Raising Caine by Charles E. Gannon |
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Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam series is my favourite example of cli-fi. It takes place on an Earth that has slipped under the control of a global corporation that has managed to gain power through the questionable use of genetic modification and engineering. In the first installment, Oryx and Crake, the story is told through Jimmy's eyes, and we get glimpses of the past and the present. In the present, he is a wild man and, as far he knows, the only remaining human being in the wake of a disastrous plague. The flashes to the past show us how things turned out that way, largely at the hands of Jimmy's best friend Crake. The sequel, The Year of the Flood, is written in the same manner (past and present), but gives us the perspective of a few characters. In the present, we meet a few other plague survivors in the pursuit of staying alive and finding other living humans. In the past, we get a grittier look at Atwood's world before the plague, centered largely around a religious cult-like group called God's Gardener's. The two novels end at the same point, and the finale, MaddAddam picks up right where they leave off. This series is extremely gripping, and Atwood has crafted a world that is at the same time all too recognizable and totally incomprehensible. I've read this series several times, and each time I pick up on some new nuance or clever connection that I didn't grasp before. Together, these books work as an excellent introduction into the genre of cli-fi.
In Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingslover, Delorobia Turnbrow has found herself in a loveless marriage brought on by a teenage pregnancy. To compensate, she enters into an affair, and while on her way to meet her lover, discovers that a forest behind her farm is completely covered with millions 
In Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, "Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen’s Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok’s street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history’s lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe." - publisher
Bacigalupi touches on the topic of climate change again, this time taking the water crisis in the American South West to the extreme in The Water Knife. "In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, detective, leg-breaker, assassin and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel “cuts” water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet, while the poor get nothing but dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in drought-ravaged Phoenix, Angel is sent to investigate. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with no love for Vegas and every reason to hate Angel, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas refugee who survives by her wits and street smarts in a city that despises everything that she represents. With bodies piling up, bullets flying, and Phoenix teetering on collapse, it seems like California is making a power play to monopolize the life-giving flow of a river. For Angel, Lucy, and Maria time is running out and their only hope for survival rests in each other’s hands. But when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only thing for certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink." - publisher
"In the early 1900s, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener was better known for his high-risk scientific expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic than his theory of continental drift, which people thought ridiculous. With an Arts Council of England Writer's Award, Dudman (author of the children's novel Edge of Danger) wrote this fictionalized account of those grueling treks, during which Wegener's careful observation of icebergs and glaciers first led him to suspect that the earth's crust is fluid.
"Songwriters from Bob Dylan to Paul Simon have long extolled the virtues of weather reports as being the only legitimate source of usable news. So motivated, neophyte weatherman Taylor Wakefield begins incorporating incriminating tidbits concerning a decades-old unsolved murder into his regular weather segments on Montgomery's low-budget and funky local news program. He's a man with a mission: as a child, Taylor witnessed his hell-raising cousin, Billy, kill a man. Now a newly reformed, born-again Christian running for Alabama attorney general, Billy isn't about to let little things like truth, justice, or family ties stand in his way. When Billy frames an innocent man for the murder he once committed, Taylor takes to the airwaves to reveal his cousin's past. The weatherman is about to encounter a hurricane named Billy, as his cousin reacts with deadly violence. Tempering his murder mystery with a droll and subtle humor, McCown crafts a delicious allegory about the desire for social responsibility versus the need for self-preservation." - Booklist
"Legend says that in the early days of his career, Dan Rather was catapulted to network fame after being battered on-air by a hurricane hitting the Texas coast, so when category 5 hurricane Isabel threatens Bentleyville, North Carolina, local weatherman Lucas Prouty hopes lightning will strike twice. The killer storm does more than that. As cameras roll and millions of viewers nationwide watch, Prouty is swept away. The search for his body captivates the country and garners the attention of network brass. When he's found, alive, nine days later, Prouty is immediately offered a seven-figure salaried spot on national TV. Move over, Dan; here comes Lucas. In a clear case of be careful what you wish for, however, Prouty's dream-come-true turns into a professional and personal nightmare. To his credit, Jaffe avoids painting Prouty as just another goofy weather guy in a bad sports coat. Instead, Lucas is everyman ever caught in a moral dilemma and needing a little help from above, even if it is of hurricane force." - Booklist
"Evans and Jameson's engrossing third weather thriller (after Frozen Fire) features cutting-edge science and a globe-threatening attack that reads like tomorrow's terrifying headlines. Greg Simpson heads the Terrestrial Energy Southern Land Array (TESLA), a weather station in East Antarctica, where a detachment of dedicated scientists not only monitor global atmospheric conditions but actively create weather for their parent company, Flint AgroChemical, and, covertly, for the U.S. military. Because Greg has become somewhat erratic, Flint has decided to replace him with brilliant researcher Tess Beauchamp, a decision that sends Greg completely off the deep end, causing him to initiate a sequence of programmed weather disasters that leave millions dead. Tess and her stalwart crew of scientists, cut off from all help, must figure out how to disable Greg's plan if they're to save the planet. Weather wonks will be in heaven." - Publishers' Weekly
Happy Groundhog Day! As many people know, today is the day we wait to see whether or not the groundhog sees its shadow. Tradition says winter will continue for six more weeks if so. If you want to keep track here in Nova Scotia, you'll be happy to know that Shubenacadie Sam has his own Twitter account AND a live webcam.
All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka is sci-fi graphic novel adapation of his original Japanese novel by the same name. The book's English translation was re-titled Edge of Tomorrow to accompany the successful film adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. In the original story, soldier Keiji Kiriya dies during battle only to wake up again and again on the same fateful day. During a seemingly endless war, he eventually notices a fellow soldier Rita who understands the situation he's in. Together they must figure out how to survive the alien attacks. The book is darker and grittier than the movie. 
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North is about a man named Harry who is reborn
over and over again in the same time and place, and is able to remember
his past lives in incredible detail. Although he finds it difficult for
the first few lives, Harry eventually comes to terms with his condition
and even finds others like him - until one day, he receives a warning
on his deathbed. A girl appears and tells him the end of the world is
near. The author hits on some big themes about the meaning of life and
the consequences of of altering the course of events. This is a great
and twisty read. 
Replay by Ken Grimwood won the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. It follows a man named Jeff Winston, who dies of a heart attack only to awake as his 18-year-old self. He lives his adult life over and over again, and discovers that making difference choices has deep consequences for his life. How would you navigate a world where you know what's going to happen? Would you make the same choices you made in the past? And how much control do we really have? This book will make you consider your life in a new light.
For 35 years the Aurora awards have been given out for Canadian literary
and fan works that members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy
Association (CSFFA) feel are exceptional.
"What would you risk for family? In the second installment of
Night’s Edge, Bannan Larmensu, the truthseer who won Jenn Nalynn’s
heart, learns his brother-in-law was sent as a peace envoy to Channen,
capitol of the mysterious domain of Mellynne, and has disappeared. When
Bannan’s young nephews arrive in Marrowdell, he fears the worst, that
his sister, the fiery Lila, has gone in search of her husband, leaving
her sons in his care. The law forbids Bannan from leaving
Marrowdell and travelling to Mellynne to help his sister. In this world.
As a turn-born, Jenn Nalynn has the power to cross into the magical
realm of the Verge, and take Bannan with her. Once there, they could
find a way into Mellynne. If they survive. The Verge is wild and
deadly, alive with strange magic. Dragons roar and kruar wait in ambush,
and the powerful turn-born who care for their world do not care for
Jenn Nalynn. She’s willing to try. Wisp and Scourge -- and the house toads -- offer their help. But
what none of them know is that magic is rife in Channen, magic that
flows from the Verge itself. And not even a turn-born will be safe
there." publisher 
"At the end of Over My Head , Josh has propelled himself into
the Otherworld where he believes his former girlfriend Elzie is in
imminent danger. He leaves behind his closest friends: Marina, whose
fledgling romance with Theo is increasingly complicated by her
undeniable feelings for Josh, and Des, who is trying to figure out his
own role amongst his Wildling friends. In this unpredictable world a
side-step from our own, Josh discovers more about the awesome power he
holds within, as he deals with hostility from certain animal clans and
elders. Back in Santa Feliz his friends are facing a huge anti-Wildling
rally that threatens all Wildling teens with segregation and
incarceration. In the most tense and perilous of circumstances in both
worlds, Josh and his friends must rely on each other’s love, ingenuity
and loyalty to survive." publisher
"When seventeen-year-old Toby McGonigal finds himself lost in space,
separated from his family, he expects his next drift into cold sleep to
be his last. After all, the planet he's orbiting is frozen and sunless,
and the cities are dead. But when Toby wakes again, he's surprised to
discover a thriving planet, a strange and prosperous galaxy, and
something stranger still—that he's been asleep for 14,000 years. Welcome
to the Lockstep Empire, where civilization is kept alive by careful
hibernation. Here cold sleeps can last decades and waking moments mere
weeks. Its citizens survive for millennia, traveling asleep on long
voyages between worlds. Not only is Lockstep the new center of the
galaxy, but Toby is shocked to learn that the Empire is still ruled by
its founding family: his own. Toby's brother Peter has become a
terrible tyrant. Suspicious of the return of his long-lost brother,
whose rightful inheritance also controls the lockstep hibernation
cycles, Peter sees Toby as a threat to his regime. Now, with the help of
a lockstep girl named Corva, Toby must survive the forces of this new
Empire, outwit his siblings, and save human civilization. Karl Schroeder's Lockstep is a grand innovation in hard Science Fiction space opera." publisher
Stephen King has woven his spell over time in his latest novel 11/22/63 (M). For those not familiar with this infamous date in American history, it is the date on which John F. Kennedy was assassinated. King writes a page turner in which a time traveler goes back to the 50's and early 60's to try to prevent this assault.
The Time Traveler's Wife (M) by Audrey Niffenegger is a heartwarming book that switches between future and past. This lovely novel will sweep you away into the world of Henry De Tamble and his wife Clare Anne Abshire. Henry has a rare medical disease called Chrono-Displacement disease. He begins his time traveling at the age of five. Where and when he time travels is beyond his control, yet he mostly travels to places and times within his own life. It is during one of these trips that he first meets Clare. Interestingly, this meeting is at a point in time when she is still a child but he is an adult. I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to romance, but even I shed a tear or two reading this novel. Perhaps you will too.
There has been so much hoopla in the past year or so about space.
Chris Hadfield made astronauts seem like as popular as rock stars. Hey, he even sang in space. Richard Branson’s Virgin Air has made it possible for “ordinary” people to go into space. I have heard a lot about blood moons, lunar eclipses and of course Mars. There has long been a fascination about the red plant and these books prove it. 
Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction short story collection by Ray Bradbury. It chronicles the colonization of Mars and the conflict between the aboriginal Martians and the new colonists. Bradbury took Edgar Rice Burrough’s of John Carter of Mars series and Harold Foster’s Tarzan cartoons as inspiration. I always found it interesting how forward thinking Bradbury was. In the short story, --And the Moon Be Still as Bright.” a character states “we Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things” in response to another character’s polluting the environment. This novel has been made into an opera, adapted for radio, television and even graphic novel. What I found interesting is that it has not been made into a movie, except in Russia!
Orson Wells and The Mercury Theatre are famous for the “night that panicked America” when broadcasting a radio drama of
H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds. The novel was serialized in 1887 and the hardcover edition published in 1889 by William Heinemann. It is one of the earliest stories of man versus extraterrestrials. it has gone on to inspire countless works from movies, radio drama, a record album (which I love), comic books, television, etc. It even inspired Robert Goddard to invent a liquid fueled rocket and multistage rocket, which helped Apollo 11’s moon landing!. 
Martian War: a Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion as Reported by H.G. Wells by Kevin J. Anderson (under the pseudonym Gabriel Mesta) uses many of the themes in The War of the Worlds. But what if the events were not Well’s imagination! Wells in the main character in this novel, who along with his fiancée Jane, Thomas Huxley and Percival Lowell, witness the Martian attack. By combining fictional and historical people, Anderson’s version brings a bit of believability to the tale – or at least for the conspiracy people. He also injects other Well’s characters, such as Doctor Moreau from The Island of Doctor Moreau. All in all, the novel is wonderful Steampunk novel going at full force.
The Martian by Andy Weir has received rave reviews both as a film and as a novel. Weir originally self-published it as serial e-book in 2011, releasing one chapter at a time. The Kindle edition sold 35,000 copies in three months. Crown Publishing purchased the print rights in March 2013 for over $100,000. It débuts on the New York Times Best seller list in March, 2014 at 12th position. Among the many starred reviews Publishers Weekly said that “Weir laces the technical details with enough keen wit to satisfy hard science fiction fan and general reader alike.” Amazing Stories commented “…will leave you breathless as if you’d been dropped on the Martian surface without a suit.”
On Twitter, someone recently asked, “If you could drop everything to read one book right now, which would it be?” My answer is undoubtedly The Dark Forest, the second in Cixin Liu’s Three-Body Trilogy. Since finishing The Three-Body Problem two weeks ago, I’ve been hungry for the next book to get here, whetting my appetite by constantly recommending the first book to my sci-fi loving family and friends.
The novel opens against the backdrop of China’s cultural revolution as Ye Wenjie watches militant student revolutionaries interrogate and kill her professor father. While the full impact of this formative experience remains unclear until near the end of the book, the immediate aftermath finds Wenjie searching for her place in a new China, unsure of who she is or whom to trust.
If you’re looking for more engrossing science fiction books, but would like something a touch more accessible, try Andy Weir’s The Martian. I dare you not to read this book in a day, and as a special treat, the much-anticipated movie adaptation opens this weekend!
Armada by Ernest Cline caught my eye because of one word - Nerdtastic. Such a novel would fulfill the reading needs of so many people in my life that I'm going to have to break out of my usual mode of reading - give this one a go - and pass it around. What makes it Nerdtastic? Booklist says, "Cline presents Zack Lightman, a teen with anger issues obsessed with his
late father, who left behind some rocking mixed tapes and notebooks
delineating a wild conspiracy theory about the truth embedded in popular
science fiction novels, movies, and videogames. When Zack looks out a
school window and sees an alien spacecraft just like those he shoots
down so decisively while playing the online alien-invaders videogame,
Armada (he's ranked sixth best player in the world), he fears he's
losing his mind. Readers, however, will feel confident that they're in
for another hard-charging adventure that blasts open the barrier between
the actual and the virtual. And indeed, Cline once again brings
crackling humor and fanboy knowledge to a zesty, crowd-pleasing,
countdown-clock, save-the-planet tale featuring an unlikely hero,
adrenaline-pumping action, gawky romance, and touching family moments"
Constellation Games: a space opera soap opera by Leonard Richardson features an almost thirty year old who is using his programming skills to create pony themed video games for the under 10 set, while occupying his under-occupied mind with the video games of his youth. When the aliens come, he finds he has the skills necessary for first contact.
Scott Pilgrim is described as a dopey, yet content slacker. Early 20s, chastely dating a teenager, bassist in a band who finds himself drawn into a fantastical adventure involving supernatural martial arts duel and many more adventures and the series unfolds.
Science fiction and international intrigue meet in
Walter Jon Williams' This is Not a Game features four partners in a video game company based in Indonesia who find themselves in trouble in the midst of a revolution. When one of their party is murdered, the rest must rely on their skills and the help of millions of online gamers to track down the killer.
The story of The
Martian’s publication is pretty inspiring unto itself. Author Andy Weir
researched and wrote the book out of a love of science and space exploration,
but disheartened by the publishing process, he decided to self-publish the book
on his website, releasing it one chapter at a time back in 2011. After an
initial outpouring of support from fans, Weir released the full version as an
ebook via Amazon. The book’s success and positive reviews grew to the point
that Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-released a print version in
2014. Now a bestseller and a critical favourite of 2014, the film adaptation
starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain will premiere next month at the
Toronto International Film Festival.
If you'd like another book chronicling the triumph of spirit and ingenuity over insurmountable odds, try Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. When a billionaire video game pioneer dies, he leaves his fortune to whomever can complete a quest hidden in his most famous creation. Three teenagers team up to finish the quest, facing off against an evil corporation who wants to monetize the game for themselves. Primarily written for young adults, Ready Player One can be frustrating in the homogeneity of its character types but contains exhilarating twists and thrills as the protagonists fail and succeed in their turn.
"Area
X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature
has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization, and the
government is involved in sending secret missions to explore Area X. The
first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape;
all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third
expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one
another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of
their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of
aggressive cancer. Annihilation opens with the twelfth expedition. The
group is composed of four women, including our narrator, a biologist.
Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all
of their observations, scientific and otherwise; and, above all, to
avoid succumbing to the unpredictable effects of Area X itself." publisher |
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The Peripheral by William Gibson |
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The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison |
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Half a King by Joe Abercrombie |
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