Philip K Dick Award

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📚 10/2021: Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee 3/6

Another apocalyptic trudge through wastelands (Appalachia during the long winter of an ecological collapse), finding other travelers, & trying to avoid predatory groups. Well written; not my thing.

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📚 9/2021: Failed State by Christopher Brown ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee 2/6

Not quite as “we came far too close to this” as its predecessor, so a bit easier to get through. Has some interesting ideas for a post-ecological-collapse approach to legal liability.

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📚 7/2021: Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee 1/6

A satisfying end to the Revenger trilogy. Not all questions answered, but those most central to the main adventure are. If the “high seas adventure in space” conceit works for you, it’s a good series.

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📚 thirteen of 2020: Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Good grand scope space opera, with neat questions on consciousness and the psychology of AI as used in ships of war. Figured out many of the reveals quickly, but still quite good.

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📚 twelve of 2020: Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Really enjoyed this collection. Hopeful themes, and music winds its way through nearly every story in neat ways.

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📚 eleven of 2020: The Little Animals by Sarah Tolmie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Unlike most or all of the other nominees, this was more historical fiction with a thread of magical realism—not a bad thing, though, as it’s a neat work that I very much enjoyed.

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📚 ten of 2020: All Worlds are Real, by Susan Palwick ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Good collection of bittersweet and thoughtful short stories. Particular favorites are “Cucumber Gravy”, “Lucite”, “Homecoming”, “Remote Presence”, and “Recoveries”.

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📚 nine of 2020: The Outside, by Ada Hoffman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Humankind is out in space, limited to mid-20th century tech while super advanced AI gods control advanced tech, FTL flight and comms…oh, and Lovecraftian energies are destroying people. Fun!

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📚 eight of 2020: The Rosewater Redemption by Tade Thompson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

An excellent conclusion to a fascinating trilogy. Wrapped everything up nicely, satisfactory ends for all the characters, and a very interesting take on alien invasion.