Arina reviews Kali Wallace’s laters Sci-Fi Noir novel, Dead Space.
“The power of Dead Space’s narrative is the inescapable analogy it draws with our current society and how greed, inequality, and bondage may be carried with us when we breach the boundaries of space. But it’s also allowed to dream with the way it imagines technology.”
Today, we welcome Yaroslav Barsukov to the Asylum to discuss his latest novella, Tower of Mud and Straw, a story that blends science-fiction, fantasy, and even the atmosphere of the gothic genre.
Arina reviews The Moonsteel Crown, the first book in Stephen Deas’ new series, Dominion. Out now by Angry Robot!
“A fun as hell adventure of betrayal filled with murdering bastards, unpredictability, dead men, and lots of chaotic stabbing, shrewdly disguised as a royal corruption story.”
Arina reviews Yaroslav Barsukov’s Tower of Mud and Straw, a Gaslamp Science Fantasy novella.
“Tower of Mud and Straw makes perfect use of the novella format, an awesome gaslamp science fantasy with a mystery punch. I can see myself coming back to this world again and again.”
After some debate, we decided that instead of doing one short (top 3 reads each which would have been downright cruelty to ourselves), or one very long (top 10 reads each, squeezed together) post on our favorite reads in 2020, we’ll do three separate ones. Mainly because we’d like to highlight as many books as we can, regardless of when they were released, if they are indie, self-published, or traditionally published. The only criteria were that we had to read it in 2020. And maybe like it too. A tiny bit. Maybe. First up is Arina’s Top 10 Reads of 2020.
Craig Hallam’s Oshibana Complex is everything I love about cyberpunk: a sharp dissection of the present by peeking into the future. This curious novella puts a captivating story into just a few pages.
A plangent and dismal story that resonates in the now, Erin K. Wagner’s latest novella, An Unnatural Life, takes us to the coming probabilities of robot civil rights through an exploration of sentience, free will, and humanity. But more importantly, science fiction novella extrapolates on how we humans react and shun new forms of identity.
Though I have yet to delve deeper into the genre, I’ve had some pretty amazing reads in my life that bring together the inventiveness of SF with the terrifying experience of Horror. With Halloween still so fresh and Sci-Fi Month just around the corner, time to wrench out some Sci-Fi Horror recs for your consideration.
With rich vocabulary, writing as fascinating as skillful brushstrokes, and a slow-burn story filled with longing and chilling moments of divisiveness, Phoenix Extravagant will claim a spot on the shelf of anyone looking for a remarkable read within any genre.
Path of Ruin explores answers to those questions, and delivers a clever, entrancing story that garners surprise after surprise until its very end.