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Book review: Foundation

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Book Review

Foundation, Book 1 of The Foundation Trilogy

By: Isaac Asimov

Science Fiction
5 Stars

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. Only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save humanity, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls this sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. And mankind’s last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and live as slaves—or take a stand for freedom and risk total destruction.

As a lover of classic sci fi it seems inconceivable that this is my first read of Foundation, by: Isaac Asimov. It’s been on my list to read for decades, and there was always some nuance that got in the way of my finally reading it. Finally is here, and I’m so glad I got to it.

Waiting so long to read a book, especially a book that might fall to dating, had me a little nervous. Had style-of-writing changed so much over the years that I wouldn’t be able to appreciate a slower-paced story-telling? Had my love of quicker, more action reads ruined me for someone like Asimov?

Not to worry. I was instantly at home, pulled through page after page. This book is an award winner for real reasons. Sure, it’s a little male character heavy. Sure, there’s a few things technologically that might change if written today, but the story remains solid and relevant.

Lovers of science fiction, and more especially, those who love looking into human society and planning, might want to take a look at The Foundation Series. I’m looking forward to diving into the next book of the series.

Book Review: UnChipped: Kaarina

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Book Review

Kaarina; Unchipped Series #1

By: Taya Devere

Science Fiction, Dystopian

4 Stars

A civilization reliant on AR. Unchipped refugees forced outside its walls. Can a lone underdog save humanity from itself?
In the two years since the Great Affliction, the Happiness-Program has transformed a civilization on the brink of extinction into an organized, beautiful, and happy society. However, for the Unchipped–those whose chips can’t connect to the system–living a comfortable life remains out of reach.
Kaarina, one of the Unchipped, would give anything to live inside the walls of the city again. Haunted by her mother’s suicide and alone except for Bill, another Unchipped thousands of miles away whose thoughts are inexplicably linked to hers, Kaarina fights for survival, defending her beloved animals from the other savage Unchipped. But when her horse’s illness drives her into the city to find medicine, she becomes acquainted with a Chipped man who makes her question everything.
Now a new fix to the system promises her the chance to finally be normal… just as she begins to learn life in the perfectly augmented reality may not be all that she imagined.

This book reminded me of the classic Science Fiction that was one of my first great loves. I, Robot, Brave New World, Childhood’s End, and 1984 were a few that came to mind. Books that told fantastic stories with great societal questions. Books that used a straight-forward writing style, and characters almost naive in their interaction with their world.

Ms. Devere captures this well, telling a story less far-fetched than these other classics might have seemed in their time. While reading, I was also reminded of The Giver. The tight setting was different through the eyes of the main character than through the rest of the inhabitants, and the questions of what that differing sense meant for the greater population. A bit of a slow start fades away with the adjustment to writing style, especially when Kaarina’s plight becomes more severe than first explained.

I look forward to reading the rest in this serially published universe.

Happy Reading 🙂

Book Review: Ash Princess, Ash Princess Trilogy #1

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Book Review

Ash Princess, Book 1 of the Ash Princess Trilogy

By: Laura Sebastian

4 Stars

Fantasy, YA

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

You probably won’t care to read this if you hate cliches and classic stories retold with varying names and places. But if a classic story with classic characters is something you love, as I do, then this is a book to curl up with over a long weekend.

A princess enslaved by the people who conquered her land, fighting to save her crown and her people. What’s not to love about that? Especially when Laura Sebastian delivers with a rich world and a multitude of lovable characters. Every decision Theo was forced to make ripped at my heart. Such a perfect blend of wants versus needs, self-indulgence versus self-sacrifice, the things one must sacrifice to put an entire people’s needs over one’s needs, and the things we have to tell ourselves to do so.

While the bulk of the story reminded me of Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, The Ash Princess is not set in a fairyland. Already getting into book 2, I find a rich, eclectic world surrounding Theo’s land. I can’t wait to read more. I can’t wait to see if the Ash Princess can discover her true strength, reclaim her land, and find her happily ever after.

Happy Reading 🙂

Book Review: Axiom’s End, Noumena #1

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Book Review

Axiom’s End, Noumena #1

By: Lindsay Ellis

3.5 Stars

Science Fiction, Conspiracy, Aliens, Alternate History

The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom’s End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis.

Truth is a human right.

It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.

Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.

I don’t read much political conspiracy, or alternate history, or alien contact stories. Axiom’s End, by Lindsay Ellis, was fun. I think I liked it because of the alternate history angle. Chapters are prefaced with news and blog articles about government secrecy and how “truth is a human right,” using fictitious events blended with actual history (if I recall correctly, I believe the book takes place circa 2007). When Cora gets caught in the middle of one conspiracy, the story carries into a deeper encounter than I expected based of the blurb.

While the overall story kept me reading, I was often annoyed/frustrated enough with the main character to wonder if it was worth finishing. My thought that she was the archetype of “average” kept me in it. Whenever I rolled my eyes or exclaimed some frustration over a decision or action, I remembered this point.

The caricature of one of the government agents is also enough to make an eye roll, but again, it’s not enough to be a deal breaker. I get why people hate this book, and I get why people love it. I fell more in the middle.

I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂

Happy Readng 🙂