📚 twenty-seven of 2020: Star Trek S.C.E.: Have Tech, Will Travel by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Kevin Dillmore, Christie Golden, Dean Wesley Smith, and Dayton Ward ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A collection of four novellas following the S.C.E. characters. More of Trek’s expanded universe.

📚 twenty-six of 2020: Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A smart aleck demon and its long-suffering keeper, quirky locals in a tourist town, and a touch of Lovecraft on the California coast. Entertaining and amusing, if not “laugh out loud” funny.

📚 twenty-five of 2020: Star Trek S.C.E.: Foundations by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dillmore ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Trek “expanded universe” novel; three short stories and a framing story, all of Scotty’s interactions with the early S.C.E. and tying into TOS episodes.

📚 twenty-four of 2020: E.T. the Extraterrestrial by William Kotzwinkle ⭐️⭐️⭐️

An odd adaptation, likely done from an earlier draft of the script. I never realized E.T. was quite so romantically enamored with Elliott’s mom! That got kinda weird a few times.

📚 twenty-three of 2020: Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1968 Hugo Best Novel

A neat blending of western SF sensibilities with the Indian pantheon of gods; enjoyed this one more than I expected given that I didn’t much like Zelazny’s prior Hugo winner.

Plague Puzzle Four

Posted on May 17, 2020

Michael Hanscom

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📚 twenty-two of 2020: Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp ⭐️⭐️⭐️

On its own, a fairly standard action thriller. But as the source material for Die Hard, it’s a fascinating artifact. Surprisingly similar, and all changes made for the film were for the better.

📚 twenty-one of 2020: Matter’s End by Gregory Benford ⭐️⭐️

An average collection of short stories, some of which show their age more than others—especially one that starts with a riff on Mormon missionaries and ends with what comes across as (unconscious?) Islamophobia.