Tag: Science fiction

Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch

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Title: Wayward Pines trilogy (Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town)
Author: Blake Crouch
Format: ebook
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating: ★★★☆☆

I picked up this trilogy on my sibling’s recommendation, with the context that the author wrote it as a sort of homage to Twin Peaks. It’s hard to discuss any detail about the trilogy without major spoilers, so in terms of content I’ll only say that I had a very enjoyable time being confused by what was going on and was honestly surprised (in a good way) by the reveals.

That said, the mystery is mostly unveiled in the first book, and by the third book everything is essentially already known — leading to a primarily action story as you see how things play out. The cinematic writing style makes the action enjoyable and the books are overall easy to read, but if your main concern is figuring out what’s going on you can probably stop after the first book. Although I was a bit frustrated at the very end with the main character’s decisions (in particular, a decision that seemed to run counter to the story’s point), in general I thought the author did a good job creating a dystopian setting and exploring how the main character worked through it, with all his flaws and limitations.

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

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Title: The Upper World
Author: Femi Fadugba
Format: eBook
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is a unique piece of young adult science fiction, melding real physics, time travel, and two main characters from southeast London. It tells the story of Esso, a high school boy who has an accident that gives him a glimpse of a place out of time, and Rhia, a girl who grew up in foster care and is searching for more of her history.

I had a great time learning more about the physics woven into the story and ended up having numerous conversations about the theory of relativity as a result. The point where the physics meets the time travel was (understandably) a bit vague and hand-wavy, and there’s a simplicity to the story that I associate with young adult fiction — neither of which are necessarily a problem, if that’s your cup of tea. The book does a fantastic job jumping between Esso and Rhia’s storylines, building up the conflict and drama to an exciting climax and satisfying conclusion.

Embassytown by China Miéville

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Title: Embassytown
Author: China Miéville
Format: Audiobook & eBook
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Rating: ★★★★☆

This book took my love of linguistics, anthropology, and science fiction and wound them together into an intricate story about the inhabitants of a colonized world where the native Language can only convey truth.

I have never experienced a book that did quite what Miéville did here: not only make semiotics a central part of a novel but also drop you into it in a way that’s almost like participant-observation in a new country, with a definite sense that something is going on around you but you have no clue what. I loved the slow unraveling of the story as it picked apart and made sense of the people, the history, the culture, and the place (and its technologies), although there are some points — including details about Language and its restrictions — that remained fairly handwavy.

This is not an easy or light read, as it touches on topics like colonialism, oppression, war, indoctrination, cultural contact, authenticity, and relationships. But if you’re willing to wade through the heavy moments and sit with the confusion, it’s a fascinating exploration.