Patrick's Picks

Welcome to an epic world with a dash of 18^thcentury era tactics and weaponry … a world where magic exists but is, shall we say, frowned upon. Now meet our heroes: one, a tired colonial captain making the best of a bad situation, and the other, a newly-minted sergeant who just so happens to be a tortured-by-her-past woman masquerading as a man in a man’s world. Enter their new colonel: an extremely talented tactician with an agenda. Then push on as they all set off to fight a war against an enemy of cutthroats, traitors, and religious fanatics who vastly outnumbers them.  And this is not the half of it. Something’s brewing in the world … something supernatural and sinister … and their new colonel has … ambitions. The Thousand Names is excellent fare for lovers of muskets, magic, and machinations.

–Patrick

In The Daylight War, the women behind the men who would be Deliverer come to the fore. In the north, Arlen’s love of Renna binds him to the world of men, but her desire to be always at his side may just cost her her humanity. In the south, Jardir didn’t come to his exalted position among the tribes of Krasia on his own. His First Wife, Inevera, wields a significant power of her own, and even Jardir is wary of that power. And let us not forget Leesha, behind and between both men. She might just have a little something to deliver herself. The Deliverer has come, oh yes, but who it is has yet to be decided, and if the world of men remains divided, can even the Deliverer save it?

In the world of The Demon Cycle, humankind use wards to keep the demons at bay. In our world, Brett weaves words to bring that world and the characters within it to life. And live they most certainly do. I just love this series and will suffer along with the rest of you until Brett delivers books four and five of the Cycle. Honest word.

--Patrick

In Jumper, we learned about Davy and his amazing ability to teleport. Then Davy met a girl named Millie. In Reflex, we learned all about her and certain other … entanglements. Now in Impulse, we meet Cent, their teenaged daughter. Living off the grid – way, way off the grid (teleporters, duh) – sure can put a damper on one’s social life, and Cent has had quite enough of home schooling, thank you very much. So it’s off to school for her. Imagine you’re in Mean Girls High School and you’re an outsider, the proverbial square peg … oh, and you can teleport. Imagine what you’d do. Now stop imagining and read Impulse. You’d be hard pressed to do it any better than Steven Gould.

--Patrick

What happened to the Syndicate Worlds after Black Jack Geary destroyed most of their military might? Some cowered, some fell into civil war, and some rebelled outright. Midway rebelled. Now, how do the rebels go on after their evil overlords are eviscerated or light years away? Freedom is never free, and the newly self-appointed leaders of Midway are about to receive the bill.

Up until now we’ve seen Jack Campbell’s universe from the Alliance side … and mostly from Space. Seems there are heroes everywhere, even on the dark side. Tarnished Knight, the first in a new spin-off to Campbell’s awesome Lost Fleet series, sheds light on that dark side, often putting me in mind of Star Trek’s Dark Mirror universe … if it was run by a bunch of corporate weasels.

--Patrick

This is the dilemma facing one Dave Marshall, a currently unemployed sitcom writer living in Los Angeles. Seems Dave has a line on a new story he’s dying to run past the studios. But then he finds out his source isn’t spouting fiction. Seems the world’s oil actually is about to be rendered useless, with devastating consequences. A Slow Apocalypse that will bring civilization to its knees. What is Dave to do to protect his family? Stay in place, dig in, and hope for help to come ... or run for the hills?

It is very strange walking streets and highways that I’ve actually been down ... through an author’s eyes ... before and after a cataclysm. A Southern California without water and power. You have food. Your neighbors don’t. Humanity at its worst, and at its best. Imagine. Varley puts the reader there, and through the wringer. Awesome, and terrifying.

--Patrick

Alexander Napoleon Outland: pirate, rogue, lady’s man, guy’s guy, coolest of the cool, a Stainless Steel Rat in Mal Reynolds’ coat. Nap and his daring crew wander around the galaxy in search of action and adventure … all kinds of action and all manner of adventure. “In space, no one can hear you scheme …” Couldn’t have said it better myself, so I lifted it from the cover. (Nap would be proud.) Alexander Outland: Space Pirate is chock-full of snappy dialogue and laugh-out-loud scenes, and not a small amount of action and adventure … all kinds of action and all manner of adventure. Perhaps the only thing I really need impart on you fine folks is that if you miss Firefly as much as I do, give Nap & Co. a read. You won't be sorry.

--Patrick Outland

The first day of high school can be trying. Add an explosion that destroys a good chunk of the place and a virus that leaves every pubescent teen infected – and brings a quick death to any adult they encounter – and you then have the new McKinley High. Add a year quarantined without supervision and it’s The Lord of the Flies meets The Breakfast Club with a dash of Ender’s Game. Each day is a continuous fight for survival. Social cliques have morphed into vicious gangs. If you’re not a part of a gang, you’re just meat for the grinder. David is one such loner, but there are many others. Time to take a stand. Awesome. Quarantine: The Loners is relentless from page one – all death, destruction, brutality … and teen angst. Though billed as young adult, it is definitely not for the faint of heart.

--Patrick

In the future, you don’t have to work, but if you want fame and fortune, you have to earn it. There’s no inheriting it from your parents. Enter our heroes, the Losers, and their brilliant idea to become celebrities: Stow away on a rocket bound for Mars. Awesome. And there’s no turning around once they’re in motion. Fame and fortune will be theirs for the taking. One slight hiccup: Their rocket’s got a few issues. Oh, and one other: one of the Losers is a sociopath. Let the fun begin!

I’ve been a fan of John Barnes for half of my life and he’s never let me down. Now he turns his eye to Hard SF for young people ... and for those not-so young who love a good story ... like me ... and me like. Losers in Space is in keeping with the old Heinlein juveniles, only with more of today’s sensibility and scientific knowledge. And his Notes for the Interested are brilliant. Don’t want the standard sf-infodump? Then simply skip them.

--PMH