Posted Wednesday, 29 November, 2017 by jorielov EXO Books, The Last Day of Captain Lincoln 0 Comments
Acquired Book by: Last year for #RRSciFiMonth, I had intended to review this story and host the illustrator in an interview, however, due to certain circumstances and a family health crisis, I had to postpone my readings of the story. Although, I attempted to read this story during [2017] the timing never felt right to broach the subject matter within it’s scope, thereby, I pushed forward my plans until this year’s #RRSciFiMonth event in November, 2017.
I received a complimentary copy of “The Last Day of Captain Lincoln” direct from the author/publisher EXO Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I’ve been dearly keen on reading this lovely Sci-Fi Novella:
I was originally approached by Mr EXO to read this novella for the [2016] #RRSciFiMonth event, however, I was unable to complete what I had planned – as I wanted to not only read the story but to interview the illustrator of who had inspired me whilst browsing through the hardback copy prior to reading the narrative. These illustrations were so captivatingly honest and real – they illustrated the depth of emotional conviction whilst giving you a clear insight into what the character being illustrated could have been thinking at the time their portrait was taken. I felt these illustrations were an apt component to the story-line, of digging in even a bit deeper than where the context might take me as they visually were quite stunning to lay thought over on their own!
The main reason I knew in my heart I couldn’t read this story last [November] or even during the #SciFiExperience (which has served as a bookended event to my wanderings during Sci Fi November) – is due to the experiences I had with my Dad during his stroke, surgery and hospitalisation. I wasn’t entirely sure when I could alight inside another person’s ‘last day’ as I had come too close to realising the last ‘day’ of my father’s. Looking back on the past year has been an incredible year of healing and growth – of how the mind heals after the eruptions of stroke and how the man re-emerges back into his life whilst looking ahead to the future. It has been a difficult year for the most part but it has been a blessed year at the same time – it’s the year my Dad recovered from his stroke and I, took on the role of his caregiver.
What first caught my attention though – is how the story seemed to be told – from an introspective angle of insight into Captain Lincoln. I also liked the innovative approach and non-conventional publishing career of the author, of whom, goes simply by ‘EXO Books’ which is in of itself a clever moniker to have as an author/publisher due to the duality of it’s purpose.
As the [2017] #RRSciFiMonth event approached – I knew I wanted to do something quite special connected to reading the story, which is why I co-hosted a chat with Mr EXO on Twitter. You can read the recapture of the conversation as well as find links to to the Storified transcript and the books of rec’s via Riffle on this post. Perhaps, next year – I can converse with the illustrator and bring everything full circle!
The Last Day of Captain Lincoln
by EXO Books
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Kimberly Hazen
Source: Direct from Author, Direct from Publisher
Captain Lincoln's last day is the hardest day of his life.
An old, onetime Captain of the interstellar spaceship USNAS Hope Eternal, Lincoln always knew that this day would come. For just as birthdays are carefully planned, so are deaths. And although he must reckon with his fate, this is not a somber story. It is a tale of love and sacrifice, told in the context of the most advanced civilization ever to exist—a society that has taken to the stars in an effort to save all that is best in humanity.
Follow Lincoln through his internal struggles, his joy in having lived, and his journey to peace.
The End is just the beginning.
Genres: Science Fiction, Short Story or Novella, Space Opera Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780997590258
Published by EXO Books, LLC
on 20th August, 2016
Format: Hardcover Edition
Pages: 133
Published By: EXO Books
Available Formats: Hardback, Ebook
Genre(s): Speculative | Science Fiction | Futuristic Fiction
Space Opera | Introspective Fiction | Death & Mortality
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Wednesday, 29 November, 2017 by jorielov in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Fly in the Ointment, Hard Science Fiction, Indie Author, Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Space Opera, Speculative Fiction, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Monday, 27 November, 2017 by jorielov EXO Books, Imyril @imyril, Lisa @EffingRainbow, The Last Day of Captain Lincoln 0 Comments
[ 2017 ]
co-hosting my 1st #RRscifimonth chat:
hallo, hallo Sci Fi November enthusiasts!
this year, I wanted to do something wicked different than i have in the past – which is why, I conceived of the idea to host two #RRSciFiMonth chats! the first of course, was inspired by the novella ‘The Last Day of Captain Lincoln’ which is set in Space – giving me the chance to talk about one of my favourite sub-genres: Space Opera! this is also why you’ve seen me change my Twitter Profile to reflect: JORIE LOVES SPACE OPERA rather than the regular declaration of JORIE LOVES A STORY.
as we discussed how we wanted to co-host the chat, Mr Exo & I devised our own approach – I would start the question-based sections with two enquiries to set the tone of the discussion bent round our main topic whilst Mr Exo would come after me, tying in his questions with giving away books. the format worked well – plus, *behind-the-scenes*, i was DM’ing Mr Exo a few times throughout the chat, whilst monitoring the replies coming to me directly (in order to re-direct them onto the tag #RRSciFiMonth) as I replied to the chatters who had come to participate.
i was honestly thrilled to bits how well the chat took off – from the very start of it, i noticed everyone had settled into sharing their *favourite!* memories of Science Fiction gateways into Space Opera & the worlds within the universe which hug us so close to the heart of what we love about the Speculative worlds we explore across mediums! as you will well see – all of us are not just intrepid explorers of literature, no! we criss-cross through television, motion pictures, literature and all stops betwixt and between – allowing ourselves to be captured by the visionaries who enrich our lives by their visions of Futuristic worlds.
in order to sort out the time zones – i posted a brief Poll via Twitter to gauge which hour would be best for everyone to *meet-up* whilst mindful of my own schedule & the author’s (Mr Exo), which is why I leant on hosting my first #RRSciFiMonth chat on a *Saturday!* without being able to promote the chat as readily as i wanted too – i was wicked thankful for the supportive cheering & rallying by our lovely event co-hosts Lisa @EffingRainbow + Imyril @imyril, of whom i am grateful who enjoy real-time DMs and last minute suggestions! i truly look forward to visiting their blogs more throughout the coming year, whilst finally making my personal rounds to seeing not only their content for this event but all the lovely blogs i missed whilst i was dealing with my illnesses.
before i talk about my *favourite!* moments of the chat, i want to give you a chance to read the lovely transcript Imyril has presented for all of us to ENJOY reading! grab your favourite cuppa of brew & settle in for a wicked sweet chat where we all get our full-on sci-fi geek-on discussing everything & anything inter-related to the topic at hand! plus, a few tangents where we swung OT (off-topic) as well! it wouldn’t quite be a Twitter chat if the chatters didn’t go OT! lol
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Posted Monday, 27 November, 2017 by jorielov in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Hard Science Fiction, Indie Author, Science Fiction, Soft Science Fiction, Space Opera, Speculative Fiction, Spontaneous Convos Inspired by Book, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event
Posted Sunday, 26 November, 2017 by jorielov Meg Pontecorvo, Murder in the Generative Kitchen, World Weaver Press 0 Comments
Acquired Book by: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf [in 2015] with a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!
Since I started reviewing with World Weaver Press [two years ago in August, 2015] there has been a changing of the guard behind-the-scenes where there is a new owner & publicity team. I am wicked happy to see the legacy and tradition of WWP has been carried forward by this lovely new team! I am honoured to work with them continuing to showcase World Weaver Press through reviewing their titles and hosting future guest features by their authors!
I received a complimentary copy of “Murder in the Generative Kitchen” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I’ve been dearly keen on reading this lovely Sci-Fi Novella:
I used to have a hungry appetite for legal dramas (as I used to regularly consume the novels of John Grisham) – except there was a point where I found myself unable to move past the emotional angst & anguish of the heavier story-lines, opting instead to take a permanent break from reading them.
I’ve re-entertained them in cross-genre exploits within Mystery, Suspense & Thriller story-lines, but this was the first time I felt I could sink my teeth into a quasi-traditional legal drama, where you have the action of the courtroom counter-acted against the lives of the jury! I even liked how this is situated into a time of futuristic origins – where the penalties for ‘talking’ to your fellow jurors is punishable by paying for the luxury of being ‘away’ whilst your serving your duty! I even smiled noticing the author keyed into the fact that body modifications have a whole new representative arm of creativity ahead of those who elect to change their outward appearances! I have stumbled across something quite similar to this and found it wicked awesome she was knitting it into the background of her character’s!
I must confess – whenever I get a hankering to read a new story that just takes my mind into a projection of what ‘could be’ vs what ‘will be’ known I have the tendency to become quite a chatterbox! So far, I’ve convinced an elderly neighbour she has to learn the ending and my parents are equally as invested as somehow I fashioned a way to present this story as if it were cross-relatable through all generations of interest! Not too bad, eh!?
-previously disclosed via the Cover Reveal for Murder in the Generative Kitchen
Murder in the Generative Kitchen
by Meg Pontecorvo
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Sarena Ulibarri
Source: Direct from Publisher
With the Vacation Jury Duty system, jurors can lounge on a comfortable beach while watching the trial via virtual reality. Julio is loving the beach, as well as the views of a curvy fellow juror with a rainbow-lacquered skin modification who seems to be the exact opposite of his recent ex-girlfriend back in Chicago. Because of jury sequestration rules, they can’t talk to each other at all, or else they’ll have to pay full price for this Acapulco vacation. Still, Julio is desperate to catch her attention. But while he struts and tries to catch her eye, he also becomes fascinated by the trial at hand.
At first it seemed a foregone conclusion that the woman on trial used a high-tech generative kitchen to feed her husband a poisonous meal, but the more evidence mounts, the more Julio starts to suspect the kitchen may have made the decision on its own.
Genres: Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story or Novella Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Book Page on World Weaver Press
ISBN: 978-0-997788815
Also by this author: Murder in the Generative Kitchen
Published by World Weaver Press
on 27th September, 2016
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 207
Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook
Genre(s): Speculative | Scien
ce Fiction | Futuristic Fiction
Robotics | Smart House | Virtual Reality | Climate Change | Legal Drama
Similar Reads: iRobot by Isaac Asimov; Illegal Alien by Robert J Sawyer; Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams; Superposition by David Walton; Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi; Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions by Larry Hodge
Previously I showcased this Novella: (see also Cover Reveal)
About Meg Pontecorvo
A writer and artist dedicated to multiple genres, Meg Pontecorvo earned an MFA in Poetry Writing from Washington University in St. Louis and is a 2010 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop.
Meg has published a novelette, “Grounded,” in Asimov’s, and her artwork in collage and pen has been featured in experimental video performances in the Bay Area. A native of Philadelphia, she grew up in the Midwest and now shares a small apartment with her partner and cats in San Francisco, where she cooks in a tech-free kitchen.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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Posted Sunday, 26 November, 2017 by jorielov in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Equality In Literature, Futuristic Fantasy, Hard Science Fiction, Indie Author, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, World Weaver Press
Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov (Narrator) Cassandra Richardson, L.A. Kelley, Rimrider, Rimrider Adventures, Self Published 4 Comments
Acquired Digital Audiobook by: I am a blog tour hostess with Audiobookworm Promotions wherein I have the opportunity to receive audiobooks for review or adoption (reviews outside of organised blog tours) and host guest features on behalf of authors and narrators alike. I have been hosting for nearly a year now and I appreciate the diversity of genre selections and styles of stories to choose from whilst I navigate the audiobook realms!
I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “Rimrider” via Audiobookworm Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this particular audiobook interested me:
Each Sci Fi November, I like to take stock of #newtomeauthors, Classic stories within the realms of SF I love to read and overall, have this plethora of bookish and geekery fun throughout the month – where I not only read the stories, but I seek out the tv series or movies which also interest me as well. When it came to choosing to listen to ‘Rimrider’ – I nearly came to the party a bit late – I was happiy surprised I could jump on the blog tour, as at the time I was sorting out how to re-listen to the first novel in a series of Cosy Mysteries whilst finishing two other reviews I had to re-schedule as well for audiobooks. Those were for ‘The Supernatural Pet Sitter’ (see also review) and the Non-Fiction Memoir which truly touched my heart: ‘Life as a Spectrum Mom’ (see also review) which showcases being a Mum to special needs children who live on the Autism spectrum. Truly a captivating read!
I personally LOVE Space Operas – I grew up on ‘Star Wars’ (still only watch the films Lucas created!), ‘Star Trek’ (only watching Roddenberry’s vision of the franchise) whilst having an appreciation for ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (the original series) and several other impressionable ‘Classics’ which set the standard for the genre being explored in motion pictures and television. Space Opera held an equal interest for me in written form – which is why I like to explore new story-tellers who are carving out their own niche within this wicked sweet genre we all have a mutual passion for exploring.
I had a good feeling about ‘Rimrider’ – I wasn’t sure if I liked the tagline – as I never liked the expression ‘fight like a girl’ – but in regards to the potential for the setting and the layered narrative scope – I had a sixth sense about this one – almost as if it was the one title which might happily take me by surprise and wouldn’t have expected to have found otherwise; had I not been on the blog tour! This also ‘fit’ well with being the ‘first’ featured story during my showcases for #RRSciFiMonth – wherein, I’ll be happily surprising both the participants and visitors of the event throughout November by the stories I am reading but not disclosing in advance! I think it makes it more enjoyable, really – to just happily duck into whichever story interests you in the moment to read and then, talk about how it impressed you. For me, it’s a new approach — I had always pre-planned a tight schedule for Sci Fi November – this year? I’m going to be a vagabond travelling through Science Fiction!
Rimrider
Subtitle: A real space pirate fights like a girl
by L.A. Kelley
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Cassandra Richardson
Awakened by her father, teenager Jane Benedict is ordered to memorize a mysterious code. Hours later, Mathias Benedict is dead and Jane and her brother, Will, are wards of United Earth Corporation.
To evade the company's murderous clutches and uncover the meaning of her father's last message, Jane leads Will on a desperate escape across the galaxy aboard the Freetrader smuggler ship, Solar Vortex.
Tangled in the crew's fight for freedom, Jane saves the life of young smuggler, Mac Sawyer, and learns her father's code identifies a secret cargo shipment. The trail leads to the planet Rimrock and the massive prison complex of Golgotha.
Undercover as a spy, Jane stumbles into a conspiracy that can spell doom for the entire Freetrader cause and the extinction of an alien race. Can she escape the prison confines and deliver a warning before it's too late?
Piracy, intrigue, romance, space battles, and a daring rebellion from Earth wait on the galactic rim. Will Jane answer the call to adventure and find new purpose, or is death for high treason her fate?
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ASIN: B074YYKQSN
Published by Self Published
on 22nd August, 2017
Format: Audiobook | Digital
Length: 9 hours, 57 minutes (Unabridged)
Self Published Audiobook
The Rimrider Adventure series:
Rimrider (Book One)
Outlaw Jane (Book Two) | Synopsis
The Boneyard (Book Three) | Synopsis
Formats Available: Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook
About L.A. Kelley
L. A. Kelley is from Florida and has been writing Fantasy and Science Fiction adventure stories for all ages since she was old enough to chew on a number two pencil. All her books have adventure, humor, and a little romance because life is dull without them. She doesn’t write graphic sex or gore so your mama would approve, but does add a touch of cheeky sass so maybe she wouldn’t. In her spare time she calls in Bigfoot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon
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Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov in Audiobook, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Brothers and Sisters, Coming-Of Age, Family Drama, Family Life, Hard Science Fiction, Indie Author, Life Shift, School Life & Situations, Science Fiction, Self-Published Author, Siblings, Space Opera, Speculative Fiction, Teacher & Student Relationships, Teenage Relationships & Friendships
Posted Tuesday, 29 November, 2016 by jorielov (Editor) Greg Bear, Nebula Award Showcase 2015, Nebula Award Showcase series 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction. I received a complimentary copy of “Nebula Awards 2015” direct from the publisher PYR (an imprint of Prometheus Books) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
How I came to learn about ‘Nebula Awards 2015’:
I’ve heard about the Nebula Awards but I honestly haven’t followed them; although this might sound strange coming from someone who loves Science Fiction as much as I do! The truth is I have always picked up Science Fiction quite randomly until I became a blogger – I lean towards finding more Sci-Fi to read now as I blog than I had in previous years – except for the years I was invested into the SFBC (Science Fiction Book Club) which was a mail-order catalogue of the genre by which you could order hardback editions of classic and contemporary Science Fiction & Fantasy authors. I vaguely remember reading about the Nebula Awards in those catalogues as they used to write articles to go with the book selections – you could learn a heap just by browsing and this is how I started to navigate the genre as a whole.
I also gathered quite a heap of books – by various authors – including the Acorna series and a lot of Heinlein whilst focusing on Tolkien and Kate Elliott as well. I never read them save for Kate Elliott’s Crown of Stars series as I was gathering books to read rather than reading all the books I was gathering. I would classify that point in my reading life as a ‘discovery period’ where I was seeking out certain styles of narrative and certain authors of whom I felt were writing the kinds of stories I wanted to read. I did read the odd book every so many shipments – however, I have this lovely little cache of Science Fiction I one day want to re-open and see what I’ll find inside! I do not remember all the books I collected as it was more of the art of the hunt back then than the devourment of the spoils – I wonder if anyone else has gone through a collecting book stage rather than a reading stage!?
Around the time I discovered Prometheus Books and their imprints of Seventh Street Books and Pyr, I found this curious collection: the Nebula Awards Showcase 2015. I had intended to read it closer to when it arrived but the timing was not right for me until now. What I appreciated about this showcase is how eclectic it was and how varied the stories were inside – as much as it was a wicked good overall of the current offerings of a genre I truly love dearly! Science Fiction holds a special place in my heart – it was the original genre of choice when I first started to write my own stories and to this day, it’s the genre I love to return to read.
I will be following this reading with the 2016 Nebula Awards Showcase lateron this week – as I was blessed to receive both years. Next year, the editor is Julie E. Czerneda of whom I featured earlier this month whilst she disclosed the inside bits on her Web Shifters series!
I would be interested to know if my readers follow the Nebula Awards and if they have picked up any of the Nebula Award Showcases? If this is your first meeting of the showcases (as it is for me), I welcome your feedback as well. I love anthologies – normally reserved for short stories, but in this instance, I love how you get an inside glimpse into a variety of writers and their chosen styles of creative expression whilst honing in on what makes the Nebula Awards such an amazing group of creatives who write about a futuristic world not too far from our own.
Nebula Awards Showcase: 2015
Subtitle: Stories, Excerpts and Essays
The Nebula Awards Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories of the Nebula Awards, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
The editor of this year’s volume, selected by SFWA’s anthology Committee (chaired by Mike Resnick), is American science fiction and fantasy writer Greg Bear, author of over thirty novels, including the Nebula Award-winning Darwin’s Radio and Moving Mars.
This anthology includes the winners of the Andre Norton, Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master, Rhysling, and Dwarf Stars Awards, as well as the Nebula Award winners, and features Ann Leckie, Nalo Hopkinson, Rachel Swirsky, Aliette de Bodard, and Vylar Kaftan, with additional articles and poems by authors such as Robin Wayne Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Terry A. Garey, Deborah P Kolodji, and Andrew Robert Sutton.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
ISBN: 9781633880900
on 8th December, 2015
Pages: 320
Published By: Pyr (@Pyr_Books)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook
Read more about Nebula Awards 2015 via the SFF Blog of B&N (Barnes & Noble)
(edited by) Greg Bear ( Site | @RealGregBear )
Converse via: #NebulaAwards + #GregBear
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #FuellYourSciFi
- SFN Bingo 2016
Posted Tuesday, 29 November, 2016 by jorielov in Asteroid Science, Blog Tour Host, Climate Change, Ecology, Environmental Conscience, Environmental Science, Hard Science Fiction, Horticulture, Prometheus Books, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction
