SFRB Recommends #86: The Rule of Luck by Catherine Cerveny

Year 2950. Humanity has survived devastating climate shifts and four world wars, coming out stronger and smarter than ever. Incredible technology is available to all, and enhancements to appearance, intelligence, and physical ability are commonplace.

In this future, Felicia Sevigny has built her fame reading the futures of others.

Alexei Petriv, the most dangerous man in the TriSystem, will trust only Felicia to read his cards. But the future she sees is darker than either of them could ever have imagined. A future that pits them against an all-knowing government, almost superhuman criminals, and something from Felicia's past that she could never have predicted, but that could be the key to saving -- or destroying -- them all. 

This series starts with fantastic worldbuilding. Felicia is fighting for her reproductive rights, and finds that the truth about her blacklisting is far more complicated than she was led to believe. In light of this, should she fight her biology? Is it destiny?

The action is clear and fast-paced. I love the philosophical questions this series raises, and look forward to reading further. 

This recommendation by Lee Koven.
Book site: The Rule of Luck

SFRB Recommends #84: Dustwalker by Tiffany Roberts #sfr

Cheyenne, Wyoming. At least a hundred years from now. The southwestern United States is dust. A giant desert, thanks to a probably nuclear war. Also, there are humanoid robots, called "synths," running around and having lives. Odd lives, in that they don't age or anything, but lives nonetheless.

Lara Brooks scavenges the desert for her living, bringing bits of scrap back to Cheyenne to trade for food. When her trade partners don't remain viable, she's set to starve. When she dances one night, a synth named Ronin is oddly moved by the sight. He proposes he protect and feed her in exchange for watching her dance. A romance develops between them, one forbidden by the human-hating ruler of the city, a synth called Warlord. How they can make a life together? And what would such a life mean?


Dustwalker asks questions about what we consider human and offers some potential answers. The plot points are neatly tied together: questions from the first half are resolved in thoughtful ways, including the villain's motivations. He's both abhorrent and sympathetic, and all of his actions make a twisted kind of sense. It's great when you can easily see yourself making the same choices the bad guys do.

The world of Dustwalker is captivating. The authors kept the scope small, so they could concentrate on the details. The reader gets a gritty picture of the desert that reminds them of Mad Max, but they won't miss anything if they're unfamiliar with that franchise. The world is a lot bigger than the action, and I'd love to know if there are other pockets of humanity or synths still alive, and what stories they would have to tell me.


Author/book site: Tiffany Roberts' books
This recommendation by Lee Koven.

SFRB Recommends #81: Driven by Eve Silver

In the harsh Northern Waste where human life is worth little, ice trucker Raina Bowen has learned to keep her eyes open and her knife close at hand. She's spent her life on the run, one step ahead of the megalomaniac who hunts her. All she wants is to stay out of trouble and haul her load of grain to Gladow Station--but trouble finds her in the form of a sexy stranger called Wizard. He has the trucking pass she needs, and she has to drag him out of a brawl with the very people she's trying to hide from in order to get it. She may have rescued him, but Raina's not foolish enough to see Wizard as anything close to helpless. He's hard and honed and full of secrets--secrets that may destroy them both. As they race across the Waste, trying to outrun rival truckers, ice pirates, and the powerful man bent on their destruction, Raina's forced to admit that trouble's found her. And this time, there's nowhere left to run. 

This book was previously published with the author's name as Eve Kenin.

There are plenty of parallels to Mad Max, especially with various vehicles all the time. Only this desert's made of ice, full of its own perils.

The attraction between Raina and Wizard may be instant, but their other feelings take a while to grow and don't feel rushed. Their emotional pasts are complicated, and that makes the way they interact more interesting. The secondary characters are all intriguing and I want to read more about them.

The world Silver builds in Driven is one I want to explore more: it's believable and fascinating. Environmental and cultural details blend in an immersive experience. I read it in one day. 

Author's book site: https://www.evesilver.net/books

This recommendation by Lee Koven.

Here's an older cover you might see on paperbacks: 

SFRB Recommends 74: Wanted and Wired by Vivien Jackson #sfr #cyberpunk

Now that Texas has seceded and the world is spiraling into chaos, good guys come in unlikely packages and love sprouts in the most inconvenient places...
Heron Farad should be dead. But technology has made him the man he is today. Now he heads a crew of uniquely skilled outsiders who fight to salvage what's left of humanity: art, artifacts, books, ideas-sometimes even people. People like Mari Vallejo.
Mari has been lusting after her mysterious handler for months. But when a by-the-book hit goes horribly sideways, she and Heron land on the universal most wanted list. Someone set them up. Desperate and on the run, they must trust each other to survive, while hiding devastating secrets. As their explosive chemistry heats up, it's the perfect storm...

Wanted and Wired combines original concepts, witty prose, and enthralling characters for a place on my keeper shelf. Mari's always got something funny to say, Heron's convictions and behavior make him lovable, and the villains are convincing and complex. 
The argot gives the book a unique feel/setting that feels immersive. The plot explores excellent philosophical questions about identity and control.  Plus, the way Heron uses his technology in the love scenes is inventive and spicy. I haven't read any other books quite like it!


Author site: Vivien Jackson
This recommendation by Lee Koven.

SFRB Recommends #30 - Spark Rising by Kate Corcino #postapoc #dystopia #romance

Book Description:

All that’s required to ignite a revolution is a single spark rising.
Two hundred years after the cataclysm that annihilated fossil fuels, Sparks keep electricity flowing through their control of energy-giving Dust. The Council of Nine rebuilt civilization on the backs of Sparks, offering citizens a comfortable life in a relo-city in exchange for power, particularly over the children able to fuel the future. The strongest of the boys are taken as Wards and raised to become elite agents, the Council’s enforcers and spies. Strong girls—those who could advance the rapidly-evolving matrilineal power—don’t exist. Not according to the Council.
Lena Gracey died as a child, mourned publicly by parents desperate to keep her from the Council. She was raised in hiding until she fled the relo-city for solitary freedom in the desert. Lena lives off the grid, selling her power on the black market.
Agent Alex Reyes was honed into a calculating weapon at the Ward School to do the Council’s dirty work. But Alex lives a double life. He’s leading the next generation of agents in a secret revolution to destroy those in power from within.
The life Lena built to escape her past ends the day Alex arrives looking for a renegade Spark.

***

My thoughts:

This was my favourite read of 2014. A post apocalyptic romance with a difference, it has action, intrigue, sexual tension, some hot sex scenes (although that's not a top priority on my personal reading checklist), and superb world building. If you're looking for something that isn't zombie apocalypse dystopia and/or a Hunger Games style world (without the game) that's more orientated toward adults, this is the book for you. I couldn't find one thing to complain about, and the fact that this is self published goes to show that you don't have to go to a Big Five book to get Big Five quality story telling. I couldn't find anything to pick on, and believe me I am super picky about my reading these days. This full length novel will keep you on the edge of your seat, and leave you wondering about it long after. And although it isn't relevant to my enjoyment of this book, look at that gorgeous cover!

Amazon

Author site: Kate Corcino | Author of Romantic Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy

SFRB Recommends #29 - Erasure by Misa Buckley #mm #gaylit #LGBTLit #scifirom

Book Description:

When Malik Foster crashes back into his life after a three year absence, Damaris wants nothing to do with his ex-lover. Especially once he learns that Malik has cybernetic implants – something made illegal by the Restoration. Dam does not want a Purity Squad beating down his door. Yet neither does he want to leave Malik to their less than tender mercies. He agrees to use his surgical talents to remove the tell-tale tattoo that’s been branded on to Malik’s wrist.

As they reignite their past relationship, Dam learns about the life Malik has led since the Restoration came into power. He has to face the fact that his future as a plastic surgeon is increasingly insecure in a city that’s becoming ever more obsessed with “natural” bodies. Then the Purity Squads come looking for Malik, and they know an escape is now or never.

But can there be an escape from a regime that wants to erase anyone not falling into their definition of human?

My thoughts:

If you're a newbie to m/m romance (like me) and/or a newcomer to scifi romance as a genre, this is a great place to start. Tight world building that won't overwhelm even the least technically minded, well done sex scenes, well balanced conflict and tension between the two characters, and emotionally satisfying. Be warned though - this is a short story, not a novella or novel.

Amazon US $2.99

Author site: Misa Buckley | Author of Scifi Romance

SFRB Recommends #11: Partials by Dan Wells #scifi #YA #dystopia SFRB Recommends

Partials - Dan Wells 

I've got to admit, I originally read this because my Kindle had run out of charge and it was the only interesting thing on my husband's Kobo. But once I started, I was hooked. Wells paints out a dystopian world where a deadly virus is killing babies within moments of their birth, effectively eradicating humanity as more of the aging population dies. Their solution - keep lowering the age where their youngsters are forced to start procreating, focusing on having as many children as possible in the hope at least a few will survive. But it's not working.

Partials follows the attempts of teenage medical student Kira, desperate to find a cure - not only so that she won't have to join the ranks of baby-makers but to save the child of her newly pregnant best friend. A captured Partial - part of a genetically engineered army designed to end a terrible war, only to turn on their creators - may be the answer they need. Of course, none of it goes to plan.

The dystopian world is well drawn out but bated with unanswered questions - this is the first of a trilogy. The Partials are fascinating, with a quirky method of non-verbal communication which sounds quite primitive but certainly gives them a huge advantage over humans. Kira is strong, capable, and not the normal whiny teen that I've found in a lot of YA titles. Her companions are rounded out characters, and there's even some romance in there. And there's an excellent twist toward the end. Despite being YA, this is something that should equally appeal to adults and fans of dystopia.

Author site: Dan Wells