Category Archives: science fiction

Nexus

Posted on November 13, 2026 by smellincoffee

It is the mid-21st century, and Kaden Lane is in trouble.  He and his friends are involved in something of a philosophical dispute with DC’s law enforcement establishment. There’s a highly illicit drug on the market called NEXUS, which allows … Continue reading →

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Conversations on Writing with le Guin

Posted on November 12, 2026 by smellincoffee

Conversations on Writing, featuring interviews between Ursula le Guin & David Naimon,  is possibly wasted on someone who has read so little of her.  Having just read a le Guin novel, though, immediately followed by a collection of pieces in … Continue reading →

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The Lathe of Heaven

Posted on November 9, 2026 by smellincoffee

This, my second exposure to le Guin, reads exactly like an episode of The Twilight Zone. A man, Orr, is confronted by law enforcement after trying to buy certain drugs illegally; he explains to them that he needed it, for … Continue reading →

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This Is How You Lose the Time War + SciFiMonth Prompts

Posted on November 7, 2026 by smellincoffee

Recently I finished This is How You Lose the Time War,  a ‘literary SF’ title that was definitely not my cup of tea.  The book is a mix of narrative and letters as two agents from opposing organizations – the … Continue reading →

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Cool find: Bradbury a la comic book

Posted on November 3, 2026 by smellincoffee

Tonight I stumbled upon a comic adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “And there will come soft rains”, which until I’d read “The Veldt”, was the most unsettling Bradbury I had encountered. Unfortunately, one can’t share the premise without spoiling the story, … Continue reading →

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Arthur C. Clarke on whales and nuclear holocausts

Posted on November 3, 2026 by smellincoffee

Recently I listened to two rather different Arthur C. Clarke stories. “All the Time in the World”. I originally experienced this as a Twilight Zone episode,  or so I thought,  in which a frustrated bank teller embraces a nuclear war … Continue reading →

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I Am Spock

Posted on August 20, 2026 by smellincoffee

I cannot tell you how many times I read through this book in high school, but it’s the foundation of everything I know about Star Trek’s original production, from the practical effects to the behind the scenes drama.  I Am … Continue reading →

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ST Stargazer: Gauntlet

Posted on August 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Captain Jean-Luc Picard just showed up at a sector captains’ meeting with a serious case of imposter syndrome. He’s all of 28, and the only reason he’s a captain is that everyone higher else up on the command chain got … Continue reading →

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SHELLI: R-Evolution

Posted on June 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

An experimental incubator synth, with high-octane empathy protocols, has just run off with a baby. The baby is due to be delivered soon, but it appears this unit has become attached to the baby she’s carried for so many months; … Continue reading →

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Take Me To Your Leader

Posted on May 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Aliens have been in the news of late, as Congress held hearings on ‘UAPs’ in ’23 and ’24, and the Biden and Trump admins both began moving to release some of the government’s ‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon’ or UFO files. Just … Continue reading →

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