Featured Science Fiction Reviews
You'll find reviews of space opera, cyberpunk, future dystopia, and hard science fiction here.
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Featured Science Fiction Books
A rogue security android with a fear of human interaction is embroiled in a crisis when things go badly wrong for a peaceful scientific mission. The first novella in the Murderbot series.
Binti (2015) by Nnedi Okorafor
A young woman leaves her tribe to go to university across the galaxy, far from her home culture.
Saga: Volume Three (2014) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
New parents from opposing sides of a conflict hide out in a lighthouse, but their pursuers are on their trail. A graphic novel.
There's something quite classic about this collection of mostly science fiction stories. These short tales deal with aliens, bizarre futures and peculiar societies.
Half of America has been overrun by zombies. So why has one man ignored the evacuation order and stayed to put them down?
Pure (2012) by Julianna Baggott
When the Detonations hit, those unprotected were left with horrifying mutations. The Pure inside the Dome were the lucky few. But is anyone safe and untainted in this post-apocalyptic world?
The world of Shale is about to fall to darkness, but the remedy seems worse than the sickness. The second book of The Nightbound Land.
Thirteen stories of future warfare as humanity faces all manner of threats.
God’s War (2011) by Kameron Hurley
A government-sponsored assassin finds herself in trouble when she breaks too many rules. But she is the one the queen turns to in order to track down a dangerous alien.
Bloody War (2011) by Terry Grimwood
London is transformed into a war zone in this chilling story of modern conflict.
In the future your colour vision determines your life chances. But Eddie Russet may have seen too clearly for his own good.
This collection of short stories set in the Polity universe features man, machine and alien testing the limits of what they will do to survive.
A young man without family gets entangled in a plot that threatens his city in this far-future thriller.
When the state begins to remove the civil rights of ordinary people, a young man takes on the system.
To save her sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take part in a brutal tournament in which only one person can emerge alive. The first book in The Hunger Games trilogy.
Incarceron (2007) by Catherine Fisher
A young man fights to escape a vast prison that is decaying around him. On the outside, a young woman struggles to get into the prison to escape the prospect of an arranged marriage and a life of political scheming.
Overclocked (2007) by Cory Doctorow
This collection of short stories mixes technology and cyberpunk themes with acute political observations and zombie mayhem.
The human race is dying out, and Sophie Zapata isn't convinced it deserves to be saved.
Crash Deluxe (2005) by Marianne de Pierres
Parrish Plessis sets out to take down the media in a future Australia where the gulf between rich and poor is vast. This is the third book in the series.
Two alien cultures make first contact. But will the experience harm the less advanced civilisation?
Nylon Angel (2004) by Marianne de Pierres
When you've met Parrish, you'll know why she's so hard to put down.
Code Noir (2004) by Marianne de Pierres
Parrish Plessis is back, and she has already broken her resolution not to hit anyone.
Evolution (2002) by Stephen Baxter
This is the epic story of the primates, as they evolve from tiny mammals into the humans who would shape and dominate the world, and beyond.
Time Future (1999) by Maxine McArthur
In a space station in the far future, Commander Halley lives at a time when humans are no longer the dominant species. The first in the Time Future series.
Engineman (1994) by Eric Brown
When FTL starships become obsolete their Enginemen are out of work and the spaceports are falling into decay. But has progress come at too high a price?
Featured SF Films
Katniss must choose between sparking a rebellion against the repressive Capitol, or laying low in an attempt to protect those she loves who the Capitol still holds hostage. The third film in The Hunger Games.
Katniss may have survived the Hunger Games, but what can one person do to prevent the districts breaking out into open rebellion? The second film in The Hunger Games series.
Repo Men (2010) directed by Miguel Sapochnik
Pay your debts, or the Repo Men will have their pound of flesh in this gory near-future thriller.
Inception (2010) directed by Christopher Nolan
An idea can change everything in this thriller about dream infiltrators.
V For Vendetta (2006) directed by James McTeigue
For Evey Hammond, the 5th of November will never be the same again.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
The machines fight back. Will Neo be able to stop them and save Zion?
Galaxy Quest (1999) directed by Dean Parisot
Mistaken for a real crew of space adventurers, a group of jaded actors battle to save a friendly alien race.
The second film in the Terminator series sees the young John Connor fighting for his life against another robot from the future.
Luke Skywalker learns the ways of the Jedi in order to save the galaxy from an evil Emperor and the terrifying Darth Vader.
Venom (2018) directed by Ruben Fleischer
When alien organisms come back to Earth, an investigative journalist tackles the corporation that wants to conduct unethical experiments on them.
Elysium (2013) directed by Neill Blomkamp
In the future the mega-rich live in luxury on a space station, whilst everyone else lives with poverty and disease on Earth, until one man gets the opportunity to change the system, if only he can survive long enough.
Kirk and his crew face an adversary who seems to be better than them in every way. The second film set in the rebooted Star Trek universe.
The odds are against Katniss when she volunteers to take part in a vicious televised fight to the death.
In the forties a secret plan to boost the war effort results in the creation of a superhero. But can one person really make a difference?
Iron Man 2 (2010) directed by Jon Favreau
Iron Man faces threats from upstart technologists, the military, and his own health in this sequel.
Unreviewed books
Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff ChiangFor a group of young paper girls, delivering the news without getting picked on by local teenagers is challenging enough. But alien-like invaders, disappearances and other creepy occurences come to their small town in this graphic novel.
Blue Mars by Kim Stanley RobinsonMars is fully terraformed, whilst Earth is threatened with overpopulation and ecological catastrophe. The third novel in the Mars trilogy.
Green Mars by Kim Stanley RobinsonThe colonisation of Mars continues. The second novel in the Mars trilogy.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley RobinsonMankind begins to colonise Mars. But can a new frontier escape old tensions? The first novel in the Mars trilogy.
Born With The Dead/The Saliva Tree by Robert Silverberg and Brian W. AldissTwo novellas. After a meteor shower, a farm becomes unnaturally fertile. And the dead walk in the world, but one widower is unable to contact his late wife.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodIn the repressive state of Gilead, Offred is a Handmaid. She has few rights and many restrictions, and society values her only for her ability to breed.
Neuromancer by William GibsonCase is a hacker who has been crippled and shut out of virtual reality in this cyberpunk novel.
The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le GuinAn envoy comes to the planet Winter, where people are able to change from male to female and back, to persuade the locals to join an interstellar alliance.
Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi OkoraforChanged by alien technology, Binti must try to save her family and pacify two groups that are intent on war with each other. The third novella in the Binti trilogy.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha LeeA captain is taken from a far-future battlefield in disgrace for using unconventional methods, and offered a challenge in order to redeem herself and save the Hexarchate. The first in the Machineries of Empire trilogy.
Bitch Planet Volume One: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De LandroIn a harsh future difficult women are consigned to a prison planet and forced to fight in a brutal game. A graphic novel.
Mockingjay by Suzanne CollinsAs the rebellion against the Capitol gains momentum, Katniss is asked to become the face of the Resistance. But what will such open defiance cost her and those she cares about? The third book in The Hunger Games trilogy.
Coalescent by Stephen BaxterA man searches for a sister he never knew. In the distant past, a woman tries to survive as the Roman Empire crumbles. The first novel in the Destiny's Children series.
Snow Crash by Neal StephensonIn a world where armed corporations have taken over from governments and pizza delivery is life or death, a new drug comes on the market.
Queen Of Angels by Greg BearA public defender is tasked with bringing in a poet and mass murderer. Meanwhile, computers at Alpha Centauri and on Earth look for life and contemplate self-awareness and the soul. The first novel in the Queen Of Angels series.
The Memory Of Whiteness by Kim Stanley RobinsonA junkie musician tours the solar system, performing on a one-man instrument known as The Orchestra.
1984 by George OrwellWinston Smith lives in a society dominated by the Party, where his every move and thought is monitored by Big Brother, and dissent is not tolerated.
Gethyon by Pippa JayA troubled young man with psychic powers finds that they cause people to hunt him after these powers manifest in unpredictable ways.
The Finder Library: Volume One by Carla Speed McNeilA troubled young man with special powers tries to protect his adoptive family in a far future world where our civilisation is merely an echo.
Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsThe Capitol did not expect Katniss Everdeen to survive the Hunger Games the way she did. So, whilst there are rumblings of rebellion in the districts, the 75th Games will be more brutal than ever. The second book in The Hunger Games.
Slave To Sensation by Nalini SinghSascha Duncan is a Psy, conditioned to feel nothing, but her icy exterior begins to unravel when she meets a tactile changeling who is unafraid to show strong emotions. The first in the Psy-Changeling series.
The Subjugate by Amanda BridgemanTwo detectives investigate murders in a small religious community near to a place where violent offenders are turned into placid servants. The first in the Salvi Brentt series.
The Gone World by Tom SweterlitschA special agent in the Naval Crime Investigative Service travels through time to try to solve the brutal murder of a family, and to locate a missing daughter. But the future holds the possibility of an apocalypse humanity cannot survive.
Hunted by G. X. ToddIn a world where almost everyone has been driven to madness and death by voices invading their heads, the survivors find themselves hunted in this post-apocalyptic thriller. The second book in The Voices series.
Saga Volume Nine by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona StaplesHazel and her family and friends remain fugitives in space, but they are offered a chance to take new identities in exchange for telling their story to the press.
Unreviewed films
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind directed by Michel GondryJoel Barish has his memories of his impulsive girlfriend erased after discovering that she had her memories of him wiped in a new medical procedure. But does he really want to forget?
The Matrix directed by Andy and Larry WachowskiA computer hacker is about to learn that reality is not what he believed it was, as he joins the war against the machines.
The Truman Show directed by Peter WeirTruman Burbank is living his whole life as a TV show, and he is the only one unaware that everything around him is fake.
The Fifth Element directed by Luc BessonIn the 23rd century the Fifth Element has come to Earth to protect the world from evil, and it falls to a taxi driver to protect her.
The Nutty Professor directed by Tom ShadyacAn obese college professor creates a potion that turns him into an outgoing but obnoxious thin man so he can woo the woman of his dreams
Total Recall directed by Paul VerhoevenDeadly memories resurface during a holiday on Mars.
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids directed by Joe JohnstonA scientist accidentally shrinks his children and two others from the neighbourhood, with his new invention.
Back To The Future Part II directed by Robert ZemeckisMarty McFly travels to to his future and past to prevent things going wrong for his family in 1985.
Batman directed by Tim BurtonThe caped crusader takes on the Joker.
Innerspace directed by Joe DanteA pilot is miniaturised in a submarine and ends up inside a grocery store worker, and they both must evade scientists who want to steal the technology.
RoboCop directed by Paul VerhoevenA Detroit cop is fatally wounded in the line of duty, so he is revived as a cyborg
The Fly directed by David CronenbergA scientist experiments with a teleportation machine. But when he transports himself a fly gets into the machine and he begins to turn into a human/fly hybrid.
Aliens directed by James CameronRipley and a team of marines take on an alien infestation.
Back To The Future directed by Robert ZemeckisA young man travels back in time with the help of a crazy scientist. However, if his parents fail to get together he may accidentally erase his own existence.
Brazil directed by Terry GilliamA filing clerk imagines flying to the rescue of the woman of his dreams. However, he struggles to get by in a bureaucratic dystopia, when a computer error puts him in danger.
Star Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi directed by Richard MarquandA group of rebels fight to rescue Han Solo and take on the evil galactic empire in this planet-spanning space opera.
Blade Runner directed by Ridley ScottA replicant hunter must track down and terminate four rogue replicants before they kill again.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial directed by Steven SpielbergAn alien is left stranded and alone on Earth. A child tries to help him to find his way home.
Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin KershnerDarth Vader sends troops to attack rebels on the planet Hoth, whilst Luke Skywalker tries to complete his Jedi training before time runs out.
Superman directed by Richard DonnerAn alien with super-strength poses as a mild-mannered reporter, and battles the criminal mastermind Lex Luthor.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind directed by Steven SpielbergAliens visit Earth in this story of first contact.
Logan's Run directed by Michael AndersonLife is idyllic within a domed city until the age of thirty, but nobody is allowed to live beyond that. A state assassin is sent to infiltrate a Sanctuary of escaped runners outside the dome.
A Clockwork Orange directed by Stanley KubrickIn a dystopian future a young man leads a violent gang. Can the state brainwash him into behaving more peacefully? An adaptation of an Anthony Burgess novel.
Don't Look Up directed by Adam McKayTwo astronomers discover a comet heading to Earth that is likely to destroy humanity. But when they attempt to warn people and get them to act, they face being ignored and ridiculed.
Looper directed by Rian JohnsonA man makes a living travelling through time as a hit man for the mob, until he finds that the mob wants to close his loop by getting him to kill his future self.
