book review

Books reviews of the best science fiction stories, texts, educational texts, and journals.

Impressionism in Science Fiction: "Nova" by Samuel Delany
Long ago, Samuel Delany was one of the first authors, along with James Ballard, to introduce me to the strange and amazing world of the New Wave of science fiction. The first time I read Nova was in 1991, and I was immersed in the novel's weird world. Back then, I was a solid fan of hard sci-fi, but Delany's book, on the other hand, was totally from another dimension. It was like: "wow, why did nobody tell me before that it's possible to write like that!?" (Then it was followed by Babel-17, which finally shattered the rest of my stereotypical perception of SF.)
By Nik Hein3 years ago in Futurism
Looking for Adult Fantasy Stories Written by Women?
Often when we talk about famous adult fantasy stories, the stories that surface are most likely penned down by male authors. The elaborate worlds of the "The Lord of the Rings" (J R R Tolkien), "The Wheel of Time" (Robert Jordan), "The Stormlight Archive" and "The Mistborn Series" (Brandon Sanderson), and "A Song of Ice and Fire" (George R R Martin) have been conceptualized and created by men. Frankly, I have nothing against male authors and their creations. In fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the fantasy series I mentioned so far and I have quite a few fantasy series penned down by men in my To-Be-Read(TBR) list.
By Kaumudi Singh3 years ago in Futurism
Book Review: Enchanted Forests Charity Anthology
If you go down to the woods today… You’d better not go alone… Discover the secret world between the trees where fairies, unicorns and even monsters dwell. Take a stroll through enchanted woods and dance with pixies and dryads by the light of the stars. Escape Baba Yaga and fall in love with a prince in disguise. Taste the fruit at the goblin market and be whisked away on a magical adventure. Among ancient trees, find beauty, danger and adventure in these enchanting short stories by award-winning, best-selling, and up-and-coming fantasy authors.
By Marie Sinadjan3 years ago in Futurism
Book Review: Deus Ex by Miles Watson
Many men dream of becoming gods. Magnus Antonius Magnus achieved this dream, conquering half the globe and ruling it with an iron fist. Now, however, he is learning a painful lesson: gods, like men, can go too far. They can blunder. They can even fall. But does the story of Magnus end with the destruction of his empire…or is that where it begins?
By Marie Sinadjan3 years ago in Futurism
‘The Book of Ptath’ by A. Van Vogt
Alfred Van Vogt — the master of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, one of the patriarchs of sci-fi, and at the same time — one of the most unconventional and inventive writers. Original ideas, imagination, not held back by any framework, a characteristic neat telegraph style — all of this sharply distinguishes the work of Van Vogt from other masters of science fiction.
By Nik Hein4 years ago in Futurism
An Introduction to the Biblical World
The beginning of the Bible coincidentally starts with the beginning of all creation which is portrayed in two separate accounts that differ in construction, theology, style, and illustration. Surprisingly, Genesis 2–3 is the earliest of the two accounts possibly written as late as 1000 B.C. Confirming this is that Genesis 2–3 holds themes and ideas found in many creation myths from the surrounding regions of the fertile crescent (i.e. humans formed from the earth, humans’ relation to the divine, etc..). Genesis 1 on the other hand has an ordered and simplified construction and was written around 600–500 B.C.
By CapturedBible4 years ago in Futurism
Dune has become one of the biggest names in sci-fi history
Dune has become one of the biggest names in sci-fi history. It has spawned a series of books, several movies and shows, and also created a number of major pop culture shifts that are undeniable to those "in the know."
By Gina Stefan4 years ago in Futurism
A Book That Takes Tou Into the Psychedelic Virtual World: ‘Vurt’ by Jeff Noon
Modern science fiction has developed to such an extent that it’s now hard to find something astounding, something that makes you go “WOW!”. I’d like to say that the days of the great masters of outrage (such as Harlan Ellison or Norman Spinrad) are over, but that’s not entirely true. A striking example is 'Vurt' — a novel by the British writer Jeff Noon.
By Nik Hein4 years ago in Futurism
The Hugo Award Winners #2
‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ by Harlan Ellison One of the most famous and, in my opinion, the best short stories by the sci-fi writer, non-conformist, and master of provocation Harlan Ellison. The story won the Hugo Award in 1968, beating out ‘The Jigsaw Man’ by Larry Niven and ‘Aye, and Gomorrah…’ by Samuel R. Delaney.
By Nik Hein4 years ago in Futurism
The Hugo Award Winners #1
Man is a planning creature. The world may fall apart, but we will continue to make plans for the future. I am no exception. It’s only two weeks since I first posted on Vocal. It is a long, long way ahead of me, but I’ve already lined up a grand plan for the future, namely, an extensive series of articles devoted to the Hugo Science Fiction Award winners.
By Nik Hein4 years ago in Futurism
Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories that I Wish I Could Have Loved
Recently, I wrote an article listing a few stories that took me by surprise. In the article, I talked about how sometimes I would select a book to read after doing a great deal of research, and at other times I would select books blindly and start reading them without knowing anything about the story or its characters. When I do the latter, I get to find treasures in unexpected places and that was what the last article was all about. Nevertheless, in situations when I take care of my reading after performing extensive research into the books, their authors, and their stories, there is no assurance that I will end up loving the tale. There have been a couple of instances where I could not get into the story even after multiple attempts and finally realized that the story was not for me.
By Kaumudi Singh4 years ago in Futurism
The 16 Best Science Fiction Books for Beginners to Read in 2022
Hello and welcome to my blog. I'm going to be sharing The 16 Best Science Fiction Books for Beginners to Read in 2022. People that are newer to sci-fi and are looking for where to start to see. if they enjoy the genre and to see what types of sci-fi they might like so with that in mind each book that is on the list I picked for a particular type of reader.
By Muhiuddin Alam4 years ago in Futurism