Very short review of books

A roundup of brief reviews of books I read in September. There were a number of good books from the month and it was heavy on sci-fi. Cherry is among the best books I’ve read this year and one to get you thinking. Fans of funny science fiction should start reading the Murderbot Diaries immediately. 

Cherry: This, one of the best novels of the year, is a fictionalized version of the author’s life. It’s an engaging, depressing, quick moving story of a tour of duty in Iraq, PTSD, heroin abuse and bank robberies. I’m not sure that you’re supposed to like the unnamed main character, but it’s certainly possible.  (5/5 stars.)

Infinite: What would you do if you faced immortality as the sole survivor of a faster-than-light spaceship? This suspenseful sci-fi story touches on topics as diverse as ethics and game design as it offers one possible answer to that question.  (5/5 stars.)

All Systems Red: Book one in the Murderbot Diaries is a quick and fun thriller told from the point of view of a gloomy and sarcastic robot trying to help a science team survive on a remote planet. (5/5 stars.)

Artificial Condition: Book two in the Murderbot Diaries follows our sarcastic robot as it tries to unravel a secret from its past.  (5/5 stars.)

Fear the Survivors: Book two of the Fear Saga follows humanities efforts to prepare for an alien invasion while fending of an elite robotic advance team sent soften Earth’s defenses. This one is better than the first book in the series, which itself was good. (4/5 stars.)

The Last Cowboys: I thought this would be about life on the ranch. It’s more about life on the rodeo circuit. But a topic new to me and very well written. A search on Goodreads for “The Last Cowboys” returns 54 results. Will the real last cowboy please stand up. (4/5 stars.)

The Incendiaries: A tragic love story revolves around the activities of a terror cult. This book didn’t really work for me.  (3.5/5 stars.)

Boomer1: An over educated, under employed academic rants about the job market, spawning a mini-revolution among Millennials. This novel might have been timely for a brief period, but that period has passed. (3/5 stars.) Read my full review.

The Singularity Trap: The latest by Dennis E. Taylor failed to engage me. Read his hilarious and very original Bobiverse trilogy instead. (3/5 stars.)