2025

Perihelion Summer by Greg Egan

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The novel “Perihelion Summer” by Greg Egan was published for the first time in 2019.

Matt Fleming and some of his friends have set up the Mandjet, a mobile aquaculture rig that is self-sufficient. They did it to be prepared for the worst-case scenario when Taraxippus, a black hole that is about to pass through the solar system, comes near the Earth.

Despite the risks of catastrophe on Earth following the passage of Taraxippus, Matt and his friends receive mostly indifferent reactions if not ridicule for the construction of the Mandjet. In the end, the black hole turns out to be a pair whose passage alters the Earth’s orbit in a subtle way but enough to alter the seasons. The possibility of sailing with the Mandjet to Antarctica when Australia is hot to the limit of livability makes it very useful.

The skull cataloged as Kabwe 1 attributed to a Homo heidelbergensis

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An article published in the journal “Nature Genetics” reports the results of a sophisticated genetic research that concludes that the species Homo sapiens is the result of the crossbreeding between two populations belonging to different species of hominins. Trevor Cousins, Aylwyn Scally, and Richard Durbin of the British University of Cambridge developed a genetic analysis software called cobraa to create models of ancient human populations splitting apart and merging back. The application of cobraa to the genetic data obtained from modern humans from all over the world indicates a split between two populations dating back to about 1.5 million years ago to a crossbreeding between their descendants about 300,000 years ago. The two species could be Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis but for now, these are hypotheses.

Total Eclipse by John Brunner

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The novel “Total Eclipse” by John Brunner was published for the first time in 1974.

In 2020, in the Sigma Draconis system, the remains of an ancient civilization are discovered that had built a colossal telescope in a crater on the third planet’s moon. There’s only one interstellar spaceship and traveling from Earth is extremely expensive, but a scientific expedition starts studying the remains and the mystery of the disappearance of the native civilization.

In 2028, Ian Macauley arrives on the planet Sigma Draconis III to become part of the scientific expedition, which hasn’t yet found the reason for the extinction of the natives. However, the priority for the scientists becomes to bring General José Maria Ordoňez-Vico on their side, as he was sent to verify that the remains weren’t created by humans and if there’s something among them that can be used as a weapon.

Saint Death by Mark Dawson

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The novel “Saint Death” by Mark Dawson was published for the first time in 2014. It’s the second book in the John Milton series and follows “The Cleaner”.

John Milton has spent months moving around South America without staying in one place for long as he tries to avoid being found by his former boss. When he arrives in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, he gets a job as a cook in a restaurant, but his search for quiet doesn’t last long.

Lieutenant Jesus Plato is one of the few honest cops in Ciudad Juárez, but there’s little he can do about the drug cartel that controls the city. Criminal activities include kidnapping girls for sex, and two bloggers are looking for a survivor to go public with the story. They end up in the crosshairs of the cartel and its most ruthless assassin, known as the Saint Death.

Rocannon's World by Ursula Le Guin

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The novel “Rocannon’s World” by Ursula Le Guin was published for the first time in 1966.

The ethnologist Gaverel Rocannon has returned to the planet Fomalhaut II after many years due to the long time required by interstellar travel. His goal is to continue his studies of the natives together with his colleagues. However, a rebel faction attacks the group and Rocannon is the only survivor.

Rocannon’s only hope is to warn the League of All Worlds of the attack, but this is only possible with an ansible. The rebels have an ansible in the area they use as a base camp, but it’s very far away and Rocannon has no vehicles to use to do it quickly. He can only ask the natives for help and travel on the windsteeds normally used on the planet to travel.