November 2021

Starplex by Robert J. Sawyer

0

The novel “Starplex” by Robert J. Sawyer was published for the first time in 1996.

The starship Starplex and its crew that includes members of four different species aims to explore the space reached thanks to artificial wormholes of which the creators are unknown. Each new wormhole discovered leads to a different area of ​​space that can offer surprises. The discovery of a green star with a composition possible only after a time much longer than the age of the universe is definitely unexpected.

The discovery of the mysterious green star is only the first unexpected event for the crew of the Starplex. Keith Lansing, the human commander of the expedition, suddenly has to run a mission with far more serious problems than the relationships between crew members. The situation starts getting dangerous and the stakes quickly rise.

A silhouette of Australopithecus sediba showing the available bones with the vertebrae and their 3D reconstruction

0

An article published in the journal “eLife” reports a study of Australopithecus sediba’s spine. A team of researchers created 3D reproductions of fossil vertebrae discovered in 2015 during excavations at the Malapa site, where the first bones attributed to this hominin species were discovered. This allowed obtaining an almost complete lower spine of the specimen cataloged as MH2 whose characteristics confirm the conclusions of previous studies that indicated that these australopithecines used their arms to climb trees like apes but used their legs in bipedal walking like the later species of the genus Homo.

Light of Impossible Stars by Gareth L. Powell

0

The novel “Light of Impossible Stars” by Gareth L. Powell was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the third book in the Embers of War series and follows “Fleet of Knives”.

The starship Trouble Dog is on the run from the Fleet of Knives, like any other starship whose crew doesn’t intend to abide by the strict rules that were set for humanity. The only hope seems to be in the Intrusion, where reality is very different from that of the normal universe.

Cordelia Pa and her half-brother Michael salvage alien artifacts, as they can make some good money out of them. When they get in trouble, they get rescued by people who tell Cordelia they want to take her to her father. Michael doesn’t have the courage to leave everything and go with her and Cordelia finds herself living a life completely different from the one she knew, not least because she starts manifesting strange connections with the alien artifacts.

The Dreamer's Lament by Benjamin Burford-Jones

0

The novel “The Dreamer’s Lament” by Benjamin Burford-Jones was published for the first time in 2017.

For Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, receiving a phone call offers a chance to interrupt a conversation with his mother about his private life. The fact that reporter Harold Chorley is calling doesn’t make him feel much better, but a missing train might be the kind of case he should investigate. When the two men go to investigate the situation near the village of Keynsham, they end up back in the past, in 1815.

When their commander fails to return to duty at the beginning of the week, Lethbridge-Stewart’s men try to piece together his whereabouts. Anne Travers also gets involved in trying to understand the strange phenomena found in the so-called Keynsham Triangle, where people have been disappearing for a long time. The scientist’s task is made more difficult by the problems related to her family.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

0

The novel “Ninefox Gambit” by Yoon Ha Lee was published for the first time in 2016. It’s the first book in The Machineries of Empire series.

Captain Kel Cheris won a battle against the heretics but is disgraced because she used an unorthodox strategy. In the Hexarchate, everything follows precise rules and their violation can even be considered a betrayal and punished with the inclusion among the condemned during the rituals of torture to death.

Kel Command offers Cheris a chance for redemption by demonstrating her allegiance to the Hexarchate. Cheris’s proposal is to retake the Fortress of Scattered Needles, a space fortress that was conquered by the heretics, using the advice of Shuos Jedao, a general who lived centuries before who never lost a battle. Jedao is considered a traitor whose conscience is kept available, and for Cheris working with him is a very risky task.