Blogs about science fiction
The short story “The Silk Route” by Giti Chandra was published for the first time in 2020 by Future Fiction within the anthology “Avatar. Contemporary Indian Science Fiction”.
For centuries, the Silk Road has been a trading network from China to Europe. Silk plays an important role in a future where there’s a collaboration between India and China but it’s not the same silk of ancient times. Its fine threads intertwine between past and future.
The novel “Heretics of Dune” by Frank Herbert was published for the first time in 1984. It’s the fifth book in the Dune saga and follows “God Emperor of Dune”.
Fifteen centuries after the Tyrant’s death, a caste of priests holds power on the planet Rakis, formerly known as Arrakis. When a little girl named Sheeana shows that she can control the sandworms, which she calls Shaitan, their power is threatened, not least because the Bene Gesserit show considerable interest in Sheeana.
On the planet Gammu, formerly known as Giedi Prime, the Bene Gesserit are training a new Duncan Idaho ghola to which the Tleilaxu have provided state-of-the-art physical abilities. The project is so important that Mother Superior Taraza also involved Miles Teg, the former Supreme Bashar of the Sisterhood forces. Other reverend mothers disagree, as they fear that a more powerful Duncan could become a new Kwisatz Haderach. Another threat comes from the Honored Matres, a product of the Scattering.
The novel “Ghosts of India” by Mark Morris was published for the first time in 2008.
When Donna feels a great craving for curry, the Tenth Doctor decides to take her to India, to a very special restaurant. Upon arrival, he realizes that the year is not the scheduled one but 1947. The restaurant sought by the Doctor was destroyed during the riots caused by the divisions within the Indian population.
The Doctor and Donna are also in danger of being involved in the chaos that hit India. As if that weren’t enough, many people in Calcutta seem to be suffering from a strange disease and others disappear. The Doctor realizes that there’s an alien presence behind those strange events and the danger could even concern Gandhi, with incalculable repercussions on the future of India.
The novel “Trullion: Alastor 2262” by Jack Vance was published for the first time in 1973. It’s the first book in the Alastor trilogy.
After a pirate attack on the planet Trullion was foiled by the Whelm, the military force the Alastor Cluster’s ruler, Glinnes Hulden decided to join it. He serves in the Whelm for ten years but eventually gets homesick and takes his leave to return to one of the many islands on his ocean planet that is owned by his family.
Glinnes Hulden’s homecoming is definitely not the best, as his relatives greet him coldly. Worse still, his brother Shira has gone missing, making him the owner of the family’s islands. However, he discovers that his twin brother Glay sold an island even if he wasn’t entitled to do that. Trying to regain possession of the island will be difficult and Glinnes tries to make some money by joining a hussade team.
The novel “A Trace of Memory” by Keith Laumer was published for the first time in 1962 serialized in the magazine “Amazing Stories” and in 1963 as a book.
When Legion replies to a job ad, his hope is to snag a meal and a warm place to sleep for the night. The mysterious but rich Foster seems to be looking for a particular person and above all, he turns out to be a decidedly out-of-the-ordinary man whose memories are mostly missing. The fact that he has a notebook that appears to be made of an indestructible material adds another oddity.
Legion finds himself involved in an adventure that becomes even stranger when he and Foster are attacked by unknown enemies and are forced to flee. Suddenly, Foster starts changing his appearance greatly rejuvenating and at the same time losing his memory.
