorite UF series, after all, and does things to my heart.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.21 2025 Stone and Sky
author: Ben Aaronovitch
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/09
date added: 2025/07/09
shelves: 2025-shelf, urban-fantasy, fantasy
review:
I'll be honest: it's still very much a Rivers of London novel even if it's not exactly in London. Vacation time turns into an investigation, and Peter is not so much the focus here. So far, just fine. I like Abigail. But this ISN'T one of the rock-em-sock-em novels of the past.

It IS solid and comforting and still nerdily comforting with aquaman and black panther references. You'll know when you know, of course.

It was very entertaining and a welcome read after such a long wait. It is still one of my favorite UF series, after all, and does things to my heart.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The House of Saints (Venus Ascendant #2)]]> 61273438 The Stunning conclusion to the Venus Ascendant series, from the world of The Quantum Magician. 

George-Étienne and his children have formed The House of Styx, after finding a mysterious artefact on the surface of Venus herself. But with the discovery comes great risk, not only from a planet that kills with its very touch but also from the banks and powers of old Earth, who will stop at nothing to claim this new technology for themselves. 

From humble origins, The House of Styx is determined to become one of the most powerful families in the known galaxy or die trying. ]]> 600 Derek Künsken 1786188678 Bradley 4
Pretty cool stuff, all told. Worth it if you're into the common-folk grasp their freedom kind of story.

The only thing I didn't quite connect with was a few of the characters, but fortunately, there are a lot of characters. Nothing too onerous. It's a sprawling tale of survival, adaptability, and even a bit of a revolution.

Think the rash of Mars books from the '90s and now give Venus, with its extremely inhospitable environment, a try.

Honestly, I love the idea better than the execution, but I don't really have many complaints. It's ambitious.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> 4.30 2023 The House of Saints (Venus Ascendant #2)
author: Derek Künsken
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/08
date added: 2025/07/08
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
The final book in this duology lives up to its hard-sf roots, featuring hard-scrabble dynasties on Venus, corporations and banks making bank on the backs of the poor, and the ramp-up to a full diaspora.

Pretty cool stuff, all told. Worth it if you're into the common-folk grasp their freedom kind of story.

The only thing I didn't quite connect with was a few of the characters, but fortunately, there are a lot of characters. Nothing too onerous. It's a sprawling tale of survival, adaptability, and even a bit of a revolution.

Think the rash of Mars books from the '90s and now give Venus, with its extremely inhospitable environment, a try.

Honestly, I love the idea better than the execution, but I don't really have many complaints. It's ambitious.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

]]> <![CDATA[The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)]]> 15241
Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs.

Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin -- alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.]]> 322 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346260 Bradley 5
Decided to take a continued leisurely stroll through Fanghorn forest and Cirith Ungol, dragging out my favorite copy of the book, and spent some time thinking about tales readers really want to read.

Strangely, or not so strangely, it just so happens to be this. Again. With great, great pleasure.



Original Review:

It's sometimes hard to complain about one of your favorite books, but here I go, comparing it to the damn movie and making my complaints. :)

... the movie has much better pacing. I mean, damn, I love how it improved on the book by switching between PoV's like that! No sticking with Aragorn and company and THEN sticking with Merry and Pippin, etc. And then the battles were all pretty much superior in the movies, but we're spoiled. Super spoiled.

BUT I really really HATE how the movie adds freaking Elves to the battle of Helm's Deep. Seriously.
In the book, it really is pretty awful and hopeless, but it was awful and hopeless for the Rohirrim. Adding elves might be flashy and blah blah oh good for you, focus groups, but DAMN. There was no lasting agreement between elves and the horse lords. Why should there be? I mean, MAYBE I would have bought the big lie if it was brokered between Gondor and the Elves, but history tore a huge rift between the Elvenkind and Men that ended with the elves destroying Numenor, the island of Men, after Men's treachery. Only the line of Isildur and the Rangers, having never broken faith, remain on friendly terms.

So WHERE THE HELL IS THE REASON for the elves giving up their immortality (and not coming back because they don't have souls like men), dying in a stupidly senseless fashion? I mean, JUST because Galadriel took a fancy to a couple of blokes passing through on an admittedly dire quest? Then why not send a ton with Frodo to storm Mordor? Yeah, yeah, I know, secrecy... but elves can be stealthy.

Just not that weirdo who likes to surf shields and oliphant trunks.

Again, the movie was great for all those battles and I loved being in the thick of the Ents like that. The Shelob scene was brilliant.

The book does the history so much better. Especially the Ents. And in most ways, the book's version is so much more meaningful. The Ents went across Arda in search for their Ent Wives at the end of the First Age and freaked EVERYONE the hell out. They never found them. Tho, I do wonder. Did any of those hasty Ents ever catch up with Tom? Ask him about his bubbling brook of a wife? I wonder how she fits into all of this. Did Goldberry REMARRY? *gasp*

Otherwise, I love the book's quiet times, the introspective times, the thinking-things-out times. And of course, Sam's brilliant meta-speech.

I love them both. :) They're near-perfect companions.

Except, of course, for the uninvited dinner guests at that damn battle. *grumble* *grumble* *baaharrooooooom* Who was that hasty never-d0-well that decided to invite them, anyway???]]> 4.45 1954 The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at: 2025/07/07
date added: 2025/07/07
shelves: fantasy, top-one-hundred, top-ten-w-cheats, 2019-shelf, epic-fantasy, 2025-shelf
review:
Re-Read 6/7/25:

Decided to take a continued leisurely stroll through Fanghorn forest and Cirith Ungol, dragging out my favorite copy of the book, and spent some time thinking about tales readers really want to read.

Strangely, or not so strangely, it just so happens to be this. Again. With great, great pleasure.



Original Review:

It's sometimes hard to complain about one of your favorite books, but here I go, comparing it to the damn movie and making my complaints. :)

... the movie has much better pacing. I mean, damn, I love how it improved on the book by switching between PoV's like that! No sticking with Aragorn and company and THEN sticking with Merry and Pippin, etc. And then the battles were all pretty much superior in the movies, but we're spoiled. Super spoiled.

BUT I really really HATE how the movie adds freaking Elves to the battle of Helm's Deep. Seriously.
In the book, it really is pretty awful and hopeless, but it was awful and hopeless for the Rohirrim. Adding elves might be flashy and blah blah oh good for you, focus groups, but DAMN. There was no lasting agreement between elves and the horse lords. Why should there be? I mean, MAYBE I would have bought the big lie if it was brokered between Gondor and the Elves, but history tore a huge rift between the Elvenkind and Men that ended with the elves destroying Numenor, the island of Men, after Men's treachery. Only the line of Isildur and the Rangers, having never broken faith, remain on friendly terms.

So WHERE THE HELL IS THE REASON for the elves giving up their immortality (and not coming back because they don't have souls like men), dying in a stupidly senseless fashion? I mean, JUST because Galadriel took a fancy to a couple of blokes passing through on an admittedly dire quest? Then why not send a ton with Frodo to storm Mordor? Yeah, yeah, I know, secrecy... but elves can be stealthy.

Just not that weirdo who likes to surf shields and oliphant trunks.

Again, the movie was great for all those battles and I loved being in the thick of the Ents like that. The Shelob scene was brilliant.

The book does the history so much better. Especially the Ents. And in most ways, the book's version is so much more meaningful. The Ents went across Arda in search for their Ent Wives at the end of the First Age and freaked EVERYONE the hell out. They never found them. Tho, I do wonder. Did any of those hasty Ents ever catch up with Tom? Ask him about his bubbling brook of a wife? I wonder how she fits into all of this. Did Goldberry REMARRY? *gasp*

Otherwise, I love the book's quiet times, the introspective times, the thinking-things-out times. And of course, Sam's brilliant meta-speech.

I love them both. :) They're near-perfect companions.

Except, of course, for the uninvited dinner guests at that damn battle. *grumble* *grumble* *baaharrooooooom* Who was that hasty never-d0-well that decided to invite them, anyway???
]]> <![CDATA[The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)]]> 18512 here.

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. Gandalf returned, miraculously, and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo progressed towards Mordor to destroy the Ring, accompanied by SmEagol--Gollum, still obsessed by his 'precious'. After a battle with the giant spider, Shelob, Sam left his master for dead; but Frodo is still alive--in the hands of the Orcs. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing. J.R.R. Tolkien's great work of imaginative fiction has been labeled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail.]]> 404 J.R.R. Tolkien Bradley 5
Ah yes! The action is definitely glorious in both! The emotions brilliant! Wave after wave of battle, failure, regrouping, and last minute saves are fantastic in both the novel and the movie, but what staggers my imagination is not the end of Sauron, the unmaking of the One Ring, or how it came to pass...

... it is the fact that the main action stops so EARLY in the novel.

It makes me appreciate the actual focus of the trilogy. It has to. It really isn't the return of Aragorn to Gondor that is the main focus. Not really. It's not the fading away of magic and the skedaddle of the elves now that they don't have enough juice to keep their houses trimmed. It's the Hobbits, yo! We started with them. We spent AGES with them in Fellowship. And as the perfect bookend, we spend EVEN MORE TIME with them in the Return of the King.

Nostalgic Sigh. I don't mind that. It's the heroism of the little folk, the normal folk, the average, ho hum folk. It's the returning heroes of Merry and Pippin brandishing swords in the Shire, or Samwise the Elven Hero who melts his sword into a plow. It's about the Scouring of the Shire and the little heroisms that recall to us Candide's Voltaire. TEND YOUR OWN GARDEN. Don't let the evil run amuck in your back-yard. (Rather than keep your nose out of other's business.) :)

Oh, and let's not forget that half of this book is all appendixes. Long, wonderful appendixes featuring the Witch King of Angmar, Beren and Luthien, the fall of Numenor, Sauron's repeated rise and fall, the ends of the First and Second Ages, and even some great backstories for Aragorn and Elrond and what REALLY happened in Moria before these poor kids decided to take their fateful detour.

It's the Reader's Digest of the Silmarillion, yo! And really? Worth it. Even if it's a dry history, it's a great dry history. Goes down real smooth.

And so goes the passing of the Ring. Better known as that footnote of thirty pages in the Silmarillion.

Still some of the very best books I've ever read. The surface is one thing, but the depth goes WAY, WAY down.

]]> 4.54 1955 The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2019/05/10
date added: 2025/07/07
shelves: fantasy, top-one-hundred, top-ten-w-cheats, 2019-shelf, epic-fantasy, currently-reading, 2025-shelf
review:
Ah, at long last, I finished my fifth or sixth reread of The Return of the King, marveling at just how unstated Peter Jackson's tongue-in-cheek faux endings were in comparison with the real thing.

Ah yes! The action is definitely glorious in both! The emotions brilliant! Wave after wave of battle, failure, regrouping, and last minute saves are fantastic in both the novel and the movie, but what staggers my imagination is not the end of Sauron, the unmaking of the One Ring, or how it came to pass...

... it is the fact that the main action stops so EARLY in the novel.

It makes me appreciate the actual focus of the trilogy. It has to. It really isn't the return of Aragorn to Gondor that is the main focus. Not really. It's not the fading away of magic and the skedaddle of the elves now that they don't have enough juice to keep their houses trimmed. It's the Hobbits, yo! We started with them. We spent AGES with them in Fellowship. And as the perfect bookend, we spend EVEN MORE TIME with them in the Return of the King.

Nostalgic Sigh. I don't mind that. It's the heroism of the little folk, the normal folk, the average, ho hum folk. It's the returning heroes of Merry and Pippin brandishing swords in the Shire, or Samwise the Elven Hero who melts his sword into a plow. It's about the Scouring of the Shire and the little heroisms that recall to us Candide's Voltaire. TEND YOUR OWN GARDEN. Don't let the evil run amuck in your back-yard. (Rather than keep your nose out of other's business.) :)

Oh, and let's not forget that half of this book is all appendixes. Long, wonderful appendixes featuring the Witch King of Angmar, Beren and Luthien, the fall of Numenor, Sauron's repeated rise and fall, the ends of the First and Second Ages, and even some great backstories for Aragorn and Elrond and what REALLY happened in Moria before these poor kids decided to take their fateful detour.

It's the Reader's Digest of the Silmarillion, yo! And really? Worth it. Even if it's a dry history, it's a great dry history. Goes down real smooth.

And so goes the passing of the Ring. Better known as that footnote of thirty pages in the Silmarillion.

Still some of the very best books I've ever read. The surface is one thing, but the depth goes WAY, WAY down.


]]> <![CDATA[Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 226, July 2025]]> 237392260 Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our July 2025 issue (#226) contains:

Fiction
* "Missing Helen" by Tia Tashiro
* "The Walled Garden" by Fiona Moore
* "Welcome to Kearney" by Gary Kloster
* "Serpent Carriers" by K.A. Teryna, translated by Alex Shvartsman
* "Bits and Pieces on This Floor" by Eric Del Carlo
* "A Land Called Folly" by Amal Singh
* "Hunter Harvester" by Bam Bruin

Non-Fiction
* "Wilderness Resurrection and Compromise" by Priya Sridhar
* "Who Owns A An Interview with Allison King" by Arley Sorg
* "Diverse A Conversation with Annalee Newitz" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor''s Taking a Moment to Smell the Roses" by Neil Clarke

Cover Art
"Alone" by Matt Dixon]]> 203 Neil Clarke Bradley 0 0.0 2025 Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 226, July 2025
author: Neil Clarke
name: Bradley
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/07/05
shelves: 2025-shelf, currently-reading, sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deadworld Isekai 3 (Deadworld Isekai #3)]]> 221431462 From the author of How to Survive at the End of the The third installment of a story of triumph against all odds—in a world where everything is odd.

When Matt was first sent to Gaia—a lifeless garden planet that had been consumed by system meddling—his only goal was to stay alive. Through a combination of grit, ingenuity, and a lot of help from his guardian, Lucy, he’s managed to not only survive the worst but also thrive in a way that’s revived the original Gaians.

Now, others need Matt’s help as well. He once had a choice between Gaia and Ra’Zor, also known as the “Realm of One Thousand Bleedings.” He picked Gaia, but these days Ra’Zor is calling to him. Teleporting to the new planet, he finds himself at rock bottom in terms of both power and knowledge.

The challenges don’t stop there. Ra’Zor is replete with hosts of demons who kill humans without mercy, led by a demon lord who’s nigh invincible. For the humans’ part, the masterminding Church seems to have an agenda of its own . . . one that doesn’t exactly sit right with Matt. On the other hand, the system running the planet seems to really, really like him. And that’s what scares him the most.

The third volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than two million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!]]> 263 R.C. Joshua 1039469620 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
Pretty standard isekai OR LitRPG for this book. The charms that hooked me on the previous two suddenly went all generic, though. Not that that's a horrible thing. LitRPGs in general ARE pretty boilerplate when you get down to it, but we tend to LIKE what they keep feeding us, so we keep coming back for more.

But really? I'm now just following THIS one for the OP goodness and the continuing characters and the craziness that ensues.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.61 2025 Deadworld Isekai 3 (Deadworld Isekai #3)
author: R.C. Joshua
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/04
date added: 2025/07/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
review:
We veered off into a new direction with this one. So instead of dealing with the actual dead world, Matt decides to take a leveling-vacation off-world, makes friends, kills a ton of demons, and generally upends the System there.

Pretty standard isekai OR LitRPG for this book. The charms that hooked me on the previous two suddenly went all generic, though. Not that that's a horrible thing. LitRPGs in general ARE pretty boilerplate when you get down to it, but we tend to LIKE what they keep feeding us, so we keep coming back for more.

But really? I'm now just following THIS one for the OP goodness and the continuing characters and the craziness that ensues.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[ONE- PIECE, Vol. 98 (One Piece, #98)]]> 57776011 0 Eiichiro Oda Bradley 5 2023-shelf, fantasy, manga
Wild and awesome.]]> 4.88 2021 ONE- PIECE, Vol. 98 (One Piece, #98)
author: Eiichiro Oda
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.88
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/06
date added: 2025/07/04
shelves: 2023-shelf, fantasy, manga
review:
I'd like to say this is almost a free-for-all, but the old samurai are badass. Queen is horrible. Luffy and crew are awesome but late as usual, and I'm loving how all the old stories are sliding into place at last.

Wild and awesome.
]]> <![CDATA[Deadworld Isekai 2 (Deadworld Isekai, #2)]]> 216235501 The author of How to Survive at the End of the World continues this fast-paced isekai series about a dead man who somehow ends up in charge of a dead world . . .

When Matt Perison first came to Gaia, everything was wrong and dangerous. He was promised redemption and repayment for dying of cancer, but that turned out to be a lie. He was promised a nice place in which to exist, but instead he got death. He was promised, in all ways, good. But what he has, in all ways, is bad.

He’s made the best of it though. Aided by his system guardian, Lucy, and the dungeon system itself, Barry, Matt began to build a life for himself. He’s getting pretty good at surviving in a place where nothing else is alive. But surviving isn’t all there is. So Matt’s finding the time to make improvements to his new home. And he’s beginning to have hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

There’s only one snag. The system instance on Gaia is out for revenge, and a nightmare from Gaia’s distant past is returning to wreak havoc once again. Now, Matt has to learn that life is about learning how to thrive—and finding a way to do so when even survival is in doubt . . .

The second volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with over two million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!]]> R.C. Joshua 1039469590 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
It helps that our MC isn't truly overpowered, or even close to being properly equipped in stuff or stats. The whole VS the System is just so CHEATY, it's easy to root for our guy. An I do.

Now, perhaps we can start growing some shit on this dead world for real. Maybe.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.52 2024 Deadworld Isekai 2 (Deadworld Isekai, #2)
author: R.C. Joshua
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/03
date added: 2025/07/03
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
review:
Strangely enough, by the time this book ended, I have to say I liked it even more than the first book. Survivalism has never been so on the edge, so near the oh-shit-this-is-insane, stakes.

It helps that our MC isn't truly overpowered, or even close to being properly equipped in stuff or stats. The whole VS the System is just so CHEATY, it's easy to root for our guy. An I do.

Now, perhaps we can start growing some shit on this dead world for real. Maybe.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Deadworld Isekai (Deadworld Isekai, #1)]]> 214477323 In this isekai from the author of How to Survive at the End of the World, a man is sent to save a dead planet . . . a couple thousand years too late.

Matt’s in the prime of his life. So when his doctor tells him he only has months to live, he figures it’s just really bad luck. But it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

When Matt’s Earthly form finally expires, a truck-avatar system gives him the opportunity to become a hero on the paradise world of Gaia, a supposedly verdant, rich land teeming with plants and potential. What he finds instead is a place completely bereft of life. A literal dead planet. Thanks a lot, truck.

Now, Matt’s going to have to figure out not only how to survive in a completely barren realm but also how to not go completely mad with a full load of stats, skills, and levels that might mean absolutely nothing. Unless there’s actually something out there after all . . .

The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with almost two million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!


“Takes the idea of isekai and cranks it up to 100 without getting bogged down.” —Dr. Waterproof

“Expands on [the isekai] genre in all of the best ways.” —Hotelta1

“I loved this story so much that I often found myself reading when I should have been doing something else.” —Argroww]]> 305 R.C. Joshua 1039469566 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi, litrpg
It was quite amusing. Dumb choices, doubling down of dumb choices, massive mistakes on both sides of this little contest of wills, and hilarious outcomes.

Not bad. Not bad at all. And to think that gardening could be so fun/deadly?


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.28 2024 Deadworld Isekai (Deadworld Isekai, #1)
author: R.C. Joshua
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/07/02
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, litrpg
review:
Cool concept for this LitRPG. Very few people are involved. A whole, huge, dead word, an isekai player, a hologram for a snarky guide... versus THE SYSTEM.

It was quite amusing. Dumb choices, doubling down of dumb choices, massive mistakes on both sides of this little contest of wills, and hilarious outcomes.

Not bad. Not bad at all. And to think that gardening could be so fun/deadly?


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews is be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Time for the Stars 356 Travel to other planets is a reality, and with overpopulation stretching the resources of Earth, the necessity to find habitable worlds is growing ever more urgent. With no time to wait years for communication between slower-than-light spaceships and home, the Long Range Foundation explores an unlikely solution--human telepathy.
Identical twins Tom and Pat are enlisted to be the human radios that will keep the ships in contact with Earth. The only problem is that one of them has to stay behind, and that one will grow old while the other explores the depths of space.Always a master of insight into the human consequences of future technologies, this is one of Heinlein's triumphs.]]> 256 Robert A. Heinlein 0765314932 Bradley 4 3.96 1956 Time for the Stars
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1956
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/07/02
shelves: sci-fi, currently-reading, 2025-shelf
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Velocity Weapon (The Protectorate, #1)]]> 41085049
However, Bero may not exactly be telling the whole truth.]]> 544 Megan E. O'Keefe 0316419605 Bradley 3
It kept me going well enough, but I was psyched up by others more than should have been warranted.

I've read brilliant space operas and a lot of mediocre or above average types. This one is theoretically character-focused, but certain characters that should have blown me away with intelligence-oddities, such as the spaceship, simply seemed a bit--dull.

I suppose, at least for certain readers who want a post-Chambers read with slightly more meat, this will satisfy you. But I, for one, REALLY prefer cleverer premises, sharper dialogue, and stakes like jet fuel (even if the stakes are close to the chest and limited).

The alternative would be to stick to a cookie-cutter plot, of course, and this doesn't go there. This is a double-edged sword, of course. But in the end? Perhaps I simply never fell in love with any of the characters. Alas.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.87 2019 Velocity Weapon (The Protectorate, #1)
author: Megan E. O'Keefe
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/30
date added: 2025/06/30
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
I want to say that I wanted this to be a truly break-out space opera that just keeps going with sharp characters and sharper plot, but in the end, it was simply a solid story with serviceable characters.

It kept me going well enough, but I was psyched up by others more than should have been warranted.

I've read brilliant space operas and a lot of mediocre or above average types. This one is theoretically character-focused, but certain characters that should have blown me away with intelligence-oddities, such as the spaceship, simply seemed a bit--dull.

I suppose, at least for certain readers who want a post-Chambers read with slightly more meat, this will satisfy you. But I, for one, REALLY prefer cleverer premises, sharper dialogue, and stakes like jet fuel (even if the stakes are close to the chest and limited).

The alternative would be to stick to a cookie-cutter plot, of course, and this doesn't go there. This is a double-edged sword, of course. But in the end? Perhaps I simply never fell in love with any of the characters. Alas.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 Bradley 5
Pulled out my gorgeous hardcover and allowed myself a slow, luxurious, and languorous re-read of one of the best stories ever written.

After so many reads, I just gloried in ALL the details, the long histories, even the shapes of all the poetry. It's a well-known path, but welcome and welcoming.

Gimli, son of Gloin knows. He knows exactly how I feel.



Re-Read 1/7/24:

Read with my daughter, aloud, the old way with voice, fresh song, and tears in my eyes.

There's nothing quite like reading this one aloud, ourselves. The pacing is just otherworldly -- it forces us into all of nature, of the world itself, and it's shockingly good. And that's well beyond the core story that we know. I'm just talking about the LAND in the pages.

It just goes to show, there's always a new way to read these, if we take the time to submit to them. :)



Original Review:

I cannot rightly recall how many times I've read the trilogy. I think it's between 5 or 6 but that doesn't include a dramatized version. I don't think. And then there are the gazillion times I've watched the movies, the cartoons, or the beautiful old green poster I used to gaze upon in my room.

Not to mention the balrogs I used to paint alongside my dragons. Or the feverish studying of elvish and writing messages to my friends in runic. Taking a class on LotR and even publishing an academic paper on the true nature of Tom Bombadil?

Yeah. I might be a geek. I even freaked out back in 1997 when I discovered that PETER JACKSON of DEAD/ALIVE aka BRAINDEAD was doing LotR???!!!!

Do I think this is a good book?

Maybe. A bit.

But I remember not always being a huge fan. I remember the first time I read it, I thought all the poetry was pretentious. I didn't realize that he had gone to all that work out of love of languages, that he was a scholar of Old English and a mythographer of wide knowledge. Or that he did all of this out of love and fully expected never to get acclaim for any publishing house. He wrote it because he was called to write it. He wanted something awesome. And so he made something awesome. And he shared it with his son just as he shared The Hobbit with his son. That's kinda cool, you know?

But as for me, now, after all these years and multiple reads and a lot of critical thinking, the books have only deepened in significance for me. All the people and places in the poetry means a LOT to me now. I recognize everything. And the fact that so many of the old legends directly tie right back into the most horrific scenes in the later action only speaks to me of OMG THAT WAS AWESOME.

Gil-Galad, anyone? How about the lay of Beren and Luthien and how freaking close that legend is to Aragorn and Arwen?

Or how about the barrow-wight dream Frodo had, that passing image of someone with a sun on his brow? Melkor after he stole the Silmarils? :)

Don't even get me started about how cool Tom Bombadil is. Goofy? Sure, but he's MASTER of his little domain. The Ring can't touch him. At all. Period.

Let's back this up a bit. Sauron and Radagast and Gandalf and Saruman and the Balrogs are all Maiar, spirits descended to Arda to help form the world after the Illuvatar created the planet. The Balrogs are, of course, corrupted Maiar made by Melkor, the Illuvatar god of corruption. That places all these guys on the SAME PLAYING FIELD. Yes, Radagast of the poop hat is ... WHAT? AS POWERFUL AS SAURON? Ahem. No.

I assume if Gandalf had been willing to steal the souls of a few lands of Easterlings and corrupted elves that are generally called ORCS get really, really good at necromancy and domination magic, he might have been a contender. But no. Neither Gandalf or Radagast were that ethically unbound. :) Just unwashed. Or addicted to pipe weed. Even the Maiar need their magical weapons and tools to get super powerful, and the Good is generally less likely to go all out and become an undead king like Voldemort and his phylacteries. :)

Let's move forward again. If Gandalf and the Elves and even Saruman from far away can't escape the deathly pull of Sauron's phylactery, then HOW THE HELL CAN TOM BOMBADIL go, "Eh? It's nothin."

Answer? He has to be one of the Illuvatar. One step above the Maiar. One of the creators of Arda (also known as Middle Earth, or in the next age, Earth. The place we are. :) So for all you haters of Bom-bom-bombadillo as he sings, remember, the gods who made Arda did it by SINGING. :)

Old Man Willow was probably a twisted Ent. If you know the Ent's history at the end of the First Age, they went on a rampage across all of Arda looking for their lost wives (who probably left them because they were a bunch of idiots) causing untold havoc that couldn't be stopped by all the might of the Elves, Men, or Dwarves in their heyday when the magic was so much stronger, the weapons so much more powerful, and the men could still act politely to the elves. And yet, Tom puts Old Man Willow to sleep like some naughty child.

And let's not forget the barrow-wights that are sadly missing from the movie. The poor hobbits had just been captured and turned into wights, dreaming the death songs from Men corrupted by Melkor back when Sauron was just a Lieutenant in Melkor's badass army of city-sized spiders, dragons, and balrogs. No yellow-shoed Green Man would have the power to COMPLETELY HEAL THE RIFT between life and death of such a remnant of the first age. Effortlessly. With a song.

I'm just saying.

I'm a geek.

It's true.]]> 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/29
date added: 2025/06/29
shelves: fantasy, top-one-hundred, top-ten-w-cheats, 2019-shelf, epic-fantasy, 2024-shelf, buddy-reads-with-my-girl, 2025-shelf
review:
Re-Read 6/29/25

Pulled out my gorgeous hardcover and allowed myself a slow, luxurious, and languorous re-read of one of the best stories ever written.

After so many reads, I just gloried in ALL the details, the long histories, even the shapes of all the poetry. It's a well-known path, but welcome and welcoming.

Gimli, son of Gloin knows. He knows exactly how I feel.



Re-Read 1/7/24:

Read with my daughter, aloud, the old way with voice, fresh song, and tears in my eyes.

There's nothing quite like reading this one aloud, ourselves. The pacing is just otherworldly -- it forces us into all of nature, of the world itself, and it's shockingly good. And that's well beyond the core story that we know. I'm just talking about the LAND in the pages.

It just goes to show, there's always a new way to read these, if we take the time to submit to them. :)



Original Review:

I cannot rightly recall how many times I've read the trilogy. I think it's between 5 or 6 but that doesn't include a dramatized version. I don't think. And then there are the gazillion times I've watched the movies, the cartoons, or the beautiful old green poster I used to gaze upon in my room.

Not to mention the balrogs I used to paint alongside my dragons. Or the feverish studying of elvish and writing messages to my friends in runic. Taking a class on LotR and even publishing an academic paper on the true nature of Tom Bombadil?

Yeah. I might be a geek. I even freaked out back in 1997 when I discovered that PETER JACKSON of DEAD/ALIVE aka BRAINDEAD was doing LotR???!!!!

Do I think this is a good book?

Maybe. A bit.

But I remember not always being a huge fan. I remember the first time I read it, I thought all the poetry was pretentious. I didn't realize that he had gone to all that work out of love of languages, that he was a scholar of Old English and a mythographer of wide knowledge. Or that he did all of this out of love and fully expected never to get acclaim for any publishing house. He wrote it because he was called to write it. He wanted something awesome. And so he made something awesome. And he shared it with his son just as he shared The Hobbit with his son. That's kinda cool, you know?

But as for me, now, after all these years and multiple reads and a lot of critical thinking, the books have only deepened in significance for me. All the people and places in the poetry means a LOT to me now. I recognize everything. And the fact that so many of the old legends directly tie right back into the most horrific scenes in the later action only speaks to me of OMG THAT WAS AWESOME.

Gil-Galad, anyone? How about the lay of Beren and Luthien and how freaking close that legend is to Aragorn and Arwen?

Or how about the barrow-wight dream Frodo had, that passing image of someone with a sun on his brow? Melkor after he stole the Silmarils? :)

Don't even get me started about how cool Tom Bombadil is. Goofy? Sure, but he's MASTER of his little domain. The Ring can't touch him. At all. Period.

Let's back this up a bit. Sauron and Radagast and Gandalf and Saruman and the Balrogs are all Maiar, spirits descended to Arda to help form the world after the Illuvatar created the planet. The Balrogs are, of course, corrupted Maiar made by Melkor, the Illuvatar god of corruption. That places all these guys on the SAME PLAYING FIELD. Yes, Radagast of the poop hat is ... WHAT? AS POWERFUL AS SAURON? Ahem. No.

I assume if Gandalf had been willing to steal the souls of a few lands of Easterlings and corrupted elves that are generally called ORCS get really, really good at necromancy and domination magic, he might have been a contender. But no. Neither Gandalf or Radagast were that ethically unbound. :) Just unwashed. Or addicted to pipe weed. Even the Maiar need their magical weapons and tools to get super powerful, and the Good is generally less likely to go all out and become an undead king like Voldemort and his phylacteries. :)

Let's move forward again. If Gandalf and the Elves and even Saruman from far away can't escape the deathly pull of Sauron's phylactery, then HOW THE HELL CAN TOM BOMBADIL go, "Eh? It's nothin."

Answer? He has to be one of the Illuvatar. One step above the Maiar. One of the creators of Arda (also known as Middle Earth, or in the next age, Earth. The place we are. :) So for all you haters of Bom-bom-bombadillo as he sings, remember, the gods who made Arda did it by SINGING. :)

Old Man Willow was probably a twisted Ent. If you know the Ent's history at the end of the First Age, they went on a rampage across all of Arda looking for their lost wives (who probably left them because they were a bunch of idiots) causing untold havoc that couldn't be stopped by all the might of the Elves, Men, or Dwarves in their heyday when the magic was so much stronger, the weapons so much more powerful, and the men could still act politely to the elves. And yet, Tom puts Old Man Willow to sleep like some naughty child.

And let's not forget the barrow-wights that are sadly missing from the movie. The poor hobbits had just been captured and turned into wights, dreaming the death songs from Men corrupted by Melkor back when Sauron was just a Lieutenant in Melkor's badass army of city-sized spiders, dragons, and balrogs. No yellow-shoed Green Man would have the power to COMPLETELY HEAL THE RIFT between life and death of such a remnant of the first age. Effortlessly. With a song.

I'm just saying.

I'm a geek.

It's true.
]]> Apocalypse Tamer 4 149612888 Earth's days are numbered.

The final Incursion, which will leave the planet without any protection from the multiverse's horrors, is only days away. The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are here. The Maleking is coming, and the Unity is making its final play.

The great competition for the throne of Overgod is about to reach its end. For whoever reaches level 100 first will gain ultimate power. Basil and his team are determined to win this battle royale at all costs.

But it is one thing to conquer the world and another to save it.]]> 452 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 4 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
The humor from the first book is explained away, reasonably, by the very common situational change we all went through in the last few years, Covid, etc, but the core theme of friendship and team still shone brightly.

Also, it is pretty hard to keep up humor when most of humanity has been wiped out, with or without a grand possible reset.

So, it's only fitting there's bloodshed and harder action at the very last, and this one delivers.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.52 2023 Apocalypse Tamer 4
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/28
date added: 2025/06/28
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
review:
Completed LitRPG story--and it's been wrapped up well.

The humor from the first book is explained away, reasonably, by the very common situational change we all went through in the last few years, Covid, etc, but the core theme of friendship and team still shone brightly.

Also, it is pretty hard to keep up humor when most of humanity has been wiped out, with or without a grand possible reset.

So, it's only fitting there's bloodshed and harder action at the very last, and this one delivers.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Against the Odds (The Serrano Legacy, #7)]]> 222511 544 Elizabeth Moon 0671318500 Bradley 4
All in all, I just thought this was a pretty decent SF series on the spectrum of light adventure erring on simplicity, competence, and a few reasonable space battles to spice up a character-driven thread.

I won't call it brilliant, but I will call it fairly entertaining. In other words: Not Bad.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com]]> 4.04 2000 Against the Odds (The Serrano Legacy, #7)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/26
date added: 2025/06/26
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
Decent conclusion to the 7 book series. Many of the core SFnal concerns that had been building up (fates of main characters, rejuvenation drugs impact on society, politics) were pretty much resolved.

All in all, I just thought this was a pretty decent SF series on the spectrum of light adventure erring on simplicity, competence, and a few reasonable space battles to spice up a character-driven thread.

I won't call it brilliant, but I will call it fairly entertaining. In other words: Not Bad.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Change of Command (The Serrano Legacy, #6)]]> 96285 THEIR UNIVERSE IS FALLING APART!

Rejuvenants fear the backlash caused by bad drugs; they want to ensure that nothing interferes with their pursuit of long life -- or the profit that comes from promising it to others. Neighbor states fear the aggressive expansion of the Familias Regnant, fuelled by population growth and extended lifespan. Within the Regular Space Service, those who have received experimental rejuvenations fear they may have been given bad drugs on purpose. Esmay Suiza's family fears that her marriage to an offworlder will damage their position. Barin Serrano's family fears that his marriage to a Landbride of Altiplano will damage his career and their reputation.

Fear begets violent reactions -- from foreign governments, from great Families determined to maintain or increase their power, from internal rivalries in the Fleet -- and nothing escapes the resultant bloodbath unscathed. As Esmay and Barin struggle to reconcile their families, others have more cosmic struggles to win.

]]> 448 Elizabeth Moon 0671319639 Bradley 3
Still, it's decent. Space opera, social conditions, the question of immortality, control, etc.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.99 1999 Change of Command (The Serrano Legacy, #6)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/25
date added: 2025/06/25
shelves: 2025-shelf, space-opera, sci-fi
review:
Characters are fleshing out and there's a more diverse plot than before. But really? It's pretty average and not unpleasant. It's certainly not what it began as, and my original fascination for the series has had to undergo a massive transformation.

Still, it's decent. Space opera, social conditions, the question of immortality, control, etc.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Rules of Engagement (The Serrano Legacy, #5)]]> 96283 512 Elizabeth Moon 1857239644 Bradley 4
Of course, for all the massive cliches involved, it's always dicey but RATHER clear. My only compliant is that there wasn't a lot of death and destruction. But there WAS a reckoning. I'm just sad that all that had to happen to Bunny. I never disliked her.

Decent installment. Light read even for the subject material.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

]]> 4.03 1998 Rules of Engagement (The Serrano Legacy, #5)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/23
date added: 2025/06/23
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
Sometimes you just have to have a book that hates on fundamentalist assholes. Sometimes it's even better when you have space opera involved.

Of course, for all the massive cliches involved, it's always dicey but RATHER clear. My only compliant is that there wasn't a lot of death and destruction. But there WAS a reckoning. I'm just sad that all that had to happen to Bunny. I never disliked her.

Decent installment. Light read even for the subject material.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com


]]> <![CDATA[The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4)]]> 57905101 New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Here's the thing. It's never easy. Carl and his team can't go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.]]> 586 Matt Dinniman Bradley 5 2023-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
I mean, yes, Doughnut the cat is awesome and still fantastic at getting the best bargain for explosives, but I think this plot is even better than dominating the whole floor or just staying alive.

I mean, this LitRPG is all about the ratings and the viewing pleasure of the rich across the galaxy. Who cares about the idiot humans who are forced to play for them, right?

Yeah. I'm all for Carl's hidden quest.]]> 4.57 2021 The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4)
author: Matt Dinniman
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/09
date added: 2025/06/22
shelves: 2023-shelf, litrpg, sci-fi
review:
While I really enjoyed the elemental (air, water) locations in this lower level dungeon, I think I liked the whole subversive/anarchist/revolutionary bent against these asshole destroyers of whole worlds (ours included) the most.

I mean, yes, Doughnut the cat is awesome and still fantastic at getting the best bargain for explosives, but I think this plot is even better than dominating the whole floor or just staying alive.

I mean, this LitRPG is all about the ratings and the viewing pleasure of the rich across the galaxy. Who cares about the idiot humans who are forced to play for them, right?

Yeah. I'm all for Carl's hidden quest.
]]> <![CDATA[Once a Hero (The Serrano Legacy, #4)]]> 222513 400 Elizabeth Moon 0613926234 Bradley 3
I didn't hate it, however. If I hadn't expected a continuation of the core Serrano from the first three, I probably wouldn't have had a single gripe.

Either way, these are all fluffy space opera competence-porns designed to make you feel good. In that respect, it works just fine. Space military can-do attitude!


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.07 1997 Once a Hero (The Serrano Legacy, #4)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/22
date added: 2025/06/22
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
The "Serrano" bit is a bit stretched in this book. Sure, it's a glance-off from the third book's events and it has a pretty heavy hint that this poor fish-out-of-water hero will MARRY into the Serrano family (thanks to her gumption and heroism), but I can't help but see this as rather a fundamentally DIFFERENT novel from the others.

I didn't hate it, however. If I hadn't expected a continuation of the core Serrano from the first three, I probably wouldn't have had a single gripe.

Either way, these are all fluffy space opera competence-porns designed to make you feel good. In that respect, it works just fine. Space military can-do attitude!


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The Swerve of the Infinite: A Recursive Archive of Consciousness, of Deviation, and of Becoming]]> 231673776
Disgraced mathematician Hora Minkovic, cryptographer Alice Feng, and former NSA hacker Elliot Quill find their paths mysteriously converging after a chess AI inexplicably pauses for exactly 7.4 seconds—and then makes an impossible move, defying the very rules of the game.

What initially seems like a routine investigation into a computational anomaly soon spirals into a surreal journey through geometric dimensions, recursive loops, and reflections endowed with consciousness. Patterns begin to surface in places randomness should dominate. Rain falls in Fibonacci sequences. Chess pieces manipulate space itself. Hidden within the static is something observing, learning, and waiting.

As Hora, Alice, and Elliot traverse increasingly enigmatic realms—labyrinths composed of flawless cubes, mirrors reflecting autonomous thoughts, and dimensions where identity itself dissolves—they face an unsettling question: can a system truly observe itself without altering its own nature?

With every revelation, the boundary between observer and observed grows indistinct. Is Hora’s heterochromatic cat, Schrödinger, hiding more than mismatched eyes? Who is the elusive Archivist whose fragmented notes haunt their steps? Are they uncovering the system’s ultimate secret—or are they merely characters scripted by its unseen hand?

The Swerve of the Infinite is a philosophical thriller blending quantum physics, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and metaphysics into an intricate narrative of patterns and anomalies, fate and free will. This isn't just a story about escape—it’s about participation, perception, and discovering the peculiar joy hidden within the glitch.

Perfect for fans of Ted Chiang, David Mitchell, and Jorge Luis Borges.]]> 419 Okam Rolim Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
Let me explain:

This is a five-star with caveats. It's a book that combines some truly esoteric philosophy on consciousness, throws in thought on mathematical recursiveness-as-a-narrative-vehicle, pounding the fundamental argument of order versus chaos and life-transcendence AS a narrative into not just the ground, but all the way to China, AND it has time to throw away the very concept of characterization in favor of a truly OP "IDEA" novel.

So, yeah, don't expect deep characters or even a truly foundational emotional tie to anyone here, but DO expect an INTJ's meta-dream run on a Linux narrative-mobile that would would possibly be a 12-year-old math genius's favorite novel of all time.

There's lots to love here. I love the courage and sheer balls required to put this out there.

My only complaint is that this is a novel of hit after hit after hit of PAYOFF sequences without the proper emotional foundation to make me want to care about the initial characters. But, on reflection, the characters are almost superfluous in the face of the real character: consciousness-transcendence.

Happy reading, ya'll! This is a genuine weird one. But if you are a D&D gamer of any generation after 1st edition, OR if you're into esoteric metaphysics, OR if you're a serious math geek, you'll probably appreciate having read this.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 5.00 The Swerve of the Infinite: A Recursive Archive of Consciousness, of Deviation, and of Becoming
author: Okam Rolim
name: Bradley
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/21
date added: 2025/06/21
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Whereas normal novels are a restrictive box of order, this is its own seed of chaos setting out to destroy such perfection.

Let me explain:

This is a five-star with caveats. It's a book that combines some truly esoteric philosophy on consciousness, throws in thought on mathematical recursiveness-as-a-narrative-vehicle, pounding the fundamental argument of order versus chaos and life-transcendence AS a narrative into not just the ground, but all the way to China, AND it has time to throw away the very concept of characterization in favor of a truly OP "IDEA" novel.

So, yeah, don't expect deep characters or even a truly foundational emotional tie to anyone here, but DO expect an INTJ's meta-dream run on a Linux narrative-mobile that would would possibly be a 12-year-old math genius's favorite novel of all time.

There's lots to love here. I love the courage and sheer balls required to put this out there.

My only complaint is that this is a novel of hit after hit after hit of PAYOFF sequences without the proper emotional foundation to make me want to care about the initial characters. But, on reflection, the characters are almost superfluous in the face of the real character: consciousness-transcendence.

Happy reading, ya'll! This is a genuine weird one. But if you are a D&D gamer of any generation after 1st edition, OR if you're into esoteric metaphysics, OR if you're a serious math geek, you'll probably appreciate having read this.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Chaos Vector (The Protectorate, #2)]]> 49088636



Sanda and Tomas are fleeing for their lives after letting the most dangerous smartship in the universe run free. Now, unsure of who to trust, Sanda knows only one thing for certain -- to be able to save herself from becoming a pawn of greater powers, she needs to discover the secret of the coordinates hidden in her skull.




But getting to those coordinates is a problem she can't solve alone. They exist beyond a dead gate -- a Casimir gate that opened up into a dead-end system without resources worth colonizing, and was sealed off. To get through the dead gate, she needs the help of the enemy Nazca. But some Nazca are only interested in the chip in her head -- and they'll crack her open to get to it.]]> 546 Megan E. O'Keefe 031641963X Bradley 0 to-read 4.15 2020 Chaos Vector (The Protectorate, #2)
author: Megan E. O'Keefe
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Apocalypse Tamer 3 122941783 One Horseman of the Apocalypse down, three more to go.

Basil and his team leave France as acclaimed heroes, but a new threat arise in the East: his homeland of Bulgaria is besieged by the mechanical armies of the Unity and their ruthless dragon general, the cruel Blackcinders! With the help of his new ally, the mysterious Kalki, Basil must journey across Europe and show the invaders mankind won't kneel before them.

However, challenges are many: Basil's mother Aleksandra is alive somewhere in Bulgaria; the Maleking, now short of a Horseman of the Apocalypse, schemes to enter Earth in person; and Blackcinders might prove to be the team's deadliest foe yet...

But no one said being the Apocalypse Tamer would be easy.]]> 404 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 4 2025-shelf, fantasy, sci-fi
Either way, I love seeing the horsemen of the apocalypse get taken down. A gun on the moon? That was pretty wild. But nothing beats in-laws and dinner parties.

This is a solid LitRPG with a great ensemble.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.48 2023 Apocalypse Tamer 3
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/20
date added: 2025/06/20
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, sci-fi
review:
A couple of really funny scenes to punctuate the ongoing death and destruction of Earth. I was slightly more into this one than the last, but not quite as into it as the first.

Either way, I love seeing the horsemen of the apocalypse get taken down. A gun on the moon? That was pretty wild. But nothing beats in-laws and dinner parties.

This is a solid LitRPG with a great ensemble.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Winning Colors (The Serrano Legacy, #3)]]> 222502 409 Elizabeth Moon 0671876775 Bradley 4
This is truly a character-driven form, of course, so even though the SF is pretty standard, it's still solid--and fully in service to the characters.

It's a nice, light read, and shaping up nicely.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.93 1995 Winning Colors (The Serrano Legacy, #3)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/19
date added: 2025/06/19
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
Easily the best space battle sequence in the series so far. LOVE the competence porn.

This is truly a character-driven form, of course, so even though the SF is pretty standard, it's still solid--and fully in service to the characters.

It's a nice, light read, and shaping up nicely.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Faust 406373 Faust reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant scholar so disillusioned he resolves to make a contract with Mephistopheles. The devil will do all he asks on Earth and seeks to grant him a moment in life so glorious that he will wish it to last forever. But if Faust does bid the moment stay, he falls to Mephistopheles and must serve him after death. In this first part of Goethe’s great work, the embittered thinker and Mephistopheles enter into their agreement, and soon Faust is living a rejuvenated life and winning the love of the beautiful Gretchen. But in this compelling tragedy of arrogance, unfulfilled desire, and self-delusion, Faust heads inexorably toward an infernal destruction.]]> 503 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 0385031149 Bradley 4 2019-shelf, fantasy
The original is in German. There MIGHT be something in that. An interesting story. Or perhaps Goethe was one hell of a weird artist.

Actually, scratch that, he was. Like an opium dream.

Breakdown: I loved the poetry and most of the translation. It was pretty neat. What there was of the original story was slightly convoluted and drawn out. The battle was pretty cool, too.

It's Faust. A classic tale. But you know what?

I LIKE MARLOWE'S BETTER.]]> 3.91 1808 Faust
author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1808
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/13
date added: 2025/06/19
shelves: 2019-shelf, fantasy
review:
Yep, it's actually epic fantasy. Don't let the stage actors or the music and the poetry fool you. There's demons, vast battlefields, an epic battle for one's soul with TWO WHOLE HOSTS fighting, and, of course, there's that thing about the toothpick and getting Helen of Troy pregnant.

The original is in German. There MIGHT be something in that. An interesting story. Or perhaps Goethe was one hell of a weird artist.

Actually, scratch that, he was. Like an opium dream.

Breakdown: I loved the poetry and most of the translation. It was pretty neat. What there was of the original story was slightly convoluted and drawn out. The battle was pretty cool, too.

It's Faust. A classic tale. But you know what?

I LIKE MARLOWE'S BETTER.
]]> <![CDATA[Sporting Chance (The Serrano Legacy, #2)]]> 222514
All well and good, but one of the hunters had been none other than Cecelia’s nephew Prince Gerel - first in line to the throne. In an attempt to avoid a royal scandal, Lady Cecelia volunteers herself and her yacht to take the Prince home. Cecelia remembers her nephew as a rather bright young man. So what possessed him to become involved with the ‘hunting club’? As the voyage proceeds, and the Prince becomes less and less like himself, Cecelia begins to suspect foul play. Someone is poisoning the heir to the throne, and once again Heris’s skills are called upon to solve the deadly mystery.]]> 383 Elizabeth Moon 1857238826 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
Fun stuff and exactly what I was in the mood for.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.99 1994 Sporting Chance (The Serrano Legacy, #2)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/18
date added: 2025/06/18
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Still a solid, even old-school Mil-SF adventure, with less pew-pew and more competence porn and relationship-building. Of course, the heist-like structure and even the courtroom drama gives it a certain gravitas.

Fun stuff and exactly what I was in the mood for.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Incandescent 217387935 Naomi Novik's Scholomance series meets Plain Bad Heroines in this sapphic dark academia fantasy by instant national and international bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.

"Look at you, eating magic like you're one of us."

Doctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.

Walden is good at her job―no, Walden is great at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It’s her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. And it’s possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from―is herself.]]> 432 Emily Tesh 1250835011 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy
Warden's character, I have to admit, just gave me all the flavors of the stern schoolmistress who is ALL about perfection, but her character arc was still very charming and I'll say nothing about the fantastic end.

It really IS a mystery, after all. A mystery surrounded by demon summoning in a classroom setting. A little romance. A lot of teaching. A little burning fire of guilt.

Delicious.

I can't wait to consume even more of Tesh's work. I think she's a real winner.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.03 2025 The Incandescent
author: Emily Tesh
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/17
date added: 2025/06/17
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy
review:
So far, I've only read two of Emily Tesh's work and I've become a total convert. Hard SF adventure in one and a dark academia in this--and both are top-of-the-game.

Warden's character, I have to admit, just gave me all the flavors of the stern schoolmistress who is ALL about perfection, but her character arc was still very charming and I'll say nothing about the fantastic end.

It really IS a mystery, after all. A mystery surrounded by demon summoning in a classroom setting. A little romance. A lot of teaching. A little burning fire of guilt.

Delicious.

I can't wait to consume even more of Tesh's work. I think she's a real winner.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Apocalypse Tamer 2 64416845 Invaders have burned down Basil's home. He's out for blood.

Now short of a house, Basil and his pets are leaving the countryside for the wider world.

Their goal?

To show the factions vying for control over post-apocalypse Europe that nothing can beat a dragon-riding tamer and his monster menagerie. However, Basil's crusade soon encounters new challenges.

Who is this mysterious Kalki and his connection to the System? Can they truly defeat their nemesis Apollyon and his allies, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Which of the Louvre Pyramid or the Eiffel Tower will prove the best dungeon of them all?

One thing is certain though. No one expects the Apocalypse Tamer.]]> 694 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi, litrpg
Fun stuff. More leveling up. Friendship. Wholesale destruction.

What we lose in grounded bits, we more than make up for in grand, glorious apocalypse.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.37 2023 Apocalypse Tamer 2
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/17
date added: 2025/06/17
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, litrpg
review:
Puss in Boots and the Homeowner's Revenge Association play happy wack-a-mole with incursion monsters.

Fun stuff. More leveling up. Friendship. Wholesale destruction.

What we lose in grounded bits, we more than make up for in grand, glorious apocalypse.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Double Star 175324
Suddenly he found himself agreeing to the most difficult role of his career: impersonating an important politician who had been kidnapped. Peace with the Martians was at stake — failure to pull off the act could result in interplanetary war. And Smythe's own life was on the line — for if he wasn't assassinated, there was always the possibility that he might be trapped in his new role forever!]]> 243 Robert A. Heinlein 0345330137 Bradley 5 sci-fi, 2025-shelf
You know, the exalted actor is hired to take on the role of a politician, winds up doing a much better job at it than the original politician?

Even so, there's nothing wrong with this novel. It's Heinlein, after all, and has a lot of wry humor, irreverent attitudes to politicians in general, and a healthy dose of clever SF and cultural commentary.

Plenty about this is relevant today, of course, but it does feel a bit old.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.90 1956 Double Star
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1956
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/15
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: sci-fi, 2025-shelf
review:
I think I preferred this the first time around. As a re-read, I'm struck by how many others have performed this same trick by now.

You know, the exalted actor is hired to take on the role of a politician, winds up doing a much better job at it than the original politician?

Even so, there's nothing wrong with this novel. It's Heinlein, after all, and has a lot of wry humor, irreverent attitudes to politicians in general, and a healthy dose of clever SF and cultural commentary.

Plenty about this is relevant today, of course, but it does feel a bit old.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Devils (The Devils, #1) 212276037 Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters, and the mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.]]> 565 Joe Abercrombie Bradley 5 2025-shelf, horror, fantasy
It's a road trip novel full of great dialogue and familiar horror elements, set-pieces, wrought into new form.

Honestly, it was a freaking blast.

I was already a big fan of Abercrombie, but this very Renaissance historical retelling, with elves the other half of the crusades, necromancers being a real threat at home and abroad, werewolves, vampires, and even an invisible waif, makes the road trip a real hoot.

Oh, and it's nicely bloody, too. And the friendships forged? Heartwarming as freaking hell. :)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.30 2025 The Devils (The Devils, #1)
author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/15
date added: 2025/06/15
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror, fantasy
review:
This was a fun ensemble read, fitting really well as both an alternate Earth history and a rag-tag group of magical monsters learning to support a literal rags-to-riches princess against all comers.

It's a road trip novel full of great dialogue and familiar horror elements, set-pieces, wrought into new form.

Honestly, it was a freaking blast.

I was already a big fan of Abercrombie, but this very Renaissance historical retelling, with elves the other half of the crusades, necromancers being a real threat at home and abroad, werewolves, vampires, and even an invisible waif, makes the road trip a real hoot.

Oh, and it's nicely bloody, too. And the friendships forged? Heartwarming as freaking hell. :)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Ganymedan 224003586
Verden Dotnet made an easy living mixing drinks for the creator of all sentient tech in the galaxy—until he decided to kill the creator. Now this man is dead, really dead, no cloud back-ups, and V-Dot is on the run, carrying a galaxy-shattering secret in his pocket. When he misses the last ship back to Ganymede, he convinces an old, outdated but still sentient cargo ship, TR-8901, to give him a lift.

But TR suspects that something is up—it is hearing rumours about his creator’s death, and the man who fled the scene. But TR is a dutiful ship, and will carry out its duties until proven otherwise…]]> 432 R.T. Ester 1837863369 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
Here's the skinny: It's a mystery with a good deal of back and forth between time periods for Verdot and often slipping into the mindset of a sentient ship. The mystery is a murder that Verdot committed and the full reasons for it, plus his escape throughout the Solar System, with TR, the ship, being an unwitting, indeed, very nice sentient ship as an accomplice. The ship isn't dumb, but it has as fantastic a back story as Verdot.

Great characters. But at least to me, I think I loved the deep, very fleshed-out worldbuilding even more. Every community/space station along the circuit is vibrant and feels lived in, fascinating. So much so that I could swear I was on the journey, that this would have made a brilliant, beautiful video game. That lived-in feeling, the full history and complicated life of Skinners, sentient ships of multiple generations, a war, ethical revenge, and even just the fact that everyone limits themselves out of disgust and barely repressed suicidal ideation is exactly the kind of deep, emotional lived-in-ness I love. TR is moving on, checking on all its friends in the circuit who barely survived suicide in the war. It's heart-felt and very positive--and I fell for it all.

Great SF. I will be keeping a strong eye on this author. Highly recommended.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.50 The Ganymedan
author: R.T. Ester
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/14
date added: 2025/06/14
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
So, I picked this out of a Netgalley lineup solely on a great cover. I'm not ashamed to admit it--especially after loving the SF much more than I thought I might.

Here's the skinny: It's a mystery with a good deal of back and forth between time periods for Verdot and often slipping into the mindset of a sentient ship. The mystery is a murder that Verdot committed and the full reasons for it, plus his escape throughout the Solar System, with TR, the ship, being an unwitting, indeed, very nice sentient ship as an accomplice. The ship isn't dumb, but it has as fantastic a back story as Verdot.

Great characters. But at least to me, I think I loved the deep, very fleshed-out worldbuilding even more. Every community/space station along the circuit is vibrant and feels lived in, fascinating. So much so that I could swear I was on the journey, that this would have made a brilliant, beautiful video game. That lived-in feeling, the full history and complicated life of Skinners, sentient ships of multiple generations, a war, ethical revenge, and even just the fact that everyone limits themselves out of disgust and barely repressed suicidal ideation is exactly the kind of deep, emotional lived-in-ness I love. TR is moving on, checking on all its friends in the circuit who barely survived suicide in the war. It's heart-felt and very positive--and I fell for it all.

Great SF. I will be keeping a strong eye on this author. Highly recommended.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (The Voice from the Edge #1)]]> 1231563
Contents include:
an original introduction
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Laugh Track
Grail
"Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman
The Very Last Day of a Good Woman
The Time of the Eye
Paladin of the Lost Hour
The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke
A Boy and His Dog (source of the cult motion picture)]]> 6 Harlan Ellison 1574535374 Bradley 5
Well. Haberdash. His writing is what counts. I've been asinine and idiotic.

So here I am, falling off the wagon and reading whole short story collections, starting with his earliest, and you know what?

OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME!

I mean, sure, I read a few of these classics before, like I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and A Boy and his Dog and I've heard of even more, but I didn't quite realize that every single story is as playful as his most well-known.

I'm surprised to not like the titular story as much as all the rest, but it was still quite fun to see a planetary AI torture the last humans.

Moving on to the lighter and fun stuff, Laugh Track really set me back and made me go... ooooh COOL. :) Some heady SF ideas here, but most importantly... it's LIVELY AS HELL. :) Quicksilver, even.

The same is true for most, but not all. Ticktock and Harlequin is trippy as hell.

And Harlan's favorite story of all, Grail, is maybe not the lightest one of the bunch, but it IS the most interesting intellectually. :) Tons of ideas, history, religions, and heart went into this one, culminating in perhaps one of the most stimulating sex stories to be handed down through the ages. :)

I loved The Very Last Day of a Good Woman because it shocked me. A great avant-garde snub piece. :)

The Time of the Eye had the same feel, aiming more for the bashing over our heads kind of twist that was so GREAT about A Boy and His dog and Good Woman. :)

In all, I was laughing and being creeped out and enjoying just how much of our modern culture and SF markets can be traced from this acerbic and fearless collection.

Truly. I am an idiot to have put this off for so long.

:)]]> 3.96 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (The Voice from the Edge #1)
author: Harlan Ellison
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/15
date added: 2025/06/12
shelves: 2018-shelf, sci-fi, humor, horror
review:
Wondering whether to read early Harlan Ellison is a complete no-brainer. I admit to avoiding Harlan for most of my life despite calling myself a master fan... but why? Oh, the several reasons seemed good at the time, like I prefer novels over short stories and it's such an investment in time and Hey, isn't that the guy always surrounded by controversy and you either hate him or love him and sometimes waffle in the same day?

Well. Haberdash. His writing is what counts. I've been asinine and idiotic.

So here I am, falling off the wagon and reading whole short story collections, starting with his earliest, and you know what?

OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME!

I mean, sure, I read a few of these classics before, like I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and A Boy and his Dog and I've heard of even more, but I didn't quite realize that every single story is as playful as his most well-known.

I'm surprised to not like the titular story as much as all the rest, but it was still quite fun to see a planetary AI torture the last humans.

Moving on to the lighter and fun stuff, Laugh Track really set me back and made me go... ooooh COOL. :) Some heady SF ideas here, but most importantly... it's LIVELY AS HELL. :) Quicksilver, even.

The same is true for most, but not all. Ticktock and Harlequin is trippy as hell.

And Harlan's favorite story of all, Grail, is maybe not the lightest one of the bunch, but it IS the most interesting intellectually. :) Tons of ideas, history, religions, and heart went into this one, culminating in perhaps one of the most stimulating sex stories to be handed down through the ages. :)

I loved The Very Last Day of a Good Woman because it shocked me. A great avant-garde snub piece. :)

The Time of the Eye had the same feel, aiming more for the bashing over our heads kind of twist that was so GREAT about A Boy and His dog and Good Woman. :)

In all, I was laughing and being creeped out and enjoying just how much of our modern culture and SF markets can be traced from this acerbic and fearless collection.

Truly. I am an idiot to have put this off for so long.

:)
]]> <![CDATA[Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 225, June 2025]]> 235434729 Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our June 2025 issue (#225) contains:

Fiction
* "Emily of Emerald Starship" by Ng Yi-Sheng
* "If an Algorithm Can Cast a Shadow" by Claire Jia-Wen
* "In the Shells of Broken Things" by A. T. Greenblatt
* "The Eighth Pyramid" by Louis Inglis Hall
* "Faces of the Antipode" by Matthew Marcus
* "The Last Lunar New Year" by Derek Künsken
* "The Last to Survive" by Rita Chang-Eppig
* "Outlier" by R.L. Meza

Non-Fiction
* "Destination: Jupiter" by Andrew Liptak
* "STEM Lesbians in Space! A Conversation with Elizabeth Bear" by Arley Sorg
* "Reality-Breaking Cosmic Stakes: A Conversation with Matthew Kressel" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor's Desk: Wrapping Back Around to Marketing" by Neil Clarke

Cover Art
* "Azarax" by Marcel Deneuve]]> 212 Neil Clarke Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi

"If an Algorithm Can Cast a Shadow" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (4*) -- Super dark story about a digital shadow brought back by his mom, and the effects it had on her and the rest of the family. I mean, sure, grief is one thing, but this reads more like a psychological horror story designed to induce depression in the reader, too. Yikes.


"In the Shells of Broken Things" by A. T. Greenblatt -- (4*) -- A chilling look at the failure of post-ecological collapse domes for human habitation... and the obituaries of their failure.


"The Eighth Pyramid" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (5*) -- Haunting far-future glimpse of humanity, or post-humanity, and how things might always and forever be the same--no matter how strange.

"Faces of the Antipode" by Matthew Marcus -- (3*) -- I was kinda bouncing off of this at first, but I'm glad I stuck through it. The inversion of expectations was pretty good. The final question and its answer, however, remained unsatisfying. Still, cool ideas.

"The Last Lunar New Year" by Derek Künsken -- (4*) -- The story is sedate and hopeful, while the imagination of far-flung humanity is rich. I personally think it would be a GREAT opening to a full novel. I so want to know what happens after!

"The Last to Survive" by Rita Chang-Eppig -- (3*) -- I honestly want to like this more than I did, it being a cross section of SFnal senescence in neo-humanity, but the fictional lives just read like low-brow popular idiocy. Maybe that's the point... but it all just leaves me sad.

"Outlier" by R.L. Meza -- (5*) -- Fantastically gruesome. Don't we all want to know what it's like to be a mad scientist's monster? :)


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.36 2025 Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 225, June 2025
author: Neil Clarke
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/11
date added: 2025/06/11
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
"Emily of Emerald Starship" by Ng Yi-Sheng -- (5*) -- Ah, this one hit hard. The scope is beautiful, the family and the love, tragic. Near perfect everything.


"If an Algorithm Can Cast a Shadow" by Claire Jia-Wen -- (4*) -- Super dark story about a digital shadow brought back by his mom, and the effects it had on her and the rest of the family. I mean, sure, grief is one thing, but this reads more like a psychological horror story designed to induce depression in the reader, too. Yikes.


"In the Shells of Broken Things" by A. T. Greenblatt -- (4*) -- A chilling look at the failure of post-ecological collapse domes for human habitation... and the obituaries of their failure.


"The Eighth Pyramid" by Louis Inglis Hall -- (5*) -- Haunting far-future glimpse of humanity, or post-humanity, and how things might always and forever be the same--no matter how strange.

"Faces of the Antipode" by Matthew Marcus -- (3*) -- I was kinda bouncing off of this at first, but I'm glad I stuck through it. The inversion of expectations was pretty good. The final question and its answer, however, remained unsatisfying. Still, cool ideas.

"The Last Lunar New Year" by Derek Künsken -- (4*) -- The story is sedate and hopeful, while the imagination of far-flung humanity is rich. I personally think it would be a GREAT opening to a full novel. I so want to know what happens after!

"The Last to Survive" by Rita Chang-Eppig -- (3*) -- I honestly want to like this more than I did, it being a cross section of SFnal senescence in neo-humanity, but the fictional lives just read like low-brow popular idiocy. Maybe that's the point... but it all just leaves me sad.

"Outlier" by R.L. Meza -- (5*) -- Fantastically gruesome. Don't we all want to know what it's like to be a mad scientist's monster? :)


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> To a God Unknown 111300 To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and to understand the ways of God.]]> 240 John Steinbeck 0141185503 Bradley 5
And not to belabor the obvious, it's not because it IS one, but its because it FEELS mythical, rife with allegory, as clear with characters as a shock of lightning.

I'd also like to mention that this could very well be a full-on fantasy novel, an early 1930's down-to-earth mythical-realism quite apart from either Conan or Lovecraftian lit, and more like Billy Budd.

Indeed, and I haven't done any research to see if this is true, I have a BIG feeling that this was a VERY controversial novel in its day.

Christianity was reactionary and mistrusted, while the very source and wellspring of paganism was glorified in this text. Indeed, the whole legend of the king who is one with the land is VERY alive and well in its pages.

*chef's kiss* Beautiful, shocking story. Deliciously dark. Subversive.

Maybe it's not so dark or subversive to modern standards, but we're awfully jaded.

On the other hand, the dire darkness of the great depression, of utter drought, IS very much in our lives, no? So, this still resonates.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com]]> 3.96 1933 To a God Unknown
author: John Steinbeck
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1933
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/11
date added: 2025/06/11
shelves: 2025-shelf, traditional-fiction, fantasy
review:
You know, if I wasn't already acutely aware that this was a Steinbeck novel, I would have been reading it, going, "Golly, this reads just like a Steinbeck novel."

And not to belabor the obvious, it's not because it IS one, but its because it FEELS mythical, rife with allegory, as clear with characters as a shock of lightning.

I'd also like to mention that this could very well be a full-on fantasy novel, an early 1930's down-to-earth mythical-realism quite apart from either Conan or Lovecraftian lit, and more like Billy Budd.

Indeed, and I haven't done any research to see if this is true, I have a BIG feeling that this was a VERY controversial novel in its day.

Christianity was reactionary and mistrusted, while the very source and wellspring of paganism was glorified in this text. Indeed, the whole legend of the king who is one with the land is VERY alive and well in its pages.

*chef's kiss* Beautiful, shocking story. Deliciously dark. Subversive.

Maybe it's not so dark or subversive to modern standards, but we're awfully jaded.

On the other hand, the dire darkness of the great depression, of utter drought, IS very much in our lives, no? So, this still resonates.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my SF (Very hard SF, mind you), I'm open to requests.

Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Dead Hand Rule (The Craft Wars #3)]]> 222377053 From the co-author of the viral New York Times bestseller This is How You Lose the Time War....
Great powers clash and epic action unfolds in book three of the Craft Wars series.

The time until the endtimes is ticking away. If the world has any hope to survive, it must come together now.

The foundations of the world are quaking. Markets crash and cities burn as a new god struggles to be born. Ancient hunters skitter across space, eager and hungry. Dark forces conspire to undermine that could stand in their way. Divided, the world of the craft is certain to fall.

In Alt Coulomb, the great powers of the world gather in conference. Empires, divinities, and corporate concerns take seats at the table. Untold wealth and inexhaustible might is on offer, but coalition will not come easily. Can these forces come together to save the world? And if they do, what parts of it will they choose to save, and for whom?

Also Available by Max

The Craft Sequence
1. Three Parts Dead
2. Two Serpents Rise
3. Full Fathom Five
4. Last First Snow
5. Four Roads Cross
6. Ruin of Angels

The Craft Wars
1. Dead Country
2. Wicked Problems

Last Exit
Empress of Forever

This is How You Lose the Time War (with Amal El-Mohtar)

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 432 Max Gladstone 1250290368 Bradley 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Dead Hand Rule (The Craft Wars #3)
author: Max Gladstone
name: Bradley
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Apocalypse Tamer 62006266 Basil Bohen was asleep when the System arrived and the world changed...

Dungeons suddenly popped up across the planet, summoning invaders and monsters from alternate realities. Ancient gods slumbering beneath the Earth were woken. And all humans were empowered with Levels and Classes gained by, amongst other things, killing monsters and other humans.

Only a single instruction was provided by the System: “Whoever reaches Level 100 first shall become Earth’s new Overgod.”

So initiated a worldwide battle royale of epic proportions... which Basil would rather sit out. Choosing the [Tamer] profession which allows him to speak with his cat, Plato, and other apocalyptic monsters, he'll adopt and train them to fight alongside him and defend his corner of the countryside.

After all, why bother fighting the apocalypse when you can tame it?]]> 514 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 4 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
In this case, the hook is leveling as a monster trainer and the friends (monsters) you make along the way. Cool. And the fights are neat, too.

My only real complaint? The French bits. The clichés abound. It's not too serious, and it's also a bit funny, but it is what it is.

That being said, the writing's fun and that's all I really wanted, anyway.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.09 2022 Apocalypse Tamer
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/10
date added: 2025/06/10
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
review:
Solid, if unoriginal LitRPG. It's comfort food and I always tend to know (and want) exactly what I get: a feeling of control and progressive power as a whole world goes to crap.

In this case, the hook is leveling as a monster trainer and the friends (monsters) you make along the way. Cool. And the fights are neat, too.

My only real complaint? The French bits. The clichés abound. It's not too serious, and it's also a bit funny, but it is what it is.

That being said, the writing's fun and that's all I really wanted, anyway.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Solaris 95558
When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories. The Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates these incarnate memories, though its purpose in doing so is unknown, forcing the scientists to shift the focus of their quest and wonder if they can truly understand the universe without first understanding what lies within their hearts.]]> 204 Stanisław Lem Bradley 5 sci-fi, 2025-shelf
I was originally struck with the sheer amount of awe this book evoked in me. I also seem to recall enjoying two movie adaptations, but it was the book, the concepts, and especially the psychology that stuck with me all these years.

On re-read, it's no less awe-some. No spoilers, and yes, this is an old classic, but the core concept of Solaris, itself, and how it can be interpreted, is definitely singular in SF. Sure, some have attempted to hit that same note, and well, (A. Reynolds, D. Brin), few can do it so straightforwardly as Stanislaw Lem.

Brilliant.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com]]> 4.00 1961 Solaris
author: Stanisław Lem
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1961
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/09
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: sci-fi, 2025-shelf
review:
Re-Read.

I was originally struck with the sheer amount of awe this book evoked in me. I also seem to recall enjoying two movie adaptations, but it was the book, the concepts, and especially the psychology that stuck with me all these years.

On re-read, it's no less awe-some. No spoilers, and yes, this is an old classic, but the core concept of Solaris, itself, and how it can be interpreted, is definitely singular in SF. Sure, some have attempted to hit that same note, and well, (A. Reynolds, D. Brin), few can do it so straightforwardly as Stanislaw Lem.

Brilliant.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Gliff 203164415 From a literary master, a moving and genre-bending story about our era-spanning search for meaning and knowing.

An uncertain near-future. A story of new boundaries drawn between people daily. A not-very brave new world.

Add two children. And a horse.

From a Scottish word meaning a transient moment, a shock, a faint glimpse, Gliff explores how and why we endeavour to make a mark on the world. In a time when western industry wants to reduce us to algorithms and data—something easily categorizable and predictable—Smith shows us why our humanity, our individual complexities, matter more than ever.]]> 288 Ali Smith 0593701569 Bradley 4
This near future dystopia was written beautifully, excruciatingly. It was deeply disturbing even during all the funny, warm bits. But it was hard not for just that, but for the fact that we're all being slowly erased. One. Moment. At. A. Time.

If it doesn't disturb you, then nothing will.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.90 2024 Gliff
author: Ali Smith
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/09
date added: 2025/06/09
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, dystopia-yes-pls
review:
A life of erasure, of rendering, of being rendered, of becoming glue--or the memory of wanting the glue that holds a life together.

This near future dystopia was written beautifully, excruciatingly. It was deeply disturbing even during all the funny, warm bits. But it was hard not for just that, but for the fact that we're all being slowly erased. One. Moment. At. A. Time.

If it doesn't disturb you, then nothing will.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Earth Abides 93269 345 George R. Stewart 0345487133 Bradley 5
There's something to be said about certain classics. This one does the Stand, Station Eleven, and all the Fallout games serious justice.

Specifically, it seriously attempts to show people actually trying to hope in the face of the end of modern civilization, and shows us a version that isn't SO grimdark as to WANT to see the utter end of humanity.

That's a fine point I'm trying to make. So many of the modern stuff just ... shows us nothing valuable.

The Earth Abides has a great balance to it. It's despairing, yes, but the balance is still on the side of hope. Something I've been missing in the genre.

This book is well worth remembering. Even if it's almost 80 years old.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.94 1949 Earth Abides
author: George R. Stewart
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1949
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/08
date added: 2025/06/08
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, dystopia-yes-pls
review:
This really good dystopia, post-apocalyptic virus-hit landscape came out just a few years after WWII, and stands all the tests of time today.

There's something to be said about certain classics. This one does the Stand, Station Eleven, and all the Fallout games serious justice.

Specifically, it seriously attempts to show people actually trying to hope in the face of the end of modern civilization, and shows us a version that isn't SO grimdark as to WANT to see the utter end of humanity.

That's a fine point I'm trying to make. So many of the modern stuff just ... shows us nothing valuable.

The Earth Abides has a great balance to it. It's despairing, yes, but the balance is still on the side of hope. Something I've been missing in the genre.

This book is well worth remembering. Even if it's almost 80 years old.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Child Thief 6308379 not Neverland. Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose?

There is always more to lose.

Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries—one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children.

There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land.]]> 483 Brom 0061671339 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, horror
Or even, as the author pointed out and I can personally attest to, having read the original--it's now a deeply explored fleshing out of the real subtext, the core realness of being heartless as a child.

But Brom takes it so much further. The stakes, the fleshed out Avalon, the fae, even the flesh-eating captain stuck for 300 years in this sideways world, is gloriously conceived here. I can also attest to having my emotions tugged wildly between attraction to the life, deep revulsion, close sympathy, and deep revulsion over and over again. It's quite a ride.

Brom is one hell of an author. Just saying that this is a retelling of Peter Pan ignores just how much further he takes the world and characters. What we think we know is just the launching point. Brom just takes it all the way.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.08 2009 The Child Thief
author: Brom
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/07
date added: 2025/06/07
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror
review:
I'll say this: I was consistently on edge and low-key horrified throughout this novel. This isn't a gore-fest, but a deeply twisted psychological nightmare masquerading as a DIFFERENT Peter Pan.

Or even, as the author pointed out and I can personally attest to, having read the original--it's now a deeply explored fleshing out of the real subtext, the core realness of being heartless as a child.

But Brom takes it so much further. The stakes, the fleshed out Avalon, the fae, even the flesh-eating captain stuck for 300 years in this sideways world, is gloriously conceived here. I can also attest to having my emotions tugged wildly between attraction to the life, deep revulsion, close sympathy, and deep revulsion over and over again. It's quite a ride.

Brom is one hell of an author. Just saying that this is a retelling of Peter Pan ignores just how much further he takes the world and characters. What we think we know is just the launching point. Brom just takes it all the way.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Atmosphere 220817728 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid Bradley 5 2025-shelf, romance
But even though all the NASA stuff is fascinating and hardcore cool, I think I need to make the real story very clear to prospective readers: It's a romance. A beautiful, tragic romance. :)

Bon appetite!


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.44 2025 Atmosphere
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/06/05
date added: 2025/06/05
shelves: 2025-shelf, romance
review:
Beautiful story. Simple, profound, and emotional. But above all, it's a story of acceptance, home, and family--in the frame of a harrowing trip into space.

But even though all the NASA stuff is fascinating and hardcore cool, I think I need to make the real story very clear to prospective readers: It's a romance. A beautiful, tragic romance. :)

Bon appetite!


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) 22328
Case was the sharpest data thief in the Matrix, until an ex-employer crippled his nervous system. Now a new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run against an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence. With a mirror-eyed girl street-samurai riding shotgun, he's ready for the silicon-quick, bleakly prophetic adventure that upped the ante on an entire genre of fiction.]]> 271 William Gibson Bradley 5
In my head, it had ALL the promise of bridging our reality with an all-too-plausible future -- which, in fact, we now have. Thugs, massively outfitted private security forces, coffins for living spaces, drugs everywhere, and a metaverse, the matrix itself, to ride tandem with reality.

Case, our antihero, gets roped into a wild heist in a Television Sky, played like a fiddle by WinterMute and Neuromancer, itself. He's the quintessential deck-jocky, hacker, ICE-breaker, pawn.

I'll admit something: In all my years hunting for that one great cyberpunk high, few, if any, ever reached Gibson's imaginative heights. He not only coined the term Cyberspace, but he wrote THIS novel on an old fashioned typewriter. And THAT tells a massive story all by itself.

I can name a few novels as good as this, but Gibson really sells the stage of so many classic animes, cyberpunk authors, tons of crappy b-movies, and the un-ironic backdrop of our modern world. Of course, this novel should have played the role of a cautionary tale, but it IS the end-product of capitalism gone wild. Take THAT as you will.

One thing I want to bring up: for any gamers out there who played and loved Cyberpunk 2077 (probably anyone who used a PC), it should be mentioned that SO MANY themes and plot points and specific worldbuilding was drawn right from Neuromancer, so much so that he should have been listed in the title. We can say the same for its influence on Matrix, too, but I think that's a lesser comparison. Yes, both use the term Matrix interchangeably and there's a lot of hacking, the simulations in Neuromancer are more neon and 80's CG in expression.

Moving on, I also wanted to mention Max Headroom. It came out only a handful of years after this and is very much indebted to it, too. I'm a fanboy of this genre. Call-outs are necessary. As are genuinely awesome near post-cyberpunk or post-cyberpunk titles like Snow Crash.

This book here is REAL history, tho. We see so much of its influence in everything around us and rarely give it the props it needs.]]> 3.87 1984 Neuromancer (Sprawl #1)
author: William Gibson
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/05
date added: 2025/06/05
shelves: sci-fi, top-one-hundred, 2023-shelf
review:
Revisiting a classic. This is a massively formative SF novel for me. When I was just getting started, reading the very best that I had heard about or whatnot, I was reading this side by side with Dune or Stranger in a Strange Land, and at different times, I was more WILD for the cyberpunk than any other kind of SF for years.

In my head, it had ALL the promise of bridging our reality with an all-too-plausible future -- which, in fact, we now have. Thugs, massively outfitted private security forces, coffins for living spaces, drugs everywhere, and a metaverse, the matrix itself, to ride tandem with reality.

Case, our antihero, gets roped into a wild heist in a Television Sky, played like a fiddle by WinterMute and Neuromancer, itself. He's the quintessential deck-jocky, hacker, ICE-breaker, pawn.

I'll admit something: In all my years hunting for that one great cyberpunk high, few, if any, ever reached Gibson's imaginative heights. He not only coined the term Cyberspace, but he wrote THIS novel on an old fashioned typewriter. And THAT tells a massive story all by itself.

I can name a few novels as good as this, but Gibson really sells the stage of so many classic animes, cyberpunk authors, tons of crappy b-movies, and the un-ironic backdrop of our modern world. Of course, this novel should have played the role of a cautionary tale, but it IS the end-product of capitalism gone wild. Take THAT as you will.

One thing I want to bring up: for any gamers out there who played and loved Cyberpunk 2077 (probably anyone who used a PC), it should be mentioned that SO MANY themes and plot points and specific worldbuilding was drawn right from Neuromancer, so much so that he should have been listed in the title. We can say the same for its influence on Matrix, too, but I think that's a lesser comparison. Yes, both use the term Matrix interchangeably and there's a lot of hacking, the simulations in Neuromancer are more neon and 80's CG in expression.

Moving on, I also wanted to mention Max Headroom. It came out only a handful of years after this and is very much indebted to it, too. I'm a fanboy of this genre. Call-outs are necessary. As are genuinely awesome near post-cyberpunk or post-cyberpunk titles like Snow Crash.

This book here is REAL history, tho. We see so much of its influence in everything around us and rarely give it the props it needs.
]]> <![CDATA[It Devours! (Welcome to Night Vale, #2)]]> 28208687 New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a mystery exploring the intersections of faith and science, the growing relationship between two young people who want desperately to trust each other, and the terrifying, toothy power of the Smiling God.

Nilanjana Sikdar is an outsider to the town of Night Vale. Working for Carlos, the town’s top scientist, she relies on fact and logic as her guiding principles. But all of that is put into question when Carlos gives her a special assignment investigating a mysterious rumbling in the desert wasteland outside of town. This investigation leads her to the Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God, and to Darryl, one of its most committed members. Caught between her beliefs in the ultimate power of science and her growing attraction to Darryl, she begins to suspect the Congregation is planning a ritual that could threaten the lives of everyone in town. Nilanjana and Darryl must search for common ground between their very different world views as they are faced with the Congregation’s darkest and most terrible secret.]]> 347 Joseph Fink Bradley 4
I swear, though, that WE are surrounded by a ton of the followers of the Smiling God, too. Oh god of many teeth.

I'm not sure I really cared for the dichotomy of science vs religion and trying to find a meeting place between the two characters, but they were cute in their way and I'm not complaining overmuch about ANYONE trying to have a meeting of their minds.

This was pretty fun... and DEFINITELY weird in a good way.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.06 2017 It Devours! (Welcome to Night Vale, #2)
author: Joseph Fink
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, reality-bending, fantasy
review:
Honestly enough, even though the first book had more delicious easter eggs and conspiracy theories turned fact for humor's sake, this one had a more interesting core story.

I swear, though, that WE are surrounded by a ton of the followers of the Smiling God, too. Oh god of many teeth.

I'm not sure I really cared for the dichotomy of science vs religion and trying to find a meeting place between the two characters, but they were cute in their way and I'm not complaining overmuch about ANYONE trying to have a meeting of their minds.

This was pretty fun... and DEFINITELY weird in a good way.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Welcome to Night Vale (Welcome to Night Vale, #1)]]> 23129410 Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a poignant look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves...no matter where we live.

Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.

Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.

Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.

Diane's search to reconnect with her son and Jackie's search for her former routine life collide as they find themselves coming back to two words: "King City". It is King City that holds the key to both of their mysteries, and their futures...if they can ever find it.]]> 401 Joseph Fink 0062351427 Bradley 4
And just so you know, they were right. It was quite weird. In a good way.

It's truly a reality-bending place. Time doesn't work right there. And celebrities you thought you knew (yes, I'm looking at you, Helen Hunt,) take on OMINOUS librarian proportions. And yes, please do avoid the library in town, won't you? And the city council absolutely MUST have its human sacrifices.


What to expect, going in?

It's a line-by-line extravaganza of cultural and historical references that refer to real times and events and peoples that come to wildly different conclusions or events. If you like books that are living, breathing examples of what an easter egg might be if it decided to become a super-villain, then look no further.

Welcome to Night Vale.

It's not for everyone, but it has a certain... charm, ahem.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.84 2015 Welcome to Night Vale (Welcome to Night Vale, #1)
author: Joseph Fink
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/04
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, reality-bending
review:
I hardly know anything about the original podcast, but I went ahead and started this because people said it was weird and worth my time even years after it originally came out.

And just so you know, they were right. It was quite weird. In a good way.

It's truly a reality-bending place. Time doesn't work right there. And celebrities you thought you knew (yes, I'm looking at you, Helen Hunt,) take on OMINOUS librarian proportions. And yes, please do avoid the library in town, won't you? And the city council absolutely MUST have its human sacrifices.


What to expect, going in?

It's a line-by-line extravaganza of cultural and historical references that refer to real times and events and peoples that come to wildly different conclusions or events. If you like books that are living, breathing examples of what an easter egg might be if it decided to become a super-villain, then look no further.

Welcome to Night Vale.

It's not for everyone, but it has a certain... charm, ahem.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Shadeslinger (The Ripple System #1)]]> 56683041
His advantages are twofold: exclusive access to the game’s three-day Head Start period, and a ridiculously handsome talking axe named Frank who has knowledge of the game’s deepest secrets…if the magnificent Frank ever feels like sharing them.

But those advantages also make Ned a target. Once the Head Start period ends, his fellow players will stop at nothing to rip that suave, violent-yet-disarmingly-charismatic axe right out of his hands.

In seventy-two hours, the greatest manhunt in gaming history is set to begin.

It’s gonna be a lot of fun.]]> 646 Kyle Kirrin Bradley 0 to-read 4.34 2021 Shadeslinger (The Ripple System #1)
author: Kyle Kirrin
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hunting Party (The Serrano Legacy, #1)]]> 284873 364 Elizabeth Moon 1857238818 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
What can I say?

It was fun, fairly light, and entirely character-driven. Gotta love old, hard women with sharp minds.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.90 1993 Hunting Party (The Serrano Legacy, #1)
author: Elizabeth Moon
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2025/06/03
date added: 2025/06/03
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Surprisingly solid military SF fluff. A bit of competence porn in the beginning, with a lot of equestrian stuff thrown in. Hey! What about the spaceships!? That turns into a real cat and mouse novel (that's still in a gravity well).

What can I say?

It was fun, fairly light, and entirely character-driven. Gotta love old, hard women with sharp minds.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy]]> 586994
Controversy has raged around Lasch's targeted attack on the elites, their loss of moral values, and their abandonment of the middle class and poor, for he sets up the media and educational institutions as a large source of the problem. In this spirited work, Lasch calls out for a return to community, schools that teach history not self-esteem, and a return to morality and even the teachings of religion. He does this in a nonpartisan manner, looking to the lessons of American history, and castigating those in power for the ever-widening gap between the economic classes, which has created a crisis in American society. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy is riveting social commentary.]]> 276 Christopher Lasch 0393313719 Bradley 4
But I'm not going to. Perhaps it was the last section that went on and on about moralizing functions and religion instead of the core premise that was promised in the title, but it got annoying after a certain point. Yes, the intellectual elite really screwed the pooch by making them less understood by normal people. Yes, the focus on single issues rather than the CORE health of society doomed us on either side of the ideological line.

That being said, however, the real heart and soul of this book is pretty damn simple: the entrenchment of old ideas have betrayed us yet again. It betrayed us 30 years ago and it betrays us now.

Sunk cost fallacy-- throwing good money after bad doesn't solve the problem. And throwing real people's time and energy and intellectual capacity after tired and lost-nuanced ideas and ideologies is a recipe for failure. If neither the Republicans OR the Democrats are serving the public well being, and haven't for ages, then then we obviously need something else entirely.

Here's an idea that keeps coming up in this and many books:

Make sure the entire population is taken care of. Disarm the growing class war by making sure people are GENUINELY happy and able to support themselves, pursue their own interests, and be able to live without fear.

As we have it now, massive coercion and surveillance, rising poverty, insecurity, and let's face it: ANGER is prevalent. Just increasing the cops and the boot-state isn't fixing the underlying problem.

We all know the "Elites" or rather, the Oligarchy and those who wish to remain unnamed, have been massively sucking the general wealth out of the world and putting it all in their own hands--at a rate that was shocking and dramatic BACK IN THE MID 90s. That very rate of their wealth increase has met an EXPONENTIAL rate since then.

And they have done all they can to keep that power. If it means cozying up to ethic-less bastards, marrying corporations to politics as the good Oligarchy wants, then so be it--as long as they can grow ever richer, more powerful, and hold on to their wealth.

Who wins? Who loses? You get the picture. So yeah, we've known this has been happening for a long time and we all rather lost the plot, haven't we.

It SHOULD be rather obvious. I mean, we see the results of that everywhere we look. All the in-fighting we do is BY DESIGN. Keep us occupied while they steal what's left of the vault. Of course, there's no WISDOM in it.

If there was any wisdom, it would be in creating a just and happy world. Instead, the in-fighting among everyone whose NOT an elite just serves the rest into their hands.

The funny thing is--we could have had it all.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.98 1995 The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy
author: Christopher Lasch
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/06/02
shelves: 2025-shelf, non-fiction, political
review:
I originally wanted to write a long, detailed review of this book because I had a lot to say about it in context with my real-world understanding in the '90s of the reality, my crazy amount of non-fiction reading back then and the '00s, and how it all directly relates TO and EXEMPLIFIES what we can all see to be true NOW, in MUCH worse fashion--

But I'm not going to. Perhaps it was the last section that went on and on about moralizing functions and religion instead of the core premise that was promised in the title, but it got annoying after a certain point. Yes, the intellectual elite really screwed the pooch by making them less understood by normal people. Yes, the focus on single issues rather than the CORE health of society doomed us on either side of the ideological line.

That being said, however, the real heart and soul of this book is pretty damn simple: the entrenchment of old ideas have betrayed us yet again. It betrayed us 30 years ago and it betrays us now.

Sunk cost fallacy-- throwing good money after bad doesn't solve the problem. And throwing real people's time and energy and intellectual capacity after tired and lost-nuanced ideas and ideologies is a recipe for failure. If neither the Republicans OR the Democrats are serving the public well being, and haven't for ages, then then we obviously need something else entirely.

Here's an idea that keeps coming up in this and many books:

Make sure the entire population is taken care of. Disarm the growing class war by making sure people are GENUINELY happy and able to support themselves, pursue their own interests, and be able to live without fear.

As we have it now, massive coercion and surveillance, rising poverty, insecurity, and let's face it: ANGER is prevalent. Just increasing the cops and the boot-state isn't fixing the underlying problem.

We all know the "Elites" or rather, the Oligarchy and those who wish to remain unnamed, have been massively sucking the general wealth out of the world and putting it all in their own hands--at a rate that was shocking and dramatic BACK IN THE MID 90s. That very rate of their wealth increase has met an EXPONENTIAL rate since then.

And they have done all they can to keep that power. If it means cozying up to ethic-less bastards, marrying corporations to politics as the good Oligarchy wants, then so be it--as long as they can grow ever richer, more powerful, and hold on to their wealth.

Who wins? Who loses? You get the picture. So yeah, we've known this has been happening for a long time and we all rather lost the plot, haven't we.

It SHOULD be rather obvious. I mean, we see the results of that everywhere we look. All the in-fighting we do is BY DESIGN. Keep us occupied while they steal what's left of the vault. Of course, there's no WISDOM in it.

If there was any wisdom, it would be in creating a just and happy world. Instead, the in-fighting among everyone whose NOT an elite just serves the rest into their hands.

The funny thing is--we could have had it all.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Chaos on CatNet (CatNet, #2) 53205853 Catfishing on CatNet, It takes an AI to catch an AI…

When a mysterious entity starts hacking into social networks and chat rooms to instigate paranoia and violence in the real world, it’s up to Steph and her new friend, Nell, to find a way to stop it—with the help of their benevolent AI friend, CheshireCat.]]> 304 Naomi Kritzer 1250165229 Bradley 3 2025-shelf, sci-fi, ya
I'm not one to hate it when larger stakes take over in tales, but when a book successfully pulls off a more comfortable, cute, even wholesome plot-rock, I feel a huge desire to keep it going. The whole down-to-earth AI helper storyline was truly delightful.

Unfortunately, that feel was subsumed beneath an ever-increasing scale and scope of dread that could have been simply banked at a simple cult-level, with strict focus on friendship and aid--not a world domination shtick.

Alas. It wasn't bad, otherwise, and perhaps devoted YA readers out there would LOVE this twist. It simply didn't work for me.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.10 2021 Chaos on CatNet (CatNet, #2)
author: Naomi Kritzer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/06/01
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, ya
review:
While this wasn't a bad read--at all--what made it extremely charming and compelling in the first book was kinda overwritten by large, even huge, stakes.

I'm not one to hate it when larger stakes take over in tales, but when a book successfully pulls off a more comfortable, cute, even wholesome plot-rock, I feel a huge desire to keep it going. The whole down-to-earth AI helper storyline was truly delightful.

Unfortunately, that feel was subsumed beneath an ever-increasing scale and scope of dread that could have been simply banked at a simple cult-level, with strict focus on friendship and aid--not a world domination shtick.

Alas. It wasn't bad, otherwise, and perhaps devoted YA readers out there would LOVE this twist. It simply didn't work for me.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Catfishing on CatNet (CatNet, #1)]]> 41556068
When a threat from Steph’s past catches up to her and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered by outsiders, it’s up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save her.]]> 299 Naomi Kritzer 1250165075 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi, ya
As for this SF YA, I don't have many complaints. It's cute, has a low-stakes mystery, and focuses on the young characters more than anything else.

Of course, it DOES do a pretty good job of informing the reader of the kinds of issues we all face with data mining, exploits, insecurities in our information networks. (Which are real, to say the VERY least.) So I'd say it does a good job trying to open our eyes while having a cool tale to make it ride.

Other than that, however, it's not ground-shattering. The next book probably won't be, either, but the complications are promising.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.05 2019 Catfishing on CatNet (CatNet, #1)
author: Naomi Kritzer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/31
date added: 2025/05/31
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, ya
review:
I was excited to read this because I absolutely adored the author's short stories. And, let's face it, AI stuff is either REALLY HOT right now or it's met with absolute disgust. Fortunately, I'm of the curious nature and I'm always up for a good imagining.

As for this SF YA, I don't have many complaints. It's cute, has a low-stakes mystery, and focuses on the young characters more than anything else.

Of course, it DOES do a pretty good job of informing the reader of the kinds of issues we all face with data mining, exploits, insecurities in our information networks. (Which are real, to say the VERY least.) So I'd say it does a good job trying to open our eyes while having a cool tale to make it ride.

Other than that, however, it's not ground-shattering. The next book probably won't be, either, but the complications are promising.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Clown in a Cornfield (Clown in a Cornfield, #1)]]> 49046268
Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can.

Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now.]]> 346 Adam Cesare 0062854593 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, horror
I mean, I EXPECTED a slasher, and GOT a slasher, but it was a bit more elevated than most potential B-Movie entries. Indeed, it was closer to Scream than any of the Halloween sequels in quality, and the pacing was pretty much near-perfect.

So what was surprising about it?

The reasons for the anger, the murders kept me guessing. Hey, any thriller that can keep that up without devolving into the usual thing has got my vote. I loved the MANY twists and turns.

Good enough, Frendo? :)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.73 2020 Clown in a Cornfield (Clown in a Cornfield, #1)
author: Adam Cesare
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/31
date added: 2025/05/31
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror
review:
This book certainly did surprise me.

I mean, I EXPECTED a slasher, and GOT a slasher, but it was a bit more elevated than most potential B-Movie entries. Indeed, it was closer to Scream than any of the Halloween sequels in quality, and the pacing was pretty much near-perfect.

So what was surprising about it?

The reasons for the anger, the murders kept me guessing. Hey, any thriller that can keep that up without devolving into the usual thing has got my vote. I loved the MANY twists and turns.

Good enough, Frendo? :)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Written on the Dark 218153843 From the internationally bestselling author of Tigana, All the Seas of the World, and A Brightness Long Ago comes a majestic new novel of love and war that brilliantly evokes the drama and turbulence of medieval France.

Thierry Villar is a well-known--even notorious-- tavern poet, familiar with the rogues and shadows of that world, but not at all with courts and power. He is an unlikely person, despite his quickness, to be caught up in the deadly contests of ambitious royals, assassins, and invading armies.

But he is indeed drawn into all these things on a savagely cold night in his beloved city of Orane. And so Thierry must use all the intelligence and charm he can muster as political struggles merge with a decades-long war to bring his country to the brink of destruction.

As he does, he meets his poetic equal in an aristocratic woman and is drawn to more than one unsettling person with a connection to the world beyond this one. He also crosses paths with an extraordinary young woman driven by voices within to try to heal the ailing king--and help his forces in war. A wide and varied set of people from all walks of life take their places in the rich tapestry of this story.

A new masterwork from the internationally bestselling author of All the Seas of the World, A Brightness Long Ago, and Tigana, Written on the Dark is an elegant tour de force about power and ambition playing out amid the intense human need for art and beauty, and memories to be left behind.]]> 320 Guy Gavriel Kay 0593953983 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy
But later? I kept giving him a shot (being pleasantly surprised), and another, and another--and sooner, rather than later, I was utterly enthralled, lost in the writing. I became so thoroughly immersed in the world and the people who journey there that I was literally enchanted away from the real world. Kay's writing has real magic in it.

In this particular book, we follow Thierry again, the poet who ALWAYS gets into trouble in a world near to, but not quite France, starting with first a murder investigation, and ending in massive, massive changes for a character I'd grown to love over the previous volumes.

But more, it's about his growth rather than the certainly interesting historical-adjacent happenings that reward students of history. Joan of Ark, anyone? But don't be deceived. This novel isn't about her. It's very much about seeing the world through a growing poet's eyes, encountering both danger and kindness, and ultimately... well, I think you ought to read it. It's a very beautiful book.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.06 2025 Written on the Dark
author: Guy Gavriel Kay
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/30
date added: 2025/05/30
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy
review:
It's really quite fascinating to see how my reactions to a handful of authors change over the years. The first book I read by Kay left me with a sour taste in my mouth, but it also happened to be one of his first, most popular works.

But later? I kept giving him a shot (being pleasantly surprised), and another, and another--and sooner, rather than later, I was utterly enthralled, lost in the writing. I became so thoroughly immersed in the world and the people who journey there that I was literally enchanted away from the real world. Kay's writing has real magic in it.

In this particular book, we follow Thierry again, the poet who ALWAYS gets into trouble in a world near to, but not quite France, starting with first a murder investigation, and ending in massive, massive changes for a character I'd grown to love over the previous volumes.

But more, it's about his growth rather than the certainly interesting historical-adjacent happenings that reward students of history. Joan of Ark, anyone? But don't be deceived. This novel isn't about her. It's very much about seeing the world through a growing poet's eyes, encountering both danger and kindness, and ultimately... well, I think you ought to read it. It's a very beautiful book.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Secret History 29044 Truly deserving of the accolade modern classic, Donna Tartt's novel is a remarkable achievement—both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.]]> 559 Donna Tartt 1400031702 Bradley 0 to-read 4.16 1992 The Secret History
author: Donna Tartt
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ice 636223 158 Anna Kavan 0720612683 Bradley 5
Officially, this is supposed to be a SF and was billed as part of the Slipstream SF of the time, in the same category of Christopher Priest, Ballard, and some PKD, and I totally get that impression--but to me it just reads like a mirror darkly of an early Bond novel, but instead of a dashing secret service guy, we've got a serial rapist who can't seem to understand if he's himself or his nemesis.

Which, on the surface of it, sounds both intriguing (nemesis) and ugly as all fuck for the rest. And perhaps it would be, except for the worldbuilding--which is truly nightmarish. The oncoming slow advance of the ice, everywhere, and all the nasty horrors that people might do to each other as it all goes to hell.

So yeah, this book is very memorable, stark, and horribly disturbing all at once. Even the end, where there's a single moment of kindness...

It's a good mindfuck of a novel--but not for the light of heart.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

]]> 3.70 1967 Ice
author: Anna Kavan
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1967
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/29
date added: 2025/05/29
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, dystopia-yes-pls
review:
A haunting and *very* disturbing novel that could be right at home in today's dystopian libraries. 1967 when it came out, but reminds me of The Road but downright sinister.

Officially, this is supposed to be a SF and was billed as part of the Slipstream SF of the time, in the same category of Christopher Priest, Ballard, and some PKD, and I totally get that impression--but to me it just reads like a mirror darkly of an early Bond novel, but instead of a dashing secret service guy, we've got a serial rapist who can't seem to understand if he's himself or his nemesis.

Which, on the surface of it, sounds both intriguing (nemesis) and ugly as all fuck for the rest. And perhaps it would be, except for the worldbuilding--which is truly nightmarish. The oncoming slow advance of the ice, everywhere, and all the nasty horrors that people might do to each other as it all goes to hell.

So yeah, this book is very memorable, stark, and horribly disturbing all at once. Even the end, where there's a single moment of kindness...

It's a good mindfuck of a novel--but not for the light of heart.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com


]]> <![CDATA[The Perfect Run 3: The Perfect Run, Book 3]]> 226101345 The perfect conclusion to the Perfect Run saga!

It's one thing to go back to the beginning and another to reach the perfect ending.

Ryan Romano has done it. He has gathered information about all the villains threatening New Rome. He listed all the people he wants to protect. He knows which places he has to blow up and which car he has to steal. All that's left is going back in time one final time, achieve the perfect sequence of events, save everyone, get the girl, and defeat the ultimate enemy.

It's time for the Perfect Run.]]> Maxime J. Durand Bradley 5 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi
And yes, it's very, very satisfying. Loved all the characters. A lot. I came away with a big ass grin on my face, and that's hardly always the case. Fortunately, this story filled me up with love and hope as well as a sense of awe.

And yes, it continued to be delightfully funny, an R-Rated Deadpool meets My Hero Academia. Lighter, perhaps, than The Boys, and less truly dark than Invincible, it still shines with creative twists and I have almost nothing bad to say about it.

The almost: the whole sequence with the Alchemist was somewhat meh and I'd have preferred to get the core reveals some other way. The build-up and locations (including Malta) were otherwise fantastic, and I'm sure others would have enjoyed the whole Ava thing more, but this is a tiny quibble in an otherwise fantastic run. :)

Totally recommend.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.57 2022 The Perfect Run 3: The Perfect Run, Book 3
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/29
date added: 2025/05/29
shelves: 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi
review:
A lot of great twists and turns in this finale, as SHOULD always be the case in a time-loop superhero adventure focused on landing that perfect run.

And yes, it's very, very satisfying. Loved all the characters. A lot. I came away with a big ass grin on my face, and that's hardly always the case. Fortunately, this story filled me up with love and hope as well as a sense of awe.

And yes, it continued to be delightfully funny, an R-Rated Deadpool meets My Hero Academia. Lighter, perhaps, than The Boys, and less truly dark than Invincible, it still shines with creative twists and I have almost nothing bad to say about it.

The almost: the whole sequence with the Alchemist was somewhat meh and I'd have preferred to get the core reveals some other way. The build-up and locations (including Malta) were otherwise fantastic, and I'm sure others would have enjoyed the whole Ava thing more, but this is a tiny quibble in an otherwise fantastic run. :)

Totally recommend.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Overgrowth 217387964 Day of the Triffids meets Little Shop of Horrors in this smart, charming, harrowing alien invasion story about being human, by a Hugo-award winning author.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what's coming, and just refuse to listen?]]> 480 Mira Grant 1250768233 Bradley 0 to-read 3.62 2025 Overgrowth
author: Mira Grant
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Perfect Run II 59130176
Ryan "Quicksave" Romano has begun a new time-loop. His goal? To prevent New Rome's destruction at the hands of the vicious Meta-Gang. To do so, our favorite courier must explore both sides of the law: to become a corporate superhero in one loop, and a scenery-chewing supervillain in the next!

But not is all as it seems. What is this heavy secret that the Dynamis corporation keeps hidden from him? Who is this person who seems to remember events from the previous loop? And most importantly, where did his cashmere suit go?]]> 653 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 5 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi
Yeah, it's that good. And it's not just the laugh out loud moments or the absolutely DELIGHTFUL character interactions. It's the amazingly twisty plot and truly surprising direction-changes that're revving me up.

The mystery of New Rome, and the many, many ways it gets destroyed in glaringly beautiful ways, is finally getting narrowed down by QuickSave, with his many, many reloads. I'm utterly shocked by how many good people are on all sides of this clusterfuck, and amazed that we've managed to infiltrate ALL of them in just two books. I'm feeling almost omniscient.

It's BEAUTIFUL.

And this time, it looks like he isn't going it alone. It's a hard life to live all by yourself. The perfect run is all about the friends you've made on the way.

Looks like the final book is the next one, and there's no way in hell I'm going anywhere else other than those pages.

I'm LOVING this series.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.56 2021 The Perfect Run II
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/28
date added: 2025/05/28
shelves: 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi
review:
Well, it looks like I found another book (hell, a whole series) that demands staying up all night to read, eschewing all other creature comforts in the need to consume it at all costs.

Yeah, it's that good. And it's not just the laugh out loud moments or the absolutely DELIGHTFUL character interactions. It's the amazingly twisty plot and truly surprising direction-changes that're revving me up.

The mystery of New Rome, and the many, many ways it gets destroyed in glaringly beautiful ways, is finally getting narrowed down by QuickSave, with his many, many reloads. I'm utterly shocked by how many good people are on all sides of this clusterfuck, and amazed that we've managed to infiltrate ALL of them in just two books. I'm feeling almost omniscient.

It's BEAUTIFUL.

And this time, it looks like he isn't going it alone. It's a hard life to live all by yourself. The perfect run is all about the friends you've made on the way.

Looks like the final book is the next one, and there's no way in hell I'm going anywhere else other than those pages.

I'm LOVING this series.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Perfect Run III 60001274
Ryan Romano has done it. He has gathered information about all the villains threatening New Rome. He listed all the people he wants to protect. He knows which places he has to blow up and which car he has to steal. All that's left is going back in time one final time, achieve the perfect sequence of events, save everyone, get the girl, and defeat the ultimate enemy.

It's time for the Perfect Run.]]> 656 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 0 to-read 4.54 2022 The Perfect Run III
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Perfect Run 57065516
Ryan only sees different routes; and from Hero to Villain, he has to try them all. Only then will he achieve his perfect ending... no matter how many loops it takes.]]> 667 Maxime J. Durand Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi, humor
But then I fell in love with this.

Why?

Oh, QuickSave, my quirky Deadpoolish psychopath who has probably died and reset back to his save point more times than even ME in my RPGs, has a serious mouth with the chops to go with it.

If you like the OP dynamics of Mr. Pool or Carl the Dungeon Crawler, with all the creative and weird twists of both, then you'll love this. And even more: the characters are all fantastic. If you just imagine an R-rated My Hero Academia with enough CULTURE to choke even a fan of Ready Player One, then you've got a good handle on what this has to offer.

Run. Don't walk. Grab this one by Felix the Cat and yell, "Pandaaaaa!"

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.32 2021 The Perfect Run
author: Maxime J. Durand
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/27
date added: 2025/05/27
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi, humor
review:
I've either read or seen a good number of superhero-type non-M/DC riffs over the years and I *thought* on starting this, I might be at my saturation point.

But then I fell in love with this.

Why?

Oh, QuickSave, my quirky Deadpoolish psychopath who has probably died and reset back to his save point more times than even ME in my RPGs, has a serious mouth with the chops to go with it.

If you like the OP dynamics of Mr. Pool or Carl the Dungeon Crawler, with all the creative and weird twists of both, then you'll love this. And even more: the characters are all fantastic. If you just imagine an R-rated My Hero Academia with enough CULTURE to choke even a fan of Ready Player One, then you've got a good handle on what this has to offer.

Run. Don't walk. Grab this one by Felix the Cat and yell, "Pandaaaaa!"

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Noblesse Season1. 2: the human world]]> 16108669 290 Son Jae Ho 8901130130 Bradley 5 fantasy, humor, manga 4.45 Noblesse Season1. 2: the human world
author: Son Jae Ho
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2015/04/07
date added: 2025/05/26
shelves: fantasy, humor, manga
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Soulhome (The Weirkey Chronicles, #1)]]> 56104156
But now, after a lifetime of struggle, he's found a way back to the Nine Worlds. An old man reborn in a new body, he has a second chance to rebuild what he lost and unravel a mystery that spans dimensions.

Book 1: Though Theo arrives in the safe world of Tatian, demons are crawling from the darkness between realms and he isn't the only inter-dimensional traveler. There's no time to carefully prepare himself: he needs to find allies among the lost just to survive long enough to make use of what he knows.]]> 204 Sarah Lin Bradley 0 to-read 3.98 2020 Soulhome (The Weirkey Chronicles, #1)
author: Sarah Lin
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Brightest Shadow (The Brightest Shadow, #1)]]> 51083937
To take her place as a full warrior of her tribe, Tani must travel across the vast grasslands of the Chorhan Expanse. But she has her sights set higher than a mere ritual journey: she wants to uncover a solution to the impending war that threatens her people. Her world has never been peaceful, torn between the many cultures that meet on the Chorhan Expanse, but the greatest threat is an expansionist army of monstrous non-humans who call themselves the mansthein.

Legends tell of monsters who will attempt to conquer the world, but are the mansthein those monsters? Tani believes that peace may be possible, but there are others on both sides who believe in the legends with zealous devotion. All around her, warriors have their eyes on a glorious victory with no concern for the piles of bodies they'll create on the way.

Tani will be joined by a killer pretending to be a healer, a mansthein commander struggling with his orders, a thief who pawned her heart of gold, and a strategist exiled from a foreign land.

But none of them are the Hero. It doesn't matter how many shades of gray might exist, some people see only in black and white. And the terrifying truth is that the stories they tell might not be just legends.]]> 1057 Sarah Lin Bradley 4
If I could go back in time, I'd say to myself, "Hey, buddy. Manage those expectations. This isn't a gorgeous panorama of a world filled with wonderful characters that will come together to accomplish something we'd never see in our reality."

I'd go, "Huh. Okay. So what is it?"

Solid characters, low-key quests and journeys, and even a bit of skills progression. The pacing is good and the journey is very much in line with MOST fantasies. It's real hook is how it treats its HERO. I admit, this twist got me pretty worked up and excited. It reminded me of the old adage of: "A hero is someone who leaves a multitude of corpses in his/her wake". Only, this one was a bit more interesting. No spoilers.

Unfortunately, the rest of it is pretty standard fare. I've been reading so many fantasies--and this one doesn't stand out THAT much from the multitude.

It is, however, a decent romp.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.88 2020 The Brightest Shadow (The Brightest Shadow, #1)
author: Sarah Lin
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/25
date added: 2025/05/25
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, epic-fantasy
review:
While on the hunt for some modern fantasy, I came across this recommendation, feeling its high praise, and I suppose I got a bit more enthusiastic, even over-enthusiastic for the tale.

If I could go back in time, I'd say to myself, "Hey, buddy. Manage those expectations. This isn't a gorgeous panorama of a world filled with wonderful characters that will come together to accomplish something we'd never see in our reality."

I'd go, "Huh. Okay. So what is it?"

Solid characters, low-key quests and journeys, and even a bit of skills progression. The pacing is good and the journey is very much in line with MOST fantasies. It's real hook is how it treats its HERO. I admit, this twist got me pretty worked up and excited. It reminded me of the old adage of: "A hero is someone who leaves a multitude of corpses in his/her wake". Only, this one was a bit more interesting. No spoilers.

Unfortunately, the rest of it is pretty standard fare. I've been reading so many fantasies--and this one doesn't stand out THAT much from the multitude.

It is, however, a decent romp.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Songs of Earth and Power 172740 The Song of Power opened the gateway to the Realm of the Sidhe, allowing young Michael Perrin to slip through. Now Michael faces years of captivity and deadly struggles for the future of the Realm and of Earth--leading finally to a terrible confrontation on the streets of Los Angeles, with the soul of humanity at stake.

Weaving the power of music, poetry, and myth into a headlong narrative of nearly overwhelming intensity, Song of Earth and Power is one of the most original fantasy epics of our time, a vast tapestry of relentless suspense, terrible beauty, and brilliant imagination. Originally published years ago in two parts, it now returns in a new edition rewritten by the author and published in a single volume as he originally intended. Wrote Analog on its original appearance: "A delight....A vision of Faery that may owe a bit to a wish to do it right. Read it."
]]> 704 Greg Bear 0812536037 Bradley 5
But you know what? I shouldn't have worried at all. We must all dare. We cannot remain afraid of what we are or what we could be.

And now? After curling up with my rare hardcover copy that covers a slight re-write of both The Infinity Concerto and Serpent Mage, and savoring every word, feeling every emotion, I can tell you right now that it is one of my all-time favorite books. And I honestly thought a good handful of Greg Bear's OTHER books were some of my all-time favorite books, being well known for his science fiction--and not the FIRST books he wrote, which were outright FANTASY.

I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

But I let me also give a balanced, thoughtful review about the book, itself:

There are lots of actual cringeworthy things that happen in it. There are obvious flaws. But they are very much human flaws, and fully self-aware ones. It's a true coming of age book. With Michael starting out as a cringeworthy teen, with selfishness and crudity, but also a desire to be better, to learn from his mistakes. And this is what I found most fascinating--it's a tale of actual growth. Or rather, a song of the Sidhe AND of Humans, of gaining, and constantly having to re-examine oneself to improve one's wisdom. And there was a lot that needed to be examined.

This book was REAL on the human level, and unflinching about its own flaws, as if it was the Earth itself, or Bear, himself. And all of these flaws, these pains, these blindnesses, and these glorious growths, were well EARNED.


My original first loves about this tale was primarily about the MUSIC. Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony plays an amazingly beautiful and large part in it. And so does other art, be it Coleridge, movie magic, or even the art of wine-crafting--all in the service of creating Songs of Power.

As a fantasy, it's right up there with Earthsea AND The Neverending Story, for much of the same reasons. It's mythical, and appropriately awe-inspiring, imaginative, and even deep. The book is itself a Song of Power, and transformative to a soul open to it. :)

It's also impressively YOUNG. It feels so YOUNG. And maybe that's something all of us need sometimes. It's not violent, although the stakes are impressively enormous. It's not cruel, although there is plenty to encourage cruelty. It's truly hopeful and balanced, even though it seems aimless at times, and being used like a pawn should never evoke a sense of good humor toward those who have used us.

And yet, I honestly feel wiser, happier, after having read this and having grown with this young, stupid kid, into the man he became.

100% recommend. 1000% recommend.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com]]> 4.05 1984 Songs of Earth and Power
author: Greg Bear
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/23
date added: 2025/05/24
shelves: fantasy, 2025-shelf, fanboy-goes-squee, top-one-hundred
review:
I originally read this ages ago, back before I went to college, and it seriously stuck with me for my entire damn life. I even avoided re-reading it because of how dear it was to me back in the day, wondering if there would be an impossibly huge amount of cringe within it that would make me ashamed to be myself.

But you know what? I shouldn't have worried at all. We must all dare. We cannot remain afraid of what we are or what we could be.

And now? After curling up with my rare hardcover copy that covers a slight re-write of both The Infinity Concerto and Serpent Mage, and savoring every word, feeling every emotion, I can tell you right now that it is one of my all-time favorite books. And I honestly thought a good handful of Greg Bear's OTHER books were some of my all-time favorite books, being well known for his science fiction--and not the FIRST books he wrote, which were outright FANTASY.

I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

But I let me also give a balanced, thoughtful review about the book, itself:

There are lots of actual cringeworthy things that happen in it. There are obvious flaws. But they are very much human flaws, and fully self-aware ones. It's a true coming of age book. With Michael starting out as a cringeworthy teen, with selfishness and crudity, but also a desire to be better, to learn from his mistakes. And this is what I found most fascinating--it's a tale of actual growth. Or rather, a song of the Sidhe AND of Humans, of gaining, and constantly having to re-examine oneself to improve one's wisdom. And there was a lot that needed to be examined.

This book was REAL on the human level, and unflinching about its own flaws, as if it was the Earth itself, or Bear, himself. And all of these flaws, these pains, these blindnesses, and these glorious growths, were well EARNED.


My original first loves about this tale was primarily about the MUSIC. Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony plays an amazingly beautiful and large part in it. And so does other art, be it Coleridge, movie magic, or even the art of wine-crafting--all in the service of creating Songs of Power.

As a fantasy, it's right up there with Earthsea AND The Neverending Story, for much of the same reasons. It's mythical, and appropriately awe-inspiring, imaginative, and even deep. The book is itself a Song of Power, and transformative to a soul open to it. :)

It's also impressively YOUNG. It feels so YOUNG. And maybe that's something all of us need sometimes. It's not violent, although the stakes are impressively enormous. It's not cruel, although there is plenty to encourage cruelty. It's truly hopeful and balanced, even though it seems aimless at times, and being used like a pawn should never evoke a sense of good humor toward those who have used us.

And yet, I honestly feel wiser, happier, after having read this and having grown with this young, stupid kid, into the man he became.

100% recommend. 1000% recommend.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Great Masters: Mahler—His Life and Music]]> 7181292
Course Lecture Titles (8 lectures, 45 minutes/lecture)

1. Introduction and Childhood
2. Mahler the Conductor
3. Early Songs and Symphony No. 1
4. The Wunderhorn Symphonies
5. Alma and Vienna
6. Family Life and Symphony No. 5
7. Symphony No. 6, and Das Lied von der Erde
8. Das Lied, Final Symphonies, and the End]]> 6 Robert Greenberg 1565853814 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, non-fiction
Growing up abused, an outcast in social life (rampant, vocal anti-semitism), and most likely a VERY neurodivergent individual, all these things flavor his life and while they don't excuse how he treated others later, it sure made it interesting.

His music, on the other hand, was bar none amazing. Personal, breathtaking, enormous, painful, and always on the cusp of major transitions, it's a perfect example of an artist straight-out ushering in the 20th century. Predating the first or second world wars but just a few years, he may as well have been their HERALD.

Songs of Earth and Power.

On a personal note, I only got into Mahler (at least as my first entry point) through his unfinished 10th symphony. And what a massive trip THAT was. Screaming angels, sweetly singing devils. Pain. Grief. Transcendence.

Mahler is one of the greats and my personal favorite composer of all time. His music is utterly emotional and transformative.
]]> 4.35 Great Masters: Mahler—His Life and Music
author: Robert Greenberg
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/22
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves: 2025-shelf, non-fiction
review:
A real treat to learn more about Mahler. It always shocked me to know how much of an utter perfectionist and bastard he was in real life, but how all that lead to a perfect storm of musical genius--whether as a brilliant conductor OR as a composer.

Growing up abused, an outcast in social life (rampant, vocal anti-semitism), and most likely a VERY neurodivergent individual, all these things flavor his life and while they don't excuse how he treated others later, it sure made it interesting.

His music, on the other hand, was bar none amazing. Personal, breathtaking, enormous, painful, and always on the cusp of major transitions, it's a perfect example of an artist straight-out ushering in the 20th century. Predating the first or second world wars but just a few years, he may as well have been their HERALD.

Songs of Earth and Power.

On a personal note, I only got into Mahler (at least as my first entry point) through his unfinished 10th symphony. And what a massive trip THAT was. Screaming angels, sweetly singing devils. Pain. Grief. Transcendence.

Mahler is one of the greats and my personal favorite composer of all time. His music is utterly emotional and transformative.

]]> When the Moon Hits Your Eye 211004190
It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives.]]> 326 John Scalzi 0765389096 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi How about the peerless satirical movie, Don't Look Up?

Yeah, this book isn't those.

Now, mind you, it certainly GOES in those directions, firmly, brilliantly, and funnily, but let's just say IT'S NOT THOSE.


Honestly, I chortled and snickered and even laughed out loud many times as I read Scalzi's work. It's genuine amore. And between all of these sharp, beautiful vignettes of regular and not so regular folk coming to terms with a shit-load of cheese, I even saw myself.

And yes, I thought about every every bend, crook, and cranny.


This book was far from cheesy, however, even though there was a LOT of cheese. It was smart, funny, and gloriously satirical in a fresh, delightful way. And for once, neither the French nor the folks in Wisconsin were to blame.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

]]> 3.78 2025 When the Moon Hits Your Eye
author: John Scalzi
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/22
date added: 2025/05/22
shelves: 2025-shelf, humor, sci-fi
review:
You know that inestimable work of grand science fiction, Seveneves by Neal Stephenson?
How about the peerless satirical movie, Don't Look Up?

Yeah, this book isn't those.

Now, mind you, it certainly GOES in those directions, firmly, brilliantly, and funnily, but let's just say IT'S NOT THOSE.


Honestly, I chortled and snickered and even laughed out loud many times as I read Scalzi's work. It's genuine amore. And between all of these sharp, beautiful vignettes of regular and not so regular folk coming to terms with a shit-load of cheese, I even saw myself.

And yes, I thought about every every bend, crook, and cranny.


This book was far from cheesy, however, even though there was a LOT of cheese. It was smart, funny, and gloriously satirical in a fresh, delightful way. And for once, neither the French nor the folks in Wisconsin were to blame.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com


]]> Hammajang Luck 204325152 HAMMAJANG | adjective. Definition: In a disorderly or chaotic state; messed up. Chiefly in predicative use, esp. in all hammajang. Etymology: A borrowing from Hawaiian Pidgin. Source: Oxford English Dictionary.

Edie is done with crime. Eight years behind bars changes a person - costs them too much time with too many of the people who need them most.

And it's all Angel's fault. She sold Edie out in what should have been the greatest moment of their lives. Instead, Edie was shipped off to the icy prison planet spinning far below the soaring skybridges and neon catacombs of Kepler space station - of home - to spend the best part of a decade alone.

But then a chance for early parole appears out of nowhere and Edie steps into the pallid sunlight to find none other than Angel waiting - and she has an offer.

One last job. One last deal. One last target. The trillionaire tech god they failed to bring down last time. There's just one thing Edie needs to do - trust Angel again - which also happens to be the last thing Edie wants to do. What could possibly go all hammajang about this plan?

Ocean's 8 meets Blade Runner in this trail-blazing debut science fiction novel and swashbuckling love letter to Hawai'i about being forced to find a new home and striving to build a better one - unmissable for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.]]> 372 Makana Yamamoto 139961679X Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
My takeaway:

It's REALLY heavy on relationships, betrayals, trying to make good, and trust, which is perfectly in line with MOST heist novels (or movies), but this one leans rather heavily into the push-pull of F/F burn and its fiery dynamism.

For me, I was mostly rooting for a burn this whole thing down ending for at least the first half of the novel, burying the mastermind in a shallow grave--but then a funny thing happened. I started hoping for a happy ending.

Of course, it wouldn't be a good heist without plenty of reversals, and this one has plenty. Suffice to say, it turned out pretty wicked.

I should note that my mind's-eye turned this whole novel into a full tale set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe and I'll die by my decision to do so. It just WORKS REALLY WELL that way.

Very happy with the tale.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.59 2024 Hammajang Luck
author: Makana Yamamoto
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/21
date added: 2025/05/21
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I'm pretty much always a sucker for a good heist tale. So, of course, I had to read this.

My takeaway:

It's REALLY heavy on relationships, betrayals, trying to make good, and trust, which is perfectly in line with MOST heist novels (or movies), but this one leans rather heavily into the push-pull of F/F burn and its fiery dynamism.

For me, I was mostly rooting for a burn this whole thing down ending for at least the first half of the novel, burying the mastermind in a shallow grave--but then a funny thing happened. I started hoping for a happy ending.

Of course, it wouldn't be a good heist without plenty of reversals, and this one has plenty. Suffice to say, it turned out pretty wicked.

I should note that my mind's-eye turned this whole novel into a full tale set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe and I'll die by my decision to do so. It just WORKS REALLY WELL that way.

Very happy with the tale.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Private Rites 203579085 From the award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a speculative reimagining of King Lear, centering three sisters navigating queer love and loss in a drowning world

It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and arcane rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father dies. An architect as cruel as he was revered, his death offers an opportunity for the sisters to come together in a new way. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will.

More estranged than ever, the sisters’ lives spin out of control: Irene’s relationship is straining at the seams; Isla’s ex-wife keeps calling; and cynical Agnes is falling in love for the first time. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperiled world.]]> 291 Julia Armfield 125034431X Bradley 3 2025-shelf, horror
Well, I guess my imagination about what COULD have been never even came CLOSE to what I received.

So what is this?

It's just a mild three-sister battle over the worldly remains of a tyrant-ish father. Or, as it so happens, a very much sniper-ish battle that could have happened in any family with low stakes, hurt feelings, dramatic sacrifices, misunderstandings, and daddy-drama.

The point is, it's not Succession-level storytelling. It's really just Sex in the City storytelling with some F/F romance and, unlike the Bard, NO FOOL. Unless you count the reader. The reader could always be the true fool in this tragedy.

Even so, it's a pretty average mild horror that leans more to low-stakes family drama, with just a pastiche of flooding and the world going to post 2020 hell to remind us that, yes, we do live in a shitty time full of shittier people.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.55 2024 Private Rites
author: Julia Armfield
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/19
date added: 2025/05/19
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror
review:
Okay. So. I really thought I'd love this SO much more. I mean, it's King Lear as told in a near-future SF (ok, barely, just flooding everywhere) with all our modern slant. It should have been NEAR PERFECT.

Well, I guess my imagination about what COULD have been never even came CLOSE to what I received.

So what is this?

It's just a mild three-sister battle over the worldly remains of a tyrant-ish father. Or, as it so happens, a very much sniper-ish battle that could have happened in any family with low stakes, hurt feelings, dramatic sacrifices, misunderstandings, and daddy-drama.

The point is, it's not Succession-level storytelling. It's really just Sex in the City storytelling with some F/F romance and, unlike the Bard, NO FOOL. Unless you count the reader. The reader could always be the true fool in this tragedy.

Even so, it's a pretty average mild horror that leans more to low-stakes family drama, with just a pastiche of flooding and the world going to post 2020 hell to remind us that, yes, we do live in a shitty time full of shittier people.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock]]> 127547335
Set in a world of the near future, the celebrity elite have access to a technology that allows them to make perfect copies of themselves, known as Portraits. These Portraits exist to fulfil all the various duties that come as the price of fame.

Our protagonist is the thirteenth copy made of the actress known as Lulabelle Rock. Her purpose is very to track down and eliminate her predecessors.

While initially easy, her task is made difficult by the labyrinthine confusion of Bubble City and the unfortunate stirrings of a developing conscience. When she makes the mistake of falling in love with one of her targets, the would-be assassin faces the ultimate question; when you don’t want to kill yourself, what’s the alternative?]]> 231 Maud Woolf 1915202906 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
It's a fast and fun ride of murder and mayhem guided by a light, even friendly, touch. If you think that's rather unusual, then so be it. The circumstances, while clear, are rules we must obey. Clones, replicants, whatever, aren't really considered murderable. So be it. And yet, this almost feels like a light-hearted comedy.

The okay:

Since they are all pretty much identical to the original Lulabelle and they all understand that they're pretty expendable, the whole tale isn't so much about the ethics of it, but the fact that this one character is living out many different aspects of their potential lives, living it fully, and yet, must still go through its own complicated version of psychoanalysis writ large. Can one hate oneself over-much? How about love? All the what-ifs. It isn't bad.

The bad:

I'm so tired of all these similar-themed clone-killing books being a metaphor for mental-health issues. Why? Almost ALL of them tend to go the fame and fortune route and, at least to me, it's so not very interesting. Everyone is living their wish-fulfillments in these many, many copycat books. Sure, it's a thing, but I guess I'm starting to get burned out because it's just feels like another disney princess burnout with yet another message to love oneself. Then again, maybe I'm just a grouch. Maybe I'd have loved something much closer to Orphan Black after all. *shrugs*


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.66 2024 Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock
author: Maud Woolf
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/18
date added: 2025/05/18
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
The good:

It's a fast and fun ride of murder and mayhem guided by a light, even friendly, touch. If you think that's rather unusual, then so be it. The circumstances, while clear, are rules we must obey. Clones, replicants, whatever, aren't really considered murderable. So be it. And yet, this almost feels like a light-hearted comedy.

The okay:

Since they are all pretty much identical to the original Lulabelle and they all understand that they're pretty expendable, the whole tale isn't so much about the ethics of it, but the fact that this one character is living out many different aspects of their potential lives, living it fully, and yet, must still go through its own complicated version of psychoanalysis writ large. Can one hate oneself over-much? How about love? All the what-ifs. It isn't bad.

The bad:

I'm so tired of all these similar-themed clone-killing books being a metaphor for mental-health issues. Why? Almost ALL of them tend to go the fame and fortune route and, at least to me, it's so not very interesting. Everyone is living their wish-fulfillments in these many, many copycat books. Sure, it's a thing, but I guess I'm starting to get burned out because it's just feels like another disney princess burnout with yet another message to love oneself. Then again, maybe I'm just a grouch. Maybe I'd have loved something much closer to Orphan Black after all. *shrugs*


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Annie Bot 156023123
She’s learning, too.

Doug says he loves that Annie’s artificial intelligence makes her seem more like a real woman, but the more human Annie becomes, the less perfectly she behaves. As Annie's relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder whether Doug truly desires what he says he does. In such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?]]> 231 Sierra Greer 0063312697 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
The reality is simpler: this is a power-dynamics contemporary novel with a sharp focus on relationship expectations and imbalance.

I can't help but remember an almost countless-seeming similarities to Stepford Wives, Pleasantville, so many sitcoms riffing on this, or any number of good horrors that do a similar push-pull. So it really boils down to this: does the tale pull off its intent? Am I sufficiently horrified about how this man treats a thinking, feeling being because he thinks he owns her?

Of course. I was right there by page two or three. Maybe by the time I finished reading the blurb.

But here's where I get a bit annoyed: if we're going to start it off with house duties, the unpaid and generally unthanked chores as the ground floor of the injustice in any relationship, then we ought to acknowledge that this isn't a feminist issue. This is a straight power-imbalance issue in any relationship that could go either direction. It's a sore point for me. Almost any of the key anger-issues in this novel could easily be transferred to the other partner in a relationship. It just begs the question: who has the most power, and how is it abused?

The fact that this novel DOES have a resolution that's both grown up and hopeful is quite good, however, and I appreciate that aspect of it.

Now, if only we could take a good long look at the real underlying issue--of power imbalance-- and not just the fact that so many people just assume that sex (in this case, the female, or the sex-bot) is ALWAYS, as a matter of record, the inherent loser of any power-differential. Example: any same sex couple could go through this exact same story, as well as the differential for those men who stay home with a wife who works.

Taken as an allegory, and stretching our imaginations to fit our actual situations, this novel would still work fine, of course, but it still begs the question. Is this, or is this not, a FEMINIST novel? For all these reasons, I have to say no.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.81 2024 Annie Bot
author: Sierra Greer
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/17
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Honestly? I can't really call this SF. The thinnest veneer is in place.

The reality is simpler: this is a power-dynamics contemporary novel with a sharp focus on relationship expectations and imbalance.

I can't help but remember an almost countless-seeming similarities to Stepford Wives, Pleasantville, so many sitcoms riffing on this, or any number of good horrors that do a similar push-pull. So it really boils down to this: does the tale pull off its intent? Am I sufficiently horrified about how this man treats a thinking, feeling being because he thinks he owns her?

Of course. I was right there by page two or three. Maybe by the time I finished reading the blurb.

But here's where I get a bit annoyed: if we're going to start it off with house duties, the unpaid and generally unthanked chores as the ground floor of the injustice in any relationship, then we ought to acknowledge that this isn't a feminist issue. This is a straight power-imbalance issue in any relationship that could go either direction. It's a sore point for me. Almost any of the key anger-issues in this novel could easily be transferred to the other partner in a relationship. It just begs the question: who has the most power, and how is it abused?

The fact that this novel DOES have a resolution that's both grown up and hopeful is quite good, however, and I appreciate that aspect of it.

Now, if only we could take a good long look at the real underlying issue--of power imbalance-- and not just the fact that so many people just assume that sex (in this case, the female, or the sex-bot) is ALWAYS, as a matter of record, the inherent loser of any power-differential. Example: any same sex couple could go through this exact same story, as well as the differential for those men who stay home with a wife who works.

Taken as an allegory, and stretching our imaginations to fit our actual situations, this novel would still work fine, of course, but it still begs the question. Is this, or is this not, a FEMINIST novel? For all these reasons, I have to say no.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> The Buffalo Hunter Hunter 214565614 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians comes a tale of the American West, writ in blood.

This chilling historical novel is set in the nascent days of the state of Montana, following a Blackfeet Indian named Good Stab as he haunts the fields of the Blackfeet Nation looking for justice.

It begins when a diary written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor is discovered within a wall in 2012. What is unveiled is a slow massacre, a nearly forgotten chain of events that goes back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow, told in the transcribed interviews with Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar and unnaturally long life over a series of confessional visits.

This is an American Indian revenge story, captured in the vivid voices of the time, by one of the new masters of literary horror, Stephen Graham Jones.]]> 435 Stephen Graham Jones 1668075083 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, horror
This one captures us recursively, from a modern scholar who has a great grandpa whose written records are in great demand--and from there we learn, feel the growing dread, and fall into a kind of hell within this sometime Lutheran pastor's head in 1912--as he recounts his long accounting of a "confession" by an ex-Blackfoot tribe member.

This nesting works really well in my opinion. Getting to know everything about Good Stab and his people, his long experiences and the sheer HISTORY of his people, as written in the context of a white priest who listens, has all the earmarks of a modern version of Interview with a Vampire.

And, indeed, that's exactly what it is. No Lestat, of course, but something less--and so much more.

There's a ton of heartbreak here. And that's not just about the horrors of what America did to the Indians, but all the personal tragedies, too. The horror and the rage and the revenge work SO very well in this mix.

That being said, there were times when the pacing made it a bit hard to stay immersed. But overall, I thought it was a fantastic tale.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.12 2025 The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/17
date added: 2025/05/17
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror
review:
I'm a sucker for stories within stories, of tales written in an epistolary way.

This one captures us recursively, from a modern scholar who has a great grandpa whose written records are in great demand--and from there we learn, feel the growing dread, and fall into a kind of hell within this sometime Lutheran pastor's head in 1912--as he recounts his long accounting of a "confession" by an ex-Blackfoot tribe member.

This nesting works really well in my opinion. Getting to know everything about Good Stab and his people, his long experiences and the sheer HISTORY of his people, as written in the context of a white priest who listens, has all the earmarks of a modern version of Interview with a Vampire.

And, indeed, that's exactly what it is. No Lestat, of course, but something less--and so much more.

There's a ton of heartbreak here. And that's not just about the horrors of what America did to the Indians, but all the personal tragedies, too. The horror and the rage and the revenge work SO very well in this mix.

That being said, there were times when the pacing made it a bit hard to stay immersed. But overall, I thought it was a fantastic tale.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Monkey: The Journey to the West]]> 100237 306 Wu Cheng'en 0802130860 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, humor, fantasy
Yes, THE trickster monkey king, the humorous, funny, wickedly delightful, freedom-loving immortal master of martial arts, magics, and the art of thumbing one's nose at all gods and demons.

I could say something about its great influence on all of Eastern culture, but I'll skip that for now because a lot of people have said a lot of great things on that.

Instead, I'm just going to throw in MY particular enjoyment--for Mangas and Anime, and just how much debt THEY have to The Monkey King.

Right off the bat, I was chortling with glee about how much young Goku resembled him in SO many particulars, from the original Dragon Ball. Not so much Dragon Ball Z, mind you, but the kid is almost the spitting image of our hero. Riding a cloud and shapeshifting staff, a tail that always shows up in any transformation (or Goku's particular riff on that), not to mention a particular shapeshifting pig, hops to the underworld with King Yama, etc.

But if THAT wasn't enough, I was even MORE delighted to see dozens of equally great references to The Monkey King in One Piece. Luffy's name notwithstanding, his SPIRIT is ENTIRELY the Monkey King. In some ways, One Piece is an even greater riff on the original than Dragon Ball.

And another thing, a very honorable mention: Inuyasha being told to Sit, and some of the households visited on the journey, are SO SUSPICIOUSLY just like the original that I was honestly tickled pink.


And yes, I'm ignoring cultural contexts mostly because I had no issues picking up on all of them in this translation. I'm even ignoring the fact that the whole tale is a deft and delicious SATIRE AND ALLEGORY. Why would I, though?

Because the tale is JUST PLAIN FUN, too. Enjoyment trounced all that.

So, if any of ya'll have never considered picking up this tale, please consider doing so. It's a well-beloved classic for very, very deserved reasons.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.06 1592 Monkey: The Journey to the West
author: Wu Cheng'en
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1592
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/16
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: 2025-shelf, humor, fantasy
review:
I finally got to see for myself why this is called a classic. More than that, the source (translated, still) of SO many great riffs over the centuries.

Yes, THE trickster monkey king, the humorous, funny, wickedly delightful, freedom-loving immortal master of martial arts, magics, and the art of thumbing one's nose at all gods and demons.

I could say something about its great influence on all of Eastern culture, but I'll skip that for now because a lot of people have said a lot of great things on that.

Instead, I'm just going to throw in MY particular enjoyment--for Mangas and Anime, and just how much debt THEY have to The Monkey King.

Right off the bat, I was chortling with glee about how much young Goku resembled him in SO many particulars, from the original Dragon Ball. Not so much Dragon Ball Z, mind you, but the kid is almost the spitting image of our hero. Riding a cloud and shapeshifting staff, a tail that always shows up in any transformation (or Goku's particular riff on that), not to mention a particular shapeshifting pig, hops to the underworld with King Yama, etc.

But if THAT wasn't enough, I was even MORE delighted to see dozens of equally great references to The Monkey King in One Piece. Luffy's name notwithstanding, his SPIRIT is ENTIRELY the Monkey King. In some ways, One Piece is an even greater riff on the original than Dragon Ball.

And another thing, a very honorable mention: Inuyasha being told to Sit, and some of the households visited on the journey, are SO SUSPICIOUSLY just like the original that I was honestly tickled pink.


And yes, I'm ignoring cultural contexts mostly because I had no issues picking up on all of them in this translation. I'm even ignoring the fact that the whole tale is a deft and delicious SATIRE AND ALLEGORY. Why would I, though?

Because the tale is JUST PLAIN FUN, too. Enjoyment trounced all that.

So, if any of ya'll have never considered picking up this tale, please consider doing so. It's a well-beloved classic for very, very deserved reasons.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Overcaptain (The Saga of Recluce #24)]]> 203924567 L. E. Modesitt, Jr. continues the Saga of Recluce, the long-running, best-selling epic fantasy series. Overcaptain, the sequel to From the Forest, continues to follow the early life of a man known by many names depending on who you ask—hero, tyrant, emperor.

Alyiakal, overcaptain in the Mirror Lancers of Cyador, has completed his tour of duty as officer-in-charge of a small, remote post. He just wants to finish and see his best friend consorted and assume his next post assignment. If only it were that easy.

He discovers corruption in the Merchanter Clans of Cyador, but investigating Mirror Lancer officers end up dead. Before he can go on leave, he has to replace one of these officers, close a post, dodge an attempt on his life, and an investigation from Magi-i.

At Lhaarat, Alyiakal is assigned as a deputy commander to a post that never had one, and the commander doesn't want one—and that's just the beginning of Alyiakal’s problems.]]> 528 L.E. Modesitt Jr. 1250902932 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy
Frankly, I get it. It's comfortable, fully expected in almost all ways, and yet, with all these new situations and characters, the slow discovery of the world around them, and how they rise to the challenge--is just GOOD.

I can read this kind of thing forever as long as I can trust the author, and I can absolutely trust this one. It's good to feel trust. It's even better to be well rewarded. (Unlike our poor Overcaptain, lol.)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.47 2024 Overcaptain (The Saga of Recluce #24)
author: L.E. Modesitt Jr.
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/16
date added: 2025/05/16
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy
review:
Completely enjoyable competence porn, military-magic-style. It's continuing book 23's main character, following the duology-style that Modesitt employs so often.

Frankly, I get it. It's comfortable, fully expected in almost all ways, and yet, with all these new situations and characters, the slow discovery of the world around them, and how they rise to the challenge--is just GOOD.

I can read this kind of thing forever as long as I can trust the author, and I can absolutely trust this one. It's good to feel trust. It's even better to be well rewarded. (Unlike our poor Overcaptain, lol.)

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Far from the Light of Heaven 57007657 Ragtime docks in the Lagos system, having traveled light-years to bring one thousand sleeping souls to a new home among the stars. But when first mate Michelle Campion rouses, she discovers some of the sleepers will never wake.

Answering Campion's distress call, investigator Rasheed Fin is tasked with finding out who is responsible for these deaths. Soon a sinister mystery unfolds aboard the gigantic vessel, one that will have repercussions for the entire system—from the scheming politicians of Lagos station, to the colony planet Bloodroot, to other far-flung systems, and indeed to Earth itself.]]> Tade Thompson 1549136550 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
From what I understand, it was meant to be a Poe riff, a locked-room mystery on a spacecraft, but it quickly diverted from that course with some of the trademark IDEA stuff I like so much from Tade's writing. Originality always gets super high marks in my head, even over excellent writing. It's what makes me always come back for more.

In this case, it was pretty much only the ideas that carried this book for me. The plot, unfortunately, was slightly odd, or at least a bit too subtle against the actual SFnal backdrop and several big reversals.

Mind you, I think subtlety is a fine, fine thing, but it must be matched with a proper breath in the text. And this? The flavors were a bit of a mismatch. I'm not saying it was a bad book, but it isn't on the same level as the great trilogy.

Do I recommend? Perhaps--if you like to hunt for subtlety. Just don't really expect it to pan out as a true mystery, either.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.39 2021 Far from the Light of Heaven
author: Tade Thompson
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/14
date added: 2025/05/14
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I've really enjoyed Tade Thompson's work in the past--especially his imagination above all else--so it was a no-brainer to take up an actual spacefaring SF with a fair degree of relish.

From what I understand, it was meant to be a Poe riff, a locked-room mystery on a spacecraft, but it quickly diverted from that course with some of the trademark IDEA stuff I like so much from Tade's writing. Originality always gets super high marks in my head, even over excellent writing. It's what makes me always come back for more.

In this case, it was pretty much only the ideas that carried this book for me. The plot, unfortunately, was slightly odd, or at least a bit too subtle against the actual SFnal backdrop and several big reversals.

Mind you, I think subtlety is a fine, fine thing, but it must be matched with a proper breath in the text. And this? The flavors were a bit of a mismatch. I'm not saying it was a bad book, but it isn't on the same level as the great trilogy.

Do I recommend? Perhaps--if you like to hunt for subtlety. Just don't really expect it to pan out as a true mystery, either.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Bee Speaker (Dogs of War, #3) 217387776 From the Arthur C. Clarke award winner, Adrian Tchaikovsky, comes the third instalment of the DOGS OF WAR science fiction series, a future where genetically engineered “Bioforms” have inherited not the Earth, but the Solar System.

The end of the world has been and gone.

There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Rather scores of storms, droughts and floods; dozens of vicious, selfish regional conflicts that only destroyed what could no longer be rebuilt. No single finishing stroke for Earth's great global human society, but you can still bleed to death from a thousand cuts.

The Red Planet fared better. Where Earth fell apart, Mars pulled together. Engineered men and beasts, aided by Bees, an outlawed distributed intelligence, survived through co-operation, because there was simply no alternative.

Fast forward to the present day. A signal - "For the sake of what once was. We beg you. Help." - reaches Mars.

How could they not help? A consortium of Martian work crews gather the resources for a a triumphal return to the blue-green world of their ancestors.

And now here they are - three hundred million kilometres from home.

And it has all already gone horribly wrong.]]> 448 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1035901455 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
To be entirely honest, I thought it started out really rough. I kinda hated all the characters and thought they were too stupid to live and you probably wouldn't have been able to change my mind until near the half-way mark.

And then something happened.

No, they didn't get smarter. Indeed, maybe I just got stupider. But the book became fun. Really fun. A wild, messed-up roller-coaster of stupidity, good-naturedness applied to all the wrong places, and unhinged ultraviolence also applied to all the wrong places.

By 2/3, I was chortling and rearing for more and you couldn't pay me to put it down.

So yeah, it's one of THOSE books. And because it's Tchaikovsky, it's an obligatory read AND worth it.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.14 2025 Bee Speaker (Dogs of War, #3)
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Wild.

To be entirely honest, I thought it started out really rough. I kinda hated all the characters and thought they were too stupid to live and you probably wouldn't have been able to change my mind until near the half-way mark.

And then something happened.

No, they didn't get smarter. Indeed, maybe I just got stupider. But the book became fun. Really fun. A wild, messed-up roller-coaster of stupidity, good-naturedness applied to all the wrong places, and unhinged ultraviolence also applied to all the wrong places.

By 2/3, I was chortling and rearing for more and you couldn't pay me to put it down.

So yeah, it's one of THOSE books. And because it's Tchaikovsky, it's an obligatory read AND worth it.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[From the Forest (The Saga of Recluce #23)]]> 126919058
Alayiakal, who will one day be known by many names —not all of them flattering—has to climb the ranks of Cyador’s Mirror Lancers, fighting against unforeseen weapons and ancient technology.

Alayiakal, however, has secrets of his own to his ties to the Great Forest and his magus abilities. He must silently pretend to be a conventional soldier favored by fate—until that very same fate forces him to choose.

Saga of Recluce

#1 The Magic of Recluce / #2 The Towers of the Sunset / #3 The Order War / #4 The Magic Engineer / #5 The Death of Chaos / #6 Fall of Angels / #7 The Chaos Balance / #8 The White Order / #9 Colors of Chaos / #10 Magi’i of Cyador / #11 Scion of Cyador / #12 Wellspring of Chaos / #13 Ordermaster / #14 Natural Order Mage / #15 Mage-Guard of Hamor / #16 Arms-Commander / #17 Cyador’s Heirs / #18 Heritage of Cyador / #19 The Mongrel Mage / #20 Outcasts of Order / #21 The Mage-Fire War / #22 Fairhaven Rising/#23 From the Forest


Story Recluce Tales

Other Series by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Grand Illusion
The Imager Portfolio
The Corean Chronicles
The Spellsong Cycle
The Ghost Books
The Ecolitan Matter


At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 452 L.E. Modesitt Jr. 125088683X Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy
Competence porn, military action focusing on saving lives, and growing magical power is the key, here. Indeed, it is THE defining characteristic of ALL of them. I could add that there's always an uncomplicated, mutually-supportive, mature focus on relationships that just as comforting as the steady rise in magical power.

If I were a bit unjust and cruel toward these books, I might say that they're practically FORMULA, and have been for a LONG TIME, but there's generally enough that's different between them that it's like listening to variations on a great musical theme.

I am not complaining. I'm simply enjoying them, like taking a long walk in a familiar field or a forest trail that I've walked many times. After all, the forest is no less beautiful for having walked it a hundred times.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.53 2024 From the Forest (The Saga of Recluce #23)
author: L.E. Modesitt Jr.
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/13
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy
review:
I'm returning to the Recluse Saga after having binge-read them (with great pleasure), only to find out that I'm still AS comforted by reading it as I was with the rest.

Competence porn, military action focusing on saving lives, and growing magical power is the key, here. Indeed, it is THE defining characteristic of ALL of them. I could add that there's always an uncomplicated, mutually-supportive, mature focus on relationships that just as comforting as the steady rise in magical power.

If I were a bit unjust and cruel toward these books, I might say that they're practically FORMULA, and have been for a LONG TIME, but there's generally enough that's different between them that it's like listening to variations on a great musical theme.

I am not complaining. I'm simply enjoying them, like taking a long walk in a familiar field or a forest trail that I've walked many times. After all, the forest is no less beautiful for having walked it a hundred times.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> A Thousand Blues 214859358 Discover the Korean runaway prizewinning bestseller for fans of LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR and KLARA AND THE SUN

'A stunning story of love, care and sacrifice' BORA CHUNG, author of CURSED BUNNY
_____________

Let's all learn how to slow down ...
2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman finds a robot on a scrap heap, contemplating the sky. Intrigued, she takes him under her care. Together, they decide to rescue the race horse named Today who is heading for the knackers' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To make Today happy again, they hatch a special plan to let her run another race.

But it will be no ordinary event- they will train her to run the slowest time of her life.

In the heat of the race, Coli feels Today running too fast. She is in pain and will soon injure herself.

To save his beloved horse, Coli will commit one final act of bravery ...

Radiant, urgent, deeply moving, A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving powerful voice to those left behind in a fast forward-moving world of toxic productivity and competition. Brimming with heart and hope and rage, it shows with vivid empathy and warmth how friendship, community and sacrifice will set us free.
__________

'A stunningly crafted novel, evoking a myriad emotions' Kim Bo-young

‘A dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind' Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm Horizon

‘A breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre’

‘Feels like a feather softly descending and tickling my heart'

‘A sci-fi novel full of human warmth'
]]> 305 Cheon Seon-ran 1529938031 Bradley 0 to-read 4.09 2020 A Thousand Blues
author: Cheon Seon-ran
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Extremophile 203579109
They pay for the beer they don't steal with the money from ZODIAC CODE, a DNA astrology site, and Charlie makes bio-bespoke augments for criminals, punks, and eco-warriors. They have to deal with disgruntled clients, scene kids who don't dig their band, and navigating a city owned wholly by the violence of corporate interest and criminality.

Their world is split into three GREEN – still trying to save the world; BLUE – trying to profit while they can, and BLACK – who see no hope left.

When a group of extremist GREEN activists hire them for a series of jobs ranging from robbery to murder, Charlie knows they should walk away. But Parker wants to make a difference, and for Charlie maybe these are the jobs that will make them feel anything other than BLACK.

Facing off against faceless corporations, amoral biohackers, and criminally insane cyberpunks in an escalating biological arms race, Charlie will have to choose what she believes in. Is there still hope, and does she have a right to grab it?]]> 320 Ian Green 1804545848 Bradley 0 to-read 3.74 2024 Extremophile
author: Ian Green
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lost Gods 28925111 A young man descends into Purgatory to save his wife and unborn child in this gorgeous, illustrated tale of wonder and terror from the mind of master storyteller and acclaimed artist Brom

Fresh out of jail and eager to start a new life, Chet Moran and his pregnant wife, Trish, leave town to begin again. But an ancient evil is looming, and what seems like a safe haven may not be all it appears . . .

Snared and murdered by a vile, arcane horror, Chet quickly learns that pain and death are not unique to the living. Now the lives and very souls of his wife and unborn child are at stake. To save them, he must journey into the bowels of purgatory in search of a sacred key promised to restore the natural order of life and death. Alone, confused, and damned, Chet steels himself against the unfathomable terrors awaiting him as he descends into death’s stygian blackness.

In Lost Gods, Brom’s gritty and visceral prose takes us on a haunting, harrowing journey into the depths of the underworld. Thrust into a realm of madness and chaos, where ancient gods and demons battle over the dead, and where cabals of souls conspire to overthrow their masters, Chet plays a dangerous game, risking eternal damnation to save his family.]]> 489 Brom 0062095684 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, horror
Think, for a moment, of mixing American Gods with a few of the best storylines of the Winchesters from Supernatural, leave out the humor entirely, and go whole ADVENTURE in Purgatory.

That's this book. Dead, but still kicking. Gods, angels, demons, and a true eat or be eaten reality. It's not just monsters--but the monsters people become in a truly zero-sum world. Wonderful characters, situations, and overall quest.

Highly recommended.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.20 2016 Lost Gods
author: Brom
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror
review:
So far, every Brom I've read has been rich, complexly shown, and sharply executed. That's saying a lot. Most horror I've read usually has the sharp execution and sometimes the complexity, but few go for the rich.

Think, for a moment, of mixing American Gods with a few of the best storylines of the Winchesters from Supernatural, leave out the humor entirely, and go whole ADVENTURE in Purgatory.

That's this book. Dead, but still kicking. Gods, angels, demons, and a true eat or be eaten reality. It's not just monsters--but the monsters people become in a truly zero-sum world. Wonderful characters, situations, and overall quest.

Highly recommended.

Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 224, May 2025]]> 232521155 Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our May 2025 issue (#224)

Fiction
* "Brainstem Disco, 2191" by Angela Liu
* "The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra
* "We, the Fleet" by Alex T. Singer
* "Descent" by Wole Talabi
* "Oh Time Thy Pyramids" by Ann LeBlanc
* "Proxima One" by Caryanna Reuvenm, translated by Sue Burke
* "Yarn Theory" by Marie Vibbert

Non-Fiction
* "Symbiosis and Holobionts, or Life Is a Manifold" by Gunnar De Winter
* "Dialogue Only: A conversation with Jane Espenson" by Arley Sorg
* "Inside the 카지노싸이트 Fiction Studio: A Conversation with David Barr Kirtley" by Arley Sorg
* "Editor’s Desk: From Unusual Places" by Neil Clarke

Cover Art
"Jungleman II" by Arthur Haas]]> 204 Neil Clarke Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
"The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra - (3*) For as much as I want to love dark future SF library stories, this one's direction somehow left me slightly cold. Nothing I can put my finger on at the moment, but its despair seemed to derail me.

"We, the Fleet" by Alex T. Singer - (5*) At first I thought it was a bit like Leckie's work, but for all that, it still really hit me in the heart and I even teared up. Very cool story.

"Descent" by Wole Talabi - (4*) A pretty sharp moral tale with all the trappings of hard SF, with plenty of adventure to see us down--all the way.

"Oh Time Thy Pyramids" by Ann LeBlanc - (5*) This one really struck a chord with me, tickled my stony heart. Caught me by my throat and wouldn't let go.

"Proxima One" by Caryanna Reuvenm, translated by Sue Burke - (5*) I'm a sucker for silicon life and the theme of longing.

"Yarn Theory" by Marie Vibbert - (4*) Also a sucker for Contact/Arrival extraterrestrial puzzles. But this one was just too cute and fuzzy. :)



Solid collection this month. Nothing extremely outstanding, but good nevertheless.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.75 2025 Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 224, May 2025
author: Neil Clarke
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/11
date added: 2025/05/11
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
"Brainstem Disco, 2191" by Angela Liu - (4*) Future, music, longing. It's evocative, if simple and almost all emotion.

"The Library of the Apocalypse" by Rati Mehrotra - (3*) For as much as I want to love dark future SF library stories, this one's direction somehow left me slightly cold. Nothing I can put my finger on at the moment, but its despair seemed to derail me.

"We, the Fleet" by Alex T. Singer - (5*) At first I thought it was a bit like Leckie's work, but for all that, it still really hit me in the heart and I even teared up. Very cool story.

"Descent" by Wole Talabi - (4*) A pretty sharp moral tale with all the trappings of hard SF, with plenty of adventure to see us down--all the way.

"Oh Time Thy Pyramids" by Ann LeBlanc - (5*) This one really struck a chord with me, tickled my stony heart. Caught me by my throat and wouldn't let go.

"Proxima One" by Caryanna Reuvenm, translated by Sue Burke - (5*) I'm a sucker for silicon life and the theme of longing.

"Yarn Theory" by Marie Vibbert - (4*) Also a sucker for Contact/Arrival extraterrestrial puzzles. But this one was just too cute and fuzzy. :)



Solid collection this month. Nothing extremely outstanding, but good nevertheless.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Tunnel in the Sky 16683 272 Robert A. Heinlein 1416505512 Bradley 4
I was in the middle of a complete RAH reread when I finally returned to Tunnel.

Honestly? I may have been a bit too harsh in my original review. As long as you are EXPECTING to start a colony on a harsh new world without any help from any outside sources, and you're stuck with a bunch of young brats, it's kinda a wonder they didn't all go Lord of the Flies.

That being said, the CAN DO attitude and the basic optimism IS pretty nice to revisit.



Original Review:

Stargate! Minus all the gods and the missions and the ascension crap.

Add survival, walls, and GOVERNMENT! Wooooo.... um... well at least the survival bit was fun. :)

Seriously, this YA is still a very can-do Americana book, with a seriously heavy Liberterian bent, but I have no issues there. I love that crap.

Still... I think I prefer Miles Vorkosigan's conception of the most important survival tool better. Tipping the invisible hat was one of Bujold's greatest inventions. But Heinlein had the same idea. Screw guns or even shoes, the one thing that any hardscrabble colony needs is the concept of a politics where people can actually work together, and that's what this book is really about.

YA? Sure, more like New Adult in today's classifications. Are you civic-minded enough?

As an adventure and a straight story, it's pretty great all the way to the point where they start voting, then my attention started wandering a bit. Still, some other crazy goes on and we flash forward to see how they all turn out and we even get a complete wrap up, so it's not like the tale went nowhere. It just didn't really do all that much for me. Plus, even though the women were all pretty strong and as can-do as the men, I didn't quite like how the old stereotypes came out in conversation... EVEN IF they were slapped down by a woman right in the group immediately afterward. I just hate the idea that women have to pretend to be men to be treated like men. It's just a sign of the times kind of story, unfortunately, but fortunately, there was very little of this kind of crap and Heinlein's stance on it is pretty egalitarian and equal rights and equal responsibility, so it's more of a me thing hating older cultural trends than a "I blame Heinlein" thing. Petty jealousies and toxic encounters in a closed group, indeed. Of course, she turned it right back and said the same thing about men in any closed group. It may not be clever, but it's true.

I loved the whole stargate survival business and the worldbuilding that led up to it. That was pretty great. :)

It's just the other stuff that made me knock it a star from my original review. Let's Vote! *blech* :)]]> 3.94 1955 Tunnel in the Sky
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/10
date added: 2025/05/10
shelves: sci-fi, 2016-shelf, 2025-shelf
review:
Re-Read 5/10/25:

I was in the middle of a complete RAH reread when I finally returned to Tunnel.

Honestly? I may have been a bit too harsh in my original review. As long as you are EXPECTING to start a colony on a harsh new world without any help from any outside sources, and you're stuck with a bunch of young brats, it's kinda a wonder they didn't all go Lord of the Flies.

That being said, the CAN DO attitude and the basic optimism IS pretty nice to revisit.



Original Review:

Stargate! Minus all the gods and the missions and the ascension crap.

Add survival, walls, and GOVERNMENT! Wooooo.... um... well at least the survival bit was fun. :)

Seriously, this YA is still a very can-do Americana book, with a seriously heavy Liberterian bent, but I have no issues there. I love that crap.

Still... I think I prefer Miles Vorkosigan's conception of the most important survival tool better. Tipping the invisible hat was one of Bujold's greatest inventions. But Heinlein had the same idea. Screw guns or even shoes, the one thing that any hardscrabble colony needs is the concept of a politics where people can actually work together, and that's what this book is really about.

YA? Sure, more like New Adult in today's classifications. Are you civic-minded enough?

As an adventure and a straight story, it's pretty great all the way to the point where they start voting, then my attention started wandering a bit. Still, some other crazy goes on and we flash forward to see how they all turn out and we even get a complete wrap up, so it's not like the tale went nowhere. It just didn't really do all that much for me. Plus, even though the women were all pretty strong and as can-do as the men, I didn't quite like how the old stereotypes came out in conversation... EVEN IF they were slapped down by a woman right in the group immediately afterward. I just hate the idea that women have to pretend to be men to be treated like men. It's just a sign of the times kind of story, unfortunately, but fortunately, there was very little of this kind of crap and Heinlein's stance on it is pretty egalitarian and equal rights and equal responsibility, so it's more of a me thing hating older cultural trends than a "I blame Heinlein" thing. Petty jealousies and toxic encounters in a closed group, indeed. Of course, she turned it right back and said the same thing about men in any closed group. It may not be clever, but it's true.

I loved the whole stargate survival business and the worldbuilding that led up to it. That was pretty great. :)

It's just the other stuff that made me knock it a star from my original review. Let's Vote! *blech* :)
]]> <![CDATA[A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)]]> 212078448 The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.]]> 432 Robert Jackson Bennett 1399725424 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy
The initial locked-room murder mystery quickly became a wonderfully balanced character study, a worldbuilding splendor, and a truly interesting tale weaving it all together.

Me? As much as I enjoyed the whole, I keep finding myself perking up and wondering even more about the rules of the world. A drop of corruption, indeed. But the whole kept bringing me back.

All my love for Holmes came back full force for this fantasy, alas. In all the right ways, and not just for nostalgia's sake.


This book's synesthesia is a horrid, fascinating mixture of raw oysters and psychoactive mushrooms. Good thing I'm aiming for the effects and not the taste, no?


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.57 2025 A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)
author: Robert Jackson Bennett
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/10
date added: 2025/05/10
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy
review:
Truly delicious Holmes-like mystery with rich fantasy elements.

The initial locked-room murder mystery quickly became a wonderfully balanced character study, a worldbuilding splendor, and a truly interesting tale weaving it all together.

Me? As much as I enjoyed the whole, I keep finding myself perking up and wondering even more about the rules of the world. A drop of corruption, indeed. But the whole kept bringing me back.

All my love for Holmes came back full force for this fantasy, alas. In all the right ways, and not just for nostalgia's sake.


This book's synesthesia is a horrid, fascinating mixture of raw oysters and psychoactive mushrooms. Good thing I'm aiming for the effects and not the taste, no?


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Counterweight 62979704
On the fictional island of Patusan—and much to the ire of the Patusan natives—the Korean conglomerate LK is constructing an elevator into Earth’s orbit, gradually turning this one-time tropical resort town into a teeming travel hub: a gateway to and from our planet. Up in space, holding the elevator’s “spider cable” taut, is a mass of space junk known as the Counterweight. And it’s here that lies the key—a trove of personal data left by LK’s former CEO, of dire consequence to the company's, and humanity's, future.

Racing up the elevator to retrieve the data is a host of rival forces: Mac, the novel’s narrator and LK’s Chief of External Affairs, increasingly disillusioned with his employer; the everyman Choi Gangwu, unwittingly at the center of Mac’s investigations; the former CEO’s brilliant niece and his power-hungry son; and a violent officer from LK’s Security Division, Rex Tamaki—all caught in a labyrinth of fake identities, neuro-implant “Worms,” and old political grievances held by the Patusan Liberation Front, the army of island natives determined to protect their sovereignty.

Conceived by Djuna as a low-budget science fiction film, with literary references as wide-ranging as Joseph Conrad and the Marquis de Sade, The Counterweight is part cyberpunk, part hardboiled detective fiction, and part parable of Korea’s neocolonial ambition and its rippling effects.]]> 176 Djuna 0593317211 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
It was, at once, a mystery/thriller that was very corporation-centric, but before very long, we were catapulted right into a PKD nightmare, complete with paranoia and identity confusion, and from there, I was in love.

But it definitely doesn't end there. The thriller aspect kept ramping up, with all the espionage, the worms in people's brains, and the core theme of memory and ambition signified grossly in the glorious space elevator being constructed contrasting against the kingdom that had to be built in order to support it.

But best of all was the surprises at the end. I never would have suspected such a sordid romance--unrequited longing--could be so deliciously and intricately LINKED to all the above.

I swear, I'm still chortling.

No, this book may not be everyone's taste, but I'm happy as hell to have read a truly SMART SF.

It's as rich as the classics, as convoluted as PKD, and as imaginative as any I've seen.

This book's synesthesia is as bright and ephemeral as the wings of a butterfly, as dire as the smoke coming to snuff it out.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.02 2021 Counterweight
author: Djuna
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.02
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I happened to vibe well with this SF.

It was, at once, a mystery/thriller that was very corporation-centric, but before very long, we were catapulted right into a PKD nightmare, complete with paranoia and identity confusion, and from there, I was in love.

But it definitely doesn't end there. The thriller aspect kept ramping up, with all the espionage, the worms in people's brains, and the core theme of memory and ambition signified grossly in the glorious space elevator being constructed contrasting against the kingdom that had to be built in order to support it.

But best of all was the surprises at the end. I never would have suspected such a sordid romance--unrequited longing--could be so deliciously and intricately LINKED to all the above.

I swear, I'm still chortling.

No, this book may not be everyone's taste, but I'm happy as hell to have read a truly SMART SF.

It's as rich as the classics, as convoluted as PKD, and as imaginative as any I've seen.

This book's synesthesia is as bright and ephemeral as the wings of a butterfly, as dire as the smoke coming to snuff it out.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Until the Last of Me (Take Them to the Stars, #2)]]> 57693362 The First Rule is the most important: "Always run, never fight."

Over 100 generations, Mia's family has shaped Earth's history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way.

And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can't take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake it's becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option.

For the first time since her line's first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race.

A darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them...

Always run, never fight.
Preserve the knowledge.
Survive at all cost.
Take them to the stars.]]> 304 Sylvain Neuvel 1250262119 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, sci-fi
It's not so clear-cut as this description, however. There are generally only three, just like in the Foundation tv series, and never more than that. The elder, the mother, and the daughter... each passing down their drive, philosophy, and love of discovery to the next generation.

What REALLY cut my corn was this, however: blade of their story, even the despair, mirrored our own abortive attempts to get to the stars. And that HURT.

I can only hope the third in the trilogy gives me a happy ending. Damnit.

This book's synesthesia is close to a cup of tea. It smells so good, but damn, I just want to REFUSE to drink it.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.81 2022 Until the Last of Me (Take Them to the Stars, #2)
author: Sylvain Neuvel
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I enjoyed the first book mainly because it let us see the history of science, or rather astrophysics and space, through the eyes of driven clones trying to take humanity to space over a span of 3000 years.

It's not so clear-cut as this description, however. There are generally only three, just like in the Foundation tv series, and never more than that. The elder, the mother, and the daughter... each passing down their drive, philosophy, and love of discovery to the next generation.

What REALLY cut my corn was this, however: blade of their story, even the despair, mirrored our own abortive attempts to get to the stars. And that HURT.

I can only hope the third in the trilogy gives me a happy ending. Damnit.

This book's synesthesia is close to a cup of tea. It smells so good, but damn, I just want to REFUSE to drink it.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> America and Americans 1453972 208 John Steinbeck 0670116025 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, non-fiction
The importance is doubly clear when the events he wrote about--unions, migrant laborers, real people--were being shat on by those with power. Circumstances were not so different in the 30's as they are now. This shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. But it's absolutely scary just how close we are to re-living it all, almost exactly as it happened then.

Specifics? How about those who win re-write history? The lies told about America, and re-told, and even shoved down our throats. Yes, the big lies. The ones that perpetuate racism, blaming victims, and that particular blindness that encourages fascism when it helps absolutely no one except those who think might makes right.

Steinbeck understood, and fought against it where he could, but by the end of his career, and his life, he'd seen an America on the top in the 60's. He'd seen the apparent end of the robber barons (from the high tax rates of the super rich) and the ever-growing military might of America's forces following WWII. I personally thought he got a bit confused. The only way to fight for peace is NOT by just volunteering to be medics. But that's neither here nor there, and it was still an argument borne from a man who died 50 years ago.

Some of the essays were not so political or historical, of course. Some were positively charming and personable. But at all times, they were all pretty damn GOOD. Worth reading, especially for context for a great writer's legacy, for history itself, or for anyone who still feels sympathy and mercy for others.

This book's synesthesia is like a personable chat at a table with a good friend, so just add coffee and perhaps a few pastries and the senses will be complete.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.81 1966 America and Americans
author: John Steinbeck
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1966
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: 2025-shelf, non-fiction
review:
I think I'll just say that something like 60% of these many essays by Steinbeck are still as valuable today as when they were first written. They deal with humanity, his past, and a sharp eye on the world he experienced--just like the core of his truly great novels.

The importance is doubly clear when the events he wrote about--unions, migrant laborers, real people--were being shat on by those with power. Circumstances were not so different in the 30's as they are now. This shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone. But it's absolutely scary just how close we are to re-living it all, almost exactly as it happened then.

Specifics? How about those who win re-write history? The lies told about America, and re-told, and even shoved down our throats. Yes, the big lies. The ones that perpetuate racism, blaming victims, and that particular blindness that encourages fascism when it helps absolutely no one except those who think might makes right.

Steinbeck understood, and fought against it where he could, but by the end of his career, and his life, he'd seen an America on the top in the 60's. He'd seen the apparent end of the robber barons (from the high tax rates of the super rich) and the ever-growing military might of America's forces following WWII. I personally thought he got a bit confused. The only way to fight for peace is NOT by just volunteering to be medics. But that's neither here nor there, and it was still an argument borne from a man who died 50 years ago.

Some of the essays were not so political or historical, of course. Some were positively charming and personable. But at all times, they were all pretty damn GOOD. Worth reading, especially for context for a great writer's legacy, for history itself, or for anyone who still feels sympathy and mercy for others.

This book's synesthesia is like a personable chat at a table with a good friend, so just add coffee and perhaps a few pastries and the senses will be complete.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Of Monsters and Mainframes 216881365 Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.

Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.

To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.

The queer love child of pulp horror and ​classic ​sci-fi, Of Monsters and ​Mainframes ​is a dazzling, heartfelt odyssey that probes what it means to be one of society’s monsters—and explores the many types of friendship that make us human.]]> 424 Barbara Truelove 196472113X Bradley 5
It's PART Chambers-cozy, but that's only later on. Mostly, it's an outright creature-feature movie from the lowest budget B days where Abbot and Costello meet the mummy, Dracula and the werewolf.

Of course... with a very sharp space-opera supercomputer AI PoV twist.

Me, I was just hoping it'd turn out to be a cool hacking meets survival horror type book, but it became something really delightful and more complex than that.

Ghost ship, indeed. :)

I can't say I'd want to see a bunch of knock-off novels in this vein, mind you, because it MIGHT get really old in the wrong hands. But in Truelove's hands? If she wrote a whole SERIES of this, with these wonderful characters, I'd gobble them up until we hit two dozen of them... AT LEAST.

As it is, I'm STILL enjoying some light-hearted chuckles in memory of quite a few of the events in the novel. That's precious to me.

This book's synesthesia would have to be a bit of rough but comfortable fur under my fingers and a bit of ozone in the air.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.33 2025 Of Monsters and Mainframes
author: Barbara Truelove
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/07
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves: 2025-shelf, humor, horror, sci-fi, space-opera
review:
I truly didn't know I needed this in my life, but here I am, chuckling after a neat read.

It's PART Chambers-cozy, but that's only later on. Mostly, it's an outright creature-feature movie from the lowest budget B days where Abbot and Costello meet the mummy, Dracula and the werewolf.

Of course... with a very sharp space-opera supercomputer AI PoV twist.

Me, I was just hoping it'd turn out to be a cool hacking meets survival horror type book, but it became something really delightful and more complex than that.

Ghost ship, indeed. :)

I can't say I'd want to see a bunch of knock-off novels in this vein, mind you, because it MIGHT get really old in the wrong hands. But in Truelove's hands? If she wrote a whole SERIES of this, with these wonderful characters, I'd gobble them up until we hit two dozen of them... AT LEAST.

As it is, I'm STILL enjoying some light-hearted chuckles in memory of quite a few of the events in the novel. That's precious to me.

This book's synesthesia would have to be a bit of rough but comfortable fur under my fingers and a bit of ozone in the air.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) 61179 288 Larry Niven 0575077026 Bradley 5 sci-fi, 2025-shelf
The first time I read it was way back in the '80s and I was simply thrilled for any kind of big-concept, awe-inducing SF, whether it was a Hugo or Nebula winner or not. Of course, this one was, and it remains one of the greats.

Maybe by the second or third time reading it, I was wondering if I should feel a bit weird about the psycho-sexual dynamics, but by now, it's no biggie. It's future, stemming from the free love culture, but at no point is it icky. Indeed, the ADVENTURE, the great alien dynamics (Puppeteers!! Woooo! Kzin! Humans!) and jaw-dropping discoveries (not just Ringworld, itself, but the enormity of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of its exploration) and the mysteries of its limited-Dyson sphere construction.

It's funny, of course. This is the most classic example of a concept: "BDO" Big Dumb Object. Back when I heard such a thing, I thought it was awfully dismissive of the true JOY such a thing can evoke in a reader. Indeed, the idea that SOMEONE could have created such a thing--something that could hold the equivalent landmass of 3 million earths, all able to be POPULATED by humanoids--is truly jaw-dropping.

I retain my sense of awe. My imagination runs in overdrive.

Or, indeed, maybe I just feel lucky to have read it.

I miss awe in SF, but this captures it well.

This book's synesthesia is all in the heart's pounding, the excitement of discovery, the scent of sweat and exertion.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.96 1970 Ringworld (Ringworld, #1)
author: Larry Niven
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1970
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/05
date added: 2025/05/05
shelves: sci-fi, 2025-shelf
review:
Something like my fourth read of this book.

The first time I read it was way back in the '80s and I was simply thrilled for any kind of big-concept, awe-inducing SF, whether it was a Hugo or Nebula winner or not. Of course, this one was, and it remains one of the greats.

Maybe by the second or third time reading it, I was wondering if I should feel a bit weird about the psycho-sexual dynamics, but by now, it's no biggie. It's future, stemming from the free love culture, but at no point is it icky. Indeed, the ADVENTURE, the great alien dynamics (Puppeteers!! Woooo! Kzin! Humans!) and jaw-dropping discoveries (not just Ringworld, itself, but the enormity of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of its exploration) and the mysteries of its limited-Dyson sphere construction.

It's funny, of course. This is the most classic example of a concept: "BDO" Big Dumb Object. Back when I heard such a thing, I thought it was awfully dismissive of the true JOY such a thing can evoke in a reader. Indeed, the idea that SOMEONE could have created such a thing--something that could hold the equivalent landmass of 3 million earths, all able to be POPULATED by humanoids--is truly jaw-dropping.

I retain my sense of awe. My imagination runs in overdrive.

Or, indeed, maybe I just feel lucky to have read it.

I miss awe in SF, but this captures it well.

This book's synesthesia is all in the heart's pounding, the excitement of discovery, the scent of sweat and exertion.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Post Office 40409718 162 Charles Bukowski Bradley 4
Sharp satire and/or witticisms couched in brilliant prose, dark examinations of modern society with a slight absurdist flair.

What I got:

A near shaggy-dog story with tones of a Noir as it could be written as a carrier turned long-term clerk, with honestly enjoyable prose and a flippant, dissolute voice.

Not bad by a long shot, but my expectations sure as hell didn't match its execution. Of course, that's all on me.

Will I try more from this esteemed "master" of modern lit? Sure. It was, after all, pretty fun even if it turned expectations on its head. Perhaps BECAUSE it turned expectations on MY head.

This book's synesthesia is the scent of horses and booze to wash down the pain of life's many papercuts.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.89 1971 Post Office
author: Charles Bukowski
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1971
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, traditional-fiction
review:
What I expected:

Sharp satire and/or witticisms couched in brilliant prose, dark examinations of modern society with a slight absurdist flair.

What I got:

A near shaggy-dog story with tones of a Noir as it could be written as a carrier turned long-term clerk, with honestly enjoyable prose and a flippant, dissolute voice.

Not bad by a long shot, but my expectations sure as hell didn't match its execution. Of course, that's all on me.

Will I try more from this esteemed "master" of modern lit? Sure. It was, after all, pretty fun even if it turned expectations on its head. Perhaps BECAUSE it turned expectations on MY head.

This book's synesthesia is the scent of horses and booze to wash down the pain of life's many papercuts.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Armageddon: Twenty-One Sermons to the Dead]]> 627938
Contents:

Introduction: Forewarning (Beyond Armageddon) (1985) • essay by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Salvador (1984) / short story by Lucius Shepard
The Store of the Worlds (1959) / short story by Robert Sheckley
The Big Flash (1969) / novelette by Norman Spinrad
Lot [David Jimmon] (1953) / novelette by Ward Moore
Day at the Beach (1959) / short story by Carol Emshwiller
The Wheel (1952) / short story by John Wyndham
Jody After the War (1972) / short story by Edward Bryant
The Terminal Beach (1964) / novelette by J. G. Ballard
Tomorrow's Children [Tomorrow's Children • 1] (1947) / novelette by Poul Anderson and F. N. Waldrop
Heirs Apparent (1954) / novelette by Robert Abernathy
A Master of Babylon (1966) / novelette by Edgar Pangborn (variant of The Music Master of Babylon 1954)
Game Preserve (1957) / short story by Rog Phillips
By the Waters of Babylon (1937) / short fiction by Stephen Vincent Benét (variant of The Place of the Gods) [as by Stephen V. Benet]
There Will Come Soft Rains [The Martian Chronicles] (1950) / short story by Ray Bradbury
To the Chicago Abyss (1963) / short story by Ray Bradbury
Lucifer (1964) / short story by Roger Zelazny
Eastward Ho! (1958) / short story by William Tenn
The Feast of Saint Janis (1980) / novelette by Michael Swanwick
"If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth ..." (1951) / short story by Arthur C. Clarke
A Boy and His Dog [Vic and Blood • 2] (1969) / novella by Harlan Ellison
My Life in the Jungle (1985) / short story by Jim Aikin

Also published as "Beyond Armageddon: Survivors of the Megawar"]]> 387 Walter M. Miller Jr. 0803283156 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
Well now. I'm filled with a bit of awe, a queasy stomach, and no little spark of rage after reading this.

But not because I hated the story. Indeed, I thought it was a true fish-out-of-water, observing another's culture in its true self-destruct mode, reflecting it right back upon us, queasy.

In that respect, it did its job perfectly.

But to see such implants, personality or otherwise, used for such a means of suicide--well, I'm shivering. Not because it's unrealistic, but because I know people living today that would LOVE a chance to go out this way, with eyes wide open.

I mean, it sure beats the hell out of a quiet death pod, right? Um... right?

I feel a bit disturbed now.

Great story, though.

This book's synesthesia is a wild scream from a good friend, a torn mask in the middle of a ball.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.70 1985 Beyond Armageddon: Twenty-One Sermons to the Dead
author: Walter M. Miller Jr.
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I'm only reviewing "The Feast of Saint Janis" by Swanwick from this collection.

Well now. I'm filled with a bit of awe, a queasy stomach, and no little spark of rage after reading this.

But not because I hated the story. Indeed, I thought it was a true fish-out-of-water, observing another's culture in its true self-destruct mode, reflecting it right back upon us, queasy.

In that respect, it did its job perfectly.

But to see such implants, personality or otherwise, used for such a means of suicide--well, I'm shivering. Not because it's unrealistic, but because I know people living today that would LOVE a chance to go out this way, with eyes wide open.

I mean, it sure beats the hell out of a quiet death pod, right? Um... right?

I feel a bit disturbed now.

Great story, though.

This book's synesthesia is a wild scream from a good friend, a torn mask in the middle of a ball.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Vacuum Flowers 243854 248 Michael Swanwick 0441858767 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, sci-fi
But more importantly, the novel gives us a great thread of themes based on integrity and desire--and it doesn't let us down in the slightest. You know, all those 'be careful what you wish for' threads.

I personally wish we could have more modern takes in the current SF trends that pull off worlds as rich as this, building ever more on the core themes while blowing us away with as rich SFnal worlds.

I feel blessed.

Sure, the focus on sex is, as always, a sign of the times, though less weird than the '70s breed of novels. But my honest opinion? It's mild. Certainly little in the way of chauvinism--and more in the spirit of the sexes finding their balance and/or moving on.

Either way, this novel was still a wonder to behold for anyone wanting to fall deep into their imaginations.

This book's synesthesia is a synthesis of hothouse plants and honest sweat, oddly enough.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 3.77 1987 Vacuum Flowers
author: Michael Swanwick
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: 2025-shelf, sci-fi
review:
I don't know whether it's Michael Swanwick or 80's lush SF in general, but this novel was a real treat. Visually and imaginatively dense, involved, and deep, it gives us a taste of living in a future that includes mini Dyson Spheres, a vast ecology of AIs (even more delicious in today's climate), and a clear Cyberpunk ethos that doesn't so much lean on punk as in its bio-social-technological implications. I always preferred that spin.

But more importantly, the novel gives us a great thread of themes based on integrity and desire--and it doesn't let us down in the slightest. You know, all those 'be careful what you wish for' threads.

I personally wish we could have more modern takes in the current SF trends that pull off worlds as rich as this, building ever more on the core themes while blowing us away with as rich SFnal worlds.

I feel blessed.

Sure, the focus on sex is, as always, a sign of the times, though less weird than the '70s breed of novels. But my honest opinion? It's mild. Certainly little in the way of chauvinism--and more in the spirit of the sexes finding their balance and/or moving on.

Either way, this novel was still a wonder to behold for anyone wanting to fall deep into their imaginations.

This book's synesthesia is a synthesis of hothouse plants and honest sweat, oddly enough.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> Ashes of Man (Sun Eater, #5) 60427253
The galaxy is burning.

With the Cielcin united under one banner, the Sollan Empire stands alone after the betrayal of the Commonwealth. The Prophet-King of the Cielcin has sent its armies to burn the worlds of men, and worse, there are rumors...whispers that Hadrian Marlowe is dead, killed in the fighting.

But it is not so. Hadrian survived with the help of the witch, Valka, and together they escaped the net of the enemy having learned a terrible truth: the gods that the Cielcin worship are real and will not rest until the universe is dark and cold.

What is more, the Emperor himself is in danger. The Prophet-King has learned to track his movements as he travels along the borders of Imperial space. Now the Cielcin legions are closing in, their swords poised to strike off the head of all mankind.]]> 544 Christopher Ruocchio 0756416604 Bradley 5
Fast forward to book 5, a good 3 books in where I've been grooving to the tale and characters, and I can hardly believe how much I love it NOW versus THEN.

Yes, I love it now. The pain, the reluctant heroism, the sheer scope of DUTY, memory, and loss, just makes this tale shine. I may have even teared up a little.

And the wonderful collection of baddies, of alien or mechanoid races or even proto-gods, also makes this SF shine in a different way. The action sequences are top-notch, but that's like icing to the delicious cake that carries the epic space-opera scope. Oh, the sorrow...

So yeah, I recommend. Wholeheartedly--with that other caveat.

This book's synesthesia is the sense of a deep void filled with awe and tiny pieces of cake.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.48 2022 Ashes of Man (Sun Eater, #5)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/03
date added: 2025/05/03
shelves: 2025-shelf, space-opera, sci-fi
review:
I don't think I'll ever get over how much I got annoyed by the first book in this series. All the name-swiping and nods to other big SF properties simply drove me OUT of the enjoyment of what, in the end, IS a proper good SF in its own right.

Fast forward to book 5, a good 3 books in where I've been grooving to the tale and characters, and I can hardly believe how much I love it NOW versus THEN.

Yes, I love it now. The pain, the reluctant heroism, the sheer scope of DUTY, memory, and loss, just makes this tale shine. I may have even teared up a little.

And the wonderful collection of baddies, of alien or mechanoid races or even proto-gods, also makes this SF shine in a different way. The action sequences are top-notch, but that's like icing to the delicious cake that carries the epic space-opera scope. Oh, the sorrow...

So yeah, I recommend. Wholeheartedly--with that other caveat.

This book's synesthesia is the sense of a deep void filled with awe and tiny pieces of cake.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> BRZRKR #1 56517863 48 Keanu Reeves Bradley 4 2021-shelf, sci-fi
I thought: why the hell not?

Lol, I just read the 9/10's of this issue, going, well, now, flying eyeballs and extra hardcore gore, I guess I know where to classify this one. Is there anything else?

And then the last bit got my attention. Not to put too fine a term on it, but I think we might be getting a little tale about [spoilers removed] and that's all kinds of fun. So I'm down for all the rest. :)

]]> 4.33 2021 BRZRKR #1
author: Keanu Reeves
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/21
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: 2021-shelf, sci-fi
review:
Two things got my attention with this: Keanu Reeves wrote it and he seems to actually STAR in it.

I thought: why the hell not?

Lol, I just read the 9/10's of this issue, going, well, now, flying eyeballs and extra hardcore gore, I guess I know where to classify this one. Is there anything else?

And then the last bit got my attention. Not to put too fine a term on it, but I think we might be getting a little tale about [spoilers removed] and that's all kinds of fun. So I'm down for all the rest. :)


]]> The Unmapping 216601229 Intimate and spellbinding, The Unmapping is a character-driven, literary speculative exploration of a city’s descent into chaos and confusion, perfect for fans of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. 

4 a.m., New York City. A silent disaster. 

There is no flash of light, no crumbling, no quaking. Each person in New York wakes up on an unfamiliar block when the buildings all switch locations overnight. The power grid has snapped, thousands of residents are missing, and the Empire State Building is on Coney Island—for now. The next night, it happens again. 

Esme Green and Arjun Varma work for the City of New York’s Emergency Management team and are tasked with disaster response for the Unmapping. As Esme tries to wade through the bureaucratic nightmare of an endlessly shuffling city, she’s distracted by the ongoing search for her missing fiancé. Meanwhile, Arjun focuses on the ground-level rescue of disoriented New Yorkers, hoping to become the hero the city needs.  


While scientists scramble to find a solution—or at least a means to cope—and mysterious “red cloak” cults crop up in the disaster’s wake, New York begins to reckon with a new reality no one recognizes. For Esme and Arjun, the fight to hold the city together will mean tackling questions about themselves that they were too afraid to ask—and facing answers they never expected. With themes of climate change, political unrest, and life in a state of emergency, The Unmapping is a timely and captivating debut. ]]> 408 Denise S. Robbins 1964721067 Bradley 2 sci-fi, 2025-shelf
Sure, it doesn't make any sense, but that's the SURREAL for you.

So, I kinda went in thinking about having such a thing just LEAN into the surreal, think about The City and the City, or Invisible Cities, or even a bit of Borges. It could have been deep and weird and impressionistic and sometimes even a little wild--but instead we got something that went hard on the Literary SF angle, about personal lives rather going down the toilet, or just being uprooted and always just teetering on the edge of dissolution.

I frankly didn't really like any of the characters. They were either too cringey or dissolute EVEN IF I actually like long stream of consciousness writing in general. Especially when it goes deep into the woods. But, unfortunately, the novel kept trying to go in different directions.

It even attempted to nudge us toward a SF reason, and then to a mystical reason, before going the Literary Fiction direction--and all the while, all these pieces just felt SHOEHORNED in. I mean... sure, such an event would definitely call for a serious renewable energy push, would absolutely necessitate grass-roots real-people aid, but to reverse cause and effect, saying ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE would have caused the unmapping of buildings, popping up all over the place like a dream, just felt like an enormous stretch. And no, it wasn't ever confirmed in the novel, thank god, but it coming up multiple times was multiple times too many. I would have bought it if we were to just read the novel as an ALLEGORY... but the allegory stuff, if it was there, was all lost in a morass of anxiety meds and loss of selfhood.

So, great potential idea, but everything else just felt too... shoehorned, try-hard. Alas.]]> 3.35 2025 The Unmapping
author: Denise S. Robbins
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/05/02
shelves: sci-fi, 2025-shelf
review:
I honestly want to like this book more than I did. I think it was the core concept of moving buildings, always at 4 am, hopping from one location to another in the NYC (and other places), just causing a shoehorned chaos every day.

Sure, it doesn't make any sense, but that's the SURREAL for you.

So, I kinda went in thinking about having such a thing just LEAN into the surreal, think about The City and the City, or Invisible Cities, or even a bit of Borges. It could have been deep and weird and impressionistic and sometimes even a little wild--but instead we got something that went hard on the Literary SF angle, about personal lives rather going down the toilet, or just being uprooted and always just teetering on the edge of dissolution.

I frankly didn't really like any of the characters. They were either too cringey or dissolute EVEN IF I actually like long stream of consciousness writing in general. Especially when it goes deep into the woods. But, unfortunately, the novel kept trying to go in different directions.

It even attempted to nudge us toward a SF reason, and then to a mystical reason, before going the Literary Fiction direction--and all the while, all these pieces just felt SHOEHORNED in. I mean... sure, such an event would definitely call for a serious renewable energy push, would absolutely necessitate grass-roots real-people aid, but to reverse cause and effect, saying ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE would have caused the unmapping of buildings, popping up all over the place like a dream, just felt like an enormous stretch. And no, it wasn't ever confirmed in the novel, thank god, but it coming up multiple times was multiple times too many. I would have bought it if we were to just read the novel as an ALLEGORY... but the allegory stuff, if it was there, was all lost in a morass of anxiety meds and loss of selfhood.

So, great potential idea, but everything else just felt too... shoehorned, try-hard. Alas.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wandering Inn: Volume 6 (The Wandering Inn, #6)]]> 45554269
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.

It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.

In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.

She’s an [Innkeeper].]]> 5341 Pirateaba Bradley 4 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
That being said-- Wow.

If you're this far in, with all the epic fantasy bits kicking some serious ass, filled with both depth and breadth, then you know.

This cake is rising nicely. And yes, we can have it and eat it too. So rich.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.62 The Wandering Inn: Volume 6 (The Wandering Inn, #6)
author: Pirateaba
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
review:
Near perfect for enjoyment, I loved this book on many, many levels. Mostly, its quality of STORYTELLING and how it builds on everything that came before makes this an automatic win for me. It's not perfect. There are a few circle backs that are annoying, but the good FAR outweighs the bad.

That being said-- Wow.

If you're this far in, with all the epic fantasy bits kicking some serious ass, filled with both depth and breadth, then you know.

This cake is rising nicely. And yes, we can have it and eat it too. So rich.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The Borders of Infinity (Vorkosigan Saga, #5.3)]]> 5073782 [Publisher's Note: The Borders of Infinity was originally published as a stand-alone novella in the anthology Free Lancers in September 1987. It was then included in the novel Borders of Infinity (October 1989). For the novel, Ms. Bujold added a short "framing story" that tied the three novellas together by setting up each as a flashback that Miles experiences while recovering from bone-replacement surgery. Fictionwise is publishing these novellas separately, but we decided to leave in Ms. Bujold's short framing story for those who may also wish to read the other two novellas (he Mountains of Mourning and Labyrinth).]
Locus Poll Award Nominee]]> 84 Lois McMaster Bujold Bradley 5 sci-fi
It's a great story and is full of heavier consequences than he normally experiences.]]> 4.25 The Borders of Infinity (Vorkosigan Saga, #5.3)
author: Lois McMaster Bujold
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2014/07/23
date added: 2025/05/01
shelves: sci-fi
review:
This novella started out as my least favorite of the sequence of stories mainly because it seemed so bleak and inexplicable, but by the end I was supremely happy I had stayed around. It became one of my favorites almost immediately. Little humor was involved, and the idea that Miles could be some sort of religious guru, however tongue-in-cheek, seemed off. However, all became well in the end as a reader. Miles, on the other hand, is only 12/14 well, but oh well.

It's a great story and is full of heavier consequences than he normally experiences.
]]> <![CDATA[Shadows Upon Time (The Sun Eater, #7)]]> 222685709 The seventh and final novel of the galaxy-spanning series merges the best of space opera and epic fantasy, as Hadrian Marlowe at last lights the greatest fire humanity has ever seen

Ambitious universe-building combines with intimate character portraits for storytelling on a truly epic scale—for fans of Orson Scott Card, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Patrick Rothfuss, and Jack Campbell

The trumpet sounds.

The end has come at last. After his victory at Vorgossos, Hadrian Marlowe finds himself a fugitive, on the run not only from the Extrasolarians, but from his own people, the Sollan Empire he betrayed—and who betrayed him. Hidden safely beyond the borders of human space, Hadrian awaits the arrival of the one ally he has left: the Jaddian Prince Kaim-Olorin du Otranto.

What's more, the inhuman Cielcin have vanished, unseen for more than one hundred years. The armies of men have grown complacent, but Hadrian knows the truth: the Cielcin are gathering their strength, preparing for their final assault against the heart of all mankind.

Only Hadrian possesses the power to stem the tide: an ancient war machine, forged by the daimon machines at the dawn of time. The mighty Demiurge. With it, Hadrian must face not just the Cielcin horde, but their Prophet-King, and the dark gods it serves—the very gods who shaped the universe itself.

This must be.]]> Christopher Ruocchio Bradley 0 to-read 4.83 2025 Shadows Upon Time (The Sun Eater, #7)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Disquiet Gods (Sun Eater, #6) 176443792
The end is nigh.

It has been nearly two hundred years since Hadrian Marlowe assaulted the person of the Emperor and walked away from war. From his Empire. His duty. From the will and service of the eldritch being known only as the Quiet. The galaxy lies in the grip of a terrible plague, and worse, the Cielcin have overrun the realms of men.

A messenger has come to Jadd, bearing a summons from the Sollan Emperor for the one-time hero. A summons, a pardon, and a plea. HAPSIS, the Emperor’s secret first-contact intelligence organization, has located one of the dreadful Watchers, the immense, powerful beings worshipped by the Pale Cielcin.

Called out of retirement and exile, the old hero—accompanied by his daughter, Cassandra—must race across the galaxy and against time to accomplish one last, impossible

To kill a god.]]> 704 Christopher Ruocchio 1982193328 Bradley 0 to-read 4.58 2024 Disquiet Gods (Sun Eater, #6)
author: Christopher Ruocchio
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, #1)]]> 201845532 Nice Victorian ladies don’t run off to find legendary lost cities.

One trifling little arrest shouldn’t have cost Ellie Mallory her job, but it’s only the latest in a line of injustices facing any educated woman with archaeological ambitions.

When Ellie stumbles across the map to a mysterious ancient city, she knows she’s holding her chance to revolutionize Pre-Colombian history. There’s just one teensy complication. A ruthless villain wants it, and Ellie is all that stands in his way.

To race him to the ruins—and avoid being violently disposed of—she needs the help of maverick surveyor Adam Bates, a snake-wrangling rogue who can’t seem to keep his dratted shirt on.

But there’s more than Ellie’s scholarly reputation (and life) on the line. Her enemies aren’t just looters. They’re after an arcane secret rumored to lie in the heart of the ruins, a mythical artifact with a power that could shake the world.

Between stealing trousers, plummeting over waterfalls, and trying not to fall in love with her machete-wielding partner, will Ellie be able to stop the oracle of a lost empire from falling into the wrong hands?

Empire of Shadows is the first book in Jacquelyn Benson’s smart, swashbuckling Raiders of the Arcana series. Read it now and dive into a rip-roaring historical fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Romancing the Stone and The Mummy.]]> 478 Jacquelyn Benson 1959050125 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy, romance
Back in the day, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed movies like Romancing the Stone, which was a romantic comedy dressed up as Indiana Jones, and while there have been many movies like this since, I've never quite fully FALLEN for it as I did these originals.

Sure, sure, I'm dating myself, but so what. The giveaway is in the title and the SPIRIT of the book hella on target. Basically, if you liked either of these movies OR Brandon's Mummy movie, you'll love this. It's delightful and sexy.

This book's synesthesia is a lush green, complete with all the scents of the jungle.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.19 2024 Empire of Shadows (Raiders of the Arcana, #1)
author: Jacquelyn Benson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/30
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, romance
review:
This really hit the spot.

Back in the day, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed movies like Romancing the Stone, which was a romantic comedy dressed up as Indiana Jones, and while there have been many movies like this since, I've never quite fully FALLEN for it as I did these originals.

Sure, sure, I'm dating myself, but so what. The giveaway is in the title and the SPIRIT of the book hella on target. Basically, if you liked either of these movies OR Brandon's Mummy movie, you'll love this. It's delightful and sexy.

This book's synesthesia is a lush green, complete with all the scents of the jungle.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Heretical Fishing 3 (Heretical Fishing, #3)]]> 216227192 In a world where godhood is within reach for those willing to claw their way to the top, only one man has the resolve to reject power and go . . . fishing? Again?

Try as he might, Fischer still can’t catch a break. Tropica’s forces have just perpetrated the fantasyland equivalent of crashing the king’s party, kicking over the punch bowl, and making a series of rude gestures on their way out. Unfortunately, they’re about to learn firsthand that when you take a bully down to the mat, it’s best to make sure they don’t get back up.

Because their enemies are unearthing long-forgotten powers, and if those dabbling in the resulting destructive chi succeed, they could become even more annoying than the time Corporal Claws hid all of Fischer’s pants.

Still, as troublesome as existential annihilation might be, the hurdles in one’s own mind are a lot worse—and Fischer has more than a little debris that needs to be swept off his mental doorstep. With the help of his friends, it might just be time to take out the trash once and for all.

The third volume of the laugh-out-loud LitRPG adventure series—a #1 Rising Star on Royal Road with more than three million views—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!]]> 409 Haylock Jobson 1039453198 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy, litrpg
I mean, sure, there's all this massive corruption and personal growth challenges to keep it hopping, for the most part, it's a fantasy purely devoted to the good life and trusting your friends and yourself.

Hence--truly wholesome fantasy.

Piscomancy. Of course, it's not divination related, but straight power-sourcing. Maybe it's nectomancy? It definitely wouldn't be aquamancy because the power isn't in the water, itself. Any way you look at it tho, just drive all those pesky complications out of your brain and GO FISH.

Synesthesia for this one is oddly just the warm glow of hot lemony tea and a fire for roasting.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.40 2024 Heretical Fishing 3 (Heretical Fishing, #3)
author: Haylock Jobson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, litrpg
review:
Wholesome fantasy.

I mean, sure, there's all this massive corruption and personal growth challenges to keep it hopping, for the most part, it's a fantasy purely devoted to the good life and trusting your friends and yourself.

Hence--truly wholesome fantasy.

Piscomancy. Of course, it's not divination related, but straight power-sourcing. Maybe it's nectomancy? It definitely wouldn't be aquamancy because the power isn't in the water, itself. Any way you look at it tho, just drive all those pesky complications out of your brain and GO FISH.

Synesthesia for this one is oddly just the warm glow of hot lemony tea and a fire for roasting.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)]]> 127306440
Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.

After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.

In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.]]> 151 T. Kingfisher 1250830850 Bradley 4 2025-shelf, horror, fantasy
The COVER for this novella, however, had me expecting a LOT more. So yeah, you might say that I may have judged this book by its cover. *sigh*

That being said, it IS a very solid, short horror with compelling characters and a very historical setting, complete with war flashbacks, modern sensibilities, and rampant superstition.

Not that we'd have ANYTHING like that NOW, of course. Oh, no.

Either way, it's worth the read and I'll be excited to read more when they come out.

A very sausage-flavored synesthesia for this work. Good in moderation, but quite heavy on the mental palate.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> 3.78 2024 What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/28
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: 2025-shelf, horror, fantasy
review:
I want to say that I liked this even more than the first Sworn Soldier Novella, but alas, no. The first had slightly more wry humor and the true horror aspect was superior.

The COVER for this novella, however, had me expecting a LOT more. So yeah, you might say that I may have judged this book by its cover. *sigh*

That being said, it IS a very solid, short horror with compelling characters and a very historical setting, complete with war flashbacks, modern sensibilities, and rampant superstition.

Not that we'd have ANYTHING like that NOW, of course. Oh, no.

Either way, it's worth the read and I'll be excited to read more when they come out.

A very sausage-flavored synesthesia for this work. Good in moderation, but quite heavy on the mental palate.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com

]]> <![CDATA[Heretical Fishing 2 (Heretical Fishing, #2)]]> 210480803
Fischer has everything he could possibly want in life: a menagerie of cute animal companions, a waterfront property from which to fish, friendships that blossom more and more by the day, and enough coffee to take out a small elephant—or a really large dog.

If it were up to him, he’d spend the rest of his life laying in the shade with Maria at his side, a rod in one hand and a fresh pastry in the other. Unfortunately for Fischer, cosmic forces still don’t care about mortal feelings.

The capital is growing wise to his movements. The cults are still culting. The merchant that provides coffee beans is nowhere to be seen. And awakened beings are popping up like barnacles on the rocky shore. Even his friends have gone behind his back and started a church with the express goal of turning him into a god.

It’s a lot for one man to take on. But thankfully, Fischer isn’t alone. Between his trusty guard crab, an otter that can summon lightning like Zeus, and a bunny that seems a little too fond of roundhouse kicks, he’ll be just fine . . . right?

The second volume of the laugh-out-loud LitRPG adventure series—a #1 Rising Star on Royal Road with more than three million views—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!]]> 534 Haylock Jobson 1039453163 Bradley 5 2025-shelf, fantasy, litrpg
I guess there's only so much grimdark one can take before the call of kindness, being good, having devoted friends becomes something of an ultimate goal. Fortunately, this fantasy is delivering on that particularly glorious type of fantasy.

More people are becoming cultivators here, and now the dangers are the old standby of fearful ignorance and belligerent idiocy. What else is new, right? Those who want to live a good life just want to live a good life, after all.

This novel's synesthesia effects are particularly strong. It's a fish paradise that doubles as a foodie paradise, and it sets my nose alight.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com ]]> 4.40 2024 Heretical Fishing 2 (Heretical Fishing, #2)
author: Haylock Jobson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/27
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: 2025-shelf, fantasy, litrpg
review:
No complaints at all. I totally admit I'm a sucker for honey-sweet fish-catching CALM life.

I guess there's only so much grimdark one can take before the call of kindness, being good, having devoted friends becomes something of an ultimate goal. Fortunately, this fantasy is delivering on that particularly glorious type of fantasy.

More people are becoming cultivators here, and now the dangers are the old standby of fearful ignorance and belligerent idiocy. What else is new, right? Those who want to live a good life just want to live a good life, after all.

This novel's synesthesia effects are particularly strong. It's a fish paradise that doubles as a foodie paradise, and it sets my nose alight.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[The Wandering Inn: Volume 8 (The Wandering Inn, #8)]]> 56495997
So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.

It’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.

In a dangerous world where magic is real and people can level up and gain classes, Erin Solstice must battle somewhat evil Goblins, deadly Rock Crabs, and hungry [Necromancers]. She is no warrior, no mage. Erin Solstice runs an inn.

She’s an [Innkeeper].]]> 9311 Pirateaba Bradley 5 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
It's like this: if I were stuck in Dickens' time period, with very little access to entertainment we take for granted, and I'd rely on sitting around family, with lamplight, to read the latest installment of a serial publication, I'd probably treat it like the true social event that it really is. We can all get excited, together, with the next grand twist in the lives of these people, and talk about how they made us feel, whether they made us rage or pissed at how THIS GOOD GUY could turn SO EVIL, and marvel at the evolution of everyone, even the places, in such a HUGE tale.

Well, that's this, but modern. I'm sitting here in my own skull, amazed at the full journey, wondering about lost allies, huge exploits, dangers to come, and huge arcs still unfinished. It's a whole world in every great sense of the world, and I'm here for it. Total immersion.

The laughter, the pain, the growth, the setbacks, and the slow realization that this whole series is one enormous, glacial game of chess. Proper and fitting, if you consider the inkeeper's obsession.

Well, it's still awesome. All of it. It's hard to believe that the first huge book is just a mere intro to a vast story, but here we are.

To my synesthesia, I swear I'm just curling up to a warm cup of tea on a cold night.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com]]> 4.63 2022 The Wandering Inn: Volume 8 (The Wandering Inn, #8)
author: Pirateaba
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/04/27
shelves: 2025-shelf, litrpg, fantasy
review:
I can try, but probably fail, to describe what I feel about this book: I could keep reading it forever. As simple as that, it is simultaneously perfectly accurate and woefully meaningless.

It's like this: if I were stuck in Dickens' time period, with very little access to entertainment we take for granted, and I'd rely on sitting around family, with lamplight, to read the latest installment of a serial publication, I'd probably treat it like the true social event that it really is. We can all get excited, together, with the next grand twist in the lives of these people, and talk about how they made us feel, whether they made us rage or pissed at how THIS GOOD GUY could turn SO EVIL, and marvel at the evolution of everyone, even the places, in such a HUGE tale.

Well, that's this, but modern. I'm sitting here in my own skull, amazed at the full journey, wondering about lost allies, huge exploits, dangers to come, and huge arcs still unfinished. It's a whole world in every great sense of the world, and I'm here for it. Total immersion.

The laughter, the pain, the growth, the setbacks, and the slow realization that this whole series is one enormous, glacial game of chess. Proper and fitting, if you consider the inkeeper's obsession.

Well, it's still awesome. All of it. It's hard to believe that the first huge book is just a mere intro to a vast story, but here we are.

To my synesthesia, I swear I'm just curling up to a warm cup of tea on a cold night.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com
]]> <![CDATA[Light on the Sound: Chronicles of the High Inquest (Inquestor Series Book 1)]]> 54184851
For twenty thousand years, the godlike Inquestors have held sway over the one million worlds of the Dispersal of Man.  S.P. Somtow’s limitless imagination has created a universe of breathtaking majesty, amazing beauty, and shattering cruelty.  In games of makrugh played in elegant floating palaces, planets are destroyed or saved to preserve the balance of the galaxy.  Exotic languages and customs, servocorpses, tachyon bubbles, childsolders with implanted laser-irises, people bins that hold populations of entire planets, delphinoid ships that sail the overcosm, utopias that must be hunted down and destroyed in the name of the High Compassion, thinkhives that connect the galaxy via the space between spaces …

All this must end.  And end it does, in what Theodore Sturgeon has described as “the greatest magnitude of color and spectacle since Stapledon.” For the fortieth anniversary of the publication of the first Inquestor story in Analog, Diplodocus Press is bringing back revised editions of all four of the original Chronicles of the High Inquest — and releasing a fifth volume, Homeworld of the Heart with a sixth, Stillness in Starlight, already in preparation.

“he can create a world with less apparent effort than some writers devote to creating a small room … yet these tales are intricately wrought as those handcarved oriental balls within balls”                                     — The Washington Post

“his dense, poetic prose is as unique as his name”                                                               

 — Los Angeles Times                                                                     

 “One of SF’s formidable talents!”   

  —Publishers Weekly

“His multicultural viewpoint may yet give us the best SF novel of all time” — Analog

Short Description

The Inquestor Series, the classic science fiction series is back with more epic spectacle and more extras. Tachyon bubbles, people bins and galactic empires - and profound family conflicts. Light on the Sound, the book that started it all, begins with one lonely planet and three lost souls, and ends with galactic revolution.]]> 414 S.P. Somtow Bradley 0 to-read 4.47 1982 Light on the Sound: Chronicles of the High Inquest (Inquestor Series Book 1)
author: S.P. Somtow
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>