Review

Buckyball by Fabien Roy

The novel “Buckyball” by Fabien Roy was published for the first time in 2010. It was released in a second edition in 2016.

James Pesola and some friends go to spend a night of highs at Miamillennium, a nightclub in Miami. A drug dealer gives them the tablets of a new drug called Buckyball and initially they seem to experience the effect of a prolonged deja-vu but quickly the people who took some realize that something strange is happening.

The effect of the drug is not hallucinatory but takes those who ingested it back in time to that night at Miamillennium. James and the others, who remember everything that happened, have to understand what triggers that return but also other rules because after several “turns” they understand that the situation is really complex.

Initially, “Buckyball” may seem like a classic time loop tale made famous by the movie “Groundhog Day” and adapted into many science fiction TV shows. It’s an impression that lasts little because the reader soon realizes that the protagonist, who tells the story in first person, goes back to the starting point in different circumstances so each “turn” can have a very different duration.

City by Clifford D. Simak (Italian edition)

The novel “City” by Clifford D. Simak was published for the first time in 1952. It won the International Fantasy Award.

At the beginning of the 21st century technology has made leaps forward in building extraordinarily efficient and fast vehicles. The consequence is that human beings have started abandoning cities because they can go and live in the countryside and move very quickly to go to work anywhere.

The progressive death of cities is just one of many great changes that occur in future human society. Space exploration leads to contacts with aliens, which in various ways affect humans. Over the centuries, on Earth the Webster family, the protagonist of many changes, also contributes to the evolution of dogs.

The Cabalist by Amanda Prantera (Italian edition)

The novel “The Cabalist” by Amanda Prantera was published for the first time in 1985.

Joseph Kestler is a magician and Cabalist who conducts his research in the field of the occult in Venice very seriously even if the diagnosis of a terminal illness threatens to interrupt it. For years, his goal has been to show the validity of the magic system he was trying to apply in front of a group of scientists to prove that magic really exists but the prospect of death changes things.

Joseph Kestler has decided to leave some kind of testament in which he reveals his discoveries. His research has been difficult not only because of the very complex subject with many hidden secrets but also because he realized that there are forces that hinder him. Is it possible that a kid who lives next to him is actually the Catcher?

The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks

The novel “The Hydrogen Sonata” by Iain M. Banks was published for the first time in 2012. It’s part of the Culture series.

The Gzilt civilization contributed to the formation of the Culture but in the end it didn’t join. After 10,000 years, the Gzilt are going to move to a different plane of existence called the Sublime and that’s supposed to be an occasion to celebrate. However, other civilizations have sent spacecraft to take possession of what Gzilt are abandoning creating tension and the Zihdren-Remnant, what remains of an ancient civilization that influenced the Gzilt, sent a mysterious message.

Vyr Cossont is a musician who, on the eve of the transition to the Sublime, is reinstated in the Gzilt army. Why are the Gzilt authorities interested in her past encounter with a member of the Culture? What is the meaning of the mysterious acts of war involving the Gzilt? Various Minds of the Culture officially want to celebrate the Gzilt passage to the Sublime but actually are investigating these strange events.

The novel “Sting of the Zygons” by Stephen Cole was published for the first time in 2007.

The Tenth Doctor takes Martha Jones in the English Lake District region in 1909. There they discover that people are hunting the “Beast of Westmorland” that has even attracted the interest of King Edward VII, whose arrival is expected in the area. The Beast was sighted but the Doctor realizes that it’s a Skarasen and its presence means that in the area there are Zygons as well.

The Doctor knows the grave danger linked to the Zygons, who can take the shape of the humans they take prisoner. He needs to find out as soon as possible the aliens’ plans but who can he trust when anybody could be one of them?