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To Turn the Tide – S.M. Stirling

Retired army officer and now ancient history professor Arthur Vandenberg, along with four of his students, is summoned to a lab in Austria in 2032. Around them, the world is descending into imminent nuclear war. The lab has perfected time travel, and the group of five finds itself in the Roman province of Pannonia Superior, in the late second century, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. As they hurriedly leave 2032, the final war has begun, and they’be been sent back to change history, equipped with supplies and reference materials. From that starting point, Arthur (now Artorius) and his crew introduce numerous improvements to agriculture, medicine, architecture, and crucially the military arts, aiming to strengthen and preserve the Roman empire and prevent the Dark Ages.

Mr. Stirling is back to form in a fast-paced novel filled with fascinating historical detail. The casual cruelty of the social norms of the time is starkly presented, but in contrast with the barbarian tribes, the Romans believe in peace and thus prosperity. Artorius and the other four “moderns” are all interesting and fully-formed characters, as is their new friend Josephus the merchant. This is part historical fiction page-turner, part history lesson, and goes well beyond any superficial “moderns are superheroes” tropes.

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Punk’s War (Punk I) – Ward Carroll

Rick Reichert, callsign Punk, is on deployment aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf during the 1990s. While on hot standby for launch in an F-14, he is unexpectedly replaced in the jet by his squadron commander. As it turns out, an Iranian F-4 fighter wants to play games with the Americans, and things do not turn out well.

Mr. Carroll is a former Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) on the F-14, and has a popular YouTube channel. His depiction of life as a junior officer on a carrier is laced with gallows humour and slices of life. While there is a whiff of Top Gun, more often the characters are unwillingly caught in the politics and intrigue of higher-ups and just trying to get by. For these men, the mission is not the defense of freedom. It is simple survival, not only in the literal sense but just keeping it together in the unnatural confines of a warship, for months on end. The characters are alive, authentic, unwashed, and often hilarious. Punk and his comrades are prisoners of their situation quite far from glamorous warriors. A very insightful book on the human condition, as well as fascinating for the military aviation enthusiast.

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Descent (Palladium Wars IV) – Marko Kloos

While back in captivity, Aden Jansen is recruited by the Rhodian military to infiltrate dissident elements at home on Gretia. Dunstan Park and his crew find a major pirate base. Meanwhile, things on Gretia go from bad to worse, as Idinia Chaudhary finds herself fighting a losing war.

The story progresses in this instalment, but it seems any actual conclusion is not forthcoming quite yet. Nevertheless a strong book in this enjoyable series.

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Deep Black (Arcana Imperii II) – Miles Cameron

Following the battle at Trade Point at the end of Artiface Space, Marca and the crew of the Athens find themselves with two alien prisoners from different races, and no end of mysteries about the newly discovered Hin. There follows a series of running battles as the Athens has to fight its way home while trying to gain the support of certain Hin factions.

While it starts somewhat slowly, the novel picks up pace as it goes. The aircraft carrier inspired operations are well depicted, as well as the lack of sleep and free time during combat. The relationships between the crew are maturing and growing, perhaps somewhat predictably. The aliens are very well conceived, truly alien, whilst being driven by at times understandable and at times completely inscrutable motivations.

The story does come to a satisfying conclusion, but many, many questions are left unanswered.

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A Dark and Dirty War (Siobhan Dunmoore VII) – Eric Thomson

A decade has passed since the end of the Shrehari war, and Dunmoore is facing forced retirement. The postwar years have not been kind to her career, and she has a reputation for stirring trouble by publishing bold and controversial papers on tactics from her seat at the War College. She now leads an audit and inspection team which assesses units for combat readiness. Meanwhile, a cruise liner with passengers on a study mission into frontier territory is hijacked, with the perpetrators abducting a number of members of the ruling class. Through the machinations of Dunmoore’s allies at naval headquarters, she is given the task of fixing the problem.

The decision to transform Dunmoore into a washed-up warhorse is an inspired one, and the machinations at the heart of government are interesting. However, as in the previous instalment, Dunmoore’s seemingly magical leadership powers make things perhaps too easy.

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When the Guns Roar (Siobhan Dunmoore VI) – Eric Thomson

After finally convincing her squadron commander on the merits of wolfpack tactics, Dunmoore leads increasingly daring raids into Shrehari territory, culminating in a decisive battle.

Again as in the previous instalment, this is a fun read, but the real risk to life and limb seems rather abstract, with character assassination the main threat.

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When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach – Ashlee Vance

Following on from Mr. Vance’s biography of Elon Musk, the author delves into the emerging explosion of commercial launch and satellite companies. The focus is on Astra, Rocket Lab, Planet Labs, and Firefly, with deep dives into the founders and their backgrounds.

While this is fascinating reading for space nerds, Mr. Vance keeps things accessible for the less space-devout reader, homing in on the personalities and conflicts involved rather than the technology itself.

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Beyond the Ranges – John Ringo with James Aidee

Version 1.0.0

Jason Graham wakes up in a strange room, which turns out to be on a massive space station orbiting a newly terraformed planet. Mysterious cybernetic aliens have rescued humans from Earth’s destruction, and separated them along political lines. In the space station orbiting the planet Bellerophon are five hundred million people, all of a politically conservative bent. Jason is a science fiction fan and lifetime tinkerer who soon figures out how to take full advantage of the technologies now available to humanity. He makes his way down to the planet to set up a food business, recruiting old friends and business associates along the way.

There is a lot to like in this book. The premise is interesting, with a new world ripe for the taking but an economic system that needs kickstarting. Jason is certainly well fleshed out, but most of the other characters are cardboard cutouts. The adventures of Jason setting up food harvesting with futuristic tech on the planet are fun. Unfortunately, the novel suffers greatly under the weight of two things. First off, there are numerous infodumps and long digressions that become rather tedious. Secondly, the conservative message is very heavy-handed. I don’t have to agree with the politics of the characters in a story to enjoy it, but this often reads like thinly veiled propaganda, which is a bit much. All that being said, it does feature Mr. Ringo’s engaging prose and sharp ironic wit, which makes it rather more engaging that it deserves to be.

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Citadel (The Palladium Wars III) – Marko Kloos

After the dramatic ending of Ballistic, the story starts to move a bit faster. Dunstan helps the crew of the Zephyr with their quest for revenge in an engaging action piece, while on Gretia, Idina and Solveig finally meet during yet another attack by the unknown aggressor.

Not much is resolved in this installment, but the series continues to be entertaining military science fiction.

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Ballistic (The Palladium Wars II) – Marko Kloos

Under the threat of an unknown aggressor, the system slowly moves towards war again. Aden finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a terror plot and again at the mercy of the Rhodian military, running into Dunstan. Idina struggles with insurgency on Gretia.

The series is still on a slow burn, but Mr. Kloos’s characters are engaging to read about, and just spending time with them is nice.

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Aftershocks (The Palladium Wars I) – Marko Kloos

Five years after waging a system-wide war of aggression, the planet-nation of Gretia is still under occupation by the victorious powers. Prisoner of war Aden Jansen, a former elite soldier from the losing side, is released from captivity on Rhodia, and must start rebuilding his life. On Gretia itself, Idina, a sergeant with the peacekeeping forces, contends with increasing violence. Dunstan, a military spaceship captain, sees an increase in piracy and other events. Finally, on Gretia, young corporate scion Solveig is being groomed to take over the Ragnar corporation.

The dialogue and the fast-paced action scenes are on point. The four narratives don’t really meet in the first instalment of the series, but it works anyway, as Mr. Kloos progressively illustrates out the political and social layout of the Gaia system. A great start.

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A Cook’s Tour – Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines – Anthony Bourdain

Chef Bourdain travels the world looking for the “perfect meal”.

Entertaining but very varied both in quality and flavour. The trip to France with his brother seeking out their childhood haunts is heartwarming. The Vietnam stories are colourful. The Russian trip is at once terrifying and hilarious.

Not as focused as Kitchen Confidential, and Mr. Bourdain does admit that after the sucess of that book he was a man looking for a purpose, which shows. Nevertheless, the writing is humorous, tight, and pithy.

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Machine Vendetta (Prefect Dreyfus Emergency III) – Alastair Reynolds

The final book in the trilogy concludes the arc that started in Elysium Fire. A lone prefect dies under mysterious circumstances, and her legacy turns out to be more mysterious still. A rogue faction within Panoply attempts to capture the Clockmaker and Aurora distributed artificial intelligences, which up to now have been more or less balancing each other out. Their capture effort has unintended and disastrous consequences.

The characters are stellar and Mr. Reynolds’s writing is solid as ever, but the plot feels weak and the pacing slow, making the book a slog in parts.

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Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain

Chef Bourdain’s outrageous and allegedly accurate memoir of a life in the kitchens of New York and environs. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, deceit, mob connections, and of course food. And almost more importantly, the mindboggling logistics of food, from supplier to plate.

Mr. Bourdain’s voice is irreverent, often outrageous, but always entertaining. A book to devour. At times poignant, peppered with dark humour, and often laugh out loud funny, this is a fascinating and very entertaining book.

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The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

Clare and Henry are star-crossed lovers who meet occasionally. Henry is an inadvertent time traveler, dropping into Clare’s life at what from her perspective are predetermined times.

I made it about a quarter of the way in. The novel is well written. The characters are likable, nuanced, and intense. The trauma of their present and past lives is apparent. Unfortunately, I found the whole narrative rather boring. While the time travel aspect is central to the story, the events depicted came off as very bland. Put another way, apart from the time travel aspect, the lives of Clare and Henry didn’t interest me one bit.

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Through the Storm (Transdimensional Hunter II) – John Ringo & Lydia Sherrer

Raven’s adventures in the augmented reality game Transdimensional Hunter continue. Meanwhile, her high school life brings new trauma as she navigates what for her is the very uncomfortable real world of relationships and fame.

While fairly entertaining and an easy read, the second installment doesn’t really bring anything new to the table besides new expressions of teenage angst. Hints at a larger narrative, with Raven being groomed for foreshadowed events, are prominent. Perhaps in a future installment, the story will move forward in a more decisive manner.

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Monster Hunter Fever – (Monster Hunter Memoirs IV) – Larry Correia & Jason Cordova

On the surface, Chloe Mendoza is a young and small Latina woman. But her father is a mythical Mesoamerican god and she harbours a fierce and vicious beast inside herself. Nevertheless, she works as a Monster Hunter. After a long time overseas, she returns to Monster Hunter International and is part of the first team to set up in the Los Angeles Area.

Set in the late 1970s, this novel is part of the Monster Hunter Memoirs spinoffs, but separate from the Chad Gardenier Trilogy that made up the first three Memoirs books. It is a fun outing in the Monster Hunter universe, with some familiar characters making cameos appearances. Chloe’s conflicted character and complicated heritage make for some intriguing storytelling, but overall it’s just good fun.

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Termination Shock – Neal Stephenson

As with many other of Mr. Stephenson‘s books, it is difficult to summarise this one in a brief paragraph, as there are several rather disparate threads. The main ones involve the Queen of the Netherlands being invited to a secret meeting involving a geoengineering project in Texas to cool the planet, thus counteracting climate change. Another thread is about a Sikh youth from Canada who finds himself entwined in geopolitical strife in the Himalayas. And yet another threat is about a US Army veteran who is on a crusade against marauding wild boar in Texas. Counseling the Queen is an interesting character with Indonesian and Chinese origins. As events unfold and the climate does indeed start changing, clandestine climate wars silently begin, while on the India-China border, performative war is already happening.

Some books manage to change your view of the world. This is one of them. As climate change pushes humanity into an uncertain future, Mr. Stephenson explores some of the possibilities. One of the key takeaways is that stability is an illusion. Don’t hold on to thiings, material or otherwise, if doing so is harmful to your wellbeing. This was as true for Dutch colonists in Indonesia during World War Two as it is for those holding on to their houses in the face of repeated catastrophic weather events. A captivating read, beautifully written in Mr. Stephenson’s trademark ironic tone.

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Escape Orbit (Eccentric Orbits II) – Patrick Chiles

At the end of Frozen Orbit, Jack Templeton went into hibernation on board the Magellan and launched himself towards the outer reaches of the solar system, in a quest to reach a mysterious object with a strong gravity well. Meanwhile, former crewmate Traci Keene is back on earth in bureaucratic hell. Eventually Jack reaches the object, which is much more mysterious than he suspected. And a rescue mission involving Traci is launched.

While a serviceable sequel to Frozen Orbit, the novel suffers from a less engaging setting. Frozen Orbit was real deep space adventure. Escape Orbit has too little deep space and too much bureaucratic machination. The real action doesn’t start until well into the second half of the book. The AI elements are interesting but not groundbreaking.

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Earthside (Quantum Earth II) – Dennis E. Taylor

In the immediate sequel to Outland, our heroes continue to deal with the aftermath of the Yellowstone eruption, and the challenges of setting up a colony in the alternate timeline of Outland. Given that the majority of the existing inhabitants of “Rivendell”, as the refuge has been named, are of university age, a sudden influx of older refugees creates significant tension. The older generation feels that they should take over what they see as an amateur operation run by youths. Additional subplots include a sociopathic killer, and research to find other potential timelines that might offer escape hatches or resources.

While the second installment is still entertaining, it doesn’t have nearly the same punch as the first book. Mr. Taylor skillfully weaves the plot, but some of the elements seem tacked on as filler. It lacks a definite direction, and seems more like an extended coda for the first book.

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Outland (Quantum Earth I) – Dennis E. Taylor

University engineering students Mike and Bill are approached by physics students who need their expertise to continue experimenting with quantum tunneling and parallel universes. The experiments turn out to be more successful than expected, opening up a big can of worms. They can now open portals to alternate timelines, with different conditions, for example, one where dinosaurs did not go extinct, and one, which they name “Outland”, where mammals are prevalent but humans seem absent. A pastoral paradise of sorts. Meanwhile, Erin, a geology student, and Mike’s girlfriend, is caught up in unprecedented events at the Yellowstone caldera, which seems poised to erupt, potentially causing widespread destruction. Due to university politics, the quantum tunneling team decide to clandestinely move their research off-campus, while disassociating themselves with the university funding stream. What started as an academic project becomes a get-rich stream, and then rather unexpectedly morphs into an escape hatch for refugees.

The concept and usage of the portals is very well realised, with a slew of interesting applications that have to be improvised as conditions “Earthside” change dramatically. The adventure story parallels to Stargate SG-1 are obvious, and references by the characters themselves. While the protagonists are likable and it is easy to root for them, they are not very three-dimensional. On a side note, this is very much the young white American apocalypse, even if one of the main characters is Indian. I suppose it can be explained away since the setting is a university in Nebraska. That criticism aside, I found this to be a real page-turner just like his other books, with Mr. Taylor’s fast-paced plotting and the constant witty snark highly entertaining.

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Gigi Make Paradox (Where the Hell is Tesla III) – Rob Dircks

The third installment of the series sees Chip and Pete in charge of their respective toddler daughters as their wives go out. An outing to see “old man” (Nikola Tesla) quickly turns nasty as Chip’s daughter Gigi inadvertently creates a paradox that threatens the multiverse.

This is by far the weakest of the three books. The books were never meant to be hard science fiction with internal consistency, but the meandering plotlines and repeated deus ex machinas quickly lost me. The recurring theme of Chip and Gigi’s love for each other lends a great deal of heart to the book, as does, again, Chip’s voice as the narrator. Pete’s adorable badass great-aunt is also a great addition. However, in the end, there was no feeling of dramatic tension, even with the ostensible stakes. While this final (?) installment ties up many of the threads, it was not a satisfying conclusion.