Book #16 of 2026: Privateers by Ben Bova This 1985 sci-fi novel is the debut volume that author Ben Bova wrote in what became his Grand Tour sequence, although it would subsequently be rendered non-canonical by real-life events influencing how the later books developed. The story here is set in the mid-twenty-first century, in which …
Tag Archives: three stars
Book Review: Slow Gods by Claire North
Book #14 of 2026: Slow Gods by Claire North Here’s a space opera full of imaginative worldbuilding detail that still manages to feel empty without compelling characters to populate the setting. Both the narrator’s tone and the general plot remind me of the Animorphs spinoff The Ellimist Chronicles, in which an alien being survives the …
Book Review: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor
Book #13 of 2026: The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025 edited by Nnedi Okorafor I got my hopes up during the introduction to this collection, in which series editor John Joseph Adams explains the selection methodology: he himself read several thousand short stories of genre fiction published throughout a single calendar year, aiming …
Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Movie #4 of 2026: The Matrix Resurrections (2021) Legacy sequels are all the rage lately, with Keanu Reeves even appearing in an unnecessary Bill & Ted venture the year before reprising his more famous role of Neo for this fourth Matrix film. The business reasons behind the trend are obvious, as studios seek to capitalize …
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Book Review: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Book #11 of 2026: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt The critical consensus on author Donna Tartt’s second novel seems to be that it’s immersively drawn but plodding in plot, which I feel is basically accurate and yet rather beside the point. Which is to say, the story definitely shines best as a slice-of-life family …
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Movie Review: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Movie #3 of 2026: The Matrix Revolutions (2003) A disappointing but acceptable conclusion to the original Matrix trilogy. This third feature is nowhere near as imaginative as its predecessors with their mindbending fight scenes and special effects, rushing through the comparable moments somewhat perfunctorily and spending far too long on the defense of Zion. For …
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TV Review: Classic Doctor Who, season 23
TV #3 of 2026: Classic Doctor Who, season 23 If you’re a modern viewer catching up on old Doctor Who, you might not notice anything immediately amiss when finishing season 22 and starting this next one. There’s an introductory framing device that’s new, involving the Time Lords putting the Sixth Doctor on trial for his …
Book Review: Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green
Book #10 of 2026: Tales from the Nightside by Simon R. Green Three years after the main Nightside series concluded, author Simon R. Green released this anthology of shorter stories set in the same supernatural corner of London. All but the concluding novella The Big Game had been previously published elsewhere, while four of the …
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Book Review: A Libertarian Walks into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears) by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling
Book #7 of 2026: A Libertarian Walks into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (and Some Bears) by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling A darkly-ironic case, not always written about very well in this particular book. The town in question is Grafton, NH (population 1,385 in the latest census), which we’re told was already …
Book Review: The Rise of Neptune by Scott Reintgen
Book #6 of 2026: The Rise of Neptune by Scott Reintgen (The Dragonships #2) The first volume in this middle-grade sci-fi series about dragons in outer space didn’t blow me away, but it was promising enough that I decided to check out this sequel to see how the cliffhanger resolved. And I guess I’m reasonably …
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