Nagasravika's Book Reviews Blog

 Caliban's War  (The Expanse #2) By James S.A. Corey  Published Year: 2012 Page Count: 520 pages  Medium Used: Kindle PW  Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Political Intrigues, 2026-read.  Rating : 4.85/5 😀😀😀😀😀 This is my second time reading this book. This time I have managed to get to the end. The first time I remember Dnf-ing at 65% and writing a 1 point review on my blog. I guess I was too prudish and naive to focus much on the fast paced, engaging narrative. This time around, I didn't pay much heed to Avasarala and her habit of using expletives in every sentence and that made me enjoy the unfolding story.  In book 1, the proto molecule that has consumed the Eros space station is pushed off into Venus and it has been slowly smoldering and cooking in there ever since. This book( book 2) starts with mutual firing between Earth UN armies and Mars armies stationed in the orbit around Ganymede station. A monstrous creature with immense strength ...

 The Last Emperox  (The Interdependency #3) By John Scalzi  Published Year: 2020 [Tor Books] Page Count: 350 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Hard Science, Space Opera, Philosophy, Stored Consciousness, Court Intrigues, Game for Throne, Thriller, 2026-read.  Rating :5/5 😀😀😀😀😀 Link to book 2, in the series,review is here:  The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi Book Review Link to book 1 is here:  The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi Book Review I wrapped up this final(as of now, based on what the author has commented) installment in the Interdependency series by John Scalzi and I am filled with mixed emotions. I want the series to have atleast one more book because it is so good. Also I felt all that needs explaining in the story/plot hasn't been satisfactorily done - so needs one more book. I got fully invested in the political, social and economic conditions of the twenty billion inhabitants of the Interdependency ...

 The Consuming Fire  (The Interdependency #2) By John Scalzi  Published Year: 2018 Page Count: 360 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy, Hard Science fiction, Court Intrigues, 2026-read.  Rating : 5/5 😍😍😍😍😍 My review to book one in the series :  The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi Book Review Carenia - her official title, Grayland - has assumed the powers as emperox of the Interdependency and is now facing an unprecedented problem of the empire on collapse. There is ample, undubious math proof that, within a decade, all the systems of the flow stream connected empire will become isolated, unconnected and taken over by despair, hopelessness and possibly violence. She wants to help cart as many people as she can to the only isolated and functionable habitat on the planet, the End. At the start of the book, she spouts out visions of prophetic nature in order to influence the common folk into believing her/Marce...

 The Collapsing Empire  (The Interdependency #1) By John Scalzi  2018 Locus Award Winner  Published Year: 2017 Page Count: 370 pages  Medium Used: Paperback  Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Hard Science fiction, Space Opera, Game for Throne, Thriller, Court Intrigues, 2026-read.  Rating : 5/5 😍😍😍😍😍 The Interdependency is the nation of systems where humans are spread out across the universe. There are around 47 habitable systems in all. On some of them, like the Hub, they live underground. On some, they don't have feasibility to inhabit the planet and hence live on scientific habitats or space stations. Only End is the planet where they live on the surface. These human occupied outposts are interconnected by flow streams. Where even if they use their fastest spaceships called Tenners, it would take them anywhere from decades to centuries to plod between these habitats, using and traveling through Flow, they can reduce the time to weeks or months. ...

 Blindsight  By Peter Watts  Hugo Award Finalist Published Year: 2006 ( Tor Books ) Page Count: 390 pages  Medium Used: Kindle PW  Genre: Aliens, Science Fiction, Horror, First Contact, Space Opera, Philosophy, 2026-read.  Rating: 3.5/5 The narrative didn't make sense all the time. Its not like the author went rambling or anything, its just his sentences failed to drive his point. For the most part though, it felt very engaging and gripping. I had some issues with the overall logic and didn't understand why an evolved species like humans or an intelligent species like the aliens/scramblers do what they do. I have enumerated some of these questions I had while reading down below. The horror angle to the plot .. I felt it initially when humans encounter the ship Rorschach and have an formal dialog with the aliens but later the author has made it mostly about explaining away his theories on consciousness and the nature of these aliens. More than horror, this f...

Old Man's War (2005) By John Scalzi  My Rating: 4/5 🥴🥴🥴 Genre : Space Opera, Science Fiction, Military, War, Future. I liked this book well.   I liked the different variants of alien creatures and their capabilities envisioned by the author. I liked the idea of a continuing consciousness for humans who are old/dead and the ways of using it productively.  I thought the story/plot started on a very promising note and some hilarity even. As the story progressed, I found I could skip over several lines of the text and not miss much. There is a lacking of emotional connection and investment a reader makes as he gets involved in the fate of main character(s). The ruthlessness and the brutality on display as the different species try to win and invade is a bit troubling. What is there to enjoy in endless war,right?  Old people at a future point of time have the capability to reverse their age - in a way. Their consciousness is transferred into young and highly evolv...