Octavia Butler’s prescient science fiction
Octavia Butler was the author of three cycles of science fiction novels—two Parable books, the...
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Category: Reading Recommendations
The 20 best books of 2022
Fair warning: although the headline promises the “best books of 2022,” what follows is not a list...
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Peter Cawdron’s insightful First Contact book series
First Contact has been in the science fiction lexicon since 1935. According to the Historical...
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Good books about the Middle Ages
Few of us in the 21st century think much about the medieval era. Nor are we likely to believe...
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The best spy novelists writing today
The first espionage novels appeared early in the 19th century with the publication of James...
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10 top novels about private detectives
To date, I’ve read and reviewed some 300 detective novels. Most of those involve police...
Read MoreThese novels won both Hugo and Nebula Awards
Most literary awards celebrate a mixed bag of fiction that runs the gamut from pretentious and unreadable to spellbinding. But that tends not to be the case with science fiction. The Hugo Award, conferred annually...
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The 15 best espionage novels
Over the past decade, I’ve read and reviewed more than 150 espionage novels (not counting a great...
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The best Indian detective novels reviewed here
Writers from India have garnered a large share of critical attention for their work in recent...
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The 10 best novels about World War II
The 10 books highlighted here may not be the very best novels written about World War II. But they...
Read MoreScience fiction reviewed here in 2022
Following is a list of the science fiction novels reviewed here in 2022: Maelstrom (First Contact #11) by Peter Cawdron—Worlds collide with Earth in an entertaining First Contact story Generation of Vipers (First Contact...
Read MoreTrade fiction reviewed here in 2022
The War Girls by V. S. Alexander—Life in wartime Warsaw before the Ghetto Uprising The Long Ships by Frans B. Bengtsson—A Viking saga reminiscent of myth and legend People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks—The...
Read MoreMysteries and thrillers reviewed here in 2022
The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad—A murder and a cover-up in 1960s Pakistan Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen—A charming cozy mystery set during the Blitz April in Spain (Quirke #8) by...
Read MoreNonfiction books reviewed here in 2022
The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1922-1945, Revised Edition by William Sheridan Allen—Explaining the Nazi seizure of power The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything by...
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Good books about World War II in the Pacific
Most of the books about World War II that are widely read by Americans concern the war in Europe....
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