Exiles by Mason Coile -- A familiar blend of scifi horror

 Exiles by Mason Coile — Blends familiar scifi horror themes to visit some root causes of self isolation

 

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G.P Putnam's Sons 

A three man team (two men, one woman) embark on a literal suicide mission to Mars for the sake of humanity and the purpose of colonization. They know they won’t be coming back, except under unusually special circumstances. And, of course, they come to suspect those circumstances exist. Or the bots that were sent ahead of the mission to construct habitable living spaces do, and the mystery unfolds after our human team’s rough landing.

The narrative is led by Gold, the woman of the team that comprises Captain Blake and Engineering Specialist Kang (yes, Kang. For all the hardcore scifi aficionados). Gold is the Medical Specialist of the trio, and she comes with her own personal baggage.

Author Coile is no stranger to scifi, of which I haven’t read, but this book is a tight read. It doesn’t get bogged down with the science aspect of the genre and instead gets right into the guts of the horror. It has shades of Alien, as the bots have shut their home base down for fear of some monster outside its walls. But it also plays with the common science fiction themes of the dangers of AI and android sentience. Captain Blake and crew have reservations about trusting the three bots, who have come to name themselves and to exhibit distinctly human personalities.

These all play well together as common tropes within the genre, but the deeper story is inferred by the title. Exiles. Gold has a past that she wants to forget, one that she believes is rooted in fear and has toughened her up. It boils down to mommy and daddy issues—the dad who raised her, not good at it and the mom leaving her with feelings of abandonment at a very young age. There’s a twist to this part of the story that I’m not going to reveal, but it’s the weakest link—for me. And the problem is that I get why the author chose it theme-wise. The choice makes real sense. Reality wise, it’s a move that is hard for me to believe a smart parent would make, and Gold’s mom seems to be a smart parent. And I know, my definition of smart parenting is personal and probably skewed, but I could not get past this one. A smart parent would NOT do this.

But I get the author’s choice. It serves a specific purpose that fits an emotional framework made of guilt and the suffocating feeling that self-exile induces.

I generally enjoyed this read though, and it’s a fast one. It adds to the vast number of science fiction classics that pose the serious pros and cons of a world that is heavily reliant on artificial intelligence. Find the book HERE or at your favorite book retailer. 

New Year New Reviews — 1st of the year — Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Cover photo courtesy of
Harper Books
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Pyramids is a story about a society of people who cling to their old habits and traditions to the point of endangering their own existence. It’s about resisting the change that stagnates the progress of a new generation with new ideas. I feel like I’m butchering this basic summary: it sounded much better in my head when I was in the shower. Now, I’m scrambling to paraphrase.

Of course, this conclusion makes it sound like this is a dire story with dire consequences for its characters. But it’s Pratchett, so he makes the foreboding atmosphere lighthearted and fun. I was amused by this entry into Pratchett’s Discworld series, as much as I have been with all of the ones I have read so far. Teppic is the son of a king in a kingdom called Djelibeybi, that shares a lot of similarities with our ancient Egypt and its neighbors. But Teppic is sent away to get an education in assassin school — until the king passes, and Teppic is called home to rule.

He doesn’t want to, though. He finds their traditions outdated, and as king, he finds himself with no control. The kingdom is really ruled by the high priests with their beliefs and traditions. Even his ghost father agrees, as he helplessly tries to communicate with Teppic to tell him that he doesn’t want to be buried in the biggest pyramid in the kingdom.

Enter the pyramid architects, who wind up messing with the space/time continuum in their attempt to construct the biggest pyramid in history using quantum theories they don’t quite understand. It threatens the very existence of the kingdom, and Teppic finds himself struggling to save it after his initial attempt to escape it. There’s also a handmaiden he finds is necessary to try and save, and a camel who views his entire existence through mathematic precision.

Yes, that’s the plot… You don’t need to fully understand it to enjoy it. But eventually we see that Pratchett’s theme is about the need to let go of the old ways if we don’t want to get swallowed up into the past. At this point, I decided that this 3+ star story was deserving of a solid 4.

Now go find yourself a Terry Pratchett book. I promise that it’s good for you. Much better than what you'll find in the current news cycle these days.

First Review of 2023 and why that's kinda, sorta a lie

Hello Everyone, and Happy 2023! Seriously, let's make Happy happen. I am posting a review here of a book that I read and technically reviewed back in November. But I neglected to post the review here because, you know. Busyness. Is that even a word? I don't care. Because my first blog post of the year is here and done, and that makes me happy. 

So, here it is, The Delve by Dan Fitzgerald... Get ready for some fantasy, TTRPG action romance, because that's what this book is all about. It's a niche audience for sure. But then again, so is horror. So, here's the review:

Well written on multiple levels. 

First, I need to disclose up front that this is not a book I would normally read. I like some fantasy, but I’m not a regular reader of TT/LitRPG or Erotica in general, so I’m not the best audience. But I see a request for ARC reads in the social media reader community, and I sometimes pay it forward with an honest review. Plus, it’s good to pick something up that’s out of your comfort zone once in a while. You never know, you might find a real gem. 

So, the Delve takes us to a world populated by races of furry beings known as the Maer and the Timon who are at war with the hairless skinf*ckers known as humans. It’s a traditional fantasy world full of medieval battles, dragons and sci-fi tech, and our heroes are tasked with a mission to see what’s going down at a brightstone mine gone dark and run by the Timon. 

Author Fitzgerald gets right into the action with our Maer heroes Ygland, Ardo and Aene who are confronted by dragon like monsters and their ultimate foes, a band of humans led by a mage intent on sabotage. They eventually meet up with Skiti and Laanda, two major characters representing the Timon. Laanda is the Timon queen and a worthy warrior to boot. 

The action sequences are a strong point in this story. Also, strong pacing, and well defined characters. Each character is distinct in personality, and they work well together as a team. There is conflict between the ways of the Maer and the Timon that creates adequate dramatic tension. 

Author Fitzgerald warns us at the start that the sex scenes in this story are graphic. And yes, he gets pretty detailed. The knight Ygland and his squire Ardo have a dominant/submissive relationship, and they express their physical affection for each other often. I’m not a huge fan of erotica, but in the context of their characters and their relationship, showing it to some degree makes sense. I was convinced of their true feelings for each other. 

There are also a couple of bondage scenes in other relationships. For me, they didn’t always feel necessary to the plot, but then again I’m not a huge fan of erotica. Also keep in mind that nothing in terms of the sexual activities of the characters was ever non consensual. Still, I wasn’t fully convinced of the attraction between some of the characters that led to the sex, in particular, one character’s attraction to a villain based on eye contact. I wasn’t convinced of the almost immediate level of trust between the two, considering the villain's crimes. 

The Delve itself represents the character Igland's quest to be heralded as a proper knight and hero before being put to rest in an almost sacrificial way by his people. He's all about tradition until the time comes when he understands the real sacrifices he’s making by upholding those traditions. There’s a worthwhile love story at the heart of the decisions he needs to make, and yet it doesn’t deter from the action of the delve itself. 

I was confused by a couple of tangents at the bitter end of the story that felt more relevant to our own recent events rather than what was going on in the actual story. But they were minor. The Delve is a solid read, great world building and character building, and plenty of erotica for the fan of it.