The Sky is Waiting.
Author Mary Roach has a knack for taking our modern manicured life and looking just underneath its surface for the truly bizarre. Fans of this space will remember our review of her previous space-based opus, Packing for Mars. For her latest adventure, the author takes us from the depths of outer space to the brave new worlds of inner space as we explore the digestive tract, literally from one end to the other. [Read more...]
Welcome to a new and exciting monthly feature from yours truly here at Astroguyz.com. As you know, when we’re not creating science and science fiction literature, we’re consuming it with gusto. This is a tradition that goes back to the halcyon pre-internet days of our youth, when books and Space: 1999 reruns were “what there was…” [Read more...]
On sale now!
Many scientific discoveries often come out of left field.
The history of science (if we learn any of the history of science at all in school) is often depicted as a neat, tidy progression from ignorance to enlightenment. How could Isaac Newton not have formulated his laws of gravity and motion, or Einstein not have stumbled on his Theory of Relativity? It all seems foreordained in hindsight. [Read more...]
On sale now!
Cosmology is “where it’s at” in modern astronomy. With advent of observatories such as Planck, COBE and WMAP, the study of the origin, nature and fate of the universe has gone from the prevue of late night philosophers to a mature science backed by hard data. [Read more...]
Out now from Baen Books!
Word is out in the cosmos; humans are first class criminals.
This week’s review offers an interesting insight into a question astrobiologists and science fiction fans have often pondered; how would we stack up against other alien species? Are we smarter, dumber, faster or the only race dexterous to play Eruption on the guitar this side of the Milky Way? [Read more...]
On Sale Now!
It’s always great to see major world cities laid to waste all in the name of an apocalyptic science fiction saga.
Perhaps, the promise of an eventual Armageddon is comforting in a way, a realization that the mundane drudgery of daily life may yet come to pass. Hey, there’s no shortage of world-ending scenarios to choose from these days in sci-fi, from zombie plagues to alien invasions, zombie alien invasions… and, well, you get the idea.
On Sale Now!
Always count on a spec ops team to get the job done. Or, as in the case of this week’s review, deliver the goods on action and adventure. Tiger by the Tail by John Ringo and Ryan Sear is a first rate, no-holds-barred action-fest that spans Southeast Asia. Out from Baen Books, the book is a standalone work in the Paladin of Shadows series. [Read more...]
On sale now!
Nothing says science fiction like old school world-building. Through the use of a thoroughly constructed backdrop, the reader soon gets lost in a world as familiar as their own neighborhood. Some of our faves in terms of science fiction world building include Dune, City without End and The Quiet War saga. [Read more...]
On sale now!
Thank our good fortune for our one large Moon. While many an astronomer might curse its presence in the night sky, its very existence gives us an astronomical phenomenon that may well be unique in our neck of the galaxy; total solar eclipses. And that happy coincidence of having a Moon that’s roughly 1/300th the diameter of our nearest star but 300 times closer is also a happenstance of our position in time as well; the Moon is receding from us at about 3.8 centimetres a year, meaning that about 0.6 billion years hence, the last total solar eclipse will be seen from the surface of the planet Earth. [Read more...]
On sale now!
It’s time to go back to the Moon. With the recent passing of Neil Armstrong, it’s a bit disconcerting to think that in a decade or so to come, we may inhabit a world where no living human has walked on the Moon’s surface. [Read more...]
On sale now!
Heinlein is one of the greats, an American Science fiction master on par with Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I grew up reading such works by the seminal great at Space Cadet, Farmer in the Sky, and Friday. To date, die-hard fans still rave about his Starship Troopers as “Star Wars before there was a Star Wars” and lament its 1997 movie adaptation. And with his naval background, Heinlein can arguably be called the grandfather of military sci-fi to boot. [Read more...]
On sale now!
It seems that the further back you go, the less certain we are of facts in our very own history. Stories become more legendary, tales more fantastical. History seems to love a good story and never cares for any of the pesky hard truths that sometimes get in the way. [Read more...]
Out in March!
You can’t go home again as the old cliché says, but what if you were trapped there permanently? We’re uniquely adapted for life on our tiny blue-green planet, but one often wonders if our space-faring descendants might see it as otherwise. Would a living on the Earth be seen as a blessing or a curse?
On sale now!
Anyone that follows this space knows that we love us some dystopian science fiction. From 1984 to The Hunger Games, there’s just something that’s oddly comforting about a warning presented by a frightening future heeded.
But what is it that makes us think that doom and destruction is always just around the corner? Why is it that while half of America is tuned into Downton Abbey on Sunday nights, the other half is watching The Walking Dead? And hey, is there a market for a series that mashes up the two?
In Power Under Pressure, the third in Andrew P. Mayer’s Society of Steam trilogy, the steampunk super heroes known as the Society of Paragons is all but eliminated by Lord Eschaton and his growing army. The battle continues between good and evil in the forms of fortified steam and fortified smoke. Lord Eschaton is furthering his quest for the purification of mankind, starting with New York City residents, by use of fortified smoke. Evil has the decided advantage at the onset.
Sarah Stanton holds the heart of the Tom the automaton and represents the balance of the Society of Paragons. Her challenge — defeating Eschaton and his minions — is all up-hill and there is no shortage of obstacles in her way. Still, with a fantastic array of heroes and villains, old and new, Lord Eschaton and his Children and Sarah and her very slim entourage make for a compelling story.
Tom’s reappearance in the story line is timely and spectacular. The reader gains a deeper understanding of what he is, what Darby meant him to be, and what he could become. Will he be a hero? Or represent chaos? The answer to that question is well developed and completely unexpected.
I have really enjoyed this trilogy from onset to conclusion. The last 30 pages or so of this book are a roller coaster ride of story evolution. Nearing the end of this ride, I found myself wishing there were going to be a fourth book. I wasn’t ready to be done with these characters or Mayer’s steampunk New York City. Happily, I believe there will be more adventures with the Society of Steam. Mayer leaves us with a not-so-subtle indication that that is the case. A new leader for the villians is introduced, the Society of Steam is introduced as replacement to the Society of Paragons, and a third element is also waiting for action…’til mankind is ready and reaches out.
I, for one, cannot wait to see where Mayer takes this story.
On sale now!
It is one of the biggest questions in science. How unique are we? Has the drama of life and intelligence played out countless times in the history of the cosmos, or are we so improbable that we are effectively alone? Either answer is a stunning relation. In this week’s review, Perfect Planet, Clever Species out from Prometheus Books, author William C. Burger uses some of the most recent cutting edge findings to tackle the question of how human intelligence arose. We’ve discussed the “Rare Earth Hypothesis” and reviewed the book of the same name. Proponents posit that the Earth and life on it are the result of a fortuitous set of circumstances, from the existence of plate tectonics to a large axis-stabilizing moon to a large gas giant world (Jupiter) “goal-tending” the inbound stream of comets & debris. [Read more...]
Sam Sykes’ The Skybound Sea, Book Three of the Aeons’ Gate Trilogy, is a remarkable cap to an absolutely action-packed trilogy.
First, the title is very enigmatic. The explanation comes well into the book as our adventurers work their way — individually or in teams — to the island of Jaga to stop Ulbecetonth, the Kraken Queen, from returning to the land of the living. Jaga is where sky and sea have no boundaries. The action in the skybound sea with water plants and swimming creatures acting as though they’re in the sea tweaks the imagination. It adds another level of complexity to an already somewhat less than simple plot and cast of characters.
Our heroes/heroines continue their personal battles with internal and external demons throughout this book. What remains surprisingly intact is their dedication to the quest and, by extension, to each other. All are needed to make it happen, and each works to that end. The character development, interplay and evolution is fascinating and not so fantastic. At any point, dark or light could prevail. Sykes never really lets us know until it happens.
I was very taken with Sykes’ concise and still very descriptive depiction of beings, landscape, and combat. As I’m writing this, I can still see in my mind’s eye physical attributes of various characters, the essence of the skybound sea, and the ebb and flow of the several conflicts throughout this story. Description is always key to storytelling, but essential in a fantasy story. Until the author puts pen to paper, all the color lives only in the author’s mind. In my opinion, Sam Sykes nails it.
I’m thinking we’ve not seen the last of Sam Sykes; possibly not the last of the adventuring team that survives Aeons’ Gate, either. That works for me. I for one am anticipating whatever Sykes is serving up next.
|
|
|
 |
|
Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New. A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth’s shadow is apparent in the image.
The Algonquin Indians had names for each of the seasonal Full Moons, many of which survive today. The Full Snow Moon pictured occurs in the month of December, when the first large winter storms coat the ground with snow. This Full Moon also tends to fall near the Winter Solstice, and thus rides high in the nightly sky opposite to the Sun on long winter nights.
Every rocket launch is unique, but twilight shuttle launches where by far the most impressive. The image pictured was of the April 5th, 2010 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center at dawn. The exhaust plume caught the rising Sun overhead just right, and numerous noctilucent clouds persisted right up until sunrise. Unfortunately, space shuttle launches are now relegated to the pages of history.
2012-2013: The Year in Science Fiction Poetry
An excellent collection!
Some years ago, we toyed with the idea of writing a post on Science Fiction poetry. As it came up in the queue, we pondered if there would even be enough to write an entire blog post about. We’d encountered a few examples of sci-fi poetry over the years, but it still seemed to be very much beyond the purview of the mainstream… [Read more...]