#83 Summer's End by John Van Stry

 Dave’s past has finally caught up with him and a stepfather he has never met has a hit out on him. Dave’s bio mom abandoned him as a baby to be raised by his poor day and she never looked back once she returned to her super wealthy family. By chance the first engineer’s birth his brother has located for him is a good fit and has a great boss to show him how to live in the outer system. Things take a turn when he is captured by pirates but because of his engineering skills he is able to trade work for release. And then things really start falling into place for him. Dave is a nice guy who falls up the entire book. Even when things look bad, they come out ok in the end. The book was enjoyable, and I would probably pick up the next one to see what happens.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher

#84 Worlds Long Lost by Christopher Ruocchio (Editor), Sean C.W. Korsgaard (Editor)

A science fiction anthology that uses lost worlds and alien races long gone and newly found as a basis for the stories. The kickoff story is great and very enjoyable, and I wished for that same feeling with every one of them but as with most anthologies not every story was to my taste.  Several play with the Cthulhu mythos and invoke a great feeling of dread in their stories. Overall the stories work well in the framework of the theme and a reader will find something in this collection to their taste and possibly a new writer to read as well.

 

Digital review copy provided by the publisher