July 2024

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

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The novel “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler was published for the first time in 1993. It’s the first book of the Parables series, also known as the Earthseed series.

In July 2024, Lauren Olamina lives in an enclave surrounded by a wall that includes a small group of homes near Los Angeles. Her father, a Baptist minister, tries to keep the small community together but the inhabitants must defend themselves from external criminals. They are far from rich but the people who live around enclaves like that one are in much worse conditions.

Lauren Olamina’s life is made even more difficult by her hyperempathy which leads her to physically feel the pain of others. Her father expresses optimism for the future but Lauren wonders how long the enclave will last. She prepares for the worst and starts developing some ideas in a religion she calls Earthseed based on the idea that God is Change.

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At the Comic-Con held these days in San Diego, Disney and BBC announced the production of a new “Doctor Who” spinoff called “The War Between The Land And The Sea” with Russell T Davies as the showrunner. The announcement indicates that the show will be produced as a five-part series. The plot will see the return of the Sea Devils, a prehistoric species first seen in the Third Doctor serial “The Sea Devils” with an appearance in the new series in the Thirteenth Doctor’s era. In the new spinoff, the Sea Devils have evil intentions and it will be up to UNIT to face them in defense of humanity.

Fireball by Lee Gimenez

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The novel “Fireball” by Lee Gimenez was published for the first time in 2018. It’s part of the J.T. Ryan series.

The murder of three important people convinces the president of the USA of the existence of a conspiracy to throw the nation into chaos. For this reason, he calls a top-secret meeting to assign FBI Assistant Director Erin Welch and Alex Miller of the CIA to the investigation. J.T. Ryan is summoned also due to his military background and Miller announces that he will include agent Rachel West in the operations.

The investigation is even more complex than normal due to the need to keep it very confidential. J.T. Ryan cannot count on Lisa Booth’s assistance and must expose himself more than ever to the risks that come with his job. The political ramifications indicate that someone behind the conspiracy is capable of applying pressure at high levels through bribery or blackmail to target American institutions.

Proxima Dreaming by Brandon Q. Morris

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The novel “Proxima Dreaming” by Brandon Q. Morris was published for the first time in 2021. It’s the third book in the Proxima Trilogy and follows “Proxima Dying”. The English translation is by Frank Dietz.

Eve is alone in the alien structure and must try to survive. She’s losing hope, partly because she doesn’t know what really happened to Adam. The dangers for her are not over, also because she knows nothing about the creatures who seem to be in a state of stasis.

Gronar wakes up without knowing how much time has passed. The situation he finds makes him think that there’s a dangerous creature that must be dealt with. Things get more complicated but this could also open up new opportunities to fulfill his mission.

The Shining Man by Cavan Scott

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The novel “The Shining Man” by Cavan Scott was published for the first time in 2017.

The latest viral sensations on the Internet are what are called the Shining Men. These are alleged supernatural creatures who are tall, with long lank hair, blank faces, and above all, blazing eyes. According to what is said, whoever is taken by them is taken away and vanishes forever. In many cases, jokers were discovered disguised as Shining Men but some cases are inexplicable.

When the Twelfth Doctor and Bill Potts come across a strange story that includes the disappearance of a woman, the tales seem quite realistic. What are the Shining Men? The Doctor links them to sightings that have become part of folklore but this means they live in a world invisible to humans. Even the Doctor must use caution when venturing into that world.