Wulf's Book Reviews

The Seven Brides-to-Be of Generalissimo Vlad by Victoria Goddard My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a very easy read: Science Fiction just done, not lengthily discussed or even dissected but a fun ride of merely 10.000 words. Elegant prose, witty dry humour and a fragment of a story that I would have been interested in reading a full-length novel about. Five stars out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/the-seven-brides-to-be-of-generalissimo-vlad-by-victoria-goddard/?feed_id=3029&_unique_id=6612683cd754c

System Collapse by Martha Wells My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was so looking forward to reading this and I really wanted to love it… I didn’t, though, since I was dropped right into the middle of the action - of the aftermath of “ Network Effect ”, an earlier novel in the series , which I don’t remember at all. I felt confused for a long time because there were lots of references to the earlier book that I simply didn’t get. I finally got somewhat into the flimsy excuse for a story at around the half-way mark - and still felt let down by Murderbot's anti-climatic “redacted” event and a story that felt like an “extension”, an add-on. “ System Collapse ” should have been published as part of “Network Effect” because as it is, it’s just like Wells recovered the “missing chapters”. Yes, I knew part of that before even starting to read this one but I don’t re-read and an author should make an effort to get me up to speed. Three out of five stars - and even those feel slightly...

Wool by Hugh Howey My rating: 3 of 5 stars I went into this knowing nothing but the title and was somewhat dismayed by the premise of a pocket of survivors of humanity on a destroyed, toxic, dystopian Earth. Nevertheless, the characters seemed interesting enough - Sheriff Holston, Mayor Jahns, Deputy Marnes… And then Howey goes GRRM and kills them all off and leaves us in an even worse situation: » The silo was rotten to the core; an evil man was acting Mayor; a puppet stood where a good sheriff had been; and all the good men and women were gone. « Enter Jules, a gifted technician - who’s sent off to face certain death next; or perhaps death is not so certain after all? The entire beginning was slow-paced and disillusioning: We get introduced to potentially interesting people who are promptly taken away. Most of their backstories are never told, many important facts omitted and only ever alluded to but never properly resolved. Sadly, the pacing is also very uneven: Init...

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen My rating: 1 of 5 stars I must have read a different book from most others… I’ve read an extraordinarily cheap science fiction thriller that feels very dated, e. g. when NASA officials threaten to fax a secret to the newspapers, when they present evidence on a cassette tape and that caters to admirers of body horror at best. Yes, it’s a thrilling page turner but of the 90s variety; think of the old b-movies with body snatchers and smart scientists, a cowboy-infested US government and many more stereotypical characters and story elements. It’s mostly disgusting with cheap thrills and the intellectual depth of a puddle. I finished it less than a day ago and, thankfully, the “story” is already fading into oblivion. I’ll stick to more modern works of Gerritsen. One out of five stars. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/gravity-by-tess-gerritsen/?feed_id=2554&_unique_id=64d11b8e63769

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel My rating: 3 of 5 stars “ Sea of Tranquility ” by Emily St. John Mandel was my first book by this author so I was completely in the dark about what to expect. What I definitely didn’t expect was the author taking a generous helping of common science fiction tropes and mixing them all up. First of all, there’s time travel which leads to thoughts of reality actually being a simulation and for good measure Mandel unoriginally throws in a pandemic… With several timelines and narrative threads, jumping back and forth, the story became convoluted and hard to follow at times. I found it difficult to fully engage with the characters or their predicaments; especially since some were never fully developed (e. g. Edwin or, even worse, Thalia). There are moments where the characters seem to exist purely as vehicles for the story, rather than as fully-realised individuals. Mandel's writing was fine but, mostly, nothing out of the ordina...

Saga, Compendium One by Brian K. Vaughan My rating: 5 of 5 stars It has been a very long time since I’ve had this much fun with comics! The story follows Alana and Marko, two former soldiers, now deserters from their opposing armies, who got married and went on to found a family. We see their daughter, Hazel, growing up on the run with her parents in a (mostly) hostile universe in which they encounter new friends and enemies alike. And this is where Saga shines beyond any other comic I’ve ever encountered: Our fugitives meet a broad range of people who more often than not want to either capture or kill them. Unless there’s no other way, Alana, Marko… … and their very diverse rag tag group of friends… …and great sidekicks… …will treat people with respect… …kindness and the kind of simple decency I wish all of us would apply… There are certainly very adult topics and scenes but they’re very obviously not included to “disturb” or “provoke” but they’re sensible p...

The Martian by Andy Weir My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have come across many science fiction novels over the years, but none have quite captivated me like " The Martian " by Andy Weir (apart from “ Project Hail Mary ", also by Weir!). This novel tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who is accidentally left behind on Mars after a mission gone wrong. With no way to communicate with Earth and limited supplies, Mark must use his ingenuity and resourcefulness to survive on the harsh and unforgiving planet. Literally from the very first page, I was hooked by the book's gripping narrative and fast-paced plot. Weir's writing style is concise and straightforward, which makes the technical details and scientific explanations easy to understand without being overwhelming. As a result, the story is both entertaining and educational, providing readers with a glimpse into the world of space exploration and the challenges faced by astronauts. What I loved most about "Th...

Planetside by Michael Mammay My rating: 2 of 5 stars This is going to be yet another difficult review. There’s no doubt: “ Planetside ” is suspenseful and exciting military science fiction. There’s also no doubt there are plot holes, loose ends and an ending that’s extremely problematic. Let’s start at the beginning, though, at which Colonel Carl Butler, semi-retired of Space Command, is sent to the Cappa system by his superior and old acquaintance General Serata. This is where the trouble starts: Michael Mammay keeps hinting at the tour(s?) of duty, Butler completed in Cappa but we never learn what happened, why Butler drinks habitually, how he lost his daughter on planet Cappy and so much more. We get to know that Butler is supposed to find out about the fate of the son of some SPACECOM hotshot but that’s it. Early on in his investigation, Butler realises there's a lot of weird business going on both “planetside” on Cappa and on the Cappa Base in its orbit. Since Butler’s prima...

One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky My rating: 1 of 5 stars In a post-apocalyptic time and space, mankind is practically extinct due to a time war. At the end of time a sole survivor - a former soldier - sits and gleefully murders any stragglers. In order to remain alone and to prevent another rise of humanity and, thus, another war, he also travels back in time and happily commits genocide or whatever it takes to eradicate the survivors’ communities as well. Yes, murder and genocide for good fun. And as if that wasn’t enough in itself: I didn’t find it funny in the least. When this novella wasn’t about (mass) murder, it was about the cheapest kind of trolling. One disgusted star out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/one-day-all-this-will-be-yours-by-adrian-tchaikovsky/?feed_id=1553&_unique_id=63c51478d7765

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was great escapist fun! This book read like the happy child of Douglas Adams ’ “ Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ” and Martha Wells ’ “ Murderbot ” (in tone more than in spirit!) with a bit of Ernest Cline ’s “ Ready Player One ” mixed in for good measure! After so many “mixed reading results” so far this year, this was a much needed blast of fresh, contemporary air that expertly blew away any residue of blues. This is a fun, feel-good book, a book like a really good popcorn movie. This book is, in Scalzi’s own words: » It’s a pop song. It’s meant to be light and catchy, with three minutes of hooks and choruses for you to sing along with, and then you’re done and you go on with your day, hopefully with a smile on your face. I had fun writing this, and I needed to have fun writing this. We all need a pop song from time to time, particularly after a stretch of darkness. « I so enjoyed Jamie Gray, the l...