Made in DNA
This is my first novel by Mr. Hooke, and quite frankly, I cannot fathom how how he could be a “bestselling” author of anything if this drivel is an average example of his work.
Rife with juvenile references to sexual conquest and stereotypical character descriptions boarding on racism (if not over the line), I was stunned to find this book was published this year and not a couple of decades ago where it might have been explained away as a novel that has just not “aged well”.
Steer clear of this stinker!
Author of over 120 novels, Ken Asamatsu's latest English release by Kurodahan Press is no exception. A collection of 7 stories written for separate publications between and , Kthulhu Reich weaves a rich fictional tapestry of fact, real figures, and history, all centered on Hitler's fascination with the occult. From tanks fighting invulnerable eldritch horrors, to Jack the Ripper hunting for the perfect woman to be the vessel of a prophesied leader (this had a surprising twist as to how it fit into the tapestry and really shines a light on how well-versed the author is in not only history, but the occult), to colossal undersea monsters chasing U-boats. There's something for everyone, even if you're not a horror fan, but most certainly if you are! Jim Rion's translation is flawless, his localization of Asamatsu's work is dead on (pardon the intentional pun) with not a single clumsy line in the whole volume.
Weird, wild, pushes those boundaries of speculative fiction that I like. Biopunk themes.
Interesting but drags a bit, especially concerning gambling and playing cards, which I have zero interest in and very little concept of.
After the discovery of a large starship in the orbit of Mars decades ago, NASA is finally sending a team to explore it. What awaits the them is the beginning of a classic space opera adventure with aliens, nanotech, humanity's origins and much more.
Ms Wells' worldcraft skills are nothing short of excellent. She weaves both world and characters together in a gripping storyline. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
I had no idea what to expect when I purchased this book, but I have read BR's work before and never been disappointed. What I got was an utterly engrossing novel of unimaginable cosmic horror. This is not a novel for the squeamish, it deals with everything from abortions to body horror (skin sloughing off, bodies covered in excrement-like substances, etc.). But it not shock horror, nor is it done to titillate. Ms. Rocksteady has carefully crafted a thought-provoking novel.
Excellent, thought-provoking work. Set in an alternate universe where Earth is a kind of dumping ground for alien objects that do the fantastic to the horrific.
LOVED IT! Old skool 90s cyberpunk vibe but none of the “era” trappings. Slick writing made it a fast, enjoyable read that was difficult to put down and easy to get into. Relatable characters. It was nice NOT to be annoyed by the cliched and often overbearing cookie cutter characters of SO MANY cyberpunk novels. Great buildup made for a tense read wherein I was worried for the protagonist, his associates and family as well as genuinely left stunned at the end. Excellent editing by the good people at Fahrenheit means I'll be going back to this indie publisher for future work from both Mr. Gomez and other authors. WANT MORE!
If you've seen the Love, Death + Robots video anthology on Netflix, then you are in for no surprises here. What you are in for is the great stories from which the show was born. Those episodes which were written specifically for the show have been left in script form. While this is a bit expected, it would have been nice to see them in prose form (but no points off).
The cardinal sin this short story anthology made was in terms of editing. Mismatching fonts and sizes make for a difficult read at points. Cohesion Press needs to go back and revamp this ebook by nuking both those and settling on one Amazon prefers. Until then, 3 stars.
British immigrant living in the Kansai area, the author even surprised a long-term immigrant to Japan with the sheer amount of facts and spots (from the familiar to the not so) packed into this tome. Use it to guide yourself through the Kyoto you never knew you could explore... until now.
Interesting concepts, well-written, enjoyed the battle scenes and the world-building. HOWEVER, author is not familiar enough with Japanese culture/language enough that character decisions and the reasons behind them were very steeped in Orientalism. This is a sticky point that MOST READERS WILL NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE worried about being familiar with. But over 30 years of Japanese language/culture (I have a degree, live and work in Japan as a translator/interpreter), so it sticks with me. I don't blame the author for not knowing, as I think he must have done a great deal of research, but it DOES affect my reading. There were some scenes that made me roll my eyes. So excellent effort, I think this is a book MOST scifi/samurai fiction reader WILL LOVE. It just wasn't for me.
From Goodreads: “Nunchuck City reads like a classic beat-em-up arcade game, '80s ninja flick, and classic Simpsons episode rolled into one.”
Without a doubt, Nunchuck City is an action-packed, ripping novella of love, death, ninja, and drive-thru fondue. Nick, the protagonist, is a trained-in-Japan (former) ninja trying to make a go of owning his own drive-thru fondue restaurant in Turbo City when the mayor is kidnapped. Not Nick's problem? Well, unfortunately, unless the mayor signs his license, Nick can't open his restaurant. Teaming up with his former lady love, Nick sets out to kick some ninja booty.
This novella is wall-to-wall action, comedy, and bad puns at set to an 80s game console gaming beat – though admittedly, many of the jokes come in the form of bad Japanese language puns. You may not understand Japanese now, but you're about to get a crash-through-the-window course as Nick and his crew of would-be fondue-loving ninja keep the local mortuaries in business!
Loved the themes and world-building, the characters were well-written, but I wanted more action and I wanted more of a story behind the fox-spirit character. This is NOT the mecha action book I hoped it was, but it was still excellent. Recommended.
Straight out of the gate, Matthew Gomez's short story anthology is a fast-paced, gritty read for scifi and fantasy readers alike, as well as a great mix of multigenre stories. Most of the stories are a perfect 15 minutes in length, which means you can pick it up and put it down with ease and not have to worry about losing the thread of the story. Some of the more entertaining and inventive stories utilize the antagonist POV.
A sequel to Tim Arnzen's She Follows the Moon, Titans of Mars explores the beginnings of the human race on Mars, expanding upon the premise with mythological horror genre entities. Just as fast-paced, action-packed, and satisfying as the first novel!
Sad story. Really pulls at the heartstrings on a level. Enjoyed it. A bit of slipping between alternate dimensions going on (like in 1Q84).
I haven't had so much fun with a novella in a long time – big robots, FIGHTING robots, junk planet, transhuman characters, and surprisingly enough, the romance was just at the right level. Excellent worldbuilding and character development made for a relatively quick read. I would love more work in this universe. First time Django Wexler purchase and I am NOT disappointed.
Intelligence, fast-paced science fiction fantasy. Probably a bit on the urban fantasy side, but not too far. Originally read the paperback in 2007. Still remember how good this was (now 2023). Will be picking up the ebook version of the complete series. Cannot go wrong.