Originally a short story (that won the Hugo award) and later re-written as the third installment of the Childe Cycle, Soldier, Ask Not is heavy with themes of faith and philosophy and treads a thin line between logic and faith – never condemning nor promoting one or the other. The title – Soldier, Ask Not – hints…
Author: Adrian McCauley
A published author of short stories and articles, I review sci-fi and fantasy books and graphic novels. I live in Oamaru, New Zealand - a small coastal town famous for many things, including it's strong Steampunk culture. I am married, a father of two and among our various pets I have a three legged cat.
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert A. Heinlein
Heinlein was one of the Trinity of Sci-Fi Masters that rose to prominence during the Golden Age of science fiction. The Science Fiction Writers of America named him the very first Grand Master in 1974, he had an asteroid named after him in 1990, and in 1994 a major Martian crater was named after him as…
Whisper of The Woods by D. G. Driver
A year ago I reviewed Driver’s first book in her new Young Adult series, Cry of The Sea. Juniper (June) Sawfeather is a girl of Native American descent who has environmental activists for parents who have tried to push their ideals on her. Though she respects and appreciates their concerns and the environment, she doesn’t want…
Cry of The Sea by D. G. Driver
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22) I am reviewing a Young Adults book with strong environmental themes. Cry of the Sea is about June, a young girl who’s parents are pushing her to follow their paths in environmental issues. When she and her father are first on the scene of a major oil spill…
An Interview with Jonathan Fast
I have recently read and reviewed Mortal Gods which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was also intrigued by the book and how it dealt with a lot of modern themes: racism, religious intolerance, consumerism, celebrity deification, terrorism and political corruption. I was so intrigued how a novel this unique from the 70’s could still hold up…
Mortal Gods by Jonathan Fast
Her skin was sea-blue, so fine as to be almost transparent. The scintillation of light across it seemed to be caused by some sparkling oil, possibly cosmetic or else an effusion of the flesh. Her neck was long, thin and graceful; her face, surrounded by a halo of fleecy white hair, was dominated by huge almond…
Plague Ship by Andre Norton
Plague Ship is the second novel in a seven volume series about the Free Traders – A crew of Merchants that explore new worlds and make contact with new species to open up trade. The story was published in 1956, and though it is almost sixty years old now, it has aged gracefully. Set within…
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
John Campbell (editor of Astounding Science Fiction, later called Analog Science Fiction and Fact) once commented that Science Fiction was incompatible with Mystery. In response to this, Asimov wrote The Caves of Steel – A Science Fiction murder mystery which, to this day, is still one of the best tech-noir books I have read. It is set in a distant dystopian…
My New Blog.
Things have changed. Welcome to my new blog. Over the next few weeks I will be reformatting my old posts onto this blog. Thanks for your patience. In the meantime you can still view my posts on my old blog Nebula Books.
Adrian McCauley 