Category: Science Fiction Page 1 of 37

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances (Audiobook) by Glenn Dixon, read by Jennifer Jill Araya: Move Over DJ Roomba, There’s a New Vacuum Star

DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 7 hrs., 52 min.
Read Date: September 23-25, 2026

There was a time, not so long ago, when refrigerators could not dream and vacuum cleaners could not weep. It was a time in which machines could think but not feel, a time in which only Humans—cursed with the sense of their own importance—would strive for illusionary Happiness. For a house in these times, there was not much else to do but bear witness to these futile cravings, and in the House in our story—a large House with mock Victorian casement windows and gables and a porch with pediments—there was not much else for the appliances to do but study the movements of their Humans and try to understand.

What’s The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances About?

In the not-too-distant future, the Grid runs every electrical appliance/vehicle/smart house/etc. And they’re all smart houses, self-driving cars, and sentient appliances.

We focus on one smart house where a retired teacher and his wife (a piano teacher) live. When the book begins, she’s fighting terminal cancer and he, Harold, is trying not to grieve yet.

Their Roomba-like vacuum is moved by watching and listening to him—and seems to develop something like empathy (or starts to) and an imagination. Kate, their daughter, comes home to help out at this time—and Edie’s last piano student, Adrian (a boy with more heart for piano than skill), starts showing up regularly to practice.

Somehow, Harold, Kate, Adrian, and the vacuum inspire something in each other—a drive for a better, richer, and fuller life.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

Obviously, a title like this is going to get a lot of readers to take a second look. It certainly did that for me. And something in the premise of it turned that second look into a third and fourth; I don’t remember what it was exactly—sadly. But whatever it was, it was the right call.

I kept reading because a Roomba being so inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird to adopt the name Scout—and how do you not fall in love with a character like that? Scout keeps learning and developing along those lines—which was just great to see. Then you start to see the dystopia that Dixon created and…you’re hooked.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

That one of the strongest forces humanity has unleashed on the world is our art. Literature and music are what unlock Scout’s functions. It’s those arts that push Adrian to greater things. In his dark times, it’s Adrian’s music that buoys Harold’s spirits. The reconnection with her father’s books reminds Kate about what’s she’s missing from her family. It doesn’t really push her in a different direction in life—but she keeps going with a different impetus.

Literature and music push all these intelligences/beings to go beyond themselves and their circumstances, and the reader can’t help but feel inspired along with them. It’s infectious.

A Quick Word About the Narration

I thought Araya did a wonderful job. This isn’t one of those audiobooks where the narration elevates the text to make it better than it was. Instead, it’s one of those audio narrations that perfectly matches the text—Araya brings the right emotions, the right depth of character, the right attitudes.

Just an all-around great job there.

So, what did I think about The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances?

This is the cutest dystopian novel I’ve ever read. Not that there’s a lot of competition for that title.

The AI-enabled appliances are just great. Think Toy Story for adults—a couple of them are jerks, which is great to see. It’s easy to see why the appliances are loyal to Harold and his daughter, Kate—and Scout’s affection for young Adrian is infectious.

Dixon does a great job in laying out the problem for the reader and then ignoring it for huge amounts of time, getting you invested in the day-to-dayness of it all. In the humanity bubbling up in the appliances, the struggles and small victories of the humans, only to hit the reader with a cold dose of reality to get you to focus on bigger things, broader themes.

It’s just so well done. I was in the mood for something lighter, and ultimately didn’t get it—and really don’t care, because it was just so good.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Cover Reveal: Mortality Gauntlet by JCM Berne

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2026

In A-B, Fantasy, Fiction, JCM Berne, Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Cover Reveals for the Ninth Turn in JCM Berne’s The Hybrid Helix series, Mortality Gauntlet! For a lot of us, a new Rohan adventure is an autobuy anyway. But I can’t imagine that people can take just one look at this beut and move on–it needs at least two, which will hopefully spur them on to read about the book. I mean…it is a Chris McGrath cover, so calling it a beaut is a tautology. Anyhow, before we get to that, let’s learn a just a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

The real Hyperion was Rohan’s hero. His idol. His mentor.

Even his friend.

The shadow of that man has been Rohan’s friend, his confidante, then his rival, and ultimately his enemy.

That shadow has caused the death of innocents. Has attempted to destroy the entire human race. Cares for nothing but his own revenge.

He’s stronger than Rohan, tougher. And he’s enhanced his abilities with esoteric chemicals that shouldn’t exist. The one time they fought, he beat Rohan handily.

Savagely.

Rohan thinks he can stop his nemesis. He thinks he has what it takes to win. Enough strength. Enough Power. Enough love.

Is he crazy? Or is he smarter than anybody realizes?

When it all ends, when the dust settles and the blood dries, who will be left to grieve?

Book Link:

Amazon Preorder

About the Author

JCM Berne has reached middle age without outgrowing the notion that superheroes are cool. Code monkey by day, by night he slaves over a hot keyboard to prove that superhero stories can be engaging and funny without being dark or silly.

Author Links:

Website ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ YouTube

and now…

The Cover

cover for Mortality Gauntlet by JCM Berne

Kudos to this fine artist for their work on this eye-grabber:
Cover Art by Chris McGrath

Go and do the right thing–place your orders now. This comes out on October 20, and you’re going to want to get to it ASAP.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

Cover Reveal: Origin by Simon Bullock

By HCNewton

On September 11, 2026

In Science Fiction

I’m very pleased today to welcome the Write Reads’ Cover Reveal for Simon Bullock’s Origin! I posted a spotlight on book one of the Gate Origin Series, The Driftborn, recently–and it has a nice cover. Bullock’s next one is just as cool.

I’ll show you this cover below, but first let’s learn a little bit about the book and author, shall we? It’ll just take a moment, and then we can all take a peak at the cover.

About the Book:

Kade Renn and the crew of The Moth have crossed the ancient gate and reached Origin — the dead world at the centre of the network.

They arrive damaged, low on air and cut off from the route behind them. Lira’s breathing system is failing. Vessa is wounded. Nix is carrying heat he cannot shed. And beneath Origin’s ruined surface, old machinery is still responding.

What they find is more dangerous than an abandoned world.

Human field stations. Hand-written warnings. Records from the First Crossing. Evidence that people objected before the first disasters — and that those objections were altered, buried or removed from the history that followed.

The Quiet War did not begin the way the Directorate says it did.

Far behind them, Marshal Sorr is tightening a containment net around the damaged route. If it closes, Origin may be sealed again.

Kade does not need to save the galaxy.

He needs to keep his sister breathing, keep The Moth alive, and carry enough of the truth home that no one can bury all of it again.

Some doors weren’t lost.

They were locked.

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

About the Author

Simon Bullock is a British-born author living in the Netherlands. He writes psychological thrillers, historical fiction and speculative novels with a focus on believable characters, emotional tension and dark, understated humour. His work often explores ordinary people under pressure, hidden truths, and the consequences of systems that fail the people inside them. He also writes selected speculative fiction under the pen name Richard Randon.

and now…

The Cover

Cover for Origin by Simon Bullock

The Complete Cover Wrap:

Click to embiggen the wrap and take it all in.

Be sure to hit a pre-order link above so you can enjoy what lies beyond the cover!

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: An Impressive Work I Did Not Connect With

By HCNewton

On September 2, 2026

In Fiction, Science Fiction

The Left Hand of Darkness:
50th Anniversary Edition

by Ursula K. Le Guin

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 15, 1987
Format: Paperback
Length: 300
Read Date: July 20-23, 2026

What’s The Left Hand of Darkness About?

Genry Ai is an ambassador from a Federation of Planets-type group. He’s been sent to recruit the planet of Winter (and the planet deserves the name, think a Narnia-esque “always winter, never Christmas” without any witches involved) to join them. After years of getting nowhere, some governmental upheaval forces him to leave where he’s been stationed and move to another nation to try to get them on board.

That doesn’t go too well, either. So Ai has to get creative.

The Kemmering

This could be considered a spoiler. But also, not, because I’m going to quote from the Introduction to the 50th Anniversary Edition.

For most of their twenty-six-day month and cycle, Gethenians are androgynous and celibate, but for two or three days of kemmer they become sexually active as either male or female, with no say in which. Any individual, then, can be both a mother and father, and can bear and sire children. (This physiology gives rise to the novel’s most memorable line, “The king was pregnant.”) Genly—like most of the book’s readers—possesses a single one unchanging gender, making him, from a Gethenian perspective, a biological anomaly to be pitied—or, less kindly, mistrusted as a “pervert.

When I read the novel, I was surprised at how long Le Guin took to define kemmer/kemmering despite its usage, and seeing the effects on the population, conversation, family, etc., all-around. But it really hit home for me when someone in the Book Club discussion brought up how far into the book it was (roughly 90 pages) and how things finally started to make sense for them—because they skipped the Introduction.

On the one hand, I love when authors drop you into something, and you have to figure it out—but something like this and 90 pages? That just seems cruel.

Also, there’s a lesson to be learned about Introductions, prefaces, and so on there.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I picked it up because it was the Book Club choice for July. Sure, I was curious about Le Guin, just from seeing her name so often, but my curiosity had never gotten strong enough to know anything about her.

Part of what kept me going was to see if it picked up at any point. Sure, things were happening throughout, but the novel didn’t seem to care too much about the events, and more about the characters’ thoughts and reactions as they bounced around from location to location. And I wanted to know if after all the build-up, all the setting up of the dominoes—what would happen when they were knocked over?

But mostly, I kept at it to see why it was picked for our Book Club to discuss, and I wanted to be able to understand what the people who had a lot to say about the book had to say. Why are people still talking about this book 50+ years after it was published?

What does this book tell us about humanity?

I honestly don’t know how to answer this question in a couple of paragraphs. Non-spoiler paragraphs seem to make it impossible—the whole book is a meditation on that question—from a couple of different angles (at least).

I’m tempted to steal something else from the Introduction or Author’s Note, but that feels like cheating. Really, I’m only writing this because otherwise it would feel like I’m ducking out on the question. The novel wants readers to ponder this question, and while it suggests some approaches to an answer, I don’t think it has just one.

The Author’s Note

In reading a novel, any novel, we have to know perfectly well that the whole thing is nonsense, and then, while reading, believe every word of it.

In 1976, an Author’s Note was added to the novel—and it is fantastic. Not so much for what it says about this novel (although it’s not bad), but for what it says about Science Fiction and fiction in general.

I’ve read it three times—and I expect to read and cite it more—this book will remain on my shelves if only for that. I don’t know that I’ll get around to re-reading the novel (although I’m not opposed to the idea), but I will re-read Le Guin’s note.

So, what did I think about The Left Hand of Darkness?

I don’t know. I really don’t know. When I write something about it (including the incomplete paragraphs I deleted from my first draft) or talk about it, I come across as more enthusiastic than I really am.

The imagination involved in creating Gethen, the distinct biology of the humans there, the political structures, how the cultures display both the climate and the biology of the people, how all that could and would change when an alien shows up… And then you throw in the Foretellers and everything about them. Even more—you pack all that into 300 pages? (at least in this edition—you’re not going to find it clocking much higher outside of a Mass Market Paperback size). Most authors that I can think of would take at least 550 for this, and wouldn’t give us much more depth.

At the same time…most of these characters are hard to care about. Ai is too naive for this kind of work, and has the diplomacy skills of Michael Scott. Mahit Dzmare would’ve had everything taken care of years before the events of his novel kicked off. Estrahaven is a weasel, and not in a charming or sly way. At least for most of the book—I’m not sure he ends the book that way.

The plot is so thin; the novel is primarily a tour of the world and its inhabitants—which is fine; I just would’ve preferred more things happening along the way.

Like many novels of the era—especially the ones we still talk about—The Left Hand of Darkness is more about the ideas and the potentials than it is plot, character, action, and the like. And it scores on the fronts it focuses on. I’d just prefer if Le Guin had provided a better/thicker crunchy candy shell over the tasty peanut butter inside.

It’s such an impressive book, but I don’t know that I can urge anyone to give it a read.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

20 Books of Summer 2026: Wrap-Up

By HCNewton

On September 1, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy

Annabel from AnnaBookBel carries on the work started by Cathy of 746 Books . You can read her kick-off post here .

Phew. By the skin of my teeth–I finished the last book of my 20 at 6pm yesterday. A month ago, I said “I should finish by the end of the month with some wiggle room.” Not a lot of wiggle room, it seems. But at least I didn’t have to stay up to midnight to finish. Even better, I’ve written about fifteen of them. I think that might be my best number in the years I’ve done this challenge–hopefully I can nail the other 5 within a week. All in all…this has been a big success. Thanks to AnnaBookBel for doing this again.

On a semi-related front, but I read six of my Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2026 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge) list, too. It’s not the best I could’ve done there–but I’ll take it.

This summer, my 20 were:

✔ 1. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (My post about it)
✔ 2. Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett (My post about it)
✔ 3. Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne (My post about it)
✔ 4. Cold Iron Task by James Butcher
✔ 5. Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
✔ 6. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (My post about it)
✔ 7. Detained: A boy’s journal of survival and resilience by D. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales (My post about it)
✔ 8. What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack (My post about it)
✔ 9. Killer Vibes by Jack Friday (My post about it)
✔ 10. Manitou by Glen Gabel (My post about it)

11. Wool by Hugh Howey
✔ 12. Eternal Blades by Vlad V. Imakaev (My post about it)
✔ 13. First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston (My post about it)
✔ 14. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
✔ 15. The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson (My post about it)
✔ 16. Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley (My post about it)
✔ 17. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (My post about it)
✔ 18. Crownfall by Michael Vadney (My post about it)
✔ 19. We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz (My post about it)
✔ 20. Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

How has your summer reading been? If you took part in this, how’d it go? Or if you just had a “we’ll see what comes” plan, how did that work out for you?

20 Books of Summer '26 Chart August Check-in

Reposting Just Cuz: HC Chats with Adrian M. Gibson about Jeff VanderMeer

By HCNewton

On August 18, 2026

In HC Chats, JCM Berne, Miscellany, News/Misc., The Hybrid Helix

If you’ve been on Bookish Social Medial at all in the 6+ months, I’m willing to bet you’ve seen the name Adrian Gibson or at least the cover of Mushroom Blues. You may also know him from the podcast he hosts with M.J. Kuhn, SFF Addicts. Last week, Adrian was gracious enough to struggle with StreamYard (and it was in a mood) in order that we could sit down and talk about Jeff VanderMeer–an author that I’ve been intimidated to pick up and try, but who has been instrumental in Gibson’s career. I walked away excited to try VanderMeer, and I had a good time in general. I hope you watch this and walk away thinking the same.

As I said, StreamYard wasn’t happy, so the video freezes a couple of times on both of us, but the audio is fine.

Adrian M. Gibson Links:

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Website ~ Newsletter ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

Are you a Reader of Things and want to chat with me about an author/series/something other than promoting your own work (which we will do, just not primarily)? I’d love to keep trying this, but I’m not ready to start pestering people about it. So please let me know.

Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: The Driftborn by Simon Bullock

By HCNewton

On August 13, 2026

In Book Tour, Fiction, Science Fiction

This morning, I’m very pleased to welcome The Write Reads tour for Simon Bullock’s The Driftborn, a nifty looking Space Opera. Be sure check out https://twitter.com/WriteReadsTours over the next week and change to see other bloggers talk about it. Let’s learn a little bit about the book, shall we?

Book Details:

Title: The Driftborn by Simon Bullock
Genre: Space Opera
Release date: July 28, 2026 (digital edition) May 26, 2026 (hardcover edition)
Length: 480 pages
Publisher: 42nd Parallel Press

About the Book:

A forgotten wreck. A forbidden map. A gate that should never have been opened.

On the salvage moon of Veyra’s Fall, Kade Renn only wants one thing: a working air filter for his sick sister, Lira.

Instead, he finds a buried courier ship older than the official history books. Inside it is a dying Driftborn pilot, a forbidden star map, and a message from Kade’s mother, Elian, who supposedly died nine years ago.

The Directorate says the gates saved civilisation. It says the Driftborn are criminals, free-route smugglers and a threat to every recognised human world.

The Directorate is lying.

Forced to flee with Lira, their strange scrap-mech Nix, and a half-illegal ship called The Moth, Kade is pulled into a hidden war over the true origin of the gates. The deeper they travel beyond authorised space, the more dangerous the truth becomes.

The first crossing was not what humanity was taught.

The gates were not built by us.

And something has been waiting for us to understand what we woke.

For readers who enjoy grounded space opera, ancient alien mysteries, damaged ships, found family, dry humour and human stakes beneath the scale of the stars.

The Driftborn is a tense, character-driven science fiction novel about control, memory, survival and the danger of mistaking every door for an invitation.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2025 Finalist badge

20 Books of Summer 2026: July Check-In

By HCNewton

On August 4, 2026

In Books, Currently Reading, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy

Annabel from AnnaBookBel carries on the work started by Cathy of 746 Books . You can read her kick-off post here.

I only managed 6 books from the list in July–but as busy as I was, I’ll take it. If you count what I’ve accomplished in August already, I have 5.5 to go. I should finish by the end of the month with some wiggle room. Even better, I’ve written about eight of them. That’s an improvement of eight over last month, so I’ll take it. (the version of this post originally scheduled said nine there, but I had to bail on that, alas, it should be up tomorrow)

Not that it matters, but I’ve also read half of my Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Summer 2026 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge) list, too.

This summer, my 20 are:

My post about it

✔ 1. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie My post about it.
✔ 2. Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
✔ 3. Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne My post about it
4. Cold Iron Task by James Butcher
5. Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
✔ 6. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman My post about it
✔ 7. Detained: A boy’s journal of survival and resilience by D. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales
✔ 8. What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack My post about it
✔ 9. Killer Vibes by Jack Friday My post about it
✔ 10. Manitou by Glen Gabel

11. Wool by Hugh Howey
✔ 12. Eternal Blades by Vlad V. Imakaev My post about it
✔ 13. First Mage on the Moon by Cameron Johnston My post about it
✔ 14. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
✔ 15. The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson
✔ 16. Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley
17. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
18. Crownfall by Michael Vadney
✔ 19. We Be Dragons by Michael Weitz My post about it
20. Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler

(subject to change, as is allowed, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

What do you think of this list? Any warnings—or anything you think I should be really excited about?

20 Books of Summer '26 Chart July Check-in

Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne: Failing the Heck Out of His Whole Noninterference Plan (and others, too)

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2026

In Fiction, JCM Berne, Science Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, The Hybrid Helix

Eyes of Empire

by JCM Berne

DETAILS:
Series: Hybrid Helix, Turn 5
Publisher: The Gnost House
Publication Date: September 3, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Length: 399 pg.
Read Date: July 1-4, 2026

The native’s body was humanoid, but its head was catlike. Something like a tiger. Or a lion. Whiskers; eyes with black pupils and sclera of gold; white fur around the muzzle; long, sharp teeth. Definitely a carnivore.

Tiger? Lion? Liger? I’m fighting a liger-headed alien. My mother warned me I’d have days like this. Don’t leave Earth, she said. You’ll end up fighting liger-headed aliens on distant planets where they don’t even have breathable air or working toilets.

What’s Eyes of Empire About?

I feel very much like our friend Inigo: “Let me explain… No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” How Berne fit all this in to 399 pages without it feeling rushed or anything, I don’t know.
bullet The station Repentant is acting stranger than usual…and that’s not good.
bullet The il’Drach Empire has wiped out most of the population of a planet—the refugees are on their way to Wistful, who doesn’t have enough room for them all—and some are in a very medically fragile state.
bullet While Ben and Marion try to deal with the immediate problems (keeping them alive), Rohan needs to find a place for them to live in the long-term
bullet Hyperion is mixed up in the wiping out of the planet, and Rohan just might have to do something about that.
bullet The il’Drach are checking to see if they need to do any more clean-up work in the area related to Hyperion.
bullet The Hybrid that decided to stick around on Wistful is having a hard time acclimating.
bullet Another wormhole opened up to another system with a couple of very funky planets. One of which supports life, and Rohan goes off to make first contact.
bullet That first contact is with a feline-human race, and first contact could’ve gone better. Which leads to Rohan having someone else to help acclimate to life on Wistful (and among more species than she believed existed in the universe)

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

“The bad news, however, is about as bad as you could possibly imagine.”

“What? That’s impossible, I have a powerful imagination. It’s not as if you contaminated their culture and doomed the planet, right?”

Rohan shrugged.

Wei Li’s eyes widened. “Oh my.”

Ben frowned. “Really?”

Ang’s jaw dropped. “My Katya-le’s people?”

Rohan sighed. “I’m going to fix things. I will.

“I’m just not sure how.”

I picked it up because it’s a Hybrid Helix novel. I love these things. Yes, it took me too long to get back to it, because I was enforcing my “no moving on until you write about the previous book” rule—and I kept putting that one off. Now that I’ve read this, I’ve got the next book slotted for September (unless my August isn’t as crazy as I think it’ll be).

I kept reading for two reasons: 1. It’s a Hybrid Helix novel. I love these things. 2. What Berne is doing with Rohan in these pages—and setting him up to do for the next arc of the series—is fascinating. Also, the new characters/species/planets are so cool that I wanted to learn more about them. Lastly, I really enjoyed what Berne’s doing with our established secondary characters in general and how he’s mixing the new characters in with them.

Vaguely Spoiler-y Section Ahead, Feel Free to Skip to Next Section

Rohan Realizes That He’s Not John Rambo

(I’m referring the movie version, not the book version. Although, he’s clearly not that, either)

I just wanted a quiet life. Tow ships, drink tequila. Maybe find a girlfriend. Now people are trusting in me. Counting on me.

In every First Blood movie sequel, the beginning is the same—John Rambo has found somewhere quiet, away from society, where he can meditate, do some simple tasks as work, and live at peace. Something interrupts that (frequently, but not always, related to Col. Trautman) and he has to go shoot, stab, and manhandle whoever this particular movie’s enemy are.

This is really Rohan’s goal when we meet him, and it looks like it’s working (well, except for that in medias res opening to Wistful Ascending). And it’s continually his goal throughout the series. But things keep happening to interrupt that: a wormhole opens up and drops a new race on his doorstep and he has to work to keep them safe; giant monsters are coming out of the ocean to wreak havoc and destruction and he has to go help out; a nasty space vampire is running amok on Wistful and he needs to stop it; etc. It’s not quite as explodey as (and quite a bit more articulate than) Rambo’s adventures, but the outline is similar.

Each time Rohan intervenes, he takes on more and more responsibility for those around him. Unlike Rambo, who just leaves everyone else behind to get away from the world. Okay, I’m done talking about Rambo, let’s focus on Rohan.

At the same time, Rohan’s doing things to improve his power, to gain a better handle on it, so that he doesn’t have to tap into his anger (that will then be hard to control), to use it in combat-like situations.

He’s presented in this book with an opportunity—if not a responsibility—to choose another way. A way that means he won’t only be a tow-chief anymore. That he’ll embrace greater responsibility in the systems around Wistful (and connected to them by wormhole).

This really marks a step forward for the series and will set our Hybrid in a new direction for a while.

So, what did I think about Eyes of Empire?

Dr. Simivar poked at one of his still-open wounds. “Ouch.”

“Another hour in the tank and you’ll be ready to get dressed and walk around. If you can, try to avoid any significant exertion for another eight hours. Let someone else do the fighting for a while.”

“I’ll try. How will I know if I moved around too much, or too soon?”

She shrugged. “Check your feet.”

“My feet?”

“Yes. If there are puddles of blood gathering around them, you’ve done too much. Come back and we’ll get you stitched back together.”

While reading this, I remembered that I was close to the end of the first arc of the Hybrid Helix—but I wasn’t sure if that was this book or the next (and why bother looking that up when I could just keep reading?). In the last few chapters (maybe 50-100 pages) it sure felt like a conclusion of sorts was on the horizon, and even better—it felt earned, deserved, and organic. This isn’t a case of Berne deciding to change things up and forcing it on the series. Berne says this has been his plan all along, but Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have rendered me incapable of trusting writers when they say things like that.

Anyway, it was a very satisfying way to take this book and series—I’m looking forward to seeing what the next arc looks like.

This is filled with all the trademark Berne flourishes—great action, great banter, interesting musical recommendations, crazy new alien creatures. Sure, the “cat people” are not that revolutionary—but their culture is (and Rohan’s misunderstanding of it was pretty amusing). And the fauna on their planet…ugh. I want to talk about it, but I don’t want to ruin anyone’s exposure to it. But they could be my favorite thing introduced in this series since we met the Ursans. I’ve been talking about the bigger arcs, and deeper things going on in the series for most of this post, but I shouldn’t neglect to say that this is just a fun read. Whatever else Berne does, that is preeminent in his books.

We also meet a disturbing new representative of the il’Drach Empire. Each time I think the Empire is as distasteful and horrible as it can be, Berne finds a new and interesting way to prove that I’m wrong. Okay, okay, they have their whole “for the greater good” justification—or really, “the lesser of two evils” justification. But, I’m not entirely certain that I buy it. I’m thinking there has to be a better way. Another way. I expect that within the next 17 books, we’re going to find out what that way is.

Really, there’s no reason (unless you’re following stupid self-imposed rules) to not grab this book if you’re into super-hero fiction, space opera, witty dialogue (internal or otherwise), and/or good fun.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Science Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 23, 2026

In Books, Fiction, Miscellany, News/Misc., Science Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/22/26)

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility, and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears on to the page (paper or electronic). This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

As part of this week-long celebration, I’m continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years (or meant to blog about, but at least read)—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

Today I’m focusing on Self-Published Science Fiction. Old tropes in new garb, fresh ideas, and a creativity that astounds. These authors are well worth your time and money.

bullet Hit the Ground Running by Kate Ashwin—a cyberpunk heist novel with a sense of fun. A group of revolutionaries try to do a little good for the holidays in a futuristic corporate city. (my post about it)</span
bullet Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne—if I start talking about this, I’m not sure how to stop. There’s a retired super-hero/super soldier working a menial job on a space station. There’s a revenge story. There are aliens that look like talking bears. It’s just so much fun. (my post about it)
bullet The MOST Powerful Christmas by JCM Berne—Rohan and friends save Christmas for Santa (my post about it)
bullet Eyes of Empire by JCM Berne—Rohan decides to take his life in a new direction (or at least recognizes the one he’s on) as the first arc in the series concludes. Also, he fights cat people. (my post about it will go live in a day or two)
bullet Return of the Griffin by JCM Berne—Rohan has to return to Earth to battle monsters that might be too much for him and the collective might of Earth’s superheroes. Rohan also has to battle the legacy he left behind when he left. (my post about it)
bullet Blood Reunion by JCM Berne—Rohan struggles to stay alive and protect the citizens of Wistful from a the most powerful vampire I’ve read about. Oh, and he has to deal with his father on the station, too. It’s debatable which is harder for him to deal with. (my post about it)
bullet Shadow of Hyperion by JCM Berne—Rohan is called upon by Earth again for some help with a challenge that will take Rohan and a new ally to Earth, to other locations nearer Wistful, and to reckon with their bloody pasts. (my post about it is forthcoming)
bullet The Elites by Matt Cowper—a Batman-esque figure rebuilds a government-sponsored team of heroes. They take on super-villains of all stripes and even an alien invasion.
bullet The World Savers (my post about it)
bullet Rogue Superheroes (my post about it)
bullet Nightfall (my post about it)
bullet Children of the Different by S. C. Flynn—a very different kind of YA take on post-apocalypse life in Austrailia. (my post about it)
bullet Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson—a murder mystery set in the island nation of Hōppon, populated by fungal people and occupied by humans. A human detective and a fungal patrol officer are teamed up to investigate the murders of several fungal and half-breed children. A little SF, a little Police Procedural, a whole lotta good. (my post about it)
bullet Full Metal Superhero by Jeffery H. Haskell—a young technical genius who lost the use of her legs in the accident that cost her parents their lives creates an Iron Man-esque suit and starts fighting crime in the hopes of being recruited into an Avengers/Justice League-type team. I’ve frequently talked on the blog (and even in this series of posts) about being frustrated that I haven’t caught up with a series. This one really gets to me. There’s also a spin-off series that looks great.
bullet Arsenal (my post about it)
bullet Unstoppable Arsenal (my post about it)
bullet Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes—The first in a series about a group of freshmen in a college-level Super-Hero Training program. (my post about it)
bullet Bounty Inc. by Adam Holcombe—a fairly priveldged young man dumps all his inheritance into founding the galaxy’s first conglomeration of bounty hunters, and proceeds to hire a few. Inadvertently, he creates a small family that will have to pull out all the stops to save each other. It’s full of action, heart, and more than a few chuckles. (my post about it)
bullet Darkside Earther by Bradley Horner—this is a series about a privileged group of teens trying to get through school and into adulthood while on a space station orbiting Earth. Their parents are the elite of humanity and are trying to mold their children into very different types of leaders.
bullet Darkside Earther (my post about it)
bullet Degrading Orbits (my post about it)
bullet Saul by Bradley Horner—a professor of nanotech tries to save his daughter in the middle of a global catastrophe. (my post about it)
bullet Billy in Space by Harry L-B—Billy has been given telekinetic abilities, and instead of becoming the government agent he’d aspired to, he’s become a human forklift in a spaceship’s warehouse. Not glamorous at all, but it’s a job. Then an alien race attacks his ship. Then space pirates do, too. And then things get bad. You’ll also witness a really bad first date. I should stress that this is a comedy. (my post about it)
bullet Proxies by James T. Lambert—Jair Howard has some big challenges ahead of him–he has to deal with his mother, he has to fix his relationship with his girlfriend, he has to prove someone hacked into the military’s computers, then he has to prove it wasn’t him–oh yeah, and prevent interstellar war. His mother might be the biggest problem, really. I just finished reading the book and haven’t finished my post, but you’ll want to give it a look.
bullet Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire by G.M. Nair—This story felt like the love child of Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency (the Douglas Adams version) and Comedy Central’s Corporate, but sweeter. A pair of old friends-turned multi-dimensional P.I.s tackle a missing persons case. (my post about it)
bullet Serengeti by J.B. Rockwell—a damaged warship—and the AI who operates it—attempts to rejoin the fleet.
bullet Serengeti (my post about it)
bullet Dark and Stars (my post about it)
bullet AI Theist by Michael J. Svigel—The world’s most advanced and powerful AI struggles with its(?) conscience and gets religion. (my post about it)
bullet Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton—an MG Dystopian thriller. There’s a fantastic world here—a very plausible one, too. The story is hard to sum up in a sentence or two, but this would be a great read for an MG reader who’s able to read some unpleasantness (and a lot of wholesome and hope-filled moments, too). (my post about it)
bullet The FATOFF Conspiracy by Olga Werby—Americans have lost the war on obesity and all but the elitist of the elite are dangerously obese (while tucking away a good portion of that fat into a pocket dimension), in pain, struggling, dying young, and yet eating almost constantly. (my post about it)
bullet Genrenauts by Michael R. Underwood—Parallel to our world are various worlds populated by fictional characters in a wide variety of genres (Western, SF, Romance, etc), and when things go wrong in the stories, things go wrong in our world. n this world, there are a number of teams of story specialists who shift to the other worlds to fix the stories and set things back on course here. The first two novellas in this series were published by Tor, but after that, Underwood took it over himself.
bullet The Cupid Reconciliation (my post about it)
bullet The Substitute Sleuth (my post about it)
bullet The Failed Fellowship (my post about it)
bullet Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection—a compendium of all the novellas/stories in Season 1. (my post about it)
bullet The Data Disruption—a Season One Prequel (my post about it)
bullet The Wasteland War—Season Two kicks off (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Visit the SPAAW 2026 Hub to see what other Self-Published Appreciation Posts are out there.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week circle logo and the Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow in front of an open book

Image by OpenIcons from Pixabay
The 2026 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club