Despite the well-worn phrase “never judge a book by its cover,” I think we all fall into that habit. Such was the case with L. M. Sagas’ debut, Cascade Failure. The title serenaded me like a siren, and the cover produced feelings of coziness while creating deep stress. This conflict depressed my initial zeal for…
Continue reading ➞ Cascade Failure – Wins Well, But Could Use A Little More Losing
Let's take another break from the deluge of generation ships and instead focus on another type of ship, the ark. Didn’t see that one coming did you? Or maybe you’re here to hold me to task on the books I promised to read in our Black Author Appreciation post from earlier this year. Either way,…
Continue reading ➞ Lost Ark Dreaming – An Enthralling Vision
Mickey7 is a book I chose to skip on its release particularly because of its popularity and hype. It had an interesting premise, but there were a few red flags that hinted to me that I would personally not like it. However, I ended up picking this one up because Bong Joon-Ho is set to…
Premee Mohamed’s Beneath The Rising trilogy cemented her in my mind as an author to watch. She had a unique perspective on the Cthulhu mythos, dismantling it and rebuilding it with a fervent glee that paid homage while making her own compelling story out of it. Her focus on character and the strife between her…
Continue reading ➞ The Siege of Burning Grass – Smells Better Than Napalm, Though It’s Just As Bleak
I’ve been thinking a lot about Alastair Reynolds lately. Specifically about his Revelation Space universe and all of its thematic elements. And while I eventually want to dig into his space of gothic and cosmic horror, I decided I would pick up another of his books that didn’t seem to carry as much controversy within…
Continue reading ➞ House Of Suns – It Rises, But Not In New Orleans
I am trying not to make this the year of generation ships, so let’s settle for the quarter of this wonderful sub-genre. This is just what happens when Alex gets to read what Alex wants. I want to highlight this particular book because Adam Oyebanji’s debut hits on so much of what I crave in…
Ah February 29th, the absolute possible last day to do a post about Black History Month, thanks to the leap year. Considering this has never been done before on the Quill To Live, we’re really pulling out all the stops. But really, reading these authors shouldn’t be relegated to a single month every year. So…
Folks, serendipity has shined its beautiful face upon me. I rarely read several books so closely together that tackle themes that resonate strongly with me, while each successive work expands on them in different ways. If you don’t follow my work in particular, I urge you to take a look at The Dark Beyond The…
Continue reading ➞ Venomous Lumpsucker – A Sobering Draught of Dystopic Essence
Marina Lostetter has been on my watch list since Noumenon. She has genuinely interesting ideas within the science fiction space and approaches the darkness of the void with a strong sense of humanity. When Activation Degradation was first released, I wanted to step back into the emptiness with her, but I found myself turned off…
Continue reading ➞ Activation Degradation – An Engaging Enhancement
A couple years ago, Cole gifted me Adam Roberts' The Thing Itself. I enjoyed the book greatly, and it lives in a special place within my heart, but I also felt inadequate to the task of reviewing it. It is a dense 350 page book that mixes philosophy with cyberpunk movie action, asking: what is…
