Audiobook Review - The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel by Erin Macdonald

I have to admit, I've always been a little curious as to what sci-fi gets right. The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travelwas a lot of fun to listen to and confirm some suspicions while learning some brand new things.

Like the fact that the universe is always expanding and accelerating and how long it would take, at a certain acceleration to reach lightspeed. Thus ... is the universe expanding at faster than light speed (FTL) at this point? The didn't address this specific point, but I'm still curious.

And that's what I really enjoyed about this, I'm still curious. It was probably good that I just listened to The Order of Time too.

She mentions quite a few science fiction books, but mostly focuses on television and movies, especially Star Trek (not a whole lot of science in Star Wars, though she does address it in the FTL section). I was impressed she referenced one of my all-time favorite shows, Community, for it's multiverse episode (which is seriously the best, please watch it).

Interestingly enough, she (and others) have actually tried to calculate what warp speed would look like and it seems to be possible, just the energy required would require pretty much all of it.

Definitely highly recommended.

4 out of 5 Stars (Recommended ... still)

Ebook deals for May 15, 2020 - The Magicians, The Monster Baru Cormorant, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, Blood Song, and More!

I found a bunch of deals and I've come out of the woodwork to share them with the 3 people who may or may not still be visiting this blog.

$0.99

Nightmares Unhinged: Twenty Tales of Terror

$1.99

Parable of the Talents. [Today only!]

The Magicians: A Novel

On the Edge (A Novel of the Edge Book 1)

Faun & Games (The Xanth Novels Book 21)

Swan Song

$2.99

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers Book 1)

The Monster Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade Book 2)

Blood Song (A Raven's Shadow Novel, Book 1)

Full Disclosure: All links are affiliate links. US links only because I'm lazy.

Review - Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith

What an odd gem Only Forward is. It starts out as an entertaining thriller set in a unique near-future world. I was digging it immensely, especially because the main protagonist, Stark, is extremely engaging. He was a perfect mix of humor and can-do that makes for some great lines.

For instance:

"[T]he stations zipped by soundlessly, and I geared myself up for whatever it was I had to gear myself up for. I didn’t have much to go on, so I just geared up generally."

Talking about not wanting to remember a thing: "but I knew I was safe: I always lose my mental notes."

On the topic of a long wait at a restaurant: "Then finally, like some optical illusion, the art student reappeared. I found myself frankly incredulous that she didn’t now have grey hair and walk with a stoop, and decided it must be her great-granddaughter bringing my order, concluding an ancient and mystic hereditary task passed down the family line."

Also:

"Life is like a video game: when you get to a new screen, the thing to do is move as quickly as possible, before the situation gets any worse."

Then, about 50% of the way through (exactly 50% on my Kindle actually), this book gets weird. Your thriller is turned on its head and we go to dreamland...erm...Jeamland.

It almost lost me at that point if I'm being honest.

Luckily, I stuck with it, probably mostly because of the protagonist, because the weird doesn't let up, but the dreamland is really kind of a cool idea. I can see not everyone jiving with the ideas presented, but I finally grew to really like it.

Then, there are some well-done last-minute twists that sealed the deal on top of everything.

I don't want to give away too much. My recommendation, give it a go and push through the weird bit. It does put the whole story on its head, but I thought it worked.

4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)

Cover Reveal | Adventurous Ali: Temple of the Monkey God by Tyler H. Jolley and Mary H. Geis

After Alison Liv Isner is sucked into an old globe that sat on her father’s desk, she wakes beside a campfire in a lush jungle, surrounded by five talking animals. She quickly realizes these are the same friends her mom wrote about in her expedition journal. Now, at only eleven-years-old, she has the opportunity to complete her deceased mother’s unfinished expedition in the Temple of the Monkey God.  

With her new found friends, a monkey, a fat rat, a bat, a burro with a piranha in a mason jar tied around his neck, Ali decides to face the treacherous booby traps inside of the temple and save the monkey idol from an evil group called The Geese. 

As she learns more about her deceased mom through her adventure journal, Ali and her friends realize the book is the key to lead them through the tunnels of the dreaded Temple of the Monkey God. If not, their lives are at stake and Ali will be trapped in the expedition realm forever. 

You can preorder Adventurous Ali: Temple of the Monkey God by Tyler H. Jolley and Mary H. Geis here.

Release day: September 10, 2019

Full disclosure: Tyler is a friend of mine, but I've read his work and really liked it. It's always nice to be able to support small press/self-published authors when I can.