Category Archives: Science fiction

Michael Swanwick – The Dog Said Bow-Wow (2007) Review

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

8/10 Of the 16 short stories in this collection, 3 are Hugo Award winners, 3 more are Hugo Award nominees, 12 are Locus Awards nominees with 1 winner, and 1 Nebula nominee. This is a show of strength, this collection, … Continue reading →

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M. John Harrison – The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again (2020) Review

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Jeroen Admiraal

The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again. What image does that title generate? Something about the past, something that lay hidden, that you thought was gone perhaps, but is coming back. This does not only refer to the land, to … Continue reading →

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David Brin – Startide Rising (1983) Review

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

7.5/10 Dolphins. In spaaaaace. This novel is like a space opera theme park. David Brin just squeezed in every idea that he thought was cool until the novel was ready to burst. It’s a space opera candy store. I’ll have … Continue reading →

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A.E. van Vogt – The World of Null-A (1948) Review

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

There is a bit of crazy history behind this book that must be told. The reason is that it explains the book’s existence and what it tries to do.  So, A.E. van Vogt was a science fiction writer in the … Continue reading →

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R.A. Lafferty – Space Chantey (1968) Review

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

8.5/10 The first and most obvious remark to make about this novel is that it is a science fiction retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. But that is also the most annoying, tedious reflection to present to you, because it immediately raises … Continue reading →

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William Gibson – The Peripheral (2014) Review

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

William Gibson returned to cyberpunk with his novel The Peripheral. The book features plotlines in two future settings, one in the 2030s and one much farther into the future, beyond 2100. Characteristically for Gibson’s approach, he completely overloads these plotlines … Continue reading →

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Robert Sheckley – Citizen in Space (1955) Review

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

8/10 Citizen in Space is Robert Sheckley’s second short story collection, published a year after the first, Untouched by Human Hands (1954). And, like its predecessor, it is a very neat collection of pleasant, comedic science fiction stories, written in … Continue reading →

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Olaf Stapledon – Odd John (1935) Review

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

8.5/10 This novel is only 200 pages of rather dry prose, but I wrote a whole essay about it. I found it thoroughly fascinating. This novel has the illustrious honour to be called the first Superman story. A bit strange, … Continue reading →

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R.A. Lafferty – Past Master (1968) Review

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

8/10 The planet Astrobe, about five hundred years in the future. It is mankind’s last chance to make something for itself. The Old World failed, then we got the New World, America, which also failed, and now Astrobe is our … Continue reading →

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Ursula K. Le Guin – Worlds of Exile and Illusion (1966-67) Review

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Jeroen Admiraal

Comprising: The three short novels contained within this collection are Le Guin’s first three published novels. Her brief warmup, you could say, before she really won fame with novels such as A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) and The Left Hand … Continue reading →

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