Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt

A post-apocalyptic tale of a search for history.  The characters are practically irrelevant.  The story is of loss and a search for hope.  

Tales of a plague are particularly poignant as Covid-19 hopefully winds down.   A future world was laid waste with a plague and the survivors are pulling themselves up out of subsistent living.

A search for knowledge and a bastion of literature dominates the story.   The mortality of AI is a side bar of interest.

An interesting story of possible futures. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter

Aimsley is a robot whose life span is measured in hours and whose job is to keep the power flowing to earth.   He discovers that things are not always as they seem. 

As a morality play this is so thought  provoking.  The recognition of exactly what life is makes one ponder the  Alexa, and the future of AI.   Alexa now says thank you and other responses.  Is it intelligence or programing.  What exactly is life but some kind of programming.   

Alien invaders need to be more clearly defined for suitable action to be taken. 

I enjoyed the book. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Mercy, werecoyote, and Adam, werewolf, are back. They are spending their honeymoon in a campground generously donated by a Fey friend.  But the Fey never give away anything for nothing in return, in this case, a monster.

Briggs went a bit florid in her prose in this book not that I didn’t enjoy it but it was just a bit much.   The story was good with all of the supernatural elements that you have come to expect.   Many of her books were about in-depth relationships and this one seemed more about the supernatural aspects.  

There was still sufficient action and strength of feelings.

I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

BTW I used to like otters. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Weird World War III edited by Sean Patrick Hazlet

This is a book of short stories featuring many SciFi writers you are familiar with from their own books.   Weird World War III edited by Sean Patrick Hazlet

Contributors:
David Drake
Brian Trent
Mike Resnick
Erica Satifka
Brad R. Torgersen
Kevin Andrew Murphy
Dr. Xander Lostetter and Marina J. Lostetter
Martin L. Shoemaker
Sarah A. Hoyt
Deborah A. Wolf
Stephen Lawson
Ville Meriläinen
Peter J. Wacks and Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Alex Shvartsman
C.L. Kagmi
Nick Mamatas
T.C. McCarthy
Eric James Stone
John Langan

Overall the stories are depressing.  Don’t read this if you are already down.  They are interesting, like the lobster story but the description is haunted tales of the future.  

I’m not a fan of short stories and this book didn’t change my mind. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Infinite Retribution by Robert Stadnik

This is part of Stadnik’s Exodus Universe.  I read Exodos of the Phoenix which may have been the first book and this is the current book.  There was a lot of story in between.   This book takes up much later in the saga.   I do not recommend reading this book before you read the others as there was too much missing.  This story is focused on treachery, insubordination, and prejudice.  

The story is okay as a stand-alone but I felt like I was missing far too much.   Perhaps a preface to bring you up to speed would have helped.  It is a good story and I enjoyed it but I would have enjoyed it more reading the preceding volumes. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Penric's Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold

Penric, a less than adept sorcerer is “blessed” with certain powers and a menagerie of demonic riders as the basis for those powers. Desdemona is the closest one that could be described as his familiar.  Arriving in a foreign country he discovered himself immediately imprisoned.  He seeks to fulfill his mission regardless of severe setbacks.

Penric’s mission is to get a disgraced general to forgo his own country and become a mercenary for another.   The general, despite being disgraced still cares for his country.  Penric develops feelings for the general’s sister which complicates matters.

The book is delightfully Bujold, a mix of misapplied arcane and personal relationships. 

I recommend it.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned