Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Star Trek: Burning Dreams

Posted on May 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

Decades ago, then-Commander Spock risked a court martial to bring his former captain, Christopher Pike, to Talos IV, in hopes that it would allow Pike to escape his body, so ruined by delta radiation. Now Spock is returning, called to … Continue reading →

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Solarpunk stories: a novella and short stories

Posted on May 29, 2024 by smellincoffee

Recently I encountered the word ‘solarpunk’, and learned that it was a subgenre of science fiction that attacks the pessimism of cyberpunk by creating futures that are its opposite. In solarpunk settings, humanity has learned to grow with nature — … Continue reading →

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Star Trek: Savage Trade

Posted on May 27, 2024 by smellincoffee

When Captain James Kirk ordered the Enterprise to find out what happened to the crew of a science outpost that had gone missing, doubtless he never expected to help George Washington with a political revolution, or fight at the side … Continue reading →

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Sassy galaxies & road-tripping the solar backwoods

Posted on May 24, 2024 by smellincoffee

This week has seen a little action on the Science Survey, as I read titles for the Local Astronomy and Cosmology & Astrophysics sections. First up, The Big Backyard is a short look at the outer reaches of our own … Continue reading →

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The Rosie Project

Posted on May 23, 2024 by smellincoffee

Imagine if Sheldon Cooper wrote a memoir about falling in love, and you’ll have something like The Rosie Project. Don Tillman is a genetics professor with a rigorously scientific approach to life, who has standardized even his meals to simplify … Continue reading →

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The Shadow of War

Posted on May 22, 2024 by smellincoffee

JFK’s presidency is off to a… start. Dismissed as a greenhorn who has no idea what he’s up to, he’s just had to eat crow on the national stage after admitting to the fiasco that was the Bay of Pigs … Continue reading →

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Plan 9 from Outer Space: Ed Woods attacks!

Posted on May 21, 2024 by smellincoffee

I love watching strange science fiction movies from the fifties and sixties, especially the B+ movies with outlandish costuming, strange set design, and bizarre characters. Ed Woods’ Plan 9 from Outer Space delivered all those in spades, along with genre … Continue reading →

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SHELLI

Posted on May 20, 2024 by smellincoffee

Jake August is a young agent of Homeland Security who has just been welcomed into a special subsection devoted to investigating crimes committed by replican- errr, synthetics. Synths have been integrated into society as intelligent, humanoid tools oriented toward a … Continue reading →

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Amy ain’t no spice girl

Posted on May 18, 2024 by smellincoffee

Back in 2004 or 2005 I heard NPR reviewing a new album, “Frank”, and after hearing samples from it I immediately became a fan of its creator, Amy Winehouse. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t resonate with any of the … Continue reading →

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Breaking Point: Beating Hitler with Spits and math

Posted on May 17, 2024 by smellincoffee

Britain, late summer 1940. Jerry plans to pay southern England a visit, and Johnny Shaux and the other boys in the RAF intend on giving him a warm reception. Breaking Point is an unusual and fascinating fictional take on the … Continue reading →

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