Category Archives: science fiction

Book Review of “Dream Park” (1981)

dreampark

Cover art for “Dream Park” by Niven and Barnes

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

I had originally read Dream Park by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes in the early 1980s, not long after it was first published.

I decided to re-read it because I was looking for material from which to construct my one-on-one role playing games I play with my thirteen-year-old grandson.

Long story short, the novel was too involved for me to mine anything useful for what I had in mind. But having only a vague recollection of the book, the re-read was thoroughly enjoyable.

Imagine a future where role playing games have evolved with such sophistication, they can be played out live in a huge, high-tech amusement park. Games are big business because Dream Park, which puts a bunch of money into them to begin with, recoups its dough with movie, book, and other game deals based on the live-action game. The players must be in relatively good shape since, although lives are never lost and most of the danger is simulated, they must still withstand the stresses of “camping out” in a (simulated) wild environment for several days amounting to hard labor. There are also personal and professional reputations on the line.

Continue reading →

Does Every Single SciFi Story Absolutely Have to Have a Social Justice Theme?

social justiceIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

Addendum: May 26, 2022 The Bounding Into Comics story Batwoman Writers Room Gets Savaged After They Claim The CW’s Batwoman Should Only Receive Positive Feedback Because Of “Strides For Representation For Queer Black Women” (yes, it’s a terribly long title) maps pretty well with the expectation in certain corners that representation and social justice completely override any responsibility to write a good story.

I asked that question in the above referenced twitter conversation. I actually expected an answer since the people involved usually interact with me, but this time… “crickets.”

The topic is addressed more specifically in the blog post The enduring appeal of the last ditch attempt.

I’m going to assume that from the perspective of the people referenced (who I like) and the progressive element reading science fiction that all SciFi MUST have a social justice element and that it is totally expected.

But why?

Continue reading →

My Short Story “Fall of the Tower” Will Be In the SciFi Anthology “One-Way-Ticket”

announcement-jamesIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

The “One-Way-Ticket” anthology submission call from Starry Eyed Press, among other requirements, asked for a short story in the science fiction genre that in some way described a one-way journey.

As humanity anticipates the possibility of colonizing the Moon, Mars, or even planets outside our solar system, in at least the last two examples, the people making those trips may well never see the Earth again. Of course, there are all sorts of ways to imagine such a story. Here’s an example of mine:

Continue reading →

Read “The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret” for Free, It Now has Two 4-Star Review, Plus a Video

hauntingIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

“The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret” now has two 4-star review on Amazon.

Remember that for the month of May, I’m offering a free PDF copy of the story for anyone who asks. All I’m asking in return is for the reader to write an honest Amazon and goodreads review (you can copy and paste your Amazon review into goodreads). Use the Contact page to let me know (your email will not be visible)

Plus…

Continue reading →

Book Review of “OceanSpace”

oceanspaceIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

It wasn’t until I started reading Allen Steele’s 2000 novel OceanSpace that I realized I’d read it before, and probably not too long after it was originally published.

As I was reading certain scenes, I recalled having read them before. The saving grace was that I didn’t remember what came next, so it was usually a surprise until I got there.

Two-time Hugo winner Steele put a great amount of research into his writing as evidenced by extensive list of sources at the back of the book. I’m also a sucker for diagrams and Steele’s invention of the sea platform Tethys 1 and 2 were great.

Continue reading →

First 4-Star Review of “Ginger’s Regret” on Amazon, Plus Read My Story for FREE!

hauntingIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

“The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret” got it’s first four-star review on Amazon. I’m pretty happy with it but any honest review is appreciated.

Remember that for the month of May, I’m offering a free PDF copy of the story for anyone who asks. All I’m asking in return is for the reader to write an honest Amazon and goodreads review (you can copy and paste your Amazon review into goodreads).

Someone on Facebook mentioned this story too and I’m pasting his review below:

Continue reading →

Read “The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret” for Free

hauntingIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

As I’ve already announced, my latest novelette, “The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret,” a 224-verse book, is now available at Amazon for a mere 99 cents. However, since it’s the first of a new month, and since I’m trying to promote my book and the 224-verse and its books in general, I’m making you an offer. Yes, you.

Continue reading →

My Novelette “The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret” is Available Now!

hauntingIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

My novelette The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret, A 224-Verse Story, is now available from Amazon for download to your Kindle device. It’s published by Starry Eyed Press which also published my other (so far) 224-Verse novella The Fallen Shall Rise.

While both “Haunting” and “Fallen” exist in the same universe, the Andromeda galaxy is vast, plus the events they chronicle are likely hundreds or thousands of years apart, so the tales are unrelated.

Here’s the Amazon blurb for “The Haunting of the Ginger’s Regret:”

Continue reading →

Film Review of “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021)

resIf you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

I just finished watching The Matrix Resurrections (2021). I found it in the “new movies” DVD section at my local public library, so renting it costs me nothing. Watching it cost me time (2 hours and 28 minutes) which I’ll never get back.

First of all, I went in with not great expectations. Actually, I didn’t know what to expect.

What I found was that for the first half to two-thirds of the film, I toggled back and forth between interest and boredom.

I probably missed a lot of references to the previous trilogy. While I’ve watched the original The Matrix (1999) dozens of times, I’ve only watched the two sequels one time each. I wasn’t particularly impressed and didn’t see the need to re-watch them, let alone buy the movies.

Continue reading →