Science Fiction | Book Chatter

Sea of Tranquility
By Emily St. John Mandel
Knopf, 9780593321447, April 2022, 272pp.

The Short of It:

Reading Mandel guarantees exploratory thought processes.

The Rest of It:

Summing this story up is not easy. It’s a little bit of everything. There’s space exploration in the form of airships to other worlds, time travel, very interesting characters who float between this world and the next. Really, the story asks the question, what if what we are living in is a simulation? A carefully constructed “reality” that is anything but real?

Sounds wild, right? It is and it’s fascinating the way Mandel takes these characters through different time periods. As with most time travel stories, changes made anywhere within the continuum impact things down the line. Mandel softly tiptoes around this as her characters are warned over and over again what the end result will be. And in the midst of all of this, one of those time periods involves a pandemic.

I really enjoyed this short novel. It provided so much food for thought and was really well done. If you loved Station Eleven, you will appreciate this story as well.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Dune
By Frank Herbert
Ace, 9780441172719, 1990, 896pp.

The Short of It:

I really enjoyed the world-building in this classic.

The Rest of It:

Here’s my disclaimer. I read this book during all of my kidney issues so I was often in a haze of pain while reading. BUT, even with all of that going on I enjoyed this story so much. I just can’t remember the finer details so I’ll try my best.

“Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for….” ~ Indiebound

I loved the characters that Herbert created. Paul is a charming lad, wise beyond his years and his love for his mother is what stands out here. Paul’s potential as a leader and his mother’s dedication to preserve his life at all costs is so genuine and sweet. The dry land, the search for every drop of water available, and the sand that surrounds them creates a dangerous climate.

This is classic sci-fi and holds up very well. I picked it up because I was interested in the new movie but wanted to read the book first. As it stands, I have yet to see the movie but I doubt it can be as good as the book. I say, read the book.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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