Bill Jackson will be reviewing a series of classic books for GiN over the next few weeks. These are great stories that you might have missed, or might just miss, and which some of our favorite videogame tropes are likely based. First up: the cyberpunk classic: Snow Crash.
Dripping with local culture and atmosphere, Exposed Fury takes readers on a believable and intriguing murder mystery set in a snowy small town. With realistic characters, perfect pacing and a sufficiently complex mystery, missing out on this well-told tale would be a crime.
The Calculating Stars is an alternative history book that can easily be compared with the popular Hidden Figures movie. Here, intelligent women fight for the right to pilot colonization spaceships as Earth’s people attempt to escape a pending disaster.
It’s all the rage now to take classic literature and twist it somehow by adding undead or other monsters. The Eerie Adventures of the Lycanthrope Robinson Crusoe by Peter Clines, H.P. Lovecraft, and Daniel Defoe does that, and does it well.
Our reviewer had so much fun reading Patrick S. Tomlinson’s Gate Crashers that he dares to compare it with The Hitchhiker’s Guild to the Galaxy. Buckle up for nonstop laughter, quirky snark and hardcore sci-fi adventure if you start turning these pages.
This is an amazing coffee table book for retro-gamers and enthusiasts. If you love the history behind some of those amazing Nintendo SNES games, The SNES Omnibus will provide hours of enjoyment in a stylish package.
The latest novel from Jacqueline Carey is quite a page turner. Starless offers a riveting fantasy world that also dives deep into emotional themes and plot points that will have readers staying up late to finish just one more page.
Fresh from the Bobiverse book series, author Dennis E. Taylor takes on more sci-fi with the audio book The Singularity Trap. Blessed with excellent narration, this is one trap that you may want to fall into.
The final book in the Steeplejack Trilogy, Guardian, gives readers an incredible ending that not only tells a great story, but makes a great bit of social commentary about the world today. Our reviewer loved this one more than just about any other book series.
Following on the heels of The Battle Begins, we find our hero, sick in real life but a master in the Bushido Online game, leveled up and fighting as only a samurai Ronin can. For anyone who ever wanted to get lost in a game, this tale will tantalize.
