An omnibus of three novels and two collections, the first two forming a sequence. The majority of these are very good.
Aftermath
Starfire
The Mind Pool
Hidden Variables
Georgia on My Mind and Other Places
An unexpected supernova in the nearby stellar vicinity does very bad things to lots of the Earth.
The USA is one of the less worse off areas, if you want to put it that way, so they are looking to spearhead the recovery effort, especially when they learn more bad news is on the way.
The book, however, opens with the strange sentencing of a serial killer to ‘judicial sleep’ a sort of combination execution and cheap life sentence – e.g. not actually killing them immediately directly, but presumably lowering the housing the prisoner costs.
A priest comes to him with a deal.
Then in the Aftermath scenario there are Mars mission survivors, some crazies, survivalists and everybody else trying to survive.
Just about a 3.5, and apparently with a sequel that I’d guess might be more interesting.
3.5 out of 5
A double mystery.
A couple of decades or so after Aftermath, Cecilia Tanaka is US President, and the space shield project is behind schedule. Other people also want its chief engineer.
A series of murders are also taking place in Sky City. No one can solve them, so Argos sends troubleshooters on both accounts – the engineer and to solve the murders.
The latter requires using Oliver Guest as a Mycroft Holmes type consultant to attempt to solve it. The only problem is this serial killer with his clone family is agoraphobic and acrophobic and won’t go into space.
Given the clues in the book it is likely you will solve the murder mystery when Oliver does – however, they don’t reveal it until the end, as is usual, and when they can prove it.
More interesting is the mystery of why a particle storm is heading Earth’s way, and why there was an Alpha Centauri supernova – and can they really quickly adapt their defenses to changing conditions.
A good book, and certainly better than the first.
4 out of 5
An artificial intelligence escapes its creators, and has its own plans for what it wants to do, and it seems it is happy to be violent to get them done.
A group of alien races work together, including humans, but have different political factions, with different ideas on how to deal with this. They decide to put a cross-race team together to handle it, but political infighting continues while these teams train for their mission.
One of the members of this team is a retarded young man who undergoes treatment to bring him to normal intelligence and usefulness.
3.5 out of 5
A collection of mostly good science fiction stories.
Hidden Variables : The Man Who Stole The Moon - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : The Deimos Plague - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Forefather Figure - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Moment Of Inertia - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : The New Physics: The Speed Of Lightness Curved Space And Other Heresies - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : From Natural Causes - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Legacy - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : The Softest Hammer - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Hidden Variable - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : A Certain Place In History - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : All The Colors Of The Vacuum - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Perfectly Safe Nothing To Worry About - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : Summertide - Charles Sheffield
Hidden Variables : The Marriage Of True Minds - Charles Sheffield
Agreement, with Lungfish crime.
3.5 out of 5
Beggar-priest pig ride not lousy, luckily.
3.5 out of 5
Consciousness transfer.
3.5 out of 5
Lack of crushing bloody experience.
3.5 out of 5
Definitely round.
3 out of 5
Garden murder push.
3 out of 5
A few monsters for Bey Wolf.
3.5 out of 5
Slippery water.
3.5 out of 5
Escape deal.
3.5 out of 5
Space warp find.
3.5 out of 5
Zero point equation twelve brain Ark meeting.
3.5 out of 5
Pintonite pass.
3 out of 5
Runaway girls split permanently.
3.5 out of 5
Empress, butler, pig.
3 out of 5
4 out of 5
At 3.57 a very good science fiction collection with several strong stories. The obvious standout is the finaly entry and title story. Charles Sheffield is generally a joy to read. I have wanted to read this one for some time, so was amazed when Phoenix Pick made it available. Thanks! Check them out and sign up to their newsletter.
Georgia On My Mind : The Feynman Saltation – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : The Bee’s Kiss – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Millennium – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Fifteen-Love On The Dead Man’S Chest – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Deep Safari – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Beyond The Golden Road – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Health Care System – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Humanity Test – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : That Strain Again… – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Destroyer Of Worlds – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : The Fifteenth Station Of The Cross – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Trapalanda – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Obsolete Skill – Charles Sheffield
Georgia On My Mind : Georgia On My Mind – Charles Sheffield
Cancer brain paleo art.
3.5 out of 5
Voyeur Sigil penetration testing.
4 out of 5
Which Judgement Day?
3 out of 5
Immortality serum really more of a big dumper.
3.5 out of 5
Hunting a nanodoc Impossible Voyage.
3.5 out of 5
A witch woman and a new Khan son, with knowledge.
3.5 out of 5
Miriam’s old money survival.
3.5 out of 5
Schimmie chip save man execution testimony.
4 out of 5
Vega Earth infiection.
3 out of 5
Ecosphere stamping out.
3.5 out of 5
Old Earth ruler Chronoclast blood treatment.
3.5 out of 5
Secret installation hunting can get really old.
4 out of 5
Fan revival biography.
3 out of 5
Analytical Engine kiwi discovery.
4.5 out of 5
4 out of 5
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