ThatBookIsOnFiyah

4/5 stars. A coming-of-age story about a young man’s search for his own identity amidst the Railsea and a mole train. The Railsea is a vast expanse of railway lines that support the mole trains. These trains hunt giant moles called Moldywarpes for food. The early part of this book is reminiscent of Moby Dick, as the trains are attacking the moles, and as we learn that every mole train captain has his/her own ‘philosophy’ – the hunt for that one mole that got away. The description and prose contained in this novel are exquisite. Mieville is a master wordsmith. I learned, after I was about halfway through the book, that Mieville wrote this for a YA audience, but I did not feel that intention in the early part of the novel. I can see it later on, once the focus shifts away from the mole train, following our MC, Sham ap Soorap, on his adventures. This story seemed to be one thing but ended up being much different than I had expected. I greatly enjoyed the early part of the story. It was ...

4/5 stars. In reading any series, it becomes difficult to give full reviews without sharing spoilery details. This entry in the Bobiverse series continues the story of the Bobs expansion across the universe, but also continues the drama of humanity’s future, the ongoing interactions with The Others and Meideros, and the story of the first found aliens on Eden and how Bawwbb is handling his ‘immortality.’ This story overall is a fascinating mind experiment about what might happen in Earth’s future, especially if we continue to explore the solar system and encourage the development of A.I. and digital mind-preserving or enhancing. Taylor writes prose that is easy to read but contains underlying and deeply held meaning. There are many philosophical aspects to Taylor’s novels, and judging humankind for its hubris bleeds across all these philosophies. If you have not read any of the Bobiverse, I highly recommend checking it out. The new hardcover editions are gorgeous and the audiobooks,...

4/5 stars. This introductory English-language translation from a young Korean sci-fi award-winning author has seven fascinating stories that just get better as the reader progresses through the book. I want to thank Saga Press for the Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to experience this ‘new’ author. Overall, the experience of this author’s science fiction is very personal. These stories are all about individuals who live on the edge of society, as an artist in Symbiosis Theory, a woman waiting for a spaceship in the titular story, a daughter who has lost her mother’s memories in Archival Loss, and an astronaut trying to compensate her aunt’s failures many years before in My Space Hero. I enjoyed reading these varied stories and highly recommend this collection to all fans of sci-fi short fiction. These stories pack meaningful personal interactions into fascinating stories featuring interesting science-based fiction. Releasing widely on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

5/5 stars. An excellent conclusion to a wonderful science fantasy / space opera trilogy. In this final installment of The Kindom Trilogy, Dr. Jacobs takes the rebellion of the Jeveni and their allies into a full-scale war against the Treble. The three pillars of The Kindom are in shambles as Seti (Moonback) Kess has taken over the defense of The Kindom and caused vast destruction in his wake. Jacobs does a wonderful job in bringing the war to a climax, leaving some questions about the future unanswered, but fulfilling the reader with a satisfactory conclusion to one of the best space opera trilogies I have read. After finishing Sun Eater in December, I was looking for something a little different, but in the same vein. I am glad I found The Kindom Trilogy, and I highly recommend that you try it ASAP, if you have not already. I regret waiting so long to start it! This story has great politics, some unique religious organizations, and an underdog group of found family that you cannot h...

5/5 stars. Another exceptional story of Rohan the Griffin! Berne took this book to a darker place than I was expecting, but he tells a magnificent story. I love Rohan and his friends, and it is always fun to see what happens next. We have met his parents in previous books, and now we get to meet one of his mentors from his past. The question, though, is whether this is really his mentor, or someone/something else entirely. This tale shows us more of Rohan’s backstory, some of it not so pretty, but I was excited to learn about The Griffin’s history before he came to Wistful. JCM Berne authors wonderful stories and dangles new information about the past with every Turn and current adventure.   In addition, the audiobook is excellent with Wayne Farrell’s narration. He has become the voice of Rohan, Wistful, and Wei Li! I look forward to continuing the story and the audiobooks this year.   Highly recommended!!

4.5/5 stars. Corey has authored a well-plotted story that follows the research group from book one into their various new roles working for the Carryx. We follow Daffyd, Tonner, Jellitt, Jessyn, Campar, and Rickar after Daffyd’s revelation to the Carryx about the conspiracy by the humans to revolt. We also learn more about the Carryx themselves and how the structure of their society determines their roles in it. We are also introduced to more moeities that the Carryx hold prisoner and control, and we learn a little more about the deathless enemy that the Carryx are fighting. With so many POV in this story, there are lots of actions and events taking place with the research group. Daffyd is struggling to be the liaison between the humans and the Carryx while also plotting some form of revenge. There are some interesting surprises in this novel but there are also moments of profound hope and connection between humans and the other moeities. This is a good continuation of the story, an...

5/5 stars. As Swan continues his fantasy-horror story set in Sova and surrounding lands, he writes a darker tale of the interplay between the real world of our characters and the afterlife. In this novel, the Empress has directed Ambassador Renata Rainer and the investigators of the Arcane task force to discover the truth behind The Great Silence in the ethereal world and find a way to end it. Little do all of the investigators know about what politics are transpiring behind the scenes or that Lamprecht von Oldenburg has not been defeated by Colonel Atanasov, as directed by the Empress, but that Atanasov has other plans in mind. I enjoy Swan’s writing and think that his skills have improved continually since I have been reading his works. His Empire of the Wolf trilogy is excellent, and I enjoyed time spent with Vonvalt (I also look forward to his upcoming second Vonvalt prequel novella, in conjunction with Grimdark Magazine); however, this trilogy is quickly supplanting that one as ...