The Hunt for Pierre Jnr by David M. Henley

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr, Henley, David M. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013. e-book, 253 pps.

     In the remnants of a world with a controlling government that forbids psi or any sort of occult gifts is a sort of child. He is only eight years old, human perhaps, but very powerful. Some children are able to hide their special abilities and some adults do also. If caught, they are "masked" and then eventually banished to a set of islands, out of the sight of everyone else. A select few of the adults are recruited to serve on one of the teams that seek out and bring into custody others who have psi abilities.

     Some of the special people are hiding in pockets of resistance on one of the mainlands. Perhaps they are plotting some sort of revolution. Perhaps Pierre Jnr will lead them on. Or perhaps not.

sapphoq reviews says: This book moved a bit slowly for me. I wanted more blood and guts. I did like the premise though and I also liked the ending. Recommended.

Free Radicals by Zeke Teflon

Free Radicals: A Novel of Utopia and Dystopia, Zeke Teflon. Tucson AZ: See Sharp Press, 2012. e-book, 245 pps.

     Kel Turner is suddenly exiled off of planet earth. He has to make his way around a new planet. In his travels, he encounters a variety of religious cult-like communities and problems. There is much more to Free Radicals but I don't want to give it away.

     The cult-like community that I laughed at the most was a variant of Alcoholics Anonymous. The adherents refer to their founder as Will B. Their rituals are outrageous.

     
sapphoq reviews says: Zeke Teflon had me hooked from the dedication. I love Anonymous and was very glad to read the inclusion of both Anonymous and the surviving members of LulSec.
     Free Radicals is witty. I enjoyed the off-beat qualities of it-- the star travel, the hooded references, the anarchists. Zeke Teflon is right up there with Cory Doctorow. Highly recommended to fans of well-written adult dystopian fiction.

21 days in May by Crispy Sea

21 days in May, Crispy Sea.  self-published: Smashwords Edition, 2013.  3-book, 474 pps.

http://crispysea.blogspot.com/
@CrispySea on Twitter
Crispy Sea is also found elsewhere on the Web.


I first became aware of Crispy Sea on Twitter.  I found Crispy to be an engaging, forthright, and intelligent atheist.  I read Crispy's blog and discovered a book there.  So I bought the book.  I was not disappointed.

     Crispy describes 21 days in May as being "hope fiction."  The hope is in the revolt, not in the status quo.  Business as usual sucks and the people don't yet know that.  Martha knows that.  Martha is doing something about it.

 

 

Martha has given her life to the work she is doing.  It is very important work involving genes.  Martha's company is the hope of humankind.                                                                                       

 

 

 

sapphoq reviews says:  Crispy Sea has penned an extraordinary tale of the future.  The hope of the earth-- modeled after our earth-- is in genetic modification, vaccination, and population control if the human race is to survive.  I've heard it said that science fiction writers are great predictors of the future.  21 days in May is that kind of a novel-- containing hints of what our present technology can flower into-- for passionate fans of possible futures.  Highly recommended.  Up the rebels!

Accident Man by Shane Griffin

Accident Man, Shane Griffin.  self-published:  2012.  previously published: 2002.  e-book: short story.  16 pps.

Shane Griffin has written a slew of short stories, all within the realm of soft sci-fi/fantasy.  Accident Man is the one I shall review, but know that if you are taken with one Griffin short, you will be taken with the rest.  

The third person narrator of Accident Man is all-knowing.  The voice contributes to the tale's darkness.  In the first pages, we are introduced to Mr. Smith, a singularly unremarkable man except for a singularly remarkable implant.  It is through this implant that Mr. Smith makes a living.  The reader journeys with Mr. Smith through a typical mundane workday to a twisted and fun ending.

sapphoq reviews says:  Accident Man, like all of Shane Griffin's writing, excels in atmosphere.  Every word contributes to the short in a masterful way.  Highly recommended.

Freedom's Landing by Anne McCafferty

Freedom's Landing, Anne McCaffrey. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995. Hardbound, 277 pps.

A University of Denver student is captured along with a bunch of other people and taken to another planet. She, other earthlings, and aliens from other places are held as slaves. When Kris escapes, she is rounded up along with other troublemakers and dumped on a different planet thought to be uninhabitated. Folks keep getting dumped there, some go rogue, and some die. Freedom's Landing concerns itself with the initial setting up of the colony which the settler-slaves have named Botany. There is of course a swank alien dude with whom Kris becomes enamoured and a few troublemakers on the side.

Place plays an important role in this particular book. The place settings are integral to the plot and I like that in a story. Interspecies love is also something that I like (and something that Anne McCaffrey explores in other books of hers as well as in this one).

sapphoq reviews says: Folks looking for either fuzzy science or hard science in a science fiction novel are not going to find it here. Folks who are interested in the building of relationships during hard times will. Highly recommended for science fic afficiandos who appreciate well done interspecies romance born in the middle of the hardship of settling in a hostile environment.