Category: Sci-fi

Recent Reads: A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 4)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 4) has a lot of change in it, after all, in the last book, Max and Leon argued yet again, split up, and then he died.  But it’s ok, because the Muse of History has moved a dying Max into another universe where she’s no longer dying.  And Leon is alive!  Now she just needs to explain what’s happened, and learn what’s going on in this universe!

This is a lot of change, with this Leon having lost his Max, and Max having lost her Leon, and her friends.  I felt the changing of universe was a little out there, but I’m enjoying this series, and therefore I’m willing to overlook some of these oddities!

A Trail Through Time was published on 24th July 2014, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

A Second Chance – book 3

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is set in a world like our own, that has had the covid-19 pandemic, Jamie Gray is fired from her well paid job, and becomes a food delivery driver.  One day, she delivers food to an old acquaintance, and he makes her an offer that changes her life!

He works for an ‘animal rights organisation’, and he needs a grunt to move heavy things.  Jamie is thrilled, and so she joins the Kaiju Preservation Society!

I really have loved every book that I’ve read by John Scalzi, and this one lived up to my expectations and more!  It has some surprises, is very cinematic, and an easy read! Another great Scalzi book!

The Kaiju Preservation Society was published on 17th March 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow John Scalzi on his website, Facebook and Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

Recent Reads: A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 3)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 3) continues, with Max needing to work out what to do with an entire department of blue people!

Max and Leon had a big falling out in the last book, but they made it up when they realised it was the doctor at the institution they were relaxing in who was trying to separate them.  It was all a bit weird!

Anyway, they’ve solved that and saved the day.  But now there’s more trouble at St Mary’s, so it’s time to sort things out!

I’ve really enjoyed these romps through time!

A Second Chance was published on 11th February 2014 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: Slan by A.E van Vogt

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟

Slan by A.E van Vogt was first published in 1940, and so is from the golden age of science fiction.

Jommy Cross is an orphaned mutant in a world of those prejudiced against mutants.  Jommy must survive and maybe see if he can find more like him.

I didn’t find this book to be great, but I am judging it with contemporary eyes, and I’ve read that it’s a very important book in science fiction.

Slan was published in September 1940, and is available from Amazon.

Recent Reads: The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟

The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong has Jes, who has escaped from the institute which experimented on him, and now he’s running as far and as fast as he can, and ends up at a circus.

This is a sci-fi book with aliens, set in space, and with lots of different powers described.

I didn’t find that I loved the book, or the characters, but I liked the premise, and LGBTIQA+ representation with found family.

The Circus Infinite was published on 8th March 2022 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Khan Wong on Twitter and his website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Angry Robot.

Recent Reads: A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Symphony of Echoes is the second book in the series, and Max went through a lot in the first book! 

There is more adventure in this book, starting with a visit to see Jack the Ripper, Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and the future!

It’s fast paced, entertaining and involves a lot of fun and squabbles!

I found the author’s writing to be really evocative of the time including smells, the different types of litter you have in the street in different times.

A Symphony of Echoes was published on 22nd October 2013, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my review of the first book in this series here.

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles Of St Mary’s book 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles Of St Mary’s book 1) is the first book in the series, and I’ve been really enjoying it!  It’s about a group of people who investigate major historical events in a contemporary time – just don’t call it time travel!

Madeline Maxwell joins St Mary’s, and the fun begins from there!

This jump from 11th century London, World War I, Cretaceous period and the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria!  You get to find out just how much chaos historians really do bring about!

I thought this was a really good start to a series, with lots of characters, historical settings that felt real, and a storyline I enjoyed!

Just One Damned Thing After Another was published on 1st June 2013 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: Executed by R.R. Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

Executed by R.R. Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 2) carries on the story of our time travelling heroes!  At the end of the first book, someone turned up to take charge, Miri.  And she’s here to make sure operations go well.

But there’s another group who are after the time travel machine, and they attacked at the end of the last book, which we see with a little more information in this book.

I enjoyed this science fiction adventure, with a base set in time of dinosaurs, and people saved moments from death to save the world.

Executed was published on 6th June 2017 and is available from Amazon and Waterstones.

You can follow RR Haywood on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

You can read my review for Extracted (book 1) here.

Recent Reads: Extracted by RR Haywood (Extracted Trilogy 1)

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Extracted by RR Haywood (Extracted 1) has three people being taken to save the world.

‘Mad’ Harry Madden is a World War Two legend, who has the reputation for doing impossible missions.

Ben Ryder is an insurance investigator, but when the time comes, he does what he has to do.

Safa Patel is an armed police officer, protecting the Prime Minister in Downing Street.  

This is a science fiction novel, and one that takes you on a ride! I enjoyed the surprises, and was interested in where the story took you.  I’m going to be reading more in the series, so you can look forward to those reviews as well!

Extracted was published on 1st March 2017, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow RR Haywood on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

Recent Reads: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

Wilder Girls by Rory Power is set in a girls boarding school in the middle of nowhere, and it’s been 18 months since they were sent into quarantine.  Many of the girls and teachers have died from the Tox, and there is a small amount of both left alive.  

This is a YA novel that is a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, with a bit of horror thrown in, with the government keeping the school under quarantine.  When one of the girls goes missing, Hetty goes hunting for her.

I enjoyed this book, and the story, and wanted to see how things were going to come out for them all.

Wilder Girls was published on 6th February 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Rory Power on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.