Tag Archives: Mike Resnick

Breaking Someone Out of The Prison in Antares

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Prison in AntaresThe Prison in Antares
Mike Resnick
Pyr Books
Paper, 287 p., $18.00/$19.00 CAN
ebook $11.99

I’d like to thank the good folks at Pyr Books for sending me the review copy of The Prison in Antares.  I think I enjoyed it more than its predecessor The Fortress in Orion.

The Dead Enders have barely recovered from their previous case when they’re called on to infiltrate a prison in the Transeki Coalition.  The Coalition has captured Edgar Nmumba.  Nmumba is the only person who knows how to counter the Q bomb, a devasting weapon that the Coalition has been using to wipe out entire planets.

The prison is two miles below the surface of a planet behind enemy lines.  Initially that’s all they know.  They’ve got to locate the planet, then the prison, figure out a way to get in, and either get Nmumba out or kill him if they can’t.  And they’ve got to do it before Nmumba breaks under interrogation. Continue reading →

Conspiracy Theories and Moon Landings

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The Cassandra ProjectThe Cassandra Project
Jack McDevitt & Mike Resnick
Ace Books, mmp, 343 p., $7.99
ebook $7.99  Kindle Nook

I’ve been a big fan of both of these authors for years, so it was with high expectations that I approached The Cassandra Project. Now the thing to keep in mind is that collaborations rarely read like the work of either author involved. In the best cases, the result is something that surpasses what either author could produce on their own. A prime example of this would be the works of Niven and Pournelle or Pohl and Kornbluth. On the other hand, when the collaboration doesn’t work, the results can be downright awful.

Fortunately, the work under consideration here is much more of the former than the latter, even if it doesn’t quite rise to the level of Niven/Pournelle or Phol/Kornbluth. I’ll say more about that shortly. First, here’s the setup. Continue reading →

Visit The Fortress in Orion

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Fortress in OrionThe Fortress in Orion
Dead Enders Book I
Mike Resnick
Pyr Books
Trade Paper $18.00, 300 p.
Ebook $11.99 Kindle Nook
Audiobook $19.95
audio clip (15 min.)

Mike Resnick is one of the most prolific and honored people in the science fiction and fantasy field.  It’s easy to understand why.  The man’s work is innovative, engaging, and one heck of a good story.

Probably his most significant body of work is the Birthright Universe, which first saw light in the 1970s in Birthright:  The Book of Man.  This was an outline of roughly 18,000 years, culminating in mankind’s extinction.  That’s a lot of room to play in.  Not surprisingly, most of Resnick’s novels and many of his short stories are set in this universe.

The Birthright Universe is divided into five periods, based on the political structure of the time:  Republic, Democracy, Oligarchy, Monarchy, and Anarchy.  The Fortress in Orion is set during the Democracy.  It’s the start of what promises to be a solid series.

Colonel Nathan Pretorious is the kind of special forces operative you turn to when it’s already too late.  He’s tasked with putting together a team to try and infiltrate the Traanskei Coalition, specifically a particular fortress in Orion.  Once there, he and his team are to replace the leader, General Michkag, with a clone.  If they can get out, they bring the original with them.  If not, they kill the original Michkag and leave the clone in his place.  The clone has been thoroughly trained to take over and will end the war within a year. Continue reading →

The Solaris Book of New SF Rises Again

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solaris_rising_the_new_solaris_book_of_science-fiction_250x384Solaris Rising
Ian Whates, ed.
Solaris Books
mass market paperback $7.99
ebook $6.99 Kindle Nook

A number of years ago, Solaris Books started an original anthology series entitled The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction. The series was edited by George Mann and ran to three volumes. I loved all three. They each contained solid science fiction in a number of subgenres. One of the best things about them was that, since Solaris is a British company, they contained stories by a number of writers who aren’t as well known on this side of the pond. This allowed me to discover some new favorites.

I’m not sure why the original series was discontinued, but I was sad to see it go. Fortunately, it’s back. And it’s been back a while. Solaris Rising was published two years ago. I usually don’t read anthologies in a short period of time, tending to dip into them between novels or when I have a spare minute. (That’s something I’m trying to change.) Solaris has become the Go-To publisher for top-notch anthologies, themed or unthemed. There are several sitting on the shelf I’m going to try to read over the next couple of months, including Solaris Rising 2, Edge of Infinity, and Fearsome Journeys (this one’s fantasy). Continue reading →