Review – Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Playing on the multiple meanings behind the title, Alien Clay is an accomplished work of science fiction. Catching evolutionary science, ecology, and ethnography within its net, the narrative creates a thrilling, far future, off world story of revolutions and revelations.

When Professor Daghdev wakes up to absolute chaos, he quickly relates some truly terrifying details. Dropping into the atmosphere of an alien world after being in a form of cryo-sleep, his pod is one of hundreds released like seeds from a fragmentation ship designed to destroy itself after its 30 year journey across the stars. Sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a labour camp on the planet, affectionately called Kiln, he’s one of the survivors; whether that’s a good thing or not remains to be seen. But, as is very apparent, it’s the human individual’s singular purpose to live that has so much bearing on the narrative.

Disoriented and starved after the long, freeze-dried sleep, Daghdev isn’t on the ground a moment before he’s hauled off by the guards. An audience with the camp’s Commandant immediately puts him in an awful position. Offered the chance to be part of the science team studying ancient ruins on the planet, the Professor’s inquisitive mind is instantly compelled. But the interview also pits him against his fellow prisoners. In a society ruled over by the hegemonic Mandate – a strict and orthodox system – suspicion and division are common methods of control. Transported to the alien world of Kiln, the human micro system retains all the things Daghdev fought against; the societal injustices, the economic hardships and the inflexible science upon which the Mandate is built. A theory that humanity is central to everything predetermines that aliens will conform to that standard. Yet, on Kiln, all the evidence points to the opposite.

The Commandant, however, wants it to fit neatly into the box the Mandate supplies. Science, Archeology, Dig assist and Labour are all bent to that will. Kiln and it’s fecund ecology aren’t interested. It’s a bizarre and truly other environment where evolution has taken a much different path to that which Earth’s categorisation can’t be applied. In a wonderful symphony of world building, both the strange alien planet and all it’s discombobulating creatures are revealed alongside the rigid and dystopian future that humanity exists under. Political dissidence runs up against bizarre symbiotic monsters as Daghdev and his fellow revolutionaries try to undo the iron fist of the camp, desperately hoping to make their death sentences mean something.

Their failure is the catalyst for true change. Daghdev and other scientists are sent to the most dangerous crew – Excursions; those who venture outside the dome and bring back samples and clear ruin sites for examination. What happens in the wilderness of the alien world is a true paradigm shift. Unpicking the isolated nature of human individuality and how it’s society operates by comparing it to a strange and other system, the sense of self that cuts and categorises and delineates and destroys is shown in stark relief to one that joins and shares and lives. Unpacking the science of evolution and displaying a second world option is a mesmerising prospect, one that smartly takes in to account the nature of the observed and the observer.

In all, Alien Clay is a fascinating consideration of nature, human and otherwise. How it moulds Daghdev and his fellows whilst they shape the world around them is a clever piece of work. But it’s the thrilling journey at its heart that drives the story onwards; the desire to be free and the realisation that freedom in Kiln means something entirely different and (potentially) better. There’s much to read into that, about both the human condition and our current social climate, especially when it comes to the Mandate. And, in that sense, Alien Clay is an immensely powerful and enjoyable work of science fiction.

Astounding world building led by a character who is both engaging and recognisable, Alien Clay is a truly compelling read. Stuffed full of brilliant ideas and outstandingly creative concepts, it’s a grim and gritty but ultimately wonderfully exciting book.

Review copy

Published by Tor

Review – SNAFU: Punk’d edited by Amanda J Spedding & Geoff Brown

An anthology of stories working within the “punk” sub-genre, this edition of SNAFU brings together eighteen tales of scifi-horror and no-holds-barred action. From cyberpunk to biopunk to genre blending tales, it’s a solid collection.

With a number of new to me authors (and some not) there’s a mix of work here though all with adrenaline inducing action at its core. King Rat by RPL Johnson delivers a high-octane cyberpunk samurai story of corporate greed in a world built on the ruins of the past. Technological innovation smashes up against the horror of human ignorance and avarice with breathtaking imagery.

Greg Chapman’s Glitch in the System is equally violent and visually disturbing. Trapped inside a never-ending battle, one soldier discovers the truth behind the conflict, a revelation that has terrifying consequences.

Whilst stories such as Battleborg by Mark Renshaw blend sci-fi and magics, others deliver hard noir. Clean up Crew by Alan Baxter is a crime caper gone wrong. When a mercenary crew see an opportunity to get out from under the corporate thumb, the prize turns out to be too good to be true. Ending up fighting for their lives, what was meant to be an easy score turns out to reveal a horrifying reality deep below the facade of progress.

Taking up that theme of all action, Let’s Go To The Mall by Matthew Freeman is a tale of betrayal and survival against the odds. In an abandoned shopping centre, one hacker finds himself up against a horde of abominations hellbent on his destruction. In the end, it’s a battle of attrition with only one winner.

There’s lots more on offer in this anthology, one I’ll be dipping into again. Action, horror and sci-fi adventure, it’s a great collection.

My copy

Published by Cohesion Press

Review – Red River Seven by A. J. Ryan

Written by fantasy author Anthony Ryan, Red River Seven is a taught, explosive, mystery driven story. Dark and brutal, it’s a relentless tale of survival.

Waking to a gunshot, on a boat with no memory of his name or his whereabouts, a man finds himself next to a dead soldier both of them wearing unmarked combat fatigues. Still reeling with amnesia, he encounters five others like him. Each of them armed, confused and bearing freshly healed surgical scars to their skulls. The boat is automatically piloted, headed on a course none of them know whilst a strange, pink fog obscures everything around them. The only thing the protagonist can work out is that his name, tattooed on his forearm, is Huxley. The others are similarly marked; each with the nomenclature of a famous author. Why the other soldier shot himself, where they’re going and for what reason remains unclear.

Soon, however, the group realise that each has a skill set specific to the team; they can automatically remember facts and expertise but nothing about themselves, their pasts or memories. It’s clear they’re on a mission but not why. When a sat-nav phone calls, the computer voice asking questions about the metal state of each member, Huxley’s detective instincts kick in. But, the mystery only deepens when one of the crew goes homicidal and they are forced to kill her.

I’ll say no more here, as the slow reveal of the story is what makes the pages fly past. It’s impossible to put the book down as more is disclosed the deeper the team travel along the river. However, I will say that it’s expertly done. The terror of what is beyond the boat coupled with the existential trauma of amnesia play against each other to create a dread filled atmosphere, one that explodes with violence and horror after not long. The fog and their computer automated commander both hide terrible things – things that Huxley and his team will have to confront if they want to survive.

An exceptional blend of mystery, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic horror, Red River Seven is a barnburner of a book that I absolutely devoured. Don’t seek out too much info on this – go in blind and enjoy the ride because it’s wild.

Review copy

Published by Orbit

Review – The Remaining: Refugees by D.J. Molles

The third book in the series, Refugees is another, brutally realistic addition to this post-apocalyptic adventure. Less frenetic than it’s predecessors but no less breathless, it’s as action packed and intense as ever.

Whilst the opening two books were set over a few weeks, Refugees is set months later. Lee Harden has recovered from his injuries and the camp has solidified its position both defensively against the infected but also as a haven for survivors. Using his bunkers to supply people with weapons and food stuffs, Harden is working tirelessly to fulfil his mission objectives. However, he still has his detractors; those either philosophically opposed to his military outlook, or those who would usurp his position for their own gain. The infected continue to pose a terrible threat but, as ever, it is human avarice which makes life so difficult.

As Harden discovers awful truths about the infected, he also makes contact with a doctor who was with another Captain; a man who bears even worse news. Hordes are moving east in such massive numbers that the camp and anyone else will be in terrible jeopardy. Working up a plan to withstand the onslaught, further complications arise both from within the camp and from without. Refugees constructs a highly believable maelstrom of human kind as, with a little distance from the initial turmoil and terror of the collapse, people’s true characters and motivations are brought to bear. For Harden, it means he’s suddenly caught defending multiple fronts, including one he’s not even truly aware about. It’s this aspect that makes the book so intense. With enemies everywhere, it’s hard not to root for Harden and hope that he can overcome the odds.

However, the other feature that adds such realism to this series is Harden’s own humanity; his doubts, fears, loyalty and more. Though highly trained, he isn’t ever portrayed as superhuman. A nuanced character, it is his willingness and willpower that set him apart; a mindset that sees him engaging in perilous situations for the greater good. It also means he is fallible and mortal, things sternly put to the test in Refugees.

A book that bridges the gap from the initial apocalyptic fallout to a more stabilised, post-catastrophe setting, there’s a lot going on in Refugees. The infected are changing, adapting and creating difficult threats whilst, simultaneously, people are causing other, troublesome and dangerous issues. Amidst it all, Harden is an intriguing perspective through which to view all of this even as the narrative widens to bring in other characters.

Gritty, realistic and full throttle, The Remaining series is proving to be a massively enjoyable military post-apocalyptic adventure.

My copy

Published by Orbit

Review – The Remaining: Aftermath by D.J. Molles

The second book in this stellar military zombie apocalypse, Aftermath is a breathless rollercoaster of a read. Terrifying action, brutal realism and very human characters, it’s a brilliant book.

Set straight after the first novel, a mere four days since protagonist Captain Lee Harden emerged from his bunker with the mission to help reunite the people of America, Aftermath keeps its foot firmly on the pedal. Whilst Harden put his body on the line to save a mother, daughter and another young boy, his appearance at a survivor camp is met with suspicion and animosity. It’s not helped when a breach in the fence results in the death of one of the camp dwellers. Still trying to convince them of his status and his cache of supplies, Harden is forced to go back out into the world, injured and underpowered, to prove who he is. The result is a terrible litany of running battles with the infected and worse.

The month Harden spent sequestered in his bunker saw the world change drastically. With the collapse of society, those survivors already on the wrong side of the law have been given a freedom to take things into their own hands. It’s these same characters that put Harden in so much danger before and, once again, he must face not only the infected but also human enemies. In a scarily realistic portrayal, Aftermath paints a worrying picture as survivors are preyed upon by the more nefarious elements amongst them. Forcing people into awful decisions, it’s here that the real dangers lurk.

Whilst Harden does everything he can to continue his mission and help those in need, keep the promises he’s made and try to unite different groups, he is constantly met with obstacles; some unavoidable and some man made. A brilliant character who shows the inner workings of a highly trained operator, both in terms of their mental fortitude and humanity, Harden is put through the wringer. Breathless action and terrifying situations come thick and fast as the pages burn by. Once again, the whole book only considers a few days but the sheer adrenaline fuelled task of surviving in a world torn apart gives the sequel a feel of a true epic. Yet, in the end, it’s Harden and his mission that stands tall.

Action packed, top notch military adventure in a zombie apocalypse, Aftermath is a dark, desperate and brilliant read.

My copy

Published by Orbit

SPSFC2 – Semi-Final round up..

The Self Published Science Fiction Competition is now in its semi-final stages as the various teams work through each other’s top three choices. As each group takes on two other team’s top quarter-finalists, to make a group of six, the various books get the opportunity to be read by a wider selection of judges. It’s intriguing to see what made it through to this round and, below, I’ve put together a brief review on my crew’s reads.

First up, Aestus: Book 1 The City by S. Z Atwell. A dystopian novel featuring an underground city that still requires its inhabitants to harvest sunlight. Years after her brother was snatched by things above ground, Jossey is now a solar engineer. After saving others from another attack, she finds herself at the centre of adventures, larger than she thought possible.

Though this is marketed as an adult novel, it did have strong YA elements and an ending clearly targeted to push the second book in the series.

---

The Diamond Device by M. H Thaung is a steampunk adventure featuring some fun characters. A down on his luck noble forced into thievery and a one-legged former factory labourer end up working together to foil plans an international conflict. With the new diamond technology changing all manner of things, it seems there’s more to it than first meets the eye.

A fun, light-hearted adventure with two likeable protagonists, it’s an enjoyable read.

---

End of the world sci-fi Earthship by John Triptych is as different as could be. When a rogue planet destabilises the Sun, spelling the end for planet Earth, it’s up to a cast of characters to try to save the day. Strange cults, billionaire entrepreneurs, scientists and astronauts all end up in the mix as the clock ticks down.

A busy book with a huge list of actors, Earthship also tries to inject some social commentary into the narrative which might not work for everyone.

---

Taking a much more lighthearted approach to the end of humanity Justin Woolley’s Shakedowners is a sci-fi with a heavy comedic leaning. A cargo ship captain, with a penchant for breaking stuff, is asked to test out the most advanced spaceship in the galaxy and iron out any issues. What ensues is contact with a deadly alien entity determined to wipe out sentient life.

Everything here is turned into a joke and Shakedowners is a clever satire of standard sci-fi. Smart quips, absurd scenarios and silliness in spades.

---

Empire Reborn by A. K DuBoff is part of a sprawling interconnected series. When a trade ship is destroyed, a family of agents, each with the gift of telekinesis, must try to discover what has broken the peace in the Taran Empire.

An ensemble cast and a mysterious enemy to confront, this book signals the start of a new series.

---

The final semi-finalist book, Hammer and Crucible by Cameron Cooper is a similarly huge, intergalactic tale. Hoping to die from old age, a former colonel is confronted with information that her son wasn’t the disgraced soldier the Emperor has painted him to be. Along with her granddaughter, she begins to track down leads, hoping to discover the truth. What she finds is an AI ship way in advance of anything seen before and an Empire at the mercy of the wormhole technology it uses to cross the universe.

Well written, with a decent twist in its tail, Hammer and Crucible blends solid world building with an interesting plot to decent effect.

---

Scores are about to be collated, and the next stage should be announced soon. Stay tuned for more and to find out who has made it into the final rounds.

Review – Juggernaut by Adam Baker

I read the first book in this series in 2014 and it remains one of my favourite zombie novels. Outpost was nothing short of exceptional. What Adam Baker has done in Juggernaut is entirely different but just as brilliant. Taut, action packed and brutal, it’s a no-holds-barred military sci-fi horror that powers along at a breathtaking pace.

Set in Iraq in 2005, Saddam Hussein’s former nation is in ruins; poverty and destruction are everywhere as Western forces decimate pockets of resistance and the country becomes a wild frontier for proxy wars and mercenaries. For Lucy and her crew of hard charging guns-for-hire, getting paid a few hundred bucks to babysit green soldiers on pointless yet highly dangerous missions has more than lost its allure. The team are getting old and they’re still poor. But, when Amanda, Lucy’s girlfriend, tells of a prisoner in Abu Ghraib who knows the location of a treasure trove of ‘lost’ gold, the idea of one last, big play is too much to resist. In the lawless wasteland of Iraq, there’s riches to be made for those bold enough to take it.

It’s a time old classic, however; when it sounds too good to be true, it normally is. Teaming up with a bitter pilot to helicopter them to the site deep in the desert, Lucy and her team don’t realise that there are a number of plays going on behind the scenes. And, by the time they do, it’s too late. Black Ops, CIA, post-nation cartels and deniability, deadly biological weapons and worse abound as the team of mercenaries head to an ancient temple site in search of the treasure, only to find something even more terrible than death.

As a prequel to Outpost, the story is a clipped yet engrossing narrative stuffed with military detail. Lucy and her team are brilliantly portrayed as jaded, battle hardened and inured to violence. A tight unit, they operate with the professionalism of veterans. Whilst morally grey, the team aren’t comparable to the other players on the table. Though what they discover is horrifying, it’s the people behind the scenes that are the true monsters. Scientists willing to experiment on prisoners with zero ethical qualms; former Iraqi elitists revelling in the power of life and death; CIA operatives pursuing weapons of absolute destruction who see other humans as totally expendable. It’s a litany of inhuman and unhinged greed that trickles down to awful effect. As the true nature of what has been lost in the desert comes to bear, Lucy and her team must fight for their lives against all sides as they are betrayed, played and hunted in the ruins of the temple.

Whilst Juggernaut does uncover details of the virus at the heart of this series, the true horror of it is made all the more clear when the very men seeking to control it realise it’s deadly alien essence is beyond them. Make no mistake, the virus element to the story is a gnarly and highly inventive take on the zombie genre. Added to the human element, it becomes a cacophony of violence as the team try to cut their losses and escape. In the unforgiving desert, the beginnings of the apocalypse are played out in a theatre of ancient ruins amongst a cast of characters who populate the greyest areas of humanity.

Once again, it’s another inspired setting for a novel – one that cleverly adds tension and detail to the story. Even more so, it’s the origins behind the virus, and the people who have caused doomsday, that makes this such a fascinating addition to the zombie genre. Tense, adrenaline fuelled and brutal, it’s a brilliantly wrought novel.

My copy

Published by Hodder

Review – Goodbye To The Sun by Jonathan Nevair

I was fortunate enough to read the beginning of this book as part of the SPSFC2 slush pile. Whilst others on my team didn’t vote it through, I really wanted to find out more about the intriguing world suggested in those first, explosive chapters. I wasn’t disappointed. A complex and clever work of sci-fi, Goodbye To The Sun is a well crafted piece of military sci-fi.

Told from dual perspectives, sides of the same coin which speak to the other more and more as the book progresses, the book opens with an intriguing premise. Razor, a rebel on her homeworld, begins her retrospective with a powerful but cryptic message. Keen Draden, on the other hand, offers none of her self-awareness; an indulgent and self-absorbed diplomat for the larger political machine in the Arm, his life is one of excess and failure. But, when his visit to Kol 2 goes terribly wrong and he finds himself a hostage of Razor, it sets in motion events with repercussions beyond both.

Captured by rebels, chased and hunted by the same government he came to negotiate with, Keen finds himself at the mercy of Razor and the desert world of Kol 2. It forces him to confront things long buried by booze and lies. And, it’s here that the complexity of the book begins to bloom. Political and economic ideas vie for space against the personal and singular realities of the individual in a knotty set of issues that expand from one planet to the whole system of the Arm. Yet, against that, Keen’s own difficulties and their foundations come to bear, and in a series of intriguing conversations and confrontations with Razor, begin to change the discourse again.

As much as Keen wallows in self deception, borne from PTSD as a veteran of a war, Razor’s ideological fire as a rebel caught in the immediacy of her world’s conflict is the opposite side of the very same argument the pair engage in both with themselves and the larger picture surrounding them. Indeed, as the book expands, taking in other planets, those ideas become more difficult and duplicitous.

Woven through with past and present, told from the future and the current, Goodbye To The Sun constructs a clever and thoughtful narrative. Ideas clash with action perfectly, all of it bracketed by an interesting consideration of humanity and ideas of gender. What’s more impressive than the engaging story is the deeper concerns that run through the plot, ushering in an extremely well considered look at the human condition, especially the current ideas changing our own paradigm.

Peopled by fantastic characters, many of whom may well take centre stage in further books, and set within some stunning world building, Goodbye To The Sun is a military science fiction with a depth and insight that takes it beyond the standard issue. Surprisingly complex yet wholly engaging, it’s a fantastic, far future story of huge potential.

Review copy

Published by Cantinool Books

Review – Beyond The Gates Infernal by Bryan S. Glosemeyer

The sequel to one of my favourite indie reads, volume two in the Shattered Gates series is an explosive and engrossing read. Building on the vast worlds of the first book and delving deeper into the characters, Beyond The Gates Infernal is an epic, action packed space opera of the highest calibre.

Taking off from where Before The Shattered Gates of Heaven ended, book two drops straight into the action, amidst a battle that will have repercussions throughout the novel. Sabira, desperate to protect her new found family, wants only to escape; Daggeira, bound by duty and indoctrination, wants only to win. The two revolve around each other like a nexus for the story, each pulling and pushing at their former I lover and comrade, yet neither able to break away.

Whilst Sabira and her fellow former slaves do make it away, through the Gates, it isn’t to the freedom they’d hoped. Instead, it’s to another, entirely alien system where something even more terrible than the Masters of the Holy Unity awaits. As Daggeira follows, bound to a Warseer by awful technology, along with Spear (Sabira’s grandfather), they all become caught in a game. Ancient, and full of vengeance, an older, alien race sets them to a task – a challenge – to see who will command a weapon powerful enough to destroy gods. As the two groups battle, it is Daggeira who is chosen to a fate as horrifying as the weapon itself.

Sabira, saved by her grandfather, retreats to Constellation space, to the relative safety that the Emissaries promised. Yet, the freedom that was guaranteed proves to be fraught with political traps. Far from being the utopia described, Human territory is a tricky and divided sphere where opposing factions and issues abound. In the aftermath of the Gates opening, the reception to Sabira and the other freed slaves is a mixed reaction ranging from distrust to awe. As slaves from the long lost first diaspora of humanity, they represent both huge complications and massive possibilities.

Whilst Sabira tries to navigate these minefields, Daggeira has her own traps to overcome. Desperate to be seen by her superiors, she is, once again, dismissed. As Beyond the Gates Infernal builds, the characters and their quests ask some important questions about identity and it’s meaning, especially in the face of freedom and what it represents. Both Sabira and Daggeira are faced with the difficult proposition of trying to know themselves whilst so much that has been imprinted upon them is based on falsehood and lies, and so much of their motivation is formed upon those ideas. The result is a deadly cocktail as the two go head to head, determined to have their revenge and appease their inner demons even as the Holy Unity and the Constellation engage in war.

Suffering none of the usual second book syndrome, Beyond The Gates Infernal instead improves upon the worldbuilding and opens up new doors to what is a massively creative and vastly imaginative work. From the intricate alien races and languages to the complicated social hierarchies and structures, the depth of focus adds an impressive layer upon which the story can play out. Sabira’s journey toward freedom is equally complex and emotionally fraught, offering insight into the convoluted nature of the human condition. Once again, the author has managed to create a book as action packed as it is intriguing. The battles, both epic and individual, are finely wrought, tense and visceral, staged in worlds and places that are brilliantly constructed. It’s this combination of aspects that makes for such an amazing and enjoyable read.

The Shattered Gates series is a fantastically written work of science fiction. Vast and complex yet immediate and intense, Beyond The Gates Infernal is brilliant, ambitious science fiction at its best.

Review copy

Published by Void Forms Media

Review – The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt

Being surprised by a book is one of the best things about reading. The Immortality Thief does just that and more; a sharp, fun, inventive and exciting story that grips the attention from the opening chapter, it never falters. A heist plot wrapped up in science fiction full of dark terror on a rotting space station, this is a brilliant piece of writing.

In a far future universe divided between the Republic (a free, human system) and the Ministers (an alien dictatorship), Sean Wren falls somewhere in the middle. A thief and smuggler with a penchant for languages, he has no citizenship to speak off; his family killed during a Minister attack that destroyed the whole city of his home world. He has Benny – the only other survivor of the attack – and his wits. But, Sean and Benny are in trouble and the only way to extricate themselves from a Republic jail is to undertake a clandestine job.

On an ancient ship, near a star that is about to explode, lies some data that will change the course of the war between the Republic and Ministers. Abandoned for a thousand years, the ship, however, holds mysteries and monsters that will test Sean beyond anything he’s experienced before. Engaging from the outset, Sean is a fantastic protagonist as he tells the story through a back and forth narrative that fills in the past and present with intricate detail. His humour hiding a deep, driving grief, plays off well against the darkness of the vast ship, revealing him to be much more than his cheeky, self-interested mask would, at first, have you believe.

Indeed, the further into the ship Sean goes, the more is revealed to him; not only about the nature of the information he needs to acquire but about his companions, enemies and himself. Dealing with tragedy and loss, hope and redemption, The Immortality Thief considers some interesting questions. Couched against the action packed terror of travelling through a huge, rotten space station full of traps and monsters, the story keeps moving at pace. Added to the tension of the star’s imminent destruction, the book never lets up.

There’s so much more I’d like to say about the plot and different character arcs but to do so would be to reveal too much. Because, a huge part of what makes the book so good is that unfolding and realisation, occurring as the story progresses, which unpacks the mysteries held within.

A fantastic collection of elements – part thrilling heist, part dark sci-fi – The Immortality Thief is all action packed excellence. A truly likeable protagonist and an inventive and intriguing set of mysteries, one that ends on a note strongly hinting at a sequel, this a brilliant book from an author of clearly huge potential.

Review copy

Published by Solaris