Tower of Glass by Robert Silverberg

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 Excellent read. It has hints of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? there are androids in this society, along with a fascinating central character developing an interesting philosophy around the nature of life and some obscure motivations to communicate with the stars. That said, this novel is very different from Do Androids…? in almost every other respect. 

It is very well written, with two or three interwoven subplots that gradually come together to form a layered, thematic narrative. At its heart, the novel is concerned with what it means to be human, while also exploring religion, the morality of slavery, family, and the complexities of human relationships. 

I picked this up expecting a message-from-the-stars/first-contact story. While those themes are present, they remain in the background. At first, I thought that might be a problem, but Silverberg’s much more character-driven story in the foreground was so compelling that I simply couldn’t stop reading. Recommend.

Engines of God by Jack McDevitt

🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 Great fun. Fast read (528 pages!). Gripping story. The kind of writing that sticks you to the book and does not allow you to move until you have finished the chapter, or the book. This is the perfect book to get anyone out of a reading slump. Not that I was on a reading slump but it renewed my inspiration and hunger for more SF. 

Now, this is not a masterwork of SF literature. It isn't very profound on its exploration of philosophical themes or anything like that. But it deals with some interesting topics such as ancient, alien civilisations, space archaeology, and alien languages, which I found fascinating. 

Recommend.

Another End by Vincent King

👍👍👍👍👍 It was the first paragraph of the blurb, along with the weird cover art, that convinced me to pick up this book and give it a read. I’m very glad I did. 

I love stories that stretch across space and time, stories so vast that they seem to reach all the way to the edges of the universe. This novel is exactly that kind of story. 

It follows one human protagonist and an AI/probe/starship as they travel, and travel… and travel, searching for life. But after hundreds of thousands of years, they still haven’t found any. 

The atmosphere Vincent King creates is absolutely perfect. There’s a profound sense of solitude, frustration, claustrophobia, and resignation. A feeling of having wasted a life, or perhaps hundreds of lives. The pilot and the probe continue to wander the universe, driven by their original directives, long after those directives have ceased to make any real sense. This is the first part of the novel, and I loved the bleak, existential mood of it. 

Then the second part takes a complete 180 degree turn and goes completely mad. 

A new character appears and causes all sorts of trouble. I won’t say more because of spoilers, but suffice it to say that this is one of the weirdest and maddest characters I’ve come across in a novel. 

Strange, bleak, enormous, and completely bizarre in the best possible way. Read it.

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was published in 1952. It’s a short book at just 186 pages, but not a quick read. 

The story follows an advertising executive who is tasked with creating a marketing campaign to convince people to emigrate to Venus. Obviously, we know Venus is an uninhabitable hellscape, but in this world, nobody seems to know that. 

The executive comes from a wealthy, privileged class, while the people he is trying to persuade to move to Venus are at the very bottom of society. He knows very little about them and is genuinely surprised when things don’t go according to plan. As the story progresses, he is forced to confront the reality of his “customers” and, ultimately, the world outside his privileged bubble. 

What I found less appealing was that the focus wasn’t really Venus, but Earth and its political and social situation. The novel explores themes such as consumerism, corporate power and advertising. To be honest, these aren’t my favourite subjects to read about, which is probably why I had to make a bit of an effort to finish it.

hat I enjoyed, though, was the protagonist’s struggle and the realisation he came to. He became more human and, as a result, less annoying. I also found the ending a bit surprising. Not a happy ending but satisfying. A redemption of sorts.

Eden by Stanisław Lem

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ Lem is a great writer. Not only are the plots and characters interesting, but his novels are also packed with so much food for thought. People often say that one of Lem’s main concerns is the nature of knowledge, and the search for it, and if you read this book with that in mind, there’s a lot to take away. 

Eden reminded me of The Invincible (by Lem too), in that both stories involve a spaceship landing/crashing on a strange planet and trying to understand what they encounter. But in both cases, the characters inevitably try to make sense of the unknown through their own human paradigms and assumptions, which is precisely where things become so interesting.

Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nice, quick read. As far as I understand, it's one of the foundational Generation Ship stories. First published as 2 short stories in the 1940s, it was published as a novel in 1963. 

I found myself quite immersed in the world of the book. A world where people have forgotten where they came from and where they are going. Society has decayed and become stratified into upper and lower classes. Although the novel depicts events in the future, I often had the impression that I was reading about 19th-century people. At times, I found myself imagining the generation ship as an old fashioned pirate ship. The problem with this was I had to make an effort to believe they were travelling in deep space. 

Anyways, I recommend this novel as a window into how the concept of generation ships has developed and changed over the decades.

The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke

🤎🤎🤎💕 This isn’t one of Clarke’s masterpieces, but it was gripping and fun to read. I really enjoyed the plot: a writer travelling to Mars, what he learns on the journey to the Red Planet, and what he discovers once he gets there. I found the characters human and believable, capable of developing relationships and empathy—up to a certain extent, obviously. There is science and technology, which are fun to read about. Like using Typewriter and paper on the spaceship. This isn’t a novel of big ideas. Actually, I didn’t find the big reveal, mindblowing or a "big reveal" at all. It was an enjoyable and engaging read. Recommend.

The Listeners by James Gunn

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book! A Message from Space novel and a classic from 1972. 

Obviously, the story follows a group of scientists, primarily the protagonist Robert MacDonald, as they detect a signal coming from Capella, attempt to decipher it, and eventually uncover the message and its effects on both the scientists and humanity more broadly. 

The novel has a dual emphasis: on the message itself and the situation we can infer exists in the alien world, but also on the philosophical and psychological implications for humanity. At times, Gunn effectively places the two worlds side by side. Two sister worlds separated by light years, vastly different from one another yet strangely similar at the same time. Considering that earth had been broadcasting tv/radio signals for decades (thats how they know about us!) we can take both "messages" (alien and earth's) as cultural imprints and archaeological records from both sides. 

I liked Gunn's writing. It's definitely a product of its time in places, but it never felt stiff or difficult to read. There was some character development, and I particularly appreciated the attention given to the social and political consequences of the discovery. It made the novel feel like more than simply a story about making contact with an alien civilisation; it was also an exploration of what that contact might reveal about ourselves. Recommend.

To your scattered bodies go by Philip José Farmer

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved the premise. The opening and ending are good, but the middle section dragged. The beginning is full of intriguing science fiction mystery. You can't help but wonder whether these people are on another planet, living in a habitat, trapped in a simulation, or existing in another dimension. The novel builds the expectation that these mysteries will be gradually and satisfyingly revealed. Instead, the story spends most of its time following the characters as they attempt to organise themselves and survive in what feels like a Paleolithic world. I found most of the cast, including the protagonist, Sir Richard Burton, fairly uninteresting. The book doesn't offer meaningful clues about where they are or why they're there until the final quarter, and even then I didn't find the revelations especially science fictional. I didn't dislike the book, but I found it a rather dull reading experience overall. I was hoping for much more science fiction and much less survival.

The Ship who Sang by Anne Mccaffrey

👍👍👍 An OK book for me. I loved the premise. A human brain attached to a spaceship. Initially it did sound a bit strange to me. However as I read the first chapter, the idea made me feel unsettled at times as the brain came from a new born but malformed baby. It also felt claustrophobic thinking of a brain trapped inside a titanium case inside an enormous spaceship. Incapable of walking or scratching it's nose but capable of moving at high speeds and observe things through several sensors across it's "body". 

This book includes 6 stories which work as episodes or adventures. The first story follows the birth and rebirth of Helva, the protagonist, and it was my favourite of the collection. The remaining stories revolve around a series of missions, with Helva travelling to different planets, transporting passengers, and eventually finding a human partner to accompany her on her journeys. I felt the science fiction elements often took a back seat to Helva's coming-of-age story, her search for identity, and her place in the world. There's nothing wrong with that, but it simply wasn't my cup of tea.

Planetes by Makoto Yukimura

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 A beautiful manga with a compelling story and unforgettable characters. It offers an inspiring portrayal of humanity taking its first steps into space exploration. More than just a science fiction adventure, it's a heartfelt slice of life journey filled with hope, hardship, triumph, failure, and every emotion in between.

On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

Also includes Consolation to Helvia and On Tranquillity of Mind. 

Extremely valuable messages, thought provoking, worth reading, for all ages, I guess the younger the better. I struggled with the writing style though, which at points felt like never endless stream of blah blah. I thought, if I had been there present with Seneca, I would have pressed pause, gone for a cold coffee, come back and press play again. More than once. It might have been the heat though 😁 

In On the Shortness of Life Seneca argues that Life isn't short but we waste it with distractions and worthless goals. In Consolation to Helvia, Seneca argues that philosophy helps find peace. In On the Tranquillity of Mind, Seneca explains how to achieve calmness through work and service. 

I guess my main takeaway from the three texts, is to do my best without letting stress take over, to accept both the good and the bad in life, to accept the universe as it is, and to remember that my job is to live well within it, not to wish it were different. Reading books definitely helps with this. It brings Tranquillity of Mind and gives meaning to my daily routine. 👍

The Andromeda Anthology (A for Andromeda and The Andromeda Breakthrough) by Fred Hoyle and John Elliot

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It's not perfect but I liked it a lot! 

A message arrives from space, and humanity manages to decode it. The message contains instructions for building a computer, and the novel follows the process of constructing it through multiple iterations, as well as the reactions of governments and other powerful groups. I was completely captivated by the central idea of what was being buil. It felt both original and fascinating. However, I was less impressed by the sections in which the main characters, mostly scientists, become involved in Cold War-style espionage. Those episodes distracted from what I found to be the novel's most compelling aspect: the extra-terrestrial message and its implications.

Mercury by Ben Bova

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fun read but not exactly what I expected. Half of the book takes place on Mercury and space, while the other half is set on earth before the events on Mercury. I really enjoyed the overall story but found the flashback chapters a bit anticlimactic compared to the main storline. Regardless, I recommend this novel. This is the kind of book you should read with popcorn :) ... and I plan to continue with the series.

We are electric. The New Science of our body's Electrome by Sally Adee

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book explains the role of electricity in our bodies. Apparently, 'bioelectricity' is higher than the genome in terms of priority and evolution. Electricity "predates nervous systems and even humanity itself" and "it is the most ancient thing about us." 

Bioelectricity exists in every cell in our bodies and performs a range of functions. For example "the bioelectric code is the reason you retain that same shape throughout your entire life; it prunes your dividing cells so you keep being recognisably you". Bioelectricity can control the ability to regrow anything we lose to injury or illness. 

Recent research has identified distinct bioelectrical properties in cancer cells that differ from those of healthy cells. Normal, mature cells typically maintain a voltage ranging from −50 mV to −90 mV, with each cell type exhibiting a characteristic voltage profile. In contrast, stem cells voltage is close to 0 mV and develop more negative, cell-specific voltages as they differentiate into specialized tissues. Cancer cells have also been observed to exhibit voltage closer to 0 mV, but unlike stem cells they refuse to grow. 

There are lots of interesting information in this book starting the history of electrical research, as well as discussions on how research on bioelectricity can evolve in the future, to treat disease or to enhance human capabilities. One limitation, however, is that it does not explore the underlying causes of the illnesses it discusses, making it difficult to assess whether manipulating bioelectricity alone could provide meaningful therapeutic benefits.

Metal Hurlant. Old Dreams, Young Visions

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 I really, really enjoyed this book (magazine?). It comes with several short stories by well known Classic, European artists (Moebius, Druillet, Dionnet, etc.). I loved the variety of styles and themes, all of them high quality. There are also a few articles about the history of the French Metal Hurlant and Humanoids. Really worth the money and time. 

I loved everything except Alan Moore’s article, which felt somewhat disconnected from the rest. To me, it seemed to lack the distinctive Metal Hurlant spirit. 

Recommend.

Moral AI and How we het there by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book has its highs and lows. I found some topics fascinating and engaging, while other sections were less compelling and I ended up skimming through them. The standout chapters for me were those on AI in the military, the Uber self-driving car accident, and kidney transplant cases. In these examples, the authors explore the capabilities of AI, particularly in situations where complex moral and ethical considerations play a role in decision-making.

Grain Brain. The surprising truth about Wheat, Carbs and Sugars - Your brain's silent killers by Dr David Perlmutter

Informative, easy to read and to the point. Explains the truths about some "healthy" foods that intoxicate and damage our health. It explains how our bodies can become insulin resistant and how from there we can get a series of chronic, degenerative diseases, some of which affect the brain: think anxiety, depression, ADHD, Parkinson's and dementia. Moreover, the author believes our brains are definitely sensitive to gluten, which carry a lot of health problems intersecting with insulin resistance. Most of these issues can be reversed or at least improved. We only need to stop eating grains, breads, pastas, etc. and start eating more saturated fats because that is what the brain needs to function and repair itself. Sugars/carbs are bad, cholesterol is good. 

Recommend.

Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling

👍👍👍 A cyberpunk novel without cyberspace. I found it a bit difficult to read, and while the reading experience itself wasn’t especially enjoyable (except from the final chapter) I’m still glad I read it. Chapter and chapter sections are fragmented and discontinuous with abrupt time jumps and with characters who randomly appear and disappear. The book offers a lot to think about though, particularly regarding posthumanism, evolution, and immortality. The protagonist, who survives across decades (even centuries) undergoes numerous cybernetic and genetic rejuvenation treatments. His natural biology is repeatedly altered, disrupting the normal ageing process and turning his life into a continual cycle of self-reconstruction aimed at extending his life. Yet despite these enhancements and renewals, there remains a persistent sense of physical decline and mental exhaustion accumulating over time. As his body and identity were repeatedly transformed, I wondered if he would still call himself human. There was much more in Schismatrix. The world building is interesting mainly based on politics, political factions, and war. The edition in the photo includes Schismatrix, the novel, and 5 short stories based in the same universe. I only read the novel.

Contrapaso. Mayores, con reparo by Teresa Valero.

(Contrapaso, elders, with reservations) 

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎 Beautiful, gripping. This is the second part following Contrapaso, the children of others. Part 2 does not disappoint. We meet again Leon Lenoir, Emilio Sanz and Paloma Rios, the main Journalists/Investigators. The story takes place in Madrid in October 1956, once again delving into the bleak and oppressive atmosphere of Franco’s dictatorship. The protagonists investigate a string of murders linked to the Spanish film industry. Both the artwork and the graphic storytelling are exceptional. Valero vividly transports the reader to 1950s Spain, fully immersing us in the analogue, pre-digital world of newspapers and police work. There is so much worth mentioning, but one standout character is Charo, the teenage daughter of a forensic doctor, who skips school to assist her father in examining murder scenes. 😎 

Perfect comic. 

Recommend.