REVIEW: Cold Attraction by Zoe Ashwood

Cold Attraction by Zoe Ashwood is a science fiction romance novel. If you want some lighthearted but hot romance with an intriguing political plot in the background, this might just be the book for you. It’s a very easy read.

Dr. Adriana Ribeiro is an extraterrestrial anthropologist and part of the first group of humans to visit the icy planet Rendu to study the Rendians and their society. The most interesting Rendian being Taron ad Naals, captain of the ship that is taking them to Rendu. She is instantly attracted to him. But he is acting cold, after the one hot encounter they had.

When captain Taron ad Naals gets back to his home planet with a bunch of humans, it is clear the political situation has changed. The king is dead, and the current queen, Taron’s cousin Zeema, is under the control of a power-hungry regent. Tasked with protecting the human delegation and keeping them from finding out what has happened, he is forced to work closely with Adriana.

The aliens are pretty close to human, with only superficial differences, so it didn’t quite have the feel of encountering really alien cultures that I love so much. I would have liked a little more in depth info on the aliens. The romance was fast paced and a bit love at first sight, it is never really clear why they love each other, but it worked.

I liked that the main character was a female scientist, and that other female scientists were represented in the story. The human characters are from different countries, which was nice, but there was not a lot of backstory to them. Even with the main characters I didn’t feel like I got to know them while reading the book, so I didn’t really feel invested.

This is a fun, quick, science fiction romance.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

23 oktober 2019 0

REVIEW: Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe by Andrew May

Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe by Andrew May* is a popular science book about the fascinating topic of astrobiology. I’m a bit particular about my non-fiction, but I love books about science, space, or history. Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe covers two of those, science and space, so I just had to read it. As a lover of science fiction set in space, I am always happy to learn more about actual science so I can get a grasp of what is possible and what is not.

The books starts off explaining how we might go about discovering life on other planets. There are two possible types of life signs: biosignatures and technosignatures. The first would be a sign of primitive life, the second a sign of advanced intelligence. SETI mostly focuses on trying to detect technosignatures, while ways of detecting biosignatures on exoplanets are being worked on by astronomers, and searching for life on other planets within our solar system is the realm of space agencies like ESA and NASA.

There is some speculation about possible kinds of aliens, some more alien to us than others, and the environments that might be conductive to their survival. The Drake equation, which makes an educated guess of how many alien civilisations might be sending out radio signals, is also covered. It’s stuff like this that I find particularly exciting!

The writing in this book is very comprehensive, despite covering a complicated branch of science it is very easy to understand everything. It is fascinating to read what scientists are working on, and understanding some of the how and why. There is a helpful list of further reading in the back, which is a starting point to discovering more on the subjects covered in the book.

Astrobiology: The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe is part of the Hot Science series, which I am a fan of. The other books in this series are equally well written and comprehensible, though of course some of the subjects interest me more than others. And I loved this one so much!

Q’s Book Reviews rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*I don’t know why the Goodreads page of this book lists its author as Rhodi Evans. The author name on/in my copy is Andrew May and there is no mention of Rhodi Evans.

12 september 2019 0

REVIEW: To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a science fiction novella that I’m sure will become a classic. Becky Chambers is one of the most promising science fiction authors out there in recent years and I’m always looking forward to whatever she comes up with next. This time she did not disappoint.

Ariadne and three other crew members are on a mission to explore several exoplanets. Helped by genetic supplements to adjust their bodies to living in the different environments, they study the local weather, geology, and life forms. But because they are so far away, and travelling between planets takes so much time, they feel a disconnect from Earth. This entire novella takes the shape of a long message sent back to Earth to tell humanity of the mission and their findings.

This was so good! It’s a slow slice-of-life kind of story, full of science and wonder. I loved the idea of changing the human body to fit better into alien surroundings, adjusting to different gravity etc. The idea of these space missions being crowdfunded was great too. The characters felt very real, they were diverse and likeable. The world building of the exoplanets was imaginative and yet very believable. Great writing. This novella was just perfect in my opinion. Realistic and yet full of hope for our future.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate has to be a new favourite of mine, and certainly one I will pick up and read again. I can recommend it to any science fiction lover.

Q’s Book Reviews rating: 5 out of 5 stars

16 augustus 2019 0

REVIEW: The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51 by Marcha A. Fox

The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51 is a science fiction story that fits the Strangers in Strange Lands trope. In this case an alien botanical life form (you don’t see many of those in science fiction, sadly) finds its way to Earth and is subjected to experiments by NASA.

A very original story. Thyron is a plant based alien life form. After his ship crashes on Earth he is imprisoned at Area 51 and studied by astrobiologist Gabe Greenley. Eventually they become friends, and Gabe is tempted to keep Thyron’s intelligence a secret in order to protect him. But when the base commander finds out anyway, they have to hatch a cunning plan to escape.

I absolutely loved Thyron! I loved his discoveries of planet Earth and humanity’s various oddities, and his own alien perspective. And Gabe just seemed like an all-round great guy. Such a fun science fiction read, I really recommend it.

Q’s Book Reviews rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I received this book for free through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.

7 augustus 2019 0