Movie #20 of 2026: Terminator Genisys (2015) [Note: this is an updated version of my review from 2016.] The fifth Terminator movie is a fun but deeply incoherent action spectacle, enjoyable only to the extent you can turn off the parts of your brain that obsess over plot holes or try to keep track of …
Tag Archives: science-fiction
Book Review: 84K by Claire North
Book #62 of 2026: 84K by Claire North This novel has an interesting dystopian setting, which reads sort of like Gattaca meets V for Vendetta meets some of the depressing ultra-capitalist futures from Black Mirror. The justice system has shifted all crimes to be punished with indemnity charges rather than jail time, meaning that even …
Book Review: Moonwar by Ben Bova
Book #60 of 2026: Moonwar by Ben Bova (Moonbase Saga #2) Author Ben Bova’s novel Moonrise was a somewhat scattered prelude about life in a near-future lunar settlement, but it built nicely to the situation that’s front and center for this sequel: the facility’s leaders declaring their independence from Earth, so as not to be …
Book Review: Doctor Who: Deceit by Peter Darvill-Evans
Book #59 of 2026: Doctor Who: Deceit by Peter Darvill-Evans (Virgin New Adventures #13) One of the better entries that I’ve read in this 90s spinoff series so far, and especially notable for a few fun developments on the side. First, this is the sole VNA novel written by editor Peter Darvill-Evans, and so offers …
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Movie Review: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Movie #18 of 2026: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) This third Terminator feature is a deeply cynical film. It would almost have to be, since series creator James Cameron famously considered the story to have finished with the exemplary Terminator 2: Judgement Day in 1991 — and so for the new rights holders …
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Movie Review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Movie #17 of 2026: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) It’s rare for a sequel to so thoroughly surpass its predecessor, especially when the original piece is already as terrific as The Terminator (1984). This movie makes it all look easy, however. It nimbly channels the sci-fi action thrills of the first film, while effortlessly expanding …
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Book Review: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover
Book #54 of 2026: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover Novelizations are often dismissed as weak cash-grabs, but in truth the format is — or at least, can be — an art form like any other. Some adaptations are practically invisible, conveying the action from the screen without embellishment, while others struggle …
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Movie Review: The Terminator (1984)
Movie #16 of 2026: The Terminator (1984) This action thriller launched a franchise and helped make household names out of star Arnold Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron, and even on an umpteenth rewatch, it’s very easy to see why. It’s a lean and propulsive feature, wrapping a great sci-fi exterior around a classic horror structure …
Book Review: The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
Book #51 of 2026: The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon [Disclaimer: I received a free Advance Reader’s Copy of this title from the publisher Atria Books in a Goodreads Giveaway, in exchange for an honest review.] There will be inevitable comparisons of this upcoming novel to The Brave Little Toaster, which author …
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Book Review: Moonrise by Ben Bova
Book #49 of 2026: Moonrise by Ben Bova (Moonbase Saga #1) I remember liking this mid-90s duology about the first lunar settlement within author Ben Bova’s larger Grand Tour sequence of space exploration stories, but mainly for the political element, which it turns out is mostly in the sequel Moonwar. Here that takes a backseat …
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