Dave Hook
The short: I finally read the most recent collection by Theodora Goss, “Letters from an Imaginary Country“, 2025 Tachyon Publications. It includes a great Introduction by Jo Walton, sixteen works of short speculative fiction (it leans more to fantasy and horror but with a bit of SF), and Story...
Dave Hook
The Short: I finally read The Best of Kage Baker, 2012 Subterranean Press, no editor listed. It’s twenty stories, and comes in at 501 pages. This is a great collection by an author we lost way too soon, and a great way to get more familiar with her short fiction. My favorite story included is...
Dave Hook
The Short: I just read The Big Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Ellen Datlow editor, 2025 Open Road Integrated Media (a re-issue of the 2008 Del Rey/Ballantine The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy). It’s an original anthology. The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as I believe it...
Dave Hook
The Short: I love the Lydia Duluth stories by Eleanor Arnason, although they have not been collected yet. Lydia Duluth is a location scout for an interstellar movie company; interesting things happen to her. My favorite is the first, the superlative Hugo Award runner-up and Nebula Award nomination...
Dave Hook
The Short: The Best of Ian McDonald, 2016 PS Publishing, came out in two different editions of SF/fantasy/horror, a deluxe edition with twenty-one stories and one with ten stories. My e-book version of the deluxe edition also has a “Story Notes” essay by McDonald. My favorite story is “Unfinished...
Dave Hook
The Short: I finally read Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, Sheree R. Thomas editor, 2000 Aspect/Warner Books. It includes 29 works of short fiction and seven essays, from 1887 to 2000. It was a World Fantasy Award winner and Locus Award nomination. Although...
Jennifer Lang
I’ve just published my annual reading list for 2025 here, (a little late, but its still January!) as I’ve done for over a decade. Do check out the whole thing, but here are a few of my particular highlights from this year’s books, which, as always, are a bit of an eclectic mixture. Everything is...
Jennifer Lang
I’ve just published my annual reading list for 2024 here, as I’ve done for over a decade. Do check out the whole thing, but here are a few of my particular favourites from this year’s list, which, as always, is a bit of an eclectic mixture. How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind...
AbdulFattaah Popoola
TLDR Rating: 5 out of 5. A great read with actionable advice, straightforward advice on thinking in systems, and predicting 2nd-order outcomes. Strengths Using specific examples rather than abstract concepts and generalizations....
AbdulFattaah Popoola
TLDR Rating: 4 out of 5. Separating the wheat from the chaff – just because a customer says something is a problem doesn’t necessarily mean it is, and asking the right questions is crucial in distinguishing genuine issues from irrelevant...
AbdulFattaah Popoola
TLDR Rating: 2 out of 5. The book contains dated ideas and I glossed over the theoretical sections. The last chapters made some excellent points, but not enough to change my 2-star rating. It’s a pity since I enjoyed Tom DeMarco’s slack...
Jennifer Lang
I’ve just published my annual reading list for 2023 here, as I’ve done for over a decade. Do check out the whole thing, but here are a few of my particular favourites from this year’s list, which, as always, is a bit of an eclectic mixture. Curlews on Vulture Street: Cities, Birds, People and me...
Yanko Tsvetkov
In the vaccine-free good old days, fake news came as works of art. Some survived to remind us that when stupidity and beauty join together, people’s sanity is at the mercy of the...
Yanko Tsvetkov
When the question “What’s does it mean?” is thrown at an artwork, it often leaves a messy stain. Try it with this book and you won’t even scratch the cover. It’s...
Yanko Tsvetkov
Once upon a time Jorge Luis Borges went hunting for mythical creatures. This terrific (and occasionally terrifying) little book catalogues his trophies.Jorge Luis Borges is the quintessential example of a nerd. He’s unjustly ignored by niche pop culture (or whatever term you use to describe the...