Discordia – Disappointing Descrescendo

The Nova Vita Protocol series is one I’ve come to enjoy. Kristyn Merbeth’s debut, Fortuna, was a rollicking emotional rollercoaster. Memoria was a stronger follow-up that put the family’s issues on full display as the Kaisers try desperately to right the wrongs of their weapons dealing mother. The finale had some big shoes to fill…

Cibola Burn Re-Read Guide: Act 3 – Eye Of An Angry God

Hi all, and welcome to part 3 of The Quill to Live and Orbit reread of Cibola Burn - the 4th book of one of the best space operas to grace the page, The Expanse. We will break this reread into three parts to discuss the various acts of the book, its themes, and the statements…

Cibola Burn Re-Read Guide: Act 2 – Playing With Corpses

Hi all, and welcome to part 2 of The Quill to Live and Orbit reread of Cibola Burn - the 4th book of one of the best space operas to grace the page, The Expanse. We will break this reread into three parts to discuss the various acts of the book, its themes, and the statements…

Cibola Burn Re-Read Guide: Act 1 – Tragedy On New Terra

Hi all, and welcome to The Quill to Live and Orbit reread of Cibola Burn - the 4th book of one of the best space operas to grace the page, The Expanse. We will break this reread into three parts to discuss the various acts of the book, its themes, and the statements it makes. We…

The All-Consuming World – A Veritable Buffet of Good Times

Cassandra Khaw is a name that has lurked in the back of my mind for a long while now, even though I have never read  her other works. A review of one of her previous works exists on the site, and though I didn’t get to those stories (yet), those words ring true about her…

Shards Of Earth – Laying A Foundation

With The Expanse sadly ending this year, I have been on the lookout for new space operas to fill the void, and I have found a new contender. Site favorite Adrian Tchaikovsky has put out the first novel in a sweeping science-fiction epic titled Shards of Earth, and it is a wild ride. Tchaikovsky has…

A Desolation Called Peace — A Sequel Deemed Magnificent

A Memory Called Empire is easily one of my favorite debut novels of the last several years. Not a lot of other books captivated me with the levels of palace intrigue Arkady Martine was able to stuff inside it. Not only that, but the book massaged my big brained ego with its exploration of identity…

The Interdependency – Interdependent Habitats, Planetary Dependent

Alright, I am finally ready to tackle a "review" on The Interdependency trilogy by John Scalzi. As much as I’ve wanted to review these books on their own, I feel the best approach to talking about these novels is at a series level. When I tried writing about them individually, I wanted to focus on…

The Stars Are Legion – Brutal and Whimsical

I’ve been meaning to check out Kameron Hurley’s recent work for a long time. I read The Mirror Empire back in 2015 and was immediately impressed by her ability to be brutal about violence and use her settings and worlds to convey sharp critiques while keeping her books fun. As I began to read more…